  Don’t you just love to go through old family albums, giggling over moments frozen in time through a cameral lens, stretching your brain to the limit while trying to remember dates, places, faces and what you were thinking when you were sure colorful striped bellbottoms with a plaid, ruffled shirt made you look like an Ives St. Laurent model? The camera had to be one of the best inventions of all time – well, next to chocolate. At my age, I’ve seen cameras evolve exponentially. Movie cameras too. Note: I have movies – 8 millimeter mind you – that show a third grade me dancing around with my sisters in our ’60’s dresses (we wore dresses alot back then) pretending we were the Three Little Pigs. There is no sound and every second or so a flash of yellow or green runs across the picture indicating aging film. Among my vintagge pictures are the 3″ x 3″ photos from my dad’s Argus camera, a heavy black and chrome metal invention, housed in a real leather case. He bought it when he got home from the army after WWII. I used that camera in college and now my daughter has it. Remember the Brownie cameras? – Oh! Oh! And the Polaroids. Now those were cool. The photographs were nearly instant and you didn’t have to wait a week while the film was being developed! There was such excitement, pulling the film paper out of the camera and counting the minutes before carefully pulling back the cover sheet to reveal a very over-exposed likeness of your cousin making faces. Polaroids went by the wayside and I can’t imagine why. Slides were a big deal in the 1960’s and it was every television sitcom’s joke for a family to be invited to dinner only to be imprisoned on the couch while the host presented a slide show of the family vacation to Disneyland. “Yep. That’s Carol kissing Goofy. No, that’s Goofy on the left. Carol is the one on the right!” The guests would endure 40 gazillion slides of everything from standing in line at the Flying Teacups to standing in line for an ice cream cone and then the guests would look at their watches and say, “Oh dear! Look at the time. We have to let the cat out!” I remember the projectors where the slides were placed one at a time in a rack and then pushed into the projector to view. Then came the carousel projectors and we thought those were amazing. They were even remote controlled. When my family got one of those, I thought we were Up Town.  My parents were so wonderful to take tons of pictures of our childhood and our family life in general. We really do have a grand collection of memories on film. One of my favorite memories includes a tea house that my family frequented many a summer. My father was a college professor and during many of the summers of my growing up, he taught at the University of Maine as a visiting professor for the summer sessions. He and my mother introduced us girls to a treat with which we absolutely fell in love – the Popover. The tea house at Jordan Pond at Acadia National Park was our first experience with these hot, puffy pockets of air and the eating was only made more fantastic by the rustic outdoor tables overlooking a gorgeous lake with mountains in the background. Hot tea, coffee or milk accompanied our orders, as well as fresh strawberry jam and fresh butter. Delightfully, the tea house is still in operation and we were able to gather there again during a family reunion for my parents’ 50th anniversary a number of years ago, making memories with our own children. Of course, at that point I had to learn how to make popovers so that I can now eat them anytime I choose right here in Okieland. I thought I’d share what I learned with a recipe and directions.   Of all the things my parents gave me, my memories with family are what have stay with me to this day. Those memories are made more vivid by the lovely photographs and movies taken by my parents and grandparents. They have been given to me and to my sisters to share recollections with our children and grandchildren, in the same way that our parents shared with us from their childhoods. It is a way to stay connected with our heritage. Take time to make memories with your family. Take trips, have picnics, sing songs and laugh together. All of the trinkets in the world will never be remembered like time spent together.
Preheat oven to 425º and lightly grease a 6 cup popover pan with either shortening or butter. You can find popover pans online and I found a very inexpensive one for you to check out here. JUST A NOTE: You CAN put all of the ingredients into a blender and just blend the fire out of the batter. But if you do not have a blender or would rather use the more traditional method, follow the directions below:  In a shallow bowl, add flour and salt. Set aside.  In another shallow bowl, break two large eggs that have sitting at room temperature  Add milk or half and half and melted butter  Vigorously whip the egg mixture until it is light and frothy.  Add whipped egg mixture to flour mixture  Whip the fire out of the batter!  Now here, you can try both methods and see which works best for you. Some people heat the popover pan in the oven for 5 minutes and then pour the batter into the hot cups. Or you can use a cold pan and evenly pour the batter into the greased popover cups 1/3 to 1/2 full.  Bake on the center oven rack for 15 minutes and then turn down the oven temp to 350º and contine baking for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown. Turn off the oven. Using a sharp knife, pierce the top of each popover to allow the steam to escape. Leave in the oven 30 seconds.  Serve immediately with butter and jam. Great for breakfast. |
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Popovers
August 8th, 2011
Eggs Benedict From Scratch!
August 4th, 2011
 OK. Put on your white gloves and your pursed lips and practice your hoity-toity vernacular – you know, like “Raww-thuh!” and “Well, ah say!” and “Candlelight Suppahh”. It’s time to chow down – oops, I mean – partake in the breakfast delicacy called Eggs Benedict. I’m sure you know that ALL Oklahomans consider this to be a staple of Okie cooking. Why, just the other day I heard a camouflage-clad gentleman tell his wife, “Honey, I invited Benedict ta come real early fer breakfast before gettin’ out to the deer stand. Let’s have eggs.” Eggs and Benedict in the same sentence – what’d I tell you? This favorite-of-mine breakfast dish is also great as a brunch treat or a light luncheon surprise and Mr. Fix-It and I like it for dinner on 113 degree evenings!! I promise, if you fix this, your family and friends will think you’ve been sneaking out to the local culinary institute. They’ll have no idea that you’ve really been hitting the Dunkin’ Donuts across town. For the best flavor and the most impressive effect you must make this dish from scratch. However, if you are a weenie or tired or frustrated, have worked all day, have screaming children, did not sleep well the night before, have broken your leg or have just found out that the moon landing was totally staged, there is “store-bought” for most of it to make it easier.  The trick to any meal like this is to have your breads made ahead of time. Many people have “baking day” where they make the different breads, desserts and other baked treats that will be used for the week. Patrice Lewis at The Rural Revolution did a lovely picture study of her baking day of English Muffins, pies and quiches. For Eggs Benedict, you need those English Muffins. It’s ok if you want to use those old, sorry, dry, tasteless excuses for bread from the store, but if you want REAL taste, make your own. My recipe and picture directions are found HERE This recipe makes anywhere from a dozen to 14 muffins. Put them in a plastic bag in the frig and they are ready for you to use when you need them. First, I’m going to give you the recipe and instructions for the Hollandaise sauce needed, which can be used on more than just the eggs. Asparagus, broccoli and other steamed veggies are great with this topping. The recipe is easy and takes just minutes. Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer and reheated with a little water to thin. However, if you are in a hurry, McCormick’s makes the best substitute and you can find it in most groceries on the mixes isle. (And it’s low in calories) Finally, I’ll give the instructions for putting the Eggs Benedict together.  So get out your chef hats and let’s get started: Serving for 4
 Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove. Set it aside to cool slightly.  You can use a double boiler and I have one, but I prefer to do a shallow, stainless bowl over a pot of boiling water because it makes it easier to whip the eggs and there are no crevices that can’t be reached. In either case, fill the lower pan to halfway with water and bring to a slow boil.   Place egg yolks into a bowl or into the top section of the double boiler. HINT: Freeze egg whites in ice trays and pop out when frozen, storing in a freezer bag. You can thaw them for meringue, to add to eggs for scrambled eggs or to use in recipes.  Add cold water  Scramble the eggs and water until light and frothy  Place the bowl or double boiler top over the pan of boiling water and immediately begin whisking vigorously. When the eggs start to thicken begin slowly adding melted butter, continuing to whisk to keep from lumping. If there are any lumps, just keep vigorously whisking.  Continue to slowly add butter  Whisk until light and smooth. Turn the heat down to low  Add lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time and continue stirring. Taste between teaspoons to check the flavor. You may not like as much lemon as I do.  Add chicken bouillon and stir until dissolved. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap and leave over warm water on low.
 Poach eggs. I am using a vintage Salton poacher here, but you can actually poach them by just pouring a large egg into boiling water that you have stirred quickly. I am only doing two eggs here, but there is enough sauce for four.  Meanwhile, using a fork, split English Muffins  Either toast them or butter them and place them butter side down on a hot skillet. Cook until golden brown. Place muffins on plates.  Fry Canadian bacon or smoked ham on a hot skillet for 15 – 20 seconds on each side and then place on one side of each English Muffin  Place egg on top of Canadian bacon or ham  Pour sauce over the center of the egg and down the sides of the muffin. Pepper to taste. Serve with fruit and other muffin slice, buttered and with jam if you like. |
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Making Bagels
August 1st, 2011
  This morning, I am munching on a toasted bagel with butter and strawberry cream cheese. Let me tell you. There is absolutely no bread on earth, in my book, that is more gratifying and fun than the toasted bagel. And the taste. Oh my. Crunchy/chewy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. The only thing that comes a close second for me is an Aunt Annie’s garlic pretzel!!! Once you’ve eaten a fresh, homemade toasted bagel, you will never go back to the store-bought ones again. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The fun thing about them is that they don’t take very long to make!! And the more you make, the better you get at forming them. Pretty soon you are ready for a window in front of a gawking crowd that’s watching you slap bagel ropes around your hand and wowing them as you deftly tuck the ends together to make a perfect circle, ready for boiling water. According to the Kitchen Project the legend about bagels runs something like this: “In 1683 in Vienna, Austria, a local Jewish baker wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting his countrymen from Turkish invaders. He made a special hard roll in the shape of a riding stirrup – Bugel in German – commemorating the king’s favorite pastime and giving the bagel its distinct shape.” In Poland, bagels were given as gifts to expectant mothers and used as teething rings for the new babies. And in Russia, they were given as good luck charms with magical powers! Immigrant Jewish bakers brought the bread rings to North America and they were quickly a favorite. Today, while many bagel stores use automated machinery to produce large quantities of bagels, there are also stores where artisans ply their trade with the stiff dough and roll them by hand. That is the way that I do it. Below is the recipe for basic bagels and step-by-step instructions. Total time from start to finish is a little over an hour. You can add any of your favorite ingredients to his recipe. Oven temp: 425º
 Place 1 tbsp sugar into a 2 cup measuring cup and add 1 1/4 cup warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top of the water and shake it until yeast starts to sink. Allow to proof for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add all of the other ingredients to a mixing bowl. Pour proofed yeast in with the rest of the ingredients and mix with a dough hook on your mixer or mix by hand with a wide spoon. Knead by hand for 10 minutes or knead with a dough hook for 8 minutes on low.  I reconstituted some dried blueberries overnight by pouring warm water over them and putting them in the refrigerator to soak overnight. I added these to part of the dough after kneading. I divided the dough, leaving part in the mixer and then added the drained blueberries to mix. You can add cinnamon and raisins or fresh blueberries, garlic and onion pieces, anything that you like in a bagel.  On a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 balls. I am using an Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ here and it provides a wonderful surface on which to work with bagels. And cleanup is a breeze. Cover the dough balls with a warm damp towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.  In the meantime, prepare a large pot with water to be boiled and oil a cookie sheet.  Remove damp towel from dough balls and flour the rolling surface. Roll each dough ball out to the length equal to the width of your hands placed side-by-side.   Place one end halfway under your less dominant hand and pick the other end in your other hand. Wrap the rope over the top of your less dominant hand and bring the end under your hand to match the other end. I have a bowl of water nearby where I can dip my fingers in and wet the surfaces of both ends so that they will join easily.  I flip my hand over and gently squeeze the ends together. Or you can press the ends together by pressing down onto the floured surface. At this point, I place the formed bagels back onto the pastry cloth, but the pastry cloth has been put onto a flat surface like a cookie sheet or pizza board. When all bagels have been formed, I cover them with the warm, wet towel again and then place in the oven that has been warmed to 150º and turned off, to rise for 20 – 30 minutes. They should look slightly puffy when they are done. You don’t want them to rise too much, but just have a nice, full shape. Meanwhile, start your water to boiling.  When the bagels have risen slightly, drop them into the boiling water for 1 minute on one side.  Using a large, slotted spatula, gently turn the bagels and let them boil for 1 minute on the other side.  Lift the bagels out of the water and allow to dry for a minute on a rack.  Then place them on the oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 425º for 20 minutes. If you like your bagels to be crispy on both sides, after 10 minutes of baking, you can flip them over to the other side and bake for 10 more minutes.  Just to show you the difference in appearance, the two bagels on the left were not turned and the one on the top right was flipped in the middle of baking. Slice bagels and toast in a toaster or toaster oven and serve warm. Extra bagels can be stored in a plastic bag and refrigerated for freshness.  Bible study with a freshly toasted bagel slathered with butter and strawberry cream cheese accompanied by a nice cup of hot, Fortunes Blueberry Vanilla Tea found at the Shopping Page. |
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Oklahoma Rain Gauge
July 30th, 2011
 A friend of mine posted this photograph and I got a giggle out of it. It’s a photo of a Texas and Oklahoma rain gauge. We all have one! Of course, we have to laugh out here in the midwest. Otherwise, we’d just cry. Crying doesn’t even work because as one Texas friend pointed out, our tears just evaporate before they roll down our cheek. It is so hot and dry. I know I sound like a broken record, but my goodness. We’ve never seen anything like this. I wasn’t around during the Dust Bowl so this is a whole new experience!! If you will notice, there’s no water in the rain gauge either!! |
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Making a Solar Oven
July 28th, 2011
 Yesterday it was somewhere around 110 degrees in Okieland. Shoot, at 7 pm it was still 107! It’s that kind of stifling heat that just puts you in a bad mood. A lot of people are in a bad mood around here. The sad part is that the weatherman says that it will be this way for the next 20 or so days unless a miraculous tropical storm comes ashore and moves north. I never thought that I would hope for a tropical storm! On days like these, one has a tendency to get a little odd. Heat has a way of doing that to people. It’s getting so bad that we in the country are seeing Dairy Queen mirages, in the distance, way down the gravel road and in a film of dust. You take off at a jog, salivating for a frozen, cold, chocolatey Dilly Bar, only to wind up in a cloud of lime dust as the mirage disappears, without so much as a popsicle stick. It is truly sad. Yesterday, to keep myself from going crazy, I decided to do something different. I mean, REALLY different. I had received an email from a reader, and questions from a friend, regarding solar ovens. As I said in the last post, my experience has been with reflector ovens, but a solar oven seemed of utmost interest considering we Okies are not allowed to even say the word fire, let alone strike a match in our parched environs right now. And the thought of not heating up the kitchen gave real incentive. So, I did some research and chose this hottest day of the week to harness the rays of the brutal sun to make dinner for Mr. Fix-It. I settled on a meal of chicken breasts, carrots, new potatoes and onions and thought I would surprise him with this delicious meal. Somehow, I knew his reaction would be, “Chicken cooked in the sun? Nope. Not taking my chances. Sounds like ptomaine poisoning in a box.” However, he always loses and eats whatever I put in front of him. He hasn’t died yet. So the following is a step-by-step process for making a very simple solar oven. I kid you not – it works!!
 Fold the flaps of the small box inside the box or cut them off. Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil and press against the sides as smooth as possible. Tape the foil to the outside of the box or just fold it over in place.  Cut a sheet of construction paper to fit the bottom of the small box. I had to piece this one together and taped it together on the underside of the paper. As I was cutting the construction paper, I felt like Captain Kangaroo with safety scissors showing a craft project on television. I think it was that sound of cutting construction paper. OK. So the heat is getting to me. Just ignore me.  Wad up sheets of newspaper or newsprint and make a cushion on the bottom of the large box.  Center the small box inside the large box and pack wadded paper around the small box as insulation.  Measure the opening of the large box and cut the extra cardboard to measure 4″ longer and wider.  Cover the cardboard with aluminum foil and tape or glue onto the back. Note: I can see using mirrors instead of aluminum foil in this project and getting some hot heat!   Staple the cardboard to the back flap of the large box with the aluminum foiled surface facing toward the box opening. Tape the flap to the cardboard piece for extra strength.  I sprinkled garlic powder, paprika, thyme and pepper on boneless, skinless chicken breasts  I added new potatoes, carrots and onions into the bottom of a dark enamel pot. The pots or pans need to be dark and so cast iron or enamel work well.  Chicken breasts were placed on top of the veggies and 1 tbsp of Italian dressing, 1/3 cup of water and 1 tsp of chicken bouillon granules were added.  The pot is placed inside the small box (a thermometer is hanging from the handle of the pan) and plastic wrap is stretched tightly over the opening of the large box. The plastic wrap is taped to the sides.  Voila – I just covered the front flap with foil to make it look balanced. It’s the artist in me.  Now, I discovered a problem for Oklahomans. We have wind. REAL wind – you know, that comes sweeping down the plain ala the movie. So, I grabbed a trashcan full of 2 x 4 scraps and put it behind the cardboard reflector. I ran packing tape from the reflector around the trash can. That way, I could move the trash can and repostition the cardboard if I needed to in order to catch the sun right.  Within minutes it got up to 160º  I checked it about every 45 minutes but only looked at the food once. It cooked for 8 hours with the highest temperature reaching 190º. When planning your recipes, look at it like a crockpot slow cooker.  All done  It was delicious! Really. So tender! I think that the only thing I might have changed would be that I would add some cream of mushroom soup to the chicken! Now you can bake in the sun and not use a drop of suntan lotion!! |
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Making A Reflector Oven
July 25th, 2011
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I’m probably gonna step on some toes. I have a funny way of doing that occassionally. But I see something ridiculous in our culture and I just have to poke fun. I can’t resist. It’s a disease. When I see something dumb, I just can’t keep my mouth shut. Invariably, I wind up offending SOMEBODY. C’est la vie. So as a disclaimer, loving the following appliances is just fine and dandy. But you have to admit that the name is rather humorous. I ran across a website for a brand of appliance that has quite a catchy brand name: Back To Basics. Now I ask you, when you think of back to basics, what do you think of? I picture washboards, rolling pins, clotheslines, grain mills, the Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™, and canning apple butter. In fact, being the campers that we are, a campfire, a chicken on a spit and marshmallows on a stick are REALLY back to basics in my book. Think, “Latrine”. And so, when I saw that there was a brand of kitchen item called, “Back To Basics”, I thought that I’d be finding some pretty neat retro stuff. Ha! Did you know that in today’s culture, Back To Basics, basically means, “Not eating at McDonald’s” and not going to the neighborhood sno-cone stand. For under $100 you can have your own Back To Basics sno-cone stand in your home and invite all of the neighborhood children for free cones, thereby teaching them the principles of capitalism; ie; giving away freebies undercuts your competitor until he goes out of business and then you can start charging out the wazoo. It all depends on how much you are willing to shell out to the neighborhood kids!  But the one that just had me giggling was the Egg and Muffin Toaster. Boy, I’m sure those 1889 Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t have made it in their sod huts without their egg and muffin toasters. Sure, they didn’t have any electricity but you know that toaster was a basic! And I’m sure my mom has memories of my grandmother getting up early to pop muffins and eggs into her toaster to create those sandwiches that hadn’t been invented yet by Ray Kroc of McDonald’s. Shoot, that isn’t even the way he made those egg and muffin sandwiches! OK, so now that I’ve poked fun at the marketing department of an appliance company, I’ll go back to that camping discussion and really getting back to basics. Having been a Girl Scout all the way through Seniors, I learned alot about living with the basics. We camped regularly and had to learn survival skills for various badges. One of those skills was how to make and cook in a ‘reflector oven’. We baked biscuits, brownies, cookies and my favorite, gingerbread, in many a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil. We were so proud of ourselves when we successfully presented a hot treat.  I continued to use these contraptions through parenthood as we hauled children, tents, cooking equipment and fishing poles to our favorite spots. The kids thought that using the reflector oven was the best part of a camping trip. My favorite story about one of those trips happened not too awfully many years ago. We had all four kids, at that time teenagers, with us and had set up two tents at a beautiful park in Arkansas. Our camping spot was next to the biggest, shiniest, most expensive motor home any of us had ever seen. We looked like slum dwellers living next to the Taj Mahal. The next morning, I got up early and started a fire in the fire pit, got some bacon frying in a cast iron skillet, scrambled eggs, shredded hashbrowns and mixed up some biscuits. I had made my reflector oven the night before and it was ready and waiting for hot coals to bake my biscuits. I loaded the oven with the coals and the biscuits, closed it and covered it with a towel to bake for 20 minutes. The family chowed down on the meal that would ready them for a day of fishing and swimming. After breakfast, I had heated up water in my two waterbath canners to wash dishes and was doing so when the man from the big, fancy motor home timidly approached the table on which I was working. He introduced himself and then said, “Um. We couldn’t help but notice that you had a mighty fine breakfast there this morning.” I said, “It was pretty good.” He continued, “Well, we saw that you was eatin’ some biscuits. We was just wonderin’ where you made those biscuits.” I showed him my reflector oven and he turned to yell at his wife whose face was pressed against the screen of their motor home. “She baked ’em in a box, hon!!! She baked ’em in a box!!” Yes siree. I shore did. And so, here are the directions for a reflector oven that may come in handy for you one day. They are just dandy for when the electricity goes out. Note: This is an outdoor project!! Do not attempt to use this oven inside because the coals give off dangerous carbon monoxide.  Line the inside of a medium sized cardboard box (I’m using an 18 x 18 here) with heavy duty aluminum foil. This includes the top flaps. If you can find a box that has had the entire top cut like a lid, rather than flaps, it’s even easier.  Start coals as for grilling or you can use coals from a wood stove or campfire. Today, I will be using pretend coals because in Oklahoma we are under a burn ban and can’t even grill a steak!!  While the coals are heating up, place an old pan or foil pan in the bottom of the box and stand a brick upright on each side of the pan. This pan will be used to hold the coals. You can also make a metal rack to use instead of the bricks  Pour the hot coals into the pan that has been placed at the bottom of the box.  Place your pan of biscuits, brownies, cookies or cake mix on top of the bricks or rack  Fold the lid or the flaps of the box down to close and cover with a heavy bath towel. Bake for recommended time.  You will have baked goods in a jif! I promise. Now THAT’S back to basics! |
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Canning Blueberries
July 21st, 2011
 Seems like blueberries have come in everywhere and it appears to me that there was a really good crop. That is one bit of produce that flourished here at the Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ digs. Neither frost nor drought seemed to have an impact and so I have happily frozen boatloads of blueberries. I always freeze my blueberries when they first start coming in because I never have enough to can right off the bat. I can them after I have enough, even after having been frozen. Also, this gives me some flexibility on when I can my blueberries, putting them on the back burner behind the veggies that have to be processed immediately. So today I decided it was time to do the blueberries. I usually leave a couple of gallons in the freezer for pancakes, waffles, scones and yogurt, but I can the rest for blueberry muffins. Yummy blueberry muffins. I know this sounds crazy, but I would rather use canned blueberries for my muffins than fresh or frozen. For some reason, the canned makes muffins light on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and they just color those muffins the prettiest blue! I can my blueberries in two sizes of jars – half pint and pint – since there are just two of us. I use the raw pack method with a very light, thin syrup that hasn’t much sugar and drain it from the berries when making muffins. This leftover syrup gets turned into a light blueberry syrup for pancakes by adding pancake syrup and boiling hard for one minute. You can also can blueberries by putting them into a piece of cheese cloth and dipping them into boiling water until you see blue juice, packing them into jars immediately. However, that method is messy, messy, messy. Yes. It makes prettier jars, but, heh, I’m not eatin’ ‘pretty’. Before starting run your jars through the dishwasher to sanitize or boil them and allow to dry upside down.  Add 2 cups of sugar to 5 cups of water. Stir to dissolve  Bring water and sugar mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.  Use either fresh or frozen blueberries. I know that it doesn’t look these are frozen, but they are!  Place blueberries into the jars, leaving a 1/2″ headspace. Ladle the syrup over the blueberries, again leaving a 1/2″ headspace. Use a canning spatula or butter knife to run around the inside perimeter of the jars to remove any air bubbles.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a warm, soapy dish cloth to remove any syrup that may have splattered onto the jars.  Add lids that have been warming in water to the jars and attach rings, tightening and then backing off just a smidge.  Place the jars into the canner and lower into water that should submerge the jars with at least 1″ of covering the top of the jars. Bring to a rolling boil and begin timing to process for 10 minutes.  When the time is up, lift rack of jars to rest on the side of the canner and remove jars with canning tongs. Allow to cool. The lids will pop as they seal. The light makes these look red, but they are really blue!  OK..now for the blueberry muffins. I use the recipe that I posted for Strawberry Muffins only I use drained, canned blueberries. They are even better than the strawberries! Go check out the recipe! |
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Breadbasket Country
July 18th, 2011
 Mr. Fix-It and I and our little dog, Ellie (the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion weren’t available) followed the Yellow-Lined Road called I-35 to the breadbasket part of our state, Alva, Oklahoma, to see the son’s new digs. It was a sobering trip as acre after acre after acre of dry, parched farmland spread out as far as the eye could see. Brown and yellow with touches of green are the colors that painted the entire expanse. Lines of green trees spotted with yellowing leaves acted as windbreakers. Ponds had been reduced to half depths of green, brackish water and creeks and streams were simply dry beds. This is where much of Oklahoma’s wheat, corn, milo and canola are produced and this year has been rough. The wheat harvest in Oklahoma was 38% below 2010 numbers while the Texas harvest, just across the state line, was 63% below normal. Corn has not been much better. Oklahoma is over 11″ of rain behind normal, while Texas is as much as 25″ below normal. People are starting to talk of the Dust Bowl days and yesterday Oklahomans across the state prayed for relief at the request of our governor. Yesterday, it was 106º in Alva with 28% humidity. The amazing thing for me, on this trip, was finding that while I thought our area around Oklahoma City was so drought stricken, it is actually quite green compared to western Oklahoma. It is disheartening to know how much higher food prices are going to go because of the shortage of grains. Not good for Americans who are already struggling with food budgets and even worse for countries that depend totally on imported grains for survival. A shortage of grain impacts just about every foodstuff, including meat, but a shortage of water makes it even worse. Ranchers all over Texas and Oklahoma are selling off hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep because there is just not enough water or grass to feed them. This will have a long term impact on the price of meat in the supermarket. But back to our trip – in spite of the water and heat problems, northwestern Oklahoma has a beauty all its own. I spent my time taking pictures so that I could share that part of my state with you. Traveling to the western part of Oklahoma makes one feel like one should be riding in a 1940’s Chevy truck. It is a step back in time with all the trimmings of today’s technology. Alva is no different. It is a lovely town with lovely people and the slow-moving pace of yesteryear. It is made up of the kind of people who suffered throught the drought, heat and dust of the Depression. Homes from the early 1900’s are scattered among homes of the 1940’s and 1950’s while huge, newer homes dot the outskirts. It is a small town but has those essentials of Walmart, Pizza Hut, Sonic and McDonalds! It has to because Alva is also home to Northwestern Oklahoma State University, a wonderful state secret. This university is near and dear to our hearts as two of our progeny graduated this school. A daughter even represeted NWOSU at Miss Oklahoma! The beautiful campus, caring professors and administration, mixed with the atmosphere of the kind of university my parents and grandparents remember, amazing scholarships and reasonable tuition makes this our favorite state institution of learning.  And so, put on your overalls and follow me to Western Oklahoma in pictures.  Along highway 11, grain bins dot the horizon and even crowd the street corners of tiny towns.  Cars of yesteryear parked on Hwy 11 near Numa  All across the prairie/farm landscape are dunes of sand covered in grass. These dunes were created by millions of tons of sand and dirt removed and relocated during the horrible years of the Dust Bowl. If you are interested, there is an amazing book written by Timothy Egan called, The Worst Hard Time. True stories and stunning photographs take you to the realities of those midwestern people of the Depression who suffered through drought, extreme heat and cold with dust storms that infiltrated every nook and cranny of their lives.  The Great Salt Plains just outside of Alva is an international attraction. It gets its name from the salt crystals that cover the ground, leaving an almost ‘snowy’ landscape. The site of much history, Native American tribes fought each other for control of this landscape as it was a huge attraction for wild buffalo and deer seeking the salt.  The area of salted sand is exactly 11,000 acres and the salt is continually replenished by saline groundwater that flows just a few feet underground. When the water evaporates, a layer of salt covers the surface. This also forms the unusual Selenite crystals that are hunted by visitors. We have a boxful from previous trips   Ellie’s “do” was showing that “windblown” look in the stout Oklahoma breeze at the Great Salt Plains. Note: Ellie was a “dump” dog. We figure a puppy mill dumped her at 12 weeks old because she has a terrible overbite and shouldn’t be bred. Their loss!! She’s a hoot.   On down the highway and getting closer to Alva, the traveler will find a fenced off area on the south side of the road with an artesian well pumping thousands of gallons of mineral water a minute. Health concious people from all over bring water jugs to fill with the crystal clear water. And for those who like Watercress sandwiches, there is a hearty crop floating in the pond made by the running water. This place is a green oasis due to the underground springs.  Many of the farmers in Western Oklahoma are using practices that reduce the chances of a dust bowl happening again. Using ‘No Till” farming, they plant rows of a new crop in the stubble of the previous crop without turning and exposing the dirt. This new crop of soybeans is pretty and green, but if you notice the grasses in the foreground, I am wondering how long they will stay that way. We saw no irrigation going on.  An antique Chevy? I suppose you could say it literally got “driven into the dirt”?  Coming into the town of Alva, many of the buildings and homes have a Swedish and German look to them due to the influence of the large number of immigrant families who settled the area. Also, Alva was home to a WWII prison camp for German war prisoners. Many of them loved the area so much that they stayed and made Alva their home after the war.  Drilling new oil wells in and around the town and in the entire area, is nothing unusual. Western Oklahoma is rich in the black stuff and is also a huge producer of natural gas.  We buzzed by the university  Alva has a beautiful little airport with concrete runways – no grass strips there! – a terminal and rows of hangars for housing small airplanes. It is also home to Vantage Plane Plastics, a world leader in the production and installation of aircraft interiors. That is where our son is employed and so aviation has become an important part of our lives! Vantage has small planes fly in from all over the world to this little town for service.  Of course, the son had to show us the plane that he is flying as he finishes up the requirements for a pilot’s license.   I got a chuckle out of the various decals I noticed decorating several of the planes. At least there weren’t any naked women!! Good boy.  It was a pleasant trip on a hot, dry weekend, and it was wonderful. Northwestern Oklahoma has an appeal and a beauty that is unique. Jump in your car and make a visit! |
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Fresh Coconut Pie – How to Crack A Coconut
July 14th, 2011
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Coconuts have always held a fascination for me. They’re like big, round, oversized Brazil nuts with hair and if you look at them square on, they look like little spider monkey faces! My father used to bring home coconuts for us to open, letting each of us 4 girls crunch on a chunk of the white meat as we watched him crack the next ones. Mom would deal with the rest, grating it and freezing it for use in baked products. It had to be baked because my father was dangerously allergic to fresh coconut and fresh coconut milk. But he liked coconut as long as it was cooked. Fresh coconut has a totally different taste from commercially shredded and bagged. It is crunchier, lighter tasting and not very sweet, hence sugar on the bagged stuff. I found some coconuts on sale at our local grocery for 50¢ each and so I grabbed three. Fresh coconut pie was calling my name. Mr. Fix-It loves coconut pie, so what better way to impress him than to make it straight from the tree?!  Mr. Fix-It assumed the responsibility of cracking open my grocery prizes and poked the “eyes” with a washed nail setter to open holes for the juice to escape. It’s a “He-Man” job after all.   As I counseled him to wrap each coconut in a towel before tapping with a hammer, (well, that’s the way WE did it when I was growing up) he gave me that “I dun’ need no stinkin’ towel” look. He proceeded to break the heavy hulls of the nuts in several places and proudly pointed out that he had not sent pieces flying. OK, so he’s good, but if you want to save a mess, wrap your whole coconut in a towel before breaking.  By sliding a table knife between the shell and the meat, the meat easily pops out with some of the shell membrane still attached.  Using a paring knife, peel off remaining shell – only don’t do it like Mr. Fix-It, who is cutting toward himself!!  Using a hand grater or the grating wheel on your food processor, grate coconut. 
 Bake a pie shell and set aside to cool  Put the sugar, cornstarch and salt into a saucepan that is not heating.  Pour coconut milk into a large measuring cup and finish to level 3 cups with cows milk.  Pour the milk mixture into the saucepan and stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.  Beat egg yolks and add to the saucepan, stirring mixture to fully incorporate  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to keep from sticking and from getting lumpy. As mixture thickens, let boil one minute.  Remove from heat and stir in butter…  and flavorings  Add coconut  Stir coconut into filling mixture  Pour filling into pie shell  Cover with plastic wrap and tap with your hand so that wrap touches the filling. Place in the frig to cool for at least 2 hours.  Remove from frig and cover with whipped cream or cool whip and sprinkled with toasted coconut.  For an extra zing, add grated chocolate. It’s a Mounds Bar flavor! |
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Canning Beef Stew
July 12th, 2011
 How hot is it? It is so hot in Oklahoma the snakes are looking for air conditioning and they’re cold blooded!! It so hot here that the nectarines are going straight from the tree into jars as jam. It’s so hot that the Gila Monsters have moved to Oklahoma from the Mohave Desert because it’s warmer here! Yeah, we’re setting records. The disturbing news for the rest of you is what this is doing to part of your food supply. Grain and cotton crops have simply burned up, causing both to rise in price. As a result, grain is becoming cost prohibitive for ranchers for their livestock. Grass is gone and so many ranchers are having to resort to expensive hay as well. I just talked with a friend, in south-central Oklahoma, who owns a very large cattle ranch and she said they are preparing to sell their entire herd of cows. She said the cows are losing weight so fast that they must be sold this week or she and her family will take an even worse beating. There is no grass and there is no water. I see cheap beef in the grocery stores in the shortrun, from ranchers selling off herds, and a shortage of beef/high prices in the longrun, so plan accordingly!! One would think that in this furnace that is the midwest, one wouldn’t even think of hot meals. But planning ahead is the stuff that makes us prairie folk able to contend with the unexpected. Using garden staples that have managed to survive to can foods for the winter is a great way to use these days indoors. I have been finding beef on sale and so, I’ve been putting up a Fall and Winter supply of beef stew, a veritable meal in a jar! Just open a jar, heat the stew in a pot, mix up a batch of cornbread and you’ve got supper! And if the electricty goes out in one of our famous ice storms, the wood stove or the grill make perfect heat sources for a pot of stew accompanied by bread or crackers. So here is how I do my beef stew for Mr. Fix-It. He loves having this around because he can fix it himself! (carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, etc)
 Pat 10 lbs of meat dry with paper towel. I use either chuck roast or rump roast, depending on what’s on sale. Today I’m using chuck roast.  This is a rump roast. If you will notice, the chuck roast has more fat and more loss, but it is also more flaky.  Cut meat into cubes  Remove fat and membranes by lifting as you cut underneath. As you lift, this gives more area to slice under the membrane or fat and also helps to release them from the meat.  Lightly salt the meat  Add a little of the meat at a time to a very large stock pot that is on medium heat. Brown and add more meat until most meat cubes are lightly browned on at least one side. Juices will begin releasing.  Add 4 1/2 pounds of mixed veggies. I am using potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. You can use whatever amounts of each that you prefer and you can add other vegetables according to taste.  Add water to cover  Add garlic powder  Add thyme  Add bay leaf  Add beef bouillon  Mix package of brown gravy with 1/2 cup water and add to the stew, stirring. At this point, if you like wine or burgandy in your beef stew, add 1/2 cup. Mr. Fix-It likes his without.  Cover and allow to simmer vigorously 1 hour, adding water to keep at the same level and stirring occassionally to keep from sticking.  Mix 1/2 cup corn starch with one cup of cold water. I start out with this much and add more if I need more thickening. I usually wind up using 3/4 cup corn starch with 1 1/2 cup water, however, I like to start out with less and adding more if needed. Do not make the broth too thick. It can always be reduced after opening a jar and bringing to a boil. If you get your broth too thick, it will thicken more in the processing and will become way too thick.  Stir continually as you pour into boiling stew broth to keep from lumping.  Find and remove bay leaf. Place stew into jars, dividing broth evenly between jars. Leave 1″ headspace.  Using a canning spatula or knife, remove any air bubbles by running around the inside perimeter of the jars.  Wipe the rims of the jars to remove any juices or oils  Add lids that have been warming in a pan of nearly boiling water  Add rings, tightening and then backing off just a hair  Place jars into canner, cover and process for 1 hour 30 minutes for quarts and 1 hour 15 minutes for pints at 10 lbs of pressure  Meanwhile, place all the trimmings into a pot and cover with water. Boil until trimmings are cooked down to very tender, continually adding water as needed. Strain broth from the trimmings and add broth to pint jars. Add 1/2 tsp salt to each pint and process with any extra jars of beef stew to make canned beef broth.  Place trimmings, a carrot and about 1/4 cup oatmeal into food processor or blender and turn into a puree. You can put this into jars too, with extra water, leaving 1 inch of head space to can. Or you can freeze it. Use it as canned dog food! Nothing has been wasted. |
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