I’ve gathered five amazing recipes to make for the family. They’ll warm you up in this cold, icy winter! 

Lemon Bars

Robby Shannon (‘26) 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter/softening

1 cup sugar

2 ¼ cups flour

4 eggs

4 lemons

Crust

In a bowl, add:

1. 1 cup butter/softening
2. ½ cup sugar
3. 2 cup flour
4. Mix thoroughly until a paste
5. Press down into a 9x13in pan
6. Bake for 20 minutes

Filling

In a small bowl, add:

1. Beat 4 eggs
2. Juice 4 large lemons (at least)
3. ½ cup sugar
4. ¼ cup flour
5. Mix until liquid is one color
6. Pour filling bowl on top of crust
7. Heat oven to 350°F 
8. Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes

These Lemon Bars combine just the right amount of sweet and sour of a lemon to give a top-tier pastry. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants something easy and fast to bake and may not want something sugary.

Peach Cobbler

Robby Shannon (‘26)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

Pinch of Salt

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup melted butter

Filling

In a bowl, add:

1. 1 cup flour
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 tbsp baking Powder
4. Pinch of salt
5. Mix

In same bowl, add:

1. 1 cup milk
2. Peel and cut fresh peaches into chunks
3. 1 cup sugar
4. 1 tbsp lemon juice
5. Mix until a paste
6. Melt 1 cup butter on bottom of pan (any size pan)
7. Add filling
8. Add sprinkle of cinnamon on top
9. Heat oven to 350°F.  Bake for 45 minutes 

This Peach Cobbler is best fresh out of the oven. I highly recommend adding ice cream or whipped cream on top to combat the heat from baking.

Water Chestnut Meatballs

Sheila Spicer

Ingredients:

2 cups soft bread

½ cup milk

½ lb pork sausage

½ lb ground beef

½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp tabasco

1 lime

6-oz can of water chestnuts

Salad oil

Bread

In a bowl, add:

1. 2 pressed cups of split-up soft bread
2.  ½ cup milk
3. Squeeze the milk out of the bread into sink
4. In same bowl
5. ½ lb pork sausage
6. ½ lb ground beef

Seasoning (add to bread)

1. Sprinkle onto bread in bowl
2. ½ tsp onion powder
3. 1 tsp garlic salt
4. 1 tbsp soy sauce
5. 1 tsp tabasco
6. Mix into bread

Mixture

In a separate bowl, add:

1. Mince 1 lime
2. One 6-oz can of water chestnuts*
3. Add mixture to bread bowl
4. Form everything into meatballs
5. Brown meatballs in salad oil (optional)
6. Heat oven to 400°F.  Bake meatballs for 20 minutes 

Perfect meatball to add to a pesto or alfredo sauce, the breading and water chestnuts give the meatballs just the perfect taste and texture without being too salty or soggy. I recommend it if you want to spice up your routine dinners with something new.

Molasses Cookies

Valerie Fleming (‘26)

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter (room-temp.)

1 cup sugar 

¼ cup molasses 

1 egg 

2 tsps baking soda

2 cups flour 

½ tsp clove

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp salt 

Wets

In a bowl, add:

1. ¾ cup butter
2. 1 cup sugar
3. ¼ molasses
4. 1 egg
5. Mix until liquid is one color

Dry

In separate bowl, add:

1. ½ tsp clove
2. 1 tsp ginger
3. ½ tsp salt
4. 2 tsps baking soda
5. 2 cups flour
6. Mix
7. Add dry and wet into one bowl
8. Mix thoroughly into a paste
9. Chill for at least an hour
10. Roll dough into ~ 1-in balls in granulated sugar*
11. Bake at 6 minutes at 375°F and check until edges of cookies are brown
12. Cool on cooling rack

Delicious, flavorful cookies that add a touch of variety to an otherwise overly sweet, bland baked good. The ginger and molasses give a very unique taste to every bite.

Turkish Köfte (meatball) 

Dilek Kirca

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (92% works best) 

1 grated onion

1 to 2 minced garlic cloves

½ cup breadcrumbs or 2 slices of soaked bread

1 egg (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black Pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

½ to 1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Olive oil or tomato sauce (for pan frying)

1. In a large bowl, add all ingredients together.
2. Mix thoroughly with hands until smooth
3. With wet hands, shape mixture into small ovals or round patties the size of walnuts
4. On medium heat, heat a skillet with a little olive oil/tomato sauce
5. Add shaped patties to heated skillet
6. Cook for 5-7 minutes on all sides until golden brown
7. Afiyet olsun!

A distinctive, simple recipe for an amazing-tasting meatball. This recipe uses all the best seasonings and sauces to make sure every bite you take will be delectable.

Lentil Soup

Dilek Kirca

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils

⅕ cup rice

1 cup chicken or beef bone broth(optional)

4 cups water (5 cups if not using broth or substitute all water for broth if preferred.)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp butter

Salt, pepper, dried mint.

1. Wash red lentils thoroughly
2. Wash rice thoroughly
3. In pot add
4. 1 cup red lentils
5. ⅕ cup rice
6. 5 cups water or broth alternative (see ingredient list)
7. 1 tsp cumin powder
8. Set to boil
9. Cook until rice softens (starches will create foam, skim this off)
10. Use immersion blend to puree until smooth (or leave it chunky if grainy soup is preferred)

In separate pan:

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat
2. Pinch black pepper
3. Pinch dried mint
4. Cook for 1 minute
5. Stirring until bubbly
6. Stir seasoned butter into soup 
7. Mix thoroughly
8. Afiyet olsun!  

Lentil soup is already hands down the best soup to make. Although prep time takes a while, there is nothing better than sitting down inside on a cold winter day after you’ve been running about, and taking a sip of lentil soup. This lentil soup doesn’t disappoint; it goes above and beyond to make sure that not only is the soup healthy and has all the nutrients you need, but also that you get a rich and enticing flavor with it.