Dinner Rolls

 

1/2 cup warm milk

 

1 tablespoon yeast

 

1 tablespoon sugar

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 tablespoon oil

 

1 tablespoon honey

 

1 1/2 cup flour

 

1 small egg

 

 

Mix the above ingredients together...knead for several minutes...let rise...punch down...cut in to 6 pieces...flatten in to a rectangle...roll in to the shape of a bun...let rise again before placing on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

 

 

*A different variation would be to sprinkle the rectangle with herbs before rolling in to the shape of a bun

Buckwheat Cornmeal Pancakes

 

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

 

1/2 cup cornmeal

 

1 teaspoon baking powder

 

1 teaspoon baking soda

 

2 tablespoon sugar

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 egg

 

1 cup buttermilk

 

2 tablespoon oil

Mother's Boiled Dumplings

 

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 egg

 

1/2 cup milk

 

 

Mix all of the above ingredients together and drop with either a small or large spoon on top of boiling water or stew for 10 minutes either covered or uncovered.

 



Grandmother Orpha Keck's Butterscotch Pie

 

 

1 cup dark brown sugar

 

3 tablespoon flour

 

3 tablespoon butter

 

2 eggs (separated)

 

< 1/8 teaspoon salt

 

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1 cup evaporated milk

 

1/2 cup water

 

 

2 egg whites for meringue

 

 

Cook all of the above ingredients except for the egg whites in top of a double boiler until thick.  Pour into a prebaked pie shell.

 

Beat the egg whites and add 2 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff.  Cover the pie with meringue.

 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 



Popovers

 

 

1/2 cup milk

 

2 tablespoons oil

 

1/2 cup sifted flour

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

2  well beaten eggs

 

 

Mix all of the above ingredients well and pour in to the greased muffin tins.  Placed in a cold oven and bring the oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.



Aunt Teresa's Spinach Dip

 

 

1 cup sour cream

 

1 cup mayonnaise

 

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

 

1 package frozen spinach chopped and drained

 

1 can water chestnuts drained and quartered

 

1 green onion diced

 

 

Mix all of the above ingredients together and serve with crackers.

 

 



Pesto

 

1 1/2 cup fresh basil

 

2 cloves garlic

 

1/4 cup sunflower or other type of seed

 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

 

Blend to a thick paste and slowly add 3/4 cup canola oil and blend until very creamy.

 

To serve with pasta mix about 1/2 cup pesto with about 1/2 cup water...heat and mix well to make a sauce.

 

Another variation that is delicious would be with the pesto add a can of chopped clams (including liquid) along with the water...heat and mix well.

 



Kale Chips

Okay so you hear all about how kale is going to solve all the world's problems and all this, right?  I generally don't buy into it but I've been trying to have more veggie related snacks around the house.  Things like carrots and hummus, beets, etc.  Enter kale chips.

People go nuts about these things so I figured it was time to give them a try.  All you do is rip your kale into pieces and let it dry.  I don't have a salad spinner so I just let it sit on the counter for an hour.  Then you toss it with olive oil and stick it in the 375 degree oven for ~10 minutes or so.  When it comes out, sprinkle with salt.

That's the basic idea, you can do whatever you want.  At first when I tried it I thought, "I don't get what the big fuss is about.  It's pretty average tasting."  But then...I couldn't stop eating them!  They are addictive.  It's weird.

As I eat them on day 2, however, they are a little weird.  The crispness has turned into a more styrofoam texture.  I suppose it's best to make and eat them in the same day.  But honestly, I probably ate a half pound of kale yesterday, which may explain why my stomach felt like it was tied up in a knot..hmm.

Anywho, if you're trying to get more veggies in your diet, it's worth a shot!

Stir Fry Sauce

 

1/3 cup dry sherry

 

3 1/2 tablespoon of dark brown sugar

 

2/3 cup soy sauce

 

2 tablespoon cornstarch

 

 

Mix all of the ingredients in with simmered vegetables and stir until thickened and glossy.



 



West African Peanut Soup

 

 

2 cups chopped onion

 

1 tablespoon canola oil

 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

 

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot

 

1 cup chopped carrot

 

2 cups chopped baked sweet potatoes

 

4 cups vegetable stock

 

2 cups tomato juice

 

1 cup smooth peanut butter

 

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

 

1 cup chopped chives (optional)

 

 

Saute the onions in oil until translucent.  Stir in the cayenne and ginger.  Add the carrots and

saute a couple more minutes.  Mix in the potatoes and stock.  Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  In a blender or food processor puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice.  Return the puree to the soup pot.  Stir in the peanut butter and honey until smooth (NO lumps).  Sprinkle on top the chopped chives (optional) and serve hot or cold.

Mrs. Parker's BBQ Sauce

 

 

2 cans of tomato sauce (8 ounce)

 

1 stalk of celery diced

 

2 teaspoons sugar

 

1 teaspoon vinegar

 

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

 

1 teaspoon Worchester sauce

 

3 drops Tabasco sauce

 

Salt, pepper, and diced gherkin to taste

 

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

 

 

Combine the above ingredients in to a sauce pan and simmer until sauce is thickened...perfect with ground beef for a "bunwich."

 

 

Aunt Boo's Rhubarb Pudding

 

 

3/4 cup sugar

 

1/2 cup shortening

 

1 egg

 

1/2 cup milk

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 cup flour

 

1 1/2 teaspoon combination baking powder

 

1 1/2 cup raw rhubarb cut or any other tart fruit

 

 

Combine all of the above ingredients and place in a rectangular pan...bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes...enjoy

Mrs. Karabinus's Sausage and Sauerkraut

 

 

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of loose sausage

 

1 large onion chopped

 

1 cup raw rice

 

1 egg

 

2 pounds of sauerkraut

 

 

 

Mix the sausage, onion, rice, and egg together and form into large egg-shaped meatballs.

 

In a large pot start with a layer of sauerkraut, a layer of meatballs not too close together, another layer of sauerkraut, a layer of meatballs, and a final layer of sauerkraut.  Add water to an inch above the sauerkraut...cover with a tight lid and simmer on top of the stove for 1 1/2 hours...serve with rye bread and enjoy.



Cheese and Onion Pie

 

1 cup sliced onion

 

1/2 pound coarsely grated swiss cheese and tossed with 1 tablespoon of flour

 

3 eggs beaten with 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and fresh ground black pepper

 

1 pastry pie shell

 

 

 

Layer the cup of sliced raw onion in to the bottom of the pastry pie shell...add on top of the onion the grated swiss cheese mixed with the flour...pour the eggs on top and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes reducing the heat to 350 degrees for an additional 25 minutes...serve hot.

 

 

 

 



 



Mrs. Brewer's Pickle Brine

 

 

1  1/2 cups vinegar

 

1 1/2 cups sugar

 

2 1/2 cups water

 

1 tablespoon salt (optional)

 

 

Mix the above ingredients together in a jar adding checker sized slices of cucumbers or zucchini...refrigerate and serve.

Kale, beet, and onion salad

Aleks and I came home from a couple hours of work in our plots at the community garden the other day with a bin full of fresh veggies, including some beautiful swiss chard, kale, a head of broccoli, two beets that needed to be thinned, and two small white onions that had also been planted a little too close to their neighbors.  I turned this all (minus the broccoli) into lunch salads for Aleks and me (the big kids were at the zoo with Grandma and the little kid just gets it all second hand).  It was delish, with Aleks saying I could totally charge $8.95 for it in a restaurant (though he didn't mention if he thought anyone would actually pay that much for it!).  I made this salad again last night adding beet greens to the mix, and confirmed that this is an excellent way to use these ingredients.

Here's a pic of my plate before I dug in

It's pretty straight forward to make:
1) Cook your beets, then slice them.  The first time I made this, I boiled the beets.  The second time I roasted them, since I already had the oven on to make scalloped potatoes.  I didn't taste much difference, and given how hot an oven can make a kitchen at this time of year, I would vote for boiling the beets unless your oven is already on for something else.

2) Thinly slice the onion into rings.  Saute in some olive oil with some salt until cooked and slightly charred to your liking.

3) Coursely chop your greens.  I like the majority to be kale, since kale holds it's crunch better than most other greens.  I've also added in swiss chard and beet greens.  Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet, then add the greens and sprinkle with some salt.  Turn the greens a few times, then throw a lid on top for a min.  Don't let them burn!  Also don't over-wilt them - the kale should still have some substance to it.

4) Put the greens on a plate and top with the onions, beets, and some crumbled blue cheese.  The cheese goes really nicely with the sweetness of the beets and onions.

5) Enjoy!

Cousin Martha's Blueberry Pie

This is a recipe that Cousin Martha would love to make during berry season...any berry can be used with this recipe

4 cups of berries divided: 1 cup for the sauce and 3 cups to add upon the sauce's thickening

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Baked pie shell

Put together 1 cup of berries, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a pan and bring to a boil stirring until thickened.


Add the remaining 3 cups of the berries to the hot mixture and pour in to the already baked pie shell.

Cool and serve.