Mock Stroganoff

From: "Better Homes and Gardens Ground Meat Cook Book." Meredith Corporation, 1969.

I can't believe that I'm endorsing anything with "mock" in the title, but I do like this recipe!

I'm a stickler about many things and if beef stroganoff is on the menu, my expectation is that the beef in question is at the best, filet, and at the worst, your every day beef stew meat. I also detest Hamburger Helper. I'd rather eat Ramen noodles three times a day for an entire month than one serving of Hamburger Helper (any variety).

But here I am, promoting a recipe that is a glorified version of Hamburger Helper. I like this recipe and I don't know why. It's a culinary mystery that may never be solved.

If I don't have tomato paste on hand, I leave it out and the recipe is none the worse for the change. Don't you love recipes like that?

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 10 1/2-ounce can condensed beef broth
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 3-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained (approx. 1/2 cup)
1 cup dairy sour cream
Hot buttered noodles

In skillet, cook meat and onion till meat is lightly browned. Combine flour, sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt, basil, garlic powder and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle over meat. Stir in broth and tomato paste. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms and sour cream. Heat, but do not boil.

Serve over noodles.

Makes 6 servings.

Corn Bread

From: "Sugar an' Spice and All Things Nice," Julia Kiene. Mansfield, Ohio: Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Appliance Division, 1951.

I love vintage and antique cookbooks for many reasons, but especially because the recipes often call for lard or bacon fat. Unhealthy? Heck, yeah! But delicious? Holy moley, you betcha!

Bacon is one of the pleasures that makes me feel the guiltiest, not only because of how unhealthy it is (artery clogging fat, nitrates, etc.), but also because I try to limit the amount of meat I eat (better for the planet, don'cha know). So I don't buy it very often which, of course, means I don't have much bacon fat on hand. But when I do, this corn bread recipe is worth my limited supply of the delicacy known as bacon fat.

I also love old cookbooks because they are so audaciously sexist. Women cooked, men ate. "Sugar an' Spice" is a cookbook for kids and the author does acknowledge that boys might want to cook, but they can use their "own judgment about the apron." Girls, meanwhile, "can wear a simple, little cotton dress, and always an apron. You will look your very prettiest in clean cotton dresses with an apron tied around your middle." And, as every cook knows, looking your prettiest is key while cooking.

Sift together:
1 cup All-Purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sweet milk [fresh milk that is not spoiled, sour or decaying - not as easy to have on hand in 1951 as it is today]
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted bacon fat

Put bacon fat in 9" x 14" baking pan, then place in oven while it is preheating to 425 degrees. Grab a pot holder when you take the pan out [when the oven reaches 425 degrees]. It's hot!

Beat the egg in separate bowl. Add milk to the egg. Add the egg and milk mixture to the sifted dry ingredients and add bacon fat. Mix thoroughly, but don't be too energetic about it. Take it easy.

By now, the pan is cool enough to rub the remainder of the grease that is left in the pan all over the bottom. Be sure your hands are clean and use your fingers.

Pour corn bread batter into greased pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Protein Jolt Smoothie

From: "Super Smoothies," Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000.

I wish somebody would make this smoothie for me right now. There's something about it that always comforts me and makes me feel cared for. Maybe it's the combination of peanut butter and bananas. Elvis loved that combo, too.

I appreciate the concept of this cookbook, but the authors over-deliver on their promise to provide a collection of smoothie recipes. There are no simple recipes in this book. All of the recipes require you to purchase (or beg or borrow) at least one unusual ingredient (that is, an ingredient you probably don't have on hand). I don't have a problem with the almond milk, plain yogurt (I keep it on hand to keep my dogs regular) or even the tofu. It's the dates. They're expensive and often aren't of very good quality. So I leave 'em out. Simple solution.

Unfortunately, the other recipes in this book can't be so easily fixed. To further add to the frustration that comes from an exotic shopping list, most of the unusual ingredients don't add much to the overall smoothie experience because the quantities are very small.

Enough about me - it may not be obvious, but YOU can easily substitute the almond milk for cow's milk in this recipe. Hopefully you're buying organic milk that is collected from family farms ;-)

3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/3 cup firmly packed chopped dates (about 8 dates)
2 tablespoons tahini or smooth peanut butter
1 frozen banana, sliced

Combine the almond milk, yogurt and tofu in a blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Zucchini Parmesan

From: "Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars." Ceil Dyer. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1979.

This book (and its brother which I also have - "More Best Recipes...") is pretty handy when you want to use up an ingredient. These two have never failed me if I have extra of an ingredient that will just serve as a host for mold cultures if I don't use it up.

I need to get better about posting seasonal recipes. Local zucchini is actually a summer vegetable and the zucchini available now spends a lot of time and resources getting to your local supermarket. Forgive me and promise me that you'll wait until summer to try it.

I'm well aware of how unhealthy peanut oil can be, but it's one of those oils that makes everything more flavorful. Fortunately for my heart - it doesn't stay fresh very long (it can taste rancid after just a couple of weeks in the cupboard after opening and refrigeration changes the chemical balance of the oil)so I don't buy it very often. I usually substitute olive oil for the peanut oil in this recipe.

This recipe makes quite a bit and I usually cut it in half.

1/4 cup Planters Peanut Oil
8 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoons parsley
1 large clove garlic, crushed or minced
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon rosemary leaves
4 cups peeled chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat Planters Peanut Oil in large skillet. Add zucchini, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and rosemary. Saute mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes. Toss in tomatoes and continue to saute until tomatoes are thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Turn mixture into a serving dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

One-pan Chicken, Sausage and Sage Bake

From: ?? It's a mystery, Scooby-Doo. Here's what I know: It's a Nigella Lawson recipe and you can find it on the Food Network website, but I'll be darned if I know where I got it.

It's delicious, it's easy and it's a loaves and fishes recipe. If you keep dividing the sausage and remove the chicken from the bone, you can feed two or three times as many people as planned. I know this from experience and everybody got plenty.

A word about our friend, sage. If you only know sage from Thanksgiving stuffing, I encourage you to give him another chance. Next to mint and lemon balm (just typing those words means I'll have an even bigger invasion of both this summer), sage is the easiest herb to grow. Why? Because you can plant the tiniest plant or even the tiniest seed in the saddest location ever and you will have fresh sage growing every summer through fall forever. FOREVER.

But sage can be used so many ways and it's easy to store any extra you have. I just snip off the remaining leaves in November (it withstands the first few frosts in my yard) and put it in a Ziploc freezer bag and pop in the freezer. Fresh sage forever. FOREVER.

Note: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe but, as in all recipes, the chicken is so much more flavorful if you use the whole chicken piece (bone and skin).

1 lemon, halved
2 small onions, peeled and quartered through the root ends
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
One 4 pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces [I use 4 large chicken breasts]
Kosher salt
12 sweet Italian sausages
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Squeeze the lemon halves into a large, resealable plastic bag. Cut each lemon half into 4 pieces and add to the bag along with the onions, olive oil, mustard, 1 tablespoon of sage and Worcestershire sauce; season with pepper. Seal the bag and squish the ingredients together until well mixed. Add the chicken pieces to the bag and coat thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Let the chicken stand at room temperature in the marinade for 30 minutes. Pour the contents of the bag into a large roasting pan. Turn the chicken pieces skin side up and season with salt. Arrange the sausages around the chicken and sprinkle all over with the 2 tablespoons of sage. Bake for 1 hour, until the chicken and sausage are browned; turn the sausages halfway through cooking. Transfer the chicken, sausages, onions and lemons to a platter; drizzle with some of the pan juices and serve.

Oatmeal Scotchies and Mocha Walnut Cookies

From "Nestle Toll House Recipe Collection." Nestle Foods Corporation, 1987.

I'm going to maintain that age-related memory issues can be fun. You forget a lot (while at the same time you remember, in great detail, things that have very little relevance to anything). Because of the forgetting, I can pretty much count on being surprised at least three times a week. Most recently I was very pleasantly surprised by a gorgeous pair of blue suede shoes that I don't remember buying.

I'm often surprised by a cookbook - I don't remember where or when I got it or that I even had it. This cookbook is one of those.

Nestle's purpose in this cookbook seems to be to convince the reader that adding chips of any kind (chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, etc.) can make any recipe better - including pumpernickel bread, carrot cake and Irish soda bread.

The two recipes here are indeed "chip stars." The Oatmeal Scotchies are better than you remember and, without fail, get eaten very quickly and garner rave reviews. The Mocha Walnut Cookies are worth the slightly extra work and, dare I say it, better than a basic chocolate chip cookie.

Oatmeal Scotchies
Makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups oats (Quick or Old Fashioned)
One 12-ounce package (2 cups) Nestle Toll House butterscotch flavored morsels.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in oats and Nestle Toll House butterscotch flavored morsels.

Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes for chewier cookies, 9-10 minutes for crisper cookies.

Note: I've found the cookies are easier to handle if I allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for 1 minute after removing them from the oven before I remove them from the sheet.

Mocha Walnut Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies

One 12-ounce package (2 cups) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
2 tablespoons Nescafe Classic instant coffee [I use instant espresso powder]
2 teaspoons boiling water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1/2 cup Nestle Toll House semi-sweet morsels over hot (not boiling) water; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In small cup, dissolve Nescafe Classic instant coffee in boiling water; set aside.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and coffee; beat until creamy. Add egg and melted morsels; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels and walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Allow to stand 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

From "The Silver Palate Cook Book." New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 2007.

The cover shown here is the 25th anniversary edition. I also have (and prefer the layout of) the original - published in 1982, although it sustained significant water damage when I knocked over a Pyrex measuring cup of boiling water in the late 1980s.

I love fresh Michigan asparagus and have become a snob about only using in-season, locally grown asparagus purchased at the South Bend Farmer's Market. That means that my asparagus consumption is condensed and intense. I eat copious amounts of asparagus for a month and then miss it (and look forward to its return) for 11 months.

I usually make a weekly batch of this soup during asparagus season. The serving size is much too small in my opinion. I find that this recipe more reasonably makes three or four meal-sized servings.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (about 4 large onions)
2 quarts chicken stock/broth [I've substituted vegetable broth before, but prefer chicken]
2 pounds asparagus [Buy local and in season!]
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream or buttermilk (for cold soup) [I always add cream to the hot version, too]

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat and simmer the onions until very soft and golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, trim the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Cut about 1 inch from the butt ends of the asparagus spears; don't try to remove all of the tough parts, just the very woody ends. Chop the spears into 1/2 inch pieces and drop into the boiling chicken stock, cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the asparagus is very soft, 45 minutes.

Force the soup, broth and all, through the medium disc of a food mill. Return the puree to the pot, add the reserved asparagus tips, and simmer until they are tender but still firm, 5 to 10 minutes. If serving the soup hot, season with salt and pepper and serve.

If serving the soup cold, remove from the heat, cool, stir in the cream or buttermilk, and refrigerate, covered. Season with salt and pepper. Serve very cold.

8 to 10 portions


Coming soon: An easy, delicious chicken and sausage dish

Macaroni and Cheese

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Unfortunately, this cookbook is so well loved that the cover pages are missing. Based on when we used this cookbook growing up, I'd say it's an early 1970s version.

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It's a no-messing-around, no-frills, basic macaroni and cheese recipe and it's my go-to comfort food. Because I've made this recipe so much, it's how I became a bechamel/white sauce expert.

I never add the tomato slices that are suggested within the recipe. I just love the creamy, cheesy pasta unadorned.

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1/4 cup minced onion (optional) [I never add the minced onion]
2 cups shredded sharp process cheese [Ha! I wouldn't be caught dead using processed cheese, but I wanted to remain faithful to the recipe. I always use a quality sharp cheddar]

Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until tender; drain.

Melt butter; blend in flour. Add milk. Cook and stir till thick. Add salt, pepper, onion and cheese; stir till cheese is melted.

Mix sauce with macaroni. Turn into 1 1/2-quart casserole. If you like, sprinkle tomato slices with salt; arrange on top, pushing edge of each slice into macaroni. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) about 45 minutes, or till bubbly and browned.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Coming soon: To get you ready for asparagus season - a lovely asparagus soup recipe.

Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce

From "Culinary Treasures: Hilton Head Island" compiled by the Avid Gardeners, Hilton Head Plantation. Cairo, Nebraska: Record Printing Company, 1999.

The first version of ravioli with sage cream sauce I tried was a Linda McCartney frozen dinner version that was actually very good. This recipe is even better. I use Nuovo Butternut Squash & Grana Padano. You can find it (and other vegetable raviolis) at Bamber's Supermarket if you're in the South Bend, Indiana area.

This recipe is easy, but requires focus so I'd suggest a mise en place approach (gather all the materials before you begin) and don't try to prepare anything in addition to this recipe at one time.

Another strong recommendation is to not substitute the white wine with chicken broth. The wine flavor is really key to this recipe's success.

2 8- to 9-ounce packages refrigerated vegetable filled ravioli or tortellini
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
Parmesan cheese shavings

Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous one half, about 5 minutes.

Add ravioli or tortellini to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between serving bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan shavings. Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as an entree.

Coming soon: The best no-frills, basic macaroni and cheese recipe

Ginger Cookies

From “Cookies! The Collector’s Series/Volume 26,” edited by Marian Levine. Gaithersburg, MD: The American Cooking Guild, 1989. Page 29

I got this booklet at an auction and the cover says, “A gift to you from Sears,” so I’m assuming it’s a premium of some sort.

I’m always on the hunt for an excellent cookie recipe. This is by far the best gingerbread cutout recipe I’ve come across. I’m a follow-the-recipe-to-the-letter cook and doing so with this recipe is definitely recommended. All the ingredients, in the listed proportions, are necessary for ultimate success with this cookie.

“This gingery cookie is crisp and has a hint of orange flavor. It is ideal for gingerbread people or holiday cookie shapes.”

An added bonus with these cookies is that they get better with age. They’re the cookie version of a fine wine. I pipe on white royal icing to decorate, although these cookies don’t need the frosting for flavor by any means.

An interesting note: My friends who like my gingersnaps don’t like these cookies. These are much more flavorful (but not necessarily sweeter) than the standard gingersnap.

3 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons [powdered, not fresh] ginger

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon [ground] cloves

¼ teaspoon cardamom

½ cup sweet [unsalted] butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

¾ cup molasses

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and spices. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together, then add egg, molasses, salt and orange rind. Mix well. Stir into dry ingredients. Form dough into a ball shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight [this allows the flavors to marry and is highly recommended].

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out to ¼-inch thick on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place shapes onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Note: Dough will keep up to one week, refrigerated. Cookies can be stored up to three weeks in cookie tins [cookies were still edible, although not fresh, after six weeks in Ziploc bags].

Variation: Decorate cookies with raisins, colored sugar, silver dots, etc. [I used cinnamon red hots successfully, but didn’t like the flavor combo] before cooking. Or ice them after they have cooled.

Yield: 3 ½ dozen

Coming soon: Ravioli in sage cream sauce

Hello

I've been collecting cookbooks for decades now. I'm on a decluttering jag and have spent some time with the (I'm going to admit it) hundreds of cookbooks I have. You and I both know that, on a good day, the majority of those cookbooks might have three good recipes each.

There are some cookbooks that are good cookbooks, but - be honest - those cookbooks are few and far between.

So, in the spirit of "Julie and Julia" (which, shockingly, I haven't even seen yet), I'm going to go on a quest through all my cookbooks and find the best recipes and share them here. I'll note the cookbook title and other bibliography information and the recipes should be noted as copyrighted (both by the publisher and via my blog). As an ethical bibliophile, I'll respectfully ask that you acknowledge the source if you pass the recipe on.

Coming soon: More progress on the look of my blog page and the best gingerbread cookie cutout recipe.