Well, I’ve finally done it. I purchased both volumes of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Why? Maybe it was watching the movie Julie and Julia, maybe it was an episode of the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network – I’m not sure. But there are definitely a few things in there that I want to try out.

Getting the books got me to thinking about cookbooks. Up till now I’ve had about a dozen of them, most ignored. My main book is my mom’s 1963 copy of “The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook.” Ancient, I know. However, it is full of dog eared pages and PostIt flags. From it I finally got a biscuit recipe that gives me tasty biscuits that, finally, don’t crumble. Many of the recipes here are my variations of something I got from there.

I also have a collection of recipes from a company where I worked. Most everyone there were great cooks. We sure had some yummy potluck lunches. There was so much good food that we all contributed some of our favorite recipes to a ‘book’ that we printed for ourselves. I’ve got it in a three-ring binder and add stuff to it from time to time. If you work somewhere with good cooks you might consider sharing your favorites.

So what will I fix first from my new purchase? I’m thinking beef bourguignon – mostly because I have some nice roast in the freezer. And, no, I’m not planning on writing about my adventures with all the recipes in the book.

How many cookbooks do you have? Do you follow the directions exactly or do you fiddle with them? I must admit that I fiddle with most recipes, a habit I got from my mom who loved to experiment.

Bon appétit everyone!

The fresh strawberries are in the store now and it looks like the cold weather in Florida did not damage them very much. I was at the store the other day and I just couldn’t pass them by — I swear they were calling my name. Usually I just eat them right out of the box, but this time I was in the mood to be adventurous. So I went rummaging in my cookbooks looking for something tasty to make of these luscious berries that would do them justice. In the end I would up cobbling together stuff from four different recipes and the result was very refreshing and tasty.

Here’s what I came up with:

This is a three-part construction. There is a glaze, a cream cheese filling, and a crumb topping. I layered all three parts in small, glass serving bows and it made for a nice presentation, but you can put it together anyway that you like.

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• some fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon oat bran
• 1/4 cup ground pecans (optional, I just happened to have some on hand)
  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the butter. Mix well. If it looks too dry add some more butter, but be careful as you can get too much and then it all just sticks together.

Glaze:

1. In a saucepan crush 1 cup strawberries with a wooden spoon
2. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 cup brown sugar (the recipe called for 1 tablespoon cornstarch but I think I forgot to add that)
3. Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened and clear; set aside to cool (mine didn’t thicken, but made a nice syrup instead)

Cream Cheese “filling”:

• In a bowl combine 8 oz cream cheese and 4 tablespoons buttermilk, blend till smooth.
• Don’t be tempted to add sugar to this, everything else is plenty sweet.

Slice the rest of the strawberries (I had purchased a box at the grocery store, maybe 2 pints worth) and 1 or two bananas (depends upon the size of them). Fold this into the glaze mixture until everything is nicely coated.

In your serving containers layer the topping, fruit, and cream cheese mix reserving some topping for the last. I managed to get two layers of everything into my bowls.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt-free butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 tablespoon oat bran

Start heating the oven to 350 degrees well in advance — you want a hot oven, not just hot air in the oven. Thoroughly grease a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan and then dust with flour. Cream the butter and sugar together. Once it is well mixed (the color will lighten if you use brown sugar) add the eggs one at a time. Beat this mixture until it is light and fluffy. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together. Add the wheat bran to this mix. Reduce the speed on your mixer to low and start adding some of the flour mix, no more than 1/3 of it. Add about 1/3 cup of applesauce to the flour mix and then more flour and then more applesauce until all of the flour mix and applesauce has been mixed together. Increase speed of blender to a medium speed and blend for about 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the raisins. Blend just until they are mixed. Pour the mix into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the oat bran on top of the loaf. Cook for about one hour (it takes 1 hour 5 minutes in my oven). Remove when a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool in the loaf pan for at least 5 minutes before turning it out.

This has been a very popular gift item along with my Banana Bread recipe. Both are health and tasty. What better combination could there be?

Ingredients:

• Pork roast
• Sauerkraut, drained (I get the kind in the glass jars)
• Pearl onions (again, I get the ones in the glass jars)
• Baby white potatoes (if you use the canned ones you will need to drain them)
• White wine (a cooking wine is good here, but I prefer to use a wine that I like to drink)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Seasonings for the pork:

• Mrs. Dash Table Blend
• Cayenne pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Ground cumin

Directions:

• I use a large, cast iron Dutch oven to brown the meat and then cook the whole dish in. You can use any large roasting dish you want, I just like the way that cast iron works for meals that need to slow cook over a long period of time.
• Add some olive oil to your roasting dish and start heating it to a medium temperature. Season all sides of the pork and place in your roasting dish. You’re not trying to cook the pork here, just get a nice browning on all sides.
• When the pork is nice and brown all over, remove it from the dish and set aside. Pour in about 3/4 cup of the wine and use it to deglaze the roasting dish. Use a spoon to make sure that you get all the tasty bits unstuck from the bottom of the dish.
• Put the pork back in the pot, add 1/2 cup of water, put the lid on the pot and put it in a 300 degree oven for about an hour. The length of time will depend upon the size of the pork roast that you are using. I usually get about a 4 pound roast.
• After the meat has cooked for a while, remove it from the oven. Carefully take the roast out of the pot and set aside. Add about 1/3 of your sauerkraut to the bottom of the roasting dish. Stir it around so that it soaks up all the good stuff from the pot.
• Put the pork back in and then layer the remaining ingredients. The liquid from the pearl onions will add a bit of sweetness to the sauerkraut. I find that there is enough salt in the other items that I add, so I don’t add any more.
• Bake at 325 degrees for about another 40 minutes.

Serve with a nice green salad and some crusty brown bread.

Enjoy!

I have always kept Epsom salts on hand, but they’d gotten pushed to the back of the cabinet and I forgotten they were there. So, I dug them out and had a nice soak — much to the relief of my sore back.

It was while I was soaking that I got to wondering about Epsom salts and why they’re so good for so many things. Oh sure, there are lots of fancy products out there that look pretty, smell great, and cost a lot that work great too, but  I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them contain Epsom salts.

Here’s some of the things that you can use Epsom salts for:

• 2 cups of Epsom salts in a nice warm bath tub can help relax muscles, pull toxins from the body, relieve itching, soften your skin and, because of the magnesium in the Epsom salts, leave you feeling relaxed with a sense of well-being.
• 1/2 cup of Epsom salts in a foot tub with water will ease aching feet, soften skin, and leave your feet smelling better too.
• 2 cups of Epsom salts, 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly, and a few drops of lavender oil make a great cleanser for the skin. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches.
• Sprains and bruises can be helped by soaking in water and Epsom salts. Soak for no more than 20 minutes. For best results follow up with an ice pack, again for no more than 20 minutes.
• Got a splinter? Soak the area in Epsom salts because it will draw the splinter out so you don’t have to dig it out.

Just how does Epsom salts work? Well it is nothing more than magnesium sulfate, found in many geological areas. The Enzyme Stuff web site has this to say about magnesium sulfate: “The magnesium and sulfate in the salts are absorbed into the body through the skin. Because the sulfur is already in the sulfate form, it does not need to be converted like other forms of sulfur do. Sulfate is thought to circulate in the body up to about nine hours. Any Epsom salts left on the skin may continue to be absorbed as long as it is still on the skin, offering continuous ‘timed-released’ input into the bloodstream – like medications given through skin patches. Many people on a typical ‘modern’ processed diet are very deficient in magnesium as well, which Epsom salts also supply in a highly available form. Main effects of insufficient magnesium are hyperness, irritability, anxiety, and muscle twitching or spasms. So the salts may provide two-way assistance.”

Want some more information? Check out the Epsom Salt Industry Council web site. They’ve got tons of information!

Happy New Year!!

I was getting ready to put together my shopping list for my traditional New Year’s Eve dinner when I got to wondering what do other parts of the United States, or other countries for that matter, do for New Year’s Eve dinner. I was surprised by the variety of things that people eat to increase their good fortune in the New Year. So, I thought I’d share what I’ve uncovered while researching this interesting topic with you.

First off there seems to be a common theme in types of food that most cultures eat:

• Pork – the general consensus is that because a pig roots for food with its snout by digging in a forward direction then eating pork will help you to move forward in the New Year. Also many cultures associate pigs with plumpness and getting plenty to eat.
• Fish -  many people feel that the Catholic Church’s policy against red meat consumption on religious holidays helped make fish commonplace at feasts. It could also be because fish swim forward and it is good luck to move forward for the New Year.
• Greens – this one is pretty easy as our money is green, so you eat greens so you can get more greenbacks! Also, greens like collards, kale, and chard have folded leaves which look like folded money.
• Legumes – many people feel that legumes such as peas (black-eyed peas in the southern United States) and lentils look like coins. When soaked in water they swell and thus people eat them in the hope that their financial fortunes will swell in the New Year.
• Grapes – apparently this tradition dates back to some time in the early 1900’s in Spain when grape growers were trying to resolve a grape surplus. The idea spread and now many cultures eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to celebrate lucky years past and in hope of a lucky year to come.

Let’s take a look at some traditional meals from around the world:

• Austrians – often decorate their dinner table with miniature pigs made of marzipan.
• Brazil -  the first meal of the New Year is usually lentil soup or lentils and rice.
• Denmark – Boiled cod is the food of choice at New Year’s.
• Germany – Eating herring at midnight is said to bring good luck. Pork is also thought to bring good luck.
• Greece – Vasilopita, a cake with a coin inside of it, is eaten. The person who gets the coin is said to have good luck throughout the coming year.
• Holland – Ollie Bollen, a doughnut-like fritter, is popular at the holiday.
• Italy – “Otechino con lenticchie” (pork sausage served over lentils) is served. The pork is said to bring abundance while the lentils bring money.
• Japan – Noodles are eaten at midnight in Buddhist temples. In addition, soba noodles are eaten by the general public for a long life, and Omochi cakes (sticky rice cakes) are eaten for good luck and health.
• Mexico – Most people eat twelve grapes at midnight for good luck.
• Phillipines – It’s important to have food on the table at midnight in order to ensure plenty food in the New Year.
• Poland – Pickled herring as the first thing on New Year’s is said to bring good luck throughout the year.
• Spain – Twelve grapes are eaten, one each at the stroke of midnight, to celebrate lucky years of the past and in the hope of a lucky year to come.
• Vietnam – Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet is the Vietnamese New Year. It falls in either January or February for three days, though it is often celebrated for seven. Watermelon is often eaten – the redder the flesh, the more luck the family will have in the New Year.

I’m from the southern part of the United States and I follow the southern tradition of ham, black-eyed peas, greens, and corn bread (said to bring wealth).

What do you do for the New Year?

A nice red apple

Cold weather and hot apple cider seem to go hand in hand. But apples are good for more than just cider. There is a great deal of truth to the old adage: “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Apples are high in fiber (if you don’t peel them) and vitamin C while only packing around 80 calories. You won’t find any fat, cholesterol, or sodium in an apple either. So let’s take a look at what the humble apple can do for you:

• Apples contain two types of fiber. The first works just like wheat bran pulling the bad LDL cholesterol out of your body. The second, pectin, helps to reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol that your liver produces. Lowering your LDL levels can go a long ways towards cardiovascular health.
• Pectin can do many other things for your health too. For example, it can help to pull toxins out of your system. Except for the few people living out in the open country, most of us are exposed to many harmful toxins on a daily basis. Pectin is also great for regulating your digestion; in other words, if you are constipated it will help to move things along, or if you have diarrhea it will help to slow things down.
• The component that gives apples their lovely color, flavonoids, also confer health benefits. The skin of an apple is an excellent source of a potent flavonoid called quercitin which studies have found helps to reduce heart disease. Quercitin is a type of an antioxidant which, especially when combined with vitamin C (also found in apples), reduces the damaging effects of free radicals in the body.
• The sugar in apples is in the form of fructose which is a very simple sugar. Because your body takes a long time to break down fructose it helps to keep the blood sugar levels stable. If you or someone you love is diabetic or near diabetic, then you should consider adding apples to the diet.
• Another benefit from apples can be found in the juice: reducing the risk of kidney stones. Those who suffer from calcium oxalate kidney stones would do well to add apple juice to their daily diet.
• One interesting study I found was done in Australia where they found that adding apples and pears to the diet reduced the effects of asthma.

Staying healthy doesn’t require fancy, and expensive, pills. A few simple additions to your daily diet can go a long way to keeping you healthy and happy.

Interested in more information? Check out these sources:

• Whole Foods
• The Nutrition Journal
• All About Apples

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 whole stick) butter, unsalted
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard (dissolve this in 1 teaspoon water)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk (don’t use low-fat or skim)
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
• 1 pound shredded (about 4 cups) Colby cheese
• 8 ounces shredded (about 2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons wheat bran (Robin’s addition)

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and combine with the breadcrumbs. Set aside for now.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the elbow macaroni. Cook the noodles until almost tender (around 7 minutes). They should still be a little firm to the bite. Drain and set aside for now.
• In a large pot (the one you just used for the pasta will work great if you dry it out) melt 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When melted add the garlic, mustard mixture, and cayenne. Stir for, at most, 1 minute.
• Add the flour to the butter and seasoning mixture. Cook for another minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and then the broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture is slightly thickened; this should take around 6 or 7 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the cheeses in small batches until completely melted. Add the wheat bran and season with a little black pepper, to taste. You don’t need to add salt as there is a lot of salt in the cheeses.
• Add the macaroni to the sauce and stir until well combined.
• Pour into a 9” x 13” baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly around the edges – should take about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

My sister tells me that you can make this ahead of time, just don’t add the breadcrumbs or bake. You can store the pre-baked casserole in the fridge for a couple of days or, carefully wrapped, in the freezer for a couple of months. Just make sure the casserole is up to room temperature before you start to bake it.

Enjoy!

There are lots of recipes out there for making potato pancakes but very few start with mashed potato leftovers. This is my variation of a recipe I found in an old cookbook and then modified to make things easier.

Ingredients:

• mashed potatoes
• onion, grated
• whole wheat flour
• wheat bran
• extra virgin olive oil

1. I start with my leftover mashed potatoes. When I mash potatoes I add salt-free butter, a little salt, 1% milk, onion powder, Mrs. Dash Table Blend, cayenne pepper, and a little parsley. With all that in the potatoes already I don’t add any other seasonings when I’m making the potato pancakes.
2. Grate the onions very fine. How much will depend upon how many potatoes you have and how much onion you like. I use about 1 small onion for roughly 1 1/2 cups of potatoes.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of whole wheat flour for every cup of potatoes that you have. The flour binds the pancakes together.
4. Add a tablespoon or two of the wheat bran to enhance the amount of fiber in the pancakes.
5. Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
6. You can cook the pancakes in a large skillet (I have a big cast iron one that I use for smaller batches), or on a flat-top griddle when you’re making a big batch.
7. Generously coat the cooking surface with the olive oil and when it is hot enough to fry an egg, spoon some of the potato pancake mix on.
8. I make mine about 3″ in diameter. I’ve found that size to work best. If you make them too big then the edges get over done and the middle is undercooked.
9. When they are golden brown on one side flip them over and let them brown on the other.
10. Remove them and place them on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. If you are making a big batch you might want to place them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven while you are preparing the rest of the pancakes.

Serve them as a side item at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They also make a great snack.

Enjoy!

The ancient Egyptians were the first to record the use of castor oil for medicinal purposes, and since then it has been used by many cultures as a folk medicine. Castor oil was reportedly used as a medicine during the early Middle Ages in Europe. In his Encyclopedia of Healing, the American healing psychic Edgar Cayce claimed that castor oil helped to heal the lymphatic tissue in the small intestines, thus increasing absorption of fatty acids and allowing for tissue growth and repair. However, taking castor oil internally is not recommended for long periods of time.

Most applications for castor oil are external to treat skin, burns, sunburns, skin disorders, skin cuts, and abrasions. Castor oil can also be used to draw out styes in the eye by pouring a small amount into the eye and allowing it to circulate around the inside of the eyelid. The oil is also used as a rub or pack for various ailments, including abdominal complaints, headaches, muscle pains, inflammatory conditions, skin eruptions, lesions, and sinusitis. Edgar Cayce recommended using a castor oil pack from a piece of flannel that has been soaked with castor oil and then putting it on the area of complaint and placing a heat source, such as a hot water bottle, on top of it.

Dr. Mason recommends castor oil packs to treat muscle spasms and sprains. Personally I’ve found it to be very effective in treating tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. An orthopedic surgeon wanted to operate on my wrist because of all the problems I was having, but regular applications of castor oil cured it.

Here’s the best way I’ve found to apply castor oil packs:

1. Coat the affected area with castor oil.
2. Cover that same area loosely with some plastic wrap.
3. Wrap an ace bandage or towel around the plastic wrap.
4. Sleep that way over night. Your body heat will do the rest.

For more information:

• The American Cancer Society has some interesting things to say about castor oil.
• You might also want to check out this post called “Castor Oil: Modern Uses For An Old Folk Remedy“
• Wikipedia also has some interesting information on castor oil.

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