Though our cabinets and appliances have not arrived yet (and seem to be MIA), and though our 'kitchen" is primitive by all standards (we may propose our sad case to Mennonite Disaster Service) our digestion must go on.  Thankfully, I'm not cooking over a little fire pit, but sometimes it seems just as bad... :)

The first recipe isn't even a recipe...

34.  Pg. 222  Under 'vegetable discoveries'

Having just baked off a kabocha squash (my new favorite!) with no real plan for it, I was happy to find this "throw-whatever-in" idea to use some of it.  I sauteed a yellow onion, a clove or two of garlic, and then tossed in about a half pound of mushrooms.  When all were done cooking, I dumped in a big spoonful of pumpkin (chunked, not pureed, unless you want a more soupy texture) and two cups or so of canned tomatoes with liquid.  Let it cook until hot, add either roasted peanuts or a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, and season with cumin, curry powder, and cayenne (if so inclined).  Serve!

Overall:  4.5 out of 5  Use your creative energies to turn this into Your dish! :)

35.  Chinese Meatballs, pg. 170

But Valerie!  We thought you were vegetarian!

True, I normally am.  But this is for MWL.  And it was "happy" beef from a Lancaster County cow.  Thanks, cow!

We ignored the first half of the recipe where they list what vegetables you should fry.  If you're planning on feeding 8, then, yes, you will need all the veggies.  But for the two of us, we stuck to the meat and sauce part, and paired it with rice.

The sauce, a traditional sweet and sour sauce, was simple and was whipped up while the meat was frying.  We used a small can of crushed pineapple and dumped all of it into the sauce, which produced a sweeter sauce that if you just use juice.

Tester husband recalls eating this dish growing up, which is always fun for me to have those moments rediscovering food traditions from our past.  It's an honor to watch someone encountering a food either for the first time or after many years of not having a certain dish which they had enjoyed.

Veg option:  Sub. extra firm tofu for meatballs.  Follow rest of dish as written.

Overall: 4 out of 5  Good, but time consuming if you're going to do all the veggies....