Too Hot for the Kitchen

2008-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is what we canned on Sunday. Eggplant Chutney, Peach Chutney and apricot marmalade. There are still lots of apricots and peaches left though. I am all for whole canned with the skins on.

knitting

2008-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have been knitting. These Hoodie sweaters are for My niece and nephew Andrianna and Thomas in washable wool. The socks are for Mia for Xmas in wool. Mia and her girl friend Casey will be getting the shrugs in chenille. Now if I can take a break from canning I will get back to work.

Too many tomatoes

2007-09-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

So this is my newest solution for too many tomatoes. I take dry bread cubes, aged provolone cheese, chopped garlic, mayo, tomato pulp, and salt and pepper. Mix up, stuff tomato shells, and bake 45 min at 350 or broil in super hot over till brown on top and finish in 400 oven for 15 min. I think you could take any mixture you like to put on garlic cheese bread. Very gooey and good.

Kids Cooking

2007-08-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Finally they are making dinner! Mia made salad tossed with blue cheese dressing. Nick made Chicken sauce for pasta. It was very good. They really enjoyed it and added secret ingredients and everything.

First Relish

2007-08-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Here are my first jars a hot dog relish this year. So far I have made 16 lbs of pickles. I hope that gets me to Christmas. This is my favorite relish, mustard-y and sweet. I will be making tomato jam, and okra pickles next week.

Going to the dogs

2007-08-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a new handy way to eat corn. On the ground. Gracie and Peggy are visiting, they are not too much work. But, I will deserve all the Canadian Old Dutch Potatoe Chips, Saskatoon Berries, and Coyote Pancake mix I have coming to me.

Eggplant

2007-08-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just a dollop of sauce and some type of fresh cheese. This is basket cheese. Fresh Mozzarella is super good. I fry my eggplant, dipped in egg then bread crumbs (salt & pepper), in olive oil. Pop it into a hot oven or a covered grill to heat though and brown cheese. This dish is about good eggplant. I use a white skinned varity, best served the day it is picked.

Got some rechargable batteries and a recharger, now my camera works again. So look out Emeril.

It is spelled Mojito

2007-08-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

So no picture of a Mojito, you will have to make your own. Here is my top secret receipt.

1 can Limeaid (not mojito mix)
1/4 cup sugar
1 can (from the limeaid) rum (not flavored)OR MORE!
1 lime squeezed and cut up
some mint leaves chopped fine

I shake/mix this up early so the sugar can disolve.

Add some ice, mojito stuff and club soda to taste. This drink when made correctly does not taste stongly of rum. Grandma's and missionarys enjoy it as well as truckers and bikers.

Top milk is the best

2007-03-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

So I was reading Antoinette Pope's cookbook (she taught at Antoinette Pope School of Fancy Cookery) and she affirms my belief that top milk is best for sauces and custards, it is more stable.
So here are some recipes: Leek Pie, buy pie crust and line pan. Saute several leeks in butter. Grate really good Swiss and put in crust, top with leeks. Mix 3 eggs and 1 1/2 c milk or cream (top milk, kids), salt, white pepper, 1/4 t nutmeg pour in crust and bake at 375 for 30 min, till brown and puffy.
Eat your sweet potatoes: Peel, and cube. Saute with butter, cover pan. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, brown sugar, anything, they are so good.
I will post a recipe or Rumbledethumps next time. Rumbledethumps is the pinicle of British cooking.
We are having dinner over here tomorrow, one of grandpa's seafood feeds. I will get David to take photos. I am thinking of a curry coconut cream sauce.

What was I doing?

2007-03-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

I was busy last week working on food, the program, and the stage backdrop for Nicks Blue and Gold dinner. We had 150 people. Now it is spring cleaning. I will post some rutabaga recipes soon, cause I have 3 in the fridge. I moved some of my cookbooks, you would think they were my children, I can't bring myself to get rid of any. See you later. PS yes I dyed my hair.

Oh My

2007-03-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Oh my people are reading this. OK it is just Paul and Aunt Gloria but still. I have not been able to post because I am getting ready for our Cub Scout blue and gold dinner. Here is a photo of how tired I looked after last year. Nothing like standing over hot steaming pots all day. I will put up some recipes that where requested this weekend.

2007-02-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

I got my veg box from T & D Willey today. So I made mixed greens and pasta.

We are a moms and it has snowed a bunch today. We decided we are snowed in, it gives us a chance to eat breakfast with great grandpa. Mia finished a finger knit scarf for her friends birthday and I am working on a cable knit ear muff for her.

Rutabaga Sweet Potato Pie

2007-02-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

We had rutabaga sweet potato pie for dessert. Mia really liked it; its not to sweet with that rutabaga taste in the back ground.

I used a pat in the pan pie crust, one boiled mashed rutabaga, 2 small baked sweet potatoes mashed, 2 eggs, 1/2 c or so light cream (top milk), hand full brown sugar, 1/2 t cinnamon & 1/4 t nutmeg. Baked at 325 F 1 hour 15 min till puffy. Do not overcook.

I am getting Straus milk non-homogenized, I pour off the top milk and save it. Other wise the kids shake it into butter and they won't drink it anyway. It tastes super. I am waiting for scientists to figure out that homogenized fat is bad for you.

More knitting tonite, but the kids are tired and are mixing up their fingers.

Porcipine Balls

2007-02-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

The procipine balls were good. I made them with a brown gravy. Nick has an aversion to red sauce. I plan to cut brown gravy with tomato paste, until he gives in. I made Cinnamon rolls yesterday, super good. My secret recipe for rolls is to make them often, practice. Make your husband eat the ones that do not turn out. No really though add powdered vanilla and golden syrup to the filling.

The kids finger knitted and made long snake sweaters or scarves. They were very impressed with themselves.

2007-02-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

So I was reading the The Housewives League of the West Side (Taft, CA) Cook Book. Between ads for the O. K. Market and Dolly May Beauty Shoppe, there were some good recipes.

Mother De Long contributed Old Fashioned Molasses Pie-3 eggs well beaten; 1/2 t salt; 1 c sugar; 1 c molasses; 1 cup milk; 1 T corn starch; 1 T cider vinegar; 1 T butter. Mix well, pour in pie pan lined with pie dough, bake until firm in moderate oven. Very rich.

Taft cooks were reputed to be the best because they had so many pot lucks to go to. Few people realize that when oil was struck in 1910 in the Taft area. Taft was the place to be.

There were a few other recipes notable for their passing from favor: New style carrots cooked in bacon grease and buttered, Grapenuts pudding and Lax-a-Bran Bread.

I will be indulging in my love of Porcupine balls (contributed by Agnes Shaw) soon though. I have not made them in years. My grandmother Irene Westersund made them all the time.

See you later, Sandra

Too hot for the kitchen

2007-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

So another successful meal. I made my Turkey soup served with Cornmeal dumplings. I also made leek quiche with green chilies. The turkey soup is normally made with turkey meat balls. I just hate when people ask what I am cooking and when it will be done.

I say curiosity killed the cat, so kill them! I cook my dumplings separately in just a pan, just like my grandma taught me. So I have lots of happy full people for the next 3 hours.