I am a country girl, born and raised on a farm in Central Iowa. I am the youngest of three children by 9 and 14 years….I was the OOPS! Being younger had its advantages in that I was an Aunt at age 7 and grew up with my niece and nephews. My Father died from a farm injury when I was 12, which forever changed my life and strengthened my bond with my Mother. I tagged along with my Mother to visit older people in our community and learned about their lives in the early 1900s, enjoying the many wonderful traditional foods and family stories.
I graduated from a class of 25, which gave me the advantage of being involved in sports and clubs that would not have been possible in a large High School. At that time, Home Ec was still an elective and I loved the cooking lessons (not so hot on the sewing classes). While at the University of Northern Iowa, I began to collect and read cookbooks. Perhaps it was the absence of Mom’s home cooking that drew me to dream about cooking (and eating) wonderful food. After college I moved to St. Joseph, MO and then to Scottsdale, AZ and began to experiment with traditional recipes and discovering those of my own. It was such an adventure to discover new dishes and restaurants in historic St. Joseph, Kansas City, then Scottsdale, Phoenix, San Diego…and the list goes on.
In the early ‘80s, I moved to Denver, got married, started my telecommunications sales career and discovered the fabulous restaurants in Denver and Aspen. My career took me to cities never before experienced and the seafood in San Francisco, Cajun fare in New Orleans, Tex-Mex in Dallas, Italian in New Jersey, etc. are experiences I will cherish. In 1986 our first daughter, Megan, was born and then Sarah in 1988. Instead of indulging in dinners out, we were cooking more at home and seeking ways to have good meals with limited time. Dinners went from adult gourmet to more kid friendly meals. Megan’s tastes were more basic while Sarah adopted a gourmet palate at an early age. At age 6 her favorite meal was steamed artichokes and crab legs with drawn butter…still her favorite. Megan’s tastes expanded rapidly when she went to college and started cooking for her roommates and now loves to whip up gourmet dishes.
I am blessed to have many gal pals that also share my passion for good food. I love to try new restaurants and look forward to the ‘pot luck’ feasts at our book club meetings and other gatherings. It isn’t just the good food that brings us to together, but the great love and admiration we all have for each other.
We are addicted foodies…but we try to remember our 12-step foodie program is needed.
God grant me the serenity to only eat the food that I LOVE,
the courage to walk away from junk food,
and the wisdom to recognize the difference. Oh YEAH!
My dear sweet friend and neighbor, Maribeth, made this dish for our family the summer of 1997. We had several family members in town and they were crazy for this dish. My step-daughter Karen, even had the leftovers for breakfast the next day.
It has since become a family favorite, any time of year. After Thanksgiving, I freeze any leftover turkey to use specifically for this casserole. Leftover chicken would work equally as well. I often make the casserole the day before and let the dish rest and enhance the flavors.
This would be a great dish for Super Bowl parties!
TURKEY ALA MUMBA
1 pound cooked turkey or chicken (3 cups)
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
2 medium onions, chopped
7 ounce can diced mild green chiles
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped or 1 T. dried
1 pound low fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese, grated
12 6″ corn tortillas, cut in half
Sour Cream
Salsa
Preheat oven to 350F. Set aside 1/2 cup black beans. Combine turkey, remainder of black beans, onions, chiles, soup, stock, garlic and spices.
Layer 12 tortilla halves in 9×13″ pan. Cover with half of mixture, sprinkle on half of cheese. Repeat layers of tortillas, mixture and cheese. Sprinkle reserved black beans across top.
Bake 45 minutes until cheese is brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Freezes well if you are lucky enough to have leftovers!
French Onion Soup was introduced to me in my 20s at a restaurant on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO. It was highly recommended and I have been in love with it ever since. Thank goodness food processors were invented to help with the teary slicing duty to make this dish.
This recipe is so simple yet so yummy. I have also added left over roast beef bits if I have them on hand. Take it for a spin and see if it is a hit at your house!
FRENCH ONION SOUP
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cans (10.5 ounce) condensed beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 slices French bread (1″ thick)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Heat butter in large skillet. Add onions and sauté’; stirring until golden–about 8 minutes.
Combine onion, broth, and salt in medium saucepan; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast bread slices in broiler until browned on both sides.
Sprinkle one side of each with grated cheese; run under broiler about 1 minute, or until cheese is bubbly.
To serve: Pour soup into a tureen or individual soup bowls. Float toast, cheese side up, on soup.
My love of eggplant began when I was a young child. My mother would peel and slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt, and let rest on paper towels for 30-45 minutes to remove the bitterness. She would then flour, salt and pepper the eggplant, and brown the eggplant slices in hot oil. The hot eggplant slices were then put on a slice of bread and eaten as a sandwich. I STILL love eggplant this way but have searched for healthier ways to cook eggplant.
This spread is a new favorite. Rumor has it that the original recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa.
It is difficult for me to resist eating the cubed eggplant straight from the roasting pan but the majority usually makes it to the food processor. I often eat this as a side dish as well as a spread. Either way…you can’t beat the wonderful flavor of eggplant. YUM!
ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD
2 medium eggplant, peeled
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 red (or sweet) onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1 inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spread on greased baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing one time during the roasting process. Cool slightly.
Place the vegetables in a food processor. Add the tomato paste and pulse to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Optional: serve with crumbled feta cheese on crackers, bread or pita chips.
Posole (puh-SO-lay) is a dried hominy stew that I first experienced when I lived in Arizona in the late ’80s. Having Iowa roots and a true affection to anything corn, I was drawn to this wonderful, comforting Mexican stew. It’s not that much different from the hominy my Mother served in her Iowa farm kitchen. Posole is known to bring good luck for the New Year, or anytime you need a little luck (or just plain comfort food) in your life.
Bring in the New Year with a little luck and Posole. Your tummy will thank you!
Dried Posole (hominy)
POSOLE
2 cups dried posole
6 cups water (more as needed)
1 pound lean pork, cubed
1 teaspoon chile caribe
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic
dash oregano
1 teaspoon saffron (optional and I do not use)
avocado slices for garnish
Brown pork cubes in a small amount of olive oil until starting to brown.
Browning Pork Cubes for Posole
Add water and add dried posole, chili caribe, onion, garlic, oregano.
Cover and cook over low heat until done (4+ hours). Check often and add water as needed. Add salt immediately before serving. Garnish with avocado slice. Serve with guacamole and chips, hot sauce or any other Mexican favorite sides.
Casseroles are a wonderful invention! My earliest recollection of casseroles revolves around potluck dinners at the church or school. When I was working and raising children, casseroles and the slow cooker saved me. I would mix up the casseroles the night before and refrigerate until I got home from work the following night. Throw the casserole in the oven and dinner is on its way.
The kids always liked this recipe (less the lettuce and salsa on their servings). What’s for dinner tonight…Taco Casserole coming up!
TACO CASSEROLE
1 pound group beef, booked and drained
1 can-15 oz. chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 can-8 oz. tomato sauce
2 tablespoons salsa
2 to 4 tsp chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
8 medium green onions sliced (1/2 cup)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
shredded lettuce and additional salsa if desired
Taco casserole ingredients
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
After browning/draining ground beef, stir in beans, tomato sauce, salsa, chili powder and garlic powder. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
Place tortilla chips in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Top with beef mixture. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.
Taco Casserole ready for the oven
Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Arrange additional tortilla chips around edge of casserole if desired. Serve with lettuce and additional salsa.
This recipe has become a favorite of my gal-pals and friends for appetizers and potlucks. Olive Tapenade would be a great appetizer for your New Year’s Gatherings. It is so easy, especially using my favorite dicing tool, the Vidalia Chop Wizard, to make easy work of the dicing, resulting in uniform pieces.
BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE
1 can pitted black (or kalmata) olives, drained 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 3 tablespoons capers, drained chopped red bell pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 2 cloves garlic, minced assorted crackers, sliced French baguette
Finely chopped the black olives, walnuts and red peppers. Add olive oil, capers, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic; stir together.
Spoon into serving dish. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprig or sprinkle of diced red pepper.
Optional: spread crackers with goat cheese and top with tapenade.
Kolaches originated in the Slovak countries and our Smaha family brought this Bohemian tradition to America when they immigrated to Iowa in the late 1800s. This tradition has been passed down in our family for many generations. Kolaches are wonderful any time of the year but especially wonderful at Christmas. My family tradition is to have them Christmas morning while we are opening gifts and sipping coffee or hot chocolate.
Christmas Morning and Kolaches 1987
This picture was taken in Christmas morning 1987 with my Mother, Mother-In-Law, and oldest daughter, Megan. Let the Kolache feast begin!
My all-time favorite Kolache is cherry. This season I was fortunate to buy a large container of fresh frozen tart cherries that I’ve been saving for Kolache filling this Christmas. Other years, I have used canned cherry pie filling. I have made Kolaches from old-fashioned sweet dough recipes but a new favorite is the sweet dough recipe for the bread machine. In a pinch, I have used frozen bread dough, even though not sweet, is very good.
Traditional Kolache come in many flavors including the timeless Bohemian prune or poppy-seed fillings. My Mother’s Kolaches were fabulous and we waited with excitement while they baked, poised to snatch one as soon as they came out of the oven.
Everyone’s Kolaches are a tad different. My Mother didn’t add the crumb topping to her Kolaches but a wonderful farm neighbor, Nellie, made Prune Kolaches with crumb topping in her old wood stove. You haven’t lived until you’ve had Kolaches from a wood cooking stove. My Aunt Lora, baked Kolaches that she pinched closed at the top and sprinkled with sugar. Equally wonderful.
Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas and many cherished family traditions.
SWEET BREAD DOUGH (FOR BREAD MACHINE)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup less 1 T. water
All ingredients should be at room temperature. Add the ingredients in the order listed above.
Run the machine through the dough cycle. Remove and work on floured board to desired loaf, rolls, etc.
CHERRY FILLING
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup juice from cherries
3 cups pitted tart red cherries (water pack)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
Combine 3/4 cup sugar with cornstarch. Stir in cherry juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, till mixture thickens and bubbles; cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining sugar, cherries, butter and food coloring and cook until thickened. Mixture will be very thick. Let stand while preparing bread dough for Kolaches.
PREPARING THE KOLACHES:
Pinch a piece of dough about the size of a walnut (or ping pong ball) and place on a greased baking pan. Cover with wax paper then a towel and let rise until double in size. When risen, push centers of balls down and fill with cherry filling (or filling of choice). Let rise again and bake at 400 degrees.
KOLACHE CRUMB TOPPING (Optional)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using margarine)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together (use a pastry blender) until crumbly and use as a topping for Kolaches or coffee cakes.
I first tasted Rum Cake in 1978 and have made it every year since then. I was living in St. Joseph, MO and picked up a recipe card at my local grocery/liquor store. That very worn but loved recipe card is still in my recipe box.
Original Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe Card
Original Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe
Rum Cake
My Oldest daughter, Megan, advises that she’s making two this year; one to have at home for her husband and guests and one to take to the in-laws for Christmas Eve. I’ll make one for our family to enjoy on Christmas Day, too. I may have to sneak a piece of rum cake for breakfast with a piping hot cup of coffee. And visions of Rum Cake dance in my head…
RUM CAKE
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum
GLAZE:
1 stick margarine
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10″ tube or bundt pan.
Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
Mix first seven ingredients together. Pour batter over nuts.
Rum Cake Batter ready for the oven
Bake 1 hour. Cool. Invert onto serving plate. Prick top of cake.
Make glaze by melting butter, then stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.
Drizzle and smooth glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is all gone.
Fruit Bread conjures up visions of old-fashioned fruit cake that is hard as a rock and entire communities have contests to see how far they can chuck the cake. NOT the case with this Fruit Bread recipe. In fact, it is really a banana bread with chocolate chips and chopped cherries. It makes a festive bread to give or to serve during the holidays.
This recipe originated with my Aunt Joyce. When I was younger, she made it every Christmas and it quickly became a family, and personal tradition. Each year I make several batches and give to family and friends. I hope that you’ll try the bread and it will become one of your traditions!
FRUIT BREAD
Double or triple the recipe to make several loaves.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour (plus 2 T. if baking at high altitude)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup maraschino cherries
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs & beat well. Sift baking soda & flour; add to egg mixture alternatively with mashed bananas. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
When I was a little girl, my Mother and I would visit our elderly Norwegian friends, the Butlers, and feast on amazing home-baked goods. Anna would make Norwegian Kringla (pictured above), Lefse (potato flatbread), and other delights. I loved everything, but my favorite was Kringla. My Mother learned to make it and the recipe below is well over 100 years old. It quickly became a Christmas tradition and I’ve made it for my family. This year is no different. The slightly sweet dough with the slight anise taste is truly a delight. Kringla paired with a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate is heavenly.
Think I’ll head to the kitchen for a hot chocolate and a Kringla….YUM!
KRINGLA
I usually double the recipe and freeze several to enjoy long after the holidays are gone.
1 egg 1 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon Anise Extract 2 tablespoons melted butter 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 cups flour
Beat egg and sugar together. Add anise extract, melted butter, buttermilk and 1/2 of sour cream.
Kringla Step 1 ingredients blended together
Mix 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with remainder of sour cream and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Sour cream and baking soda after 5 minutes
Mix together flour, baking powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Mix together flour mixture alternately adding egg mixture and sour cream mixture.
Dough will be very stiff and you will need to finish mixing with your hands.
Kringla dough
Chill dough overnight. Remove 1-2 cups of dough at a time so the dough remains chilled. Take a small piece of dough (size of a small walnut) and roll into a ball and then into a pencil shape. Shape the dough into a pretzel shape and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Kringla Rolled into BallDough rolled into pencil shapeKringla shaped and ready for the oven
Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven and then on top rack of oven for 2-3 minutes. Bottom of Kringla should be golden brown–tops may not be brown. (I have found that every oven is different. Mine tends to run hot so I decrease the amount of time on the bottom shelf to 3 minutes.)
Cool and store in airtight container. Great warm with butter and a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
Fork Lore 