By Staff
As I was enjoying my cranberry juice at breakfast this morning, I remembered that the cranberry plant survives only under specific conditions in a April-November growing season. This object is native to North America. It is easy to recognize for it is a slender vine that creeps along the ground and produces a tart, finicky fruit that survives only in very specialized conditions for it requires an acid peat soil, sand and plenty of fresh water, and a growing season that stretches from April to November. They even say that some of our Cape Cod cranberry plants are more than 150 years old … can you imagine that? When I was a tiny child, I will always remember how a Christmas tree was just not a Christmas tree if it was not decorated with strings of cranberries and popcorn. How many of you readers remember that, I wonder? To this day, whenever I am served poultry, I automatically scan the table in search of cranberry sauce. There is certainly nothing like some brilliant red cranberries to add luster to this first recipe. Although I have never actually seen a field of cranberries with the naked eye, I have seen photos of such stretched beneath an azure sky with billowing white clouds; and the effect was absolutely breathtaking! Depending on the historians consulted, some disagreed over whether cranberries were served at the first Thanksgiving of 1621; but none denied that they were a tremendous hit with our early English settlers. These early people not only included them in their diet (swearing that they were excellent against the scurvy), but used them as a dye. In the year 1677, the colonists sent barrels of them along with Indian corn and 3,000 codfish as a peace offering to Charles II … who at the time was angry at the New World for minting their own coins … so much for a peace offering, right?
Baked Apples and Cranberries
4 apples
4 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups whole cranberry sauce
Wash apples, then core and place into your baking dish. Fill the centers of the apples with some cranberry sauce, pour the remainder of the sauce around the apples. Sprinkle sugar on top, then bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees while basting them with the sauce.
Food Facts: Although cranberries must be prepared with sugar to make them palatable, they are a fair source of vitamin C and fiber and the juice is said to help prevent or alleviate conditions such as cystitis and urinary tract infections; so you would certainly be wise to include them in your diet.
Timely Trivia: This extremely cold weather for some people might beget the use of extra heating devices. Please never allow these to continue to function when you are not at home, even for a brief period. Although they can be beneficial, their use needs to be monitored at all times so it is unwise to leave them unattended.
*Grandparenthood is one life transition over which we have no control, but isn't it great?
If you are looking for a different type of dessert and something you can whip up in a hurry, why not try:
Jam Cake
1 cup butter or shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup nuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup berry jam
1 cup buttermilk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sift the flour, cinnamon, cloves and soda all together, then set aside. Cream your butter together with the butter, then add the eggs … one at a time, and beat well after each. Add the flour and buttermilk in an alternate fashion, then add the extract. Once all of these ingredients have been combined, mix in your jam, raisins and nuts and stir well. Slide into an oven of 360 degrees for 30-35 minutes if you are baking in layers, or 35-40 minutes in an oblong pan. (Note: this makes a very moist cake.)
One of our readers shares her solution for insomnia: She says to combine two tablespoons of dark honey with the juice of one lemon and one orange. She places this mixture into a glass of warm water, then floats off to dreamland … L.J.
** For the reader who questions my viewpoint on purchasing fresh fruit at the market and do I personally feel that it is safe? Since I also purchase fresh fruit frequently I understand and often share your concerns even though I realize that pesticides used in the United States must meet certain safety standards, I admit from time to time I experience a shiver of doubt. The only method I use to allay my fear is to methodically wash it repeatedly with water, for in peeling you can be cutting away its very nutrients.
Edna's Sugar Cookies
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
Mix well, then roll into balls on your cookie sheet. Press with a glass which has been dipped in sugar, then bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until a very light brown.
Baked Banana
1 small banana
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rum extract
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch cloves
pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon oleo
Halve the banana lengthwise, then place into an individual baking dish. Combine the lemon juice and rum extract, and pour over the banana halves. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, then sprinkle over the banana surface. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then melt oleo, drizzle over banana and bake for another 30 seconds.
Food Facts: Banana is an herb that grows up to 20 feet or more in height and has a stout, cylindrical, succulent pseudo stem rising form a large fleshy corm. (A very fleshy, underground stem of certain plants such as the gladiolus) This corm sends up a series of suckers forming clumps. They are universally cultivated in tropical regions.
*A small town is a place where everyone knows everything, but they get the paper just to see if the editor got it right.
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
2 cups cranberries
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
dash salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the butter and the cup of sugar in your baking pan and melt it. Now, add the cranberries. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Cream the shortening with any remaining sugar, until the mixture is fluffy, then add the egg and beat together very thoroughly. Next, add the sifted dry ingredients and the milk in an alternating fashion, beating thoroughly each time. Next, add the sifted dry ingredients and the milk, alternately and in small amounts, and be sure to beat well after each addition. Add the extract. Now … pour this batter over the cranberries and then bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. When baking is complete, turn upside down. Serve with whipped cream.
Timely Trivia: When the Iroquois suffered any serious burns or rashes, they would gather up a quantity of acorns, split and boil them in water. The resulting tannic acid solution was then saved for medicinal uses. A portion of this healing water would then be applied to any severe burn or rash on the skin in the form of a poultice as well as bathing the afflicted area often.
A touch of Levity: Did you hear the one about the five and 10 dollar bills who were talking to each other the other day? The one asked the 10 what kind of a life he had. The 10 replied that he had a pretty good life, as he spent a lot of time in fancy restaurants, and shopping malls. Then, the one asked the five the same question. He said he really did not frequent places quite as fancy as the 10, but he also lived a good life. Then, the five and 10 asked the one about his life. "I really never get to go anywhere," the one answered. "I spend all my time in the collection plate at church."
*If you have ever had the pleasure of tasting cranberry catchup, you might wish to put that on your "To Do" list. Here's your opportunity!
Cranberry Catsup
1 quart cranberries
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups vinegar
4 whole allspice
8 or 10 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
Try cooking the cranberries along with the sugar, vinegar and spices until the fruit tests tender. Then remove these spices and rub the cranberries through a sieve. Next, add the sugar, boil for 10 minutes and then seal in sterile canning jars. Yields about 1 quart.
While a proper diet is very instrumental in maintaining normal blood pressure, it is very advisable to combine it with other lifestyle changes such as aerobic exercise. However, it is always advisable to talk to your family doctor before just putting your own self on an exercise program. If you are a smoker – quit! Nicotine raises your blood pressure.
A reader has questioned my "honest" opinion on the advisability of snacking.
Doggone it, Mrs. T, you would have made my job much easier if you had left out that adjective, for here I sit with my cheeks full of popcorn while typing this column! All I can speak from is personal experience, but I think it depends almost entirely on when you are snacking and what you are snacking on. If you are doing it immediately before mealtime or partaking of a food you were advised not to eat then I am sure you already know the answer. Personally, I do not believe snacking on healthy fruit or vegetables at most anytime should be considered inappropriate, for fruits and vegetables are fat free and high in both vitamins and minerals.
Sylvia … here is that turnover recipe I found.
Chicken Turnovers
1 1/2 cups minced cooked chicken
3/4 cup thick white sauce
Your own pastry recipe
Fresh parsley as desired
1 egg white
Combine your chicken with the white sauce and parsley. Roll your pastry out to a 1/8 inch thickness, then cut into squares and brush with egg white. Place two tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each square, then fold over the edges and press together with a fork. Place them on a baking sheet. Prick the top crust and bake in a 450 degree oven until browned. Serve with white sauce or gravy.
Food Facts: You are wise to purchase only the vegetables you feel you can be working on at the time, for they do tend to deteriorate in quality quickly and care best when cooked soon after gathering. Winter vegetables may be bought in larger amounts if there is a suitable dry cool place for storage.
A touch of levity: A young boy was sitting with his grandparents during the communion services in their church. During communion, when the usher came by with the bread and grape juice, the little one said "No thanks, I'm having dinner at grandma's today!"
Oatmeal Meat Loaf
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cups minced onions
2 cups cooked oatmeal
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon marjoram
pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted fat
Combine all of the ingredients mixing them thoroughly. Pack them into a greased loaf pan, then slide into a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes. After they complete their baking, allow them to remain in their pan for just a few brief minutes before removing them to slice.
The reader who submitted this recipe, suggests that they be served with some piping hot spiced peaches.
Hot Spiced Peaches
Stick cloves into your cooked whole peaches, then let them simmer in the following syrup. To make this syrup … stick cloves into cooked whole peaches, then allow these peaches to simmer in the following:
Peach Syrup
1 cup peach syrup
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Once they have finished simmering in this syrup, then drain the peaches and serve piping hot.
Did you hear the one about the dog that applied for an office job? He entered the office and went straight for the receptionist's desk. He barked and pointed to the help wanted sign. The receptionist said "I'm sorry, we cannot hire you for we need a typist." The dog proceeded to bark again, walked to the typewriter and typed a letter. The receptionist read the letter, but again said: "I'm sorry, we cannot hire you for we need someone who is bilingual." At this, the dog pointed to the sign and said "Meow!"