Yo!

I'm tickled you're so tickled. I know what you mean, though. Once I started remembering and researching, the ol' taste buds started raising a fuss and I rather suspect the same thing is gonna happen here -- time for a Pastie Fix!

> I am a half-hearted vegetarian, so I am going to try
> first to make a meatless version with hearty mushrooms.

That's a great idea! The neat thing about pasties is that you can put pretty durned near anything you want in them. There's a lot of talk about what's authentic and what isn't but, from what I was able to find out, back when the Cornish version of pasties began, it was a matter of what was available, 'cuz times were tough.

What I did, was hit the search engine for recipes -- not for the filling, because that was easy to remember. The crust is what had me worried. You've had them so you know what I mean. Several sources just say to use pie crust -- and that's okay, I guess -- but real pastie crust is different. After I sent that off to you, I got to thinking that what I need to do is experiment until I hit the version that's more like what I remember from the U.P. Here's a recipe for a smaller batch of dough; 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 tsp. salt, approx. 6 tablespoons water. Very similar to the bigger batch, as you can see. It's the handling of the dough that tells you; pasty dough really is easier to handle without getting tough.

I also noticed that none of the recipes called for dredging the filling with flour. This is what the U.P. lady taught me. It's the same principle as dredging apple slices with a mix of flour, sugar and cinnamon for pie -- it thickens the juices while cooking so you have a sort of built-in gravy. I'd think you'd really need that with mushrooms -- they produce a lot of liquid while cooking, don't they? Or is that just some varieties?

As to Kay's question, I would think whether or not you use tassles is a matter of preference but, believe me, the sequins get stuck in your teeth.

Let me know how the Grand Experiment turns out! Enquiring tummies want to know...

Hugs from Dee

Here's what I came up with:

Memory failed... the recipe I was remembering from the 1929 cookbook was called Hopping John, which is a traditional New Year's Day dish isn the Carolinas. The Red Beand & Rice recipe is actually Louisiana Red Beans & Rice from a Creole/Cajun cookbook circa 1985. The more recent, Bayou Red Beans & Rice is from Betty Crocker Creative Ideas series... Pasta Rice & Beans.

Here's all of them. Take your pick.

Hopping John
__________

• 2 cups dried red cow peas
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1/4 pound salt pork
• Salt & pepper
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Soak peas overnight. Cook with salt pork until peas are tender, being careful to keep them whole. There should be only a small quantity of liquid left in them. Add cooked rice, season with salt, pepper and butter, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve with bread and butter. Serves 8 to 10.

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
_________________

• 6 cups water
• 1 pound dried red kidney beans
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely chopped scallions (use tops)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• ham bone with generous amount of ham or 2 1-pound smoked ham hocks
• 1 pound pepperoni sliced, or hot smoked sausage (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• dash red pepper
• optional cumin to taste

Drop beans in boiling water and boil briskly for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let beans soak for 1 hour.

Melt butter in heavy casserole and cook scallions, onions, celery and garlic until soft but not brown. Stir in beans and liquid, the ham bone, hocks or pepperoni or sausage, and the seasonings. Bring to boil then reduce and simmer partially covered for 3 hours until beans are very soft. If the beans seem dry, add more hot water a few Tablespoons at a time. Stir frequently.

Remove ham bones, cut meat from the bone and return meat to beans. Remove bay leaf.

Serve with steaming rice. (I would just mix it all together.) Serves 4 to 6

Bayou Red Beans & Rice
_______________

• 1 pound dried red kidney beans, sorted and rinsed
• 4 cups water
• 1 ham bone
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped celery with leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
• Hot cooked rice.

Heat beans and water to boiling in Dutch ove. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; reduce heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice. Cover and simmer 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. (Add water if necessary during cooking; water should just cover beans at end of cooking time.)

Remove 1 cup of the beans and mash to a paste. Stir mashed beans into the bean mixture in Dutch over, stir until liquid is thickened. Remove ham bone; remove any meat from bone and stir into beans. Serve beans over rice.

6 servings

and while we're on Creole type dishes, here's one more from the 1929 cookbook... one of my favorites...

Jambalaya Shrimp
------------

• 1 Tablespoon fat
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 pound ham, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup cooked shrimp (or a whole bunch more if you can afford 'em)
• 1-1/2 cups cooked tomatoes (canned tomatoes are fine)
• 1 onion, sliced or chopped
• Sprig of thyme (1 tsp dried)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley (1 tsp dried)
• Salt, pepper and paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked rice

Melt fat and add flour, stirring until smooth and slightly brown. Add chopped ham, shrimp and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add onion, seasonings and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add rice and boil until tender, 30 minutes. The mixture should not be stirred, although it may be necessary to lift it from the bottom of the kettle from time to time in order to keep rice from burning. Keep covered during cooking. Serves 6

Some notes on modernization... I think rice cooks quicker than it used to... the usual 20 minutes is fine. This is also the "boiling" method, rather than "absorption" method which results in a soupier mixture... if you prefer a more typical "dry" (and it won't be dry at all) casserole type texture, extend the recipe by adding another cup of rice, or reduce the amount of water a bit. Also, I don't like shrimp that is "well-done" so if I'm using cooked shrimp, I add it during the last few minutes and just leave the lid on with the fire off too allow the shrimp time to heat up, then stir it in. You can also use raw shrimp and proceed according to recipe directions... it will be a bit more well-done than is typical today.

Jana

Merrill's Texas Pinto Beans and Rice

Put in pinto beans 'til you think you have enough.
Put in rice 'til you think you have enough.
Put in some onion.
Put in a teaspoon of garlic salt.
Put in some ham.
Cook 'til tender
Taste for flavor
If doesn't have enough garlic salt, add 'til it suits your taste.

Serve with picante sauce or jalapeno peppers and cornbread.

Cornbread:

• 1 c flour
• 1 c cornmeal
• 3-4 tsp baking powder

Stir
Add 1 c water
Add 1 egg
Add 1/4 c olive oil
Mix
Add more water if needed until it pours easily.
Bake in an iron skillet.
Bake 450 degrees until done.

Juanita

Oh, yoo hoo,

(sandi sez as she waves a little yellow piece of paper in her hand)

Yoo hoo, over here by the fern with Juanita--

(Juanita giggles and looks innocent)

I have a no fail pizza recipe. You want it?

You do? Okay--

PREPPY PIZZA

• $12-$15 of quarters, dimes and nickels
• Pinch of pennies
• 1 telephone
• 1 memorized telephone number
• 1 delivery boy (preferably tall, dark and handsome)

After tirring together enough change to make the desired amount, dial the phone number (memorized) and request the largest pizza, everything on top (the more the better).

Waite approximately 30-40 minutes. Be prepared at the door for the delivery guy. (Drop in a few pennies if he's cute.)

Serve with soda pop. Serves 2-4 people or 1-3 college students. No dishes to wash.

Sandi

No one was home today--just Merrill and me! I came home from work at 3:30 and found him watching a TV movie. I put the groceries away in the pantry and refrigerator. He was still watching TV.

"Are you feeling o.k.?" I asked.

"I feel fine. Why?"

"Well, you don't usually watch TV and you're not even skipping around to other channels!"

I mixed some frozen lemonade and slicing a lime, squeezed it into the lemonade, and dropped half the lime in each glass. I carried both of the iced glasses into the living room, gave him one, and sat down to read my Spoon mail while he watched his movie. After a while, I went into the kitchen to fix a taco salad for supper. He came in to talk, and put the beans in the skillet so I could mash them for refried beans. I sliced the sourdough bread I had baked before I went to work this morning. I washed the purple grapes and put them on a plate. We sat down and held hands while he asked the blessing. It was pleasant with just the two of us.

Afterwards, we washed the dishes together and took a walk. We walked along the whiterock road the half mile to the end of the home place--his family always called it the "Poor Farm"--looking at the sights along the way. There was the garden where I had spent so many hours when the children were small, before I "worked". There was the house where Merrill's parents lived, and all the memories of shared visits. There was the pasture fence where I had seen the spider webs, and all the hours Merrill and I and the boys had spent there when he rebuilt the fence. We stopped to look at the pasture he had shredded, and the field Jim had plowed late last night. There was the overflow--now dry--from the stock tank where the boys had spent hours crawdading--and where Merrill had caught crawdads as a small boy. As we passed the neighbor's grassed over stock tank, I remarked about the fun the boys used to have riding their bikes down the slope of the tank. "I used to do that!" he replied, and I thought about all the fun things the boys had done as they grew up, and I pictured Merrill doing them too. We walked through the wooded part of the road, where the tree branches almost meet overhead. We passed the stock tank and saw there was still a little water for the cows. We remembered the pasture fire there and how the neighbor had stopped to help--the same neighbor who employs our son Jim now. We walked to the end of the place and startled a horse in the next pasture as we suddenly emerged from the treelined road into the open. Turning around we started back. It was late dusk now, and in the tree shrouded lane it was just light enough to watch for snakes. By the time we got home, it was dark.

It was a nothing evening. It was a lovely evening. He is a nurse and works nights, while I work days. Sometimes all we see of each other is a quick wave as we pass each other in the morning, or a few minutes of talk when he drops by the library on his way to work in the late afternoon. Often his days off don't match mine. It was one of those few times we find to be alone with each other and share an evening walk. No kids, no activities, just us.

Taco Salad, Refried Beans, Home Made Bread--And Thee!

Taco Salad

• 1 bowl of salad greens
• 2-3 diced tomatoes
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• 1 can of garbanzos
• Diced black olives
• Shredded cheese
• Broken tortilla chips, several handsful
• Lean ground round, browned
• Picante sauce--I always get the mild!
• Picante con queso--any brand, also mild!
• Ranch dressing/fat free
• French dressing/fat free

Toss these ingredients in a large bowl.

Pour the picante sauce on top of the salad. Mix the two salad dressings with the picante con queso, pour over salad, and mix.

Refried Beans

Start with pre-cooked pinto beans.
Add small amount of olive oil to iron skillet and heat.
Add beans to skillet and mash with potato masher, or with fork.
Stir and heat until of the texture you like best--can be watery or more dry.
Add seasonings if you like--I don't add them.

Serve with home made sourdough bread.
Purple grapes for dessert.

Enjoy a walk afterwards.

Juanita

With apologies to Toby, here's my pizza recipe, especially good when there is a small horde of starving kids in the house:

a package of frozen bread dough, thawed (you can put it in the microwave on defrost for a minute or 2) a can of Italian style stewed tomatoes (2 cans if you like lots of sauce) mozarella cheese, pre-grated assorted toppings: pepperoni, salami, cooked hamburger or bacon, cooked chicken, taco meat, pineapple, sliced tomatoes, peppers, onions, pieces of lunchmeat, fresh basil or cilantro, - you can clean out all the 1-piece-leftovers out of the fridge.

divide the dough; roll out and put on 2 pizza pans or cookie sheets put the stewed tomatoes in the blender and blend til smooth, pour over the bread dough top with cheese and toppings and cook at 400 for about 15-18 minutes. Watch that it doesn't get too brown (a good job for all those kids waiting to be fed.)

Now, someone has to have a real pizza recipe for those times when the cook can take the time to do a proper job of it!

Theta

I feel very guilty seeing how many people have posted recipe's when I haven't, so here goes for what its worth.

I have never been that much into cooking, although I don't mind being in charge of the barbie. It's quite relaxing in summer (yay its coming) to come home from work and spend some time outside, with a beer in one hand and a barbie mate in the other. The problem is I hate washing dishes and although we have a reasonable size house, our kitchen needs extending before we can put a dishwasher in. Not only do I hate doing dishes, I like to use lots of them.

So here's a dish that I used to make as a bachelor, which would last me for 2 or 3 days, unless I had company. I called it Yitch. First time I've ever put any spelling to it.

It's a pasta dish with a bit of everything in it. There are no exact measurements, it just develops. It goes something like this:

Cook some macaroni or similar type of pasta, depending on how the mood takes you and put it aside. Yes we are going to use it.

Then get some lean ground beef (we call it mince). Start that frying in a pan. I find if I cook it from frozen, you get a mixture of small and large chunks. Then when most of th fat is out of the meat, tip it down the drain. No Lou, I meant the fat, not the meat!

Then we start adding to the meat:

• some tomato puree
• diced onion
• sliced garlic
• a couple of fresh tomatoes
• a cup of Cab Sav each, one for the pan and one for the chef.
• a dash of Lea and Perrins
• a bit of soy bean sauce
• a little marmite
• paprika
• some food colouring (blue is good)
• another cup of Cab Sav each
• lots of sliced fresh mushrooms, I just had a great idea for next time, shitake mushrooms would add some nice texture.

While that is simmering, I cook some frankfurters.

When all that is done, put the pasta in a deep oven dish and mix in the mince mixture. Make sure it is good and moist, otherwise another red wine each. Mix it all together well.

Then slice up the franks and mix them in evenly.

Cover the lot with either thin slices of ham or salami so that the whole dish is covered.

Spread some slices of fresh tomato on top.

Cover that with a cheese of your choice, depends on whether you want it runny or with a crust on top. You want the whole dish sealed so that the wine vapour can't escape. Cover that with bread crumbs and put in the oven until you get your appetite back. Then put into the oven until the top is crusty and brown.

Serve with a green salad, with slices of kiwi fruit.

It improves with reheating, so make enough for a few days. Or cook it the day before you want it. It could be my imagination too.

There, I've done it.

No more guilt. But as for meeting you in the kitchen, I'm allergic to dishes. Well I do them most night's because I get home too late to cook, but they make my nails go soft. I'll help you with the Cab Sav though and I'll even take a turn cooking as long as I can use every dish in the kitchen.

Regards,
Gino Cappel

Thought for the day: "Improvisation is too good to leave to chance." - Paul Simon

I made this up when I had much kale and no idea how it was usually prepared. It's now a fave.

Heat oil (olive oil preferably; peanut in a pinch) in a frying pan and add very thinly sliced red onion. Stir a bit until onion is thoroughly limp. Add lots and lots of kale. Add several shakings of good soy sauce. Stir it up. Cover for a few minutes to let kale cook down a bit. Uncover, toss in a couple handfulls of raisins (!) and a tad more soy sauce, stir again. Cover again. Serve with some sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. It's remarkably good and tastes unlike anything else.

Subject: Spoon: New Mexican Enchiladas

Mariıs New Mexican Enchiladas

Well, they are not *really* mine but I feel some ownership in their evolution...

Nearly 50 years ago (shortly before I was ummm *begun*, so to speak) a young, lonely woman was transported by her husband to a place far away from kith and kin... Las Vegas, New Mexico. Fortunately for her and this recipe, she was taken underwing by a kind-hearted and gracious woman (we will call her Mary Margaret because that was indeed her name). Mary Margaret, a woman of great wisdom and compassion, guided and nurtured this lonely young woman through the early years of her new life in New Mexico, much as she might have done for her own daughter if she had had one, which she did not, much to her hearts regret. Mary Margaret was, as I have said, wise, gracious and compassionate, but she was not a creatively adventuresome cook. Never-the-less, she kindly shared a New Mexican Enchilada recipe with the young woman (who, by the way, was even less adventuresome than Mary Margaret); said recipe consisted mainly of tomato juice and canned chili powder.

During this period of kindness and friendship, and shortly before I decided to make my entrance into the world, the young woman was again whisked away by her husband to another strange and unfamiliar place (Illinois). These two young people were the very ones I had chosen as my future parents and so I tagged along (so to speak) and shortly thereafter became a part of this young family. My mother, who missed the companionship of her friend, Mary Margaret, borrowed from the gracious generosity of the lady and gave me the very same name. Although I had heard Stories About The Lady, I was to meet the senior Mary Margaret only once in my life..... I had dashed into the house, a skinny ten year old- dripping wet in a dirty swimsuit- direct from summer games with a garden hose and sprinkler. My mother called me to come meet The Lady For Whom I Had Been Named. I stood frozen and dripping like a popcycle at the edge of the rug and stared at this elegant grey haired lady walking toward me. Her sparkling eyes shone with both happiness and tears as she reached to take my hand. I am so very happy to meet you, she was saying to me..... I was still a frozen ten year old popcycle. Her compassionate caring was there for me..... I still have it today, and the kindness in her eyes.....

I see I have wandered down a path that is taking me away from the *recipe*.... So, to return. When I was old enough to learn to cook, I of course was instructed how to make New Mexican enchiladas. "But they are FLAT, Mother" I said with youthful indignation. I KNEW enchiladas were rolled up and stuffed with meat or cheese. --Thatıs the way they make them in New Mexico-- was her reply so that was that. YEARS went by and I dutifully made the enchiladas as my mother had made them, tomato juice, chili powder and FLAT..... I should insert here that I am not one who likes to cook, or one who brings creativity or artistry to cooking (I seem to come by that trait honestly) but I do TRULY enjoy good food prepared with joy by a talented artist. Lucky for me I met my Soul Mate who is all those things.... I, being no fool, handed over said enchilada recipe to Talented Soul Mate who in turn has transformed it into a Thing of Beauty..... It is this creation that has evolved over fifty years that I share with you... and may we all celebrate the life of a wise and compassionate lady, Mary Margaret.

Mari (whose current name is a different story......ah, maybe another day.)

Mariıs New Mexican Enchiladas

You will need :

• long horn style cheddar cheese
• onions
• frozen corn tortillas or what ever kind you have (flat)

Sauce:
Saute in olive oil-

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 medium semi-hot pepper (anaheim or jalapeno) (or may substitute 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)

Add:

• 1 quart whole tomatoes
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly chopped parsley (at least 2 TBSP)
• freshly chopped cilantro - to taste (optional)
• 1 can tomato paste for thickening

Simmer for about 1 hour until thick enough to stick to a tortilla.

While it is simmering you can:
Grate a mountain of long horn style cheddar cheese.
Finely chop a pile of onions.

When the sauce is done:
Heat some veg oil in a skillet until Hot but not smoking.
Fry a tortilla for about a minute on each side until LIGHTLY crisp
Dip the tortilla immediately into the sauce, coating both sides, and place it, FLAT, on a dinner plate. Sprinkle grated cheese and onion on it, then fry another another tortilla, dip, sprinkle and stack flat (like pancakes) until you have enough for one serving.

(I usually eat a stack of four but I am not a very big eater.)

There should be enough sauce to coat about ten tortillas so this doesnıt feed a lot unless you double or triple......

---

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 17:10:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Julie Grinstead
Subject: Spoon: One more from corn-world

If you can't get really fresh corn on the cob where you live...I mean really fresh...like just-picked-today corn on the cob, then you could skip this recipe. Okay, you could make it, but it might be slightly less than the best, albeit strangest, pasta recipe you've ever made.

Fusilli with Sweet Corn

• 3 ears white or yellow sweet corn (I use 6, what the heck, this is Indiana for crying out loud. We got corn here.
• 1 lb. fusilli
• 1/3 cup butter at room temp (substitution subject to criminal prosecution)
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (a little more won't kill you)
• salt and pepper

Cook the corn. Remove from pot. Cook the pasta in the corn water. Cut the corn off the cob. Drain the pasta. Mix everything together. Serve at once.

Love that pasta,
Julie

---

From: Vicki Rosenzweig
Subject: Spoon: recipe: rice pilaf
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 96 13:07:00 PDT

This is the only recipe I can really claim. I got it, about 20 years ago, from Al Bennick, a friend of my parents': he brought it to a pot-luck and I decided I needed to know how to make it.

Mandatory ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter or margarine
• 1 onion
• 1 handful thin egg noodles
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups broth (I use a can of chicken broth, thinned with a little water)
• 1 bay leaf
• black pepper

Optional ingredients:

• 1 handful (1-2 ounces) raisins or dried cranberries
• 1 stick cinnamon, or a pinch of powdered cinnamon
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 3-4 whole green cardamom seeds
• any leftover meat

Instructions:

Melt the butter over a low light, in a Dutch oven or other middle-sized covered pot. When the butter is melted, add the onions, and saute a few minutes (until they're soft, but not yet brown). Add the noodles, and saute briefly. Now, add the rice, and saute until it becomes translucent. You should be stirring fairly steadily through all this.

When the rice has become translucent, add the broth and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and add the black pepper. Also add any of the optional flavorings except the meat. Simmer on very low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed. If you're using leftover meat, add it about five minutes before you're done cooking (that is, 15 minutes after the liquid comes to a boil).

Serves 2 people as a main dish, or 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Notes: Almost any leftover meat should work. Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup if you have that much, but even scraps can add a nice flavor. Roast duck is particularly nice, if you happen to have it. I sometimes stop off in Chinatown and buy a quarter of a roast duck just to use in this recipe.

You can use any or all of the optional ingredients (except that using both raisins and cranberries would probably be excessive). I haven't listed salt because commercial broth has as much as this needs; if you're using a homemade stock, you might want to use a little salt, or let people add salt at the table. Other spices would probably work, depending on what you're used to and what you're serving this with. Using all of fruit, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon gives the pilaf a vaguely Middle Eastern or Indian feeling.

Vicki Rosenzweig
rosenzweig@acm.org

---

Date: Mon, 26 Aug 96 21:56 GMT+1200
From: Jane
Subject: Re: Spoon: Recipes from the Spoon

Here's a favourite Polynesian recipe of mine. :-)

Marinated Raw Fish

• 680 g very fresh fish
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 cup canned coconut cream

Cut fish into cubes, sprinkle with salt, and leave for several minutes. Place in a small bowl with the onion, and pour lemon juice to cover. Leave in fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours, but preferably overnight, until the fish has turned white. Pour off the excess lemon juice and stir in coconut cream, before serving, as an entree.

I love this stuff so much, I've eaten the whole bowl full at one sitting!

Jane

---

From: monique@idcnet.com
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 20:58:31 -0500
Subject: Spoon: Another recipe

I don't send recipes. But I was starting to feel left out. It was so sad. So here goes.

Corn

First of all, plant early in the year. If you don't think you planted enough throw more in later. This will result in uneven unsightly rows but the corn doesn't care.

When the corn is almost done, but not quite because you didn't plant early enough, have your next door neighbor, an elderly gentleman named Gilbert, leave a bag of fresh corn by your garage when you're at work. Gilbert is an experienced farmer, and his corn is in straight rows. Since he lives alone he always leaves us some, even though we're growing our own. Perhaps Gilbert feels sorry for us and our sickly corn.

While you're outside playing with the dogs start the water boiling. Okay, start the water boiling before you go outside because doing both at the same time would be hard. When you come back in shuck the corn and exclaim over Gilbert's farming ability. Throw the corn in the boiling water. While it cooks do the dishes. Then melt some butter with a bit of olive oil and garlic. When the corn is done put it on a white dish. Put the melted butter over it and salt and pepper to taste.

Eat.

When you're done eating sneak over to Gilbert's in the dark of night and steal more corn.

Tomorrow:

Sliced tomatoes. From the garden.

monique
monique@idcnet.com
(I'm way way too too repetitive.)

---

Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 23:10:37 -0400
From: Janet Hess
Subject: Spoon: Ratatouille, sorta, fer Siddalee, mostly

Hey there, world. I'm in my City Mouse in the Country mode at the moment: I'm housesitting for a friend who is off houseboating on a lake in Pennsylvania. She has a townhouse in the far Virginia suburbs, quite a change from my city apartment.

Actually, I'm not housesitting at all; I'm helping myself to the miracle of tending Jan's cats.

Flanney, bless her, is 16 (she can drive now) and sweet and gorgeous. She's named for Flannery O'Connor and she's a splendid calico. Flanney has a heart condition, and twice daily I "pill" her. She's remarkably gentle, loving, and soft, and she withstands the indignity of having medication shoved down her throat every two hours with far more grace than I could muster, were our roles reversed.

Jones, aka Joneserino, is four. I gave her to Jan so I've been dubbed the dadder-lady (Jan is the mommer). Jones is named for Joni Mitchell. Her hobby is food. If I can't find Jones, all I have to do is go into the kitchen and pick up the can opener. Whooooosh! Jones, at your service. She has a perpetual serious expression; this is no flighty cat. She loves being brushed.

Reginald P. (for Pissant) Underfoot is the boy toy in the family. He's four, too, and he looooves the litterbox. He also adores empty cigarette packages and will retrieve one for the rest of his life or yours, whichever comes first. He defines frisky. But he also, bless him, allows me to stroke his fur and talk to him. I nicknamed him King Silverfisher (he's a beautiful supple silver grey) and the lad has the class to respond when I call him that.

So I get to pill and feed and play and clean the litterbox, and mete out catnip. Tomorrow night I head into the city for the night so as to have another sleep study done in the horsepistol. By this time tomorrow night I will be totally wired, even if not on the Net. The computers will record whether or not I seem to dream. Indeed.

Then I will come back out to the outskirts of Sterling, Virginia, and tend the kittykids and let them tend me.

Curiously, when I was preparing this country mouse jaunt, I whipped up a batch of ratatouille (hey, this is a post about ratatouille; remember ratatouille, Alice and Arlo?). So mine isn't especially authentic, ok? But I do love this stuff.

Sorta Ratatouille

Take some good olive oil (splurge a little). Heat it, add as many cloves of garlic as you think you can live with, add at least one good sized onion, let it soften nicely.

At this point I add a green bell pepper and, if I have one, a red bell pepper, too. (I love onions, red pepper and zucchini together. In anything, except possibly cheesecake.) Let the onions & peppers cook a bit, and add a couple of zucchini, sliced fairly thin (some would cube 'em. Let 'em.) & cook a bit. Add a largish eggplant, cubed. Cook until clearly done. Then add as many good fresh nice ripe red tomatoes as you have, and season. I ususally add salt & pepper, basil, oregano...and anything else that feels right. Smoosh this stuff together and let it stew a bit. Serve any way you can think of and several that you can't possibly imagine. (Almost any vegetable could probably be added; I often mushroom mine.)

For some reason, I have found that this ratatouille makes an almost ideal BREAKFAST food, when accompanied by whole wheat toast and sharp cheese and rich coffee. Mmmmmmm. Also, I often find that I want corn with the ratatouille. (Ok, I admit it: good fresh sweet corn is splendid with everything, and this ratatouille is no exception.)

This year I've had ratatouille in my fridge all summer long. Can't see being without it when it's so easy and cheap...so enjoy, please. And send me ratatouille dreams so the scientists at the horsepistol won't be bored tomorrow night. Cheerz,

Janet

---

Subject: Red Beans & Rice
From: PSNOVAK%UTMBGALV@mhost.utmb.edu (PSNOVAK)
Date: 29 Aug 96 12:38:31 EDT

I saw your request for an *authentic* red beans & rice recipe and I realized that I just had to dig around in all my old cookbooks to see what I could find. What I found was the 1971 re-printing of a 1901 Creole Cookbook originally published by the Picayune Press. I hadn't seen this book since I moved to Galveston from Connecticut way back in '94. I checked through it and found what you might be looking for. I tried it. Plain, simple food. Totally enjoyable.

"Red Beans & Rice
(Haricots Rouges au Riz)

• 1 Quart of Dried Red Beans
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Onion
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Tablespoon of Butter
• 1 Pound of Ham or Salt Meat (I used a combination or ham shank and salt pork - more ham than pork ! :=} )
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Wash the beans and soak them over night, or at least five or six hours, in fresh cold water. When ready to cook, drain off this water and put the beans in a pot of cold water, covering with at least two quarts, for beans must cook thoroughly. Let the water heat slowly. Then add the ham or salt pork and the herbs and onion and carrot, minced fine. Boil the beans at least two hours, or until tender enough to mash easily under pressure. When tender, remove from the pot, put the salt meat or ham on top of the dish, and serve hot as a vegetable, with boiled rive as an entre, with Veal Saute, Daube a la Mode, Grillades a la Sauce, etc."

.....hope you enjoy !

Paul S. Novak From: Lost Creek Ranch
Subject: Spoon: Emu Meatballs
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 15:48:09 -0500

Hi!

This came in on the ratite maillist, so I can't claim it as mine but it sounds good to me. Plain ol' hamburger will work just as well. Or deer. Maybe 'roo? Here it is.....

Points to remember - emu doesn't change to the "expected" color of beef when it is cooked. It has a reddish appearance. Do not over cook - start with your favorite traditional beef recipes but always cut the cooking time by about 1/2. Emu is a delicate meat, similiar to veal as far as seasoning go. It absorbs the flavors rapidly.

Here's a couple of "meatball" recipes for you to try:

Meatballs in Beer

• 1 slightly beaten egg
• 3/4 C beer
• 1 1/2 C bread crumbs
• 3 tsp instant minced onion
• 1 1/2 lb ground emu
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 C milk

Combine all ingredients except soup & milk. Shape into 1" meatballs; saute, turning once, in skillet sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Combine milk & soup; add to skillet. Bring to a soft boil; reduce heat & simmer 10 minutes.

Serves 6 - 8

Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce

• 1 1/2 lb ground emu
• 1/2 C Italian flavored bread crumbs
• 1/2 C milk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 4 TBS grated Parmesan or Romano
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp mixed Italian seasoning
• 2 tbs minced parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all of the above, except olive oil. Shape into 1" meatballs & brown in oil.

Add 3 C sliced mushroom, 1/2 C thinly sliced onion to the skillet. Saute, adding additional oil if needed until onion is translucent. Drain any oil.

Sauce - 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 C crushed or diced tomatoes, 1 C tomato juice, salt & pepper to taste, 1 small bay leaf; add to skillet. Simmer until flavors are blended - approx. 20 minutes.

Serves 4 - 6

***************************

Heck, even I can cook these! I can vouch for emu being a delicate meat as far as seasoning goes.... we made a monster sized meatloaf (the only size!) with our usual recipe, it has ketchup in it and the ketchup was a strong flavor! Next time, I'll use half!

Our meatloaf is usually floating in grease when it comes from the oven, buying 'extra lean' hamburger doesn't help much. The emuloaf had no!, nada!, zip! grease. Emu looks like and tastes like beef. Not chicken.

Paul

No matter where you go, there you are.

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From: Kate_North@ipc.co.uk
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 17:38:14 +0100
Subject: Spoon: in the kitchen again...

Fellow cutlery...

So. Have ya'll finished up that soup? Ready for the next course? All right, then. Grab your fork and knife this time, and have a taste of these

Overstuffed Corgettes (Zucchini)

• 1 cup wild rice
• olive oil
• 3 or 4 slices bacon, cut small (can be omitted)
• 1 leek, chopped small
• 2 medium carrots, chopped small
• 1 green pepper, chopped small
• 2 large corgettes
• 1 tin anchovies
• oregano, parsley, basil, thyme, red pepper, s&p -- to taste
• 3 or 4 small tomatoes, cut in small pieces (I like to use Italian Plum tomatoes)
• 1 tin white beans (eg cannelini) or kidney beans

Put the rice on to cook. While this is happening, brown the leek in some olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes, then add the carrots and green pepper. Let these cook on medium heat for a while, while you prepare the corgette. Cut the ends off, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds/pulp with a spoon. You can save some of this to add to the stuffing, but the very pulpy bit isn't really worth it, IMHO. You should have about 1/4 inch thickness left on the corgette shells. or so. it's flexible. Add the reserved corgette bits, the tin of anchovies (oil and all), the spices (I use about 1 tsp each or so (a little less, I guess) -- and less s&p), the tomatoes and the beans. Stir around for a bit, then add some water. You don't really want enough to cover the mixture, but you don't want it to dry out and/or burn. Reduce the heat and let it cook until the rice is done, and maybe 15 minutes more than that.

When the rice is cooked and the veggies in the stuffing are tender and yummy, add the rice to the mixture. Place the corgette shells in a broiler pan or other flat pan and add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan. This helps the corgettes cook. Then load the corgettes with as much filling as you can without it falling off into the water in the bottom of the pan.

Cook for about 20-30 minutes at about 180C/350F. Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side or starter (in my house, anyway)

notes:

1. okay, this is one of those recipes where you can add whatever you like in the way of veg. I change it a lot. Sometimes it's nicer than other times, but this combination always works well. Even without the bacon and/or anchovies.
2. Don't be scared of anchovies. In this amount of filling, they simply add a nice, slight (very slight) hint of fish, and some saltiness.
3. You may have a hard time finding LARGE corgettes. I grow them in my garden, so I can let them get as big as I want. If you can't find large ones, just use small ones, but use more of them. It's easy.
4. If you do try this recipe and are frantically trying to figure out how on earth I got all that stuffing into two corgettes, the answer is that I didn't When I make this, I always save some for the next day, so that I can stuff peppers with it... (All you do is cut the tops off, stuff the stuffing in, put them upright in a saucepan -- make sure you wedge them so they don't tip over and then add water to about 2/3 way up the peppers. Then put the lid on, bring to a boil, and cook for about 30 min(?) or however long it takes the peppers to get tender. yum yum yum)

happy eating! Join us Monday (I only have email at work) for dessert...

kate

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From: forrest@main.com
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 18:52:58 -0600
Subject: Forrest's "Chili-as-Heck" Pie*

Here is the only thing I am famous for! This is my recipie for your *Spoon Cookbook! Thank you for taking on the project. It will be a gas to recieve everyone's favorites. Thank you for showing an interest. Anyway here goes . . .

*Forrest's "Chili-as-Heck" Pie*

Note; This is one of those recipes that you can change to your liking. If you have a favorite Chili recipe you can use that one instead of the one I will provide you here. Be brave, and if you like it the first time, experiment to get the recipe to your suit taste. To be honest with you, I have never prepared this the same twice, yet alone write it down. Use a little more, a little less, something else or whatever. (Tuna doesn't work so well though-just thought you might need to know.) This is the basic recipe, so have fun with it . . .

• 1 pound hamburger or cubed sirloin (use the lean stuff)
• 1 large onion, chopped (about one cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) whole tomatoes
• 2 medium stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder (or more)
• 2 teaspoons salt (optional but I like it)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (I use 3 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or a little more)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) pinto beans, save drained liquid (or the beans you like best) Note: If you use the "Ranch" seasoned beans, omit the salt-too much is a real bummer.
• 2 or 3 packages "Jiffy Corn Muffin" mix (3 works better)
• 1 cup plus grated your favorite cheese (I like M-Jack, more is better)
• 3 or 4 pinches dried parsley flakes

Cook and stir the hamburger, onion and garlic in 3-quart saucepan until hamburger is light brown, (or to your liking); drain. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), celery, chili powder, salt, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour (more or less) stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until hot, about 15 minutes stirring occasionally (this simmer time can be omitted if you are in a hurry). Check the consistency, if too thick stir in bean liquid or water or both (too thick doesn't work as well).

Toward the end of the chili cooking, preheat the oven to the temp as directed for the corn muffin mix. Prepare all corn muffin mixes as directed on the box.

Evenly spread the chili mixture into 9x11 baking dish (glass allows you to see when cooking). Now carefully pour and spread the corn muffin mix over the chili (if no chili shows on top the finished pie looks better). Bake as directed on the corn muffin box but check. Golden brown on top-cracks ok (do the toothpick thing if you wish).

Remove from oven-sprinkle grated cheese evenly on top (give a little cheese to the dog now at your feet). Sprinkle parsley flakes over cheese. Depending on the cheese let it melt out of the oven or set it back in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese (too much heat here makes the cheese leathery).

Now eat! For me this is one serving! ENJOY!

Your "Chili-as-Heck" friend,

Forrest 8{)

---

Date: Sat, 28 Dec 1996 12:14:47 -0600 (CST)
From: "Dale M. Parish"
Subject: Gumbeaux Recipe'

Ah, gumbo is a dish of the deep southern Louisiana, and my mother-in-law, whom the kids call "Nanny," makes some of the best. She's a Francois out of Cormier married into Montagne, and has a petit bit of Cajun Cooking experience. We discussed her recipe-- her speciality is shrimp gumbo, but gumbo comes in fish (poisson), okra, crab, duck, rabbit, crawfish... the list goes on . She now cooks on a gas stove, and we've tried to include enough details here to let someone make out with reasonable improvisations.

Her mamon used a single cast iron pot like I have on my fireplace-- a cast iron kettle-- to make the roux and gumbo all in one, but she was cooking on a wood stove and Nanny cooks on a gas stove now, and uses a cast iron skillet to make the roux, and a modernistical stainless steel pot in which to make the gumbeaux.

Take a large pot-- about 2 gallons-- fill it about 3/4 full of water and lite a fire under it. Add

• 2 BIG onions - chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt

Let this come to a boil and then turn down the fire to keep just above a simmering boil. Now start the roux.

The roux (pronounced rue) is the secret of gumbo. Cecil, here is where your mother wasn't wrong, but where Nanny strays from the traditional Cajun recipe books. Most Cajun recipes call for about 50/50 oil/flour mixes. This makes it pretty greasy. We believe the reason for this is that it makes it easier on the cook-- with that much oil, you can't burn the roux as easily. With the way Nanny makes roux, you CAN NOT leave the roux unstired for even 30 seconds or you can scorch it. If you scorch it, you need to start over. But I think this is the reason that Nanny's gumbo's so much better than everyone elses-- not too greasy.

In a large cast iron skillet, add

one half cup of oil.

Nanny uses Mazolla-- and you are literally going to fry

2 cups of flour

in it. Slowly sift the flour into the oil and stir CONSTANTLY. This is the tiring part-- it can take a while, but continue to stir in the flour and stir until the flour turns a chocolate brown. Watch the heat so you don't burn/scorch the roux. Then KEEP stiring until it's throughly mixed and all the same color. Be sure when you turn off the fire that you keep stiring until the skillet's cooled a bit.

When the roux is finished, turn out the fire under the gumbo pot and let it cool a bit so that when you add the roux, it won't sputter and splatter on you. Spoon the roux into the gumbo pot and stir until it's mixed into the onion/spice stock. After the roux is mixed into the gumbo, lite the fire again and bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium heat-- less than a rolling boil, but stronger than a simmer, and leave it for 30-35 minutes. Then stir in

2 pounds cleaned shrimp (or Okra, rabbit, crawfish, etc.)

and let it come back up to a boil, after which you turn down the fire and leave on a medium heat as above for another 30 minutes. After you turn the fire off, sprinkle lightly

1/4 teaspoon of gumbo file'

If you can't get file' (pronounced fee-LAY) locally, holler and I'll send you a package. Gumbo file is really nothing more than dried, ground-to-a-fine powder sassafras leaves. You remember sassafras, don't you, Cecil? Sasspirella? The roots of which Root Beer is made. Used to love hitting one of those with the bushhog-- the woods smelled like an explosion in a rootbeer factory for acres. ;-)

Down here, when Nanny makes gumbo, the file' is also served like salt and pepper, and some of the family will sprinkle a half-teaspoon over each bowl they eat. You HAVE to eat gumbo over rice. Short grained rice, not the yankee rice.

Hope you try it-- sure it won't be as good as you remember your mothers-- nothin ever is-- especially after three quarters of a century. But if you're interested, we've got some more recipes in all these southeren Louisiana cookbooks we've collected for other gumbos-- okra, etc. My dad insists that you don't put tomatoes in gumbo-- that's for chili. But then the only gumbo he will make is crab. Go figgure.

Hugs,
Dale

---

Date: Sat, 28 Dec 1996 18:46:58 -0800
From: ctalley@cyberg8t.com (Cecil)
Subject: Re: Spoon: Gumbo

Here is a gumbo recipe that Marty sent me. If you try it let me know how you like it.

Mahalia Jackson's Okra Gumbo
Serves 12

• 4 ea Blue crabs, lg
• 4 lb Shrimp
• Oil
• 1 1/2 lb Beef stew meat, in 1" cubes
• 1 lb Cooked ham, cut in 1" cubes
• 1 lb Link sausage, sliced
• 1/2 lb Chicken gizzards, sliced
• 1 lb Salt pork, cut in 1/2" cubes
• 2 cn Whole tomatoes (1-lb 12 oz)
• 4 ea Bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 ea Onions, lg, diced
• 2 ea Gn bell peppers, lg, diced
• 5 ea Celery stalks, diced
• 4 ea Cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 lb Chicken wings and backs
• 1 1/2 lb Okra, fresh
• 1/4 c Sugar
• 1/4 c Parsley flakes, dried
• Salt, pepper
• Hot cooked rice
• Hot pepper sauce (optional)
• Crackers (optional)

Clean crabs, discarding spongy substance in main shell. Reserve claws and other meaty portions. Clean shrimp, reserving shells. Place shrimp shells in deep saucepan with water to cover generously and simmer 30 minutes or longer to make broth. Pour oil into heavy skillet to depth of 1/8 inch. Heat and add beef, ham, sausage, gizzards and salt pork. Saute until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Pour meat mixture into large kettle and add 1 can tomatoes and enough strained shrimp broth to cover generously. Add bay leaves, cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons more oil in skillet and add onions, green peppers, celery and garlic. Saute until lightly browned, stirring now and then. Add vegetable mixture and chicken parts to kettle and simmer 30 minutes longer. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy skillet, add okra and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and loses stickiness, about 30 minutes. Add shrimp to okra and saute 3 or 4 minutes longer, or until shrimp turns pink. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar. Add okra mixture to kettle. Drain second can of tomatoes, reserving liquid. Add tomatoes, crab and enough tomato liquid and water from shrimp shells to keep mixture in kettle soupy. Simmer about 30 minutes. Add parsley flakes and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once or refrigerate and reheat later. Serve over hot rice in deep soup bowls. Pass hot pepper sauce and crackers with gumbo, if desired.

And here are some more that Bobby Drummond sent:

Creole Shrimp Gumbo

YIELD: 6 servings

• 6 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups seafood stock or water
• 1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled
• 1 1/2 pounds okra, raw and cut into "dimes"
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Dash of Tabasco
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil and add flour, stirring over low heat until roux is very brown. Stir constantly to prevent burning (about 30 to 45 minutes). (This step is essential: the browned roux gives the gumbo its distinctive flavor). Add onions and cook until transparent; add bell pepper and garlic, continuing to stir over low heat.

Add stock (or water) and stir until mixture thickens and resembles a dark gravy. Add tomatoes and 2 more cups of water. Cook for about 15 minutes, until boiling thoroughly. Add raw shrimp and cook slowly for another 15 minutes. Add okra and seasonings and cook 20 minutes. Correct seasoning and simmer 15 minutes.

Note: Gumbo is better the second day; it is a good dish to make in advance to permit "ripening" of seasonings. Some cooks add chicken, crab, and sausage to the mixture. Serve over rice as entree or in a small bowl as a first course.

No Creole cook could be forgiven for serving sticky rice. Each grain must be separate. Because rice grows in the Delta and it is a staple of tables, one must prepare it properly.

Fluffy Rice

YIELD: 6 servings

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• Water, enough to cover rice by 1 inch
• 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt

In saucepan, cover rice with water. Add butter and salt, and let water come to a boil. (If using converted rice, cover pot.) Cook on medium heat until water level is even with level of rice; cover pot, lower heat, and let rice steam for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1-4 lb. Chicken - Jointed
• 1 c. All Purpose Flour
• 3 T. Butter
• 3 T. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Ham, Bone
• 3 Med. Onions, Chopped
• 3 c. Celery, Chopped
• 3 c. Stewed Tomatoes
• 3 Pints Young Okra, Chopped
• 2 Qt. Water
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Directions:

Roll jointed chicken in flour. In a large saucepan, brown chicken in butter and oil. Add hambone, onions, celery, stewed tomatoes and okra. Add two quarts of cold water and simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over boiled potatoes or rice.

Frank's Place New Orleans Gumbo

• 1 c Chopped onions
• 1 c Chopped celery
• 1 c Chopped green bell pepper
• 2 Cloves garlic,minced
• 1/4 c Butter or margarine
• 1/4 c Flour,all-purpose
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 ds Tabasco sauce
• 5 Bay leaves
• 1 cn Tomatoes,drained (16 oz)
• 1 c Tomato juice
• 5 c Hot water
• 3 c Shrimp,shelled/deveined
• 6 Small hard-shell crabs
• 24 Shucked oysters
• 1 lb Okra,chopped
• 3 c Hot cooked rice
• Chopped fresh parsley

1. In large Dutch oven, gently saute onion, celery and bell pepper in butter; add garlic and continue to sauce 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and slowly stir in flour.
3. Add salt, pepper, Tabasco, bay leaves, tomatoes and tomato juice; simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the hot water, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and okra; cover and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Spoon a few tablespoons cooked rice in each of six large soup bowls; ladle gumbo onto rice and garnish with parsley.

I'm sure I'll be getting more. Jana has several.

Regards,
Cecil

---

Subject: Spoon: My birthday breakfast
From: gail22@juno.com (Gail A. Richards)
Date: Mon, 07 Oct 1996 13:40:47 EDT

AHEM! (insert throat-clearing noise here)

May I have your attention, please?

I was going to just ignore my birthday this year. But, since Cecil spilled the beans and I'm already in party mode from celebrating *his* birthday, we may as well get to it. I would like to request for breakfast tomorrow...

WAFFLES

Not just any waffles, please. They must be Belgian Waffles.

Oh.

Well, I have the recipe that I used in the restaurant. Wait a minute while I figure how to cut it down a bit.

(mutter, mumble, divided by, humm, three into, mutter, oops not there, mumble)

Okay.

Belgian Waffles

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup dairy sour cream
• a half-cup of milk
• 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine (I use butter) melted
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stiffly beaten egg white

You need three bowls.

In one bowl blend together the egg yolk, sour cream, milk, and melted butter (measure first--*then* melt).

In the second bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the third bowl beat the egg white until it is so stiff you can turn the bowl upside down without dumping the egg white.

Stir the sifted dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture; use an electric mixer to beat it smooth.

Fold in the egg white...gently here. Leave a few fluffs. Be careful not to over mix.

Bake the batter in a preheated waffle baker. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes with a commercial Belgian waffle iron. I'm sorry I don't know how long it takes with a regular waffle iron.

This recipe will make two 10-inch waffles.

To top these babies we can use just about anything. Butter and hot maple syrup. Sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Blueberries and whipped cream. Blackberries and whipped cream. For Cecil, hot caramel, chopped pecans, and whipped cream. Peaches and whipped cream. If you have a strong stomach and a large appetite try sliced bananas, a scoop of ice cream, some chopped nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry on top! Or mix and match toppings.

Would somebody please run to the store and buy more whipping cream?

I'll set up my waffle irons.

Kitchen helpers! We need help in the kitchen!

Who wants to run the mixer? It's a good thing my birthday isn't until tomorrow. It'll take till then to make the whipped cream!

Good grief!

I forgot!

This is a *SECRET* recipe!

Gail Richards
gail22@juno.com

---

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 15:29:42 PST
Subject: Spoon: Breakfast Casserole...
From: tdayjr@juno.com (TRAVIS R DAY)

I've seen this around with less eggs, sauces, etc, but this is the way WE MAKE Breakfast Casserole. This is great for a Saturday/Sunday morning (or a day off). We make sure we make this when we can sit back and enjoy. We wake up early, (anytime before the kids get up), put on a pot of coffee and get out the mixing bowl.......

• 12 eggs
• 1 lb. sausage (or ham or bacon, but sausage is my favorite)
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 slices toast, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown and crumble sausage. (This is happening after you put the coffee on)....Beat eggs, cheese, milk, toast, salt and pepper. Then add sausage. Pour in baking dish (I use the small dark-glass oblong pan in the bottom left had cabinet....(smaller than the 9x13, you figure it out, I'm not a cook, I just grab that pan each time):-) Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Do not overcook.

Now....it only takes a few minutes to prepare. When you put the pan in the oven, pour your cup of coffee. Head to the back patio, (ever so quietly so not to wake a soul), enjoy your coffee, talk, relax, enjoy. As the smell of the Casserole flows through the house, the kids automatically start waking up. By the time it's done, everyone is up and ready to eat. When you remove the Casserole from the oven, spread a little more cheese across the top to your liking.

Matthew, my 8 year old added to the recipe.....he decided to put pancake syrup on his. It actually is very good. We usually eat one piece with syrup and one without.......

Hope you like it. I even take this to the office periodically. (With a bottle of syrup).

Enjoy,
Tday

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Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 21:32:56 -0500 (CDT)
From: jhazelton@texoma.net (Juanita Hazelton)
Subject: Spoon: Chocolate Gravy

Just one more:

This is a recipe handed down for several generations in my Mother's family. Until recently, I thought no one else had ever heard of chocolate gravy. If it was mentioned, people said "Yeech! Chocolate gravy? For breakfast?"

Mother's Chocolate Gravy

On Sunday mornings, we would all five beg Mother for chocolate gravy. She usually complied. First, she had to make an extra large pan of homemade biscuits, the big fluffy kind. She mixed the dough and patted it out on her bread board, and then rolled it with her wooden rolling pen, cutting out uniformly round biscuits with the little biscuit cutter. Sometimes she let me cut out the biscuits. When I was little, I would stand on a chair, with her apron tied around my chest. I would be very careful to place the cutter next to the biscuit previously cut so that no dough was wasted, just as she showed me. The pan would be generously oiled, and the biscuits placed on it, then turned over to make sure both sides were oiled. Any left over dough was rolled together, patted out and cut into circles. These last biscuits were not smooth circles like the others, but rough. We called them "Old Scrappy" biscuits. They were tougher than the other biscuits, but when we were down to the last biscuits, who cared!

Then, while the biscuits were in the oven rising from flat circles into fluffy golden brown mounds, Mother would make the chocolate gravy.

• 3/4 c sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. flour
• 4 c milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Sift the sugar, cocoa and flour into saucepan.
Blend in milk gradually and add vanilla.
Cook over medium heat until thickened.
Serve over hot buttered biscuits.

Makes four servings. Of course, Mother always made a huge panful! And then it was never enough.

Today, when the grandkids come to visit, they always beg for chocolate gravy. Grandma's always meant chocolate gravy for breakfast, and chocolate gravy always meant grandma's.

I know of two other families who have passed this favorite dish down through several generations, both of them Texas families. Mother was from Oklahoma. Is it a regional dish? Anyone else out there ever heard of chocolate gravy?

Juanita