Biscuits

4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
5 tsp baking powder
2/3 shortening
1 1/2-1 3/4 cups milk or 2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups plain yogurt
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening with two knives crisscrossing or pastry blender until fine and crumbly. Add milk and stir with fork until just mixed. Sprinkle flour thickly on counter and turn dough onto counter. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of dough. Knead about 5 - 10 times. Roll 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with biscuit or cookie cutter or water glass. Place on baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Pancakes and Syrup

2 Cups flour
1 TBSP sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat skillet(s) on medium heat. Mix above ingredients. Pour by 1/3 cup measure into skillet. Cook until bubbly. Flip. Cook about 30 more seconds.

Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp maple flavoring
Bring sugar and water to a boil for 15 seconds. Add flavoring. Serve warm. Store rest in refrigerator.

Basic White Sauce/Gravy

This basic recipe is so great because it's so versitile. Below you'll find a list of ways to use this.
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir. Cook until bubbly. Add milk, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Stir over medium heat until it boils for one minute. Remove from heat.
Uses:
Baked macaroni and cheese - Boil 2 cups macaroni as directed on box. Make above recipe. After removing from heat add 2 cups cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Stir into baking dish with macaroni. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Potatoes Au Gratin - Thinly slice 6 - 8 medium potatoes. Put in 9 x 13 pan. Add white sauce and bake covered for 1 hour or until soft.
Homestyle Alfredo sauce - Add 1/2 tsp. garlic powder to above sauce. I mix this with spaghetti and chicken for what we call White Spaghetti.
Rice Casserole - Mix with cooked rice, chicken and broccoli. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with cheese.
Chicken/Beef gravy - Replace 1 cup of milk with water. Add chicken or beef bullion. Cook as above.

Spaghetti Sauce

Sauce - I usually double this recipe for one lb. spaghetti. In the summer I add fresh tomatoes.
1 can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 -1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried parsely (optional)
1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
Mix together and simmer (lightly boil) for five minutes.

Taco Seasoning

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder (or 1/2 cup chopped onion)
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper or 1/2 teaspoon crushed peppers (if desired)
Mix above ingredients. Add to browned and drained hamburger or chicken. Add 1/4 cup water. Cook uncovered until almost dry. Serve as desired.

Goulash

This one is really simple and quick for an easy meal
Peel and chop about 6 medium potatoes into bite size pieces. Cook them in a skillet with 1 - 2 TBSP oil, covered, on low - med/low for about 20 minutes, or until no longer crunchy. Then add 1 or 2 cans of baked beans. (Aldi's are pretty good for less than $.50.) Stir and serve. Or, if like, brown 1/2 lb. hamburger. Drain. Add to mixture.

Tortillas and Spanish Rice

This is the easiest tortilla recipe I have ever made. They taste really good, too. The baking powder is the secret here. While it's not an authentic ingredient, it does wonders to make your homemade tortillas soft and pliable. All the ones I had made before were stiff and brittle.

Tortillas
4 cups flour (I've used 1/2 white 1/2 whole wheat with good results, just up the water to about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup - 1 1/4 cups water

Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening. Add 1 cup water. Stir with fork until ball of dough, adding spoonfuls of water if too dry. (This dough should be a bit sticky. I usually just put in the whole 1 1/4 cups water.) Knead in mixing bowl about 20 times. Set aside and rest the dough for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, begin preheating your skillet (iron preferred) to med/high. Cut dough into 8 - 12 balls (depending on your desired size of tortilla). Dip the flatened dough ball in flour, coating well. Roll to desired size, getting as thin as you can. Add only a little flour, if necessary. It helps the stretching process to stick just a little to the countertop. Put on skillet. Cook until you see little bubbles forming. Flip; cook a few more seconds.
This takes a litte while the first few times, but it won't take long to get in a groove.
25-40 minutes
Serves 6-8

Easy Spanish Rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup favorite salsa (I use Aldi brand - it's very good)
1 cup rice
1 tsp butter/oil
Mix all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce temperature to low. Barely simmer for 45 minutes. Add salt, if needed, after cooking. Don't remove lid unless necessary.

My family loves when I mix the Spanish rice with one can of mexican chili beans from Aldi. We put it on the tortillas and add cheese and sour cream. It's really tasty.

Pizza

Crust
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast, any type
2 TBSP oil (olive if you have it)
1 cup warm water

Mix first three ingredients. Add oil and water. Stir until blob. Turn onto floured surface and knead 5 minutes, adding flour to counter top as necessary. (When kneading, always add flour to the counter top, not to the top of the dough. Then the dough will pick up just a little at a time.) Allow to rise 1 hour. Roll onto greased pizza stone (or cookie sheet), using a bit of water on hands and rolling pin, not flour. Add ingredients listed below and bake at 500 - 550 for 12-15 minutes.

1/2 lb. Sausage

2 cups Mozzerella cheese

1 cup sauce

Sauce - use about 1 cup of this mix on pizza, and rest for dipping
1 can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 -1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried parsely (optional)
1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
Simmer (lightly boil) for five minutes

Easy Jack's Pizza Breadsticks
Roll crust off the edges of baking stone by 1-2 inches when making pizza. (This makes a thinner crust pizza, but you get the breadsticks.) Then I trim off that excess with knife in strips abou six inches long. Put these on cookie sheet in oven while it's preheating until barely firm and not brown. Remove from oven. Brush on melted butter and sprinkle garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Return to oven for about 5 minutes, or until they start to brown. Delicious!

Uno's Chicago Style Pizza
Prepare crust as directed above until after it has risen. Put 3 TBSP of oil into 10 - 12 inch cake pan. Push crust into cake pan with fingers, pushing up the sides of pan. Pierce with fork all over. Add sauce, sausage and cheese as normal. Also, add 1/2 can crushed canned tomatoes, drained, then 1 more cup cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Amazing!

Pinto beans and cornbread

Beans
1 lb. Pinto beans
1 ham hock
Cook as directed on package.
(I usually cook 2 lbs. of beans to have leftovers for refried beans)

Cornbread
2 cups self rising cornmeal (or 2 cups cormeal +1 tsp. salt + 1 tsp. baking soda)
1 1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
Heat oven to 450. Grease/oil 9" skillet or 9" pan and preheat with oven. Mix all ingredients. Pour into skillet. Bake 20-25 minutes.