Mail Call: Waiting for your original recipe
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- January 11, 2010
- 906
I am a quick sorter when it comes to mail: big bundle or small pile. I immediately pitch all the junk. I never save this small chore for later. I keep only the restaurant coupons for places we do indeed dine at. They are placed in a folder, stored in an easy access kitchen drawer. I tear up or shred credit card offers, book club offers, repeat fundraiser solicitations, last chance offers, and the like.
I do keep important papers and documents, placing bills to be paid in a wall-mounted mail sorter with three slots: bills, misc., and letters. (I think it was a wedding gift nearly 28 years ago.) The miscellaneous slot holds envelopes, stamps, notepads and address labels. The bills’ slot, obviously, holds all those that are current. Once paid, they get filed elsewhere. The letter slot, unfortunately, holds no correspondence, but other mail that requires some attention, just not immediate.
I love it when checks really do come in the mail. I enjoy greeting cards that include notes. I love letters, but they just don’t come much anymore, thanks to cell phones and computers. Packages are great, as are my favorite monthly magazine subscriptions, and all my reader mail. Getting an envelope filled with recipes for my column is great mail. Thanks to those that regularly send in recipes, and thanks to the cooks mailing in the occasional example also worth sharing. We all like to see our names in the paper, and I bet if you send in Grandma’s recipe for her, she’ll be tickled, too.
I would like to encourage many of you that I have conversed with over the past year, those folks that said, “I should send you this recipe or that recipe.” Well, friends, do it today. Send in recipe(s) on the same day every month; mark your calendar. Did you get great praise over dinner last night? After the table is cleared, jot that dinner recipe down and mail it to me.
As with many things in life, guidelines are meant to create an ease at accomplishing something worthwhile. There are guidelines for submitting recipes to this column as well, and every year we need to be reminded, a one-column class so to speak.
Submit neatly handwritten (or preferably hand-printed) or typed recipes. Please do not send in photocopies of recipes from magazines, books, or package wrappers. Recipes directly printed off a Web site will not be considered either. There is no limit to the number of recipes you send into the column, via mail carrier or e-mail. But please remember, if you would like a response, please include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). I welcome questions and requests, just not paying the postage to return the answers.
Countless columns of original recipes would be ideal, but after years of passing down favorites from generation to generation not all family favorites came from Grandma’s gifted mixing hand. Even she exchanged recipes with neighbors and friends, and she, too, read magazines years ago. Why not honor a family member’s memory by putting their name on their recipe?
Timely recipes are the greatest recipes to share. More fresh produce in the summer, holiday recipes several weeks before the event, more stews and soups in the winter, etc. Read what other cooks have sent in for the column. Sadly, your name doesn’t get in the paper when a recipe has been repeated over and over again. How many ways can you fix broccoli-cheese soup, cheesy potato casserole, or dump cake?
A couple more hours yet and my mail caller comes stomping though the front door. I can’t wait!
Mail recipes to: Country Cupboard, c/o Daphne Ross, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. E-mails: thewritecook@sssnet.com.
Crispy Ranch Chicken
2 cups crisped rice cereal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (1 ounce) packet Ranch salad dressing dry mix
2 egg whites, beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Combine the cereal, Parmesan cheese, and Ranch dressing mix in a large bowl. Place beaten egg whites in a medium bowl. Dip each chicken thigh in the egg whites and then in the cereal mixture to coat evenly. Arrange the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.
The Goulash Pot
4 ounces fine noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups celery, sliced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 (2 1/2 ounce) can mushrooms, sliced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook noodles as directed on package. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown and onions are tender. Stir in drained noodles, celery, ketchup, mushrooms (with liquid), tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
2 pounds hamburger meat or ground venison
8 cups water
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato sauce
2 cups precooked long grain rice
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup red pepper, diced
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Mix all ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until peppers are tender.
Asparagus-Pasta Toss
2 pounds fresh asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces
1 pound thin spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces, or
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Cook asparagus in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Return to kettle to keep warm. If using bacon, fry until crisp. Sauté onion in bacon drippings until soft. If not using bacon, sauté onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until soft. Add asparagus and pepper; heat. Quickly toss spaghetti, asparagus mixture, butter, cream and cheese. Serve immediately.
Cherry Brownies
1 box brownie mix
1 cup rolled oats
1 stick butter, melted
1 (20 ounce) can cherry pie filling
Put pie filling into bottom of 2-quart baking dish. Mix brownie mix, butter, and oats together until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
Winter’s Hearty Cabbage & Beef Soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped, reserve liquid
1 (28 ounce) tomato can of water
4 beef bouillon cubes
In a Dutch oven, brown beef. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer; covered, for 1 hour.
Sweet Tater Patties
1 pint sweet potatoes, mashed
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Cracker crumbs
Cook sweet potatoes and mash them. Add egg, salt, brown sugar, and butter to sweet potatoes. Shape mixture into patties. Roll patties in cracker crumbs. Place patties on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Spicy Chicken Bake
1 1/2 cups spicy tomato juice
1 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 bay leaf
4 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons butter
2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces
Boil first 9 ingredients together for 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Arrange chicken pieces in shallow pan and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Turn chicken at least once and baste frequently.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Pizza
1 refrigerated dough roll pizza crust
2 sliced apples
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup strawberry jam
6 to 10 fresh strawberries
Make crust according to package directions. Let crust cool, then spread peanut butter, jam and top with prepared fruit.