Sharing the Joys

Aunt Matty's Maple Joys

Featured in The Gus Saunders Yankee Kitchen Cookbook, v. XIII, 1979

Aunt Matty's Maple Joys

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 cups unsifted all purpose flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 egg, beaten

2 TB milk

1 tsp. maple flavoring

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

In a large bowl at medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. At low speed, add flour and mix well. Set aside 1/3 cup of flour mixture. Add oats, egg, milk, maple flavoring, baking soda and salt and mix well. Shape into 1inch balls. Stir ginger into 1/3 cup reserved flour mix and roll balls into the mixture.

Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake in preheated 375 F oven for 10-12 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

I added a colorful maple glaze for a festive look.

Glaze for Aunt Matty's Maple Joys

For each color, mix together the following:

4 TB confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon of water

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1 drop of food coloring

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

Two lovely ladies and their delicious desserts - Pumpkin Pie Crunch & Tiger Striped Fudge

 

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

16 oz. can solid pack pumpkin

12 oz. can evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg golden yellow cake mix

1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. 

Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl. Sir until well-blended. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350 F for 50 to 55 minutes until golden. Cool completely. Serve with whipped topping if desired. 

Tiger Striped Fudge

11 oz. bag vanilla chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave for one minute. Stir until smooth.

Place the vanilla chips in a bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup of peanut butter into the vanilla chips and stir until smooth.

Pour vanilla and peanut butter mixture into parchment lined pan. Once mixture is set, drizzle melted chocolate chips on top. Use knife to swirl together.

Let cool, slice, and serve.

Blueberry Banana Bread

 

A Moist and Delicious Taste Sensation! 

Featured in The Gus Saunders Yankee Kitchen Cookbook, vol. 13, 1979.

Blueberry Banana Bread

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 3/4 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar    

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 bananas should do it)

Toss washed blueberries with 2 TB flour. (I used frozen wild blueberries.)

Sift dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Add flour mixture and bananas alternately in 3 parts. Add berries.

Spoon into a 9 x 5 loaf pan. (I buttered the pan.) Sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done. 

Delicious!!

A reader requests Peggy's Rice Bowl recipe

 

Since I've done a lot of living, I've done a lot of sorting and purging. I've moved 26 times - twenty-six! And with that, things have had to go. 

Even when I'm not in the process of moving, I'm purging. I like things to be neat, so, on occasion... too many occasions I hate to admit ... I'll toss something that I later regret tossing - dinner plates, books, you name it. Many of the books that I regretted tossing I've been able to order from Amazon; the dinner plates that I sold at a yard sale and later regretted came back to me from my youngest son who searched for the pattern and bought me some.

But perhaps my biggest regret of things that I've discarded were the boxes of Yankee Kitchen recipes that my mother had stored under her bed. When a life is lost there are so many decisions to be made and things to go through that we often don't consider the importance of each item. 

Coincidently, my mother, who lived through the depression, was well-aware of scarcity. And I believe it's for that reason that she kept so much stuff. She used to quote the last line of this poem frequently:

The Crust of Bread

 

My parents labor very hard

To get me wholesome food;

Then I must never waste a bit

That would do others good.

For willful waste makes woeful want,

—And I may live to say,

Oh! how I wish I had the bread

—That once I threw away!

                                   Anonymous

Going through all my recipes that I wrote down and through the cookbooks - many of which were given to me by my readers - I'm unable to find Peggy's Rice Bowl recipe. A reader and her brother are requesting this recipe that aired sometime between 1968 and 1970. It's nothing like a modern rice bowl, and it's made with pork, rice, soy sauce & some other seasonings, more like a pork risotto, but without cheese or stirring constantly.

I'd love to get this recipe for her. If you have it, please email me at ykconnection@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!!

Yankee Kitchen fans come a-calling

I was so pleased to get emails from former Yankee Kitchen listeners this past week and hearing about how the show impacted their lives. One YK fan related his experience of riding in the car writing down recipes for his mom while she drove him to music lessons. Ugh! Not very conducive to the appetite. 

Another fan, Leslie, shared with me a treasured YK recipe that was given on the show April 9, 1980. I made it last night. It's definitely a keeper!

Beer BBQ Sauce

3 TB vegetable oil

2 medium onions, minced

2 TB Worcestershire sauce

28 ounces ketchup

2 TB red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. chili powder

1 cup beer

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oil. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour. 

I filleted some boneless chicken breasts, gave them a generous coating with the good stuff, and grilled them out on the patio. 

As American as Apple Pie

Apple Nut Brownies

I had the urge to bake today. 

I looked through my files and came across a recipe for Apple Nut Brownies. Apples seemed sort of autumnal, but then I thought what's more American than a good ol' apple pie for the Fourth of July. Why not give these a try?! 

I looked at the notation on my recipe card. Given by Mandy - mother of 5 kids. God bless Mandy.

                    

You would NOT believe how delicious this dessert is! Serve while it's still warm with a scoop of ice cream. I'm eating it with peppermint ice cream and believe it or not this combination is incredibly good. Wowza! Talk about a taste sensation!! 

I'd call this recipe Apple "Pie" Brownies because that's exactly what it tastes like - apple pie. But, to avoid any confusion, I'll stick with its original name.

Apple Nut Brownies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4-6 apples - peeled and chopped (I used 4 large apples -3 pink ladies and a granny smith)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs.

Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture. 

Add apples & nuts. 

Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan at 350 F for 30 minutes

Remove from oven and let cool a bit. 

Serve with ice cream. 

Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Quiche

Here's another oldie but goodie - a favorite dish of mine from the Moosewood Cookbook, c1977. The recipe indicates - "Follow pie crust recipe for Spinach-Ricotta pie, or your own favorite for a single crust." Recipe for pie crust is below:

Today, my favorite pie crust recipe came from Mrs. Smith. Thank you, Mrs. Smith, for your 9inch pie that thaws in 15 minutes. Plus, you give me two in a package! 

When I find myself making things too complicated like I often do, such as going through the trouble of making a pie crust when a ready-made crust is handy, I think of an old song by the Walker Brothers - "Make it Easy on Yourself".

Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Quiche

Cover the bottom of an unbaked pie crust with 1 1/2 cups of grated swiss cheese. (Gruyere is best states Moosewood, and I agree.)

Cover cheese with 1 medium onion and 1/4 pound of mushrooms - chopped, sauteed in butter with salt, pepper, and a dash of thyme.

Make a custard by beating together:

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

3 TB flour (I use 1 1/2 TB)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Pour custard over mushroom layer. 

Sprinkle with paprika. (I didn't).

The recipe indicates to bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. I find that quiches come out better if I bake them at 450 for 15-20 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375 and bake for another 25 minutes. 

Intermittent Fasting

 

Grilled Chicken with Smoky Southwestern Seasoning,
Peppers, Zucchini & Couscous

When I go to my doctor's office, there's no shortage of information in the examination room to read while I wait for the doctor to arrive. 

On my last visit, I looked through this book and ordered a copy when I got home.

Intermittent fasting is all a-buzz these days and for good reason. It's not difficult. And you lose weight. 

The author of this book followed a low carb diet. I do not. And my doctor confirmed that we need carbohydrates for energy. I like my doctor.

I follow a Mediterranean diet (healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seafood, beans, and nuts). It's a 16:8 intermittent fast which means your window of eating is 8 hours - for example you eat from 10 am to 6 pm and the other 16 hours you drink water and other no-calorie beverages. Much of the time that you're fasting you're sleeping so it's quite doable. This diet is working for me which is quite amazing since, as you know, I like to eat. 😁

                                                                                                                                                                                Grilled Chicken with Smoky Southwestern Seasoning, Peppers, Zucchini & Couscous

One of my favorite things to eat - and not just when I'm dieting - is chicken made with Smoky Southwestern Seasoning. This is a blend of spices that I got from another diet source - the 21 Day Fix. It's really tasty!

Smoky Southwestern Seasoning

1 TB chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp.  paprika
1 tsp. sea salt

Blend all together. Set aside. 

Take a pound of chicken breast tenders and remove the tendons by grabbing the tendon with a paper towel and pulling it out. Sprinkle about half of the seasoning mixture over the chicken and press into the chicken with your fingers. Save the remainder of the seasoning mix for another time. 

Lightly coat your grill with oil spray and grill chicken on high on both sides for a total of 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken and set aside. 

Slice a red, yellow and green pepper into strips. Grill peppers and set aside.

Next, slice 3 cloves of garlic and saute in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Slice 2 or 3 small zucchini, add to the pan, and saute until soft. 

 Prepare some couscous according to package directions.

To serve, place a scoop of couscous in the center of a plate and sprinkle with salt. Surround with chicken, zucchini, and peppers. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Super Rich Pound Cake

 

As you can see from the notation on this card, I got this one from the Yankee Kitchen in 1997 - that's 25 years ago! Now I didn't need to bake this cake today nor did I need to eat this cake today, but with a major blizzard going on and being trapped inside all day... what's a person to do? I had already cleaned out a closet, did some painting, took some photos... 

You should make this cake. When you do, email me at ykconnection@gmail.com and let me know how you liked it.

Super Rich Pound Cake

3 c. flour

3 c. sugar

3 sticks butter

8 oz. cream cheese

6 eggs

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter, cream cheese & sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each until well-blended. Add vanilla, then add flour and salt. Pour into a well-greased and floured 10 cup tube pan. Bake at 300 F for 1 hr and 45 minutes. Test after 1 1/2 hours. 

Drizzle while warm with Grand Manier or other liqueur if desired.

Spinach-Egg-Cheese Dish

This is a classic Syrian dish from my mother-in-law, Lottie, that has been a favorite in our family for many years. Some might call it a frittata, but Lottie just called it spinach. :)

It's easy! 

Spinach-Egg-Cheese Dish

 

2 10 oz. packages of frozen spinach

2 10 oz. packages of cheddar cheese or a mixture of cheddar and muenster, or cheddar and cottage cheese, etc. Mozzarella, parmesan & cottage cheese tastes pretty yummy, too.

6 eggs

1 large onion, chopped

2 TB vegetable oil

salt & pepper

Cook spinach (either on the stove or in the microwave) and drain it well. (A sieve helps.) 

Saute the onion in oil. Set aside.

Grate cheese, reserving a few tablespoons to place on top of the dish before baking. 

This little KitchenAid chopper is a handy thing to chop onions, cheese, nuts, etc. instead of dragging out a big food processor or chopping by hand. I wasn't sure how much use I was going to get out of this little purchase but use it I do.

Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Add spinach, onion and cheese and about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a little pepper.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 dish. Spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining reserved cheese on top.

Bake at 325 F for 45-50 minutes until browned. Cut in squares and serve with some plain yogurt, sour cream, or the following recipe. 

 Sour Cream or Yogurt Mixture for serving

Mix together about a cup of sour cream or yogurt and a tablespoon of water. Add a couple of tablespoons of peeled, chopped cucumber, a bit of dried mint, and some garlic powder. Adjust taste to your liking. Serve with Spinach-Egg-Cheese dish. 

Country Captain

 

This is a recipe that I cut out of the Boston Globe umpteen years ago. 

       

Do you have clippings like this in your recipe files? Do you even have printed recipes anymore or is everything digitized?

 

About 5 years ago, I was happy to find these photo albums in a discount store which is now out of business. I wasn't even sure if photo albums like these were still available. Each page has a sticky backing with plastic film over the top so you can just pop your recipe or photo, obviously, on the stickum and it will stay in place, but it can also easily lift out. With stuff like this in that discount store it's no wonder they went out of business. HA HA! 

I was so proud of myself for organizing my recipes. 😁 I continue to use these albums to find my old recipes, but I seldom add anything new. I found today's recipe in the third volume under the "chicken and turkey" category, and I'm happy to be able to share it with you. It's a keeper!

As the newspaper clipping indicates, Country Captain is a chicken stew that's a cross between chicken creole and chicken curry that's supposed to have come from a retired sea-captain with memories of the spices of his seafaring days. 

The flavors in this dish are awesome. It's not spicy - and the raisins get all plumped up and give that bit of sweetness that goes really well with curry. I made the dish this afternoon and cut the recipe in half as I only had 6 pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless chicken thighs), instead of the 12 serving size pieces indicated. I happened to have a box of Near East couscous with roasted garlic and olive oil which went really well with this dish.

Country Captain

2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil

12 serving-size pieces of chicken, skinless

2 medium onions, chopped

2 medium green peppers, cut into strips

3 cloves of garlic (I use 4)

2 teaspoons of curry powder (I use 3 heaping teaspoons)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 large can crushed tomatoes (I like Pastene ground peeled - 28 oz. can)

1/3 cup raisins

salt to taste

1/3 cup flaked almonds (I didn't use)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large shallow pan. Cook the chicken pieces in it for 2-3 minutes each side, then remove them. Saute the chopped onions, peppers and garlic in the same oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions have softened. (If necessary, add the remaining oil at this stage.)

Stir in the curry powder and the turmeric, then add the tomatoes and raisins. 

Bring to simmering and return the chicken pieces to the pan; salt lightly; cover and continue simmering for 25 minutes.

During this time toast the almonds by spreading them in a shallow pan and bake in a 300F degree oven for 5-6 minutes or until they are light brown. Check the seasoning of the chicken and adjust if necessary. Serve on a large, heated platter. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Serves six to eight.