Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbl melted butter
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1Tbl sugar
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.  For thinner pancakes, stir in additional 1/4 cup milk.  Grease heated griddle if necessary.  To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water.  If bubbles skitter around, heat is just right.
Pour about 3 Tbl batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle.  Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around the edges.  Turn and cook other side s until golden brown.  If using self rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.
Applesauce pancakes Decrease milk to 1/2 cup .  Beat in 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.
Buttermilk pancakes. Substitute buttermilk for the milk.  Decrease baking powder to 1 tsp and and beat in 1/2 tsp baking soda.
Oatmeal pancakes. Substitute 1/2 c oatmeal and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour.  Substitute honey for sugar if desired.
Yogurt pancakes. Substitute 1 1/4 c yogurt for milk.  Decrease baking powder to 2 tsp and beat in 1/4 tsp baking soda.

Dal with Chick Peas and Lentils

Our company has begun arriving for the New Year's celebration.  Last night we made chicken curry, and this terrific Dal that Anna made.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy saucepan or quart pan
Add 3/4 cup chopped red onion and cook until brown
Add
1 can chick peas
1/4 cup Chana Masala
2 tomatoes, chopped
1tsp salt
Heat and stir for 5 minutes
Add
3 1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
Boil then cover
simmer 40 minutes
Add  1 cup lentils after 20 minutes

Serve with naan and rice
Allen made the naan.

Tuna Wrap

1 can Albacore tuna
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1 green or red pepper, sliced
2 Tbl fat free Italian dressing

Mix all and wrap in tortillas.
Delicious for diet days.  Less than 200 calories each.

Meatloaf

Family Favorite!  Serve with mashed potatoes, monkey bread rolls, peas or green beans, and applesauce.
This seems to be an American food.  We didn't see it on offer in Europe at restaurants.  They would serve stew for comfort food.  Grandma Honey was famous for her meatloaf.  Leftovers are good sliced thin and made into a sandwich.  Or heat and slice and pour gravy over top.
Now there are various ways to make great meatloaf.  For instance, some stores sell a blend of beef, pork and veal called Meatloaf Mix, which seems ground finer than regular ground beef and is great.  But plain beef works fine too.  I wouldn't get the 80% lean as it will end up cooked in a pool of grease.
1 1/2 lbs beef or mixed ground meat.  I often do half beef and half venison.
3/4 cup oatmeal or bread crumbs mixed with 1 cup milk
1 egg
1 small onion fried with 1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl Adobo con cumin
1/4 tsp Sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pour ketchup or BBQ sauce over the top.  You may want to cut a long slice along the top of the loaf so it cooks evenly.
Mix all ingredients and mound in a loaf pan.  Cook at 350 degrees F for 75-90 minutes.

Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1Tbl chives
1Tbl dill relish
2Tbl lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Pumpkin Custard Pie

This has a different, and interesting crust.  I made it with Blue Hubbard from our garden this time. Kim Merchant really liked it and asked me to bring it next time I bring a dish to share to one of our pot luck dinners.  You really shouldn't make just one.

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup plus 2 Tbl flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

7 Tbl Butter flavored Crisco

6 Tbl ice water

1 tsp vinegar

Filling

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice

15 oz solid pack pumpkin or Blue Hubbard squash, cooked and drained.

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

Directions

1. Place pecans in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, flour, ginger and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.
2. For filling, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, spices and salt until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust.
3. Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon if desired. Refrigerate leftovers (ha ha). Yield: 8 servings.

Stuffing for Turkey

 I like to use Italian bread and multi grain bread, but sometimes I just have whole wheat.  I often freeze my bread end slices in anticipation of this.  I also make croutons from them, but that's another story.  Often the slice next to the end is thicker and harder than the rest of the loaf, and that makes a nice addition too.  If worse comes to worst, use store-bought dried cubed bread without seasoning.  The original recipe says to use 1 Tbl dried sage and 2 tsp thyme.  But Bell's is better, trust me.

Step 1:
3 sticks butter, melted in frying pan
3 cups finely chopped celery with leaves
1 1/2 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
2 Tbl Bell Seasoning
After the butter is melted, add the rest of the above ingredients, and cook until vegetables are soft.

 

 

Step 2:

Pour 15 cups cubed bread (my mom toasts it first, but it works fine if you just chop up bread slices) into a large bowl - a really really big one.   Have a big mixing spoon ready (I like wooden spoons, but just make sure you don't get one with a flexible handle).  Pour the butter and vegetables all over the bread, stirring at the same time if possible, so you don't get some bread totally soaked and other bread still dry.  Or if you prefer, pour some, then mix, then pour again.  You decide what works best for you.  That's it.  Now it's ready to put in both end cavities of a cleaned out turkey.  The extra does well baked for less than an hour at the end so it's hot and crispy on top when the turkey is done.  This is also good for people who don't believe it gets cooked enough inside the turkey (don't be a hater, this just leaves more of the good stuff for you).  If the leftover is a bit dry, pour on a bit of water from cooking the giblets.   I'll add more pictures in an edit later today.

 

Thanksgiving 2020 during COVID Pandemic. We are spending the winter in North Myrtle beach, SC. Just the 2 of us. We bought a turkey breast.  We don’t have Bells Seasoning but we bought some seasoned bread cubes to mix in with our own and I sprinkled the veggies with Everyday Seasoning I made from scratch in Berne and brought with us in a little mason jar. I added chopped mushrooms.  

Mulled Cider

1 gallon cider
1 long cinnamon stick
1 Tbl cardomum
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbl dried orange peel
15 whole cloves
1/3 cup orange juice

Simmer gently for about 20 minutes.  Do not boil.
Strain through sieve or cheesecloth or jelly cloth

Won Tons, Fried

This is a combination of two recipes, plus a few ingredients more.
1 pkg Won Ton Wrappers
1lb sweet Italien Sausage or pork sausage, fried and chopped or crumbled

While pork is cooking, chop finely and combine:
1 can bean sprouts
1 can sliced or diced water chestnuts
1 can sliced mushroom stems and pieces or fresh mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbl garlic, minced
1 Tbl ginger, minced
1Tbl lemon grass, chopped
1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder
1 egg

In a small bowl combine:
About 3 Tbl cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
Mix and add to vegetables
When pork is cooked, add veggies and cook 2 or 3 minutes more, until thickened

Heat oil to 380 degrees.
Put 1 tsp in each wrapper, wet slightly around edge and fold into triangle.
Pull two corners to overlap and press to seal.

Deep fry until light brown, 3-5 minutes

Empanadas

Fried Empanadas

Rated: Submitted By: CNCOOK Photo By: Abi G. Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes Servings: 24

"These fried empanadas are the best! Raisins and eggs make this recipe extra delicious believe it or not!"

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/4 cups water, or as needed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 pinch salt 2 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup raisins optional.   Shredded Mexican cheese Chopped, fried mushrooms 1 tablespoon white vinegar 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped or 2 fried scrambled eggs, chopped 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender, or pinching into small pieces using your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use a fork to stir in water a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.	Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Crumble in  the beef, mushrooms,and season with salt, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring  frequently, until beef is browned. Drain excess grease, and stir in the raisins and vinegar. Refrigerate until chilled, then stir in the hard-cooked eggs.
3.	Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin circle. Spoon  some of the meat mixture onto the center, add a pinch of cheese then fold into half-moon shapes. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers.
4.	Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place one or two pies into the fryer at a time so you don't cool the oil down too much all at once. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2013 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/25/2013

Last Halloween Irene was Winnie the Pooh

Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
6 Tbl lemon juice, divided
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 cups finely chopped cucumber
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups firmly paced, fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup firmly packed, fresh mint leaves, shredded

Using a mesh strainer, rinse and drain the quinoa under cold water.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the quinoa, broth and 2 Tbl of the lemon juice.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the broth is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.  When done, the grains will appear soft and translucent, and th germ ring will be visible along the outside edge.  Transfer to a shallow platter and spread evenly.  Let it coool.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a colander or mesh strainer.  Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with salt and set over the sink or a bowl and let drain for 10 minutes. 

Once the quinoa has cooled, transfer to a large serving bowl.  Add the drained tomatoes, the cucumber, scallions, garlic, remaining 4 Tbl of lemon juice and the oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve,  Just before serving, stir in the parsley and mint. 

Roast Chicken with Spiced Yogurt

First made 9/27-85.  In the cookbook, I wrote "Yum!  Delicious.  Very easy to make - trick is to think of it a day early.
Also called Tandoori Murghi
Notes from Betty Crocker International Cookbook: A tandoor is a clay oven with a live coal or wood fire.  Archeologists have found evidence suggesting that the tandoori method of cooking may have developed by the ancient civilization that thrived along the Indus River valley nearly four thousand years ago.  Today tandoori cooking is popular thoughout Pakistan and India, and is rapidly gaining fans in Europe and America.  You need no special oven or coals to prepare our version of tandoori murghi.  From the 1980 edition.
8-10 Servings

3-4 lb broiler-fryer chicken
1/2 tsp water
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 cup unflavored yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red peppers
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup water

Place chicken in large glass or plastic bowl.  Mix 1/2 tsp water and the mustard in 1 quart bowl; stir in yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cardamom, ginger, cumin, red peppers, and pepper.  Pour over chicken; turn to coat well with marinade.  Cover and refrigerate 12 - 24 hours.
Place chicken on rack in shallow roasting pan, reserving marinade.  Roast uncovered in 375 deg. oven, spooning reserved marinade over chicken during last 30 minutes of roasting, until thickest pieces are done, 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 hours.  (Place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over chicken during last 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning.)  Remove chicken from pan; stir in 1/4 cup water.  Heat just until hot.  Serve with chicken.

I always like to make Fried Indian Rice to go with this.

Fish in Cream Sauce with Mushrooms

Fish in Cream Sauce with Mushrooms

I made this first on 4/16-90.  We used fresh flounder and Lake Niagara wine.  It was delicious.
8 servings.
8 oz mushrooms, diced
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbl butter
2 lbs fish fillets, cut into serving pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbl lemon juice
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
1/2 c whipping cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 c shredded Swiss cheese

Cook and stir mushrooms and green onions in 2 Tbl butter in 10-inch skillet until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes; remove from skillet.  Place fish in skillet; add wine, lemon juice, and just enough water to cover fish.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with fork, 4-5 minutes.  Remove fish with slotted spoon to platter; keep warm.

Heat liquid in skillet to boiling; boil until reduced to 1 cup, 7 or 8 minutes.  Pour liquid into measuring cup; reserve.  Heat 2 Tbl butter in skillet until melted; stir in flour.  Cook and stir 1 minute; remove from heat.  Stir in reserved liquid and the whipping cream.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir in mushrooms, green onions, salt and pepper.  Drain excess liquid from fish.  Spoon sauce over fish; sprinkle with cheese.  Set oven control to broil and/or 550 degrees.  Broil fish 2-3 inches from heat just until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes.
Recipe is from Betty Crocker International Cookbook, copyright 1980