3 medium eggplants, sliced in thin rounds
Vegetable oil as needed
2 medium onions, chopped
3-1/2 pounds ground beef
16 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
2-1/2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons margarine
2 cups milk
2 large eggs, beaten until frothy
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place eggplant rounds on lightly greased cookie sheets and paint with vegetable oil. Bake for about 5 minutes in a 400 oven or until slightly soft. Set aside on paper towels. Heat about half-inch of vegetable oil in a skillet and brown the onions. Put meat in a large mixing bowl. Add tomato sauce, wine, parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a white sauce by melting the margarine and blending the flour in, stirring with a wire whisk. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil and gradually add it to the margarine and flour mixture stirring constantly. When the mixture is thickened and smooth, remove from heat. Cool slightly and stir in the beaten eggs, nutmeg and cottage cheese. Arrange alternate layers of meat and eggplant in a 12 x 7 inch greased rectangular casserole, sprinkling each layer with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake one hour in a 375 oven. Take out and pour the cottage cheese mixture over the top and bake until the eggplant is done and the top is golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm. Note: Moussaka can be made a day ahead; the flavor of this dish improves with standing. From The Washington Post Magazine, October 22, 1983.

4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 cup celery cabbage, stalk only, cut into 1/2 inch x 2 inch strips
1/4 cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 pound snow peas
1 cup chicken broth

Cut chicken into thin strips. Combine cornstarch, sherry, pepper and ginger. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixture with chicken. Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken turns white. Remove chicken from pan. Add mushrooms, onions, celery cabbage, bamboo shoots and red pepper. Stir fry two minutes. Mix remaining cornstarch mixture with broth. Add to skillet with snow peas. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in chicken and heat. Serve with hot rice.

Beat two eggs. Mix 3/4 cup ground saltine crackers into beaten eggs. Add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 onion finely minced, 3 cloves ground garlic. Mix together than mix in a pound of ground beef. Make into balls, then fry or bake. Add to sauce.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 green pepper, sliced or chopped, as preferred
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon red pepper
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28-oz. can tomatoes
24 ounces. tomato paste
1 pound tomato sauce

Sauté ground beef, green peppers, onion and garlic. Drain off fat. Add seasonings and tomatoes, the paste and sauce. Cook slowly in crock pot or over low heat for 4-5 hours. When almost done, add a small can of drained mushrooms.

mom's meatloaf’, ‘1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 can chicken with rice soup
2/3 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Soak cracker crumbs in beaten egg. Add soup and seasonings and mix well. Add chopped onion and green pepper, then mix in ground beef. Mix well. Spread in 8-inch square pan, top with slices of bacon. Bake in 375 oven for about 45 minutes.

Boil a chicken until done. Save the liquid. Cook one package of Lipton chicken noodle soup mix in chicken liquid according to package directions. Sauté a small minced onion in hot fat; don’t brown. Bone chicken. Run a package of frozen peas under tap water to thaw. Drain and set aside. Arrange in layers in a casserole dish. First the chicken, then a layer of peas, then the onion. Repeat. Thicken the soup with cornstarch. Pour over casserole. Top with buttered bread cubes. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly and bread cubes have browned.