Depression Salad

This is a coleslaw with an oil and vinegar dressing.  Very refreshing and tasty, and inexpensive, as it was developed during the Depression! 

1 head of cabbage, 2lbs

3 carrots

2 green bell peppers, (I use the red & yellow)

1 large red onion

4 cucumbers

1 white onion

1 bunch radish 

1/2 bunch celery

Dressing-

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cup white vinegar

10-12 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

2 Tbsp Monterey Steak Seasoning

Thinly shred the cabbage, slice all other vegetables, mix all in a large bowl, make the dressing and toss with the vegetables. Pack into glass jars, if any dressing remains pour a little into each jar. 

French Bread Rolls

This is one of our family's favorite recipes. I searched for it here to give to a friend, but somehow, I have failed to post it all these years.  Unthinkable, especially with Thanksgiving coming up so soon! So, prepare yourself for The Crew's French Bread Rolls:

French Bread Rolls

3 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 Tbsp yeast (SAF surpasses ALL others!)
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp olive oil (I use Bragg's exclusively)
1 Tbsp salt
8 cups bread flour

In your mixer bowl, proof the yeast with the sugar and water, for about 10 minutes.

Add oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix, then add remaining flour. Knead for 4 minutes.  Turn out dough into a large greased bowl. Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.  Punch down. Form into rolls or loaves. Let rise for 40 minutes or until nicely poofed.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes for rolls, 25 or so for loaves. 

Makes 36 rolls or 4 loaves.  I often use half the dough for rolls and half for loaves.  This bread does not store well and is much better the day it is baked, so consider halving the recipe if you don't have a large crew to feed! 

Cauliflower Mashers

I found this recipe at Paleoplan.com and adapted it for my tastes and needs. 

 Cauliflower Mashers  

		1 head of cauliflower
		1/2 cup butter
		1 Tbsp expeller pressed coconut oil
		1 garlic clove, minced
		1 tsp rosemary, dried
		1 tsp sea salt, to taste
		1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, to taste Roughly chop the cauliflower, removing all leaves. Place in steamer and cook until it's easy to stick a fork in it (about 20 minutes).  Saute the garlic and rosemary in coconut oil until the garlic is light golden brown. Add the garlic, chives, rosemary, coconut oil mixture to the cauliflower. Add a bit of chicken broth if needed.  Use a submergible blender to blend mixture while it's in the pot. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Herbed Batter Bread

I found this recipe on AllRecipes and used suggestions in the comments to adapt it. This is for three 9x5" loaves, so enough for the entire family with some left for tomorrow. 

Herbed Batter Bread

9 cups flour

2 Tablespoons salt

1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

6 3/4 tsp active yeast

3 3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

6 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons dried parsley

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 tsp. garlic powder 

1. Combine 6 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the water, olive oil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Turn mixer to medium, and beat for an additional 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour; mix until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover, and let rise in warm place for 35 to 40 minutes.
2. 
   
3. Grease three 9x5 loaf pans. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Scrape batter into greased pans; pat down with floured hands. Cover pans. Let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Do not allow dough to over-rise.
4. 
   
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. 
   
7. Bake in preheated oven until the loaves sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 40 to 45 minutes.  Spread butter over the top of hot bread.  Remove from pan and cool a bit before devouring.  

Zucchini Fries

I saw this recipe on my Facebook feed. It's sounds like the perfect use for my farmshare zucchinis.  

Zucchini Fries

6 zucchini (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Coating mixture:

1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 cup almond flour

Heat oven to 450ºF.

Trim the zucchini -cut crosswise in half, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch sticks. Add cheese to coating mix in bag; shake gently to combine.

Whisk eggs. Add zucchini; toss to coat. Use tongs to place 1/4 of the zucchini in shaker bag; close bag and shake to evenly coat. Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
Bake for 12 to 13 min. or until golden brown, turning the baking tray 180 degrees after 7 min for even baking.

Hawaiian Rolls

I looked at several different Hawaiian bread recipes and cobbled together this one. According to my husband, it has a perfect texture and flavor.

Hawaiian Rolls

3 cups warm water
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
9 cups bread flour
4 tsp yeast

In mixing bowl, with dough hook attached, proof together water, yeast and white sugar for about 10 minutes.

Add in remaining ingredients, except flour. Mix well.

Add flour all at once, and turn on. After dough has formed, add a slight bit more flour, if needed, to keep dough from sticking. Knead for four minutes.

Turn out and allow dough to rest five minutes.

Form rolls and place in greased 9x13's or on baking sheets.

If freezing rolls, they go into the freezer now for a few hours, then into a zippy bag for storage.  To use, place dough balls in greased 9x13 or on a baking sheet and allow to thaw and rise for up to eight hours. Then bake as directed for unfrozen rolls.

Let rolls rise until double.

Bake at 350 for 17 minutes.

Yield: about 4 dozen

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

My friend Angela posted this on her Facebook wall. It sounds SO good!

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c sour cream or yogurt
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Tortilla chips, carrot stick, celery sticks, zucchini slices etc. to dip.

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with dippers.

Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I was browsing through one of my Thanksgiving books, The Colonial Cookbook, as I pulled them out for the children to read today.  This recipe caught my eye. I am going to make it for our Thanksgiving feast.

Sweet Potatoes and Apples

8 sweet potatoes
4 large apples
1 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp butter

Bake washed, unpeeled sweet potatoes at 400 until easily pierced with a fork between 30-60 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, peel apples. Cut into very thin slices, discarding core.

Preheat over to 350.

Peel potatoes.  Cut potatoes into 1/2"-1" thick slices. Cover the bottom of a buttered 9X13 baking dish with sweet potatoes. Add a layer of apples. Repeat layers.  Dot the top with butter and pour maple syrup over all.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

BBQ Black Beans

This recipe is from Creative Canning.  What an easy way to have a side dish ready in moments, or even a main dish meal, alongside a big salad and a crusty roll.  

BBQ Black Beans

Yield 5 pints

1 lb black beans soaked 8 hours or overnight
2 smallish onions chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups bottled bbq sauce (or substitute your own favorite recipe)
2-3 drops liquid smoke per pint jar (optional)
1 small jalapeno minced and divided among 5 pint jars

Fill beans to the halfway point, add onions and jalapeno evenly.
Add 1/3 cup BBQ sauce per jar and then fill with water.

Process at 11 lbs for 75 minutes pints and 90 minutes quarts.

The beans soak up the water and you are left with a thickened sauce, in a few week the sauce will be very thick as beans continue to absorb the water.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

I saw this recipe in the comment section of a post on a favorite blog, Rural Revolution.  It sounds good but I haven't yet tried it. Thanks, PollyS! 

Black Eyed Pea Dip
From Neiman Marcus’ Pure and Simple

About ½ pound dried black eyed peas (frozen are good too, canned tastes very flat)
8 slices bacon*
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ t black pepper
2 T Tabasco sauce, or to taste
½ C Ketchup
3 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t cinnamon
1 can (14.5 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, chopped – if not available, add 1 small canned chopped chilies to can of tomatoes
2 T oil
3 T flour

Soak peas overnight or 4 hours. Put soaked peas in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook or 30 minutes, or until just tender.
To avoid having lots of dirty pots, I do this step in a pot rather than a skillet -- Cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside, drain 1-2 teaspoons of the grease and reserve. Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to bacon drippings and sauté until soft. 
Make a paste of ketchup, bouillon, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and Tabasco. Add to sautéed vegetables. Add cooked peas and tomatoes with chilies. Cook 30 minutes on very low heat. It is ok if some of the beans break up, you want this to happen. Just don’t let it cook too high or you’ll end up with a “mush”, it tastes the same, just doesn’t look as nice! 
Mix reserved bacon grease and flour together. Cook on stove or microwave until it starts to bubble, this is your roux. Add roux to pea mixture and cook an additional 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. 
Crumble bacon over top and serve with tortilla chips.
Can be served cold or reheats well. Freezes well too. Serves 2-16, depending on how hungry you are.

*Omit bacon for vegetarians, add bacos or liquid smoke if you wish. Sauté vegetables in olive oil.

Veggie Salad

Another in the line of summer salads. This one is versatile...only add what your family loves!  If you think it will go well, and it isn't listed, throw it in!

Veggie Salad

1 pkg frozen corn (thawed) or fresh off the cob
1 cucumber or zucchini (or both!!)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes-halved
1-2 avocados sliced or diced
1-2 scallions or 1/2 onion chopped
1 can black olives drained and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil or bacon drippings
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix and serve.

Cucumber Salad

I saw this recipe on Preparedness Pro's facebook page. It sounds like a refreshing, tasty summer side dish!

Cucumber Salad

3 cucumbers

1-2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt (to taste)
3 Tbsp. sour cream OR Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion (optional)
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar (optional, adjust for taste)

Slice cucumbers into rounds.  Mix remaining ingredients together well. Stir into cucumbers, coating evenly. Refrigerate.

Sweet Pickles

I am not a sweet pickle fan. I do not eat sweet relish in or on anything except 1000 Island Dressing.  However, as sweet pickles were requested for one of my classes, I searched out a good sweet pickle recipe.  These are actually good and I can now enjoy a sweet pickle once in a while.  Use the same brine with diced cucumbers and an added red bell pepper to make sweet pickle relish. 


Sweet Pickles

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup salt
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
2 pounds cucumbers
1-2 sweet onions (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, turmeric and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile slice onion and cucumbers.  Loosely pack in a quart jar. Pour cooled liquid over the vegetables and refrigerate for 24 hours.

If canning, do a BWB for 10 minutes after filling jars.

Yield 2 pints

Canned Coleslaw

Chickens in the Road brings us a yummy sounding canned side dish: coleslaw.  The recipe, as written makes 3 pints. I doubled it.  I will add just a touch more liquid to the brine as I needed about a Tablespoon more to top off the last jar. It tastes wonderful!  It's not at all like fresh coleslaw, but it is a good side dish in its own right.

1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 green pepper (I prefer red)
1 small onion
1 teaspoon salt

Syrup
1 cup vinegar
¼ cup water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Shred together vegetables. Add the salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Drain water from vegetables. (I also rinse and drain.) Boil syrup ingredients together for 1 minute. Cool.

Add syrup to vegetables (or vegetables to the syrup like I did).

Pack into quarts or pint jars.

Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

If you don’t want to can it, you could put it into freezer containers instead and freeze. Leftovers may also be frozen. This slaw may be drained before use and mayonnaise added, or used as is.

Irish Soda Bread

This excellent basic bread is from Paratus Familia, one of my favorite blogs.  

Irish Soda Bread
4 C flour (white, wheat or a combination)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
2 C buttermilk (preferably room temperature)

Preheat oven to 375°

Sift (or not) the flour, soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Add sugar.  Stir with a fork.  Add buttermilk (I use regular milk with a bit (splash) of lemon juice or vinegar added or even powdered milk mixed with warm water and a little vinegar or lemon juice) and stir until it forms a ball.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes (do not knead for more than 2 minutes - it will make the bread tough).

Form dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered 8" cast iron skillet (if you don't have cast iron, you can use a cake or pie pan).  Press down slightly and cut a cross in the top of the loaf.

Bake at 375° (or a medium/hot wood cook stove oven) for 35-40 minutes. (This bread does not require time to rise).

Simple Swiss Chard

Oh, chard!  My very favorite veggie to grow because it's so easy (I have a brownish-black thumb) and versatile to serve.  You'll see a number of recipes for it over the next few weeks.  This one is for a simple side dish that goes well with almost any kind of meat.


Simple Swiss Chard


Pick chard, wash very well and remove the lower stalk.  Cut in half, or smaller if you want.  In a pot, melt some butter, coconut oil or bacon fat.  Add a clove of garlic, minced and sauté. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add chard, cover and steam five minutes. Add a little water if needed. Flip the leaves over and cook again for about five minutes.  Add some kosher salt and a little more butter.  Serve hot.

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

Oh, these are so good! They are from The Food Lover's Primal Palate.

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes

1 Tbsp EACH salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut into spears. Combine spices in a bowl. Lightly coat with olive oil, then dust with spices. Place on baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes.

Sage Rice

This simple side dish appears often on our table; my husband loves it!

Sage Rice

2 Tbsp butter
2 cups rice
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp rubbed sage
4 cups chicken broth

Melt butter over low heat. Add rice and saute 4-5 minutes. Add spices and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir before serving.

Zucchini and Carrot Ribbons

Zucchini and Carrot Ribbons

2 carrots, washed but not peeled, ends removed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 medium-size zucchini, blossom and stem ends removed
Salt & pepper

Cut the carrots into ribbons, then in half. Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet until shimmery. Add the garlic and the carrots, stirring to coat with fat. Let cook, stirring often, while cutting the zucchini. Add the zucchini to the skillet, stirring to coat and to distribute the heat. Cook until soft (or al dente if you prefer). Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Lemon Spinach

I found this at A Veggie Venture. I plan on making it for a lunch for myself, with some cooked chicken sprinkled into the bowl. If I made it for a dinner side dish, I would double the recipe.

Lemon Spinach

1 pound fresh spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Grated zest of a lemon
Salt and pepper

Clean spinach well, drain but allow droplets to remain. Heat butter and oil over medium heat in a large, deep skillet with a cover. Add spinach in a big heap. Cover and let cook 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spinach wilts and water evaporates. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest. Season and serve.