It isn't hard to tell the flavor of forebears' lives.
Bitter? Sweet? Oniony chives?
I would call Grandma Bergit sweet,
but with a dollop of cinnamon in the dough.
Grandpa Alfred? His sorghum molasses is no condiment,
there's sulphur in his thick, dark pitch!
But oh, such vitamins, minerals, heaven-sent!
Round the table they paused to pray
and bless their food God gave that day.
And how it tasted--more than good!
They called for seconds, if they could.
We've lost so much as years sped by,
but who sheds a tear or gives a sigh?
Food today now runs much the same.
It hardly tastes, it's really tame.
You can't recall what you just ate--
microwaved, Lo-fat with "throw out" date!
Lemons are lemons, they're not strawberries,
so why goop them in weight-watchers' smoothies?
Let's go slower and smell the flours,
let's appreciate once more the sweets from the sours.
Let's not eliminate or tone down what's distinct--
what God created that wasn't meant to be linked.
Thank God for making separate things!
Retire that blender, and your cooking will take wings.
And thank God for our forebears too,
their flavors still taste fresh and new.
Not blended, pureed, or watered down,
they have sharp edges, not all planed round.
For that reason they'd never fit
cookie-cutter houses where we now sit.
Its time to turn the Grandfather clock back,
discard the digital and the battery-pack.
We need to do it, for the children's sake,
return to Norsk Heritage, and actually bake!"
2 1/2 c. milk,
1/2 c. butter (heat to scalding, cool).
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground, crushed cardamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 pkgs yeast in 1/2 c. water
7-8 c. flour (save 2 c. to knead with on board)
Add yeast, then other ingredients. Knead and let rise. Punch down and let rest 5 min. Divide into loaves (make 2 loaves). Let rise till double. Bake 40 minutes total; at 400--10 min only, at 350 for 30 min. This recipe was handed down three generations at least to the present generation! For good reason, the bread tastes so delicately of cardamon, it is simply delicious.
by Joyce Ginther Bassett
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (to your satisfaction!)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (to your decision for sweetness, low to high)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 8-oz. bars of cream cheese
Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of a 9-inch pan or dish
1 cube butter
1 c. water
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
eating well after each addition. Add almond flavoring. Spread 1 tsp. almond extract
3 large eggs
Bring water and butter to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat and add flour and salt. Mix well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add almond flavoring. Spread batter into two logs on well-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and then at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cook before frosting: Combine powdered sugar, water and 1/2 tsp. of almond extract.
1 c. flour
2 tbsp. water
1/2 c. butter
1 c. water
1 c. flour
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. butter
3 eggs
Mix 1 cup flour, 2 tbsp. water and 1/2 cup butter like pie crust; pat (thin) onto cookie sheet. Put 1 cup water and 1/2 cup butter in saucepan and heat just to boil. Butter must be melted. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup flour and stir until ake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Frost while warm with:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract
little cream
Tip: leave corner unfrosted for people who can't have frosting
4 c. rhubarb
1/2 c. water
sweetener to equal 1 c.
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. cream
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
Cook until tender the rhubarb and water. Add sweetener and cornstarch. Cook until thickened and set aside. Make graham cracker crust and put into 9 X 12-inch pan. Add rhubarb. Whip the cream; pour over rhubarb. Make pudding and pour over. Chill.
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 corn cornstarch
2/3 cup of sugar replacement
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whip until well blended and powdered.
Just as delicious with an equal
quantity of raspberries or blackberries
1 pint strawberries (2 cups), mashed
2 cups sugar (or equiv. sweetener)
1 env. (3 oz.) liquid fruit pectin
2 tbs. lemon juice
3-4 drops red coloring (optional) or
red beet juice
In bowl stir berries and sugar. Let stand
10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pectin,
lemon juice and food coloring. Stir constantly,
3 minutes. Spoon into jars prepared for freezer jam.
Makes 3 (8-oz.) jars.
per tablespoon: 35 calories;
0 g. protein; 0 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 9 g. carbs.; 1 mg. sodium
prep: 8 minutes; stand: 10 minutes; total work time: 18 minutes
Jam-making Basics:
1. Select fully ripened fruits and rince them quickly under cold water, drain thoroughly. Do not soak fruit in water.
2. Do not double recipes.
3. Do not substitute ingredients, except for above except!
4. Do not reduce the amount of sugar or increase the amount of fruit used. An exact balance of fruit, sugar and pectin is needed for jelling to occur.
5. For no-cook jams, mash fruit in potato masher. For cooked jams, process fruit in food processor using quick on/off pulses until finely chopped; for preserves, until coarsely chopped. Do not puree.
6. Note: A rolling boil is a boil that cannot be stirred down.
1. Use 8-oz. glass jars with two-part tops (lids and screw bands) to store cooked jams and preserves. Select one or two-cup glass or rigid plastic containers with tight-fitting lids for no-cook, freezer jams and preserves.
2. Wash jars and glasses with screw bands. Dry well. Place jars and screw bands in small saucepot with water. Bring to boiling; remove from heat but keep hot until ready to use.
3. Fill jars to within 1/4" of rim for cook jam and 1/2" for no-cook, freezer jam (freezing will expand contents!). Using plastic knife, make sure there are no air bubbles in jam. Wipe jar rims and bands.
(Some of these instructions were cut off in the sample we are using, so we would appreciate
any editing you care to add here).
Chicken Delight
3 Skinless chicken breast
2 cans mushroom soup
½ cup of cheddar cheese
¼ cup of sour cream
Bake in casserole dish for 45 minutes at 325
1 and ½ lbs ground beef
5 peppers chopped up fine more depending on how hot you like it
½ onion or more to taste sauté
3-15.25 oz cans of kidney beans
2 cups of ketchup
1 cup of water
Cook ground beef and drain off excess fat, add other ingredients
Simmer on low heat stirring frequently for 45 minutes.
8 oz egg noodles
½ cup butter
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups cooked chicken cut in cubes
Generous pinch of rubbed sage
Cook noodles as directed on package and drain, and
melt butter and cook Mushrooms in a large skillet until lightly browned. Stir in flour and Blend in with a fork or slotted spoon. Stir in milk and broth and seasonings, whisk sauce constantly until thickened.
Combine sauce, noodles and chicken. Adjust seasonings to taste place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
1 lb ground beef
½ lb of sausage
½ finely chopped onion
½ cup of bread crumbs
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp pepper
Garlic salt to taste
Bake on cookie sheet for ½ hour
Sweet and Sour
¼ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
3 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp. hot water
Combine pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ketchup in a
Small pan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Add warm cornstarch
slurry and cook. Stirring until sauce is thickened.
1 (8 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
¾ cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 ½ lemon juice
Cook in a sauce pan over low heat stirring until thick.
1. Appetizers and Beverages; 2. Soups and Salads; 3.
Vegetables and Side Dishes; 4. Main Dishes; 5. Breads and Rolls; 6. Desserts; 7. Cookies and Candies; 8. This and That
Need: 1 elephant, 2 rabbits (optional)
CUT ELEPHANT INTO BITE SIZE PIECES. THIS SHOULD TAKE ABOUT TWO MONTHS, AND ADD ENOUGH BROWN GRAVY TO COVER. COOK OVER A KEROSENE FIRE FOR ABOUT 4 WEEKS AT 465 DEGREES. SEASON TO TASTE WITH SALT AND PEPPER. THIS WILL SERVE ABOUT 3,800 PEOPLE. IF MORE ARE EXPECTED, TWO RABBITS MAY BE ADDED. BUT DO THIS ONLY IF IT'S NECESSARY. MOST PEOPLE DON'T LIKE LIKE THE TASTE OF RABBIT IN ELEPHANT STEW.--Recipe by Genevieve Grappe
From Anchored Magazine, Worcester, England
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and told her abut her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bow. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother bought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
The mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity...boiling water.
(Even as I am writing this to this page, Charles Stanley on TV in the other room began speaking, and his message? On Adversity!!! It must be
God's perfect timing.).
Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardnened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour. If you are like the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adverity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? it's easier to build a child than repair an adult."--Original Author Unknown
Sugarless Rhubarb Dessert
Sugar Free Powdered Sugar Replacement
JAMS, JELLIES, AND SYRUPS
No-Cook "Whiz Bang" Strawberry Jam
Important: You may want to experiment first, if you select a
sugar substitute! The following rules will keep your jams and jellies
perfect.
PUTTING UP YOUR PRESERVES:
Following recipes are submitted by Sylvia Yuge:
Helen Fjelstad’s Chili
Chicken and Egg Noodles Casserole
Meat ball appetizers
Dips for meat balls
Cranberry sauce
THIS IS FOR OUR ON-LINE GUESTS OF PLAIN VIEW FARM, BUT MUCH MORE IS TO COME IN THE PRINTED BOOK AFTER WE FINISH THE TYPENSAVE DRAFT ON COMPUTER. WE WILL SEND THE FILLED CD TO MORRIS PRESS IN KEARNY, NEBRASKA, AND PRESTO, OUT COMES THE BOOK AND COPY CDS IN 35 TO 40 DAYS, GOD WILLING.
Recipes for the cookbook to come can be submitted to the cookbook in the following
sections:
Any RECIPE, ESPECIALLY SCANDINAVIAN-STYLE, you can give is going to be helpful
and much appreciated. You can reach us at: ronald.ginther@oaringintheriver.com
Or write: Ron Ginther, P.O. Box 212, Puyallup, WA 98371. Or write to Pearl Ginther, 10709 63rd St. E., Sp. 28, Puyallup, WA 98372.
FUN SECTION
MISSIONARY'S ELEPHANT STEW
RECIPES FOR LIVING
"Sensitive Measures,"
OTHER PLAIN VIEW FARM COOKING PAGES:
"Mama's Recipes"
"Mama Stadem's Cooking"
Plain View Heritage Farm Home Page