Welcome to My Kitchen

Several weeks ago a gentleman dropped a recipe by The Odessa Record office, but staff did not catch his name. Our policy is to not print recipes anonymously, but the recipe concept intrigued me. The recipe arrived as a list of ingredients but no amounts and minimal directions, making it difficult for many readers to know how to proceed. I do love a puzzle, so I did a little experimenting and the following, after several attempts, is my version with the list of ingredients as I measured. Ingredients listed in parentheses are ingredients I added for a more robust flavor.

Texas Rolls Kraut Ranza

1 bag frozen Texas Rolls, thawed about 2 hours

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled fine

2 cups chopped cabbage

2 cups well drained sauerkraut

(1-2 drops liquid smoke)

(1/2 tsp salt)

(1/4 tsp ground black pepper)

In a large skillet, brown hamburger (I used the skillet I cooked the bacon in, draining off the fat). When nearly done, push meat to one side and add onion and garlic. Cook stirring often until onion is translucent, then mix together with meat. Stir in cabbage and cook until cabbage is wilted then add sauerkraut, stirring until heated through. Stir in crumbled bacon and seasonings. Let cool slightly.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each Texas roll until very thin, into a five inch circle. Place about 1/4 cup mixture in center of dough. Pull up edges pinching together to form a ball. Place on a greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and let raise 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush raised rolls with melted butter. Bake rolls 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Brush with melted butter again when you remove rolls from oven. Serve immediately, or cool on wire racks and refrigerate or freeze for later use. Yield: 24 Ranza.

Note: you could use thawed Texas Rolls, with any favorite Ranza filling.

Coleen Janke brought a delicious Gluten Free Banana Bread to a recent potluck lunch. She made a double batch and baked it in a bundt pan and served it with the center filled with whipped cream.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

1 mashed banana or 1 (6 ounce) jar baby food bananas

1 small (6 ounce) carton any flavor yogurt

5 1/3 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Coleen’s instructions said, mix all ingredients together and bake in medium greased loaf pan.

Kathy Reeves made “100 Cookies” for the same potluck and my test run of the recipe was devoured quickly. She got the recipe from Ann Liane, and the recipe calls for margarine, but both Kathy and I used butter.

“100 Cookies”

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup margarine (or butter), softened

1 cup cooking oil ( I used canola)

1 egg

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal

1 cup puffed wheat cereal (I used Golden Puffs)

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixer bowl, cream together sugars and butter, beat in oil and egg. Stir in coconut, oatmeal, puffed wheat and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.

Drop dough by small teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets and flatten slightly. Bake 8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 100 cookies.

This cookie recipe might be good to keep on hand for harvest lunch boxes, as Kathy notes they freeze well. Anything that can be frozen and added to the lunch pail helps keep other items in the lunch chilled and fresh. Freezing several bottles of water, Gator-aid or other hydrating beverage to add to the lunch box along with the ice packs adds extra chilling and can be thawed at the end of the day for extra hydration.

Speaking of harvest, what homemade items do your crew like to find in their lunches. After awhile, especially in the longer harvest it looks like we may have this year, the same sandwiches day after day along with store bought chips and cookies can get a bit tiresome. Share your lunch box or harvest meal favorites with your fellow readers.

One little tip to remember: a thin layer of butter or margarine on the sandwich bread before adding filling and condiments will help prevent a soggy sandwich at break or lunch time.

Share your favorite harvest and summer recipes, by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecoed@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Water gardens and flower beds in the early morning or late evening to prevent evaporations from the midday heat.