monochromatic dinner

Dinner tonight was by choice and request.  I had planned on making Pork Chop-N- Potato Bake from an Amish Cookbook called  A Taste From Grandma's Kitchen.  The book was compiled to maintain, preserve and share heritage in Amish cooking.  There are recipes  for many different types of recipes from appetizers, main dishes, desserts and pies.  There is a section for large quantities which includes chicken and dressing for 250 people and Potato and Ham Soup that makes 5 gallons.  If one is looking for canning recipes, it is in this book.  A fun little book with a lot of  rib sticking recipes.  Over 600 recipes.

Here is the adapted recipe Pork Chop-N-Potato Bake:

6 pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can cream mushroom soup
1/2 can milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp pepper
1- 24 oz. pkg. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded sharp  cheddar cheese, divided



Brown pork chops in a sprayed skillet, set aside.  In bowl combine  the next 5 ingredients.  Stir in potatoes and 1 /1/2 cups cheese.  Spoon into a 9 x 13 sprayed baking dish. Arrange pork chop over top.  Bake covered at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes.  Uncover and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. 

My daughter wanted corn casserole with dinner which then matched the color of the potatoes.  The color in the fruit was the pineapple and raspberries we had with the meal. Thank goodness the fruit was in a bowl because the pineapple would have blended well in the rest of the plate!

Well, it was really tasty.  I definitely would make the potatoes by themselves or as above.

Muffins and Dessert

It was a playful day with my wonderful little grandson.  We had kid food.  Corn dogs, fruit, fruit and more fruit.  I made quick muffins when he called and said that his mom was bringing him and they were half way here.  One can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling but I have used it), one cake mix ( white, yellow or spice), 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (or what spices you would use to make pumpkin pie).   Fill twelve muffin tins, top with some demerara sugar and oats,  pop into a 350 degree F. oven for twenty minutes.  Instant pumpkin muffins!

I found some rhubarb in a different patch that I don't normally visit and  it was plentiful and had not been attacked by the frost.  Every one loves the Pineapple - Rhubarb Dessert that I make so that was the requested use for this little found treasure.  I found the original recipe in the recipe section of a rhubarb site.  I sorry but I do not remember the name of the site but here is my adapted recipe.

Rhubarb-Pineapple Dessert

Ingredients:

4 cups of rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 20 oz. can of undrained crushed pineapple
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box of cake mix (white or strawberry)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 stick of cold butter

In a bowl mix rhubarb, sugar, pineapple and spices until just combined then pour into a sprayed
 13 x 9 baking dish.

In another bowl combine the cake mix and the almonds.  Cut in butter using a pastry cutter. 

Spread evenly over rhubarb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 -40 minutes or until lightly brown.  Serves 12.

Lunch and dinner were quickies.  Corn Dogs and dressed up frozen pizzas.

Remember square meals make round people so eat dessert!

Tonight's dinner was reminiscent of a dish I used to make several years ago but like a lot of things it just sort of went by the wayside.  It was called Lithuanian pork.  To night's main dish came from A 1998 Hometown Collection America's Best Recipes from Oxmoor House.  It is a compendium of recipes from various small cookbooks.  This recipe is from The Junior League of Sioux City, Iowa and Is titled Pork Roast and Apples.  Here is my Adaptation.

1 teaspoon salt                                                           1/4 cup maple syrup
1teaspoon ground ginger                                           1/2 cup apple cider                                  
1/2 teaspoon paprika                                                 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger                                       1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric                                                 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg                                                 3 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon                                              
1 pork loin no larger than 5 lbs
(Mine was about three lbs. )                              

Combine the first six ingredients in a small bowl and rub on the roast.  Place on a rack over a shallow pan.  Roast at 350 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Combine the next five ingredients in a small pan, bring to a boil and add apples.  Simmer until apples are tender.  Put roast on platter and spoon apple mixture over .  I think the next time I would put a few on the roast and the rest in a bowl.

Even the I don't like pork , like this.  A definite make again. 

I really like this book and have several different years.  The recipes are all really good.  This one stays on the shelf. 

Click here to seehttp://www.amazon.com/Americas-Best-Recipes-1989-Collection/dp/0848707656/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351219904&sr=8-1&keywords=America%27s+Best+Recipes+1989

Ham and Cheddar Chowder

I got a request for this from my dear hubby.  This too is adapted from ,The American Country Inn and Bed&Breakfast Cookbook Vol II.  I had a bit of ham left but not enough to do something major so this filled the bill. This recipe is from the Cottonwood House in Estes, Colorado. 

With the Ham and Cheese Chowder we are having homemade sourdough bread and fruit.  Later on we will have some scones and tea.

Here is the adapted recipe for Ham and Cheddar

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons of butter
******
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup frozen or fresh green beans
 1 small sweet potato diced
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
******
!/3 cup butter
1/3 cup AP flour
3 cups warmed milk
1 cup shredded fat free cheddar
11/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
******
1 cup cubed ham 


In a skillet , saute onions and celery until tender and set aside.
In a medium size pan put the next nine ingredients and bring to a boil until tender.(do not drain)
Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a pan, add the flour and whisk until smooth (about a minute)  Add the milk.  (warm milk will make the sauce thicken more quickly).  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Add to the vegetable mixture. Stir and add the ham.  If the soup is too thin add a bit of instant potatoes . 

This was gone by the end of dinner.  It was really good.  Everyone agreed that this is a make again,  Soon!

Jewish Apple Cake

Today I had time to bake.  It is cloudy, cold and wet and so no Pumpkin Show or Fall Festival of Leaves.  Maybe tomorrow!  I chose a book off the shelf that is wonderful.  I forgot about it and am so glad to become reacquainted.  The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast COOKBOOK Volume 2 by Kitty and Lucian Maynard is so good.  If it is not in your collection it really should be!  There are more than 1,800 recipes fron 600 Canadian and American Inns.  As I was going through the book and marking the ones I would like to make I had written down about half of them.

I had some apples that need to be used up so I chose this apple cake recipe.  It is from an Inn called The Wedgewood Inn in Pennsylavania and was their grandmother's recipe.

This recipe is adapted from there.  I changed a bit of the recipe.

Jewish Apple Cake

5 -6 Apples
1 tablespoon of Penzy's Apple Pie Spice
***********

2 cups of AP flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour 
1 1/2 cups  sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons orange oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
***************
1/2 cup pecans (walnuts)
6 tablespoons honey
******
make a glaze of:
milk
almond flavoring
powder sugar

Grease and flour a tube pan.  Pare, core and slice apples or put on an apple peeler and let it do it for you.  Put into a pan and toss with apple pie spice.  Set aside.

In  a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the last two. Beat until smooth. Pour half the batter in the tube pan, arrange half the apples over the batter, top with  the nuts and honey.repeat with the rest of the batter and the nuts.  Bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until cake is golden brown.  Serves 8-10 (15 -18).

This cake was moist and wonderful!

Get this book now at Amazon click here.

The Plumbers Doth Cometh

Today was the day or shall I say this afternoon the plumber came  and now I have drainage!!! Unfortunately, this afternoon when I I got home from a meeting, I noticed a wet spot on the house by the outdoor faucet.  When the plumbers came, I showed it to them, they took it apart, broke the end off and said, oh, you need a new faucet.  Duh!  Even though I called them before they came, they did not have the part.  I told them I would run out and get a new one if they told me what to get.  Well. they said you need an 8 inch set.  Okay, run out and return, they have left and I"ll do it myself.  HAHAHa.  Had to go back and return it for a 12 inch set. Good thing they are plumbers and not carpenters!! Guess we will leak until tomorrow since it is dark.

Dinner-- My daughter and her boy friend came by so I suggested that we try the new pizza place since they were having a grand opening with a buffet.  ARG!  Worse pizza ever.  Even a no brand frozen pizza would have been better!  So sometime soon I will give you my recipe for pizza dough and we will have pizza for dinner.

Meantime , enjoy dessert!

still cooking but still no sinks

Here it is Monday and still no plumber .  If he does not come this evening I will call another tomorrow morning.

I have been hesitant to post the recipes for fear of copyright laws and plagiarism.  Checked it out and now I am willing to do so.  Today's main course is a crock pot recipe,  Italian Beef Rolls, taken from Better Homes and Gardens, The Ultimate Slow Cooker book.  This cookbook has lots of good recipes and uses modern convenient foods in many of the recipes. There are over 400 recipes from beverages and appetizers, breakfast, various types of  meats, meatless, savory sides and desserts. Definitely a cookbook to have when you know you will be pressed for time. Quick, easy and tasty.

The Italian Beef Rolls were easy to make and quick.  I chose this recipe because I had some small steaks I bought on sale and needed to use or loose them. I also had the rest so I did not need to run to the grocery,  Here is the recipe adapted from the above book.

In a small bowl combine|:
1/3 c. diced turnips
1/3 c. grated carrot
1/3 c. zucchini
1/3 c.red pepper
1/3 c. chopped shallot
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

4 -6 tenderized round steak (cut to about 4" x5" pieces
1 jar of your favorite red pasta sauce ( maybe Alfredo would be fun to try)

Divide filling among the steaks .  Roll the steak up around the filling and secure with string or toothpicks.  Place meat rolls in the bottom of a 4 quart crock pot, toss in extra filling, add a jar of pasta sauce,  cover and cook low 8-10 hrs. High 4-5 hours.

I served this over mashed potatoes and with steamed green beans tossed with a bit of butter and warmed up corn muffins from take out.

This actually tasted like a Swiss steak recipe.  It was good.

Dessert was mocha brownies.  Use a regular brownie mix and add two teaspoons of espresso powder. Bake as directed. yum!  Quick dessert-  mix a box of angel food cake and one of your favorite flavor in a zipper storage bag.  In a cup put three tablespoons of mix, stir in two tablespoons of water, zap in the microwave one minute.  Enjoy!

To get this book go to Amazon Click here. Check it out!

bad plumbing

Friday night my kitchen sinks backed up so I called the plumber.  Well here it is Sunday and still no plumber. We have been eating take out and sandwiches on paper plates.  Somehow, my morning oatmeal does not taste as good in a paper bowl.  Hopefully, today is the day the plumber will come.  With my luck he will be here while I am at my grandson's soccer game. Maybe papaw will stay home and wait for him!

I should have something to post if the master drain unclogger comes today.  Maybe we will have breakfast for dinner if he does not come.

Ham

I went to the grocery today and came across an unadvertised special on ham.  With the holidays fast approaching I was hesitant to buy it but there was enough time to want it again during the holidays.

The simplest way to bake a ham is to score it , let it bake a while until the scored areas open and then baste it with cola, root beer or Dr. Pepper. My absolute favorite ham is a recipe for Glazed Smoked Ham from Giada De Laruentiis and the food network.  My family loved, loved, loved this but the there were several people I served it to, who did not have a very discerning pallet and preferred the same old ham.

Along with the ham ,I made a Tomato Vegetable Casserole recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and the food network.It has sweet and Irish potatoes, carrots, peppers, zucchini, Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.As usual I had to improvise .  I had plain bread crumbs instead of Italian so I sprinkled oregano on the casserole and used Romano cheese since that was what I had on hand.  This recipe is great because if there is a vegetable you do not like, push it aside and the person who likes it will scoop it up. If you like it all, smack their hands and tell them to share!

 

We also had bowls of fresh fruit and and homemade sourdough bread.  Have some tea or coffee and dessert! Till tomorrow, tata!

 

 



corn bread for the first time

Oct. 10,2012
Growing up in Buffalo , NY ,cornbread was not a food we ate.  Johnny cake was what my mom would make and I remember that was on a few rare occasions.  My husband on the other hand, grew up with a mom who was from Appalachia and served food associated with that area.I remember the first time I ate at her house there was a huge bowl of bacon fat on the table.  This was known as seasoning . To me it was called slap it on the thighs before you die from a heart attack.

His mom is now passed and on occasion I get requests for some "home" food.  This was one of those nights.

Remember the Amish auction?  Well I did buy him those turnips and in his mind turnips beget cornbread.  I used the Farm Journal's Cookbook from an earlier post to make it and  it came out quite well.  I was proud that it was actually better than his mom's!  I liked it so I am ready to make again in another year.

I used up the pork roast by making pulled pork and adding BBQ sauce.  I ate that and cornbread but I must admit I did not eat the turnips.  In my defense, I did eat a piece of raw turnip.

Tomorrow is Ham, Green beans and roasted veggies.

Well , here I go again.  I am having difficulty writing and staying on the site.  Sorry it has been a long time since I have written.  Monday I spent my time in Coumbus, Ohio and did not get home until late. So needless to say I ate out. They would not give me the recipes ! 

Tuesday was make  the gray go away day.  I now have new color thanks to my hairdresser.  She went to a hairdresser conference came back with new ideas and I was the experiment.  Five colors and three hours later I was amazed.  No, it is not Rainbow Brite but truly cool.

I made dinner from memory.  We had beef and noodles with sauteed mushrooms added.  In Southern Ohio beef or chicken and noodles is always served over mashed potatoes.  A truly serving of starch!!I make my potatoes by scrubbing them well, cooking them in salted water, and then mashing them with milk and low fat cream cheese.
I

 

 

We also had green beans sprinkles with parmesean cheese.  Apple sauce from the other night.

A quick and easy meal!

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

I promised myself I would make all of dinner tonight from a cookbook.  I grabbed this one off the  shelf. Low Fat Low Cholesterol  edited By Anne Sheasby.   Don't let this title fool you.  Every recipe has a picture and the recipes are great.  It appears to be revised for the US market.  The recipe themselves are written in Imperial measurements and the nutritional notes are written in metric. 

The main recipe for dinner was Pork Roast in a Blanket.  A pork loin is cooked for an hour on high heat and then taken out and covered with a mixture of fresh bread crumbs,grated apples, hazelnuts, mixed with Dijon mustard and snipped chives. Then put back at 350 degrees for another hour.  I was out of Dijon but had Western NY  Weber's mustard so I used that instead.  It took away from the other ingredients but it was still good.  I am always looking for a good use for my hazelnuts and this was one of them!

The side was Two Bean Provencal, a great bean dish but not very pretty.  Again I had all the ingredients from the garden so I loved that. The recipe called for haricots and regular green beans so I had a little twist there.  I used regular and Dragon tongue beans, which are yellow with  splotches of purple, however, when you cook them they turn a crisp banana yellow.  A fun bean!

Being in the cooking spirit, we also had applesauce and baked potatoes.  Not in the cookbook but hey, who would need a recipe for those. 

Dessert was great! A Strawberry Roulade. A mixture of stiff egg whites, sugar and flour made up the cake part of the roulade.  The recipe called for fromage frais.  A cheese that is readily available in the European market but definitely not in the USA.  I used a carton of Mascapone and about three quarters of a cup of low fat  sour cream with a half cup of confectioners sugar for the filling. tasty! Will definitely do that again!

This book is available on Amazon for almost the price of shipping.  A definite worthwhile purchase. Buy it here.

Going to Columbus tomorrow and will be there most of the day so very little cooking!  Remember Dessert first so you can enjoy it!

Slightly Altered Bean Soup and Pear Cake.

Forecast is for frost tonight and tomorrow night.  I spent the day in the garden salvaging what was left .  I had three small patches of beans which I pulled and stripped.  I was going to compost the plants but instead I laid them over some Roma tomato plants to protect them from the frost.  They were planted late and thus, have a lot of green tomatoes that needed to stay and turn on red the vine.  I hope that it does not get too cold to destroy my herbs.  Took some goodies to the neighbors, on the way back I stopped at the rhubarb patch and gave a quick final pick of some stems to make pineapple rhubarb dessert.

Did I cook today?  Yes. 
I made Grandma B's Bean Soup from Allrecipes.com.   I tweak it by adding garlic, bay leaf, a bit of beef base and a ham hock or ham bone.  This is the best bean soup recipe I have found.  Dessert was a cake called Almond Joy.  No, it is nothing like the candy bar.  It was a recipe from Rachael Ray's 2009 Sept. issue.  It is a cake with layers of sliced pears and chocolate chunks.  It has a final layer of ground almond and sugar mixed with an egg white then drizzled over the top and sprinkled with sliced almonds. I thought it was very good but I used dark chocolate chunks which  the other indulgers did not like .  Guess it is back to the milk chocolate.

Tomorrow is a baking and cooking day so I will have some yummies to share.  Pork roast in a
Blanket, Two bean Provencal and some others as yet to be determined.  Tell then, have dessert!

Food Auction Extrodinaire!

I barely cooked today.  I spent the day running around.  Had lunch with my oldest daughter and then went to the Amish auction and spent time and money.  The auction is so much fun.  Two hours before the  people start bringing there  produce and flowers to auction .  There is a large table where the people bringing goods put samples of their produce and you can buy them .  Items are very reasonable.  I managed to get  2 extremely large pumpkins which I had to have someone carry to my car, half bushel of apple for seven dollars, gourds,and a half peck of peppers for $3.50, pumpkin pie pumpkins, and a crewshaw squash which makes the best pies. 

[PICTURE COMING SOON.]

I normally do not stay for the auction but I really wanted to buy mums.  They generally sell for around $3.00 a plant but all they had was yellow, so I will give it the old college try and go again next week.  I did stay for a bit and got two pecks of beans and some more gourds.  My dear significant other is still in a wheelchair so he volunteer to clean and snap the beans.  Now tomorrow I will get them ready to go to sleep in the freezer and wait to be awaken only to be cooked and eaten.

After leaving the auction I stopped at the Amish bakery.  MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!  Apple fritters, pecan rolls and a pretzel sandwich.  The pretzel turkey sandwich for me and the rest for others. [Edit by daughter: She is not joking! People flock from 45 minutes away just to get a nibble of one of the pretzels these talented bakers produce. So good!]

I did manage to make dinner for my husband and myself.  This is definitely a comfort 1950's dish that my mother use to make, Creamed tuna fish and peas on toast.  Here is how you do it:  1. Make a white sauce, season it with a bit if garlic,salt and pepper.  2. Drain two cans of tuna and a can of peas. 3. Dump into sauce and stir.  4. Tear up toast, put in a bowl, and spoon mixture over toast. 5. Enjoy

Farm Journal's Timesaving Country Cookbook

Chicken Corn Casserole was creamy, sweet and deliciously filling.  It basically was a white sauce with cream corn and chicken and sprinkled with buttered cracker crumbs. I did add a bit of French Tarragon, but I wish that I would have added some fresh mushrooms, too. Everyone loved it and at the end of the meal all that was left was a dirty dish and full tummies.  I also made fried apples and served some homemade sourdough bread that needed to be eaten since it was going on several days old.  I have extra sourdough starter if any one is interested in attempting bread making.   

For dessert I made what was titled buttermilk pie.  Well it was mighty tasty but definitely not what I would call buttermilk pie.  The crust had corn meal and cheddar cheese. definitely not a recipe I had made before but it was not bad.  The filling had egg yolk and lemon, then topped with meringue.  I would probably never make the pie again but it might be interesting to use the crust recipe for a pot pie or a savory dish.  The meringue was fun because I have always avoided making it thinking it would never come out. 

Buy the book at Amazon here.

I had to go to the grocery to get some items for dinner.  In this cookbook there are several recipes calling for hot roll mix.  Believe it or not there were elderly women there so I thought I would ask them if they had ever heard of hot roll mix from the 60's but they had not.  One woman said ,"Hot roll mix?" I replied,"Yes" and the she continued to say it over and over and louder and louder. Finally I told her thanks and quickly moved away. 

I'll see you tomorrow with a new review and recipe.

   .  

dinner for 10/4/2012

Well here is my first ever post so bear with me.  I am really excited about starting a blog and I hope if you find it, you will be excited about it and want to return.  I have soooo many cookbooks and I feel that this will give me a chance to share my great and  not so great experience.  So hang on to my apron strings and away we go!

For my first cooking adventure in cooking I will be using the cookbook, Farm Journal's TIMESAVING Country Cookbook, Nell B. Nichols,field food editor, published by Doubleday &Company,Inc. , Garden City, New York Copyright 1961. Buy it at Amazon here.  -

This cookbook has a lot of the 50's and 60's convenient foods so it was hard to find some recip
s that did not use cans of stuff and boxes of that.  I am considering for tomorrow's dining pleasure Chicken Corn Casserole,   Meatballs in buttermilk, omlet squares, Oatmeal batter bread, and buttermilk pie.  Since buttermilk pie is one of the pies that are often requested at our house, I thought I give this one  a try.  See you tomorrow!