Swedish Meatballs

I've had a request for the recipe of my mom's Swedish meatballs. I will give it the way I made it the other night. So here you go:

1 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup crushed rusks (I used toasted bread, about 2 slices)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 T. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

 beef broth (I use 32 oz box)
2-4 T. flour

Combine first 9 ingredients and form into small balls, about  1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Brown on all sides in 1 tablespoon hot shortening ( I used butter). Once browned, add in all but about a cup of beef broth to skillet and stir together.  Then add the flour to the remaining cup of broth and mix to form a thickening agent.  Add to the pan and stir it in.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes and serve over noodles if desired.

Autumn and Soup---The Perfect Couple

So.

I haven't blogged in something like over eight months.  There is a reason.  I've been wanting to write about it.  But, it's awkward.  

Instead of starting anew with something awkward I'll just do a recipe blog since that is very non-threatening.

Autumn began this week (can you believe it?) and with autumn goes soup.  I love soup.  If I had the gumption to do it I would like to make soup several days a week in the fall and winter.  But with my food allergies there are only so many soups I can eat so I guess it would get kind of boring for the rest of my family.

Today it was kind of a gloomy, rainy day here so soup was the perfect solution to feeling good.  The soup du jours is potato.  I use a recipe from the West Lisbon Church cookbook as a base but have kind of made it my own in order to feed my tribe over the years.  

So here it is:

Ingredients you will need are:

potatoes
carrots
flour
butter
milk 
bacon 
onion
garlic
salt 
pepper


First, I take a pound of bacon (yes, a pound)  and using a scissors cut the slices across to make it into around 2 inch size pieces.  I put these in my big dutch oven pot on medium heat with some garlic and black pepper sprinkled generously.

While the bacon is cooking I peel up as many potatoes as I feel I need for the amount of people I am cooking for that day.  I am used to cooking for a large family so I kind of continue to do that even though there are only 3 of us here. (Leftovers are even better than the first go round!)

So, maybe 6 or 7 potatoes for about that many people.  You can adjust if you have a smaller family or have better portion control than we do.

Then I peel about 4 carrots.  

Slice up your potatoes into bite sized chunks and your carrots into medium slices.  I put these into a big measuring bowl with a handle, put enough water to cover the top and give it a good dose of salt.  

When the bacon is pretty crispy and done I scoop it out with a slotted spoon and put it on some paper towels to drain while I make the rest of the soup.

Pour all but about a tablespoon of the bacon grease into a glass jar or something that can take the heat and deal with it however you deal with bacon grease at your house.

Pour the potatoes, carrots and water into the pan with the tablespoon of bacon grease and bring to a boil.  You can also add chopped onion or dried onion at this time.  Simmer it on medium to low heat with a lid on it while you do the next step.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) in a saucepan.  Add 3/4 of a cup of flour and mix well to make a roux.  Then add 4 cups of milk slowly while you blend with a whisk to make it really smooth.  Cook over medium heat while stirring pretty constantly and it will thicken nicely.  

By the time your sauce is thickened your vegetables should be cooked.  

Add the thickened milk and flour mixture to the soup and stir together.  Heat through to blend.  Put bacon into the soup and stir it in.

Serve it up with bread and maybe add some cheese if you like.

It comes together really quickly.  My oldest son makes this his own way when he is having friends over for dinner often.  

Hope you have a soup-er autumn!

Church Ladies Speciality

Tonight I revived a wonderful dish from my childhood with a little of my own twist to it.


If you are looking for a delicious, simple, hot sandwich idea for summer or anytime, this is the one you want.




Here's how the recipe looks in the church cookbook from before I was born:

So when I was a kid we ate this made with Spam and I had no problem with that then.  But they make Spam with chicken now and I am deathly allergic so I make it with ham.


I can remember my mom making this with her old grinder thing that she hung on the edge of our countertop in the kitchen.  She would make it for company or just us and it was such a delicious smell coming from the oven.


I use my food processor in 2012 and can make it in just a couple minutes.  

And I am fully aware that it looks really NASTY in its "before" stage, but trust me when I say it is delicious.


I took these sandwiches to our small group once (back when we actually had one) and it was a huge hit.


We ate them tonight and they were just right for a light supper on a summer's day just as they are perfect for a cold wintery night.

Mine were a little too close to the broiler in this batch.  When they are at the right place it only takes about 5 minutes to brown and cook them.

Heavenly Beef Pot Pie

You may have noticed or not, but I love good food.  And I especially love me some good comfort food!  The problem is that I have oodles of food allergies to some of the best foods out there.  Now, it is pretty obvious that I have not suffered in the area of getting enough to eat, but I've been missing out on some great tastes for most of my life.

Last week I went to the grocery store with my college girl and we were walking through the frozen food section.  I caught sight of something that I have loved since I was a kid but haven't actually eaten since then.  Pot pies!  My mom used to keep some of those yummy Swanson ones on hand in our freezer when I was young.  I would bake them (they took forever in the oven for those of us who remember TBM--time before microwaves) and be so excited to dig into their yummy goodness.  Then I would put it on a plate and cut into it in order to remove the peas (allergy) even though their former presence would still be felt.

I picked up a beef pot pie last week and checked the ingredients list.  Scanning, scanning...no peas!  But then: chicken broth!  Chicken + me = death.  Thus, I started dreaming about creating a pot pie that I could put together myself and ENJOY!  Sunday afternoon I was home alone nursing a sore back and decided it was now or never.  I found a recipe online and planned to make it as soon as possible with a few alterations.

SUCCESS!  It required many HOURS of preparation but it was so worth it.

First, I cut up sirloin steak into cubes and put them into a saucepan with about 1/2 cup of chopped onions.    These were browned and then water was added to just cover the top of the meat.  Then I simmered it for 3 hours on low.  And oh, the smell was heavenly.  I also salted and peppered the meat while it was browning.

Next I made the pie dough that I have been wanting to try for about a year.  I had found the recipe in a magazine and hoped it would be more successful for me than pie crust had been in the past.  That needed to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours so into the fridge it went.

Peeled and chopped 3 potatoes and the amount of carrots that I wanted to use.  

I put the veggies into beef broth (about 14 oz), brought it to a boil and then simmered for about 20 minutes.  When meat and veggies were done I removed them from their pans and put into a large bowl.  Make sure you leave the broth in the pan in which you cooked the taters and carrots. Then I added a can of corn since I can't do the peas thing.

I put the bottom crust into the pie plate and then filled it up with the meat and vegetable goodness.

Then you use the broth to make the "gravy".  Thicken the broth with 1/3 cup of cold water mixed with 3 T. of corn starch and cook for 5 minutes.  I added some more beef broth to make more gravy.  That is my theme song  "MORE GRAVY."

 I added the top crust and then baked it for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  

Comfort food heaven!!!

Making Bacon

It seems trite to be writing about bacon with everything else going on in the world but it is what I had planned to blog today.  


I love bacon.  But I used to hate to make it.  It takes so long to hover over it, it stinks up the whole house and it makes such a mess!  Not too long ago I found out an easy way to make it that is so simple and it means I make it more often.


The first thing you have to know is that you make it in the oven.  But the most important thing is that YOU DO NOT TURN ON YOUR OVEN OR PREHEAT IT IN ANY WAY!




First you put it on a foil covered pan.  I use a jelly roll pan.

Now, put it into a COLD oven.  Set the temperature to 400 degrees and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Now forget about it for 30 minutes.

When it is done (your oven may be a little different and you may like it done or not done more or less than me---you work out your own bacon issues) take it out.

It will keep cooking a bit after taking it out and you don't want to let it sit in the grease so put it on some paper towels.

Yum!

Now clean up is super easy.  Just let the grease "gel" a bit.

Then roll up the foil........

And throw it alway in a neat little package!

And here is the clean pan when you are done!

  

Mine is kind of old and stained but it IS clean.

Molasses Cookies!

Back when I had three boys ages 4 and under I didn't do much baking.  In fact, I don't remember doing much baking over the years except for special occasions.  I'll admit it.  I was overwhelmed and could barely keep it together some days.  


But now that more than half of my kids are grown I have been making cookies and baked stuff more.  It is not as time consuming as I thought it was back then but like I said, I was overwhelmed.


This past week I called my mom and asked her which recipe she used when we were kids to make molasses cookies.  She referred me to my growing up church's oldest cookbook that I own.  I believe my mom bought it for me when I was a baby.  Or maybe before I was born.  Not sure.  


Anyway, we agreed on the recipe that she used and I made them for the first time in a long time.  Well, my family loved them as much as I did as a kid so I made them again yesterday so Zach could eat some fresh from the oven since he was home.


Here's the recipe:


3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar 
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg, beaten
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt




Melt shortening in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Let cool.  Add sugar, molasses and egg.  Mix well. Sift dry ingredients and add to first mixture.  Mix well.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  Form into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes (I baked them for 10).

Enjoy!

Apple Pie Squares Recipe

Today I'm going to give you my mom's recipe for apple pie squares which I made just the other day. I'm also going to attempt to link up with my friend Shelly  whose blog inspires me daily and who is a much better cook than I am.


 I've only attempted to make this once or twice before in my life because I stink at it, quite frankly.  So I  hope if you try it, it is a great success.  


Oh, they taste okay I guess.  But they are ugly, I tell you.  My mom makes them in a way that they are delicious AND beautiful.  So, if you want them done right, you'll have to give Lorraine a call!

APPLE PIE SQUARES

Filling:
8-10 cups cooking apples                2 T. cornstarch
1 cup water                                         1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar                                 Cinnamon
Salt




We start with the filling.  Bring 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar, along with a dash of salt to boil.  Blend 2 T. cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together and add to boiling water mixture.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Add 8-10 cups of sliced apples to sugar mixture and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally as the apples "cook down". Then get ready to make your crust.

Crust:
     3 cups of flour                                1 egg
        1 cup shortening                            1 T. vinegar          
     Salt                                                  1/2 cup water
     3/4 tsp. baking powder

Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.  Moisten with egg, vinegar and water.  

This forms a dough and now comes the tricky part, at least for me.

Take half of the dough and roll it out to put into a 15 x 11 x 1 inch pan.  Save the other half for top crust.  I usually have to piece it together to make it work.  My mom says that she does too but I've watched her do her magic with a rolling pin and she's a rock star.

Pour the apple filling into the crust and sprinkle it with cinnamon.  Put the top crust on.  No pictures from me because like I told you, it is ugly.  Don't worry, if you're like me the frosting saves you!
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes -1 hour.  I baked mine the other day for about 50 minutes and it was golden brown on top.  However, I think I should have cooked it like Larry King, for the full hour.  

See, it is ugly but it is baked.  Oh, I did poke a fork around on the top crust before I baked it.  Not sure why but it seemed like something my mom would do. (For venting.  The crust not for you!)


When it is cool, you can frost it with powdered sugar frosting and it will look delicious!

Somehow my mom's frosting always looks more like a glaze than this.  Cut it into 3 x 3 inch squares and eat till your heart's content.  Refrigerate it once it cools and it makes for a delicious snack anytime.


Hope you enjoy one of my mom's famous treats!

Good Eats

Okay.  So I guess I will blog a recipe since I can't think of anything else to write about today.


I opened up the trusty old "Family Favorites from the Cathedral in the Cornfield" cookbook which is from my "growing up" church.  If I'm not cooking something my mom made I'm usually using this book to guide my cooking.


Since it is fall you might want to try this yummy soup that is quick, easy and really delicious.


CHEDDAR CHOWDER


2 c water    
2 c diced potatoes
1/2 c diced carrots
1/2 c diced celery
1 can of corn
1/4 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


White sauce:
                           1/4 c butter
                           1/4 c flour
                            2 c milk
                           2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
                           1 c cubed ham


Combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper in large kettle.  Boil 10-12 minutes.  Meanwhile, in small saucepan make white sauce by melting the butter.  Add flour and stir until smooth (about 1 minute).  Slowly add milk.  Cook until thickened.  Add cheese to white sauce; stir until melted.  Add white sauce and cubed ham to vegetables that have NOT been drained.  Heat through.
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This recipe was shared by Sue Larson originally.  My mom is the one who turned me on to it a couple years ago.  I think she might be the one who added corn to the mix.  It is really good.  


Another soup I like to make is potato soup.  My kids actually love this (the ones who like potatoes that is).  My oldest son makes it for himself and shares it with friends.  He was home this past weekend and told me he made it for his boss's family.  Boss Wife happens to be a great cook and makes an excellent potato soup apparently.  Well, Nathan tells me that they loved this recipe and she liked how thick it was compared to her own soup.  So I guess you might like to try this one too.  


I took this from the same cookbook originally and then kicked it up a notch for my family.


So here is how I make it.  


POTATO SOUP


1 pound of bacon cut into 2 inch strips
6-8 large potatoes, peeled, diced
onion to taste
3 carrots, diced


    White sauce:
            1/2 cup butter
            3/4 cup flour
              4 cups milk
           cheese as you like it


Fry bacon (I usually add some garlic salt, pepper, and onion salt to the bacon while it cooks) in a pot until crisp; drain and set aside.  Pour out most of the bacon grease and leave about a teaspoon for flavor in the pot. To this, add the potatoes, onion and carrots.  Add enough water to cover vegetables.  Bring to boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes.  While veggies are simmering, melt butter in another saucepan.  Add flour and stir until smooth.  Cook about 1 minute.  Add milk all at once, blending until smooth.  This mixture will get thicker and thicker but it takes a few minutes so be patient!  Once thickened, add the mixture to the cooked vegetables.  (You can add more milk if you like thinner soup)  Add bacon back into the soup.  Now you are ready to serve it up with some yummy melted cheese added in.   


So, when the weather turns cold the rest of this week, maybe you can enjoy some hot, comforting soup.


Enjoy!