Fruit & Honey Candy

 FRUIT & HONEY CANDY

    Okay, so I found the recipe for this candy tucked into the Laurel (Iowa) Centennial Cookbook (1881-1981).  The Laurel Centennial Cookbook has multiple recipes submitted from members of my family and I inherited this copy by my Aunt this past year. I'm very, proud of the fact that on both sides of my family, I have ancestors who founded or co-founders of towns, so it is cool to have this cookbook from a town which some of my ancestors helped to found. This recipe had been cut out of a magazine in 1989/1990.  I love when I can date clippings that I find tucked into cookbooks and this clipping was for a recipe from Sue Bee Honey and had a coupon for .15 cents off a bottle of Sue Bee Honey.  It expired on 02/28/1990. 

    This isn't something I'd ordinarily make, but I wanted to try my hand at something healthy and something different.  This recipe fit the bill on both fronts.  Reading the recipe, I couldn't figure out what they meant by "fruit bits", so I tweeted the question to Sue Bee Honey (@SueBeeUSA) and they responded pretty quickly.  Some fine person at Sue Bee Honey had actually researched this on my behalf and provided the answer.  That answer was that the Sun-Maid Fruit Company, famous for their raisins (that's how I know them) made/makes a product called "fruit bits".  The fruit bits are exactly what they sound like. Little bits of mixed dried fruits.  I couldn't find any, so that was one of the dried fruits I ordered off of Amazon; I just ended up with a different brand, because I couldn't find the Sun-Maid brand. I also ordered dried apricots, apples and peaches in addition to a large bottle of Sue Bee Honey. The other ingredients are orange extract, quick oats (Um, I just got regular oats and it seemed to work fine) and walnuts.  

    Honestly, this was a little time consuming to make, mostly because the food processor I have is small and I could not fit all of the ingredients in it, so I had to process all the fruits in batches and then I used my really small one to finely chop the walnuts.  I also processed the oats, to make the pieces smaller and I liked how it turned out, with some not all of the pieces totally ground up as I didn't want all of the oats in large pieces.  One slight hiccup which really didn't matter in the end was that the bag of mixed fruit I ordered was large pieces, not bits.  I hadn't realized it, but no biggie. They were going to get chopped up anyhow. I simply cut up those pieces a little smaller, before processing with the other dried fruits. Since my food processor was not large enough to process the "ton" of fruit, nuts and oats, after I processed each smaller batch of mixed fruits, I put the fruit in a large mixing bowl. I mixed the honey and orange extract in the food processor with the fruits.  I hand mixed in the oats and finely chopped walnuts with a wooden spoon, making sure that all the ingredients were incorporated.  The recipe says to process the nuts and some of the walnuts in the food processor, but mixing them in with the wooden spoon, worked just fine. 

    I'd ordered mini-baking cups, so I set out a bunch of those, grabbed my small cookie scoop and started scooping balls.  The recipe only calls for 7oz of walnut pieces, divided, but I used more than the 1 cup you set aside for rolling the balls in. There are so many balls that I had to crush up some more nuts.  You can do this to taste, like I did. I wanted to ensure I had a decent amount of crushed walnuts on the outside of the balls. Using my small cookie scoop was an excellent decision.  It made the perfect size ball. The recipe says the yield is approximately 7 dozen and I made 83/84 balls.  I can't remember if I counted before I sampled one. 

    What did I like about this recipe? I like that it is a healthy recipe with no added sugar besides what is naturally in the honey and dried fruits. I thought it tasted pretty good, considering it's not what I normally would reach for as a treat.  I liked that it is something that I can share with my neighbors & friends who may follow certain food restrictions, specifically no dairy or certain animal products. Would I make this again?  I think so. When after COVID restrictions are lifted and life can get more back to normal, I would make this for my church ladies group annual fund-raiser (canceled this year because of COVID). I think this healthy alternative might do well with the crowd at my church.  

    A picture of the recipe is attached below. If you try this out, feel free to let me know how you like it. 

Goody-Pie

 Goody-Pie

    This recipe is the last of the choices I gave when I had a poll to see what I should make.  The winner was Vegetable Dish, so I made the Spanish Lima casserole, then it was the Meat Dish (Donna James' Salisbury Steak) and now this, Dessert.  Reading the recipe, it is clear it is not a pie, but more of a "crisp".  It's a pretty easy recipe and I enjoyed making it. However, although it tasted good, I wished I had not chopped the apples so small and it was way too much sugar. And, I was on FaceTime with a friend and accidentally put 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda instead of 1/4 teaspoon of each.  I figured at least they were equal amounts; at least I was consistent with that. *It didn't really affect the taste* I plan to try this recipe again, only I will double the amount of apple, and will use less sugar.  I'll take out the single cup of white sugar mixed with the apples before the topping with has more sugar in it. Because I'll be doubling the amount of apple, I'll also use a bigger baking dish.  

    I started by melting the 1/3 cup butter, so it could cool while I was fixing the apples (cutting, peeling and chopping) and mixing the dry ingredients for the topping.   The recipe says you can also sprinkle lemon juice over the apples, which I didn't do, to help prevent the fruit from turning brown.  I used two decent, good sized honey-crisp apples, which were just a tad over 3 cups. You can sprinkle cinnamon over the apples in the dish, if desired.  I chose to mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon in with the white sugar and then poured that over the apples, which I had spread in my round baking dish.  I combined the dry ingredients for the topping together in the order listed and stirred in the cooled butter with a fork at first and then used my clean hands to make sure it was completely mixed.  Next I spread the topping mixture over the apples and put it in my oven for 45, which I had pre-heated to 350 degrees.  The recipe says "a moderate oven" and I figure 350 degrees is pretty standard. My kitchen started smelling really good pretty quickly. It was awesome!!

    When my baking time was up, some of the topping still looked "dry", but I think that happens with a lot of crumbles/crisps. It was a nice, dark brown bubbly color around the outside though.  I served myself a small dish with some whipped topping and then remembered I had maple flavored whipped topping in a can, so I tried some of that also and it was awesome!!!! I will say though that I did not eat all of the gooey goodness on the bottom of my bowl, but that wasn't because of the taste, it was because it was just so sweet.  I hate to say it, but I didn't save what was left, because of the overpowering sweetness.  After I did that though someone I talked to about it suggested using bits of it on top of oatmeal and then I was kicking myself, because I thought that would have been a great idea to be able to at least use some of it. 

    Anyhow, like I said up top, I liked this dessert and will make it again, but with less sugar and more apples.  If you try it, let me know if you like it.  You may be okay with the full amount of sugar, so it's up to you if you want to try it. Using more apple and a bigger pan might help.  

    This recipe was submitted to the cookbook which started this all by a Mrs. W. O. Abram.  

Donna James' Salisbury Steak

    Donna James' Salisbury Steak

    Donna James' Salisbury Steak finished 2nd place in the poll I ran to determine what I would make last week.  The winner was last week's Spanish Limas casserole. The recipe was on a newspaper clipping which had been cut out by an unknown female relative of mine and stuck into the cookbook which belonged to my great-grandmother.  There's no date or any clue of what newspaper it appeared in, but it likely was a Central Iowan newspaper, since that's where my relatives lived.  It looked pretty ease and it was. You simply mix the first seven ingredients (ground beef, dry bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, minced onion and finely chopped celery), form it into an oval shape, brown both sides in a heated skillet (the recipe calls to brown it in butter, but I forgot and just used a drizzle of oil) and pour the cream of mushroom soup which you have mixed with the given amount of water, over top. The recipe says you can add boiled potatoes around the meat and the sauce and meat juices will make a gravy.  

    I made the meat mixture and let it set, while I washed and cut in half baby potatoes. I added the baby potatoes to boiling water to start those cooking while I browned the meat.  I formed the meat into an oval(ish) shape as instructed and transferred it to my heated cast iron skillet.  Where I had a problem, was when it was time to turn the meat over.  It was simply too large to flip over and mine broke.  No biggie though. Now I just know it would be best to make two smaller shapes.  So, I kept checking the potatoes and when they were cooked, but not mushy, I drained them and poured them evenly on the sides of the meat. Next I poured the diluted cream of mushroom soup over top, put a lid on it, turned the heat down and set a timer for twenty-five minutes.  

    It smelled pretty good while it was cooking and I was glad when it was finished, because I was excited to try it.  I let it cool a bit and then served myself some of the meat and potatoes, along with the  "gravy".  It seams more of a sauce, but whatever you call it, "sauce" or "gravy", it was good.  I didn't do a pretty presentation and in fact, it doesn't look super appetizing, which is not a ringing endorsement, but you know what?  It doesn't have to look pretty all the time. I did take a video of the bubbling skillet when I first took the lid off. 

    Would I make this again? Yes.  I thought it was good.  You could serve four people (meat portions may be small), but I would maybe cook the potatoes on the side instead of completing them in the pan with the meat.  They were flavorful cooked in with the meat though. If you use a bigger skillet (mine is a 12 inch, I believe), you could do it to make sure you have enough for four people.  You also could have a vegetable side dish, which could help extend servings. I had butternut squash which I had cooked yesterday, but forgot to heat up to eat with my Salisbury Steak.  Some nice rolls or bread would be great because, there's gravy and who doesn't like to "sop up the gravy" with bread?  

    Is there anything else I would different besides making two shapes of meat? I would maybe add less salt or maybe none.  You can always add salt at the table, which I think would be fine. You could maybe add some spice to it. Try your favorite spicy seasoning at the table or while cooking. The recipe suggested cream of chicken or cream of celery soups as an alternative to the cream of mushroom.  I like cream of mushroom, so I don't think I would do that.  

    So, if you try this, I hope you like it.  And let me know.  :)

Spanish Limas

 Spanish Limas

    So, I ran a poll to find out what I should make this weekend? The choices were vegetable dish, meat dish or another dessert.  I pre-selected recipes for each category (Spanish Limas, Salisbury Steak and Goody Pie) and the winner of the poll was "vegetable dish". I was kind of excited to try this. I've not had lima beans that often and definitely cannot remember ever buying them.  At the store yesterday, I almost couldn't find lima beans and when I did, I had to ask another customer to reach them for me.  I had chosen to use canned (couldn't find dry anyhow) and the cans were double stacked on the top shelf and I am 4'8", so that wasn't happening. Sometimes I climb on shelves to get things, but I knew it wouldn't end well this time if I had tried to get the beans.  Anyhow, lets get back to it. 

    The first step was to wash my veggies, tomato and green pepper (1 medium) and seed the pepper.  Next up was the onion (1 medium-ish) which I peeled and chopped.  I put the green pepper and onion into my large cast iron skillet, in which I had melted 2 tablespoons of butter. Instructions are to brown the onion and green pepper and then add the diced tomato. While the onion and green pepper were doing their thing, I seeded and diced the tomato.  Two and a half Roma tomatoes equaled the 1 cup of tomato called for in the recipe. You could use a little more or less if you like. I set the diced tomato aside and drained my& rinsed my lima beans. 

    Once the onion and green pepper mixture was ready, I added the diced tomato and cooked it on Low for 10 minutes, stirring often. I also prepared my other ingredients aka the seasonings: chili powder (in lieu of straight up chili power, I used my Arial's Spices "Spice & Chili Mix" which I found at the Dallas Farmer's Market), salt  and pepper. After 10 minutes, I added the seasonings and Worcester sauce and made sure to combine thoroughly. Finally, it was time to add the lima beans.  Once I'd stirred everything together, I simmered the mixture for 20 minutes on Low, stirring often. While this was working, I measured out 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. I used Monterrey-Jack, pre-heated my oven to 350 degrees and buttered a casserole dish (I used one of my favorite retro Anchor-Hocking FireKing dishes) on the bottom and sides.  

    After 20 minutes, I layered the lima bean/onion/tomato mixture with my shredded cheese in the casserole dish. I ended with a layer of cheese and because I love cheese, I ended up using about 3/4 to a 1/2 cup of extra cheese on top. The casserole went in the oven for 30 minutes.  It looked pretty good when I took it out at the end of the cooking time.  I let the dish cool for about 10 minutes and served myself a portion and added a side salad of mixed baby greens. 

    The verdict? I liked this dish. Seasonings are easily adjustable to taste.  I'd maybe add a little more chili powder next time. You could easily add in diced chicken, ham, bacon or even cubed and cooked tofu.  If you don't like lima beans, you could substitute butter beans and it would work.  Would I make this again? Yes. Would I try it with chicken or bacon? Yes. And finally, I've been recognizing the ladies who submitted recipes to the community cookbook which inspired me to start this blog, so "Thank You" to Ethelyn Downing.