FROMONLINE | 2014-02-12

  • By Daphne Ross
  • February 12, 2014
  • 402
                        
Clutter bugging, the in-house exterminator Column Summary We are all born with nothing, but in the end many folks have more stuff then they really know, or can remember. Do you store, stuff, or stash? As the word spring is prayed for, repeated in chant, and is mentioned in nearly every conversation I have, I am drawn to the task that spring brings, cleaning. I see dust. I see cobwebs. I see fireside ash. And while in all honesty I procrastinate greatly the dusting chore, it gets me to thinking, “Maybe I have too much stuff, too much to stuff to dust.” If I had less stuff there would be less for register dust to land on. On the days when the windows are open and the farmer works his soil, less stuff would mean screen filtered dirt would fall to the floor and get vacuumed. I accomplish more vacuuming more than dusting. If I had less stuff there would be less for cobweb building spiders to anchor their work from. Good to know spiders don’t’ live in cobwebs. Cobwebs are abandoned and left behind to collect dust and other particles, it’s true. So if you come across dusty, unorganized strands in the corners of your home, its inhabitant has most likely moved on to a new corner. So dusting, vacuuming, and purging sit out stuff are obvious chores for an annual spring into action cleaning. But what about the stuff you don’t see. Drawers, cupboards, and closets hold a lot but let’s get real here; these household storage units hide more stuff then the actual useful storing of items. By watching several cable television shows related to stuff it sure opens the eyes to what really lies behind a storage unit door; hidden and forgotten stuff. Close the drawer shut the door; out of sight out of mind. When a task becomes too grand of a chore how do you tackle it? The answer, take it one drawer at a time. Start with the silver ware drawer, take everything out. Wash the interior of the drawer with warm sudsy water, lay down clean shelf paper if you like, run the dividing tray through the dishwasher. The silverware drawer may be an essential drawer to hold the basics but you would be surprised what else the drawer may hold. In my kitchen I always find crumbs, and short forks. Where they both come from I am not sure but I don’t want crumbs in my drawers, who does? And we don’t like to eat with short forks. Junk drawers, how many do you have? I had too many in my kitchen; one was a family catch all, and the four drawers in my Hoosier cupboard were stow-away drawers for my own stuff. I took it one drawer at a time and not one right after the other. One a day is a good way to work this one. Completely empty the drawer; wipe out clean. With the trash can beside you, throw away the obvious trash. Then with quick thinking, no time for second thoughts here, ask yourself need or pitch? Then each day, for several days, open that drawer and throw away one more item. I did it and it worked. No regrets. Now, on to my clothes closet, “Honey I’ll be upstairs for a while.” Weed out the worst, send in the best; mail recipes to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome: thewritecook@sssnet.com Stuffed Peppers 6 green bell peppers, tops cut off, remove seeds 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 cup finely chopped sweet onions 1/2 cup finely chopped green peppers 1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Pinch red pepper flakes 2 cups cooked white rice 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce Water In a large pot of boiling water, boil peppers 3 minutes. Remove and drain dry on paper towels. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and chopped green peppers; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beef, pork, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook and stir until meat is brown Add rice and tomato sauce; stir well. Remove from heat; seasoning to taste. Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom. Stuff the bell peppers with rice mixture; set in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Stuffed Mushrooms 1/2 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese 2 minced garlic cloves 1 teaspoon parsley Salt and pepper 1/3 cup olive oil 28 large white mushrooms, stems removed Stir bread crumbs, Romano, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl. Coat a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spoon filling into the mushrooms; arrange on the baking sheet. Drizzle remaining oil over filling in each mushroom. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Stuffed Cabbage 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onions 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes with juice 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup raisins 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3/4 teaspoon pepper 1 large head green cabbage, including outer leaves Filling: 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onions 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs 1/2 cup uncooked white rice 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add onions; cook for 8 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, stir occasionally. Set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the entire core of the cabbage. Immerse cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it’s flexible. Set leaves aside. You will need at least 14 leaves. For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture; mix lightly with a fork. Assembly; place 1 cup sauce in bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with knife. Place 1/3 cup filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge; tuck sides in as you roll. Place half the rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you place all rolls in the pot. Pour remaining sauce over the rolls. Cover dish tightly with the lid; bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Stuffed Pork Chops 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves chopped garlic 1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/4 pound spicy ham, diced 1/4 pound provolone cheese, diced 1 egg, lightly beaten 4 pork chops (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick) pork chops Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat; add garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the Italian seasoning; cook for 2 minutes, stirring, just until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach mixture to a medium-size bowl; cool completely. When cool, add spicy ham, provolone cheese and egg; gently stir to combine completely. Cut a slit horizontally to the bone so chop can be opened like a book. Stuff each chop with 1/4 of the stuffing. Secure chops with toothpicks. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet. Add chops; cook 2 minutes per side or until browned. Place chops in single layer in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake the chops at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, internal temperature should register 155 degrees. Cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Stuffed Chicken Breast 4 boneless (8 ounce) skinless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 4 slices deli ham, each slice halved (about 3 ounces) 4 thin slices provolone (about 2 1/2 ounces) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2/3 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon parsley Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of each chicken breast to make a 3-inch-long pocket down the side, cutting in about halfway. Rub insides of the pockets with 1 tablespoon of the mustard for all 4 breasts. Stuff each breast with 2 half slices of ham and 1 slice of provolone, folding them to fit. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until very hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken. Cover the skillet with a lid during the last 3 minutes of cooking time to finish cooking the chicken through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Check the temperature at the thickest part of the breast without stuffing. Remove chicken to platter; add chicken broth and remaining 1 tablespoon mustard to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; swirl in the butter and chopped herbs. Serve gravy sauce with chicken.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load