Shut that door: Well that is most doors
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- October 18, 2009
- 799
During warmer months we explain, “if you don’t shut the door, skeeters, bees and flies dart in.” But now, the mood is colder. “If you don’t shut the door, the furnace will kick on, the heat will get out, oops, there goes the cat! If you don’t shut the door, you can pay the gas bill, run after the dog, or sweep up the leaves that blow in on the floor.” It’s not just the chorus that gets repeated, the entire song is a broken record. My best advice? Just shut the door behind you, who has time for all the detailed explanations?
Sometimes doors do need left open. Sometimes, someone neglects to open the damper on the wood burner before opening the stove door. Poof! Front door, back door, all fans are turned on high. If a bat or a bird comes down an unscreened chimney, all exits need to be wide open, inviting escape to a much calmer space, the great outdoors.
Members of my family do well with closing doors to the cold outside, but a couple of them have difficulties keeping doors on the inside closed. Kitchen cupboards are frequently left open, not shut just a little, but both sides so wide the contents are on display. Oh, we need more peanut butter and wow, the corn flakes are almost gone!
Just for fun, before hitting the hay, I purposely opened all the kitchen cupboard doors so when the man of the house came down for his morning coffee he would speak out loud his exclamation. I heard him from our bed upstairs and laughed.
In this house, dresser drawers have a hard time meeting the actual dresser base itself. Grab some socks, some underwear and leave the drawer hanging open. Why, it’s all clean laundry, nothing needs aired out. The drawers aren’t problem drawers. They don’t get stuck or hung up on loose hardware. I have no explanation for this lack of closing action, because no reasons or excuses have ever been given to me.
A welcome source of heat is shared during the supper hour, when our meal is removed from the oven and the oven door is left open. This allows the 350-degree baking heat to escape into the kitchen.
Have your recipe clippings accumulated over the years? Are they stuffed into kitchen drawers or used as bookmarks in cookbooks? Send recipes from the top of your pile to thewritecook@sssnet.com or mail to Country Cupboard, c/o Daphne Ross, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you request a personal reply.
Pumpkin Bread (Doris Winter, Rittman)
3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil
2/3 cup warm water
1 cup raisins and chopped walnuts
Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a large bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, oil, water and raisins and walnuts. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon batter evenly into 3 small greased and floured pans. Combine all topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over pumpkin mixture in each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Broccoli, Noodle & Cheese Soup (Judy Wirt, Wooster)
2 to 3 tablespoons oil or butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 cups chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) package fine noodles
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli
1 clove garlic
5 to 6 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cubed
Cornstarch if needed
In large Dutch oven heat oil. Add onion and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and heat to boiling. Gradually add noodles and salt so the broth continues to boil. Cook, uncovered 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli and garlic. Cook 4 minutes more. Add milk, cheese and pepper; continue cooking until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. If soup is too thin, mix cornstarch with a little water and add to soup.
Date Crisp (Edna Mairs)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
Mix like pie crusts. Press half of pastry in bottom of buttered pan.
Filling:
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
Combine filling ingredients and boil until water is boiled out and mixture is stiff. Spread over pastry in pan and cover with remaining crumbs. Bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Chicken Macaroni Bake
(Lorraine Burkholder, Shiloh)
1 cup cooked cut-up chicken
1 cup macaroni, uncooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
Mix everything together and pour into a greased 9-by-9 inch pan. Top with cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 hour. Remove foil and top with bread crumbs. Bake 15 minutes longer.
Frank & Potato Chowder (Fannie Erb)
2 cups raw, diced potatoes
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 chicken bouillon cubes
8 ounces hot dogs, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
1 teaspoon dry parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup Velveeta cheese
4 teaspoons butter
Combine potatoes, mixed vegetables, onion, parsley, bouillon and salt in saucepan. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add sliced franks. Blend flour, pepper and milk into a paste. Stir the paste into the boiling mixture and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add butter and sprinkle with paprika.
Black Walnut Cake (Alta Sigrist)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup black walnuts
Soften the butter, cream until smooth, adding half the sugar. Add remaining sugar to well beaten egg yolks; combine with butter mixture. Sift dry ingredients then add to the first mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla and egg whites beaten very stiff then add the black walnuts. Bake in round loaf pans 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on rack and ice with caramel frosting. Recipe can be divided if smaller cake is desired.
Country Pumpkin Cake (Mildred Bucheit)
2 cups sugar
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup corn oil
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Combine all ingredients; beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour batter into greased 9-by-13 inch pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Frosting:
Combine 1 box sifted confectioners sugar, 8 ounce package softened cream cheese, 1 stick butter or margarine and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until smooth and well blended. After cake has cooled, spread frosting on top.
Coney Island Sauce for Hot Dogs (Betty Weber)
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cans tomato paste
1 can water
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Sauté ground beef until it loses red color; drain. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 15 minutes. Refrigerate. Heat up as needed.
Easy Beef Stew (Margaret Pollock)
2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cubed
1 large onion
2 stalks celery, chunky cut
6 carrots, chunky cut
3 potatoes, chunky cut
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons tapioca
1 cup tomato juice
Lay ingredients in order in 9-by-13 inch pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 275 degrees for 4 1/2 hours. Excellent warmed over.