Navajo FryBread - Sheila Curleyhair

This authentic Navajo frybread  recipe came from a friend in the Mesa 14th Ward, Shiela Curleyhair. The ward RS had a women's retreat in Prescott at a cabin and Shiela made this for supper the night we were there. It was so yummy I asked her for the recipe and watched closely as she made them. Navajos definitely do NOT use yeast in their frybreads.

3 C flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 C powdered milk

1 1/2 C hot water

Mix first four ingredients in a mixing bowl or food processor with a dough blade. 

Slowly add and mix the hog water until the dough forms a ball. Knead until smooth. Put into a greased bowl to rest - 20 minutes. Pull off egg sized balls of dough and form into flattened circle. Fry in hot oil.

Makes about 12-14 smallish frybreads. 

We usually double it.

Fresh Limeade

A new favorite-summer of 2013! We got a bunch of limes from a truck that wrecked outside of town and had to figure out what to do with them. Dad got this recipe from Kathleen K, the secretary at the high school and it's a keeper!

2 limes

1 C sugar

1 C water

Ice

Wash and quarter the 2 limes.

Place them in a blender with the 1 C water.

Blend them for 4 seconds. Only 4!!!!

Pour water/lime mix into a strainer, draining the juice into a bowl. Discard lime pulp.

Rinse blender and pour the juice back into the blender.

Add the 1 C sugar.

Add 1 C ice. (We add more-maybe 2 or 2 1/2 C-because we like it slushy!) 

Then add MORE water to make 4 1/2-5 cups total in the blender. (I usually do 5 because I like it a bit diluted)

Blend away until the ice cubes and chunks are no more! Serve with a straw and/or spoon! Enjoy a refreshing sip of summer!

Looks like some happy customers!!

No Meat Chili

After getting our food storage in place I decided I needed a way to incorporate some of that wheat into our everyday eating so that our digestive tract wouldn't rebel if we had to eat it frequently. Besides making bread! I have also always struggled with the grisly parts of ground beef that you often get when you're chewing away at a meal. It always grossed me out. So I came up with the idea to use cracked wheat cooked in beef broth as a substitute for the ground beef in chili. It allowed me to get my family to eat wheat(unbeknownst to them for a loooonnnngggg time), saved us $$, and allowed me to freely eat my chili, knowing I wouldn't get a piece of chewy gristle. Win, win.

1/3 C cracked wheat
1 C water
1 Tbsp Beef bouillon, or beef base
1-2 lbs dry pinto beans, OR
3-4 cans of pinto beans
Chili seasoning
2 cans tomato sauce OR 1 can tomato paste

Prepare the cracked wheat by cooking it in the 1 C water with the 1 Tbsp beef bouillon. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Put beans (if you want to pressure cook your own dry beans, follow this link for directions) in a large stock pot, add 1-2 Chili Seasoning packages or 1 pkg + additional chili powder to taste, tomato sauce or paste, and about 1-2 Cups of water. stir until well mixed.

Add the cracked wheat and continue to heat until the chili is warm and has thickened some. (using tomato paste speeds this up since it's thicker to start). The longer it simmers the richer it tastes. If you choose to simmer it longer, you may need to occasionally add a bit of water and stir it frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom.

Serve with cheese and sour cream.
Can be used alone as a soup with crackers or rolls, for Navajo Tacos with fry bread, or Chilacos with Fritos corn chips.

This is definitely a staple in our house!

Chicken Quesadillas

This is the only recipe I got from the Body For Life cookbook that we loved and still make to this day. It's easy and delicious.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually used 4 large breasts to feed about 8 people)
Salsa
Flour tortillas
cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese

Cut up the semi-frozen chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1/2-1 inch square. Place in a skillet with about 1 C of salsa. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. You can shred up/smash the chicken into smaller pieces at this point if desired. I usually shred it so it spreads in the tortilla more easily and the quesadilla is not as thick.

Place a flour tortilla on a warm non-stick skillet, place cheese on half of tortilla, place chicken mix on the cheese, fold tortilla in half and cook til golden brown. Flip and cook other side until golden and cheese is melted. Repeat until all the chicken is used.

Serve with more salsa, sour cream, refried beans, etc. YUM!!

Aunt Wendy's Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wendy makes great desserts and cookies. This is pretty much a no fail Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. We make them frequently!

2/3 C shortening                                                            
2/3 C margarine/butter (I only use butter)                    
1 C sugar                                                                      
1 C brown sugar                                                            
2 eggs                                                                            
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 pkg milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Combine shortening and margarine/butter. Cream sugar and brown sugar with shortening mix. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and soda in separate bowl. Add dry mix to wet mix. Mix well and stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheets and bake 8-10 minutes. Remove onto cooling rack. Makes about 4 dozen.