Homemakers can enjoy the ease of modern day living
Published 3:53 pm Wednesday, May 13, 2009
By Staff
It never ceases to amaze me how any homemaker, in today's world, could regard cooking as a dull routine; especially when compared to the kitchens of our ancestors. Here we are living in an age when almost everything we could possibly need, much less want, is but a fingertip away. All we have to do is turn on a faucet … and out comes the water. No need to put kindling in a cook stove … just push a button or turn a handle and the burner heats up. We can even now choose to cook with either electric or gas, for both can flow into our homes … of course this comes with a cost, but doesn't most everything in life? Never before has the housewife gained more leisure and freedom by reason of the reduction and simplification of food and cooking requirements than under our present day regime.
If anything, it should give us more interest in our home making tasks; and not be looked upon as a dull routine. Think of it as a field for all types of interesting experiments as well as an activity where you are consciously and wisely conserving and developing a fullness of enjoyment and happiness for your family! Persevere in your efforts, be determined, earnest, energetic and conscientious about providing healthy meals for your loved ones! We live in an era when money talks, but even it has no power to buy good health.
Although every kitchen is normally endowed with one, think twice before wielding that paring knife and consider reaching for your vegetable brush instead when you are working with potatoes. When you pare them, you are throwing away the part which is most valuable to the body. The salts of the potato, especially the potassium, are just under the skin, and if you peel off the skin and throw it away you make the potato as potentially acid as white flour. Steam or bake them and then consume skin and all to get the full nutritional value. Just be careful that the skin is not broken before you steam them or otherwise the water will get in and dissolve out the mineral salts. I find it rather brackish to think that there are some who will not even entertain the thought of consuming the thoroughly scrubbed peel, even though it has been proven beneficial; yet in the next breath attempt to assure you that they always give their one hundred percent cooperation.
Italian Style Sweet Potatoes
2 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
salt and pepper as needed
Mix the garlic clove in with the cubed potatoes. Place into a casserole dish, then drizzle evenly with the oil as well as the salt and pepper. Set oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake the potatoes for 30-45 minutes, or until they test tender. Stir them occasionally during this baking period, and then serve them hot with a generous slice of ham.
Food facts: True yams are native to Africa, and seldom seen in our country. They often grow up to 100 pounds, are not as rich in vitamins and are a good source of potassium and starch.
Homemaker's Hint: Store sweet potatoes in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator.
Many thanks to both Marlene B. and April N., two of our readers who shared the majority of today's recipes with us…
Apple Leather
4 cups applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
dash freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
Set your oven to 250 degrees. Grease a 15x10x1 inch-baking pan, and line with two layers of waxed paper, then grease again. Combine all six of the above ingredients, then spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake until well dried out (anywhere from 5 to 5 1/2 hours). Remove the pan from the oven and place it onto a rack for a good 10 minutes. Spread a tea-sized towel out onto the cupboard top and sprinkle it liberally with cornstarch. Now, transfer the leather mixture onto this cornstarch-dusted towel. Peel off the layers of waxed paper and roll the leather mixture up to finish its cooling process. Cut off pieces from time to time as you want them, enjoy!
Applesauce
8 large apples
1/2 teaspoon water
3/4 cup sugar
Pare, quarter and core some sour, juicy apples. Place these prepared apples into a saucepan with water, cover the pan tightly and simmer the apples until tender. Add the sugar and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Season with cloves or a dash of cinnamon.
Food Facts: Thanks to the distinction of possessing a delightful taste, a good source of fiber (especially pectin, which is capable of lowering blood cholesterol levels) they tell us that this is why doctors do not hesitate to recommend apples as being a healthy food for our babies.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
**This next not of "whimsy" shared with me by a reader speaks more truth than fantasy when it relates how, when driving into the city one day with her very youthful granddaughter, Chloe, the child engaged in an imaginary conversation with her toy phone when she said, "just a minute … Hello". When asked, "What's that all about?" her mother, in a matter-of-fact tone replied, "Oh, she had call waiting."
Roy, I do not know if this could be the recipe that you are referring to, but it is the only one that I have come across that uses wheat germ in the preparation.
Basil Flavored Liver
1 pound beef liver
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 onions, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and split
4 large basil leaves, chopped
1/3 cup water
Mince the onions, then set them aside. Peel the clove of garlic, then split in half lengthwise. Combine the 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the wheat germ. Dip the slices of liver into your milk, then into the seasoned wheat germ. Using a large skillet, heat the oil and once it becomes hot, place the liver and proceed to saute it on both sides until they are browned. Remove the liver and use the oil to brown the garlic clove for just a brief moment. Remove. Saute the onion until it becomes limp and golden, then return the liver to the pan. Add the basil, wine and water. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes or until done. Turn the liver once during this cooking period. Should you so desire, you can make a thickened sauce by mixing together a tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of cold water. This sauce is to be served over the liver.
Homemaker's Hint: If your doctor has told you that you need more Vitamin D in your diet, increase your salmon and other fatty fish intake; fortified milk, margarine and eggs are also good sources.
A touch of levity: Once she found out I was ordained as a pastor, my mother-in-law became ecstatic, actually more so than any of us. So excited was she, that she quickly dialed her friends to brag, "Bob's being pasteurized!"
Hawaiian Spare Ribs
4 pounds spare ribs
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon water
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
Bake the ribs, covered, on a rack for one hour at 375 degrees. Make the sauce while the meat is cooking. Simmer chopped onions in water for five minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, and set aside until needed. Uncover ribs, spoon the sauce over, then bake them uncovered for 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh mint or watercress.
Homemaker's Hint: It is suggested that you eat an ounce of nuts a day. Nuts raise HDL, that good cholesterol, and decrease inflammation. Nuts have healthy omega 3 fatty acids, healthy protein and some fiber.
India Style Pea Soup
1 pound ham hock, cracked
water
1 1/2 cups green or yellow split peas
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or coriander
chopped salted nuts
Place your ham hock into your Dutch oven, then cover with water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain. Rinse and pick over the split peas, then add them to the ham hock along with 1 1/2 quarts of water. Add the onion. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the peas mash very easily. Remove the hock; discard the bone and fat. Cut the meat into rather small portions, then return them to the pan. Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, lemon juice and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. Summer for another 10 minutes. Serve with fresh coriander and chopped peanuts.
Food Facts: Both peas and pea pods are a good source of vitamins A and C, thiamin, riboflavin and potassium. They are also extremely high in pectin and other types of fiber. They provide protein when served with grain products. Drawbacks: They are also high in purines, which can precipitate an attack of gout in people with this disease.
**I have many happy memories of partaking of my very first Black Forest cherry torte. We were seated on the balcony of our friend's home in Austria sipping coffee. The air was just brisk enough to be refreshing and I was reveling in the privilege of having the opportunity to view, through binoculars, mountain goats traversing the towering rocks of the hillside. From somewhere within the confines of their home, I could hear their young adult daughters singing the lilting strains of Edelweiss. ('Twas truly a "storybook" setting that will remain in my memory forever!)** Close your eyes and visualize that scene as you enjoy this next recipe for…
Black Forest Cherry Torte
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
FILLING
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1 – 1 pound can pitted dark red cherries, drained with juice reserved
1 tablespoon Brandy
TOPPING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 ounces sweet cooking chocolate, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch layer pans. Using a chilled bowl, beat the cream until stiff. Beat the eggs until thick and lemon-colored. Fold these eggs and the vanilla extract into your whipped cream. Stir together the remaining ingredients and then fold them gently into the creamed mixture and blend. Pour into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool. Stir the cornstarch and sugar in a pan, add just enough water to the cherry juice to total one cup. Stir this liquid into the sugar mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until it bubbles. Boil and stir for one minute. Cool to lukewarm; add brandy. Dip 36 cherries into the syrup, then set aside. Cut the remaining cherries into quarters, and then stir them into the syrup. Chill. Beat the cream together with the confectioner's sugar until stiff. Assemble the cake by placing one layer of the cake upside-down on your cake plate. Using a decorator's tube or regular spoon, form a thin rim of whipped cream around the outer edge of layer. Fill the center with the cherry filling. Place the second layer on top of the cake. Garnish the sides of the cake with chocolate. If desired, place the whipped cream in a decorator's tube with the "star" tip. Place a border of cream around the edge of the cake. Beginning from the center of o the cake, outline individual portions in a "spoke-fashion" design. Place desired number of those reserved cherries in outline portion. It is of the utmost importance to keep this cake under refrigeration. Enjoy.
Homemaker's Hint: When using ANY household chemicals, handle them with care and PLEASE DO STORE THEM OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN! Never mix chemicals with each other or with household cleaning products UNLESS there are specific directions to do so. Wear rubber gloves when working with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide solution, household ammonia, acids or chlorine bleach. Always work in a well-ventilated room; establish cross ventilation with open windows and doors, PLUS a window fan to exhaust air. Never, ever mix ammonia and chlorine bleach!
Timely Trivia: For those of you who might wish to take just a "brief trip" down Old Memory's Lane … how many of you can remember when the Woman Home Companion magazine was popular, back in the 50s? How shockingly different from todays' selection of periodicals. First and foremost came the gigantic size! Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 x 14 inches. Boasted approximately 160 pages, and oh … what memories! Those were the days of Fels Naptha soap to banish tattle tale gray, the Fibber McGee &Molly radio program had a commercial advertising Johnson's Wax Beautiflor Electric Polisher that sold for a whopping $44.50; Dreft soap advertised 40 percent more dishwashing power, Mum deodorant kept you nice to be near; just to name a few of the products of that day. This Popular magazine sold for a whopping 25 and was comparable in size and depth to the Saturday Evening Post which sold for 15. I cannot recall if these periodicals were published on a weekly or monthly basis, but they were even "hawked" by the paper boys of that era. Those Were The Days, My Friend!, those were the days!