Recipe Rx

DULUTH - Greetings from Duluth, MN! After spending time living in Minneapolis and southern Wisconsin, it is great to be back in northern Minnesota. My name is Leanne Weber, and I am excited to share some of my favorite recipes with you. For me, cooking must be simultaneously quick and easy, made from ingredients that you can find in your local grocery store, and not be bland and boring. These ideals seem to contradict each other, but I think I have stumbled upon a few that fit the bill.

Vegetarian Chili*

This is a good, healthy comfort food for cold fall or winter evenings!

• Three 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
• 3 cans of beans – your choice (I use
kidney, black, and butter beans)
• ½ bag of frozen green beans
• ½ bag of frozen corn
• 1 packet of chili seasoning

Mix all ingredients together. If cooking on the stove, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. This is also a great slow cooker recipe – cook on low for 4 hours or until bubbly. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and/or

*If you must have meat, you can also add a pound of ground beef or ground turkey to the mix.

That Really Good Salad

This is what we call it. As in, “we should make that really good salad that we make.” It’s always a hit when we bring it to any type of gathering.

• 1 bag of mixed greens
• 1 bag of dried cranberries
• 1 package of crumbled feta cheese
• 1 small bag of sliced or slivered almonds
• ½ a bottle of dressing – light Italian or
poppy seed work best

The secret to this salad is layering the ingredients half at a time so that everyone gets a bite of everything. Use the light Italian if you are in the mood for something more savory; use the poppy seed if you want it sweet. It’s also great with fresh apples, strawberries, or blueberries.

Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

This is my husband’s favorite!

• 1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Jamaican jerk seasoning
• Honey
• Hard rolls
• Mayonnaise
• Tomato slices
• Cheese (optional)
• ½ a large red onion
• Vegetable oil (any kind)

Cut chicken into thin slices so that it cooks quickly. As it is cooking in the oil, sprinkle generously with jerk seasoning.

Cut onions and cook on low to medium heat in a separate pan until caramelized.

Mix some mayonnaise in a bowl with a little bit of honey and some jerk seasoning.

Assemble sandwiches using all the ingredients listed.

Ridiculously Easy Fudge

A co-worker gave me this recipe several years ago, and I will never make the complicated kind again!

• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Heat the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk over medium heat, stirring frequently. When they are melted together, add the vanilla extract. Pour into a wax paper-lined 8x8 pan and refrigerate until set. Cut into small squares and serve. You can use any flavored chips or extract for a different flavor (peanut butter chips for peanut butter fudge; mint extract for chocolate-mint fudge; whatever else you can come up with!).

My Mom’s Cheesy Dip

This is a great Superbowl snack (or movie night, if you’re not into sports. Find an excuse to make and eat this, and invite some friends over to share!)

• 1 lb. of ground beef
• A 2-lb. block of American cheese (generic
• American cheese works best –

don’t use Velveeta!)
• 1 jar of salsa (or homemade)

Brown hamburger. Drain. Cut cheese into cubes. Mix all the ingredients together in the Crock Pot. Cook until melted and bubbly. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips – the “scoops” kind are ideal for this dip!

Breakfast Puff

This is a weekend tradition in our house. I lack the patience for standing at the stove flipping pancakes, so this is a tasty alternative for a lazy Saturday morning.

• 1 c. of flour
• 1 c. of milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. of vanilla

• Cinnamon to taste
• 2 Tbsp. of butter

Spray a glass pan with cooking spray. Place butter in the pan, and put it in the oven at 425 degrees until the butter melts.

In the meantime, blend or whisk the rest of the ingredients together until well-mixed.

Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes. Can be served with fresh fruit and whipped cream (my favorite!) or just plain maple syrup (my husband’s favorite).

Editor’s note: This week our recipe section is hosted by Leanne (Kranz) Weber of Duluth. Leanne grew up in Virginia and graduated from VHS in 1994. Her husband, Patrick Weber, is from Hibbing – and she and her husband still have parents and siblings who live on the Range. Leanne is a fan of Hometown Focus on Facebook and reads the paper each week online.

If you’d like to host the HTF Hometown Recipe section in the future, give me a call at 741-0106, or drop me an email at jeanc@hometownfocus.us! Thanks for reading (and sharing)! - Jean