Crunchy Cole Slaw
Here's a fresh twist on an old summer salad.
DRESSING
1/2 c. vegetable oil (not corn, peanut, or olive)
1/4 c. sherry vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 seasoning packet from Ramen Beef Noodle Soup
Mix well, and refrigerate until chilled.
SALAD:
1 bag cole slaw mix (or 1 lb. finely shredded cabbage)
1 c. shredded carrots
1 pkg Ramen Beef Noodles, UNCOOKED!!!
1/2 c. sunflower kernels (out of shell!)
a couple of green onions, diced
Toss cabbage/cole slaw mix with carrots. Break ramen noodles into small pieces and pour over top of cabbage. Add sunflower kernels and sprinkle with the green onions. Pour dressing over top, mix, and serve immediately.
Don't worry about the calories.
Cucumber Marmalade
(Makes about five jelly glasses.)
The South is steeped in tradition, especially when it comes to recipes. Every family has a few closely guarded secret recipes, handed down from mother to daughter with strict instructions never to reveal the ingredients; often, mothers refused to hand the recipes down to daughter-in-laws, and if there was no daughter, a recipe died with its owner. Next to gossip, it was practically a Southern woman's sworn duty to learn another's secret recipe by whatever means necessary, including stealing and blackmail. They'd waste more money trying to figure out what was most often just a pinch of something you'd never, in a million years, expect or guess.
Here's a simple marmalade supposedly no one could ever quite figure out. The story goes that the lady who made it, unmarried, childless, on her deathbed wrote it out for a devoted delivery boy who not only brought her groceries but mailed letters, picked up the newspapers, and ran odd errands. It's good on hot biscuits, corn muffins, and the like.
2 cups finely-chopped cucumbers
4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup of lime juice (*)
2 Tbsp. grated lime peel (*)
1/2 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Optional - a touch of green food coloring
(*)-lime is best, but you can use lemon if necessary
In big saucepan combine cucumbers, sugar, juice and peel. Mix well and bring to a boil; boil one minute over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from stove, add food coloring if desired, mixing well. Stir in pectin. Continue to stir and skim off foam for about 5 minutes to cool a bit. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Baked Frenched Onions
(You can also bake these on your barbecue grill. If using a charcoal grill, place the packets directly on the coals, turning every once in a while.)
4 large onions (pref. sweet Vidalia's)
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim about 3/4 in. from the TOP of each onion, and peel the onion without cutting off the root end. (That's very important!) Using a potato peeler or a melon baller, remove a section from the core of the onion. Cut the onion into quarters from the top down to about a 1/2-inch from the root end. Place the onion in the center of a square of aluminum foil (heavy duty, or two pieces regular); slip a pat of butter in between the sliced quarters, and drop a bouillon cube in the center of each onion. Sprinkle with a bit of pepper. Draw the foil up around the sides of the onion, and twist at the top. Place packets on a cooking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes.
The onions give off a lot of water, and the broth makes it taste like French Onion Soup. Place each onion packet in a bowl deep enough to catch the broth, and simply untwist and open the foil, and eat.
Pumpkin Butter
(This is a nice change from apple butter, great on toast or fresh biscuits! Yields about 2 cups.)
16 ounces pumpkin, canned -- solid pack
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon**
1/8 tsp nutmeg**
1/8 tsp ginger**
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves**
* If you're unable to use honey, simply omit, and increase brown sugar to 1 cup.
**You can adjust the spices according to your taste.
In a medium saucepan, combine ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Pumpkin butter may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for several weeks or freezer several months. If you prefer, you can pour into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes, then cooled.
Virginia Vapor
(Makes about 4 servings)
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c heavy cream
4 c strong-brewed Columbian coffee
Mix the vanilla extract and cream, then whip (a little firmer than soft peaks).
Beat the egg white to stiff peaks.
Thoroughly blend the vanilla and cream mix with the egg white.
Fill each mug with 1/3 to 1/2 with the mixture.
Add coffee and serve.
Autumn-Holiday coffee
The flavor of this coffee is reminscent of the flavors in Chai tea. In the Arab countries, cardamom is a popular spice; cardamom coffee is a symbol of great hospitality. It is also a favorite in Scandinavian countries. It is a stimulant, and has been used as a digestive since ancient times, and is used in many Eastern medicines. It is also mentioned in the "Arabian Nights" as an aphrodisiac, and in old Vedic texts as a cure for impotence. (Woo-hoo!)
4-7 Whole cloves
1/2 inch Cinnamon bark (whole cinnamon)
4-7 whole green cardamom pods**
Brown sugar (if desired)
Whipped cream
Shaved Chocolate and cinnamon sprinkle
Coffee
**(I've never seen the whole pods, which contain about 15-20 tiny seeds. I usually use 4-6 of the little seeds per cup of coffee for a milder flavor. If using ground cardamom, try first with 1/8-1/4 tsp.)
Brew a strong pot of your favorite coffee.
In a small pan, add 1 1/2 cup water, cloves, cinnamon bark, whole cardamom (split the tips), and 1-3 teaspoons of sugar. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for 3-4 minutes.
Mix the coffee and the spice-mix, pour into cups top with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate and cinnamon. (Add more sugar to taste if desired.)
For a more adult after-dinner drink, add a bit of Tia Maria.
