Diva's Football Stew

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Football Stew
Inspiration:  Gotta love a great Stew recipe.  Football tailgater favorite for sure.   Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening!
Ingredients: 3 lbs lean stew meat or stripped sirloin 6 potatoes, quartered 6 carrots, chunked 1 onion, chopped 4 stalks celery, chopped 2 TB minute tapioca 2 TB sugar 1 large can tomato juice 1 tsp basil 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp parley salt and pepper to taste	Instructions: Season and brown meat in oil.  Place in roaster pan and add other ingredients.  Cover roaster and simmer 5 hours at 325 degrees F.
Variation: You can add other veggies if you like.  But these are my favorite.

Diva's Chili for a crowd of 50

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Chili for a crowd of 50
Inspiration:  I love to cook for a crowd.  This has always been a hit at the holiday's and for Football game tailgating. Being from Nebraska, Cornhusker Football is a huge thing.  Once a husker, always a husker!
Ingredients:  14 lbs Ground beef 2 6lb cans red kidney beans 2 6 lb cans chili or pinto beans 2 6 lb cans crushed tomatoes 1 6lb can tomato paste 30 TB chili powder 2 TB cumin 1 TB pepper 8 onions, cut up 3 green peppers, cut up 1 16 oz jar Jalapeno's, cut up (optional) salt to taste	Instructions: Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet.  In an electric roaster, add remaining ingredients. Add ground beef and cook to simmer; stirring occasionally to blend flavors and bring to serving temp.  I simmer mine most of the day.
Variation: Yields 50 servings This recipe also freezes well in baggies or freezer containers.

Diva's Super Bowl Reuben Dip

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Super Bowl Reuben Dip
Inspiration:  Great for any party or carry in.  I always had people at work beg me to bring this for our carry in's.
Ingredients: 6oz cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup thousand island dressing 1 16oz sauerkraut, drained & rinsed 8oz shredded corned beef 16oz shredded Swiss cheese wheat crackers rye bread sliced in small pieces	Instructions: In a small bowl combine cream cheese and thousand island dressing.  Cream and set aside.  Put sauerkraut in the bottom of a crock pot.  Layer corned beef and cheese.  Top with cream cheese and dressing mixture.  Cook on low for 2 hours and serve on crackers or bread.
Variation:  the crock pot will keep it warm during your party

Diva's Tomato Pasta Sauce

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Tomato Pasta Sauce
Inspiration:  This is my basic pasta sauce I use for everything.  I will double or triple the recipe and freeze quart size bags for future use too.  I also use this sauce for my casseroles and chili.
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 1/2 TB basil 1/2 TB oregano 1/2 TB thyme 1/2 TB parsley salt & pepper to taste 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes, undrained 1 28oz can tomato sauce 1 6oz can tomato paste 1 TB minced garlic 1/2 cup onion, chopped	Instructions:  Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in large stock pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 2 hours.
Variation:  1 recipe will serve 6 sometimes I add green peppers, black olives, sweet wine or mushrooms as well.  Depends on who I am cooking for.   One 28-ounce can of tomatoes equals about 10 to 12 whole tomatoes, peeled (or about 2 pounds) One 14-1/2-ounce can of tomatoes equals 5 to 6 whole tomatoes, peeled (or about 1 pound) If you want to substitute whole tomatoes for tomato sauce, puree 10 tomatoes, peeled will equal One 28-ounce can.  And for homemade Tomato paste, add an additional 3 tomatoes to the puree.

Diva's English Prime Rib

Diva’s Memories of Recipes English Prime Rib
Inspiration:  My dad's grocery store, Alexander's Super Market in Scottsbluff, NE catered dinners and they made the most wonderful Prime Rib.  My favorite was the end pieces with all the seasonings.  He always bagged it up and sent it home with me.  MM MM good. The store is no longer there since Dad past but the memories live on.  The Zemanek's motto was always to befriend everyone in town and put a smile on their faces every single day.  My brother was the meat cutter and would cut this to perfection and would prepare it for anyone who would ask.  Ask your butcher to tie it with a string as well and make slits in the meat by the bone.
Ingredients: 3~7 pound standing rib roast, tied 1/4 cup garlic powder 1 TB pepper 1/4 cup beau monde 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce 1 TB oregano	Instructions: Critical:  roast should be a room temp, leave out a couple hours before you put in the oven. Make a rub with the seasonings and worcestershire sauce and rub on all sides of meat. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  Put roast in an open pan fat side up.  Insert thermometer and make sure you don't have it be a bone.  Put in oven and Reduce heat to 375 degrees F.  Bake at temps below.  I only check once about half way thru baking process.  Do not open door again.
Variation: Estimate serving 2 people with 1 Rib To figure out the total cooking time, allow about 13-15 minutes per pound for rare and 15-17 minutes per pound for medium rare. (For example, with a 7 pound roast, you would expect 1 3/4 hours of total cooking time.) Roast in oven until thermometer registers 115°-120°F for rare or 125°-130°F for medium. Once the roast has reached the desired internal temperature, remove it from oven and let rest 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil, before carving. The roast will continue to cook while it is resting. If you can't find Beau Monde here is a recipe to make it: Almost Beau Monde Seasoning Ingredients 1 tablespoon ground cloves 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon ground bay leaf 1 tablespoon ground allspice 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground mace 1 teaspoon celery seed 2 tablespoons ground white pepper Directions 1 In a small mixing bowl. Sift together the clove, cinnamon, salt, bay leaf, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, mace, celery seed and white pepper; mix well and store in a tightly closed jar.

Diva's Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Inspiration:  I love sweet and sour and this is great for parties. If someone speaks evil to you, Live so that none will believe it.
Ingredients:  2 lbs ground beef 1 green pepper, chopped 1 tsp salt 1 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup milk 1 egg, beaten 1/4 tsp pepper 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 TB soy sauce 2 TB salad oil 1 tsp minced garlic Sauce 1 TB corn starch 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 13oz can pineapple tidbits 1 cup celery, diced 1 small green pepper, diced	Instructions:  Mix meat ball ingredients well in a large bowl except for oil.  Make into balls; about the size of walnuts.  Brown in oil on both sides. In the meantime; Mix sauce ingredients in a large roasting pan and cook on the stove till smooth.  Add meat balls and cook on simmer for about an hour.
Variation:  When cooking for a crowd, I put this recipe in a crock pot on low to keep warm and serving.  Can cook rice to serve this over.

Diva's Stir Fry

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Stir Fry
Inspiration:  This recipe was given to me by my good friend Marcy Jo back in the 80's.  It is her mom's recipe. She lived across the street from us in Gering, NE and our kids played together.
Ingredients: 1~1/2 lbs beef or chicken 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 TB minced garlic 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup minced onion 1 small green bell pepper, cut up 1 small red bell pepper, cut up 1 head broccoli, cut up 2 stalks celery, cut up 2 carrots, cut up 1/2 mushrooms, cut up 1 8oz can water chestnuts, cut up 1~1/2 TB cornstarch 2 cups water	Instructions: Cut up meat, cutting across grain in 1/8 inch pieces.  Combine soy sauce, garlic and ginger in large bowl.  Toss in meat and set aside. Prepare vegetable. Heat oil in large frying pan or wok.  Add meat and cook til not pink anymore. Add vegetables and toss until done but crisp. (about 10 mins) Mix cornstarch with water and add to meat and veggies and stir until thickened.
Variation:  Serves 6 You can make the onions cut up, but I minced them to mask that they were there since my kids didn't like onions. Can be served over rice or oriental noodles.

How To Cook a Turkey: Video, this guy is too funny!