Week 47 - Pepper Cabbage

 Pepper Cabbage

Week 47 of 52

Side Dish #7

    Side Dish number 7 comes to us from Amish Dutch Cookbook, copyrighted in 1960 and I believe the copy I have was printed in 1971. I'm guessing that the year copy is, is 1971, as the last year listed is 1971. The recipes in this recipe booklet are from restaurants and hotels in the Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish region of Pennsylvania. In the introduction of the booklet, some of the history and traditions of the Amish are explained. It's pretty interesting and I feel a connection to the region, as the first of my ancestors who immigrated to America, came over in 1727 on a ship called "Friendship" and settled in this area.  While this ancestor was not Mennonite or Amish or German (he came from Switzerland), I am kinda fascinated with this region. 

    This recipe is from Haag's Hotel in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. At first when I finished this recipe, I wasn't super happy with how it turned out. The sweet/sour/tangy flavor wasn't as strong as I'd hoped. I thought the cabbage I had selected for this recipe was "medium" sized, but maybe it was too big? Could that be one reason that it wasn't as tangy as I'd hoped, since there was maybe too much cabbage for the amount of liquid? After chilling in my refrigerator for a couple days or so though, the flavor is stronger. I do like this recipe. I like the crunch and the tangy-ness and it makes me feel healthy. Although I prefer a hot German slaw, I would try this cold cabbage slaw like dish again.

Ingredients:

1 medium green pepper, shredded (I chopped finely)

1 medium green cabbage, chopped finely (or diced)

3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

1/2 cup water

poppy seed (optional)

Directions:

Combine vegetables in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Pour over vegetables and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate to blend flavors and to cool. Serve cold with poppy seed sprinkled on top, if desired. 

Pepper Cabbage

Week 46 - Daricraft Biscuits

 Dari-craft Biscuits

Week 46 of 52

Bread #7

    With only four recipes left (Entree Meat/Fish, Dessert, Entree Vegetarian and Appetizer), plus the third drink, I can't believe I'm coming to the end of this Fifty-Two In Twenty-Two project.  I've really enjoyed this project and have decided that I will have another recipe project next year. I'll let you all know what that will be, soon.  This recipe is in a 1945 recipe booklet produced by "Producers Creamery Company". The brand of milk was Daricraft. I've not been good at making biscuits, so I thought I'd try making them (you need to be able to do basic recipes well) and long story short, although they tasted good, they were not fluffy biscuits. I'm pretty sure it was because I rolled the dough too thin. I also realized after the fact, that Daricraft is evaporated milk. I used regular milk. I enjoyed my thin little biscuits with butter and bacon jam, with some eggs. Although they were thin, they'd be good with sausage gravy or any other way pretty much that you'd enjoy biscuits.  I do plan to try these again and hopefully I don't make them too thin. I'll also try using evaporated milk and see if that also makes a difference.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons shortening

1/3 cup Daricraft (evaporated milk) 

1/3 cup water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Into a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening. Combine the evaporated milk and water and add slowly to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough can be handled, but is still soft. Knead quickly on a floured board and roll to 1/2 or 3/4 inch thickness. Cut biscuits out, placing on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. I managed to get 12 biscuits My apologies, I don't know how big the biscuit cutter I used was. That said, you can use whichever size you like.

"Daricraft" Biscuits

Bacon, Eggs and Biscuits

Savory Onion Tart

 Savory Onion Tart

    Last week I invited my friend to lunch on Sunday, at my house. I provided this onion tart, garden salad with the Lime French Dressing (Week 44 of Fifty Two In Twenty Two) and hot croissants. I believe this was the first time I'd made a tart. It was easy to make and turned out great, even though I used the whole small bottle of Italian dressing. The recipe calls for two large onions, thinly sliced and I didn't think the onions I'd bought were huge, but I ended up with way too much onion. That was a blessing in disguise, because I just at the extra onion in other meals. This onion tart recipe is in Wish-Bone Dressing's May 17, 1988 "Favorite Recipes: Wish-Bone Salads Plus Much More" recipe booklet. I really liked this recipe and got compliments from my friend and others I gave samples to. I will definitely make this again. Notes in Italics.

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9-inch single-crust pie: (See below picture)

1/4 cup Wish-Bone Italian dressing

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded Fontina or Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz) (I used Gruyere)

2 eggs

1/2 whipping or heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (I used 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves (I used 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, because I didn't have just marjoram)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Roll out your crust into a 10-inch circle and press into a 9-inch tart pan. Crimp edges. Pierce the bottom and sides of the crust and bake for 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove and cool completely. While your crust is baking, heat Italian dressing with butter and onions over medium heat. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes until the onions are tender. Sprinkle your shredded cheese over the bottom of your tart shell, followed by the onion mixture. In a small bowl, beat eggs, cream and seasonings. Pour the egg mixture over the mixture in your tart shell. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. I garnished my tart with fresh basil leaves. Cut into wedges and serve with a nice salad and rolls. Makes 8 servings. 

Savory Onion Tart

Savory Onion Tart and Garden Salad with Lime French Dressing

                                        

            

Week 45 - Lime French Dressing

 Lime French Dressing

Week 45 of 52

Salad #7

I decided to make another salad dressing for my last salad recipe.  Week 16 was also a dressing. That was the Vinaigrette/French dressing which I've made a few times since.  This dressing is similar, only this one uses lime, not lemon. I made this dressing to go with a garden salad of mixed greens, radish, carrot, cucumber and a sprinkle of cheese. I served it with an onion tart I made. This Lime French Dressing is from Pillsbury's The Green Giant Vegetable Cookbook published in 1980.  This dressing has a nice tang to it, and I liked it, but I do still like the Week 16 dressing better.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup lime juice (the recipe says you can use lemon in place of lime)

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 garlic cloves, quartered (I didn't use the quartered cloves, because in the original recipe, you remove the quartered garlic cloves after 1 to 2 hours)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except the quartered garlic cloves (If you are using them) in a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well after ensuring the lid is secured. If you use the quartered garlic cloves, remove them after 1 to 2 hours and your dressing is ready. This recipe makes about 1/2 cup. 

Garden Salad w/Lime French Dressing

Week 44 - Fried Spinach Balls

 Fried Spinach Balls

Week 44 of 52

Appetizer #6

    This appetizer recipe is from the Culinary Arts Institute's 500 delicious dishes from Leftovers, published in 1950. It was easy to put together and I enjoyed the finished dish.  I actually only had enough spinach for a half recipe, which gave me eighteen balls.  These are obviously better freshly made. I had leftovers, so had to eat my leftovers and they were still tasty even though not "crispy". I'll give the full recipe below and you can see how easy it is to "half the recipe". Like I said, I enjoyed the finished dish and would make these again.  

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked spinach, chopped

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated onion (I finely minced)

2 tablespoons grated cheese

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup water 

1 bread crumbs for rolling balls in

Directions:

Combine spinach with butter, 1 beaten egg, bread crumbs, onion, cheese and allspice. Let stand for 10 minutes and shape into balls. In a shallow dish, combine the 2nd egg and water. Add the 2nd cup of bread crumbs into another shallow dish. Roll spinach balls in crumbs, then the egg wash mixture and then the bread crumbs again. Fry in hot fat (375 degrees) until brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt while hot. 

Spinach Balls

Spinach Ball 

Week 43 - Cheesy Rontini Casserole

Cheesy Rontini Casserole 

Week 43 of 52

Vegetarian Entree #6

    Yeah, so I created this recipe and I have to say I wasn't super pleased with the results.  It was something I "threw together". I've been dealing with several issues and just put this together, because I didn't want to put the pressure on myself to find a recipe I liked. The cool thing about this recipe, is you can modify amounts (use more or less) and you can modify the ingredients. For example, don't have black beans, use pinto? Use diced tomato with seasoning, rather than plain diced tomato. Modify seasonings as you wish. Make it your own. 

Ingredients:

2 cups rontini noodles

1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 cup shredded cheese (I like colby jack)

1 recipe white sauce (below)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

spicy/creole seasoning

1/2 cup or more panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter, melted (more if you use more bread crumbs)

White sauce 

    1/4 Cup butter (melted) 

    2 cups milk

    1/4 cup flour 

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/8 teaspoon pepper 

• Make a medium white sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and once it is bubbling, slowly pour in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened. Season with salt and pepper. 
• One trick I've used for white sauce, is to heat the milk in the microwave for a one to two minutes before adding. It has helped it to thicken quicker in the past. 

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your noodles to al dente, drain and pour into a bowl. Mix in the beans, tomatoes and corn. When you've made the white sauce, stir in the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, spicy or creole seasoning or your favorite blend, to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Mix together bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with hot, toasty, French bread or rolls and a salad. 

Cheesy Rontini Casserole

Cheesy Rontini Casserole