For the Love of Food

Ingredients:
1 Lb. ground Beef
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 stalks of Celery, chopped
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon of Black Pepper
2 Tblsps Oil
1 6-ounce can (2 cups) Stewed Tomatos
2 15-ounce cans Kidney Beans, undrained
6 ounces of water
1 Cup shredded Chedar Cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown ground beef, drain excess fat. Add oil, onion and celery. Cook until onions are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Simmer covered, 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in beans; heat through. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired. Serve with white rice.

Makes 6 servings

Baked Potato Chowder
Ingredients:
4 baking Potatoes
2/3 Cup of Butter
2/3 Cup of Flour
3 Cups of Milk
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 Green Onions, chopped
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 Cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
200 grams of Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F). Wash potatoes and prick them with a fork. Place in oven on a rack (do not wrap in aluminum foil or it will take longer). Bake for 1 hour. OR Boil the potatoes in water enough to cover them for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through (this works better with smaller potatoes). Remove from water, let cool and peel.
Depending on how you cooked the potatoes, either cut the baked potatoes in half and scoop out the pulp into a bowl and set aside. Or, roughly mash the peeled potatoes with a fork in a bowl and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat, add flour until smooth, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk gradually stirring. Cook until mixture starts to boil. Add potato, all but 1 tablespoon of green onion, all but 1/4 cup of bacon, all but 1/8 cup of cheese, and all but 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Mix well. Serve in 1 large bowl or in multiple bowl (feeds about 4-6 people). Garnish with the remaining cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions.

Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
4 Tomatoes, sliced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon of dry Dill
3-5 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Hazelnut Oil

Directions:
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together in the order listed above, mixing each time in between with a fork. Make sure to prick the tomatoes with the fork to help the flavors enter the Tomatoes better.

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
500 grams ground beef
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons minced Onion
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic powder
1/4 Cup of Bread crumbs

Sauce:
2 Cups of sliced fresh Mushrooms
400 mL Beef broth
3 Tablepoons Cornstarch
400 grams of plain Tomato sauce
1 Tablspoon of Soy sauce
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Tablspoon Molases
200 grams Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon of white Vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). In a medium-sized bowl, combine all Meatball ingredients and mash together. Equally seperate into golfball-sized pieces and roll into ball shape. Place them in a glass baking dish and place in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked and the meatballs have taken on a golden color.

In a large pot, bring the beef broth, cornstach, and mushrooms to a boil, stiring until the liquid reduces to a thick-soup consistency. Stir in all other Sauce ingredients and cook until warm. Add meatballs and cook for about 15 minutes until the meatballs have absorbed the sauce’s flavor. Serve over warm rice.

*A quick version: In stead of making your own meatballs, mix all sauce ingredients, add the frozen meatballs, and cook with the lid on until the meatballs are heated through.

**A vegetarian version: Repleace the mushrooms, beef broth, and cornstarch with 1 14oz. can of “Golden Mushroom Soup”, and replace the meatballs with vegetarian ones.