Stew Time

"Well, if your that picky, guess your not that hungry."
                                                                 "Grandpa Gene"

Soup and Stews were a mainstay in the house as I was growing up.
We didn't eat cassaroles.

This recipe is an adaptation from the "Marlboro Chuckwagon Cookin'",
it was free from Marlboro.

CHUCKWAGON STEW

2 1/2 pounds of beef cubes (5 cups)

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons LARD

2 sliced onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 28 oz. can tomatoes

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dry crushed red peppers

2 cups chopped potatoes

2 cups chopped carrots

Coat beef in mixture of flour, paprika, 1 Tablespoon chili powder and salt.

Brown in hot fat in a large Dutch oven, Add onion, and garlic and cook

until soft. Then add tomatoes, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves and peppers.

Cover and simmer 2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until vegetables

are done, about 15 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

* Well, like I wrote, I adjusted it!

I use water instead of tomatoes, put about 3 Tablespoons of sugar in it, use the real stuff, added a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and chopped celery.
Oh, and a bay leaf.

You can adjust the taste as you like but it's good!

til next time,

wild clover

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Peachy Crisp

With the debate and all, I just couldn't sit through it without something to sooth myself with.

Peachy Crisp

1 - 29 oz can of sliced California Peaches (really doesn't matter)
      drain and reserve the liquid

1 - cup sugar

1 1/2 - Tablespoon cornstarch

1 - teaspoon cinnamon

3 - Tablespoon butter

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, slowly add reserved peach liquid. Mix until well combined. Cook on medium heat until thick and bubbly, turn heat off and add 3 Tablespoons of butter, mix until blended. Cool.

Crisp Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup cold butter

Place brown sugar. flour, rolled oats in a bowl, mix together, add butter cut into chunks, I use my hands to mix together, until everything is combined.
It will be crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350*

In a 8 x 10 baking pan, place the drained canned  peaches in the bottom, scoot them around until the bottom of the baking pan is covered with the peaches, when sauce is cooled a bit, pour over the peaches, then cover with the crisp topping.

Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until you smell the sweet smell of yum.

Cool for a few minutes then dig in YUMMY.


til next time

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First harvest of the year.

Harvest time is begining.

Won't be long now, the heat in the kitchen. Water boiling, to clean jars, the smell of fall in the air, then soon it will be the chill of winter.

We can, to not lose any of the produce we grow. Salsa, tomatoes, spegetti sauces, anything that has tomato, even homemade stewed tomatoes. 

Not so much green beans, we do freeze the green peppers to have through the winter.

Seems like a good crop of potatoes are coming.

Turnips more for the eat fresh. I may try to harvest and figure out how to keep them for winter. It will take some research.

Just wondered what this big one weighted, comes in at just over a pound, and it isn't the biggest one in the garden.

til next time,

wild clover

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Zucchini Bread ~ Time to bake and share.

Zucchini Bread

A recipe from "Cooking with Hope" Margaret Wheeler recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, beaten until foamy

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups peeled, grated zucchini

3 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp soda

3 tsp cinnamom

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat eggs, then add sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla. Mix these but beat lightly. Add other ingredients (flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and baking powder); beat well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350* for 45 to 60 minutes until bread become firm in pans.

This recipe is written, as in the cookbook.

"Hope United Church of Christ"

Hiawatha, Iowa

I purchased this cookbook along with others for family members, while at a funeral in Iowa.

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*SWARTZ STRAWBERRY PIE*

Swartz;s Strawberry Pie (this recipe is not under copyright)
                        I got it from a page on facebook!

Pie Crust: (pie dough)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 or 4 tablespoons of ICE cold water

How you make it;
In a large bowl, cut shortening into flour and salt, using a fork, or food processor,
( only use food processor until mixture is crumbly).
Mixture should be lumpy and resemble crumbs.
           
            For ice water; fill a glass with water and put some ice in it!

When shortening and flour mixture look like crumbs, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
                   Don't use any more that 4 tablespoons.
Get your hands in it and mix together.

On a floured surface, roll dough into a circle about 1/8th inch thick.
Roll dough onto rolling pin and place into oven safe pie pan. Trim edge of dough, tuck under
rim of pie pan and crimp edges to keep filling in pan.
Pierce unbaked pie crust with fork, allover, so heat can escape and shell keeps it's shape.
(or you can place dried beans in the shell and the beans will keep the shell from buckling)
I prefer the fork method!

Bake the dough at 400* until brown, about 12 minutes.
take from oven and cool COMPLETELY!


Now for the filling of the pie;

You will need:
Strawberries; whole, washed, pitted
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 pkg strawberry jello (3 ounces)
3-4 cups fresh strawberries
here's what the above recipe has blocked
     1/2 teaspoon almond extract (probably the secret ingredient)

In a saucepan, mix sugar, water, corn starch, cook until thick.
Add 3 ounces of strawberry jello, half a package, and secret ingredient.
Cool slightly, til warm.
Arrange strawberries in bottom of baked pie shell, add a bit of sauce, stack more strawberries and add more sauce, keeping enough sauce to pour over the top.

Refrigerate for a couple hours to set the sauce.

Serve with whipped cream and enjoy.


til` next time

wild clover


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Coconut Cake for Easter

Coconut Cake

It has been long standing for me to make a cake at Easter.

I really don't know why I must make coconut, but I do.

I'll try to help you understand how I make this cake.

                              (Which was enjoyed by many)

The Cake:

(I prefer Duncan Hines, so does Wilton's) an American cake decorating company.

I made the cake as directed on the package,

 used a few teaspoons of french vanilla extract, to a white cake mix,

and didn't seperate the eggs,

which help give the cake a rich french vanilla flavor.

I baked as directed on the package.

Cooled the cake, wrapped with waxed paper and froze it over night, before the crumb coat,

this way it could dry, before the presentation icing, and coconut.

Next morning,

 I took it from the freezer and crumb coated, let it dry for a few hours,

 then iced the cake with Duncan Hines, cream cheese icing,

tinted some coconut green, placed in the center of the top,

 added the Robin eggs, and placed Peeps around the top,

put coconut around the sides, piped some crean cheese icing at the bottom.

WALA, Coconut 2 layer cake.

I also used Wilton's 8" cake pan.

Marshmellow peeps

Whoppers Robin eggs

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More of a review than a recipe

Bear Creek Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice soup 

^

 click there to go to web page.

I found this soup at Big Lots, Decatur, Illinois, for $3.00, a bag, makes 8 servings, which I think is a really good bargain. Even has a recipe on the back to make it even more inviting.

Add mushrooms and diced chicken.

Of coarse, for me, the mushrooms and chicken were in cans on the shelf. Canned chicken was purchased at a Dollar Store, for A $1.00, a can, mushrooms at Aldi Food Store.

What a bargain for a family trying to stretch their budget.

Good flavor, all you add is water, the creamy goodness is in the mix.

With today's economy, it still makes me wonder how family's can eat out. Inflation and the price of gasoline.

Stay home and enjoy some quiet time

til next time.

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IT'S DAYTONA BABY!

We love racing, stock car, dirt or asphalt. Love it!

No race is complete without the checkered flag.

Rice Crispy Treat Checkered Flag.

Checkered Flag Rice Crispy Treat

1/4 cup butter or margarine (NOT SPREAD*)
40 regular marshmallows or 10 oz bag

5 1/2 cups rice crispies OR coco crispies

Over low heat, melt butter in large heavy pan, add marshmallows, stirring constantly until marshmallows are syrupy. Remove from heat and add rice crispies, stirring until well coated. Pour into butter 11 x 9 x 2 pan, or pan of choice. Cool completely and cut into squares.

* Spread (aka imitation butter) has water added and will not give you the outcome you want.


til next time

wild clover

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Pecan Rice Krispies Balls

Pecan Rice Krispies Balls

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it boils:

1/2 cup butter (NOT SPREAD)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 lb. dates (8oz = 1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbls milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 cup pecans
2 cups rice krispies~or store brand
Flake coconut for rolling date balls

Melt butter in 2 quart sauce pan, add sugar, dates, beaten egg, milk
and vanilla, salt, <optional.

( Got a request to explain adding the egg,
                             ~ if the butter is to hot it will cook the egg,~
        and have no holding power for the cookie/candy, so here's how I do it)

                                                  *   *
                                                    \/

~*~ Set the egg out (table, counter) when you begin the process of making your cookies/candy,
                          (it can warm some, if it's not fresh)

break egg into small container, and whisk with a fork,
                         (you can use a fancy kitchen gaget, but a fork works)

I add cream to the egg, and whisk it in,
                         (cause I'm lazy)

Remove the butter/sugar mixture from fire, and cool slightly; with spoon from stirring the butter and sugar constantly, VERY slowly, drizzle a small amount of warm butter/sugar mixture into egg/cream mixture, whisking together to combine; after egg mixture has warmed; re-warm butter/ sugar mixture on LOW heat and add egg/cream concoction, cook for about 3 minutes. Follow the rest of the recipe.)

Thanks Virginia R. XOXO  ~ ; o P


Cook 3 minutes over LOW heat.

Remove from heat.

Add pecans.

When cooled slightly add rice krispies.

When cooled enough to handle butter fingers roll into teaspoon size balls,
roll in flake coconut and place on cookie sheet to set and finish cooling.

Recipe from:
First United Methodist Church
Taylorville, Il

Credits to:
              Orie Herzog & Rosalie Hosto


til next time.

wild clover

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Ladybug recipe cards

Wanted to share recipe cards you can fill in and print or print and write on.

We all like to share our favorite recipes, especially when people ask for it.

What a cute way to do that.

Follow the links below.


Ladybug recipe cards              

Assorted links here.

Hewlet-Packard printable recipe cards

All types of free recipe cards, even full page.

Free printable recipe cards     I really like the "Old Famly Recipe" card.
 Click the link to get yours.

til next time

wild clover

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Grandma Cunningham's Recipe Published in Southern Living

I sure wish I had written the year she was published,

well she used vinegar,

must have been30 to 40 years ago.

Even more I wish I had the magazine.

Grandma Cunningham was quite the cook, she loved working up new recipes.
This was hers, you'll find many these days, with no credit to the person that invented it.
She always worked to find ways to make her dollar stretch.

Wilmoth Crow-Smith-Cunningham was my Dad's, Mother,
                                                       An upright and stately woman.

Grandma about 1930- 1940, 1006 Main St. Clinton, Illinois.

Wanted to add, she made this outfit she's wearing!
Taking pictures wasn't as easy back then, it called for a special occasion.

til next time

hope all your memories are cherished ones

wild clover

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Potato Soup

Potato History First.

Potatoes are thought to be only native to South Africa, which holds the greatest diversity of wild varieties of potatoes. Botanists agree that this is probably the best indication of origin for a particular species. Specifically, the Andean region - with so many species of tuberous plants growing wild in Peru, Ecuador and Chile.

The name potato probably comes from the Indian word for the plant that bears it - patata, or pata.

At first, explorers found Peruvians Indians to be preserving potatoes by drying them in the sun - a practice still found today. It is thought as the potato gained importance in their diet, they improved upon the wild potato of Peru - which is small and quite bitter. Pre-dating this though, caches of dried potatoes have been found. The dried potato can be pounded into flour and would have made a delicious soup, even in prehistoric times. Since it could preserved from year to year, potato was, along with maize, a very important crop to the ancient Incan peoples.

The first mention of Potatoes in the Americas is in the journals of Magellan and Columbus, where they are called "batatas". They were brought to southern and central America when Pizarro conquered Peru and spread them via Spanish forts and ships.

In Ireland, the potato was brought along in 1565, though some say it was Sir Walter Raleigh who first grew it there in 1585. Either way, it quickly became the main element of the Irish diet - to the extent that when the Irish potato crop failed in 1847, one and a half million Irish died, with another million emigrating - mostly to America.

The potato also helped the starving masses of Europe when famine struck in 1770 and potatoes were grown to save the day. The French leader Parmentier set up potato soup kitchens to feed them, and to this day potato soup bears his name in the French language.

You really ought to try an easy potato soup recipe for yourself, or check out one the hundreds of potato soup recipes [http://www.potatosoup.org/] here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_A_Bruce

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5645225

Potato Soup

I have made potato soup this way, all my life;
                                              actually one of the very first things I learned to cook.

Potatoes - 1 (one) per person and 1 (one) for the pot, (an Irish thing I think),
peeled, diced, placed in a pot large enough to cover potatoes with water
and boil til potatoes are soft,

Not mushy!
                 About 15 minutes after they begin to boil.

Meanwhile: Melt stick of butter in a skillet, add diced onions (1 medium) and celery (4 stalks);
                   saute until clear.

Drain potatoes, leaving them in the pan; add onion, celery and butter.

Cover with milk, (what ever you drink). Now, put a low fire under the pan,
     just to warm the milk,
                
                       DO NOT BOIL MILK! might get a little chunky.

Warm soup to eating temperature.

You can serve this, with salt and pepper, good and good for you too!

I add 1 (one) can cream of chicken soup, to give it a little more flavor.
   Add another can if you want more chicken flavor.

Also use various salts to give it an extra tasty flavor.

Serve up with your favorite crackers.

Serves as many as you like.

til next time

wild clover

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