Ever scour a recipe book looking for things to put together for dinner? Here is a good night’s dinner, from the bread to main dish, two vegetable side dishes, and dessert. Everything has been planned out, you just need to prepare it and preheat the oven.

Apple Date Bread

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup finely chopped apples
• 1 cup diced dates

Mix all-purpose and wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in coconut. Combine milk and egg; add to dry ingredients, blending well. Add apples and dates slowly. Turn batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes one loaf.

Vegetable Sausage Soup

• 1 pound sweet Italian-style sausages, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (16-ounce) can of stewed tomatoes
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup quartered and thinly sliced onion
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
• grated Parmesan, optional

In a large saucepan, cook sausage in oil until brown. Remove from heat and set aside when done. Drain off fat. Place tomatoes, tomato sauce, bouillon, water, and sugar in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, parsley, and herb seasoning. Return to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sausage and simmer 10-15 minutes longer, stirring every so often. Serve in bowls or mugs with cheese.

Barbequed Pork and Beef Loaf

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 cup old-fashioned quick oats
• ¾ cup barbeque sauce
• ¼ cup chopped green pepper
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients, except ¼ cup barbeque sauce, mix lightly. Shape into loaf in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Spread with remaining barbeque sauce, continue baking 15 minutes. 6-8 servings.

SUGGESTION: You may omit ground pork and use all ground beef if you like.

Fried Stewed Squash

• 8-10 young, yellow crookneck squash
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• ½ cup butter
• salt and pepper

Wash the squash, and cut the stems and bottoms off. Slice them into thin slices. In a skillet, brown the green onions in the butter, and then add the squash plus pepper and salt to taste. Cook the squash over medium heat until brown and mushy (30 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Vegetable Casserole

• 1 package macaroni and cheese dinner
• 16-ounce can of peas and carrots, drained
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup celery slices
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon sage
• 1 cup crushed potato chips

Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on package except using ½ cup milk. Add peas and carrots, soup, celery, onion, and sage; mix lightly. Place in 1 ½-quart casserole; top with potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes 6-8 servings.

Nanny’s Tea Cakes

• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 ½ cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add combined dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Chill several hours or overnight. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness; cut with 3-inch round cookie cutter. Place on well greased cookie sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Jason Ladock

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