Spaghetti Sauce

4 pounds ground chuck (can use hamburger)
2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste
2-15/16 oz cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
3 medium to large onions chopped very small
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons salt
6 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons vinegar
hot water

Combine all ingredients in a LARGE heavy pan. Don't brown the beef or cook the onion first. Add 1/2 can of hot water from each can. (I swirl it around to get all the bits out and pour from can to can.) Stir all together and stir often at first to make sure the ground chuck doesn't clump together. Simmer uncovered slowly on a medium low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. It does tend to pop out of the pan some so prepare for a clean up later. I would make it like this at first but in an emergency you can use a quart or so of home preserved tomatoes instead of the sauce and paste. I sometimes use two of the 28 oz tomatoes(crushed, pureed, whole, whatever) from the store or one or two of my quart size frozen tomatoes. This is pretty flexible...just be sure you have lots of tomatoes and don't forget the extra WATER. Add more water if you like it thinner.
I can't even remember where I got this recipe originally, but I have changed it to suit our tastes. It is very reminiscent of Jim's Spaghetti, a local restaurant.
We usually had this spaghetti when we were having guests and then the leftovers were either frozen in a freezer bag or made into baked spaghetti. If you thaw the leftovers you will likely need to add a 1/4 cup water or so to it to warm up without burning. It would serve us a couple of times later. Great served with a salad, garlic bread, and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!

Russian Teacakes--Mega Batch

Prepare a bowl of confectioner's sugar to roll cookies in when baked, and waxed paper to cool them on.

4 Cups Butter or Margarine (Softened not melted)
2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
Cream together.

In another bowl mix together:
9 Cups all Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Finely Chopped Nuts

Work in the flour/salt/nuts. Mixture may be hard to mix...if you don't have a heavy duty mixer you should do this by hand.
Shape into balls. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies will not look brown so watch your time carefully. As soon as you can handle the hot cookies, roll in a bowl of confectioner's sugar. Cookies will be very fragile so be careful. Set the rolled cookies on waxed paper to cool. When cool roll again in confectioner's sugar. Unbaked dough can be frozen in zip loc bags and thawed in refrigerator. Thaw and then continue to roll balls in confectioner's sugar and bake as above.

Granny's Refrigerator Crisps--Mega Batch

4 Cups Crisco
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Brown Sugar
4 Eggs

Cream together sugars and shortening. Add eggs and beat well.

In a separate bowl whisk together:
9 Cups Flour
2 teaspoons Soda
2 teaspoons Salt
8 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Nutmeg (freshly ground is great)
1 teaspoon Cloves

Stir into creamed mixture a little at a time.

Add:
2 Cups nuts, finely chopped (pecans)

Shape into 2 and 1/2 inch diameter rolls on wax paper. Freeze or refrigerate after wrapping logs in heavy duty freezer foil. Slice roll as thick or thin as you like...try both ways, one is crisper, the other chewier. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 5 to 7 minutes. Reminds me of being home for the holidays...My mom has made these since I was a child.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mega Batch

Mix together and set aside:
9 Cups All purpose Flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In another bowl mix together:
4 Cups Crisco or Butter (softened, not melted)
3 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Brown Sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
8 Eggs

Blend til smooth, then add flour mixture slowly...a cup or two at a time. It's really nice to have a good mixer for this.

Add:
48 ounces Chocolate Chips (8 Cups)

Stir together. I usually reserve about a half cup of chocolate chips to add after I've used most of the dough up as the last bit may not have as many chips as the first. Spoon out onto UNgreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes.

TO FREEZE dough spoon out into a quart size ziploc freezer bag. Make sure dough gets into both corners well. Fill the bag carefully avoiding air pockets. Don't put a lot of dough into each bag...you want it to be about an inch thick. Seal the bag, leaving no air at the top. Bags will stack in the freezer and you will have a small batch of cookies ready anytime. You can score lightly with a dull object (I use my knuckle)so that cookies will break off in a neat row and you can bake two or three cookies or the whole bag. It makes getting them out easier, too. Hope you enjoy this trick as much as I have. Nice to have a quick snack or dessert when friends come by. Nothing smells as nice as cookies baking. Also another tip...these frozen cookies are great to give to a new mother. She can bake them when she wants to with very little trouble. I know you can now buy cookie dough, but this just tastes so much better.

Peanut Butter Cookies--Mega Batch

3 Cups Shortening
3 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Brown Sugar
6 Eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla

Cream together.

In a separate bowl mix together:
9 Cups Flour
6 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

Slowly add to previous mixture.

Stir in:
3 Cups Peanut Butter

Make small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Flatten with a fork on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Dough can be frozen in logs or just in zip loc bags. Defrost in refrigerator and make small balls and continue as above, or cut the logs and roll in sugar.