This recipe comes from “300 Best Bread Machine Recipes” by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt (She said “butt”. Tee-hee!), though considering I’ve found duplicate recipes in other books by this duo you may find this one there, too. Like the recipes from “Bread Machine Magic” I’ve written them as I would a crochet pattern: Medium (Large, X-Large, 2X). Medium is 1.5 pounds; Large is 2 pounds; X-Large is 2.5 pounds; 2X is 3 pounds.

• 1-1/4 cups (1-1/3 cups, 1-3/4 cups, 2 cups) water
• 1-1/4 teaspoons (1-1/2 teaspoons, 2 teaspoons, 2-1/2 teaspoons) salt
• 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons, 3 Tablespoons, 1/4 cup) vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons (3 Tablespoons, 3 Tablespoons, 1/4 cup) liquid honey
• 1 cup (1-1/3 cups, 1-1/2 cups, 2 cups) whole wheat flour
• 2 cups (2 cups, 2-1/4 cups, 2-2/3 cups) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup) buttermilk powder
• 1/4 cup (1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup) unsalted, raw pumpkin seeds (pepitos)
• 1/4 cup (1/3 cup, 1/2 cup. 2/3 cup) unsalted, raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup (1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup) sesame seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon (1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, 1-1/2 teaspoons) bread machine or instant yeast

Measure ingredients into baking pan in order recommended by your bread machine’s manufacturer. Insert pan into the oven chamber.

Bake Cycle: Whole Wheat Cycle
Optional Bake Cycle: Whole Wheat Raisin/Nut Cycle

• 12 ounce can of beer (your choice)
• 2 cans (4 ounces) sliced or chopped jalapeños, drained
• 4 Tablespoons hot-pepper sauce
• 2 cans (15 ounces) original style Sloppy Joe sauce
• 4 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 5 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs

Put everything into a large bowl, ribs last. Gently toss and turn ribs to coat before covering bowl and placing in refrigerator. Allow to marinate overnight, turning periodically.

Heat up the grill to medium (if you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grilling surface for 3-4 seconds, it’s medium). Place ribs on grill and cook them, turning and basting them with the marinade a few times, until they reach 150-155°F on an instant read thermometer — about 15 minutes.

Place the remaining marinade in a pot and heat on the stove until boiling. Pour over the cooked ribs.

Makes 16 servings

Inspired by Greek cooking.

• 3 pound (or larger) whole chicken (I’ve used Roasters)
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Rinse chicken and set aside neck and giblets for another use (my cats love them!). Pat dry. Season chicken with  salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the oregano and garlic inside the cavity.

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Brown chicken on all sides before placing in crock pot. Sprinkle with remaining oregano and garlic. Add water to frying pan; stir to loosen brown bits. Pour into crock pot.

Cover and cook on Low for about 4 hours (a larger bird may take up to 6 hours). Add lemon juice the last hour of cooking.

Transfer chicken to serving board. Skim fat and pour juices into a gravy server/sauce bowl. Carve bird. Serve with some of the juices poured over each serving.

Makes 6 servings (more if using a larger chicken)

“Candied” carrots were always one of my favorite veggies. Unfortunately their yummy sweetness still has yet to tempt my kiddos.

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not the imitation crap)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon leaf marjoram, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Add carrots; return to boiling and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until carrots are just tender. Drain throughly.

Cook maple syrup, butter, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly and caramel-like in consistency.

Add carrots. Toss gently to coat in the maple butter. Cook over high heat, tossing gently, until carrots are glazed and liquid is absorbed.

A recipe I stole (and rewrote) from the November 29, 2010 issue of Family Circle. Since I don’t like nuts on my mashed potatoes, and the Teen doesn’t like them at all, I omitted them from the recipe.

• 5 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces cream cheese with chives
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Place potatoes in a large pot. Add enough water to cover. Lightly salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat; simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain.

Preheat over to 350° F. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or shortening.

In a large bowl, mash potatoes with a hand mixer. Add butter, half-and-half, cream cheese, garlic salt and nutmeg. Beat potatoes on medium-high speed until very smooth. Spoon into prepared dish.

Bake for 45 minutes, until lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 servings

A flavorful vegetarian casserole. If you have an aversion to process cheese, feel free to omit it. The lentils and veggies are very tasty, by themselves.

• 1-3/4 cups dried lentils, washed
• 10 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes, drained
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 8 ounces process cheese loaf (such as Velveeta)

Combine lentils, water and bay leaf in a large saucepan; bring to boiling. Lower heat; cover; simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain. Place lentils in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or pan.

Sauté onions and garlic in oil in a medium-size skillet until soft, about 5 minutes. Add to lentils with carrots, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, salt, pepper, marjoram, sage and thyme. Stir to mix. Cover with foil.

Bake at 375°F for 1 hour. Uncover. Slice cheese; layer evenly over top. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 10 ounce box whole wheat couscous (I have used regular and multi-colored couscous)
• 1-2/3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-1/2 cups diced English cucumber
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 8 ounce package crumbled feta cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool.

Combine couscous, tomatoes and next 5 ingredients (through dill) in a large bowl; toss well. Add cheese.

Serves 8

The original recipe called for Cheddar cheese. However since Cheddar doesn’t make much sense and the next recipe in the magazine had Mozzarella cheese in it — which also didn’t make any sense, I assumed the ingredients had gotten mixed up and opted to use Mozzarella.

This is another Ben favorite!

• 8 ounces dried spaghetti
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small Italian pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed tomato soup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices of bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Cook spaghetti according to package directions (I recommend the shortest time); drain and set aside.

While spaghetti is cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and pepper in a large skillet, over medium heat. Cook until beef is brown; drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, soup, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add 4 ounces of the shredded cheese, stirring until melted.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Add cooked spaghetti and bacon to the mixture, tossing to combine. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Cover casserole with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered for about 15 more minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Makes 4-6 servings

My boys are big fans of Hamburger Helper so when I found this recipe I decided to give it a try. IMHO it make a bit more than two boxes of HH, plus there’s fewer additive and more nutrition. The Teen insists that it “smells like butt” yet he later gobbled it down. Ben obviously likes it; he ate half of it, himself.

• 1 pound medium size shell macaroni
• 2 packages Sloppy Joe Mix (I use Lawry’s)
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked
• 2 cans (8 ounces, each) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (6 ounces , each) tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 32 ounces cottage cheese
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook macaroni according to package directions (minimum time). Drain. Combine seasoning mix with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste and 1 cup of water.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a sprayed 5-6 quart casserole dish (I used my over-sized lasagna dish), layer half the macaroni, half the cottage cheese, and half the meat mixture. Repeat. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until bubbling.

Makes 8-12 servings

A yummy, meatless pasta dish.

• 1 pound uncooked ziti or penne pasta
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 Tablespoons red cooking wine
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ziti/penne according to package directions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat well. Set aside.

Combine the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, red cooking wine and pepper. Pour over pasta and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread half of the pasta in the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish (such as a 9×13-inch lasagna pan). Sprinkle on half the Muenster cheese. Spread on the remaining pasta, sprinkle on remaining Muenster, and finally top with the Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Serves 6