By Staff
These past couple of months it seems I have done more searching (to complete portions of recipes) for my readers than has happened in a long time.
The phone calls all pretty much begin the same … the homemakers have recipes they make so frequently that they often know how to make them by heart; then all of a sudden their minds are drawing a blank; and they are forgetting some of the ingredients, gradually a sense of panic sets in and … you must begin to wonder what is happening to your memory. Are you going crazy? I must admit that it can be a bit frightening, but eventually it happens to all of us … or so I am told. I (personally) like to blame it on the fast world we are living in.
Nowadays, we seem to have too many demands on our time. It is rare to see a person laid back anymore, for most everyone is trying to accomplish a half a dozen jobs at the same time. How many times have you encountered people in the check out lane at your grocers, busily placing their food items on the check out belt while they are maneuvering a cell phone and carrying on a conversation with their other hand up to their ear?
Maybe it is time that we simply put on some sneakers and engaged a bit of aerobic exercise every day … not when the spirit moves us … but on a daily basis. I am told that as we age, our brain cells have a tendency to lose the connections between them and these are the thought connections that we need! Experts have even mentioned how there seems to be evidence that by exercising we can actually help forestall some mental decline. If (as they now claim) any aerobic exercise can increase capillary development in the brain, thus meaning more nutrients, more blood supply and more oxygen; and these are obviously the requirements needed to keep the brain healthy!
We are all aware that maladies such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity can many times be staved off by daily exercising; and these are often the very maladies that can increase the risk of brain problems. From what medical authorities are telling us, by eating the proper diets and getting the proper exercise; we can also help sharpen our brain … thus eliminating the risk of brain problems as we age! A healthy diet can certainly start us down the path to better brainpower, especially if it goes hand in hand with daily exercise. I have read that as we age, we should continue to often challenge our brains by doing word games, at times force it to rest, learn how to take a deep breath and relax, lighten up from time to time and see the humor in some situations. Instead of mentally chastising yourself for having forgotten all of the exact ingredients you used to put in certain recipes recognize and compliment yourself on all of the new recipes you have added to you repertoire over the passing years, such as:
Waffle Sandwiches
8 eggs
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
8 frozen waffles
8 bacon strips, cooked and drained
maple syrup
Beat the eggs, salt and pepper in skillet over medium heat, then melt the butter and add the egg mixture. As the eggs set, lift the edges allowing the uncooked portion to flow underneath. When eggs are completely set, cut into four wedges. Prepare waffles according to package directions and for each sandwich … just place a waffle on the plate, Top this with an omelet wedge, 2 bacon strips and the another waffle and serve with syrup.
Italian Sausage Pastries
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
2 pounds fresh mushrooms, minced
3/4 cup minced onions
2-8 oz. pkgs. soft cream cheese
1 1/3 cups butter, melted
12 phyllo pastry leaves
3/4-cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the sausage from its casing, then cook it until all the pinkness is gone. Crumble it into small pieces. Wash your mushrooms thoroughly, then cut them tiny and squeeze dry in paper toweling. Now, combine both the mushrooms and the onions … and using just one third cup of the butter and oil over just medium heat. You must stir these constantly while they are cooking and then as they separate and the liquid has evaporate … add the salt and pepper. Now, combine the sausage and mushroom mixture and then blend in the cream cheese. Cut the phyllo pastry lengthwise into two-inch strips, then place these strips onto waxed paper and cover them with just a slightly damp towel. This keeps the phyllo from drying out. Begin removing just one strip of phyllo at a time and brush with the melted butter, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and place a tablespoon of the mixture at each end of the strip. Fold this strip over (diagonally) the filling … creating a right angle. Continue this folding to make a triangle; then place this triangle onto the baking sheet. Repeat this procedure with each of the strips and be sure to brush each of the strips with butter. Slide into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
**Here is a beverage that I believe you will find to be quite refreshing, and makes four quarts of beverage!
Parson's Pleasure
2 cups granulated sugar
1- 6 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 tablespoon whole cloves
4 to 6 cinnamon sticks
10 cups water
1 – 14 ounce jar cranberry juice cocktail, drained
2 cups of orange juice
You combine all of the above ingredients with the exception of the orange juice itself! Then, once these first ingredients have all been simmered … you then add the orange juice. Strain and discard the spices and it is much more tasty!
HOMEMAKER'S HINT: I many times place a dash of cinnamon and also cloves into a potpourri pot containing just hot water. Frequently take time to stir the pot. It provides a lingering, yet invisible emanation of fragrance that is "homey: and nice!
Old Time Potato Soup
8 cups of chopped potatoes
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 3/4 quarts water
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart half &half
1 quart milk
chopped parsley
1 tablespoon sage
2 pounds processed cheese, cubed
Begin by cooking your cabbage in two cups of the water, to which the bacon drippings have been added, and cook salt and pepper in the remaining water until they test tender. Using yet another (small) saucepan…melt the butter and stir the flour into this until it is nice and smooth. Now, add both the milk and the half and half. Cook and stir until you are certain that this sauce is heated completely through, then stir the sauce into your potato mixture. Add to this both the cabbage liquid and the chopped parsley. Sprinkle in the tablespoon of sage and stir well to make certain it is completely blended and heated thoroughly.
NOTE: Now, if you add the cheese if you wish a richer soup base.
**In reply to the homemaker wanting to know more about potatoes…just remember that the "new" potatoes are the thin skinned variety which is usually harvested during early spring (as well as late winter) and commonly used for creaming, boiling potatoes which work well for boiling, mashing, baking or frying. A popular "baking" potato is the Idaho.**
HOMEMAKER"S HINT: Bear in mind that only 30 per cent of your daily calories is the maximum that should come from fat.
FOOD FACTS: I see that they are predicting food costs to rise another three to four percent this year. This is quite an increase, considering that past years they have averaged only about two and one half per cent. Not a very comforting thought, is it?
*Many thanks to the reader (C.C) who sent me the (bulky) envelope containing today's recipes….Lou*
Carrot Soup
12 carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup minced
1 1/2 cup half &half
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup ginger root, minced
salt and pepper
Saute the onions and ginger in the quarter cup of butter until the onion is softened. Add the broth, carrots and sugar to simmer for 35 minutes; then puree and strain it. Stir in the half &half and continue cooking for four minutes. In another saucepan, melt unsalted butter and gradually stir in the flour. Cook very slowly only until it becomes bubbly, then begin gradually adding the carrot mixture until well blended. Season to taste accordingly with the salt, pepper and cinnamon.
Food Facts: Never underestimate the value of carrots, they are one of our most abundant sources of beta carotene … that antioxidant nutrient that our bodies convert to vitamin A. Since they are beneficial in providing us with healthy hair … perhaps it is possible why rabbits have such beautiful fur … possible?
Leaf Lettuce Salad
1 large head leaf lettuce
3 ounces marinated artichokes
3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dry roasted sunflower seed
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 thinly sliced red onion
Season lettuce with lemon pepper, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle this both with the vinegar, then the oil. Toss it lightly until you are certain it is well distributed, then sprinkle in the cheese and toss again. Now, add the artichoke hearts and the sunflower seeds and toss well. Garnish with the onion slices.
Cranberry Crunch Cake
1-16 ounce can cranberry sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease your tube pan and sprinkle with this topping:
3/4 cup chopped nuts
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
After sprinkling it evenly, then set aside while you prepare the batter by creaming together both the butter and sugar, then adding the eggs and beating well. Sift your flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together. Stir the extract into your sour cream. Then, mix the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately into the batter. Pour only half of the batter into your prepared pan, then carefully spread the cranberry sauce over this batter, then pour the remaining batter over the cranberry sauce. It needs to be baked for 55 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes. Best served warm.
Homemaker's Hint: It is unfortunate that many of us do not realize the benefits of cranberries – never touching them until the holiday season. They can be most beneficial to us year round as they contain a substance that prevents bacteria from adhering to our bladder walls where it proceeds to multiply.
Our Ozark friends are not only known for their friendliness, but also for their thriftiness! Here is a recipe that will cause you to reap the harvest of all that gold that you see popping up in your yard!
Dandelion Blossom Jelly
1 quart yellow dandelion blossoms
1 quart water
1 – 1 3/4 ounce package powdered fruit pectin
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
paraffin
Discard all of the dandelion stems. Wash blossoms thoroughly. Place into the quart of water and boil for three minutes, strain and reserve three cups of the remaining liquid. Discard the blossoms! Now proceed to combine this reserved liquid with the pectin and the extract in a large, heavy pan. Stir this mixture over a medium heat until it has almost reached the boiling point; then blend in the sugar and proceed to bring it to a rolling boil. Continue to boil for 3 minutes, then pour the mixture into sterilized pint jars and seal at once with the paraffin. This should make about 5 pints of jelly.
Whenever I incur the actual golden beauty of a field of dandelions, I cannot help but feel saddened that we humans, so many times, regard them as a "weed" which we must hasten to destroy … lest it destroy the lush green of our well-manicured yards. Once we remove any ants that besiege them, they actually can, when placed into a vase with water, provide just as glowing display of beauty as a bouquet of daffodils! They contain good sources of vitamins and minerals as well as the important antioxidants and bioflavonoids, plant chemicals that can help protect against disease.
A touch of levity: Did you know that to a foreigner, a Yankee is an American. To a southerner, a Yankee is a northerner. To a northerner, a Yankee lives in New England. To those in New England, a Yankee is someone from Vermont. To a Vermonter, a Yankee is someone who still uses an outhouse … now, I best stop there!
Bread &Butter Pickles
2 quarts cucumbers
2 cups very thinly sliced white onions
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1/2 tablespoons mustard seed
3/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 tablespoon celery seed
Place the cucumbers into a very large glass bowl and sprinkle them evenly with salt, then place into the refrigerator overnight. Rinse them with ice cold water, then drain them well. Stir in the onions, sugar, salt, vinegar, mustard seed, tumeric and the celery seed; then proceed to bring them to a boil in a heavy pot with an arched lid. Then, pack these cucumbers, along with the liquid into hot, sterilized pint canning jars. Be sure to leave one half inch of head space in each of the jars before sealing and processing them in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. This should yield about 5 pints of pickles.