Poor Man's Minestrone

Poor Man's Minestrone or, as my Mom always called it, Hamburger Soup... Whatever you want to call it, it made a yummy dinner on this chilly gloomy day for me and the boys!  It was the third workout in as many weeks for my 38 cent crockpot and it did its job like a rockstar!

This is a clean out the little bits left in the fridge, freezer, and pantry kind of dish...

Next time it might be a little different depending on what veggies I have that need to be used but to make the soup today, I broke up and fried 1 lb of hamburger.  When that was nearly done, I added about 1 cup of sliced baby carrots I'd forgot about getting for snacks, 4 sliced up ribs of celery that were right on the edge of turning wimpy, and the half an onion rattling around the bottom of the vegetable crisper, roughly diced.  I let this cook until the vegetables were starting to soften.

Meanwhile, into the crockpot went the end of a bag of frozen corn, the end of a bag of frozen peas, a big handful of frozen green beans, 2 packets of dry onion soup mix, and a can of diced tomatoes.  I added the burger mixture and a couple of tomato cans of water (gotta get all that tomatoey goodness!), set the crockpot on high, and gave it a good stir.

Now, this is the really important step in making this soup so pay attention!

I went to the laundromat and did my laundry (yay for clean clothes!) while the soup simmered away and the flavors blended just like magic.  Yup, I just walked away and forgot about it for a couple of hours.

When I got home, I added a little more water, the end of a box of shell macaroni, approximately 2 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning, and walked away again for about 30 minutes.  Then it was time to dip it up and enjoy with a couple of crackers...

Love in a bowl!!  Or, if you're like me, in a big coffee cup!

Sheepherder Potoatoes

Finished dish... see how the water has thickened into a sauce?

Both of my Grandmas were young wives with young families to keep fed during The Depression. They had to get really good at making something out of nothing... My Grandma Clarke made a dish she called Sheepherder Potatoes that fits that description.

By the time I came along, she had a few more luxuries and made them in an electric skillet. That's what I remember and am trying to describe here. Once she had her skillet nicely warmed, she'd thinly slice potatoes and add them to the skillet with enough water to cover about 2/3 of the way and add a pat or two of butter and salt and pepper.  Be generous with the pepper!  Then she'd put the cover on and step away to do whatever else needed doing in her day while the potatoes simmered on low for a couple of hours.  They only need a gentle stir once in awhile when you check to make sure there's still water on them. When the potatoes are soft enough to start breaking apart, the dish is done.  Spoon out a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.  The water will have thickened from the starch cooking out of the potatoes to make a peppery sauce, or gravy.

Everything is in the pan and ready to start simmering away.

Sounds simple?  It is.  And I think that's part of why it tastes so surprisingly good!  It's totally uncomplicated... just honest, simple, down-home comfort food.

I attempted to make some on top of the little Coleman Camp Stove that serves as my indoor cooking appliance on this mostly off-grid adventure.  I didn't achieve perfection with a dull knife, no cutting surface, imprecise heat, and a foil "lid" but I improvised with what I had and got close to what she made.  And they tasted pretty darned good!!

I can't remember now if there was a meat she served these potatoes alongside or not but while I was eating them I had visions of a green vegetable, maybe like sauteed spinach or chard, and a nice pan roasted trout.

Yup.  I'm STILL jonesing to go fishing...

Some Thoughts on Apple Butter

Regarding the rules for West Virginia, The Farmer’s Market Vendor Guide: A Guide for Farmers, Sanitarians, and the Consumer lists apple butter, along with sorghum and molasses, as a food product with a special classification.  It can be produced outdoors in open copper kettles and then sold at Farmer’s Markets and other venues.  In order to sell most foods, the facility where they are produced is required have some level of certification as a commercial kitchen.  The reasoning for excepting these foods is that the combination of high temperatures before jarring and the generous amount of sugar they contain decrease the likelihood that the product is “potentially hazardous” to a very low level.  Maybe it also speaks to tradition and tourism, too.  Demonstrations of the historical method for making apple butter are featured at a number of fall festivals.  And at least two cities in West Virginia have dedicated Apple Butter Festivals!

Photo lifted from the Salem Apple Butter Festival, Inc.
Facebook page.

I had high hopes for a really unique experience when I drove the 30-ish miles east to Salem this afternoon.  With  no disrespect intended for the many hours of work put in by the folks who organize this festival, I have to say I was a bit disappointed.  It was busy and active and by all those kinds of measures, successful.  It's just... there was nothing to set it apart from any other street fair in any other town in America, except for the apple butter making demonstration.  I do have to say, I did enjoy watching it simmering in a big open kettle over a wood fire! That historical aspect is what was missing from the rest of the festival, in my opinion, as this was surely the best part of it for me.

Photo from the official website of the
Salem Apple Butter Festival, Inc.

However, you don’t need an open roaring fire or a big copper kettle to make really great apple butter.  Basically, it’s apples and sugar and spices cooked down to a jam-like consistency.  You can do it stovetop or even in your crockpot using any one of the dozens of recipes available on Pinterest.  Or, if  you are that kind of woman, you can bust out the cauldron and go for it outdoors... One of these soon to come days, I plan to give it a try!  Probably on the stovetop, though.

And unless I find a good reason to choose otherwise, McIntosh will be my apple of choice.

Photo from Jane Lear (actually read this post on
her fancy food blog - great guide for choosing
your apples!)

The West Virginia-grown McIntosh's seem especially delicious to me this year... maybe they always are; this is my first time tasting them here and I am wowed by their tangy sweetness with just a hint of strawberry flavor.  I'm pretty sure I could be a very happy girl with a whole orchard of these beauties in my yard!!  And the boys are surely loving having them fresh as our nightly snack!  Me too.

Roadside Regional Dining

From day one here, I've seen these things called Pepperoni Rolls in convenience stores and gas stations.  Jason shrugged when he told me they were a "West Virginia thing" and we went on our way.  Yesterday I was thumbing my way through some of those tourist magazines that are a staple of rest stops all over the nation and along with at least a thousand more things I want to do and see I found a short article on the humble origins of... the Pepperoni Roll.  So you know I had to try one.


This was my breakfast this morning!

Never heard of a Pepperoni Roll before?  Apparently, these little gems don't exist too far away from West Virginia... So once you try one your avenue to satisfy your craving is pretty narrow.  Unless it leads to your own kitchen.  Pepperoni Rolls are pretty simple to make.  Basically, it's just a nice soft dinner roll filled with pepperoni.  You could take your favorite yeast dough that you'd use to make dinner rolls, roll it out and cut like you're making pretty large crescents, layer some pepperoni inside, roll it up, pinch it shut and bake it.  And there you have a classic Pepperoni Roll.

See the inside?

The fats in the pepperoni that are solid at room temperature melt during baking and infuse the soft bread with flavor. Some bakeries are trying to gourmet them up a bit by adding cheese and/or herbs to the stuffing.  Or giving you a cup of warm marinara sauce for dipping.  I think either or both of those additions would be delicious... But just plain old pepperoni is classic and the way a purist would have them.  And of course, there's the expected disagreement over using sliced or stick pepperoni.  I say just use plenty of it!!

The story of how they came to be such a regional staple of roadside dining is really what's interesting, though, because it's such an American story.  Guiseppe Argiro, an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. to work in the coal mines found his real calling in baking and started selling Pepperoni Rolls to other miners in 1927 from the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, WV.  Isn't that the American dream?  Starting with nothing and finding success inventing something iconic? They became popular because they keep for several days at room temperature, are lightweight and easy to pack and can be eaten with one hand - a real working man's lunch!  Today they are popular for tailgating, camping, and on-the-go snacking for these same reasons.

I think it's a safe bet if you put your money on me having more Pepperoni Rolls in the future...

Refrigerator Pickles

Saturday morning I got up and went to the Farmer's Market.  It's a small town and a small market but there's usually some interesting stuff.

I talked to a lady selling sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls.  Hers isn't sour either... more sweet than anything but dang good homemade bread.  It had a flavor that's slightly different than what I make but mine is also really good and I love the simplicity of it too much to go looking for something different right now.  I also picked up a bottle of raw honey, more herbs for the garden and some fun little cucumbers just right for munching.  They are tiny and striped like a very miniature watermelon and the flavor is slightly lemon-like. It was a fun little snack!

And I got cucumbers to make refrigerator pickles.

3 bottles of Bread & Butter slices and 2 of Dill spears.  And, yes... those
are old spaghetti sauce jars.  Since the pickles aren't processed only a tight-
fitting lid is needed so these are perfect.  And cute with their reproduction
Atlas marks!  Maybe for next year I'll spray paint the lids like I did for
my spice jars and hide the "Classico" on them.

Now comes the hard part: waiting for them to be ready to eat.

I really love how simple refrigerator pickles are to make.  Anything to do with food that doesn't heat the house up in summer is a good thing!  I've made the Dill pickles for years.  It's a recipe handed down from a friend of my Mom's that is easy and delicious.  This is the first time I've made Bread & Butter pickles this way and I'm excited to get a taste and decide if the recipe is a keeper.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Pack whole small cucumbers OR spears OR slices cut from larger cukes into 1-quart jars with dill and sliced garlic according to your taste.

Add to each jar:
2 Tbl salt
1 cup vinegar (white or a half-n-half mix with cider vinegar is good)
1 Tbl sugar
1/2 tsp alum
pinch of pickling spice

Fill each jar with cold water. Put on tight fitting lids (does not need to seal, just be airtight) and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Ready to eat after 3-4 weeks. Can be stored up to a year. I've also made 2 quarts worth directly in my old Tupperware PickleKeeper and put it in the back of the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

Thinly slice cucumber and sweet onion and layer them into 1-quart canning jar(s).  Be sure to pack the in the jar tightly as they will shrink when the hot brine is added.

For each jar you need to measure into a saucepan and bring to a steaming simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved:
1 1/2 cups vinegar (I used half white and half cider vinegar)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric

Pour hot liquid over cucumbers and onions in jar,wipe rims and put tight fitting lids on.  Store in refrigerator.  Can be eaten after 48 hours.

Now You Hush Puppy!

Hushpuppies are a Southern thang...  They are a sort of round, deep fried, cornmeal dumpling that frequently accompanies fried catfish and sometimes are served as the bread portion with other dishes.  I have friends visiting us next week and Derek and I are making them a "real Southern meal" of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and Hushpuppies.  Hushpuppies are relatively new in my culinary experience - not a food I grew up with out West - and so I've been trying to learn a little bit more about them and find a base recipe we can start with to create something unique to our own taste.

 There are a lot of theories, though no one is certain, where Hushpuppies got their name including these:

• Confederate soldiers fed their corn biscuit rations to their dogs to quiet them in order to avoid detection from Union soldiers, hence the phrase "hushing the puppies" or, smooshed together as we seem to do with language, "hushpuppies."
• The dredging flour from catfish in the main house that would have been thrown out was sent down to the slave quarters by the cook and the women added a little milk, egg and onion and fried it up. It is said they tossed bits of this fried batter to the dogs to keep them quiet while the food was being transferred from the pot to the table. "Hush puppy! Hush puppy!"
• While slaves or poor folks (or in some accounts hunters and fishermen) were cooking fried foods with batter outside, balls of the batter coating were fried and given to the dogs to keep them from begging or barking, thus the name "hushpuppies."
• They were fried up to toss to the dogs to keep them quiet while the "revenooers" were snooping around looking for bootleggers' and their stills.

I kind of love that the name is so descriptive... however it may have come about, it seems to have something to do with keeping a canine companion quiet.

I could sure use some this morning.

Boys!!  What's out there that has your mouths working overtime?

This recipe [mostly] from The Southern Lady Cooks seems pretty representative of what I've found so I think we'll use it as a starting point and decide how to tweak it from there:

Hushpuppies

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup onion, diced (can be regular or green onions)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cayenne or a few drops of hot sauce

1 egg

1/2 +/- cup beer (or buttermilk is an option)

Cooking oil to give 2-inch depth in your pot for frying

Combine cornmeal, flour, onion, salt, egg and milk.  The batter should be just wet enough that you can shape it into balls about the size of a walnut with your hands (or a couple of spoons) and it sticks together.  Have oil hot in a skillet and drop hush puppies into oil.  Cook about 3 to 4 minutes browning on all sides.   Remove and drain on paper towels.  Best served hot.  This makes about 10 to 12 hushpuppies.

I also thought this was an interesting little historical tidbit on the Savannah Food Company's website...

"And yes, the food created the name of the famous shoe company…

In 1958, Jim Muir was having dinner with a friend in Tennessee when he witnessed how his friend’s barking hounds were quieted down when given hushpuppies. Jim thought about how aching feet were commonly referred to as barking dogs. Wolverine shoes, or rather Hushpuppies, were the answer to soothing one’s aching feet. Thus a legend began!"

5 Products I Wish I Could Find

Obviously I found them... What I REALLY wish is to find them in my local grocery store in Georgia.

Photo credit:  Amazon.com

Cinnamon Bears
Even better, but I can make my own in a pinch, would be Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears.  I do occasionally give in to the craving and drop $20 for a 5-lb bag on Amazon.com then ration them out to myself a handful at a time for the next few weeks.  But it would be so much easier to pick up a little bag now and then at the grocery store...  Before giving in to Amazon orders I searched Publix, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree, Dollar General - basically every store with a candy counter that I stepped foot in for over a month.  No one had ever heard of them.  And more than a few looked at me like I was a little nuts claiming there was a bear-shaped candy that tasted like an Atomic Fireball and had the consistency of a Swedish Fish.

Photo credit:  Amazon.com

Redmond Real Salt
I love this for cooking and the occasional sprinkle on food at the table.  The package claims that it tastes different.  And, like a lot of people, I thought that was a bogus claim until I did their test and tried a few grains of regular salt on my tongue, big drink of water, and a few grains of Redmond Real Salt on my tongue.  It was different.  And better.  And so pretty with those pink and copper colored mineral inclusions.  Also available on Amazon.com... one day I will get some!  And then replace the salt in every shaker in the house!!

Photo credit: http://www.brandeating.com

Claim Jumper Chicken Pot Pie
Sorry Marie Callendar... I get yours as a substitute once in a great awhile but only because I can't get Claim Jumper's here.  That makes me sad, even now, during the much too hot to eat pot pie summertime.  Claim Jumper's pot pies just taste so much better to me!  Better seasoned filling with more chicken and a flakier crust.  And usually a bit cheaper price tag, too... sigh.  Baking them is the best, but I usually couldn't make myself wait and microwaved them and that was perfectly acceptable.

Photo credit:  grandmaspasta.com

  Grandma's Frozen Egg Noodles

  Or any frozen home-style noodle, for that

  matter.  The days last   week when it was chilly

  and raining so hard I wanted with every fiber of
  my being to make a pot of chicken noodle
  soup.  I didn't do it.  And the only reason was
  because I'd have to either drag out the pasta
  machine and spend half a day making them
  first or use those dried egg noodles and that
  just sort of ruined the whole appeal of even
  making soup.

Photo credit: http://www.coxshoney.com

Creamed Honey
As a child I learned that the flavor of honey depended a lot on the food sources available to the bees.  Growing up in Shelley, ID the main source of food for those bees was clover.  And it made for the absolute best honey in the world!!  I admit, I've bought some pretty decent honey here in GA.  It works fine on toast, or in tea, or to cook with.  Perfectly palatable!  But runny honey is just not quite what I'm craving...  (And terms like "creamed honey" and "runny honey" get me that questioning raised eyebrow look from the grocery manager!)  All I need is money, and I'll be placing an order.