FROMONLINE | 2014-07-30

By Daphne Ross
July 30, 2014
422

Your place at the table Column Summary At dinner tables in homes all over the world, each family member has their own chair to sit on; and one family member always sits by mom. Every family is different, nothing new to even the less observant, but there is one place where, for the most part families are quite similar, and that is at the kitchen table. What does your family call the table where meals are shared; the dining room table, the kitchenette, the dinette, the supper table? In the home where I grew up, when we were called to eat we sat at the kitchen table, and everyone knew their place, we all had our own chair and I dont ever remember switching up the seating unless one family was not in attendance. When dad wasnt home for dinner, it was a sibling fight for his chair. I remember our mom sat with her back to the open kitchen, seating of easy access for refilling serving bowls or making Sloppy Joe seconds. My sister sat at one end of the table closest to the refrigerator, she could grab the Kool-Aid pitcher for quick refills and ice cube trays. Our little brother sat next to mom, right where most little brothers should sit. I sat at the other end of the table, where I could answer the telephone the fastest. Dad sat on one side of the table his back to the kitchen wall, a good view of all behavior. We didnt use tablecloths or place mats; did we even use napkins? Perhaps we grabbed paper towels as needed. Tablecloths and cloth napkins were used for holiday meals, plastic table covers with metal clips and a single roll of paper towels were used at picnic tables. When it came to serving, mom would fill a bun right from the stove top and set a sandwich on each of our plates, other foods like vegetables and salads were served in mismatched bowls and hot meats like Swiss steak and ham slices were served on a large oval platter. We passed foods around the table, no one needed to ask, and when we wanted seconds we would say, Please pass the carrots. Though I would have never said, Please pass the carrots; nope, never ever would I have wanted seconds of cooked carrots. Sometimes we served ourselves from the stovetop, taking turns just as you would at a church potluck. And in or house it was never a no-no to throw down potholders and set hot pots and pans onto the table, serving bowls always made for more dishes to wash. My sister and I were not the chief cooks but we were the bottle washers. And the day our dad with the greatest view of all dinnertime behavior bought mom her first dishwasher. Who was excited the most, well it wasnt the Chief Cook, she was happy, but my sister and I, we were saved! The Country Cupboard recipe file is hungry! Send your recipes to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, Ohio, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com Grilled Country-Style Ribs 4 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup ketchup 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup hot pepper sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons prepared mustard Place ribs in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Drain ribs. Grill, covered, over indirect low heat for 45 minutes, turning once. Baste with barbecue sauce. Grill 15 minutes longer or until meat is tender, turning and basting frequently. Roasted Red Potato & Bacon Salad 10 red potatoes cut into bite-size pieces Olive oil 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 1/2 stalk celery, chopped 1/4 cup chopped green onion 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped 1 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread potato pieces onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast potatoes about 45 minutes; remove from and let cool at least 15 minutes. Place roasted potatoes into a large salad bowl and combine with hard-cooked eggs, celery, green onion, and bacon; stir in mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors blend. Creamy Stroganoff and Noodles 3 cups beef stock 1 chopped carrot 6 sprigs thyme 1 bay leaf 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes Salt Black pepper 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 chopped onion 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound sliced mushrooms 3 chopped garlic cloves 2 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 1 (1 pound) package wide egg noodles Heat the beef stock with the carrot, 3 sprigs, and bay leaf. Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat; brown meat. Lower heat to medium and return meat to the cooker. Add onions and cook until they soft. Add beef stock; discard carrot, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Cook, partially covered, on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and remaining thyme and cook until the mushrooms are browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside. When the meat is done, remove it from the heat and fold in the mushrooms, sour cream, mustard, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain well, toss with 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve over noodles; top with more sour cream and chopped parsley. Tomato and Noodle Toss 3 tablespoons garlic-infused virgin olive oil 4 cups sweet grape tomatoes Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1 pound angel hair pasta or extra-thin egg noodles 4 ounces smoked mozzarella, roughly chopped Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes; season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place the tomatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Heat chicken stock on low heat. Add the noodles to a large skillet over medium heat, and pour in 1/2 cup hot stock. Stir to prevent the noodles from sticking together. When noodles absorb all of the stock, add another 1 cup stock. Continue to stir and add the remaining stock 1 cup at a time, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more. Once all the stock has been absorbed, stir in the cheese and toss with the roasted tomatoes and their pan drippings. Serve hot. Skillet Fried Cucumbers 4 small grow cucumbers (1 pound), cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 3/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup self-rising white cornmeal 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 3/4 cup Sprite soda 1 large egg, lightly beaten Vegetable oil Ranch dressing or spicy mayonnaise Arrange cucumber slices between layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and let stand 20 minutes. Combine cornstarch and next 3 ingredients. Stir in soft drink and egg. Dip cucumber slices into batter. Pour oil to depth of 1/2 inch into a large cast-iron or heavy skillet; heat to 375°. Fry cucumbers, 6 to 8 at a time, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and serve immediately with dressing. Cheesy Bacon Mac 8 ounces macaroni 2 1/2 cups cold milk 4 ounces Provolone cheese, shredded 4 ounces aged Asiago cheese, shredded 2 large eggs 2 green onions, chopped 3 slices white bread, tear into small pieces 3 strips bacon 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons flour 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Kosher salt Grease a 2-quart shallow casserole dish. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook macaroni only 5 minutes. Drain; transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish along with 1/4 cup of the cold milk. Mix the cheeses together in a small bowl. Beat the eggs with 1/4 cup of the milk in a medium bowl. Add the onions, bread and half of the cheese to the egg mixture; set aside. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the onion and garlic; cook about 3 minutes, stirring, until just brown. Stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and 3/4 cup water to the skillet. Bring to a boil, whisk stir until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Stir in remaining cheese. Add sauce to macaroni pasta; stir to combine. Crumble bacon and add it to the egg and bread mixture. Spread evenly over the pasta. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; let sit 5 minutes before serving. MeeMaws Banana Cake 24 large marshmallows 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup soft margarine 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 whole eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup dairy buttermilk 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) 1 cup mashed very ripe banana Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Place marshmallows in a single, even layer in the bottom of the pan. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, stir in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Fold in nuts and bananas. Pour batter over marshmallows, making sure that marshmallows are covered, and that the batter reaches all sides of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees on for 45 minutes. Marshmallows will rise to top and make a topping. The cake may look slightly under baked because of the marshmallow topping. Cool before serving.

FROMONLINE | 2014-07-30

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