Apples were plentiful in the Iowa countryside growing up. My Mother would also can or freeze apples for use during the year. This is a simple, country Apple Crisp that is easy to make any time of year. Dollop with a little whipped cream and enjoy.
APPLE CRISP
4 to 6 medium cooking apples
1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 cup oats, uncooked (quick or old fashioned)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/2-3/4 cup water
Peel, core and slice apples. Place in greased baking dish with a bit of water. Combine dry ingredients, add melted margarine, mixing until crumbly; sprinkle on top of apples.
Bake in preheated moderate oven (375 degrees) for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.
Serve warm or cold with your favorite ice cream or topping.
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.
Fork Lore 