Tag: food

Carrot Cake Muffins

This recipe is from a book I bought in 1982 to send to my daughter-in-law in St. Louis.  I copied a lot of the recipes before mailing and I’m just getting around to making this one.  It’s a very good muffin – moist and full of healthy things like carrots and pineapple.

CARROT CAKE MUFFINS

  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • Dash of mace
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (juice reserved)
  • 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
  • 1/2  cup vegetable oil
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease or insert liners in 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and mace.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg lightly,  stir in the pineapple, juice, oil and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the pineapple mixture, stirring just to combine.

Stir in the carrots and raisins.

Spoon batter into prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tins to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.  If using silicone liners, I like to remove them right away to cool on a rack.

Remove the muffins from the cups/liners and finish cooling on rack.

Makes 12 muffins.  These muffins freeze well.

Chicken and Asparagus Dish

I had some fresh asparagus I needed to use up and some  chicken breast cut from a stewing hen.  Surely, I could make a nice lunch for my two daughters out of this.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS DISH

  • 3/4 cup cold milk
  • 3/4 cup hot milk
  • 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tblsp. dry minced onion
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 Tblsp. chopped pimiento
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Grating of black pepper
  • 1 cup of steamed asparagus, cut into 2-3″ pieces
  • 1 cup of shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 2 Tblsp. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray or oil four individual baking dishes

To make the sauce:

In a medium saucepan, place the flour and whisk in 3/4 cup of cold milk until smooth.  Add the hot milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to bubble.  Continue whisking for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

In each of the 4 prepared baking dishes, place 2 Tblsp. of  sauce.  Layer on top of the sauce 2 Tblsp. of chicken and a couple pieces of asparagus).  Cover this layer with another 2 Tblsp. of sauce  and repeat layers of chicken and asparagus.  Cover with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.  Makes 4 very tasty lunch-size servings. 

Anadama Bread and Rolls


I first made this bread in December of 1982 and included mini-loaves in my food gift baskets that year.  This is very good bread and you can definitely taste the hearty texture of the corn meal.   I adapted my recipe from one in a 1976 edition of Redbook Cookbook.

ANADAMA BREAD AND ROLLS

  • Servings: One 9-inch loaf or one 7-3/14-inch loaf plus 10 rolls
  • Print

  • 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, approx.
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup yellow corn meal
  • 2 pkgs instant dry yeast
  • 1 cup water, heated to 130 degrees F
  • 1 cup milk, heated to 130 degrees F
  • 1/2 cup light molasses*
  • 3 Tblsp. butter, melted

*I used some molasses I had bought in Amish country and it has a slight sorghum flavor.  Any good light molasses would work well.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, place 1 cup of flour, the corn meal, yeast, water, milk, molasses and melted butter.  With a paddle beater, beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Remove paddle beater and insert dough hook.  Add one cup of flour to the mixture and beat at medium speed, gradually adding 1/2 cup of flour at a time as the dough is being kneaded for 6-1/2 minutes.  Dough should be elastic and smooth, but will be a little sticky to the touch because of the molasses.

Place dough in a greased bowl ….

…cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes.

Punch down dough and make into bread and/or rolls.  This amount of dough will make two 9×5 inch loaves or a variety of other combinations.  I chose to make a 7-3/4 inch loaf and 10 large rolls.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the rolls for approximately 12-15 minutes, depending on size.  Bake a 7-3/4 inch loaf of bread for approximately 30 minutes, and a 9×5 inch loaf for 45-55 minutes.

Remove from pans immediately to a wire rack and let cool.

I like to cover the bread with a tea towel while cooling to keep the crust soft.

The bread came out of the oven at noon, just in time for my daughter and me to enjoy it for lunch with a bowl of soup – fantastic!

Incidentally, for busy days, it’s nice to have a box of Campbell’s V-8 soup in the pantry.  Today, we had Southwestern Corn Chowder – really good.

Note:  I always underbake the rolls because I’m going to be browning them in the oven just before serving – usually just two or three at a time.

Chicken and Black Bean Burrito Casserole

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Allrecipes.com and it made a very tasty, satisfying lunch.

CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN BURRITO CASSEROLE

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion, sliced
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1 Tblsp. jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained, divided
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 6 (8″) flour tortillas
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
  • 1 Tblsp. snipped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Oil or spray a large baking dish

In a large skillet, heat oil and saute bell pepper and onion slices until tender.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper,  remove from heat.   On top of the vegetables, layer the thawed corn kernels, jalapeno pepper and shredded chicken.

Use a  food processor or the back of a wooden spoon to mash half of the drained and rinsed beans.  Add these beans and the remaining reserved beans to the skillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add sour cream and mix to blend.

Place 1/6 of the chicken mixture down the center of a tortilla.

Fold tops and sides and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.

Repeat with remaining five tortillas and mixture.

Spread the salsa over the top of the tortillas in the dish and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake covered @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven – sprinkle with snipped cilantro and serve immediately.

Yield:  6 servings


My Favorite Corn Relish

We’ve had a sensational corn season here in southwest Ohio.  Every week, I drive to my favorite farm market, Blooms and Berries in Loveland, Ohio, and pick up some great bi-color sweet corn.  Many times this summer, my daughter and I have had a supper of corn-on-the-cob, a big tossed salad and some kind of cobbler or Brown Betty made with fresh fruit – now, that says summertime!

Whenever I had an ear of cooked corn left over, I cut it from the cob and put it in a bag in the freezer.  Finally, today I had enough to make my favorite corn relish.  When I was a child in the 1930s-40s, the items I loved the most on the dinner tables of my grandmothers and my great-aunt were the pickles and relishes, and corn relish was my favorite.  This recipe from a book called FANCY PANTRY comes the closest to what I remember from those long-ago days.

CORN RELISH

  • Servings: Makes 3 cups of relish
  • Print

  • 3-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels*
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1 Tblsp. pickling salt
  • 1 Tblsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. mustard seed
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp. celery seed
  • 1/8 tsp. ground hot red pepper
  • 1-1/4 cups cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water

*You can substitute thawed frozen corn (drained) or well drained canned corn if fresh isn’t available.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the corn, onions, red and green pepper and celery.

Add the brown sugar, pickling salt, mustard, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, hot red pepper, vinegar and water.  Stir everything together and place pot on medium-high heat.

Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Lower heat and simmer mixture partly covered until it has thickened slightly – about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle relish into hot sterilized jars, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, counting the time after the water has started to boil again after inserting the jars. I like to use an asparagus steamer for processing just a jar or two.

This batch makes about 3 cups of relish.  I filled a one-pint jar and processed it.  A half-pint jar was filled and not processed, but will be refrigerated.  In either case, allow the relish to cure for two weeks before using.  The refrigerated version should be used within two weeks after the curing time.

The pint jar will be stored away for Thanksgiving when I like to have on the table a sampling of pickles and relishes that I’ve made that year.   Here are some other pickles and relishes I’ve made this summer that I plan to have on my Thanksgiving table this year:

This is a good website with information on canning.

Summer Lunch for the Ladies

My two daughters were here for lunch before going swimming in my neighborhood pool.  I wanted to have something summery and light and decided to have corn-on-the-cob, Pecan Spinach Toss Salad, and Pineapple Cups.

PECAN SPINACH TOSS SALAD

  • Servings: 6 generous servings
  • Print

  • 2 cups orzo pasta
  • 3 cups boiling, lightly salted water
  • 5 cups fresh baby spinach (about 5 oz.)
  • 5 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 cup toasted pecans
  • 3 Tblsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tblsp. lemon zest
  • 3 Tblsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Grinding of black pepper

Add orzo to the boiling water, bring to a boil again and cook for 6 minutes.  Rinse in cold water and drain.

Put spinach, cheese and pecans in a very large bowl or pot and add orzo.

In a small jar, mix together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper – put a lid on the jar and shake well.  Pour this dressing over the salad and toss well.  I let the salad set for about 30 minutes and served at room temperature, although cold leftovers were also good.

WARNING:  This makes a lot of salad – it would be good to take to a potluck or family gathering.  We three each had a big serving for lunch and each one had another large serving to save for supper.

This recipe is adapted from one in Susan Branch’s AUTUMN cookbook.

I’ve been organizing my huge collection of cookbooks and this dessert recipe jumped out at me from a 1939 Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.  There are a lot of recipes in the cookbook, but my favorites are always the Round Table Recipes from readers which were clipped from the magazine and inserted in the cookbook binder.  This one is from someone in Connecticut in November, 1940.  Her comment, “Double surprise!  Comes cake, then custard hiding pineapple!”, which describes the dish exactly. This is a nice, tasty, light dessert – just right for lunch or supper.

PINEAPPLE CUPS

  • 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
  • Dash of salt
  • 1/3 cup juice drained from an 8 oz. can of pineapple tidbits
  • 1-1/2 Tblsp. lemon juice
  • 1 Tblsp. grated lemon peel
  • 1 Tblsp. butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. milk
  • 2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Have 3 small ungreased individual baking dishes at hand.  Boil water to pour into a flat pan with a lip that will hold the 3 dishes.

Drain juice from pineapple can into a cup – should measure approximately 1/3 cup.  Set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and salt.  Add the lemon juice, lemon peel, cooled melted butter and milk, whisking until smooth.

Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Place tidbits in the bottom of three individual casseroles.  Divide batter among the three dishes and pour over the pineapple.  Place the dishes in a pan with a lip containing an inch of hot water.

Bake @ 325 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Pineapple cups are best served warm or at room temperature.

The buttered corn-on-the cob, the Pecan Spinach Toss Salad and this Pineapple Cup dessert made the perfect ladies’ summertime meal.

Chicken and Asparagus Pudding

This recipe is a combination of several of my favorites and made a delicious casserole.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS PUDDING

  • 2 cups cubed bread (something hearty like Italian bread is good)
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 cup onions, sliced
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup of asparagus, steamed and cut into 2″ pieces
  • One hard-boiled egg
  • Thin white sauce (recipe below)
  • Topping of 1 cup of bread crumbs tossed with 1 Tblsp. of melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Oil or spray a 9″ casserole dish

Place two cups of bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.  Place the shredded chicken on top of the bread cubes.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the red pepper and onion slices in the olive oil until pepper and onion slices are tender.  Spoon the vegetables over the chicken in the casserole.

Arrange the steamed asparagus slices over the top.  Peel the hard-boiled egg and cut into small pieces, sprinkling over top of the asparagus.

Make the thin white sauce:

THIN WHITE SAUCE

  • 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cold milk
  • 3/4 cup hot milk
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Grating of black pepper
  • Grating of nutmeg

In a medium pan over medium heat, place the flour and whisk in the cold milk.  Whisk in the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly until mixture begins to bubble.  Lower heat slightly and continue whisking for two minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Pour the sauce over the chicken/vegetable mixture in the casserole.  Sprinkle the crumb/butter mixture over the top.

Bake uncovered in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes.


Yield:  4 generous servings

Easy Italian Bread

Fresh Peach Crumble Pie

I’ve been traveling a bit – peach-wise – the past couple of weeks.   I’ve had South Carolina Peaches, I’m waiting on the Georgia Peaches, and this week my farm market had Ohio grown peaches.  This recipe is a combination of a favorite filling and a favorite streusel topping plus my all-time favorite pie crust.  It’s a perfect dessert for a summer day.

PEACH CRUMBLE PIE

  • Pastry for a 9″single crust pie, unbaked (click here for my favorite recipe)

Filling:

  • 4 cups sliced fresh peaches
  • 1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp. almond extract

Crumble Topping:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 Tblsp. butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F

In a large bowl, combine peaches, tapioca, salt, sugar, lemon juice and almond extract.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients:  flour, sugar and butter.  Set aside.

Stir peaches and pour into pastry lined 9″ pie pan.  Spoon crumble topping on, covering all of the top surface of peaches.

Place on a flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Best served after cooling to room temperature.  Servings:  6 to 8 

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles

I first made these pickles on September 21, 1985, and thought they were good enough to take to the county fair in 1986.  I don’t believe they won a ribbon, but the family enjoyed them.

The recipe is from a great book, Garden Way’s Pickles & Relishes – 150 recipes – Apples to Zucchini, by Andrea Chesman. The original recipe made 4 pints, but I cut it in half for this batch which will give me one jar to use this summer and one jar to save for next Memorial Day and July 4th.  The addition of Tabasco sauce makes them spicy but not hot.

SPICY BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

  • 3-1/2 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers, unpeeled
  • 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 quart water
  • 1/4 cup pickling salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

The Brine:

  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. mixed pickling spices
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Combine the cucumbers, onions, one quart of water and 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce in a stainless steel or glass bowl and let stand for 3-4 hours.

Drain the vegetables and rinse 3 times with cold water; let stand in fresh water for 5 minutes, then drain again.

Combine the vinegar, one cup of water, brown sugar, granulated sugar, spices and 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce in a stainless steel saucepan; stir and bring to a boil.  Add the drained vegetables to boiling brine, bring to a boil again, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fill hot sterilized pint jars with the pickled mixture, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Seal.

Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, counting the time after the water begins to boil again after the jar has been inserted.  For small batches like this, I like to use an asparagus steamer for processing the pickles.

Cool on a wire rack.

Let pickles cure for at least 2 weeks before serving.

Click here for a good website on canning and preserving.

Yukon Chicken Salad

This is a combination of a couple of favorites, made with the little Yukon Gold potatoes.  My husband was growing Yukon Golds in his garden in the late 1990s, before they became so popular on all of the cooking shows.  We loved them then and I’m happy they’re available in all of the grocery stores now.  Combined with chicken, gorgonzola cheese and walnuts – what’s not to like?

YUKON CHICKEN SALAD

  • 10 small Yukon Gold potatoes (2-2-1/2″ diameter), unpeeled
  • 1 large tart apple, thinly sliced (Golden Delicious)
  • 1/4 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsley chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast
  • 1 Tblsp. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • Salt/Pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and put in a large pot.  Cover with cold water and cook over medium heat until tender (30-45 minutes depending on size).  Set aside to cool.

When potatoes are cool, cut into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add apple and onion slices, toasted walnuts, gorgonzola, cooked chicken and fresh basil.

In a jar or other container with a lid, mix the olive oil, vinegar and honey.

Pour over the potato mixture and toss to mix.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Makes 4-6 servings

This is not a very photogenic salad, but it sure is good.

Along with the salad, I served an old favorite summertime pie, Nancy’s Chocolate Lime Pie.

It was a nice summer lunch for my two daughters and two grandchildren.