FROMONLINE | 2014-04-23

  • By Daphne S. Ross
  • April 23, 2014
  • 364
                        
One spring day I will Spring is the beginning of another hunting season; my favorite is treasure hunting. I am a good hunter. I hunt for me, I hunt for you. In my hometown of Smithville, the village is preparing for the annual community yard sale day. No doubt the following trash day Monday, there will be much to pick-up, over-flowing the designated barrel, including over-sized items, and the trash no one found to be a treasure. When a community organizes such an event, it gets a person into motion. A date has been set, and in Smithville has always been set as the last Saturday in April. Early for garage sales, yes, but those of us eager for the pastime that spring brings, we find dollars are burning holes in our pockets, and handfuls of quarters are over-heating in our hands. If you walk into your garage and sigh a little sigh, if you walk into your basement and sigh a much bigger sigh, if you walk into your child’s room and just say ugh, you might then be thinking, “One spring day I will have a yard sale”. So guess what, it’s spring, right now! Spring is a motion motivating season. We wait all winter long baking our potatoes on the couch, and while the motion detectors in our living rooms cease to operate in the cold weather, we hear our brains repeating, “One spring day I will.” I hear those words quite often, my own voice to my own ears, even when my brain silently speaks the same words I hear loud and clear; it’s time to get in gear. So I schedule my own garage sale, and make it bigger than the yard. I make it an over-flowing tent sale, and I hold it one Saturday in August in the yard at my antique shop. There is something for everyone, because not only do I sell items from the shop, I load treasures from my storage barn at home, and I de-clutter my two-story farmhouse. I invite my daughter and her husband to bring stuff. My husband cleans out his pole barn and our son, he cleans his room. My parents bring a couple loads as well. We have a great mix of treasures, in fact more treasures than trash. Folks hold yard sales for many different reasons, those wanting to de-clutter are the best sales. Better deals are made when the stuff just has to go. Yard sales planned just to make money are sales where items are high-priced, not priced to move, no deals, no dickering. That owner of that garage packs all the leftovers away for the next sale, for when, one spring day, next year? We grew up having a garage sale nearly every summer. It kept the clutter at bay, and summer fun money in our pockets. At the end of the sale, there may have been a few items pulled back into home inventory, but for the most part, it’s all packed up and donated to a local charity thrift store. And when you clear out the clutter you won’t run out of room, you’ll have more room to run, another one spring day I will motion. Work outside has increased as the weather here in Ohio has finally transitioned into spring, ready-to-eat and quick fix recipes are what we need for meals now. Send recipes to; Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com Hamburger Steaks and Gravy 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion 1 tablespoon catsup 2 slices toast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Soften toast with water. Mix with other ingredients. Add beef to mixture. Place in frying pan with 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Brown on both sides; remove from pan. Place in baking dish. Slice small onion over meat. Brown Gravy: 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups water 2 tablespoons ketchup Salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon pepper Stir flour in pan meat was cooked in. Stir until brown. Add water, ketchup, pepper. When gravy thickens, pour over meat. Cover and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. This can also be cooked in the crock pot on low overnight. Oven-Baked Mac and Cheese 1 1/2 cups macaroni, cooked 2 cups white sauce 2 teaspoon grated onion 1/2 pound grated cheese Fine buttered bread crumbs Paprika Cook and drain macaroni and place in a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Blend onion and cheese with white sauce and pour over cooked macaroni. Sprinkle with buttered crumbs and paprika. Bake at 400 degrees, uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes. White Sauce: 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon salt Melt butter in saucepan, microwave or double boiler. Add flour to butter and whisk well to blend. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Allow to cook over low heat until sauce simmers and thickens to desired consistency. Add salt, to taste. If you prefer a richer sauce, use 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons butter. Serves 4. Apple Crisp Crescent Bars 4 cup (4 medium) peeled, thinly sliced apples 2/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury quick crescent dinner rolls 1 tablespoon butter Topping: 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup rolled oats 1/3 cup flour 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 teaspoon vanilla In a large bowl; combine first 4 ingredients. Separate crescent dough into 2 large rectangles. Place rectangle in ungreased 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan. Gently press dough to cover bottom of pan; seal perforations. Spoon apple mixture over dough. Dot with butter. In medium bowl combine topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Mom’s Best Macaroni and Cheese 1 (7 ounce) box macaroni, uncooked 1/4 cup butter 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups milk 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 cups Cheddar cheese, cubed 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 tablespoons butter, melted Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in 3 quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter; stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth and bubbly (1 minute). Stir in milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper and mustard. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened (3 to 4 minutes). Stir in macaroni and cheese. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. In small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients; sprinkle over macaroni and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated. Home-Style Ranch Dressing 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk 3 tablespoons dried minced onions 3 tablespoons minced dried parsley 1 tablespoon dried minced chives 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper In a bowl or jar which you can cover, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Store tightly covered until ready to use; makes about 3/4 cup mix enough to prepare 8 cups of dressing. For Ranch Dressing: Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of mix to 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Mexican Layered Dip 2 cans bean dip 2 tubs guacamole dip 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup sour cream 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 package taco seasoning 1 bunch green onions, chopped fine 3 tomatoes, chopped fine 3 cans minced black olives In 9 x 13 inch pan spread bean dip in the bottom. In separate bowl peel and mash avocado. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. In another bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning. Alternate layers of avocado and sour cream mixture on top of bean dip. Layer onion, tomatoes and olives; top with cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. Chef Mama Baked Ravioli 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoons oregano 1 (14 1/2 ounces) can stewed tomatoes 1 (14 1/2 ounces) can diced Italian flavored tomatoes Salt and pepper 2 pounds frozen ravioli 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté with salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Add thyme, oregano and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Break up tomato chunks with a spoon as much as possible. Scoop most of the bigger tomato chunks out and blend until chunks are gone. Return blended mixture to the sauce. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water; until they float to the top. Use package instructions for al dente. When done, drain water from pasta. Toss pasta and sauce in a large bowl. Pour pasta into a 9 x 13 pan. Top pasta with Parmesan cheese, and then mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, until pasta is golden. My Favorite Caramel Apple Crisp 7 to 8 tart green apples (peeled, cored, and sliced) 1 cup sugar 1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup flour 1 cup quick cooking oats 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter 1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon ginger 1 (10 ounce) caramel ice cream topping Vanilla ice cream Spray one 9 x 13 and one 8 x 8 pan with non-stick spray. Arrange half apples in 9 x 13 and other half in 8 x 8. Sprinkle each with 1/2 cup sugar. Mix together brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and butter. Stir until well moistened. Sprinkle half this mixture over 9 x 13 apples. Top oat mixture with 1/4 to 1/2 cup caramel. Bake both pans at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Arrange apples in 8 x 8 over apples in 9 x 13 (this makes a second layer). Top with remaining oats and another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of caramel. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or till apples are tender and top is crisp. Remove, let sit until warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel topping on top. Bacon Corn Muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cornmeal 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 slices bacon, diced, slightly cooked Combine dry ingredients and stir in cornmeal. Beat egg slightly add buttermilk and melted butter. Mix liquid and dry ingredients and stir only to combine. Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full. Sprinkle with diced bacon. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load