Don’t like broccoli?  Me neither.  But hold on to your soup bowls, this is a way to eat it that tastes pretty good. Take a pound or so of broccoli.  Boil it until tender.  Throw it in a blender, add a 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup grape seed oil, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Blend until smooth.  Add more oil and water in the same proportions until it flows.  If you like it more soupy use more water, if you like it thicker use more oil.  Salt to taste.  I usually like it thicker.  It’s not bad spread over some bread as well.

Dad Bonds’ Mashed Potatoes

Take 5 lbs of golden potatoes
peel, cook for 40 minutes or until done
mash with a masher or use a potato ricer
add 5/6 of a package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
add 2 cups of sour cream
add 1/2 cup milk
add 1/4 stick of butter
add 3 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
salt and pepper to taste, white pepper preferred for presentation

I had the good fortune of growing up during a bygone era when an average middle class kid like me had a stay home mom who heaped love and good food on me and my family. This recipe is one of my favorite from my mom’s repertoire. It tastes great, it’s simple, the ingredients are inexpensive, it’s good for you, it’s great for colds (I swear fresh chicken broth has special powers, it can be made in large quantities, and it stores frozen and refrigerated. In other words, it’s the perfect recipe for a family of 6.

Mom Bonds’ Barley Soup

3 leg-and-thighs of chicken
1.5 cups pearl barley
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1/2 white onion
Pepper
Salt

Get three leg-and-thighs (chicken), wash and place in large pot with
lots of water, enough to cover and then some. Wash about one to one and a half cups of pearl barley, and add to water and chicken. Add one half teaspoon salt. (Barley expands a lot). Simmer all for about one to one and a quarter hours after it starts to simmer. (Simmer is a very mild boil). The last ten minutes wash and cut up in chunks two whole carrots and add to soup. Last five minutes cut up and add to soup two stalks celery. Grated onion added in the beginning gives a very nice flavor. Add more water if soup seems too thick. Soup thickens more in frig. Remove chicken and let cool under a wet paper towel. Remove bone and skin, cut into chunks and throw back into soup. Stir and enjoy! May need more salt.

Towards the end grate onion and add to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

My dad learned his first version of this recipe while working in an Italian restaurant in college. He made it a bunch of times while studying at Berkeley because, besides tasting great, it can be made in big batches and it refrigerates well (up to about 2 weeks). Over the last 30 years he’s tried a lot of different things before arriving at the recipe I present to you. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to eating this when my dad made it when I was a kid. Enjoy!

Dad Bonds’ Spaghetti Sauce

Get a big pot. Chop a large yellow onion and fry it in grape seed oil in the pot until they are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 lb of ground beef to the onions and cook until the meat is brown, about 2 minutes. Add 2x 1 quart cans of Italian tomatoes in basil (they look like tubes rather than spheres). Chop the tomatoes you just put in into 2 or 3 pieces each. Add 2x 1 cup cans of tomatoes sauce. Add 2x 8oz cans of tomato paste. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add 4 cloves of finely chopped or pressed garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp basil. Add 1 cup red wine (I use Burgundy). Add 2 bay leaves. Add 2 tsp salt. Smell it. Good huh?

Cook for 4-5 hours on low heat. Stir every 10-15 minutes. When it’s done, it should be very thick. Serve over spaghetti noodles. I like to make garlic bread to go with it.

spread on top. The recipe has been passed down through my family for generations and with each generation it’s become infused with a little more love.

Abuelita Corral’s Spanish Sweet Bread
makes 2 loaves

2 packages of yeast soaked in 1/2 water
1/2 cup canned milk
1/2 cup whole milk
4 eggs beaten
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cups sugar
6 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups raisins

Close all windows and doors, don’t want cold air

Scald 1/2 cup canned cream milk and 1/2 cup of whole regular milk (medium heat until crust on top, about a minute, don’t let it boil)
Melt 2 cubes of butter on low heat
Sift 7 cups of flour (throw through strainer if no sifter) into a separate bowl

Take 2 packages active dry yeast and dissolve in 1/2 cup luke warm water for 5 minutes w/a pinch of sugar

In a bowl, beat 4 eggs
Throw in 1/4 teaspoon salt
Add 1 cup to 1/2 cups sugar and mix
Add butter and stir quickly so the egg is not cooked…let butter cool first if necessary and mix
Add milk after its cool and mix
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon lemon extract and mix
Add yeast and mix
Add half the flout and mix
Add fists of flour

Let bread rest on floured board covered with cloth and wait 3 minutes
Put flour everywhere, flour hands
Kneed dough…turn and take outside and folding into middle for 8 minutes
Add cup of raisons and kneed until it’s even. Should have lost it’s stickiness, but throw flower as needed.
Grease a bowl with butter or Crisco
Put the bread then flip it so it has grease all over
Wet a towel with warm water then ring it out
Cover the bowl and put in barely warmed oven (turn on for a minute, then turn it off before)
Close the oven and let the thing rise for about 1 1/2 hours

Take dough out of oven
Punch the dough down
Split into 2 round baking pans that are well greased
Shape it into pans
Cover pans with damp towels over wax paper and put back into warm place
Let rise for about 1 hour

Take off towels and wax paper
Turn oven to 350 and bake for 45-55 minutes or so (check it so the outside is not burnt)