Summer Cooking ~ Julie Lence

 

It’s July 1^st.  Sunshine… warm temps… Can you believe we’re halfway through the year? And getting ready to celebrate our nation’s independence? For me, oftentimes New Year’s Day and January feel like ages ago. Other times, I feel as though I just put away Christmas. Either way, I’m all for pleasant weather, morning walks with the pup, and cooking outside; I’m not a fan of cooking in a hot kitchen and can’t imagine how pioneer women cooked over an open fire those scorching months of summer, especially wearing those long dresses and numerous un-mentionables. But they did, and if they were lucky, they sometimes escaped the kitchen’s heat for a picnic, or for social celebrations in town. What might one find in those picnic baskets or box lunches?  A variety of cold meats such as roast beef and ham, sandwiches made with thick slices of bread, and tinned sardines were popular. Pickles, stuffed eggs (our version of deviled eggs using the yolk, mustard, cayenne, vinegar, and butter), and baked beans were also found beneath the lid. And don’t forget jam tarts or puddings for dessert and lemonade to drink. An over-abundance of food, just like at many of today’s 4^th of July celebrations. Check out a few quick recipes below to combat the heat of the kitchen.

 

Turkey Apple Panini

Ingredients:

4 slices of hearty bread

2 tbsp butter softened

¼ cup apple butter

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese thinly sliced

1 apple thinly sliced

½ pound sliced deli turkey

 

Directions:

Pre-heat the panini maker.

Spread the butter evenly on one side of each slice of the bread.

Place one slice of the bread on the preheated panini maker, buttered side of bread down.

Working quickly, spread apple butter evenly on that piece of bread.

Add the cheese, then the apples.

Layer the turkey evenly

Top with more apples and then cheese.

Add apple butter to the other side of the remaining piece of buttered bread.

Place that piece of bread on top of the sandwich.

Close the panini lid and press the sandwiches together.

Cook for 3-5 minutes until the bread is crispy and browned. Serve warm.

 

 

Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

20 ounces Three Cheese Tortellini

10 ounces Mini Pepperonis

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

6 ounces Whole Medium Black Olives, pitted

1 cup Banana Pepper Rings

2 cups Italian Dressing (Bottled)

5 ounces Shredded Parmesan Cheese

 

Directions:

  Cook tortellini pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse. Set aside to cool.

  Mix the pepperoni, tomatoes, olives and banana peppers in a large bowl. Toss with cooled

  tortellini. Gently stir in the Italian dressing and cheese until all ingredients are evenly coated.

  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Serve cold.

 

 

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pineapple juice

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Directions:

Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or large resealable plastic bag to get ready for marinating.

Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, garlic, and ginger until the sugar dissolves completely, creating a rich marinade.

Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal it up, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to let the flavors soak in deeply. This step is crucial for authentic Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Chicken taste.

Remove the chicken from the marinade but save the liquid for later use.

In a medium saucepan, simmer the marinade for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly, turning it into a glossy sauce.

Preheat your grill, place the chicken on it, and brush on the cooked marinade while grilling for added flavor; cook for about 5-6 minutes per side until the internal temperature hits 165°F.

Wrap the chicken in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to keep it juicy.

Serve chicken whole or sliced, with extra hot teriyaki sauce on top for a finishing touch.

 

Recipes From the 'Old West'

We all love to eat. Some of us love to cook, and some of us only have a favorite dish or two we enjoying making. Two things I like to cook are lasagna and the Thanksgiving turkey. And I like to have the kitchen to myself when I’m cooking. Another thing I like to do is scour old west towns in search of old west cookbooks. One that I found years ago has become a favorite. Sections include Sauces and Gravies, Desserts, Breads and Biscuits, and Everyday Cooking. From the “Original Cowboy Cookbook” by “Wild Wes” Medley, Rodeo Champion, I have prepared a few of the everyday meals, more often than not incorporating my own spin on the dish. And met with excellent results. Below are a few of the one I like best, in their original format.

Rodeo Pork with Onions:

2 1 lb pork tenderloins cut into julienne strips

6 medium onions, chopped

½ cup cooking oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp paprika

¾ tsp pepper

¼ tsp crushed red chilies

1-2 sweet red peppers cut into long strips

Feta cheese (optional)

Sauté onions in ¼ cup oil in warm skillet, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in spices. Place on low heat to keep warm. In separate skillet, brown pork in remaining oil. Cover over medium heat and cook 15-20 minutes. Top with pepper strips. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir onion mixture into poke. Garnish with Feta cheese and serve.

Julie’s version: (I’m not one for spicy food so I cut out the red chilies and I don’t add the peppers.)

Onions, cut lengthwise. Simmer in skillet and add paprika and chili powder to taste.

Coat pork strips in flour and cook in separate skillet, add more paprika to taste. Mix with onions and Serve.

Pot Roast & Sour Cream Gravy:

1 4 lb beef pot roast

3 Tbsp. cooking fat

1 beef bouillon cube

1 cup boiling water

4 Tbsp. catsup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. onion, minced

½ clove garlic, minced

2 tsp salt

1 tsp celery seed

½ tsp black pepper

1 small can mushrooms

4 Tbsp. flour

1 cup dairy sour cream

Brown pot roast in fat in Dutch oven. Pour off drippings. Dissolve bouillon cube in 1 cup boiling water, add to roast. Add catsup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, celery seed and pepper. Cover and cook over low fire 2 ½- 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove meat from kettle. Blend in flour and mushroom liquid and stir into remaining beef liquid to make gravy. Add mushrooms. Remove kettle from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve slices of beef with gravy

*** I have made this (substituting cooking oil for fat) and it is yummy!

Station Pot Roast:   

3 lb pot or rump roast

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup flour

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp. parsley

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

2 cups sliced onions

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups hot beef broth

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Combine seasonings and flour. Rub roast with this mixture. Heat oil in ovenproof casserole pan. Brown beef. Add onions and garlic, stirring until soft. Add remaining ingredients and bake covered at 325 degrees until tender, about 3 hours (or on stope top over low heat).   

*** I have also made this on the stove top. Very tasty.

The ‘Original Cowboy Cookbook is available on Amazon. 
Happy eating!

The Kitchen Sink

courtesy of: canadaplumbingservices.com

If I were to survey 100 people on what they thought was the most important room in the house, most would answer with the kitchen. We cook in the kitchen. Eat in the kitchen. And with today’s technology, some of us watch television, check email and scroll through Facebook while in the kitchen. It’s the one room in the house where family and friends gather to gossip and catch up with each other’s lives. The kitchen is also the most renovated/upgraded room in the home. If I were to also survey those same 100 people and ask what they thought was the best invention for the kitchen, votes would be split between the stove and the refrigerator, with maybe a handful picking the sink.

Modern kitchen sinks come in various sizes and materials. Some are porcelain, others stainless steel, and some are round bowls of colorful ceramic tiles. A faucet turns the hot and cold water on and off, making it easy to wash dishes or fruits and vegetables. But less than two hundred years ago, washing dishes was a laborious chore.

Courtesy of: www.erudit.org/revue/cuizine

City homes in the 1800’s had one room for cooking and washing dishes. Farm houses had one central room combining the parlor, kitchen, and bedroom. In each dwelling, the sink was nothing more than a wooden basin set on a table or a bench. Water had to be hauled into the home from a nearby pond or stream, heated on the stove and then poured into the basin to wash dishes. Afterward, the dirty water was tossed out the front door into the street or fed to the pigs. Many homes collected rain water in a barrel, but some homes had the ability to catch rain water with basement or rooftops cisterns, and the ability to dispose of the wastewater through underground brick or wood box drains.

courtesy of: pinterest.com

With the incorporation of a rough sewer system in major cities, the kitchen sink transformed from a wood basin to a shallow wood or stone trough set on table legs or inserted onto a window sill or the top of a cabinet. (The cabinet style is referred to as a dry sink by antique dealers.) In the beginning of its use, the trough held a basin, but water still had to be hauled in from outside sources. As plumbing technology advanced from using hallowed out logs fused together with iron hoops to lead and copper piping laid out in ditches, homes could now fit a wood or iron pump to the end of the trough and connect to the piping system. City folks tapped into the city’s public system while farmhouses tapped into their own ponds or springs.

courtesy of: www.brownstoner.com/blog

Eventually, the wood or stone troughs were replaced with factory built sinks of enameled cast iron, granite, steel, and slate. These sinks were sealed with a glaze of white enamel and could be sterilized and easily wiped cleaned. Drains came onto the scene shortly after and attached to the sewer system so the wastewater wouldn’t have to be hauled outside and dispelled. Faucets were added, and the sink became a permanent fixture in the kitchen.

courtesy of: pinterest.com