tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68610894898084732802024-03-13T13:48:08.340-07:00Lynette's Cookbook CornerLynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-78776523869361053642016-05-27T12:58:00.000-07:002016-06-02T15:20:05.234-07:00A Real American Breakfast by C A Jamison & Bill Jamison<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNzBUM_k3_UaC2RX0Ht0Puyig2y5PlXJsoJQ8utnSmL2MhMjQaq77TTMb2j9qJc7FSE6ABycH6zNEgwYDAmKcFsCh8MGwAzcH88ziTDy86qziUBFpq3YUK5p68HG_4xnJOLZpv0x0avc/s1600/Jamison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNzBUM_k3_UaC2RX0Ht0Puyig2y5PlXJsoJQ8utnSmL2MhMjQaq77TTMb2j9qJc7FSE6ABycH6zNEgwYDAmKcFsCh8MGwAzcH88ziTDy86qziUBFpq3YUK5p68HG_4xnJOLZpv0x0avc/s320/Jamison.jpg" width="256" /></a>Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison write the most interesting cookbooks in my collection. <u>American Home Cooking</u> and <u>Smoke & Spice</u>, they have gone a step higher in this tome on the American Breakfast. <u>A Real American Breakfast</u> is huge collection of American breakfast recipes travels from region to region and coast to coast. The recipes are mouth-watering to read and don't skimp on great high-quality ingredients fit for a king and queen.<br />
Authors of the award-winning <br />
<br />
But perhaps best of all are the many historical notes, old menus and references to cookbooks that would be in a collector's dream. (I am a cook book collector) Background information is included with every recipe and quotes from historic cookbooks, i. e., "Whatever else you may economize in, do not limit your family in respect to eggs. They are nutritious, and even at four cents each are cheaper than meat."--Mary Lincoln in <u>Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book</u> (1884)<br />
<br />
The chapters cover the gamut of breakfast foods: eggs, dairy, pancakes and waffles, meats, seafood, hashes, stratas, sandwiches, cereals, fruit, potatoes, grits etc., breads, sweet treats and drinks! Whew!!<br />
Strewn throughout the book on sidebars are ingredient tips, technique tips and the aforementioned excerpts, menus and philosophies from historic cookbooks. This cookbook has everything.<br />
<br />
I have so many favorite recipes from this book that it is almost impossible to limit myself to only one or two to publish, but Cheese Blintzes with Berry Sauce has to be included. The introduction to this recipes is interesting as a backdrop:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Blintzes and other dairy dishes such as cheesecakes are traditionally served at the Jewish Shavuot, a late spring harvest festival that celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Today every Jewish-American mother and grandmother seems to have a slightly different way of making the thin crepe-like pancakes with a creamy filling. Originally stuffed in Russia and Poland with simple farmer, pot or hoop cheese, blintzes began to get richer and more extravagant as immigrants prospered in the United States. Unfortunately--as with the bagel--the quality of the dish suffered as it gained mainstream popularity, particularly in the frozen versions now featured at breakfast buffets across the country. Made from scratch, however, with a combination of good cheeses and a luscious fruit sauce, blintzes remain delicately sublime. The egg in the blintz filling may not cook through entirely in the recipes brief sauteing time. if this is of concern, you may want to prepare the baked Cheese Blintz Casserole instead. </i></blockquote>
<br />
Filling:<br />
2 8-oz packages farmer or pot cheese<br />
1/2 pound ricotta cheese (whole milk)<br />
1/2 pound cream cheese, softened, or sour cream<br />
3 Tbsp. sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
<br />
Berry Sauce:<br />
3 cups blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced strawberries or other berries<br />
1/2 cup fresh or reconstituted frozen orange juice<br />
2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar<br />
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract, optional<br />
<br />
Blintz Batter:<br />
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
2 Tbsp. sugar<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1 cup milk<br />
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted<br />
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Butter for pan frying<br />
<br />
Prepare the filling, the day before if you wish, stirring the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate if not using shortly.<br />
<br />
Prepare the berry sauce, also the day before if you wish. In a small saucepan, combine half the berries with 1/2 cup water, the orange juice, 2 Tbsp sugar, and the vanilla if desire. Simmer over medium heat briefly, until the berries dissolve into the sauce. Add the remaining berries and heat through. Taste and add more sugar if you wish. Keep warm if using shortly, or cool, cover and refrigerate for later use, reheating before serving. <br />
<br />
Prepare the batter, first combining the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Process, then add the remaining batter ingredients and process again until smooth.<br />
<br />
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Heat an 8-inch skillet or omelet or crepe pan, preferably nonstick, until a drop of water bounces and sizzles briefly before evaporating. Add about 1 tsp. butter and swirl it around to coat the skillet. Quickly add 2 Tbsp. batter and swirl it around until the skillet is coated. Cook until the batter dries on the surface, about 30 seconds. Then flip the blintz and cook the other side for about 15 seconds, until faintly golden. (Blintzes should not brown.) Repeat for the remaining blintzes, adding more butter as needed to prevent sticking.<br />
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We stack them on a plate with paper towels or wax paper between them, to separate them more easily, though many people don't bother with this step.<br />
<br />
When all of the blintz batter is cooked, spoon 2 to 3 Tbsp filling on the lower third of the first blintz. Fold up the bottom, turn in the sides, and then fold over snugly but not tightly. Repeat with the remaining blintzes. <br />
<br />
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange several blintzes at a time in the skillet, starting seam side down, and saute until faintly brown and a bit crisp on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining blintzes and serve with the fruit sauce.<br />
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<br />
Cheese Blintz Casserole<br />
<br />
As scrumptious as blintzes can be, they do take a little time to prepare in traditional ways. Contemporary Jewish cooks have developed quicker casserole alternatives, such as this version modeled on one from Gloria Kaufer Greene, author of the <i>New Jewish Holiday Cookbook </i>(1999). Rather than start from frozen packaged blintzes, as many recipes suggest, she tweaks the batter and cooking process. You'll use the preceding filling and can crown the casserole with the berry sauce or with fresh strawberries or applesauce. To make the blintz batter: combine in a food processor 1-1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder, and /14 teaspoon salt. Process, then add 4 large eggs, 1-1/4 cups milk, 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, 2 tablespoons sour cream and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and process again until smooth. Measure out 1-1/2 cups batter and pour it into a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 F. for 9 to 11 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven, spoon the filling over it in large dollops, and smooth the surface. Give the remaining batter a quick stir, then pour it evenly over the filling. Return it to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer, until the top is puffed and lightly colored in spots. It may crack in a few areas. Cool for at least 10 minutes (it will deflate), then serve with large spoonfuls of sour cream and the berry sauce. Leftovers will keep for a couple of days but we prefer them chilled rather than reheated. <br />
<br />
Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-18467247315767702122016-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:002016-04-28T08:25:01.381-07:001969 Betty Crocker Cookbook<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBhg0m2rDJrk8dMq4Et5Bphf9mIUQ3w0fh1gGN9N-d03FUy2QzmiduRMrVCP1XDWfwuAOJbLqJ_4gmYv0SS9Dss-U_X4yDRcZH3c0fPXWfqvw4cjBNVNeNeLn1N_XrLx5riVXPZABsiM/s1600/BettyCrocker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBhg0m2rDJrk8dMq4Et5Bphf9mIUQ3w0fh1gGN9N-d03FUy2QzmiduRMrVCP1XDWfwuAOJbLqJ_4gmYv0SS9Dss-U_X4yDRcZH3c0fPXWfqvw4cjBNVNeNeLn1N_XrLx5riVXPZABsiM/s320/BettyCrocker.jpg" width="244" /></a>My last post was about the Red Plaid Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. That cookbook, as I lay out<br />
in my blog, is a classic, old, stand-by, full of wonderful, nostalgic recipes, illustrations and photos. It was my go-to cookbook when I was first married and remained an important cookbook to this day--especially for standard, basic recipes for cakes, cookies, bread, pies and tips on cooking rice, pasta, and standard comfort foods like chili, mac and cheese, spaghetti, meatloaf, casseroles, etc. However, a few years later (1969) the Betty Crocker Cookbook came out in a new form (formerly Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, which I own but was never very helpful for me). I was given one for a gift and it soon earned a permanent spot on my handy, use-all-the-time cookbook shelf.<br />
<br />
My sister-in-law was actually the person who started my love affair with this cookbook. She swore it was the best cookbook in the world and, judging by her delicious food, I was sold. Of course, I still loved my Red Plaid, but this book soon became my favorite. Why?<br />
<br />
First, the photos in this book are better--and there are a lot more of them--maybe not the same as today's great cookbooks, but a turn for the better. The recipes are not so much nostalgic classics (though those are in there, too) but newer, more innovative ideas that caught on and became the classics of the future; in other words, they had a younger style. Some of the recipes from the Appetizers Chapter became ubiquitous, even though they were new in 1969: Rumaki, Olive-Cheese Balls, Oysters Rockefeller, Guacamole. It was hard to find a party in the '70s where one or more of these appetizers weren't being served.<br />
In the Bread Chapter, Pumpkin Bread (a quick bread) appears and it has become a staple of today. Previously, pumpkin as an ingredient, was reserved mostly for pie. The best recipe in this section, however, is one I use at our Bed and Breakfast all the time and it is always received with rave reviews. Danish Puff is a streamlined version of the famous Danish pastries which are an all-day affair to make.<br />
<br />
Under cakes and billed as "a tender, golden cake for small families, "Dinette Cake" is a favorite of mine. I use it for regular cakes, put Coconut Broiled Frosting on it or use it for Pineapple up-side-down Cake. It turns out light and feathery and delicious every time. A yellow and white sponge cake, dubbed "Daffodil Cake" is exactly like it sounds--as light and colorful as Spring itself. Five pages of decorating ideas for cakes are really helpful. And, my family's all-time favorite frosting, Penuche Frosting, is found in this cookbook.<br />
<br />
The Cookie chapter is so stained and tattered that no one could think it wasn't well-used. I have Pillsbury and the Better Homes and Gardens books with their cookie recipes, but none surpasses the cookies in this Betty Crocker classic. Among our family's favorites are: Ranger Cookies, Oatmeal cookies, Pecan Fingers (especially the coconut chew variation), Scotch Shortbread, Deluxe Sugar Cookies, Cream Wafers (fussy, but excellent) Spritz, and Rosettes.<br />
<br />
Pineapple Upside-Down-Cake uses the aforementioned Dinette Cake batter and is the best version of this dessert I have had. Mocha Brownie Torte is easy to make and really good as well. Other dessert treats that I have served to rave reviews from this cookbook are, Indian Pudding, Lemon Pudding Cake, Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, Cream Puffs, Lemon Schaum Torte and Cherry Berries on a Cloud.<br />
<br />
Fondue seems to have made something of a comeback --happily, I think. When our group were all young marrieds that was our favorite way to entertain; easy, delicious, and, of course, you could show off your wedding present fondue set. This cookbook gives step-by-step directions and includes three sauces for "Beef Bourguignonne" fondue that are easy but delicious: Blue Cheese Sauce, Hot 'N Spicy Sauce and Horseradish Sauce.<br />
<br />
Christmas Eve tradition requires the Swedish Meatball recipe on page 261. I have tried many other recipes for them, but these are the best.<br />
<br />
The "Main Dish" Chapter has a lot of ground beef recipes that are comfort foods at their best. Hamburger Stroganoff leads the list, followed by Texas Hash, Lasagna, and Chili. Boston Baked Beans are delicious and much better than canned beans, even when doctored up.<br />
<br />
Lastly, the pie section has the premium standard for such classics as Apple Pie, Blueberry, Cherry, Pecan, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue, and (not so standard and hard to find) a recipe for Black Bottom Pie--Yum!<br />
<br />
If you don't own this cookbook and you can get your hands on a copy--by all means do. You won't be sorry.<br />
<br />
Dinette Cake<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups cake flour<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
3/4 cup milk<br />
1/3 cup shortening<br />
1 egg<br />
1 tsp. vanilla<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour square pan, 8x8x2" Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed,, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.<br />
<br />
Easy Penuche Frosting<br />
<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
1 cup brown sugar (packed)<br />
1/4 cup milk<br />
2 cups powdered sugar<br />
<br />
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Place pan of frosting in bowl of ice and water; beat until of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too stiff, heat slightly, stirring constantly. <br />
<br />
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<br />Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-34851228131290848012016-04-05T21:19:00.000-07:002016-04-05T21:19:57.606-07:00The Red Plaid Cookbook<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I saw on Face Book a picture of a red plaid, 1953 Better
Homes and Gardens cookbook with a caption,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">“Who remembers this?” </span>Many of the replies and comments stated what
my own feelings are:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I not only remember
it, I use it all the time and have since I was a bride in the 1960s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have versions of this cookbook in my
collection, starting in the 1930’s and going up to the 2002 12<sup>th</sup>
edition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I enjoy the 1953
version that I own, I actually use the 1962 edition even more—because it was my
young homemaking era. <br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the huge number of standard cookbooks that are
available, what makes this particular cookbook so great?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It begins with the homey, family-centered
feel of the book, from the pictures and illustrations to the recipes
themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of us oldsters remember
our own mothers and family mealtimes very much like the depictions in this
cookbook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own mother used this
cookbook religiously when it was the “new, modern” cookbook of her time. Reading
through the “Meal Planning” section the menus could have been taken from our
family dinners. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1950s were a placid and tranquil time in our history
when domesticity was queen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The illustrations show housewives in the proverbial
shirtdresses and high-heeled shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their cute pageboy haircuts and pin-curl dos harken back to that amazing
era of homemakers and, for many, a nostalgic sense of old-fashioned
homeliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are the recipes and tips that all of us who love this
book turn to and use over and over?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Begin with the menu planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
my mother taught me, all evening meals or dinners include 6 categories:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>meat, starch, vegetable, salad, bread and
dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People do not eat like that
very often anymore, except perhaps at a celebration meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we weren’t fat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you have that much variety at one meal,
you don’t over eat one thing—a mental deprivation situation that I think is
prevalent today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you have two
dishes for your whole meal—or even one—you mentally load up on that dish
because that’s all you’re having and we don’t like to feel deprived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cookbook menu plans even include a
category “nice to serve” with foods like relishes, jams and jellies, pickles
and olives, fruit juices, appetizer soup cups for a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember my Grandma always put a dish of
jelly or preserves (homemade, of course) on her Sunday table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was there for the homemade biscuits,
naturally. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the “Special Helps” chapter of the ’53 version the
opening photograph brings waves of nostalgia over me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stove is identical to the one my Mom
had—the color of the cabinets, the shiny Formica countertops, the electric
percolator (makes the best coffee in the world), the canisters—even the dishes
are exactly right for the era. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see
my best friend’s mother frosting a chocolate cake in her red and white kitchen
with an apron over her full skirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
was real—not just a commercial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
book is a centerpiece for that era as far as cooking and homemaking go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chapter has help for ingredients,
measurements, cooking shortcuts, spices, and storage of food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s pretty standard for a utilitarian
cookbook—even of today. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bread chapter is really interesting because so much more
bread was baked at home then; although it is true this was the era of Wonder
bread—that cottony, fluffy slice of air that we all thought was
great—especially for toast or bologna sandwiches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that was childhood (look what kids like
to eat now!!!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anybody remember
coffee cake?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday mornings were
reserved for pancakes or waffles or French toast, but an everyday treat that
often showed up on our breakfast table was coffee cake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not as rich as coffee cakes today,
nevertheless, a really delicious treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Probably a muffin is the closest thing in today’s cuisine, at least as
easy and quick to make—it almost always had a streusel topping where you could
vary the ingredients to suit yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is a typical and easy version from the 1953 version:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 beaten egg </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup milk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp. shortening</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tsp. baking powder </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine egg, sugar, milk and shortening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add flour sifted with baking powder and
salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mix well and pour into paper-lined
(or sprayed) 8x8x2” baking pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sprinkle with mixture of ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon,
1 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp melted mutter, and ½ cup broken nuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake in moderate oven (375) 20 to 25 minutes.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1962 rendition of this recipe has a few very good
revisions: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup salad oil or melted shortening </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 beaten egg </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tsp. baking power </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Recipe topping </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine salad oil, egg, and milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sift together dry ingredients; add to milk
mixture; mix well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pour into greased
9x9x2” pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Topping:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Combine ¼
cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. melted butter, and ½
cup broken nuts; sprinkle over batter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bake in moderate oven (375) about 25 minutes or till done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serve warm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An updated, healthier version—every bit as good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Better! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 beaten egg</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup melted lard or coconut oil </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup milk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup unbleached white flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup white whole wheat flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2/3 cup sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tsp. baking powder </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 recipe topping </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mix egg, oil and milk; set aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sift together flours, sugar, baking powder
and salt. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Make well in dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients;
mix until just blended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pour into
sprayed 8x8x2” square baking pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mix
topping and sprinkle over batter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake
in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until testing done. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Topping: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine ¼ cup (packed) brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon,
1 Tbsp. melted butter and ½ cup broken nuts (walnuts have the most omega-3);
sprinkle over batter. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The best waffles I have ever tasted come from this
cookbook—and you won’t find a recipe with these ingredients in a modern
cookbook because the amount of fat in this recipe is higher than we seem to use
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, that makes them more caloric
but what is the use of eating inferior food and feeling deprived or still
wanting something more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My philosophy is
to eat the food that tastes the best and if it’s fattening, eat less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A case in point is milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was raised on whole milk and, although I
drank it for years in my dieting days, I never really learned to like skim or
low fat milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whole milk has twice the
calories per ounce as skim milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So—I
drink 4 ounces of whole milk instead of 8 ounces of skim and I really feel
satisfied and happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This waffle recipe
is an example of the same theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or
even one half of a waffle that is this delicious is superior to two of the
low-fat kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try it yourself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh Boy” Waffles </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 ½ cups sifted enriched flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 tsp baking powder </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ tsp salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ Tbsp sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 beaten eggs </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 ¼ cups milk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup shortening (melted) or oil </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sift dry ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Combine eggs, milk and shortening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Combine liquid and dry ingredients just before baking; beat till
smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a thin batter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake in hot waffle iron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes 8 waffles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the “Raised Rolls” chapter, is my standard go-to recipe
for caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls and all the variations of these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do up-date this recipe by doing a few
different things which I learned as I baked frequently for the Bed and
Breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have several bread machines
in my house. Most of these I purchased at a thrift store for between $5.00 and
$10.00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all work for what I use
them—which is to mix the dough, knead it and let it rise at the right
temperature so that I can shape it and let it rise again and bake it in the
shape and pan that I choose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
writing the original recipe from the 1953 cookbook, and then my changes: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plain Roll dough </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 pkg. active dry or 1 cake compressed yeast </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup water </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup milk, scalded </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp. shortening </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsps. sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 well-beaten egg </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 ½ cups sifted enriched flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Soften compressed yeast in lukewarm water (85 deg), active
dry yeast in warm water (110deg).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Combine milk, shortening, sugar, salt; cool to lukewarm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add softened yeast, egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gradually stir in flour to form soft
dough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beat vigorously; cover and let
rise in warm place (82 deg) till double in bulk, about 2 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn out on lightly floured surface and
proceed as desired under variations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Either the shortening or sugar or both man be increased to ¼ cup to make
richer rolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My Cinnamon Rolls </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ¼ cups water </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. lemon juice or white vinegar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/3 cup powdered instant non-fat milk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp. melted butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp. sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 egg, optional (I don’t use it)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 ½ cups unbleached flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 heaping Tbsp vital gluten flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 scant Tbsp dry yeast </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp. soft butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup cinnamon sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ cups powdered sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ tsp. almond extract </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. melted butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp hot water, or more to make spreading or glazing
consistency </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fill sprayed container of bread maker with water, lemon
juice, instant milk, melted butter, sugar, salt and egg, if using—in that
order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put flour in next and top with
vital gluten flour and yeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put
container in bread maker and set on “dough” setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When machine beeps, dump dough out on floured
board and flatten to a rectangle 9x12"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spread softened butter evenly over dough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkle entire surface with cinnamon
sugar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roll up tightly, jelly-roll
style, from long edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cut into twelve
even slices and put into sprayed 9x13 pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cover and let rise until double.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bake at 375 degrees for 23 minutes or until golden brown on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mix frosting or glaze and frost rolls or pour
as glaze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delicious!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Casseroles and One-Dish Chapter reads like the menu of a
comfort food restaurant—but there’s a reason why most of these dishes are
classics—they’re good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a very
noticeable omission: slow-cooker recipes, because, of course, slow cookers were
unheard of in the 50’s. The closest thing to it was a delay oven mechanism
which was brand new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many ranges still
have this feature wherein you can set your oven to turn on at a certain time
when you are not home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Problem:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>food has to be safe to sit in your oven until
time to turn on or risk illness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many of these dishes do you make for your family?:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chinese fried Rice, Shrimp Creole, Chow Mein,
Spanish Rice, Macaroni and Cheese, Italian meatballs and spaghetti, Chicken Pot
Pie, Hamburger Pie, Beef Stroganoff, Tamale Pie, Chili, Lasagna, Pizza (yes,
pizza was in the 62 version), Chicken Divan, Chicken Strata, Tuna Noodle
Casserole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tamale Pie was one of our
favorites: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tamale Pie </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup chopped onion </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup chopped green pepper </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ pound ground beef </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 8-oz cans seasoned tomato sauce </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 12-oz can whole-kernel corn, drained </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup sliced ripe olives </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 clove garlic, minced </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp sugar </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 to 3 tsp. chili powder </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dash pepper </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ cups shredded sharp American cheese </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Corn-meal topper: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup yellow corn meal </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cups cold water </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cook onion and green pepper in a little hot fat till just
tender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add meat; brown lightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add next 8 ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until thick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add cheese; stir till melted. Pour into
greased 10x6x1 ½-inch baking dish </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Make Corn-meal topper:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stir corn meal and salt into cold water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cook and stir till thick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add butter;
mix well. Spoon over hot meat mixture in 3 lengthwise strips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake casserole in moderate oven 375 about 40
minutes Makes 6 servings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I always put
some extra shredded cheese on top of casserole before baking).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-34450898956928838922016-02-09T09:48:00.002-08:002016-02-09T21:44:45.695-08:00100% Natural Lard <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_yxZqM46ZFLoHSsBQ-xzaToYxYvnbJXjcEtwJSD27RYoxMigf2QEWf6dIzL8Z73vSVbcD_PJ8sqVS51umpmfrKcGR4xgeeW29J5nHgVWJPm-bV3lCZCpPFnupMfHsl5B_6334RpPF-Y/s1600/Scan0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_yxZqM46ZFLoHSsBQ-xzaToYxYvnbJXjcEtwJSD27RYoxMigf2QEWf6dIzL8Z73vSVbcD_PJ8sqVS51umpmfrKcGR4xgeeW29J5nHgVWJPm-bV3lCZCpPFnupMfHsl5B_6334RpPF-Y/s320/Scan0011.jpg" width="262" /></a>I have always made the best pie crust around, learned from my mother and my grandmother--who both <br />
swore by Crisco--not butter, not lard. Then comes the news that Crisco (and all vegetable shortenings that are solid) contains trans-fats that are really deadly for your heart. What to do?<br />
<br />
I knew that old-time cooks swore by lard, so I decided to buy some from the store and try it. I didn't like the taste and I was appalled when I learned that the brand the stores offered also had trans fats in it ( partial hydrogenation used to stabilize the product). Since we don't eat a tremendous amount of pie, I sighed and went ahead using Crisco. Then I came upon a fantastic book entitled <i>Real Food </i>by Nina Planck. Opening chapter 6, "Real Fats" are these words:<br />
<br />
<i>The Bad For You Cookbook</i>, published in 1992, in the midst of the frenzy for "light" cooking, extolled lard, eggs, butter, and cream--for pleasure if not health. Chris Maynard and Bill Scheller presented their favorite recipes for shirred eggs, lard pie crust, and trout with bacon with unguarded enthusiasm--and this disclaimer: "As for heart attacks. . . we are not going to make any hard-and-fast recommendations here because we are not doctors and--far more important--we are not lawyers."<br />
<br />
I decided to buy this book, <i>100% Natural LARD</i>, and tried many of the recipes--wonderful! <br />
<br />
Naturally rendered lard (as in buy it at artisanal websites or render your own), is a superior and delicious and healthy fat. I bought some at our small-town meat locker and butcher shop, at a very reasonable price, brought it home and rendered it and have been using it ever since. It's easy to do, cheap (when you buy it locally) and delicious!!!<br />
<br />
Here is how to render lard as it is written in the cookbook <i>100% Natural Lard</i> by the publishers of "Grit" Magazine.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
How To Render Lard </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Karen Keb</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Creating edible lard from pig fat at home involves harvesting the leaf fat (deposited in the kidney area) and back fat from the hog, grinding or dicing it, and processing. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol>
<li>Preheat the oven to 225 deg. F. </li>
<li>Fill a large roasting pan with the chopped fat. </li>
<li>Roast slowly for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the fat has melted and you have protein particles and connective tissue floating on top. </li>
<li>Skim off the solid particles and set them aside for the chickens.</li>
<li>pour the liquid fat through a mesh colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.</li>
</ol>
Store in a glass canning jar in the refrigerator or freezer. It will keep for months. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Use the lard in place of oil when frying, in pastry such as pie crusts, sauteing vegetables, or roasting potatoes. You'll be delighted with the texture and flavor (or lack of pork flavor) that real lard--not the hydrogenated kind sold on supermarket shelves--provides. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I was a bit skeptical at first, since I had never had lard on any regular basis, and certainly had not used it for all my frying and baking. But I started--and now my mouth waters when I smell and taste the foods cooked in and with lard. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This pastry recipe is fantastic; however, all the pie-crust recipes I tried with lard are a little crisper and a little less tender than with Crisco. I have tweaked them and the answer seems to be to add more lard than the recipe calls for--but not a lot more. I will give the recipe as it is in the book, <i>Lard</i>, and then show my change in parentheses. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pie Crust </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 tsp. salt </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 1/4 (1 1/2) cups lard, cold and coarsely chopped 1/2 tsp vanilla ex</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 egg </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
5 1/2 Tbsp. water </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 tsp. vinegar </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the lad until the mixture is very fine. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, water and vinegar. Make a small well in the flour mixture and add the liquid; mix just until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and flatten into disks; wrap individually in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With Spring right around the corner (okay, I'm an optimist), why not try this fantastic dessert? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rhubarb Surprise </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/3 cup lard, softened, plus more for greasing the pan </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/2 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/2 cup orange juice </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/4 cup water </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
3 cups diced rhubarb</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 egg</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 tsp. baking powder </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/ tsp. salt </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2/3 cup milk </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Grease an 8-inch baking pan with lard; set aside</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In a saucepan combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the orange juice, and water. Heat to boiling, add the rhubarb, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender. Stir only once or twice to prevent the rhubarb from becoming mushy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, cream together the lard and the remaining 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy. Beat in the egg, baking powder, flour and salt. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and cover with the rhubarb mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-39663796981358291922016-01-18T13:43:00.000-08:002016-01-18T14:15:02.238-08:00Keep It Simple by Marian Burros<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwbA5NltJdkSHQRsLzWriqGdcrPPHfeb4ssWjZTs1vSWEchzET3icNtbgXI3B5E-pfLukDHVPh5mlSLXus4UzOILlk7emZt46YsYpXZ8iJBsHKxH3In87jRDAkR76VAK_fjFQQnvMqwc/s1600/KeepItSimple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwbA5NltJdkSHQRsLzWriqGdcrPPHfeb4ssWjZTs1vSWEchzET3icNtbgXI3B5E-pfLukDHVPh5mlSLXus4UzOILlk7emZt46YsYpXZ8iJBsHKxH3In87jRDAkR76VAK_fjFQQnvMqwc/s320/KeepItSimple.jpg" width="228" /></a>In the last half of the twentieth century, the quest for safe, simple, quickly prepared food that is not highly processed was spear-headed by an Emmy award-winning NBC TV food
journalist named Marian Burros. Written in 1981 as an adjunct to her
book,<i> Pure and Simple, Keep It Simple </i>is ahead of its time with 30-minute menus using simple, real food.<br />
<br />
<br />
The opening part I of the book deals with the politics of food and sounds eerily familiar to the food scene of today. Topics range from labeling misnomers ("sugar-free", "natural", ) to chemicals and additives in our food and the high price (nutritionally) of highly processed foods. Although she gets some things "wrong" as in damning coconut oil, most of her conclusions about food safety and nutrition concur with today's findings. But then, that all could change.<br />
<br />
In Burro's own words, "The next chapter, sixty-one 30-minute meals from scratch, . . . is the main reason for the book's existence." All the menus are given in the beginning of Part 2 and include the number of people served and if they are best for spring, fall, winter or summer. The menus are simple but delicious and are, in most cases, planned with an eye for weight watchers. I've tried several of them and they have been very delicious and have lived up to the 30-minute promise. Each menu gives a game plan, a list of staples you will use and a shopping list, as well as tips and suggestions. <br />
<br />
Here is a menu that we tried and really enjoyed:<br />
<br />
A Chinese-American Menu for Three<br />
<br />
Deviled chicken thighs<br />
Marinated tomatoes and onion rings<br />
Rice<br />
Nectarines, plums or apples<br />
<br />
Deviled Chicken Thighs<br />
<br />
1 large clove garlic<br />
1 large slice ginger or 1/2 tsp powdered garlic<br />
3 Tbsp. soy sauce<br />
1/4 cup dry sherry<br />
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
9 chicken thighs<br />
<br />
Put garlic through press. Mince fresh ginger. Combine garlic and ginger with soy sauce, sherry, hot pepper, and water and bring to boil in heavy pot, large enough to hold chicken. Add chicken; reduce heat and simmer in covered pot 10 minutes. Remove cover, turn chicken pieces over and raise heat so liquid boils briskly. Boil chicken 10 to 12 minutes, until liquid evaporates and chicken takes on golden coloring.<br />
<br />
Marinated Tomatoes and Onion Rings<br />
<br />
1 1/2 tsp dried basil or 1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil<br />
3/4 tsp dried tarragon or 2 1/4 tap. minced fresh tarragon<br />
1/8 tsp dried oregano or 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano<br />
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar<br />
6 Tbsp good quality olive oil<br />
3 tomatoes<br />
1 red onion<br />
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Mince fresh herbs if using them. Combine fresh or dried herbs with vinegar and olive oil and whisk or shake in tightly covered bottle. Slice tomatoes and onion. Separate onion slices into rings. Alternate slices of tomato and onion on salad plates and pour on dressing. Season with salt and pepper. If time allows, refrigerate.<br />
<br />
In Part 3 Desserts and Hors d'oeuvres to dress up the menus, but they do add time. She intends them to be added to basic 30-minutes menus and make them for company. But the best chapter of all as far as I am concerned is the last one that gives a great many homemade mixes. The convenience of mixes cannot be denied, but most of the ones in the supermarket are full of preservatives and additives, artificial flavors and colors, etc. It is not only cheaper and healthier to make your own--but they taste much better. Here are a few of my favorites:<br />
<br />
Corn Bread or Corn Muffin Mix<br />
<br />
4 cups unbleached flour<br />
4 cups yellow cornmeal<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1/4 cup baking powder<br />
2 tsp. salt<br />
1 cup vegetable shortening (I use lard)<br />
<br />
Combine dry ingredients; stir well. Cut in shortening with pastry blender. Store in airtight container in a cool, dry place or refrigerate. Keeps 6 months.<br />
<br />
Cheese Onion Cornbread<br />
<br />
1 egg<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1/4 cup chopped onion<br />
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar<br />
2 1/3 cups Corn Bread or Corn Muffin Mix<br />
<br />
Beat egg and milk together. Lightly stir into mix. Do not beat out lumps. Stir in onion and cheese. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Pour in batter and bake in preheated 425 degree oven 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-33537737223243966892014-07-14T19:23:00.001-07:002014-07-14T21:21:35.480-07:00From Nika Hazelton's Kitchen <div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityBYCSbddH2sWjiVWsG-0jgAM14tXeIzmywrwkA7q8fkw1sdmAtuD7CW-wKsREePLpx_83iupijitaIl1yHO4Ec7ikL6xPrHnunUBZUXanqUi9rHDkMEWoqHmYymaiA02ABu4Tn898-s/s1600/7-14-2014+10%253B29%253B41+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityBYCSbddH2sWjiVWsG-0jgAM14tXeIzmywrwkA7q8fkw1sdmAtuD7CW-wKsREePLpx_83iupijitaIl1yHO4Ec7ikL6xPrHnunUBZUXanqUi9rHDkMEWoqHmYymaiA02ABu4Tn898-s/s1600/7-14-2014+10%253B29%253B41+PM.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nika
Hazelton is one of a group of innovative classic cooks and food writers
of an earlier era that included the likes of M.F.K. Fisher, Craig
Claiborne and James Beard. Her 20 plus books are excellent reading as
well as full of great recipes and techniques that are described as
"straightforward, personal and unpretentious." Any serious cookbook
collector has a couple of Hazelton's book in his collection and this is
one of her later books which is a collection of her favorite recipes
that she says, "I have cooked over the years because the people I cook
them for, and I myself, like them. It is not a standard cookbook nor a
teaching manual, but a very personal assembly of dishes that I make in
my way... I like simple food, made with the best ingredients available,
cooked with care and as quickly as possible to taste as fresh as
possible..." And the book lives up to her promises. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
also showcases her forthrightness and sense of humor. She gives
helpful commentary on menu-planning, entertaining, stocking the larder
and children's table manners! But the simplicity and great taste of her
recipes is what makes this a must-have book in my collection. Take
Russian Hors D'oeuvre Casserole, for instance.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Tbsp butter </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup minced onion </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 to 1 cup chopped mushrooms </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup any diced leftover cooked meat </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup diced cooked ham </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup diced chicken </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup diced boiled potatoes </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 dill pickle, diced </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup olives (either green or black), pitted and diced </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salt </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Freshly ground pepper </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 to 1-1/2 cups sour cream </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 to 3 tomatoes, sliced </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup grated Parmesan, cheddar, or Swiss cheese</span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Preheat
the oven to 350. Heat the butter and cook the onion. Add the
mushrooms and cook until just tender. Combine with the meat, ham,
chicken, potatoes, pickle and olives. Add salt ad pepper to taste. Mix
with the sour cream. Turn mixture into a 2-1/2 to 3-quart buttered
baking dish and cover with the hard-boiled eggs. Surround with tomato
slices. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake until thoroughly
heated and brown. </span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This would make a very nice luncheon or supper main dish.</span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
love to read my cookbooks. Every evening I have a stack at my side to
peruse and this is one of those that is fun to read--apart from
recipes. Hazelton has a wry wit and a keen mind that is interesting,
but she also seems to have a soft, homey side to her that makes you feel
like making her homey dishes. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
the chapter entitled, "Eggs, Cheese, and Cereals" she writes, "Besides,
when you are at wit's end as to what to cook, think of the three steady
faithfuls: eggs, cheese, and cereals. I do hope you have them always
on hand. As you will see, mankind has long relied on this trio of
foods." </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
have some dear friends who have always welcomed us to their lake cabin;
sometimes including our children, their friends, then their spouses and
now their children as well. The time-honored breakfast is made by
Royce and he has made giant amounts every year; Farmer's Breakfast, he
calls it. Hazelton's recipe, with the same title is very, very close:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Farmer's Breakfast (serves 2) </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into small strips </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 small sweet green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 large boiled potatoes, peeled and cubed (2 to 3 cups) </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salt </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Freshly ground pepper </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup of any grated cheese </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">6 eggs </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fry
the bacon over low heat until slightly browned and crisp. Drain off
all but 3 tablespoons of fat. Add the green pepper, onion, potatoes,
and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for about 5
minutes, or until potatoes are golden, stirring frequently. Sprinkle
the cheese over the vegetables and stir. Break the eggs into pan over
mixture and cook over low heat until eggs are set, stirring constantly.
Do not beat the eggs beforehand. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
is a great book for just perusing and reading, but it has many, many
wonderful recipes as well; directions are straightforward and
ingredients are not unusual or expensive, in most cases. I have tried
several and they have all been delicious and turned out exactly as
advertised. That's saying a lot about a cookbook. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-5102847818837346072013-11-11T10:25:00.000-08:002013-11-11T15:36:26.324-08:00Savoring the Seasons Of The Northern Heartland<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJKP5A9WjlT5hvqiGMvytj6K6mRIoatE8tDzFgFu73mJl_VUP153A-U7VbORNcHC86QP2Z-IBXNledisD4x0_z7mEmzHku0wZm12guTj2SVPklpsNYSXQfHrkeLHeazHI6q1_FLbqtBo/s1600/11-11-2013+12;19;13+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJKP5A9WjlT5hvqiGMvytj6K6mRIoatE8tDzFgFu73mJl_VUP153A-U7VbORNcHC86QP2Z-IBXNledisD4x0_z7mEmzHku0wZm12guTj2SVPklpsNYSXQfHrkeLHeazHI6q1_FLbqtBo/s400/11-11-2013+12;19;13+PM.jpg" width="272" /></a>One of the great things about having a large cookbook
collection is that you “re-discover” a book that you <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">haven't looked at for a long time and realize that you really have a gem. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Savoring
The Seasons Of The Northern Heartland</i> is such a book. It’s written by Beth
Dooley and Lucia Watson, two women who have made a name for themselves in the
food and cooking world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucia Watson
owns and operates Lucia’s Restaurant in Minneapolis—a
popular spot since 1985.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beth Dooley is
a transplanted Easterner to the Midwest and
has a special interest and knowledge of the history of pioneer cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, I am drawn to the wonderful and
informative narrative on Northern Heartland traditions—especially the diverse
group of immigrants that settled this area and the dishes that they brought and
are still visible on our tables today.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The introduction opens with a quote from Papers of George
Nelson, Minnesota Trapper, 1803:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
The land is of beautiful lakes all
communicating with each other by equally beautiful streams full of excellent
fish and ducks of twenty Species, Swans & geese with abundance of rice for
you & them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boarders well
furnished with grapes, plums, thorn apples and butternut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Woods Swarming with Deers & Bears
& beavers…Whenever this country becomes settled how delightfully will the
inhabitants pass their time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The geographic area of the Northern Heartland encompasses Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and eastern North Dakota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soups and stews abound to stem the piercing cold
of this region and there is an ethnic version of all of them from Scandinavia, Germany,
Eastern Europe, Scotland
and Wales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Native Americans from the Ojibway and
Sioux tribes taught many of these early settlers how to live off the land and
to dry fish, harvest cranberries and cook wild rice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The chapter headings tell the story of our Northern
Heartland food traditions:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Milling and
Baking—Bread, Muffins and Griddle Cakes </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Henhouse
and Dairy—Chicken, Eggs, and Cheese </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Barnyard
and Smokehouse—Farmhouse Meats </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seasonal
Kettle—Hot and Cold Soups </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Communal Pot—One-Dish Meals </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>North Woods
and Prairies—Large and Small Game </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deep Lakes
and Swift Streams—Freshwater Fish</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Backyard Gardens and Sacred Paddies—Vegetables
and Wild Rice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Preserves and
Pickles—Sweet and Savory Embellishments</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Come For
Coffee—Cakes, Cookies, and Bars </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pride of
the Heartland—Pies, Puddings and Sweets </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each chapter is complete with wonderful information about
the subject i.e. “Milling and Baking” chapter gives the history of the milling
industry in Minnesota,
especially General Mills and Pillsbury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In addition to the history lesson, several exceptional recipes for
breads are included; Café Latte’s Dakota Bread is one of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cafeteria and bakery of that name is tucked
into one of St. Paul’s
oldest neighborhoods near Summit
Avenue where F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Café Latte’s Dakota Bread </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Makes 2 large or 3 small round loaves </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cups warm water (105 to 115 F) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 scant Tbsp. active dry yeast </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup honey </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup vegetable oil </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup cracked wheat </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp. salt </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup whole wheat flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/3 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp. raw sesame seeds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 egg, beaten </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vegetable spray </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey, oil, and cracked
wheat and allow to proof about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast is light and
bubbly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the salt, whole wheat and
white flours and stir to combine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dump
the dough out onto a well-floured surface and begin to knead, adding enough
flour to make a nice soft dough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knead
about 10 to 15 minutes, sprinkling with more flour as necessary, or until the
dough is smooth and elastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may
want to use more flour depending on the dryness of the cracked wheat and the
flours, as well as the general humidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mix the seeds together and sprinkle them over the dough, reserving a few
tablespoons to sprinkle over the loaves before baking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then knead the seeds into the dough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover
with a dish towel, and set it in a warm place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Allow the dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Punch the dough down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let it rest for 5 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divide the dough and shape it into 2 large or
3 small round loaves, and place them on lightly greased baking sheets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let rise 25 to 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brush the loaves with a beaten egg and
sprinkle on any remaining seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake
the loaves in a preheated 375 deg. F oven for approximately 30 to 40 minutes,
or until the loaves are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on
wire racks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pork played a very important part in the lives of the
Heartland immigrants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rich farmland
supported livestock of all types but the frugal Germans, Swedes and Norwegians
especially loved hogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They took up
little space and were cheap to feed with leftovers, scraps, and garbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meat—fresh, smoked, salted, and in sausages—provided
meals of great variety, plus lard for baking and frying, and tallow for
candles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing was wasted in the
immigrant kitchen, where people prided themselves on using ‘everything but the
squeal.’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pork Tenderloin with Dried Cherries </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup dried cherries </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup Madeira or Port </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 whole pork tenderloin (1 ¼-1 ½ pounds)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. dried thyme </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp. crushed juniper berries </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salt and Pepper </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup white wine </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup homemade Chicken Stock</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ cup heavy cream </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In small saucepan, combine the dried cherries with the Madeira and bring to just under a boil; then remove from
heat and let cherries steep until they are plump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cut the pork into thin slices (about ½ inch
thick) and lightly pound between parchment paper or plastic wrap until not
quite flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkle the slices with
thyme and juniper and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Season the flour with salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dip each slice of pork into the flour,
shaking off the excess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Melt the butter
in a large skillet and sauté the pork (about 30 seconds per side) until it is
browned and cooked through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remove the
slices from the pan, set them on a warm plate, and tent with aluminum foil to
keep warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pour out excess butter and
immediately return the skillet to high heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Deglaze the pan by pouring the white wine into it and scraping with a
fork or spatula to loosen any of the browned bits of meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Continue cooking over medium-high heat and
reduce the wine to a syrupy consistency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(It should be thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then add the Madeira
and cherries and the chicken stock, and reduce again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add he cream and continue cooking and
stirring until the sauce thickens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The soup kettle is probably the true melting pot of
cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every ethnic group has
full-bodied and distinctive soups even as they are similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soups have been credited with healing powers:
we all know the power of chicken soup for colds or almost any ailment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Indians made a thin wild rice soup for
the stomach; the Germans thought cream soup could cure anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scandinavians brought fruit soups to new
mothers to give them strength while nursing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pumpkin Soup </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3-4 pounds pumpkin </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ stick butter </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2-4 Tbsp brown sugar, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp. ground cinnamon </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ tsp. ground cloves </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salt and pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 onion, peeled and finely diced </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 apple peeled, cored, and finely diced </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup apple cider </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1-2 cups milk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Freshly ground nutmeg to taste </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chopped toasted chopped pecans for garnish or toasted
pumpkin seeds </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cut the unpeeled pumpkin into large chunks and place on a
baking sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dot with butter and
sprinkle lightly with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper, then
cover with aluminum foil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake in a 350
deg. Oven for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until tender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After you remove it from the oven, keep it
covered with the aluminum foil so that the pumpkin will steam and become very
soft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scoop out he flesh of the
pumpkin—you should have about 6 cups—and put it into a large pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the onion, diced apple, apple cider and
enough milk just to cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring the
mixture to a low simmer and cook about 30 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put the soup into a blender or food processor
fitted with a steel blade and blend, in batches, adding milk to bring it to the
consistency you like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Season with nutmeg
and more salt and pepper to taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Serve
garnished with pecans or pumpkin seeds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The book is rich with anecdotes of pioneer immigrant
descendents and their remembrances:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>bringing in the sheaves at harvest time in Dane County Wisconsin in
1875; boiling potatoes for potato bread; Iowa cinnamon rolls half the size of
your head; St. Lucia Day (December 13) celebrations starring sweet bread; and
making lefse. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can add my own recollection of gathering black walnuts
with my father at the old Methodist camp at Frontenac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to take off the thick yellow/green
outer covering and then attempt to shell them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The shells were so thick that a hammer was the only way to open
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once open, the nutmeats were
stubborn and had to be picked out with a nutpick (unlike the easy English walnut
nutmeats that literally fall out of their shells.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The black, oily substance that gives the
black walnut its distinctive odor and taste also stained everything near
it—most especially your hands. Sadly, I think just because of this experience,
although black walnuts are considered a delicacy by most people, I can’t stand
them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For anyone who descended from immigrants to the Northern
Heartland, this book is bound to be fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s full of old photographs, reminiscences
and, of course, wonderful recipes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-75016136007366969552011-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:002011-08-06T11:30:49.813-07:00The Breakfast Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCgElcYHCtcv1QXq7RhYVt2VGGJpVM_E2j_iN66FoNEpgGGgr4tDS1lryiJb2InwquY6tJ0oWn0-82ywyK2Ig2pyOjwujehvtXxZO6Ikyh9B3LBeW84nslgMqPU7l4HXKrXtyuPPoul8/s1600/8-6-2011+1%253B24%253B49+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCgElcYHCtcv1QXq7RhYVt2VGGJpVM_E2j_iN66FoNEpgGGgr4tDS1lryiJb2InwquY6tJ0oWn0-82ywyK2Ig2pyOjwujehvtXxZO6Ikyh9B3LBeW84nslgMqPU7l4HXKrXtyuPPoul8/s320/8-6-2011+1%253B24%253B49+PM.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I hastened down to the local library book sale this morning, trying to be there when it opened at 9:00am, but arriving about 10 minutes past nine. To my astonishment, people were streaming in and out in large numbers. This is a relatively small town and it seemed strange on a Saturday morning that so many citizens would be shopping at the library.<br />
<br />
I went, as is my wont, directly to the cookbook table and there were slim pickings remaining. Nevertheless, I found three treasures which I hurriedly took to the paying table--it was now 9:15 and almost all the cookbooks were gone. The other categories of books were similarly disappearing. Never let it be said that the Kindle has replaced the book. <br />
<br />
The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham was the best find in a long time. Marion Cunningham is best known for the 1990 revision of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, but has a long list of cookbooks of her own, including this wonderful small volume with 288 recipes for breakfast delights and even more delightful philosophical nuggets about food and life.<br />
<br />
Cunningham has appeared on 70 episodes of her television series, Cunningham and Company on the<br />
Food Network. Add to that the 11 years she assisted James Beard in his cooking presentations and the 1993 Grand Dame award from Les Dames d'Escoffier. She also was a food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times as well as a frequent contributor to Bon Appetit, Food and Wine and Gourmet magazines. Quite an impressive pedigree.<br />
<br />
But the charm of this book on breakfasts is the simplicity and homeyness it exudes. To quote her in the introduction: "The honest simplicity of breakfast is so captivating. The most delicious breakfasts usually derive from the humblest of ingredients (money alone does not buy good food)...Gathering at the table for breakfast allows us to weave our lives with others--and that should be a daily pleasure."<br />
<br />
Her most recent endeavor has been teaching a series of classes on "Learning to Cook with Marion" and she published a book with the same name. This series brought groups of 6-8 people to her Walnut, California home kitchen to talk about the lost art of simple home cooking in an environment that encouraged the questions of adults who really are intimidated by the simple, but unlearned "kitchen tricks." The students then make three dishes which are basic; after successfully completing them, the students feel confident to branch out and experiment. <br />
<br />
Cunningham uses the following tips to help new cooks. (These "Marion-isms" are based on a list prepared by cooking student Jamie Jobb). <br />
<br />
When cooking, there is one main rule: Taste, taste and taste again." Problems with a recipe often can be remedied while preparing a dish. It's much harder, if not impossible, to tweak afterward. <br />
<br />
"The oven is our friend. You don't need to watch over something if it's in the oven. Use the time to enjoy your dinner guests."<br />
<br />
"With each dish, try to achieve one taste. Too many ingredients result in a culinary cacophony. <br />
<br />
"Your hands remember things because they're closer to the ingredients. Don't be timid about touching the food you cook."<br />
<br />
"Butter will smooth out sharp tastes and rough edges."<br />
<br />
"No matter what the recipe, things can change. Slight differences in ingredients, room temperature, humidity, lunar gravitational pulls, solar flares or other unknown conditions can affect how a dish turns out. So always taste as you go and make note of any changes." <br />
<br />
A few of her better known recipes from The Breakfast Book follow: <br />
<br />
Bridge Creek Heavenly Hots <br />
<br />
<i>"These are the lightest sour cream sliver-dollar-size hotcakes I've ever had--they seem to hover over the plate. They are heavenly and certainly should be served hot." </i><br />
<br />
<br />
4 eggs <br />
1/2 tsp salt <br />
12 tsp baking soda <br />
1/4 cup cake flour <br />
2 cups sour cream <br />
3 Tbsp sugar <br />
<br />
Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Add the salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream and sugar and mix well. All of this can be done in a blender, if you prefer. Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is good and hot, film with grease and drop small spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle--just enough to spread to an approximately 2 1/2-inch round. When a few bubbles appear on top of the pancakes, turn them over and cook briefly. <br />
<br />
Lemon Zephyrs <br />
<br />
<i>"These small free-form souffles are light as clouds and sweet as the west wind. Breath carefully or else these fluffy zephyrs may blow right off your plate. Serve with a slice of buttered, toasted pound cake."</i><br />
<br />
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter <br />
2 Tbsp milk <br />
7 Tbsp confectioners' sugar <br />
6 egg whites <br />
1/4 tsp cream of tartar <br />
3 egg yolks <br />
1 tsp flour <br />
2 tsp grated lemon rind <br />
1 cup fresh raspberries (or any fresh berries) <br />
Sugar to taste for berries <br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 425. Use a shallow (about 2 inches deep) 14-inch oval baking dish; or use a rectangular dish that is an inch shorter. Have a 8 or 9-inch round paper plate at hand. Combine the butter, milk and 1 Tbsp confectioners' sugar in the baking dish. Heat the mixture until the butter has melted, stir, and set aside.<br />
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy, then gradually add the remaining 6 Tbsp sugar and beat until stiff but moist. Beat the egg yolks thoroughly and add the flour and lemon rind to the yolk mixture. Gently fold the yolk mixture into the beaten whites. Now you are going to shape the batter into four balls. Using the paper plate as a scoop, pile in a football shape one quarter of the souffle mixture at the end of the baking dish. Scoop up three more equal portions and drop next to each other. There should be a row of four balls of approximately the same size in the baking dish. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the peaks of the souffles are slightly golden. Sprinkle the berries with sugar if they need some. Remove the souffles from the oven and sprinkle the berries all over the zephyrs. Bring to the table and serve. Or serve on four individual dessert plates, with a little of the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish spooned over each serving.Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-62575052336364050482010-11-06T10:37:00.000-07:002010-11-06T10:37:33.597-07:00The Glamour Magazine After Five Cookbook by Beverly PepperThe book jacket claims that "Here at last is the specialty cookbook designed to liberate the working girl, the busy housewife, and the harassed but hungry bachelor." The Gourmet Magazine After Five Cookbook, published by Doubleday, Inc. in 1952 was the forerunner to Rachel Ray's thirty minute meals with the foundational theory of "A triumphant year of delectable eating and never the same dish twice. Over 300 menus which can be prepared in an hour or less, containing more than 1000 different recipes with shopping lists included". <br />
<br />
I tried finding information on Beverly Pepper and the only reference I found was to a Beverly Pepper who was a famous sculptor-artist but who lived at the same time that this book's author lived. There was no indication anywhere that they were the same person. Even in this day of instant Google searching, some things remain obscure; nevertheless, Pepper's book is ahead of its time and has a most cosmopolitan and sophisticated bent. I think she hit the nail on the head when she said in her introduction that ..."here is a...cookbook which is<em> not </em>a cookbook--not in the ordinary sense, but a declaration of independence from kitchen slavery, a declaration of love for good eating. Taken broadly, perhaps it is also a frank admission of a change in the American way of life. <br />
<br />
The book is organized by the months of the year and the weeks of the month. Each week includes 7 menus prefaced with a shopping list for the week and a staple list to keep your pantry's inventory up to date. The Sunday menu is more time consuming and often includes a roast, the leftovers of which will show up later in the week. At the back of the book she includes menus for holidays, company and large groups.<br />
<br />
Sadly, the worst feature of this book is its liberal use of convenience foods such as canned soups and vegetables (including canned potatoes) which are not difficult to make yourself, nor particularly time consuming, albeit with a little planning. However, there are a great many innovative and very tasty dishes that do slap together quickly but don't taste like it and it was the beginning of real meals quickly. The shopping lists and the frugal use of leftovers is to be commended.<br />
<br />
A sample Week (1st in December) is as follows:<br />
Sunday: <br />
Roast Loin of Pork w. Spiced Fruit Sauce <br />
Baked Idaho Potatoes <br />
Peas & Cauliflower <br />
Tossed Green Salad <br />
Brandied Bing Cherries <br />
Coffee <br />
<br />
Roast Loin of Pork with Spiced Fruit Sauce: 5 1/2 lbs. Rub with salt, pepper, 1 cut garlic clove. Roast uncovered in slow oven (325) 4 hours. Pour off fat, leaving 3 tbs. drippings. Pour in 2 c. boiling water, 2 tbs. orange marmalade, 2 tbs. cherry jam. grated rind and juice 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. powdered clove, 1/4 c. sherry. Bring to boil, serve with pork. (Save 1 1/2 c. meat for Tuesday.)<br />
<br />
Peas and Cauliflower: Cut 1 head cauliflower into flowerets. Boil in salted water to cover 8 min. Drain. Cook 1 box peas as directed. Drain. Mix with cauliflower, 2 tbs. melted butter. <br />
<br />
Brandied Bing Cherries: Chill 1 can cherries. Add 1 tbs. brandy to each serving. Garnish with whipped cream. <br />
<br />
The aforementioned Tuesday menu then, is as follows: <br />
<br />
Tomato Soup w. Herbs <br />
Curried Pork, Almond & Raisin Rice <br />
Escarole Salad <br />
Chocolate Refrigerator Cake <br />
Coffee <br />
<br />
Tomato Soup w. Herbs: 1 can. Prepare as directed. Add 1 tsp. mixed herbs.<br />
<br />
Curried Pork: Cut leftover pork in small sticks. Saute 1 chopped onion, 1 bay leaf, 1 chopped garlic clove, 1/8 tsp. thyme in 3 tbs. butter. Mix 1 1/2 tbs. flour with bouillon, stirring until smooth and thickened, 1 diced tomato, 1 chopped unpeeled apple, 1 chopped banana, 1 tbs. white wine. Simmer 5 min. Add pork, cook 10 min.<br />
<br />
Almond & Raisin Rice: Prepare 1 1/2 c precooked rice as directed, adding 1/4 c. shopped blanched almonds.<br />
<br />
For tomorrow: Marinate 3/4 lb. sliced round steak in 1 c. vinegar, 1 c. water, 1 sliced onion, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 1 tsp. salt<br />
<br />
For me, the strong point of this book is the pre-planned menus which can be tweaked to fit today's life style with the use of more fresh ingredients, but which provide shopping lists and ideas to streamline the cooking day. My own preference for planning ahead would then include a "cooking weekend" wherein I would prepare everything possible ahead from scratch ingredients and have them at the ready during the week. But it really helps to have a menu plan from which to operate. <br />
<br />
The book jacket is a whimsical and delightful design; the use of many variety meats which are not even commonly sold in today's market much less eaten by American families for the most part is also interesting from the historical viewpoint. <br />
<br />
All the menus appeared originally in the magazine as an aid for the working girl. The series brought a torrent of enthusiastic mail from housewives, club women, mothers and even bachelors. It is a delightful peek at the historical beginnings of modern American cuisine.Lynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861089489808473280.post-48108343439787310872010-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:002010-08-19T09:22:49.225-07:00Carefree Cooking by Jacquelyn ReinachAt the last count, I owned over 3500 cookbooks (some are pamphlets). It is probably more now as I seem to acquire a few more every year. It didn’t start out that way—I had a better than average collection of cookbooks when I was a newlywed—but definitely in the normal range. Over the years as my interest in cooking grew, I started collecting cookbooks when travelling and most of my family knew that a cookbook was always a safe and appreciated gift for me.<br />
<br />
Then I married (second marriage) a man who sold antiques. He went to auctions on a regular basis—mostly estate sales. A majority of people who attend these auctions leave when the item or items in which they are interested have been sold. Not Zig—he never left until the auctioneer was packed up and turning out the lights. He is a detail-oriented, meticulous sort who stays to watch all the credits roll at movies, too. Anyway, at the end of the auction there are usually a lot of box lots (boxes filled with like-objects sold for $1 or $2 per box). Lots of them held cookbooks and I was the lucky recipient. I began to take an avid interest in the collecting aspect of these books; some of them turned out to be quite rare and in cookbook-collecting-circles, valuable.<br />
<br />
There are three books on collecting cookbooks that I own and the only ones of which I am aware: Price Guide to Cookbooks and Recipe Leaflets by Linda J. Dickinson (updated version, 1993), A Guide to Collecting Cookbooks by Colonel Bob Allen (updated version, 1995), and Antique Trader’s Collectible Cookbooks Price Guide by Patricia Edwards and Peter Peckham, 2008.<br />
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I have organized my cookbooks by subject and have them all housed in a humidity-controlled room. I have had to destroy a few that came to me smelling of mildew or in such rough condition they just had to go. The question I am most often asked when someone learns of my collection is, “Do you cook from these books?” The answer is a resounding, “YES”, but not from all of them, of course. I read them. I play with them. I love them.<br />
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Now, I have decided to share the wonderful stories, cultural insights, personal glimpses into bygone cooks from all over the world with readers of this blog. I am going to review as many of them as I deem interesting and for which I have time in this lifetime. Perhaps I will weary of this and perhaps you will weary of reading about them—but, for the present, it seems like a wonderful adventure. For me, this is similar to Julie’s fantasy of cooking all of Julia Child’s recipes in the movie, Julie and Julia.<br />
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These will not necessarily appear in any particular order other than what is interesting to me at the moment. However, I welcome comments and requests.<br />
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Now, to start with my first cookbook: Carefree Cooking by Jacquelyn Reinach, published by Hearthside Press Inc. in 1970.<br />
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This is one of my favorite types of cookbooks because it is full of small anecdotes and a personal way of talking to the reader. It is also a cookbook that was written in my lifetime and reflects the era when I was a young married—I recognize many of the recipes as being trendy at the time—and was entertaining a lot. It is essentially a cookbook for a vacation home, or what we call it in Minnesota, the cabin up north.<br />
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She opens her book in the Acknowledgments by saying, “Carefree Cooking was conceived out of frustration when I was first faced with the problems of surviving, coping and cooking in our own vacation house. Thinking I was not alone in my struggle, I sent a questionnaire to people in second houses all over the country. Many of the solutions, styles and recipes have come from them . . . . including the idea that a vacation house is more a state of mind than a particular place.”<br />
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Chapter One is entitled, “Survival, Vacation-House Style” and has on its Chapter frontispiece the Old French Saying, “Be Careful What You Wish For, You May Get It.” It is filled with suggestions and, more importantly, philosophy on how to cope with a vacation house and still enjoy it; including practical ideas for meal planning, marketing, eating styles, housekeeping, opening and closing, and all manner of shortcuts and sanity-savers.<br />
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Chapter Two is alike in that it also is a compendium of practical suggestions on equipment and supplies and how to improvise if necessary. She quips: <br />
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“Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard<br />
To get her poor doggie a bone<br />
But when she got there,<br />
The cupboard was bare. . .”<br />
Pity she hadn’t read this chapter.<br />
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The third chapter opens the recipes section, but doesn’t stint on the verbalisms. The title of the chapter is, “If it’s morning, it must be breakfast . . . . or it might be brunch or lunch. I don’t know who Sir Harry Lauder is but he opens this chapter with “Oh, it’s nice to get up in the mornin’ But it’s nicer to lie in bed.”<br />
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I was continually surprised and delighted to find recipes in this book of the “pass around” variety—you know, you heard it from a work colleague or your neighbor or a friend and then, everywhere you went for awhile, someone was serving it. Several of them seem possibly to be the beginning of a trend that lasted a long time. Margaritas as a cocktail, posole, salad bars, submarine (or hero) sandwiches, melons injected with booze, Mexican dishes of all kinds, shish kebabs, are only a few of the now-standard foods Reinach includes.<br />
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She was also a forerunner for the natural and healthy food trend we all strive for in our cooking today. In her chapter on children’s food she says, “Whether you have your own darlings raiding the icebox, or grandchildren for a visit, or friends who never go anywhere without the children. . .feeding the kids should certainly be numbered among the facts of second house life. Which brings me to a small lecture on the number of no-good starchy and prepared products on the market we buy for kids because (a) we need snacks around to fill the gap between meals, or (b) the printing on the package looks nice. If you read the fine print on the labels, you’ll become aware of such hydrogenated muck and additives, you hopefully may want to question the wisdom of including those products in your kids’ cultural heritage. (Or your own.) End of lecture.” And that was in 1970.<br />
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This is one of my favorite quotes from this interesting and delightful cookbook,<br />
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If the cocktails had been as cool as the soup<br />
If the soup had been as warm as the wines<br />
If the wines had been as old as the chicken<br />
If the chicken had been as plump as the maid<br />
If the maid had been as available as the hostess<br />
By Jove! It would have been a marvelous party!<br />
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Anonymous French DiplomatLynettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09899480317783993764noreply@blogger.com0