ruthcooks

My favorite: cook brussels sprouts by any method. Mix a few T each of sugar and white vinegar to a bit of the cooking water (AFTER cooking) and heat. Mix sprouts and dressing with canned, drained mandarin oranges and toasted walnut pieces for a warm vegetable salad. Heat leftovers slightly, and I add walnuts individually to each serving if I'm the only one eating this--the walnuts will get soggy. Don't stir too much, as the oranges will break up. Sorry I don't have amounts--lost the recipe so have to wing it.

Sorry I didn't think of looking for the recipe before: it's right there in the circa 1956 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook. For Molded Cranberry Sauce: Boil together 5 minutes: 2 C. water and 2 C. sugar. Add 4 cups raw whole cranberries and boil without stirring util all skins pop, about 5 min. Continue to boil until thick and clear looking, about 15 minutes. Run through food mill and pour into mold and chill. My mother poured it into a vegetable dish instead of molding. It really is "Cranberry Jelly" with that amount of sugar.

Perhaps it's the "sugar to taste" that's the problem. I remember it calling for quite a bit of sugar.

Canned deviled ham is kinda...well....mushy at room temperature. I've been eating it for around 60 years mixed roughly half and half with cream cheese on plain bread. Come to think of it, this mixture would be fine on a bagel for breakfast.

The biggest food trend IMO is the fear of food, paranoia of fat and calories, which started around the time you started cooking. Soon, the food processing companies jumped on the crazy bandwagon, labeling, e.g., tomato juice "no cholesterol" and putting oatmeal in everything. In the 50s and 60s, people reveled in rich recipes and threw lots of butter into everything. People enjoyed eating and never thought themselves "bad" because they ate rich foods. (Most weighed less on this regimen!) Anyone wishing to lose weight was cautioned to avoid "starchy food"--the forerunner of low carb? Possibly the newest trend will be caused by our economic climate: people may return to home cooking instead of eating fast food, and discover how real food tastes, and the pleasure of eating at your own table.

Your wife may not be pleased with the taste of the homemade cranberry jelly. As I recall, from the days my mother used to make it, the taste is much stronger (more concentrated) than the canned version. My observation is that most children and many adults like the milder stuff and will have nothing to do with the real thing. Have a can in the pantry just in case. You'll still be "legal" in the sense that you did make everything, even though someone prefers not to eat it. Yes, the cranberries jell by themselves. Just run the cooked whole berry sauce through a food mill to smooth it out. If you want to make whole berry sauce, add the sugar from the beginning of cooking and it will preserve the shape of the berries more.

Before the year gets away from me, I wanted to mention how much I have been enjoying the coleslaw recipe from "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Aidells & Kelly--the one which was such a hit at the most recent Heartland Gathering. Since I cook for one, I shredded half a head of cabbage, combined it with the onion, and kept refrigerated, adding dressing to each serving as needed. I also used the dressing for a dip for cauliflower, and it was wonderful, but my favorite use was to put the slaw on a grill kielbasa sandwich. What a versatile dip/dressing this is.

Mine came last week too, after I had forgotten I'd put in an advance order. After waiting so long (years), I am trying to save it for Christmas reading, but think Thanksgiving will feature her Crust for Pumpkin pie, which Shirley says will still be crisp after several days in the fridge. Strange little recipe with Wondra flour, butter flavored shortening, corn syrup and vinegar! Another find, a meringue which is easy to cut, non-weeping and safe against salmonella. Shirley gives credit to others for the originals of both these recipes, and many more. I don't see too many unique recipes, but you can be sure that Shirley's versions are the most reliable--and probably the richest--around.

Brown eggs have harder shells and so are easier to peel. I read this somewhere and have found it to be true. I believe another factor is the chicken's diet--nothing you can do about that. In peeling white eggs, whatever age, I have tried: adding a quarter cup of salt to the water, pricking a hole in the fat end of the egg, and cooling a minute in cold water, then cracking all over and placing back in the cold water. Then I loosen the shell by rolling in my palms. If I do all of this, the white eggs are still more difficult to peel than the brown.

Congratulations, Bill. And the address of your website is ??????

So here I am back in Tennessee, after a 7 year hiatus in Pennsylvania, and wondering how the food prices compare. I'm further south from Nashville than I lived before, in a small city. My first venture to Kroger, my old standby from the 25 years I spent in the Nashville area previously, found me pleasantly surprised overall in spite of the 8% food tax here (and none in PA). I spent about $132 which I know would have cost me over $200 in PA, and found a shelf of items with ridiculously low prices. The stock checker explained that these were discontinued items, and I quickly nabbed the two $4.99 quarts of Duke's Mayonnaise for 56 cents each! Made my day. Have you found any great bargains lately?

The fried pies I've had in the South have been made from dried fruit: peaches, apples or apricots. I've loved them, but have always been puzzled by the crust. It seems very thin, although thick where it has been rolled or pinched together. Nothing like a flaky crust, more crunchy and similar to good pasties dough.

A BLT and a dessert involving mountains of whipped cream.

Diabetics (I'm one) are prone to gout, but unfortunately cherry juice is sky high in sugars and carbohydrates. There are only so many cherries one can eat, but I read somewhere that strawberries were almost as good as cherries, so ate a lot of strawberries when I had my last attack. I don't drink and don't eat red meat to excess nor any of the other foods which are blacklisted. One source says that a "diet of rich foods" no matter what kind, is the culprit. Guess they got me there. My left big toe always has a bit of pain to remind me not to get too carried away.

I think most macaroni salads will dry out because of the pasta absorbing about as much liquid as you'll give it and become mushy/sticky to boot. I've noticed that the only way to have it the way I want is to make it fresh and eat it before it's refrigerated. That way it's almost soupy. The recipe I use is a version of Bert Greene's from "The Store Cookbook". It's not like the old fashioned, though--it's better.

How about a kugel? Or a dessert resembling rice pudding? (My DIL accidentally used sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in her Mac & Cheese a couple of weeks ago. I tasted it, and that's what it reminded me of. That S C milk even overpowered the cheese!) Perhaps add some grated orange rind and serve with a mild chocolate sauce.

Strawberry Soup A Wisconsin resident who subscribed to my newsletter sent me this delightful recipe. When I use sour cream, I use milk; when I use buttermilk, I use heavy cream. I think I have even substituted ricotta cheese once. 2 cups well-drained strawberries (? Perhaps she used frozen, but I use fresh) 1 cup sour cream or buttermilk 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup ginger ale, preferably Vernor's 1 T. lemon juice 1 t. vanilla Combine in blender and chill. I drink it out of a glass, but you could put it in a bowl and slice a few fresh berries over the top. Entered in RecipeGullet

Strawberry Soup Serves 4 as Dessert. A Wisconsin resident who subscribed to my newsletter sent me this delightful recipe. When I use sour cream, I use milk; when I use buttermilk, I use heavy cream. I think I have even substituted ricotta cheese once. 2 c well-drained strawberries (? Perhaps she used frozen, but I use fresh) 1 c sour cream or buttermilk 1/2 c milk or heavy cream 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c ginger ale, preferably Vernor's 1 T lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla Combine in blender and chill. I drink it out of a glass, but you could put it in a bowl and slice a few fresh berries over the top. May serve 6. Keywords: Soup, Easy, Dessert, Blender, Fruit, Snack ( RG2134 )

That smoked salmon-red onion-caper-lemon-cream cheese on a bagel is a favorite of mine, too. Also, a pasta salad I made up: fusilli or rotini, tuna, capers, mayo, lemon juice and thawed tiny peas. It's rather tangy, and the peas add a contrasting sweetness. Lots of people have requested this recipe. Here's a tip from Camille Glenn, cookbook author: drain the juice off a jar of capers and replace with vinegar of your choice. A fresher taste. (Once I ordered the salt cured ones and couldn't bear to use them. They look like dried up bugs to me.)

The best way to tell if the sugar is truly dissolved is to take a bit and rub it between your forefinger and thumb. If dissolved, it will feel smooth. If not, you will feel the tiny granules and need to beat it more. This is an important techinque to know when making other dishes, but ice cream? Not so much if it's going to be heated anyway.

Growing up mid-century in the midwest, no one had ever heard of Pavlova, but they served what you describe as "Baked Meringue". These were more or less crunchy throughout, and the ones I remember were served with strawberries and homemade vanilla ice cream. When I opened my restaurant in the early 80s, I always had too many egg whites left from other recipes so I served Pavlovas often. Aside from the fresh fruit and liqueur versions, I served "pudding" versions. Take a cup of lemon, orange or lime curd and whip with one cup cream...whip cream with powdered sugar and cocoa (sort of a poor man's ganache?)...or top with butterscotch or another pudding of choice. Perhaps the most elegant one I ever served was with poached pears, fresh pineapple, kirch and candied violets; All these were decorated with whipped cream swirls, citrus slices, chopped nuts or whatever appropriate. Notes on my recipe say that the marshmallowy texture of the Pavlova is due to the additions of lemon juice (or vinegar) and cornstarch. Another note says that I often made them days ahead! I used to keep the shells in Tupperware flat containers made for pies. The dessert was assembled about 2 hours before, and kept refrigerated until serving time.

Continental breakfasts are really tough on diabetics...always good to have a bowl of hard-cooked eggs (peel your own) and/or a cheese selection for those who have to have diets which are high in protein and low in carbs/sugars. As for scrambled eggs, you can mix them with some bechamel to keep moist, and there are lots of scrambled egg casseroles. For my brunches, I usually served creamed eggs: chopped hard cooked eggs in a cream sauce spiked with a bit of Tabasco. They're always on our holiday brunch menu. (Lots of peeling for 50 people, though.) Note: true hotel pans are stainless steel, not aluminum, so you only need protection if using foil pans. Don't cover them with foil, either, unless you put a layer of cling film between the eggs and foil.

I don't like spicy hot things, so my relishes tend to be sweet or sweet-sour. What's most important is that you use fresh corn, not canned or frozen, for the superior crnchy texture. It can be supermarket corn if you buy the super sweets whose sugar turns to starch so slowly. Cook the corn on the cob, cool, then slice off the kernels. Combine with celery, tomato, peppers, cucumbers and green or white onion, all diced, and some herbs if you like. Parsley is nice. Dress with a few tablespoons white wine vingar and sugar, and sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, drain and toss with a T. or two of mayonnaise just to mellow out the flavor and give it a little body. I like to serve soup with good bread and this or another relish.

Whenever people are not committed to PAYING for the service, they will not be committed to showing up. It's a fact of life. What I've wondered about is how the "supervisors" can possibly hold you responsible for being over budget! I suggest you institute a policy of taking credit card numbers and notifying members that they will be charged (full price or a certain fee) unless they cancel within a reasonable time, say 24 or 36 hours in advance. Or collect in advance the previous week. Or bill them, or impose some other penalty which will cure their lackadaisical attitude toward honoring committments. When I was catering I used to have party customers who would tell me they were planning to collect the money on the spot, and I would tell them that they needed to collect the money in advance. The person responsible would usually argue with me over this, saying, "they'll show up'. (One of the favorite reasons for saying so is that the group was a church group. Hah! Sometimes they are the worst at not showing.) When I explained to them that if they gave me a total of 20 people and only 10 showed up the 10 would be responsible for the entire bill and therefore, be paying double. They always saw the logic of this, and it's a good thing they did, because I would not take the job otherwise. If they had had to pass the hat again, it would have made them mad at ME instead of than the people who didn't show up.

Traditional Derby Foods are: Country Ham, beaten biscuits, Asparagus, Spring Lettuces, Strawberries and Derby Pie. Leg of lamb and fruit and wine jellies (jellied fruit juices, not Jell-O) would not be amiss, anything you think of as spring.