andiesenji

Meemaw's Pork Mincemeat and a Christmas cake. This is a recipe for pork mincemeat - a very old recipe from my paternal great-grandmothr and grandmother via my dad's eldest sister, 101 years young as of 8/6/06. My aunt said that one of the "problems" of making this stuff was that if Meemaw (and now her) turns her back after the roasting, some of it would "disappear" and she would catch one of her sons tucking into a leftover biscuit with a bit too much gusto. This is a reduced size recipe. Meemaw made 8 quarts in a batch and usually made two or three batches. My aunt cut it down when she began making it 40 or 50 years ago. She hasn't made it for several years but our discussion has reminded her just how good it was and she is going to make a batch this week. She said her husband liked it layered in between layers of "Johnnycake" or sweetened cornbread. She would make 4 or 5 thin layers of sweetened cornbread, with buttered brown paper on the top during baking so it wouldn't form a crust. After putting the cake together with the mincemeat in between the layers, she would drizzle "raisin wine" on it. Which is simply sherry in which raisins (or other dried fruits) have been soaking for some time. She would then wrap it tightly in muslin with more of the liquid drizzled over it and then in "tin" foil. However she would store it in the ice box, usually hidden behind the vegetables to keep the boys out of it The mincemeat mixture is good in dressing or stuffing for fowl or pork. It is also good in fried pies or little tarts. I also seem to remember that Meemaw made a side dish with this mincemeat and chestnuts. Since I didn't spend as much time at their house as I did with my other grandparents, my memories are not as sharp. Ingredients: Pork Mincemeat 1 1/2 pounds (prepare at least a week ahead) See below for recipe. currants or sultanas 15 oz chopped pecans 2 cups vanilla 1 Tablespoon rum or brandy 1/4 cup (or a mixture of the two) butter melted 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 cups eggs, separated 3 extra large baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons water 1/4 cup cake or pastry flour 3 cups 1. Preheat oven to 275°. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan (can use bundt pan) 2. in a large bowl, combine mincemeat, currants or sultanas, nuts, vanilla and liquor - set aside 3. In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar and egg yolks: beat well. Combine baking soda and water, add to mixture. 4. Sift flour over mincemeat mixture, stir to mix well. Combine contents of both bowls; mix well. (Batter will be stiff) 5. In small bowl of mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. 6. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 275° for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until done. (Cake will pull away from sides of pan) 7. cool slightly, remove from pan. Cool completely and wrap to store. (Wrap in cheesecloth - *spritz with rum, brandy, flavored brandy or flavored liquor - then wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil) Place in cake tin. Cake keeps very well. * I keep a small spritzer bottle in the kitchen just for liquor - the alcohol will evaporate rapidly from cooked foods and will evaporate in about 3 days when used on baked goods like this cake - for people like me who have an allergy to alcohol. This method uses much less alcohol than pouring it on the cake and there is less chance of having soggy lumps saturated with liquor. There is a commercial rum and brandy mix that is usually only available during the holidays. With the addition of vanilla - about 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of the liquor, this gives a very nice flavor to this type of cake. Cherry Heering or Peter Heering the cherry liquer is also an excellent flavoring for fruit cakes. ------------------------------- MeeMaw's Pork Mincemeat 1 pound lean cooked pork cut into strips 1/3 pound pork fat cut into strips 1 pound dried apples cut into pieces 1 pound Sultanas or golden raisins 1 pound mixed peel 1/2 pound citron 1/2 pound dried pineapple 1/2 pound blanched almonds zest and juice of one large orange zest and juice of two lemons zest and juice of one grapefruit 1 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 1 teaspoon allspice, freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2/3 cup sweet sherry 1/2 cup brandy 1/2 cup rum Gather the first 8 ingredients on a tray or platter. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Using a food grinder with the coarsest blade, alternate ingredients as you put them through the grinder so they are combined in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold everything. After grinding, mix well with your hands. Add the next 8 ingredients, cover tightly and cook for 2 hours. Remove from oven. Place a metal colander in a large pan, line with cheesecloth and spoon the mixture into the colander. Stir gently, turning the mixture over to drain away most of the liquid fat. Return the mixture to the cooking pot. Add the sherry, brandy and rum, stir well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into sterilized jars, cover tightly and store in a cool place for one week prior to use. Once opened, store in refrigerator. ( RG1812 )

Since I only have two tomato plants this year, I haven't really had any green ones, or not enough at one time to make much of anything. However the nice produce man at Vallarta, the Mexican supermarket is going to get some for me. I plan to make some of the chutney, some of the pie filling and some mincemeat - I don't really have a recipe for the latter - I just add stuff until it tastes right. I make this particular stuff with dried beef and turkey jerky that I make myself.

You can make up this pie filling and can it for use later. Green tomato pie and this Green tomato chutney is fantastic with meat or cheese. Also, you can pick the mature, green tomatoes, clipping the stem so you have less than 1/2 inch of stem, then wrap each tomato tightly in newspaper and place them in a single layer basket or on a shelf where air can circulate around the wrapped fruit. Check on the fruit once a week. When ready to use, unwrap and place on a sunny windowsill to ripen. You can force the ripening faster by putting the tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple for a couple of days.

Here I am, bumping up yet another topic because of something seen in the newest NapaStyle catalog. Note the extensive selections of (somewhat pricey) salts. However, some are rather neat, with the containers included with a selection of "rare and unusual salts" from around the world. Salts and containers. After all, only 88 shopping days till Christmas (I think!)

I am bumping this topic up because I found yet another "Garlic-Smasher" thingy, just in case Fifi needs something else in the Stainless Steel line. Garlic "roller" recommended by Michael Chiarello I have to admit I have never seen anything quite like this and wonder just who came up with the idea.

I have a large collection of Bundt pans, including one of the very first ones made by NordicWare and sold through a Hadassah group in Minnesota - purchased by my mother and passed on to me. It is a very large pan, will hold 12 cups of batter which may rise slightly over the top, however with very dense cakes, that rise very little, it will hold 15 cups of batter. Earlier this year NordicWare introduced the Limited Edition Original Bundt Cake pan which is advertised at 10-15 cups. These are all American measurements. 60th Anniversary Bundt pan and, it has holes in the "ears" to make it easy to hang up for display. The pan itself. And just this month, NordicWare has introduced the newest Bundt pan, the Stadium pan. which I think is pretty nifty. needless to say, I have ordered one. There are a lot of possibilities for this pan, not just a football stadium, but also I have visions of making an ice hockey arena - ice cream cake, with a slab of ice cream for the base, topped with the cake arena. About.com has lots of advice about baking with Bundt pans. In an email received today, Cooking.com noted this cake turntable for rectangular cakes is now on sale. It should be handy for half sheet cakes and cakes like the Stadium Bundt cake.

I have also had success with several of the recipes in this book. I use a wood dough bowl for mixing and use the plastic (actually mine is nylon) scraper that is flat on one side and rounded on the other. I have to admit that I am also not above using a box mix from time to time. I took a bread machine to my office for our potluck days - cold weather stuff - and the mixes that need only water work very well. They are also pretty much foolproof for the beginning baker to get the "feel" of yeast dough. Several people I have taught, began with these easy mixes and have gone on to exceptionally complex breads. I am a big fan of the bread machine for working and rising the dough when I am making a single large loaf or two small ones. I don't bake the loaf in the machine, I prefer to shape and bake the dough myself. I bought a box of the Hawaiian Royal Sweet Bread Machine Mix at Albertson's market last weekend. This "Classic Hearth" bread mix from Continental Mills (also markets Krusteaz and Eagle Mills) is as good as I can make from scratch, and I have tried several recipes.

Check health food stores in your area. There are several companies that produce frozen foods (including sausage-types) that are very low in salt. The Mrs. Dash products are salt-free and there are several flavors. There is one with a cheese flavor that adds a lot of flavor without adding salt to meats. It is not carried at every supermarket, but can often be found in all varieties at health food stores. I also recommend this cookbook?

I am not usually a fan of commercial mixes, however, I recently was given a can of this "Barefoot Contessa's favorite" mix and I have found it to be very good. There is also a regular mix but I like a more complex flavor and have long made a recipe from scratch that is half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour or sometimes White Lily flour. I also make waffles using my cornbread recipe substituting flour for up to half of the cornmeal and adding a couple of tablespoons of sugar. I thought my recipe was in RecipeGullet, however I don't see it there and will post it in a little while.

GRAMMAW'S BLACK-SKILLET CORNBREAD Serves 8. This is a dense, hearty bread, it will hold together when dipped in navy bean soup. This is nothing at all like the Marie Callenders type of cornbread which is too sweet and more like cake than bread. This sticks to your ribs. Note, there is NO sugar in this recipe. Ingredients: 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal, white or yellow 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons canola oil or corn oil (I prefer bacon drippings or melted lard, but I don't have to worry about cholesterol and I know a lot of folks won't use it) Preheat oven to 450. Grease skillet and place in oven to heat. (If using lard, melt it in the skillet) Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to mix. Add eggs, buttermilk and oil. (If using lard, pour the melted lard into a metal cup to measure, make sure there is some still in the skillet). Mix just enough to be sure all the dry ingredients are moist and there are no dry lumps. Pour into hot, well-greased skillet, return to oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Turn out onto wire rack if not serving immediately or onto a cutting board. Do not cut in the skillet! Cut into 8 wedges. serve hot with fresh butter. This also makes nice griddle cakes or waffles served with butter and maple syrup. For waffles, substitue flour for up to half of the cornmeal and add two tablespoons of sugar. YIELD: Makes 8 wedges SOURCE: Andie’s Grammaw Variations: you can add freshly-cut-off-the-cob sweet corn. You can add some green chiles or Jalapenos if you like spicy. You can add crumbled crisp bacon You can add some finely diced onion lightly toasted in the oven. You can add a bit of grated cheese. I grate it fairly fine and let it air dry for close to an hour so it doesn't melt away to nothing. ( RG1807 )

I agree with you Patrick, however a lot of people find it difficult to convert recipes to weight from volume. Having been a commercial baker, I have converted many of my favorite bread, cake and etc., recipes to weight, but if I am trying a new recipe with volume measures, I prepare it as written and if I find it works for me, then I convert it.

I have been going through my bookmarks and deleting the dead links. I have come across some I have thought missing - with my old browser it was not as easy to name the links as it is with Safari(Mac). This one some favorite Indonesian recipes was in the "C" folder under Catalot, instead of in the "I" folder for Indonesian...

I tried to call my dad but he has gone for the day and isn't answering on his cell. He may be on his way there already so probably has a ticket. My aunt (lives next door) said he was going to a "tasting" but didn't know any details.

I agree that Anson Mills is the best. They grind just prior to packaging and shipping. The flavor is superior to any other commercial product I have tried.

I agree, I have both the 1-cup and 2-cup and they work nicely for measuring sticky stuff and they are accurate! I also have a set of the non-stick measuring spoons that I think are Calphalon - made of nylon. I also have the Danesco silicone measuring spoons and cups but I haven't found them to be particularly non-stick.

gfron1, What festival is it. My dad lives in Deming and might have time to drive up to SC.

For someone who has been wanting to try an induction burner but was reluctant to part with the $$$, I came across this one at Overstock.com for $99.00 this morning while searching for another appliance. I am not personally familiar with this brand, however I have a friend in the UK who has this model and likes it very much. She has a tiny "efficiency" kitchen with a two burner electric cooker which has an ok oven but the burners heat unevenly so she uses this. She said she paid 97 pounds for it.

A short time ago I received a package from FedEx, from Italy. An 11.14 pound wheel of Piave with a note stating this was a "young" Piave, age 6 months. I am unfamiliar with this cheese and have looked it up on the internet and there isn't a lot of information except to say that it resembles another cheese when young and when fully mature it is hard and can be grated like other hard cheeses. Anyone have any experience with this cheese? I have not yet cut into it.

Please tell me more about the cheese box in the pantry. I'd like to get somethig like that together. Thanks! ← Sorry I didn't see this post until today. This is what I have in my pantry. I received it as a gift a couple of years ago. I also have one of the glass cheese keepers with the ridges in the bottom. It isn't very old, it is one of the reproductions made in China.

I agree, it is an excellent site. I also want to second the recommendation of The Recipe Link noted by SuzySushi. I was exchanging recipes with Betsy way back when we were still on Prodigy in the mid-90s. Her site has grown from just a couple of pages to a very comprehensive site with a huge database of recipes and information. Several of my recipes are still up on the site, posted in '97 or thereabouts. Another site with a huge list of cooking/recipe sites is the Virtual Quincy Directory. If I am trying to find an obscure recipe or cooking reference, I start there. A few of the links are no longer active, such as SOAR, now RecipeSource - also in SuzySushi's list. I mean, where else have you seen a site for Maltese Traditional Recipes?

Not "exactly" a stew, but here is my recipe for pumpkin chili, a big hit at our fall block parties in past years when the temps dipped into the 40s. Often served at Halloween and also cooked by me and sent along with friends to a ski party at June Mountain last year. I originally posted it in a thread on pumpkins on 10/23/04. I bought a bunch of the inexpensive "latte" cups at Star Restaurant supply. Linens 'N Things also has them, however you can also get the disposable deep hot-food servers at Smart & Final or other similar stores. This is my pumpkin chili, I serve it in those large "latte" cups so folks can eat it while wearing gloves, when out in the cold. This is another original recipe developed over several years of "tinkering".... Pumpkin Chili Mexicana Serves 20 3 1/2 to 4 pound Mexican pumpkin, cheese pumpkin, Kabocha or similar squash. 2 pounds chopped beef or turkey (not finely ground) 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 3 - 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 cup diced mild sweet red pepper (Bell is OK, Pimento or ripe mild Anaheim are better) 1 cup diced mild green chiles, Anaheim, Big Jim or New Mexico 1/2 cup Jalapeños, diced 1 cup beef or chicken broth. 1 teaspoon freshly ground dried red chiles, Colorado, New Mexico, Ancho or your preference. 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin (first toast the seeds in a dry iron skillet till they start to pop) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Optional - - 1 or 2 Habanero or other very hot peppers, very finely minced. (you can omit these if you do not want a searingly hot chili) 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, including liquid 2 large cans tomato paste (used to be 8 oz., however they keep changing the amounts) 2 14.5 ounce cans black beans or dark red kidney beans, drained (or equivalent) 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels Directions First, pierce the pumpkin or squash in several places with an ice pick or chef's fork and place it on a pan in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer will penetrate easily through the flesh. Meanwhile, while the pumpkin is baking, Sauté the beef or turkey in a large saucier As it is fairly well browned and is still giving off juices, add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or so. Add the peppers (except for the Habanero) and continue cooking until they are tender. Add the beef or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the spices and continue simmering for 8 -10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool enough to handle, split the pumpkin, remove the seeds and skin and chop into fairly small chunks and add to the meat mixture. Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients, including the Habanero, and cook over medium low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Serve, topped with a generous dollop of sour cream and finely chopped scallions or green onions and freshly baked cornbread, or tortillas if you have them available. Also have finely shredded mild cheddar cheese, toasted pepitas, croutons and various crackers on side dishes for your guests to add as they wish

2486 in alphabetized folders a-z (no Q or X) plus a "Cookbooks & publications" folder.

Andie's Original Pumpkin Chili Serves 20 as Main Dish. This is my pumpkin chili, I serve it in those large "latte" cups so folks can eat it while wearing gloves, when out in the cold. This is another original recipe developed over several years of "tinkering".... Pumpkin Chili Mexicana Serves 20 3 1/2 to 4 pound Mexican pumpkin, cheese pumpkin, Kabocha or similar squash. 2 pounds chopped beef or turkey (not finely ground) 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 3 - 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 cup diced mild sweet red pepper (Bell is OK, Pimento or ripe mild Anaheim are better) 1 cup diced mild green chiles, Anaheim, Big Jim or New Mexico 1/2 cup Jalapeños, diced 1 cup beef or chicken broth. 1 teaspoon freshly ground dried red chiles, Colorado, New Mexico, Ancho or your preference. 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin (first toast the seeds in a dry iron skillet till they start to pop) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Optional - - 1 or 2 Habanero or other very hot peppers, very finely minced. (you can omit these if you do not want a searingly hot chili) 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, including liquid 2 large cans tomato paste (used to be 8 oz., however they keep changing the amounts) 2 14.5 ounce cans black beans or dark red kidney beans, drained (or equivalent) 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels Directions First, pierce the pumpkin or squash in several places with an ice pick or chef's fork and place it on a pan in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until a bamboo skewer will penetrate easily through the flesh. Meanwhile, while the pumpkin is baking, Sauté the beef or turkey in a large saucier As it is fairly well browned and is still giving off juices, add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or so. Add the peppers (except for the Habanero) and continue cooking until they are tender. Add the beef or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the spices and continue simmering for 8 -10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool enough to handle, split the pumpkin, remove the seeds and skin and chop into fairly small chunks and add to the meat mixture. Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients, including the Habanero, and cook over medium low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Serve, topped with a generous dollop of sour cream and finely chopped scallions or green onions and freshly baked cornbread, or tortillas if you have them available. Also have finely shredded mild cheddar cheese, toasted pepitas, croutons and various crackers on side dishes for your guests to add as they wish ( RG1799 )

I just corrected the link to this letter opener at Office Depot The blade is a lot longer than most paring knives and I have found all kinds of kitchen uses for these gadgets.

Here's a tip for that problem. Get one of these This "letter opener" has a blade that is very thin and smooth on both edges and is perfect for inserting along the inner and outer edges of a sponge cake without scratching the cake pan sides. Go to Staples or Office Depot and check them out in person. I have several that I use in the kitchen for several jobs of this type. It also goes around tight corners nicely.