Moving Day

Blog ran out of space.

Moved to Cooking Up A Blog 2011

See you in the cloud, hapzydeco

*************
"Well we're movin on up,
To the east side."Theme from The Jeffersons

Boston Creme Pie

Boston Creme Pie
After requesting Gram’s Hot German Potato Salad recipe, Terry asked if anyone had Gram's Boston Cream Pie recipe, his favorite birthday dessert.

Terry noted that Father once said, "Gram would take that one to the grave”. Terry wondered if Gram did.
 
Terry recalled how Gram always asked us kids, "What do you want for your birthday dinner"? Then that is what she would make for us. Also you got to sit at the head of the table in Pa's stair. Terry made the point that this treatment kind of made you 'King of the Hill' prior to the TV version.

Found the Boston Creme Pie recipe in Father’s handwritten stack of file cards. There is no reference to Gram on the index card.

Ingredients:

3 tblsp. sugar
2 cups milk (divide)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
1 tblsp. vanilla
2 layer cake (below)

1 - Dissolve sugar in 1 1/2 cups milk. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup milk. Combine mixture.

2 - Add egg to mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Add vanilla. Spread between layers of cake. Cover top of cake with chocolate icing.

Cake:

1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder

1 - Cream 1st three ingredients.
2 - Add milk and cream well.
3 - Stir together flour, salt and powder. Add to cream mixture with vanilla.
4 - Grease two 8” cake pans.
5 - Bake 375˚ - 20 - 30 minutes.

Baked Potato Soup

St. Patrick’s Day


Ingredients:
4 large baked potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) milk
2 tablespoons green onion, diced
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1 cup sour cream
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (for garnish)

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Stir in potato pulp, diced green onion and grated cheddar cheese. Cook on low heat until heated through, Then stir in the sour cream and heat through. Garnish with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.

To compliment this soup we bought a Wegmans Corn Beef sandwich on wheat with coleslaw and Russian Dressing.

Gram’s Hot German Potato Soup

Terry sent me this video.

This got me to wonder if Pa was working in the prison at the time. Called Greg who affirmed Pa's presence behind the walls at the time of the riot. Mother would have been around 9 years old.

In a subsequent email Terry recalled the story that Gram went to the prison to pick up Pa at the time of the riot. According to Terry, family forklore has Gram putting Pa and herself into a closet in the pharmacy until someone came to get them out.

Also, in his email, Terry mentioned that Terri and he went to a German Restaurant the previous evening. It hit Terry that he did not have Gram's recipe for Hot German Potato Salad.

Joan found Gram's recipe.


Here is Gram's recipe:

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes
16 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons parsley

Cook potatoes in skins until tender. While potatoes are cooking, fry bacon until crisp; remove form skillet, drain and crumble. Pour off al but 4 tablespoons bacon fat; add onions and cook 1 minute. Blend in flour, sugar, celery seed, salt and pepper; add vinegar and water; cook and stir until thick. Add crumbled bacon.

Peel and slice potatoes, toss lightly. Sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 8 servings.

I can clearly visualize Gram standing over her stove top on Linn Avenue gently tossing the potatoes in her silver-colored electric fry pan.

Pasta Bake Florentine

After Brad received a good report from Dr. Thomas Smallman, Brad and Kim joined us for dinner. Joan prepared this delicious baked pasta. The variety of vegetables made this dish colorful and appealing. Joan served this bake with a fresh garden salad and multi-grained rolls.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. red pepper, chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 (26-oz.) jars pasta sauce
1 c. marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
16-oz. pkg. rotini pasta, cooked
8-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onion, red pepper and mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef, salt, garlic salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned, about 5 to 7 minutes; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, artichokes and spinach until well combined. Stir in cooked pasta. Transfer to a lightly greased 13”x9” baking pan; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

8 servings

Red's Sandwich Shop

Red's Sandwich Shop

Blueberry Pancake w/side of bacon

Homemade Cornbeef Hash Benedict
Clam Cake Benedict

North Woods Bean Soup

With the outside temperature just barely inching over single digits, Joan prepared and served this hearty soup for dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. turkey Kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 c. baby carrots, chopped
1 c. onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. pepper
2 (15.8-oz.) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
6-oz. pkg. baby spinach

Spray a Dutch oven with non-stick vegetable spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add turkey, carrots, onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add broth, seasonings and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Place 2 cups of soup in a blender or a food processor. Process until smooth; return processed soup to pan. Simmer 5 more minutes; remove from heat. Add spinach, stirring until it wilts.

Makes 5 servings.

Joan served this body warming soup with multi-grain rolls.

Super Bowl XLV Fare

More daunting than choosing the best Super Bowl commercial, choosing what Super Bowl team to root on to victory, or choosing the best seat in the TV room for Super Bowl viewing, is choosing what to eat during half time of the Super Bowl.

This year Joan solved this quandary with a splendid spread.

Joan served Pepperoni Puffs for appetizers. These scrumptious delights served with warm pizza sauce were a perfect lead-in to the Black Eyed Peas halftime show.
Rolling Stone Review


Pepperoni Puffs
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup pepperoni, diced

Combine flour, baking powder, milk, egg and cheese; mix well. Stir in pepperoni; let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon into greased mini muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350˚ for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden.

The next course was Baked Potato Soup.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 large baked potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) milk
2 tablespoons green onion, diced
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1 cup sour cream
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (for garnish)

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Stir in potato pulp, diced green onion and grated cheddar cheese. Cook on low heat until heated through, Then stir in the sour cream and heat through. Garnish with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.

Accompanying the soup was this sandwich.

Muffuletta


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
3/4 cup each chopped drained black and stuffed green olives
1/2 cup chopped drained canned artichoke hearts
4 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 round Italian bread loaf (Sicilian round - 10 inch)
6 slices each Turkey Breast, Genoa salami, Honey Ham,
French Dip Flavored Roast Beef
4 Provolone Cheese slices

Mix mayo and dressing in medium bowl, stir in next 5 ingredients.

Cut bread horizontally in half. Hollow out slightly; discard removed bread or dave for another use.

Fill bottom half of bread with layers of half the olive mixture, meat and cheese; cover with remaining olive mixture and bread top. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Makes 8 servings.

For dessert Joan served a lemon cake and coffee.

Frittata

Fresh-Picked Frittata revisited.

With the temperature 8˚ outside Joan prepared this frittata for brunch.

A warm wedge of this breakfast favorite served with fresh orange slices held the chill outside the Bistro room at bay.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

With temperatures in the single digits and threatening to go below zero, Joan made this brothy version of its New England cousin. Full of chunky vegetables, this soup provided a great first course to Connie's chicken quesdiallas.

2 6-1/2 oz. cans chopped clams
16-oz. can diced tomatoes
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. carrots, finely chopped
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1/4 t. dried thyme

Drain liquid from clams into a large measuring cup; set aside clams. Add enough water to clam liquid to equal 3 cups. Pour into a large saucepan; add remaining ingredients except clams. Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; mash vegetables slightly to thicken broth. add clams; heat through.

Serves 6.

Pork and Squash Chili

This week Danny Wegman featured pork and butternut squash as his sale items. Joan purchased both and made this deliciously different chili.

Preparation time 20 minutes. Takes 30 minutes to cook. Serves six.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
2 14 1/2-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes, about 1/2 cups
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup loose-pack frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon grated unsweetened chocolate
(this is the secret ingredient in Cincinnati Chili)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

Directions:

Cut the pork into 1/2-inch cubes. In a Dutch oven, cook and stir the pork, onion, and garlic in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in undrained tomatoes, squash, kidney beans, black beans, corn, water, chili powder, chocolate, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until squash and pork are tender, stirring occasionally.

To serve - ladle chili into bowls. Joan served the chili with corn bread.

Note: Try this to increase the flavor and enjoyment. After cooking put the chili in an air-tight container and let it refrigerate overnight allowing the ingredients to marinate. Remove it the next day and re-heat.

This recipe was developed by Don Holt, a long-time Cincinnati chili lover and cook.

Italian Meatball Soup

Italian Meatball Soup
Looking for an excuse to use her crock pot, Joan made this soup for dinner.

16-oz. pkg. frozen Italian -style meatballs
2 14-1/2 oz. cans beef broth
2 14-1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 c. potato, peeled and diced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 t. garlic pepper
16-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables

In a slow cooker, mix frozen meatballs, broth, tomatoes, potato, onion and garlic powder. Cover and cook on low setting for 9 to 11 hours. Stir in frozen vegetables. Increase setting to high; cover and cook for one additional hour, or until vegetables are tender. Minutes before serving Joan added a handful of broken linguine.

After ladling the soup into a bowl, Joan sprinkled the soup with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese for added flavor.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe can be found on page 62 of Gooseberry Patch Co. - 101 Easy Entertaining Recipes.