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Crafting specialty items for yourself is rewarding. For this recipe, begin by collecting stems of fresh rosemary to dry. Ingredients Dried rosemary, 1/3 cup Olive oil, 1/2 cup Clean jar with lid Preparation Remove rosemary from stems. Place into a small jar. Fill jar with olive oil. Shelf stable. Use oil to season your pan when frying steak....
For those who must adjust their diet to include sipping broths, this may be for you. I use a base chicken broth purchased in bulk from Costco, a fresh ginger paste that you find in a tube in the fresh vegetable aisles at Walmart or Safeway, and a fresh lemon. Ingredients Chicken broth, 1 cup Fresh ginger paste, 1 teaspoon Lemon juice, fresh squeezed, 1 tablespoon Preparation Heat broth in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger paste. Stir until dissolved. Heat until it simmers, but do...
A surprisingly great combination. Use either yams or sweet potatoes. These ingredients are proportioned to cook for two people. Ingredients Thin pork chops, 1 per person Yams, 1 per person Butter, 2 tablespoons Ketchup, 1/4 cup Water, 1/2cup Preparation Heat butter in a cast iron fry pan. Rinse and pat dry the pork chops. Add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Brown one side, for five minutes, medium low heat. Turn over and season with salt and pepper. Brown second side. Remove from pan...
Marinating the chicken is the key to a flavorful dish. Use a low-sodium soy sauce. My favorite is a tamari soy sauce. Ingredients Skinless chicken thighs, 2 or 3 Soy sauce, 1/4 cup White vinegar, 1/4 cup Garlic cloves, 6 Bay leaves, 3 Black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Hot pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Preparation In shallow dish, mix liquids and spices. Add chicken thighs and spoon marinade over chicken. Marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Three...
I wanted a whole roasted chicken that I could use in a few recipes. Usually, I do a slow roast. Depending on the size of the chicken, roasting time is 70 to 90 minutes. The chicken I roasted was around 4 pounds. I checked it for color and used a meat thermometer to see that it reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. It was done in 60 minutes. Ingredients Whole chicken Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Salt and pepper, to taste Preparation Place rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425...
Select zucchini without large seeds. You can scrape the seeds out. I hand-grated one zucchini. I left the peel on. Ingredients Eggs, 3 Sugar, 2 cups Vegetable oil, 1 cup Vanilla, 2 teaspoons Zucchini, 2 cups grated Flour, 3 cups Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon Raisins, 1/2 cup Preparation Grease bottom of loaf pans. Use one large bowl to mix all ingredients. Whip eggs with wire whisk until...
Select firm but not overly ripe pears. I used Bosc pears gifted to us from Sheila Klein. The chai tea I found online at Thrive Market. It is concentrated with whole spices. Serving size is two pears per person. Ingredients Pears, 7 to 12 Chai tea, one carton, 32 ounces Water, equal to chai carton Preparation Pour chai tea in a large pot. Peel pears, leaving stem. With sharp knife, cut out core of pear from the bottom and remove. Place each pear into chai tea. Add water. Gently bring to a slow...
These are refrigerator pickles. An easy recipe when there are extra green tomatoes in your garden. You prepare the green tomatoes, prepare the brine and assemble. The result is a crunchy hot pickle. Makes 3 pints. Ingredients Green tomatoes, cut, 4 cups Jalapenos, 2 or 3 Garlic, 6 cloves White vinegar (5% acidity), 1 cup Water, 1 cup Canning salt, 1 teaspoon Preparation Rinse tomatoes, cut off stem end. Cut into halves or chunks. Use sterilized pint canning jars. Cut jalapenos into fourths....
This recipe prepared in an Instant Pot can also be cooked in a pot on the stove. For vegetarians, leave out the bacon and add your herbs of choice. Ingredients Green, yellow, purple beans, 2 cups Bacon, 1 slice Onion, 2 slices Water, 1 cup Preparation Rinse beans and remove stem end. Cut bacon into several pieces, place in pot with onion. Use sauté mode for bacon and onion. Do not overcook. Turn off sauté mode. Add whole fresh beans and water. Stir. Attach pressure lid and close valve. P...
This recipe will feed four. Select a uniform shaped zucchini, medium size. I prepped the zucchini first and cut out the center slice. You could peel the skin, but if you cut the zucchini 1/8 inch wide, the skin is not cumbersome to eat. Ingredients Zucchini, medium Ground beef, 1 lb. Spaghetti sauce, 1 jar Onion, 1/2 chopped Garlic cloves, 3 chopped Bell pepper, 1 small, chopped Olive oil, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp Ricotta, 1-1/2 cups Mozzarella, 1-1/2 lbs, grated Basil, dried, 2 tbsp...
The aroma of these baking sure brought me back to my stepmother's kitchen. We ate these more in the summer when my mother traded her home baked goods with our neighbor, who grew cabbage. I experimented with the rice in this recipe and found uncooked instant white rice was the best for texture. Ingredients Cabbage, 1 medium green Ground beef, ½ lb. Onion, ½ cup chopped Instant white rice, ½ cup Tomato sauce, 15 ounce can Hungarian paprika, 1/8 tsp Black pepper, 1/8 tsp Sour...
This is a budget stretching meal. It is also a family recipe from my (adopted family) grandmother, Margaret Witkowski (1911-1979). My grandmother was a farmer's wife. They married when she was 14 years old. I enjoyed visiting their 150-acre farm in Wisconsin during my youth. My grandfather, Paul Witkowski (1906-1970), bought the farm during the Great Depression. Recipe serves two. Easily increase ingredients for more soup or omit ham for a vegetarian meal. Ingredients Olive oil, 2 tablespoons On...
Allow these to cure for 48 hours before opening a jar. Makes 3 to 5 pints. Ingredients Pickling cucumbers, 6 cups thickly sliced Red bell pepper, 2 cups sliced Onion, 2 cups sliced Pickling salt, 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar, 2 cups Sugar, 1-1/2 cups Mustard seed, 2 TBS Celery seed, 2 tsp Red pepper flakes, 1 tsp Ground cloves, 1/2 tsp Preparation Combine and mix cucumbers, bell pepper, onion and pickling salt in large plastic bowl. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Rinse and drain. Combine vinegar...
Rhubarb from our garden. The other ingredients I had on hand. I was low on brown sugar and onion, so I asked Kevin to shop while he was running errands. For reference, TBS means tablespoon and tsp means teaspoon. Makes 2 to 3 pints of thick, spicy chutney. Ingredients Rhubarb, 6 cups chopped Onion, 3 cups sliced Raisins, 1 cup Brown sugar, 3 cups (packed) Apple cider vinegar, 2 cups Salt, 1 TBS, kosher Cinnamon, 1 tsp Ground ginger, 1 tsp Mustard seed, 1/2 tsp Ground cloves, 1/2 tsp Red pepper...
The varieties and brands of mayonnaise are numerous. I use Kraft mayo made with olive oil. It's my current favorite! The dill pickle and dill pickle juice add the best flavor to this dish. Ingredients Potatoes, 4, unpeeled, cut into quarters Eggs, 4, hard boiled Mayonnaise, 1/2 to 3/4 C Yellow mustard, 1/4 C Dill pickle, 1 diced Dill pickle juice, 1 T Paprika Salt and pepper Preparation Boil potatoes. Hard boil eggs. Cool potatoes and eggs in refrigerator. Often, I cook them the day before...
This is a take on my mother's recipe, who made them with moose burger. I use a very lean hamburger. After handling raw meat, I wash my hands thoroughly. Prepare all vegetables before handling meat. Ingredients Hamburger, 1 lb. Onion, 1/2 C finely chopped Green bell pepper, 1/4 C finely chopped Garlic, 1 T finely chopped Parsley flakes, 1 T dried Worcestershire sauce, 1 T Prepared yellow mustard, 1 T Egg, 1, slightly scrambled Salt and pepper, 1 tsp each Seasoned bread crumbs, 1-1/2 cups Flour,...
We love the fresh strawberries that grow in our area. We buy berries in bulk as soon as the fruit stands open. This recipe helps them stay fresh a bit longer. The vinegar leaves no flavor. Ingredients Fresh strawberries, half flat Water, 2 to 3 gallons White vinegar, 1 cup Preparation Carefully set strawberries into a very large bowl. Fill with water. Add vinegar. Swirl berries by hand. Let it sit a minute or so, then swirl again. By hand, scoop berries into a clean bowl, then into airtight...
This simple recipe creates an extra special vinegar to sprinkle on your salads. Many home cooks grow chives in their gardens. Chive flowers will keep in the refrigerator for two days prior to making this recipe. Ingredients Chive flowers, 1 cup White wine vinegar, 1 cup Canning jar Glass weight to fit inside jar opening Jar lid Preparation Rinse and cut stems off flowers. Place chive flowers in a small canning jar. Pour white wine vinegar into jar to cover flowers. Carefully place a glass...
This is the perfect, easy to prepare breakfast, if you have the ingredients on hand. We don't eat bacon every day. I rotate it in and out of our menus. I rarely have heavy cream on hand, but I was lucky. Asparagus fresh in season is our favorite. This serves two or three. Ingredients Asparagus, 4 thick stalks Bacon, 1 thick slice Onion, two slices Eggs, 3 large Heavy cream, 1 C Ceramic pie dish Olive oil, 1 T Preparation In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Clean asparagus by...
This recipe works well with thicker stalks of asparagus and serves two. Get them as fresh as possible. The lemon flavor enriches the dish. I finish up in the microwave to get to the tenderness we enjoy. Ingredients Asparagus, 8 stalks Lemon, 1, cut in half Olive oil, 1 T Preparation Soak the asparagus to remove any dirt. Snap off the bottom end. Drain well on paper towel or a cotton kitchen towel. Heat the olive oil in a broad bottom pan at medium-low heat. Snap each asparagus stalk in two. Add...
This recipe involves two baking steps. After step one is baked, you can let it cool down until you are ready to bake the second step. It looked so delicious, I was tempted to eat a bowl after the first step. I was in a hurry, so I only used one apple. You could use three or four. Do not skimp on the sugar. Ingredients Rhubarb, 4 thick stems cut into 1/2-inch pieces Apple, 1 peeled, cored and cubed Sugar, 1 C Flour, 1/4 C Cinnamon, 1 t ground Cloves, a pinch of ground Topping Butter, 6 T melted...
Use thin asparagus. After baking, the thick, cheesy roux stayed atop the asparagus. I mixed it up a bit for the photo. The baked cheesy roux was delicious on top of potatoes, also served with our meal. Ingredients Asparagus, 1 pound Butter, 3 tablespoons Flour, 2 heaping tablespoons Half-and-half, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Preparation Rinse asparagus and remove woody end of the stem. Snap each spear in half. Smear butter on bottom and side of a casserole dish. Place the...
A family favorite. This is a great summer salad and could be a lunchtime meal. There are variations by adding diced hard boiled eggs and diced bell peppers. I simply looked in our refrigerator and selected veggies to provide crunch (celery) and heat (green onion and radishes). I did a ratio of 2/3 sour cream and 1/3 mayonnaise. You could substitute plain yogurt. Ingredients Macaroni, 8 oz. Celery, one rib/stem Radishes, 2 Green onion, 2 Dill pickle, 1/2 Sour cream, 2/3 cup Mayonnaise, 1/3 cup...
We got bananas! Lots of bananas! Sometimes organic bananas. Ripe bananas. Overripe bananas. Replenish the banana bowl every week. Eat bananas for health. Once, on my travels to Brazil, I bought a bunch of bananas from a man selling them on a sidewalk in the very large city of Manaus. These bananas were slightly green and, at the same time, a bit black. They differed in size from the ones we buy at our supermarkets, being smaller and yet plump. The seller was so excited to get 25 centavos (worth...
I make a version of this recipe at least four times a year. This one is special because I used the hambone from our Christmas ham dinner. I kept it in the freezer. Ingredients Dried pinto beans, 1 cup Hambone Onion, 1/4 cup chopped Chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon Turmeric, 1 teaspoon Bay leaves, 2 Water, 8 cups Preparation Rinse the beans. Put all ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on high for five hours. Test the beans. If soft, lower heat and cook another couple of hours....
