Drain oysters, reserving liquid but straining well to remove any debris or sand.

Rinse oysters and check that they are clean.

In a large pot, heat together the milk, cream, and oyster liquid over medium-low heat.

You want the mixture to be hot but not boiling.

In another large pot, melt butter.

Add the oysters and simmer them gently, just until they begin to curl at the edges.

This only takes a few minutes.

(Don’t overcook or the oysters will get tough and chewy.

) Slowly pour in the heated milk mixture, stirring gently while adding.

Taste the stew and add salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce as desired.

Ladle into individual bowls and add a small pat of butter, sliced green onions, and fresh parsley.

Serve with oyster crackers.

Grease a large 10 × 13-inch baking dish.

Put raw meat on the bottom of the baking dish.

Then add in layers the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms.

Mix together the minute tapioca, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic salt and sprinkle over the meat and veggies.

Pour V-8 juice over all, seal with a double layer of foil, and bake at 350° for 2-3 hours.

Place the peas in a medium saucepan, cover them with water, and bring them to a boil.

Drain.

Remove stew from oven and pour the peas on top of the stew just before serving.

Use your hands to mix together the hamburger, egg, and bread crumbs.

Roll into meatballs (the size isn’t critical).

Melt shortening or heat oil in a stewpot and brown the meatballs; drain off excess grease.

Add remaining ingredients and cook, gently stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

(Stirring too aggressively could cause meatballs to break apart.

) Cook until vegetables are tender and meatballs are cooked thoroughly, about 1 hour.

Heat oil in a heavy stockpot; add the onion and garlic and sauté for several minutes or until the onion is limp and translucent.

Add broth and lentils and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Next, add carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard, and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil again, and then reduce heat and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Next, add the cooked ham, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and pepper; simmer for 10 minutes more.

Discard bay leaves.

Ladle stew into individual bowls, sprinkle with parsley if using, and serve.

Pick through lentils and then rinse and drain.

In a stockpot, combine lentils with 6 cups of the broth and the remaining ingredients.

Simmer until lentils are tender, about 50-60 minutes.

Stir occasionally and add more broth if the stew starts to look too dry.

You can also cover the pot with a lid to reduce evaporation.

Before serving, remove bay leaf and discard.

Rinse and drain lentils, picking out any debris as you do so.

Put in a stockpot and add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are cooked and the sweet potatoes are tender.

If the stew starts to get too dry, cover with a lid to finish cooking.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a Dutch oven or heavy, ovenproof pot, brown the lamb cubes in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until meat is browned on all sides; remove meat with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pot along with the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onions are tender and translucent.

Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and browned lamb cubes.

Bring to a boil and then cover the pot and put in the preheated oven.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and set them aside and keep warm.

Pour the pan juices into another bowl and set aside also.

In the Dutch oven, melt butter; stir in flour and keep stirring until smooth.

Gradually stir in the reserved pan juices.

Continuing to stir constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the meat and vegetables, parsley, and thyme and heat thoroughly.

Heat oven to 450°.

Pour the oil into a large ovenproof roaster about 9 × 13 inches and place in the oven to get hot during preheating.

When the oil is hot, add the meat and onion and bake, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes or until meat is browned; reduce heat to 350°.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and 1 cup of the water.

Pour onto the meat.

Cover the roaster and bake for 30 minutes more or until the meat is cooked through and tender.

With a slotted spoon, remove the meat to another dish and keep warm.

Pour drippings from the roaster into a saucepan, remove bay leaves, and allow drippings to sit undisturbed for several minutes to give the fat time to rise to the top.

Skim off as much as you can.

Turn on heat, bring drippings to a boil and boil until liquid has been reduced to 1 cup.

(Just eyeball it—no need to measure.

)

Mix together the cornstarch and 1 T.

water and pour it into the drippings, stirring constantly.

Continue to stir constantly until the mixture thickens.

Pour over the meat and gently mix to coat all pieces.

To serve, spoon some hot cooked rice onto plates or into bowls, ladle pork on top of rice, and sprinkle with green onions.

In a stewpot, brown the hamburger; drain off fat.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until hamburger is cooked through.

Seriously.

Don’t you have those days when you need to feed the family and don’t have the time or the inclination to make a meal?

This will take care of those days nicely.

Butter some bread and call it dinner.

In a large stewpot, sauté onion, carrots, and bell pepper in oil for 3 minutes; add the mushrooms and cook 3 minutes more.

Add the turkey, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and pepper and cook, breaking up ground turkey, until meat is no longer pink.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You can garnish individual bowls of stew with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some fresh parsley or cilantro if desired.