VEGETABLE CASSEROLE SUPREME

10 - 12 medium red and white potatoes
6 - 8 carrots
1 red bell pepper1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 heads broccoli
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 pound cheddar cheese (optional)
olive oil

A stoneware casserole dish or an enamel roasting pan will work for this recipe

1. Peel and chop the onion and garlic and saute in olive oil for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.

2. Wash and cut 10 – 12 medium sized red and white potatoes into chunks about 1 x 2 inches. It's better not to peel the potatoes for this dish. Layer these in the bottom of the casserole.

3. Wash, peel and cut 6 – 8 carrots into chunks and layer over the potatoes.

4. Drizzle ¼ cup olive oil over the vegetables. Add parsley, basil, sauteed onion mix, salt, and black pepper. Mix so that oil and spices coat all of the vegetable pieces.

5. Bake covered for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

6. While the potatoes and carrots are baking:
Wash and chop 2 stalks of broccoli, the tomatoes, and the red pepper.
Grate the cheddar cheese

After 40 minutes, remove potato and carrot mix from the oven, remove cover and layer the broccoli, pepper, and tomatoes on top of the potatoes and carrots. Drizzle a little more olive oil, and add a little more salt, pepper, parsley, basil, and black pepper.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top of the vegetables. (Leave off for a dairy free dish.)

Return to the oven uncovered and bake for 20 more minutes at 350 degrees.

Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Henry Ford

Brandied Apricot Cobbler

Fruit layer:
1 dozen apricots pitted and cut in half – these can be canned, frozen or fresh
3 tablespoons brandy
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Arrange apricots flat side down in the bottom of an 8 inch square or a 9 inch round baking dish. Drizzle the brandy over the fruit and then sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped nuts.

Cobbler Batter:
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup brown sugar

Soften the butter and mix with brown sugar. Add other ingredients and drop spoonfuls of batter over the fruit; then smooth to cover most of the fruit.

Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until crust is brown and springs back to a light touch.

Serve with vanilla ice cream. This is sweet and rich.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Ben Franklin

Coconut Custard Pie

With a crust, this is a cream pie; without crust, it is baked custard. Both can be served with whipped cream.

Toast 2 cups of sweetened coconut in a frying pan without oil over medium low heat. Stir frequently to keep from scorching. When coconut is lightly browned, set it aside to cool.

Mix in a large saucepan:
2 cans condensed milk
1 ½ cups sugar
four well beaten eggs
toasted coconut
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Heat slowly, stir frequently. When mixture is heated through and beginning to thicken, pour it into two 8 inch pie pans or one ten inch pie pan. It can be baked in a graham cracker crust or a in a pre-baked pie shell. If there is any mixture left over, pour it into glass custard cups and bake these along with the pie.

Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until a knife comes out of the center cleanly. Cool and eat with whipped cream.

Do what you can with what you have where you are. Theodore Roosevelt