Grandma Brochier's Sweet Peas

My grandmother could make anything taste good--she could even get me to eat peas and LIKE them! This is my attempt to duplicate her sweet peas.

1 T. butter
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/2 c. white onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  (or 1/8 t. minced garlic in a jar)
2 cans sweet peas
salt & pepper
pinch of sugar

6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled, or to taste


In a small saucepan, saute green onions, onion and minced garlic in a tablespoon of butter. Add 2 cans of sweet peas, with some of the liquid. Add seasonings and half the bacon. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, covered, to combine flavors. Add the remaining pieces of crumbled bacon at the end because the other bacon will be very soft.

Chicken Fried Rice Skillet

I am sorry if this recipe looks long and complicated. It's not. I just have a habit of making things more complicated than they are. I broke this down into bite-size steps for you. ;) It's handy to have 2 large deep fry-pans, with lids, when making this recipe. Allow 2 hours to prepare this recipe.

Step 1:
Put the following in a ziplock bag to marinate for 1 to 2 hours:
1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, thawed and cut up
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 t. sesame oil

Step 2:
Brown chicken pieces in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, with a dash of garlic salt and pepper.

Step 3:
Cook 4 servings of short-grained brown rice, or whatever rice you prefer.
I use my rice cooker, so I have to start this an hour before we plan to eat.
My family doesn't have rice often but I couldn't live without my rice cooker--love it!

Step 4:
In large skillet, saute the following vegetables until softened:

2 T. butter (the real stuff :)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/8 t. minced garlic from jar)
1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
1/2 bag Matchstix, french-cut carrots
garlic salt and pepper

Add the sauteed vegees to the other skillet with cooked chicken. Turn to low heat, cover slightly.

Step 5:
In the now empty skillet, add:

2 T. butter
1/4 c. water
2 c. frozen peas
5 c. frozen broccoli

Cover green vegees, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add green vegees to chicken skillet. Adding a couple teaspoons more soy sauce and a few more drops of sesame oil, if needed.

Step 6:
In clean skillet, scramble together:
1-2 T. butter
5 eggs
1/2 t. soy sauce
lightly salt & pepper

Finely chop up eggs, then add to chicken skillet.

Step 7:
Mix together:
4 c. cooked, short-grain, brown rice
4 T. Yoshihida's Gourmet Sauce

Add rice to chicken skillet and mix in. Turn up the heat and cook, uncovered for a few minutes. Serve as is or with a little Yoshihida's Gourmet Sauce on the side.

Serves 6-10. It would have made closer to 8-10 servings if my kids didn't devour it all! They are teenagers though. :) Can easily be halved for a small family.

Eldredge Chili

Brown and season:
1 to 1/2 lb. ground beef
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Drain. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender:
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/4 t. minced garlic from a jar)

Then add:
1 T. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano leaves
1 t. cocoa powder
few drops red Tabasco sauce
2 cans (16 oz. each) mexican seasoned stewed tomatoes, undrained (break up into smaller pieces)
1 can (16. oz.) tomato sauce

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for1 hour.

Stir in beans during last 20 minutes of cooking:
2 cans chili beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained

Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring mixture occasionally for 20 minutes.

Serve with corn bread or corn chips, sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.