Mom’s Recipes

Joanne Pajtas Buckley March 5, 1946 - November 12, 2019

My mom didn’t love to cook. When she got married she didn’t even know how to cook! But she was an artist and she loved to create magic in the lives of those she loved. She also loved to eat! She understood that in a world where everything is available at any time, the best things in life are the things you make yourself. She showed her love in many ways but as I stroll through her cook books I realize how much she loved us with recipes that our family has come to cherish. Her potatoes salad was mentioned several times at her funeral and that is what inspired me to share these little culinary treasures with you. The irony being that despite the elaborate recipes, her favorite thing to eat was poached eggs.

Zuppa Tuscona

1 pld mild Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
6 potatoes
1.5 leters chicken broth
1/4 tsp. (heaping) chili pepper flakes
1/2 C heavy cream or whole milk
1 small bunch kale
salt and pepper to taste

fry sausage and remove from pan to separate grease. Put back in pan and finish cooking with onions and garlic. While cooking, peel and slice potatoes into bite sized pieces. Combine potatoes, with meat and broth and chili flakes. Skim of any extra fat and add heavy cream. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. Serve with shredded kale and Parmesan

Real Macaroni & Cheese

2.5 Cups of Macaroni
8 TBS butter
8 TBS flour
4.5 - 5 C whole milk
2.5 C grated cheddar, mozzarella and any other cheese you like
1 small onion, diced
20 soda crackers for topping, crushed and mixed with 1 TBS butter
Boil macaroni with a little salt until just tender and drain. Make a white sauce by melting butter, add flour and then salt. Add milk slowly. Add onion and cheese mixing over heat until the cheese is melted. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni. Top with crackers and bake at 375 until browned slightly and bubbly.

Chicken & Rice

2 Chickens, skinned and cut up. (can use all legs and thighs)
3 TBS olive oil
2 tsp Lawreys salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mix all ingredients with olive oil and coat chicken pieces.
1 onion, diced
2 C uncooked rice
4 C chicken broth
Place diced onion, rice and chicken broth in large baking dish. Place coated chicken parts around the dish. Back at 375 for 50 minutes. I like to leave in until rice starts to go crispy around the edges.

Stuffed Cabbage

2 large cabbages
1 pound hamburger
1/2 pound sausage
1 medium onion
1 TBS salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1 large can of tomato soup (feel free to make your own)
1 1/4 C uncooked rice
Core cabbage and put in enough boiling water to cover cabbage. As leaves start to loosen and become soft, remove each leaf individually. (they need to be pliable but not cooked.) Pare off some of the thicker vein on each leaf to make more bendable. Save cabbage water.

Saute onion with meat and drain off grease. Add seasonings, cooked rice and enough soup to mix without being “soupy”. Take one leaf and put 1 TBS of mixture and base of leaf. Roll up, tuck ends in and place in pan. Repeat until all leaves are stuffed. When one layer is done, cover in tomato sauce and start another layer. When pan is full, pour cabbage water in until rolls are covered. Bake at 350 for 1-1.5 hours.

Broccoli Casserole

4 pounds frozen cut broccoli, cooked until almost done
1 package cream cheese
1 can of mushroom soup (or make your own)
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 mushrooms chopped
2 sleeves of saltine crackers
2/3 stick butter
Leave cream cheese out to soften. Cook broccoli. Saute onions until just soft. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in the pan you cooked onions in. Crush crackers into crumbs and mix into butter. Place broccoli mixture in a large baking dish and cover with buttered crackers. Cook at 350 for about 1/2 hour until crackers are browned.

Goulash

1.5-2 pounds ground beef
1.5 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 TBS sugar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper chopped
28 oz can of tomatoes
1 lb dry macaroni

Brown ground beef, onion and green pepper and drain off excess grease. Add all other ingredients, adding the macaroni last. Place in a greased casserole dish. Top with grated cheese and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Chicken Pie

5 TBS butter
4 TBS flour
2 Cups chicken stock
1/2 cup onions, diced
3-4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup cooked carrots, cut up
Salt, pepper, celery seed, dried oregano and parsley
Saute onions in butter and remove from pan. Add flour to butter and make white sauce adding broth. Add seasonings, chicken and vegetables. Place mixture in a medium glass baking dish or pie dish. Top with pie crust. Slit crust so steam can escape. Brush with milk and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Mushroom Stuffing

20 slices of bread dried and cubed
3/4 cup chopped onion
1.5 cup chopped celery
5-6 chopped mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 chicken stock
1 stick butter
1 package of dried sage stuffing (you can also use a strip of saltine crackers crushed)
Saute onion and celery in butter. Add seasonings. Pour butter/seasoning mixture over bread cubes. Mix well. Add chicken stock 1 cup at a time until mixture is moist but not soggy. You many need to add a bit more. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 can of tuna
2/3 -1 package of egg noodles
1 pint milk
2 TBS flour
1/2 stick butter
2 hard boiled eggs
1/4 pound sharp cheddar
1 can mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
salt and pepper
Boil and drain noodles. Make white sauce and add cheese. Drain tuna and add rest of ingredients. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Pie

16 oz spaghetti
32 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
3 eggs
1 tub of sour cream
1 pound hamburger
16 oz of shredded mozzarella
Cook spaghetti, then beat eggs, mix and set aside. (let the spaghetti cool a bit so it doesn’t cook the eggs when combining) Cook hamburger, drain and add sauce. You can add anything else you like in your sauce, mushrooms, onions etc… Mix spaghetti and sauce and put in a large baking dish. Dab on sour cream and sprinkle all over top with cheese. Bake at 350 covered for 1/2 hour.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1-tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground or minced tangerine peel (I freeze it but scrape the pulp off)
¾ cup cold butter, cut into pieces. 
1-cup buttermilk, plus more to moisten properly
2/3 cup white chocolate, chopped
Cream or whole milk to brush the tops with
White sparkling sugar sprinkles (the coarse chunks)
Currants, chopped cherries or cranberries Optional.

Combine first 5 ingredients, mixing well; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and currants, also tangerine peel and chocolate, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.  Shape dough into a ball; place on a lightly floured surface.

Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut with a cookie cutter or just make triangles.  Place scones on ungreased baking sheets.  Brush with cream and sprinkle with the sugar.  Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes.  Then check them.  They should be just starting to brown. 

Grandma Pajta’s Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 squares bitter chocolate (2 oz)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
Melt butter with bitter chocolate. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding nuts last. Place in 8x8 greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. When cool sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Rolecky (cresants) Grandma Pajtas

Do the night before if possible:
1 package dry yeast
1 cup sour cream
combine and set aside
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 sticks butter - cut into flour
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cut butter into flour and salt mixture. Gradually add the egg and vanilla mixture. Add the sour cream mixture and mix until smooth. Chill over night if possible. Make into 1 inch balls, then chill again.

Filling:
5 egg whites (2/3 cup)
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp maple flavoring
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in sugar and flavorings then add nuts.

Make a rolling powder out of 1/2 cup flour and 3.5 cups of powdered sugar. Flatten a ball on the rolling powder until very thin. Place 1 tsp of filling off center near the bottom. Roll away from you over the filling until you reach the top. Twist ends. Place on a well greased baking sheet. Bake about 14 minutes at 350 until slightly pine on top and light brown on the bottom. When cool sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pecan Pie

3 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup corn syrup (can use golden syrup as well)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup pecan halves
combine eggs, syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla. Mix well and stir in pecan halves. Pour into pastry lined pie plate. This is a liquidy mess when it goes in the oven so be careful! To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie crust with shield. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove shield and bake for additional 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Refrigerate within 2 hours.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 sticks butter
1 cup water
4 TBS cocoa
Bring to a boil and keep stirring while adding:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
Then Add:
2 eggs mixed with 1/2 cup sour milk (or regular milk mixed with 1 tsp baking soda)
Stir completely. Pour into a greased cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. While baking make the frosting to put on warm cake.
Frosting:
1/4 stick butter
5 tsp cocoa
6 TBS plus 1 Milk
4.5 cups powdered sugar
1-2 cups walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
Bring to a boil and add sifted powdered sugar, walnuts chopped in large chunks and vanilla. Pour over warm cake and spread.

Baked Caramel Corn

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
6 quarts popped corn; make sure there are no seeds. Must be air popper or it is greasy.
2 cups peanuts or cashews if desired
Butter to large jellyroll pans, or something that has sides on it. In a heavy pan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and slat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil over medium heat without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. In canning pan or something large, pour over popcorn. Turn onto two buttered sheets and bake at 300 uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir/turn with a spatula after 15 minutes. Remove and cool, breaking up as soon as it’s cool enough to touch.

Grandma Buckley’s Carrot Cake

2 cup grated carrot
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1.5 cup oil
2 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup crushed pineapple
Mix wet ingredients, then dry then lumpy. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes in a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan.

Kolachi

1/2 pound butter
1/4 cup lard
3 cups milk
8 egg yolks
9 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
1 TBS salt
2 packages dry yeast
Place milk on stove on medium heat and bring almost to a boil. Remove from stove and add butter and lard. Cool to luke warm. Place the 2 yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Let dissolve. Take mixture, yeast and 8 egg yolks. Mix. Will be sticky, thinner than bread dough. Kneed for a few minutes. Let rise until double. Punch down, then drop by tablespoons on a lightly floured surface. Spread by hand and place filling in the middle. Stretch and gather dough around the filling. Place gathered sides on the bottom. Topping is 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 2 TBS butter. Bake at 350 for 20- 25 minutes. You can use any fruit filling or nut filling from cresents.