Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 69
A bit of sunshine teases us into thinking winter is over. February and March have yet to come. Winter is not done so we might as well make the most of it. Lemon flavored desserts can add a spark of spring to winter gathering menus. Charlene Kagele shared a recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Bars she found at www.healthygffamily.com. This site features gluten free recipes. These bars would be a nice addition to a Superbowl gathering buffet, or anytime a gluten free dessert is...
Gifts from the kitchen lend a personal touch when shared with family and friends. Homemade and from scratch recipes make gifts and events more festive. Eggnog, a traditional holiday beverage, is a cut above when homemade. It takes some forethought, as the base must be made and chilled at least four hours before serving time, but the end result is well worth the extra planning. Holiday Eggnog 12 large eggs 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 quarts whole milk 1 cup...
https://www.odessarecord.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/001359.21.12771030967125952387...
Pumpkin, squash and winter cooking apples are plentiful in markets and stores right now. Fortunately, there is no end to the number and variety of recipes for preparing these fall fruits and vegetables. Awesome Country Apple Fritter Bread has been on my Pinterest “To Try” list for sometime. I recently made this to share at an afternoon meeting and the loaf quickly disappeared. The recipe was posted by Kim Lange, and is very easy to prepare, working well with any variety of...
Early November is a good time to get a head start on holiday meal preparation. Roasting a turkey hindquarter and using the drippings to make gravy to freeze for use at Thanksgiving or Christmas, will assure ample gravy for a crowd. Seasoning the hindquarter as you would the holiday bird will insure a flavorful gravy. Shops and markets boast a vast array of seasoning mixes, rubs and salts, and usually carry a hefty price tag as well. Make your own allows you to adjusting to...
Asparagus season has begun. Though we can buy asparagus in the supermarket most of the year, fresh locally grown is a cut above in flavor and texture. Keeping the fresh flavor and texture is all in the preparation and cooking process; and desired texture is a matter of personal taste. Most folks prefer a tender crisp texture, but achieving those results requires attention to detail. I was recently asked about a method of cooking asparagus upright in a canning jar. The history...
Spring keeps tempting us with bits of sunshine between bouts of April downpours. The ground is too soggy to do much garden preparation, so it is a good time to clean out your freezer. Those who purchase a whole beef and have it cut to order, may find an oxtail among the end of season packages. Oxtail Stew is a rich, savory dish, but it requires some long, slow, cooking times. Using a slow-cooker to prepare this dish makes the process manageable. The key to a good mild flavor...
This week we have an assortment of culinary odds and ends, some with Easter dinner in mind, others, answers to recipe requests and cooking inquiries. Often it is a little trick or tip, or knowing exactly which brand to purchase, that insures exact results. Several weeks ago, Debbie Buscher brought some tasty crackers and a sweet bread for a Sunday coffee hour. Many asked for the recipes. Debbie reports, both were purchased at Costco. They looked and tasted homemade. The...
Soup weather is still with us. Over the past year I have added several soup recipes to my collection. All have been made several times and continue to turn out well. Salmon Chowder is an easy to prepare recipe featuring pantry staples. Keep the canned ingredients on hand for spur of the moment company meals or everyday family meals. Salmon Chowder 1 small onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup...
Happy 2018. Long time readers may remember, I like to start the new year by sorting out my pantry, making plans to use items nearing a pull date or donating to the food bank so they don’t go to waste. Of course past dated items get tossed out, but I am happy to report I found no such items this year. I encourage you readers to do a pantry sort out as well. Not having unusable or unwanted items cluttering your cupboards makes meal preparation easier. Donate unopened n...
Christmas baking season has arrived. Whether you are preparing for family gatherings in your home, or making to take as part of a potluck, planning ahead will make the preparation easier. Making a list of dishes to prepare, then add needed ingredients to your shopping list, so they get purchased and are on hand when you are ready to bake. This can make your holiday kitchen preparations less stressful. Billie O’Mack of Snohomish, my sister, sent a recipe for Rocky Road P...
Fall has arrived with below freezing nights and windy afternoons. Time for warm and comforting meals. Recently I was in on a discussion about ham and beans served over cornbread, and how it is almost impossible to reproduce recipes from times gone by. Sometimes it is the people and the surroundings that made up part of the remembered flavor. So with no attempt to reproduce any recipe, just offering something good to try, I include Elsie's Bean Soup and Barb’s Corn Bread E...
Fall has arrived with below freezing nights and windy afternoons. Time for warm and comforting meals. Recently I was in on a discussion about ham and beans served over cornbread, and how it is almost impossible to reproduce recipes from times gone by. Sometimes it is the people and the surroundings that made up part of the remembered flavor. So with no attempt to reproduce any recipe, just offering something good to try, I include Elsie's Bean Soup and Barb’s Corn Bread E...
Last week The Odessa Record included a Deutschesfest insert. In the insert on page 3 is a stock recipe for Apple Strudel. Please Do Not use that recipe. Reason one, amounts in metric or US are incorrect. At best, you will end up with goop suitable for hanging wallpaper. Reason two, this is not the style of strudel served during Fest, as it is a rolled rather than stretched dough. The filling ingredients listed are typical of an Austrian style strudel. Most Germans from Russia Odessa area settlers made strudel with a...
Summer produce is in abundant supply, as are recipes for the column. I won’t be able to get them all into one issue but will start out with those calling for currently available produce. Carrie Greenwalt shared two of her favorite summertime recipes. Mushroom/Spinach Crustless Breakfast Quiche calls for fresh mushrooms and frozen spinach, but you may substitute canned mushrooms and fresh spinach. Zucchini is abundant now so I even made a version using thin sliced zucchini that turned out very good. Mushroom/Spinach C...
Summer harvest season is not just for wheat. Home gardens can produce a bumper crop leaving the gardener wondering what to do with it all. I received requests for an easy apricot jam, any ideas besides zucchini bread for an abundance of zucchini and those cooking for harvesters were exchanging meal ideas on Facebook. My recommendation in that department was Twist Tuna Salad, a recipe I received from the late Elizabeth Fink in 1989. Easy to prepare, it lends itself to...
October officially begins the baking season on my calendar. Frosty mornings and cool days invite the warming of the kitchen with the heat and aromas of freshly baked breads, muffins, pies and cookies. Kathie Donahue shared her recipe for the Oatmeal Bar Cookies she brought to a recent gathering of quilters. She describes them as “tender, chewy; great as an energy bar or trail bar.” These bars would be ideal for breakfast on the go or a mid-morning coffee break. You could sub...
Zucchini is showing up in various dishes as this prolific summer squash hits peak season. Sautéed, steamed, in cakes and breads, versatile zucchini can be added to just about any recipe, adjusting the liquid measure to accommodate the moisture of the zucchini. An eight inch zucchini equals about 1 cup liquid. Many recipes call for grated zucchini, but some picky eaters can detect a shred of zucchini in a recipe from twenty paces. The solution, puree the zucchini. This works fo...
Popsicles, a favorite frosty summer treat of children for nearly one hundred years, are fun to make, and the variety of fruit combinations is endless. Thin pudding mixtures may be frozen as well, increasing the flavor selections. Frank Epperson registered the trademark Popsicle in 1923, the name being derived from lollypop and icicle. Popsicles have had a variety of shapes over the years, but all feature a stick handle of some sort to hold onto while eating. My mom and other...
Many requests have come in for several cookie recipes. Peanut Butter Chocolate Toffee Crunch, brought by Shelly Hauge to a recent potluck, is a super sweet treat, especially appealing to young folks. It is easy to make, bakes quickly, but does require an hour of chilling time. Peanut Butter Chocolate Toffee Crunch 4 1/2 cups Reese’s Puffs cereal 1 cup butter 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted 1/2 cup creamy p...
Odessa seems to be overrun with skunks this year. Monday of this week I saw three skunks, all in different areas of town. To my way of thinking, that is three skunks too many. Eradicating skunks is probably not a kitchen subject, but de-skunking dogs, other animals and items, could be. Ingredients for a good de-skunking solution are mostly found in the kitchen. Leanna Schafer’s dogs had an unpleasant meeting with a skunk several years ago. She found this recipe on A...
Burgeoning rhubarb patches abound in the Odessa area this spring. Often called pie plant, it should be noted, there are many recipes calling for rhubarb that are not pie. Want to give your favorite salsa a tangy zing? Try this simple addition. Rhubarb Salsa Add-in 1 cup diced rhubarb 2-3 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced fine 12-16 ounces of your favorite mild or medium heat salsa Combine rhubarb and sugar in a small saucepan and let stand 15-20 minutes until sugar begins to dissolve and juice...
Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. Mom might like a batch of Steel-cut Oatmeal Granola Bars for quick snacks or lunch time fare. Several weeks ago, they were a number of granola recipes in a Spokesman Review article. Most contained expensive ingredients not readily available locally, but several called for steel-cut oats. What I did learn from the article is that toasting the steel-cut oats before adding them to any recipe allows them to take on flavors and absorb liquid b...
Slow-cooker meal preparation fits nicely into spring activity schedules, allowing home cooked meals to be ready when a quick dinner is required. Fix-It and Forget-It, Feasting with your Slow Cooker, by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good is one of my favorite slow-cooker recipe resources. There is a recipe for just about everything in it. Awfully Easy Chicken, by Martha Hershey of Ronks, PA is a wonderful base recipe for combining chicken and just about any bottled sauce....
First on the menu this week is a correction. I omitted part of a sentence in the cooking instructions for Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The third paragraph of instructions for the recipe should read as follows: Place in oven and bake 15 minutes, turn sprouts with spatula and bake 15 minutes more. Sprouts should be browned and very dark on the edges. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused. Start your day with Amish Baked Oatmeal, a recipe submitted by K...
