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Borscht Soup is a spring menu item in my book. Though it was a Deutschesfest menu item for many years provided originally by the Odessa Baptist Women, the dish was most often made in springtime with fresh young dill.

If you ever had one stalk of dill in your yard, you know it seeds prolifically, and there will be lots to thin out. Six-inch-tall dill is mild, yet full of flavor.

Traditional borscht soup consists of a lot of broth with a minimal amount of vegetables and meat, intended to use up soup bones and whatever was on hand. Served with a dense crusty bread to make a filling meal, this is comfort food for some folks. The process is not hard, but it does take time, as it is best to make the stock one day and finish the soup the next day.

The following recipe is from the Staff of Life II, Odessa Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook, as prepared by the Odessa Baptist Women.

Borscht Soup

Beef broth:

2-3 pounds soup bones or short ribs

1 small onion, diced

4 quarts water

Vegetables and seasonings:

1 large potato, cut in 1/2 inch dice

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped tender green dill

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup dry long grain rice

Beet top greens, about 6, chopped fine.

In a large Dutch oven, brown the soup bones. Add the onions and water and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 3 to 4 hours or until any meat on the bones and marrow is very tender and falls from the bones. Remove bones and chill the broth and meat until any fat solidifies on the surface and can be skimmed off.

When ready to make the borscht, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle boil, just barely above a simmer. This will take about an hour depending on firmness of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: Depending on your family’s tastes, you may add additional amounts of the vegetables and rice, but don’t overdo the dill and beet leaves. French or sourdough breads go well with this soup.

In the same cookbook are two salad dressing recipes I use often. Coleslaw can be made year round with cabbage varieties available in every season. Country Cole Slaw Dressing, attributed to the late Dorothy Gies, is the right balance of tang and sweet with just a nip of seasoning. The key to good slaw is finely sliced or coarsely shredded cabbage and other vegetables.

Country Cole Slaw Dressing

3/4 cup real mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until sugar is dissolved.

This dressing recipe is adequate for 8 to 10 cups finely sliced or coarsely shredded cabbage and vegetables. A mixture of green and red cabbage with some grated carrot added makes a colorful mixture. Combine vegetables and dressing and chill one hour before serving to allow flavors to develop.

Fruit salads are complimentary side dishes to most spring and summer meals. From the first berries to the apples of fall, this Dressing for Fresh Fruit Salad attributed to the late Rose Michaelson will bring out the flavors in any combination of colorful fruits.

The addition of cream cheese and honey makes a dressing that coats the fruit well and doesn’t become soupy.

Dressing for Fresh Fruit Salad

1 cup plain yogurt

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves

6 Tbsp honey

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until dressing is smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to use.

Sliced strawberries, melon balls or cubes, blueberries, blackberries, sliced bananas, orange sections and apple chunks are all good salad fruits. Raspberries, sliced kiwi, apricot and peach chunks are best added after adding the dressing and tossed very lightly.

Bring the dressing to room temperature for about 30 minutes before gently stirring into your fruit mixture, adding any fragile fruits last. Serve immediately.

I’m sure, if you had any leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day meals, it is eaten up by now, but Rueben Casserole, a recipe submitted to the same cookbook by Sheri Heidenreich, is a great way to get another meal from the corned beef. This recipe has all the flavors of a Rueben sandwich in the ease of a layered casserole.

Rueben Casserole

1 1/3 cups drained sauerkraut

1/2 pound thinly sliced corned beef

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

3 Tbsp Thousand Island Dressing

1/4 tsp caraway seeds

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

2 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup butter

1 cup crumbled, seasoned rye wafers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Thinly layer sauerkraut in the bottom of a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Top with sliced corned beef, then the shredded cheese. Dab dressing on top of cheese. Add tomato slices and dot with the 2 Tbsp butter. Melt the 1/2 cup butter in skillet, add the crumbled rye wafers and sauté to crisp. Add the caraway seeds. Spread on top of other ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes. Yield 4-6 servings.

Several people noted that Cook and Serve Butterscotch pudding mix needed for some monkey bread recipes is available at most Walmart stores in the pudding and gelatin section, generally on the very bottom shelf.

– Share your favorite springtime recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Cool weather crops like peas and onions will do well being planted now.