Vernon Mauery

• Butter, for baking dish
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped, divided
• 1 pound rotini (radiatori also works well)
• 12 ounces winter squash puree
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
• 1/2 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9×13″ baking dish.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until onions are soft and release liquid, about 15 minutes. Remove lid and raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions are browned, 20-25 minutes. Stir in half the rosemary.
3. Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than according to package directions (very al dente). Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water. Return pasta to the pot.
4. Stir squash and reserved pasta water into the skillet with the onions. Simmer for 2 minutes. Toss squash mixture and half of the Parmesan with the pasta. Transfer to the baking dish.
5. Combine Ritz crackers with remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Top the pasta with the cracker mixture and bake for 10-15 minutes.

• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt to taste

Saute bean in oil. Mash the beans and add chili powder and garlic. Continue to saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow some of the beans to brown. Add water as needed to keep beans from drying out. Salt to taste before serving.

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can great northern beans
• 1 can pork ‘n’ beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can navy beans
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 cup diced ham
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the five cans of beans and their liquid into a crockpot on high heat. Add ham, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, and ketchup to the beans.
2. Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a frying pan. Add the bacon to the bean mixture.
3. Dice the onion and fry it with the ground beef in the frying pan until browned. Drain excess fat and add to the bean mixture.
4. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cover and stew for 4-6 hours on high, keeping some napkins nearby to dab the corners of your mouth ans you drool from the smell.

Notes:

Instead of using 5 cans of prepared beans, you can also use 3 cups of dried mixed beans, soaking them overnight and then cooking them in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced or grated
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 cups quality chicken broth
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon dried bell peppers
• 1 cup uncooked macaroni

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil. Saute onion and garlic 1-2 minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients (except for macaroni) and boil for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add macaroni and boil 10 more minutes until the macaroni is tender.
4. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan.

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart quality chicken broth (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken
• 8 ounces fresh or dried soup noodles

1. Add milk to a large stock pot and whisk in the flour. Add the chicken broth, onions and salt and pepper.
2. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring while it thickens.
3. Add the chicken and bring the soup back to a simmer.
4. Add the noodles and cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes for fresh noodles, or according to the packaging.

Note:

The original recipe has you boil a whole chicken to make the broth. Here is that quote:

To cook the whole chicken, remove the liver, heart, etc., that are in the cavity of the chicken and discard them (NB – Do not discard them; add them to the pot as well, you know, for flavor). Rinse the chicken inside and out, and then put in a large stock pot and completely cover with cold water. Bring to a boil (uncovered) slowly, about 30 minutes. Skim off any foam, then add a coarsely chopped onion, 2-3 sticks celery, coarsely chopped, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 8-10 whole black peppercorns. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours, adding water as needed. Remove from heat. Remove the chicken from the broth. Strain the broth into a large bowl, discarding the vegetables (and innards, if you didn’t discard them to start with). Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and store the meat.

Another option is to roast a whole chicken (or buy a roasted chicken from the store). Then remove the skin and bones and make broth from that. Store the meat in the refrigerator, and put the skin, bones, celery, carrots, onions, salt, pepper, dried onions, bay leaf, parsley flakes, and water into a pressure cooker and bring it up to pressure for 3 hours. Let cool to depressurize and strain into a large bowl.