FROMONLINE | 2014-03-26

  • March 26, 2014
  • 433
                        
Let’s put away the slip and slide Column Summary Winter fun is over and how I hope that springtime fun is on the horizon. And I won’t complain this year when it’s time to pick up sticks in the yard, because that means snow is not covering them up, anymore. One of the saddest days of the year for my two children and all the babysitting kids that spent summers at my house was that early autumn day when dad said, “It’s too cool for water fun in the yard. It’s time to wind up the garden hose and roll up the Slip & Side.” Another sad day was that late fall weekend we took apart and stored the trampoline. Our family of four tackled the job, but to get started it took a little convincing by dad to get us in gear. We bellyached. We just wanted to leave it out, like other people did. But I will tell you, by storing the trampoline during winter, we enjoyed our trampoline more summers then those folks that didn’t dismantle. We also found when jumping interest dwindled, the resale value for a stored trampoline was very good. We all know kids are dreaming about warm weather seasons, and the adults are right there with them. We pray each evening for spring to shine in the morning, and for winter to go to sleep that night. They imagine roller skates on the sidewalk, not ice skates on the pond. They imagine pulling wagons across the yard, not pulling sleds up the hill. How proud we should be that these anxious students are working overtime on their math skills; calculating how many snow days are going to be subtracted from their summer vacation. They are no longer wearing their pajamas inside out, or backwards, or upside down. Some kids are beginning to become more science savvy, paying close attention to the weather reports on the evening news. Some are reading The Farmer’s Almanac, sharing their report at the dinner table. These summer seeking youngsters and their parents are on the edge of picketing Mother Nature, but as soon as they do, she will hit us again. So best we keep our blank signs for a summertime garage sale. I am tired of the ice, the snow, the freezing rain. I am tired of wearing snow boots every time I step outside. I want to retire my thick socks and fuzzy slippers into the storage chest. I want to put away my gloves, my cold weather scarves, and hang my winter wear in the back of the coat closet. I want to speed up my stride without nose to the ground caution. I want to run straight to the barn and not take the long way around, avoiding the most slippery spots. And without complaining I would gladly help put away the winter version of Slip and Slide. Who’s with me? Send your chilly spring day recipes to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, Ohio, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com Stewed Chicken 1 (4 pound) chicken cut-up into small chunks Salt and pepper, to taste 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water 1 small onion, chopped Rice and beans: 1 pound dried red beans 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1/4 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine 1 tablespoon pepper 2 tablespoons salt 1 (6 ounce) can coconut milk 2 pounds white rice Season chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and garlic; heat two tablespoons of oil in large frying pan over high heat. Brown chicken, turning pieces once, about 4 minutes on each side; add 3 teaspoons of water to skillet. Repeat a few times and then add watered flour to make gravy. As chicken browns, add onions, cover pan and simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Rice and beans: Clean beans and check for stones. Put beans in a stockpot with water to cover, thyme, onions, garlic and pepper. Do not add salt at this time because the beans will turn hard. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes and adding a little water if necessary. Cook until beans are soft. Add salt, coconut milk and uncooked rice. Cover and barely simmer over low heat (milk may easily burn) for 10 to 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Stewed Green Beans 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced thin 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed 2 cups tomato juice 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 bunch oregano leaves, chopped Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, approximately 7 minutes. Add the green beans along with the tomato juice, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stir every 5 minutes, until the beans are tender.. Stir in the fresh oregano; cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot. Beef Stew 2 pounds stew beef 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 cups water 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 bay leaf 1 small onion, sliced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika Dash allspice 3 large carrots, sliced 3 ribs celery, chopped 2 tablespoons cornstarch Brown meat in hot oil; add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaf, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth; mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly. Sausage Stew 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large red onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 tablespoon paprika Salt 3 tablespoons flour 6 ounces kielbasa, chunked 3 medium carrots, chunked 2 parsnips, peeled and chunked 6 to 8 small red-skinned potatoes, quartered 1 tablespoon cider vinegar Pepper 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 3/4 cup sour cream Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the paprika and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the oil turns deep red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in 4 cups water. Add the kielbasa, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring the soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened.. Add the vinegar and pepper. Combine about half of the parsley with the sour cream in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the stew into bowls; top with the remaining parsley, a dollop of herbed sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with crusty bread. Turkey Burger Stew 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 leftover turkey burgers, cut bite size 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrots 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper 1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves In a large saucepan, combine broth, turkey burger pieces, onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add noodles and partially cover with lid. Cook about 6 minutes, until noodles are almost tender. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves and stir in parsley. Meatball Stew Meatballs: 1 slice white bread, torn into little pieces 1/2 pound ground beef 2 sweet mild Italian sausages, casings removed 1 egg 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Meatball Stew: 1 tablespoon flour 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup sliced onion 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly pepper 1 (1/2 pound) package large white mushrooms, cut in quarters 1 (10 ounce) potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/3-inch slices 4 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 1/2 cups chicken broth For the meatballs: Place the bread and 3 tablespoons water into a medium bowl. Mash into paste. Add beef, sausage, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Blend the mixture thoroughly with your hands. Form mixture 15 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet until ready to use. For the hearty meatball stew, sprinkle the meatballs with the flour and turn to coat with any flour still on baking sheet. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Drop the meatballs into the skillet. Cook bottoms are brown. Turn each meatball onto an uncooked side and cook until brown. Turn and cook a third side until brown, so the meatballs are brown all over. Transfer the meatballs to a large plate. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until soft, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, beans, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load