Laura Grenier

Gunk on Noodles
My mother came up with this wonderfully simple dish on a snowy Michigan night when all she had on hand was a pound of ground beef. My father and I just loved it, and when Dad asked her what it was called she laughed and said ‘Gunk on Noodles.’ The silly name stuck, and I’ve been making it for my family for 25 years. A quick meal made with items we all have on hand.

Large pot of lightly salted water should be brought to a boil.

Egg noodles should be added to the pot and cooked for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are al dente.

Cook the ground beef in a sizable skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until it is evenly browned.

Add the onion and garlic mixture, and cook until the onion is soft.

Add the tomato paste, mushrooms, sugar, butter, and Worcestershire sauce and combine.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and stir for an additional five minutes, or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.

Serve the prepared noodles over.

Braised Cucumbers
Six ingredients make up this delicious recipe for braised cucumbers, a mouth-watering side dish that goes with almost any main dish.

Place cucumbers in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle kosher salt over the top; toss to coat and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain cucumbers and discard any accumulated liquid.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook and stir cucumbers in hot butter until cucumbers are heated through and color starts to change 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer cucumbers to a serving dish; season with lemon juice mint and black pepper.

Avocado Salad
A crowd-pleasing, colorful salad is made with ripe avocados, cilantro, green pepper, tomato, and lime juice in this recipe for avocado salad.

Combine avocados onion bell pepper tomato cilantro and lime juice in a large bowl.

Gently toss until evenly coated.

Season with salt and pepper.

Seviche
Oysters, onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, and lemon juice are marinated in olive oil and combined to make this tangy seviche. a wonderful starter.

Over medium heat, add sliced onions and just enough water to cover in a saucepan.

Just long enough to soften, bring to a simmer.

Turn off the heat and drain.

Drain after rinsing with cold water.

On the top and bottom of the tomato, score an X.

Place in the same pot that you used for the onions and cover with water.

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft and the skin begins to peel.

To make the tomato cool enough to hold in your hand, remove it and rinse it under cold water.

Gently peel off the skin using your fingers or a knife.

Blend the peeled tomato in a blender until smooth.

Joni’s Leftover Turkey Salad
This leftover turkey salad is a delicious, quick, and simple option for lunchtime salads or sandwiches. It includes sweet relish, Dijon mustard, almonds, cranberries, and seasoning.

Mix turkey mayonnaise sweet relish Dijon mustard and sugar together in a bowl.

Fold in almonds and cranberries.

Season with salt pepper and celery salt.

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sopa de Fideos
This recipe for sopa de fideos (tomato soup with crispy pasta) is simple and easy to make at home. Tastes just like the one at Mexican restaurants.

Place tomatoes onion and garlic into a blender; pulse several times to get the mixture moving then blend until smooth 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat; stir in fideo pasta.

Fry pasta gently stirring often until golden brown 2 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Pour tomato mixture into a large saucepan; stir in chicken broth and noodles.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until noodles are tender 7 to 8 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper; stir in cilantro and cook until warmed through.

Apple Pie in a Jar
Give an apple pie in a jar to your family and friends! All they’ll need is a crust if you prepare this sweet, sour, and spicy apple pie filling and process it in boiling water.

Examine the seven 1-quart jars for cracks and rust on the rings, and discard any that are damaged.

Spend 10 minutes submerged in simmering water.

Clean rings and new lids in warm, soapy water.

Remove the jars and let them dry naturally.

In the meantime, combine in a big pot 10 cups of water, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

Cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, over high heat until thick and bubbling.

Turn off the heat and then whisk in the lemon juice.

Bacon Cheese Frittata
This baked frittata recipe is simple to make with pantry staples for a quick-and-easy crustless quiche that’s loaded with Cheddar, bacon, and onion.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly grease a 7×11-inch baking dish.

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat turning occasionally until evenly browned about 10 minutes.

Drain bacon slices on paper towels.

Crumble and set aside.

Whisk eggs milk melted butter salt and pepper together in a bowl; pour into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle with green onions and crumbled bacon.

Cover with Cheddar cheese.

Chef John’s Succotash
America’s oldest vegetable recipe gets a delicious update with Chef John’s recipe for succotash.

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot butter and oil until onion is softened and slightly golden 6 to 7 minutes.

Add red bell pepper jalapeno and garlic; cook and stir until peppers are fragrant and softened 3 to 4 minutes.

Fudge Muffins
Bake these mini fudge muffins dressed up with chopped pecans for a chocolate treat that makes a great holiday gift for family and friends.

Set oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees C).

Two mini muffin tins should be lined with foil liners.

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, combine the sugar, butter, and semisweet chocolate.

Until the chocolate is melted, stir frequently, scraping down the sides to prevent scorching, for about 5 minutes.

Salt and flour are combined.

Remove from heat and give it a few minutes to cool.

The chocolate mixture should be stirred with each egg, followed by the pecans and vanilla extract.

Spoon the batter into the mini muffin tins that have been prepared.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.