Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Four seasons of weather all happened in one day this past week. Sometimes meal preparation is like the weather. Life throws out multiple tasks and responsibilities each day and cooking must happen in between. Several easy to prepare recipes came my way and they are a nice change from slow-cooker dishes. Barb Schlimmer of Odessa shared the recipe for Sloppy Joe Casserole, a dish she brought to a recent potluck dinner. She found the recipe on all-recipes.com. Chop the...
Easter weekend is often filled with egg hunts, chocolate bunnies and ham dinners. Juggling all this along with various family schedules can be problematic. Let your slow-cooker take care of the ham and free up time and the oven for other holiday dishes with Ham n Cola, a recipe in the Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook, compiled by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good, attributed to Carol Peachey, Lancaster, PA. Ham n Cola • 3–4-pound precooked ham, or as large as your slo...
Shrimp and sourdough have topped the list of submitted recipes and culinary questions this past week. Shrimp Lo Mein was shared by young cook, Kaleb Walter. He recently made this dish for his family. The recipe features fresh vegetables, cooked tender crisp and cooked shrimp, with pasta lightly dressed with a sweet/savory sauce. Shrimp Lo Mein • 8 ounces angel hair pasta • 1/2 cup chopped asparagus • 1/2 cup chopped celery • 1/2 cup chopped carrot • 1 clove garlic, chopped ...
Emergency Tomato Soup was my contribution to a recent soup supper. I should come up with a catchy name but haven’t thought of anything over the years. Maybe you readers will have a good suggestion. The recipe takes canned tomato soup to the next level and is quick and easy to prepare. Emergency Tomato Soup • 6 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup. • 4 soup cans water • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk • 2 Tbsp crushed dried basil • Dash, finely ground black peppe...
Weather teases us with just a hint of spring, then more snow, then gray rainy days. Heat from the oven ready casseroles and warm fresh baked cookies are perfect for chasing away the late winter chill. Oriental Chicken Medley, a rice-based casserole, may be made ahead to bake for the evening meal or baked right away after preparing. The recipe easily accommodates a family's preference in ingredients. The original recipe was on a Durkee French Fried onion can around 1992, but I...
Bowl game gatherings call for savory buffets of easy to prepare and eat foods. Chili is a great make ahead dish, made from scratch or heated from a can. It holds well in a slow cooker. Chili Con Carne is a recipe in my dad’s cigar box recipe collection. I am guessing this is a recipe he acquired in the 1950’s because the can sizes were listed as one pound, but in the 1960’s manufacturers began the 15-ounce cans. This meaty chili recipe is easy to double or triple for a crowd...
Winter finally got here with weather perfect to keep us indoors testing recipes in the kitchen. Organizing my pantry at the first of the year unearthed a package of Trutana, Crave Cakes Pancake Mix. I had purchased this to try the chickpea based mix some time ago, but other cooking projects took precedence. Chickpeas produce a gluten free, high protein flour, and this mix made some very light and moist pancakes. They take a bit longer to cook and the mix needs spreading in...
Happy New Year! Following the holiday season take time to sort out my pantry, setting aside the items that didn’t get used and the ones with just a bit left in the package, and plan to use them up in January menus or donate to the local food bank before reaching the use by date. Rice-Chex, Stove-Top Turkey stuffing, Iced Tea Mix, Jiffy Mix, a duplicate jar of yeast and a small tin of salmon are off to the food bank. Those who follow Welcome to My Kitchen on Facebook have a...
DAVENPORT — Christmastime is here, with Christmas Eve being Sunday, Dec. 24 and Christmas Day falling Monday, Dec. 25. Local churches are hosting services on both days for those interested in attending. Here are the plans for churches who returned attempts for contact from The Record-Times. Davenport Harvest Celebration Church will hold a Christmas-themed service at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, titled “Tell it Again.” Trinity Bible Fellowship meets at 10:30 a.m. Christmas Eve and at 10 a.m. Christmas Day. United Methodist Church meets...
Christmas is just a few days hence. Turkey, hams or other large cuts of meat should be thawing in your refrigerator by now. Be sure to place in a dish large enough to catch any thawing juices and prevent cross contamination with other foods. Keep refrigerated until ready to roast or bake. Oven space is often at a premium when preparing large holiday meals. Side dishes to prepare stove top or in a slow cooker will free up oven space. Additionally, dishes prepared ahead, ready...
Cookies of all types make the to-do list in most households this time of year. Many are baking to ship to family and friends or contribute to bake sales. There are many delicate cookies best eaten within a day or two of baking and others need to be made now to develop flavors before the holiday gatherings. Pretty cutout cookies are attractive on cookie plates or decorating a tree but require longer preparation time. Molded or drop cookies take less time, but bar cookies are...
Cooking from scratch has allowed a great controversy to pass me by until questions started coming in. Usually, I get a lot of turkey questions this time of year. Pumpkin is currently at the top of the list. Can I use puree instead of solid pack? Is 100% pumpkin the same as puree? Google doesn’t know everything. Grandmother’s favorite recipe from the Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin can won’t turn out the same with pumpkin puree. You will need to use 100% pumpkin. I don’t know when...
New friends and family have steered my culinary interests toward gluten and dairy free recipes. For health and wellbeing, some folks must avoid certain ingredients or ingredient properties. Until recently, those avoiding gluten had to make everything from scratch and scrutinize package labels to avoid accidentally ingesting hidden gluten. Dairy is a little easier to spot but sometimes hides in the trace ingredients. Preparing meals for several group events gave me opportunity...
Frosty nights herald the beginning of soup season. Slow cooker meals simmer in many area kitchens. Summer Vegetable Stew will use up any late vegetables you may have from garden cleanup. Cooking time stove top is just 45 minutes or simmer all day in your slow cooker. Summer Vegetable Stew 1/2 cup diced onion 2 tsp minced garlic 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil 2 cups diced potatoes 2 cups diced carrots 1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth 1 medium zucchini, diced (about 2 cups) 2 large...
ODESSA — The local Quilt Club held its annual business meeting, Monday, Oct. 2. Newly elected officers are President Lise Ott, Vice President Odessa Bargmeyer, Secretary Debbie Buscher and Treasurer JoEllen Wollman. A Christmas Dinner Party committee of JoAnn Hardt, Deb Keeley, Shari Wilson and JoEllen Wollman was set. 2024 Guild sponsored event dates were set. Quilters Tea/Chinese Auction will be Feb. 9, Quilt Til You Wilt March 18, Spring Fling Quilt Show April 26-27 and Vintage Textile Display during Deutschesfest. M...
Peach season is fading into pumpkin season. Before fresh local peaches disappear from markets, Peach Buckle is a recipe to try. I was recently gifted some locally grown peaches and I used some to try this recipe. In this recipe, the peaches are set to juice while preparing the batter, I believe thawing frozen peaches would work well in this recipe. A Buckle is one of several cobbler styles. The batter surface buckles under the weight of the fruit as it bakes. Peach Buckle 1/2...
Fall is officially here, and a few cloudy days, some rain showers and foggy morning or two has us thinking pumpkin spice and wooly socks. Slow-cooker meals begin to top the dinner menu lists in many area kitchens. Lise’s Salsa Chicken, a recipe I received from Lise Ott in Irby, is super easy, and depending on the chicken cuts you use, and the size of your family, you will have planned-overs for additional meals. Enchilada’s, Posole Soup and chimichangas are just a few of the...
Kraut Ranza’s are a popular item at German festivals, with each area of Germans from Russia have variations in the spelling of the name and numerous variations in recipe ingredients. All feature a yeast dough wrapped around a savory filling that includes sauerkraut. Making the yeast dough is often the roadblock preventing folks from making these handy to serve and eat pocket sandwiches. Frozen Texas Roll dough to the rescue. Thaw the rolls 2 hours before ready to make and y...
School is back in session for most area schools. Sports practice and games are in full swing, and the late summer, community fairs are wrapping up. Schedules are full, and “what are we going to have for dinner?” is a common question. Go Odessa Summer Recreation, Cooking With Laura, finished out the summer sessions by making Spaghetti Pie. The recipe was formulated by Mahki Carroll, and she states the changes she made in the original recipe make it ideal for quick pre...
Hot weather, when temperatures reach one hundred plus, can slow garden production. Zucchinis seem to be the exception, powering through with regular production, though the skin maybe a little thicker. These hot weather summer squashes are ideal for bread, cake and cookie making, as they are a bit dryer. Garden to Table Cookbook, by Kayla Butts, is a recent addition to my collection. All the recipes are based on items you would grow in a garden or home orchard. Dark Chocolate...
Somethings are better, made the old-fashioned way. When I was young and learning to cook and bake, my family, like most, did not own an electric mixer. If you were whipping cream or beating a cake mix you used a hand cranked set of beaters. Youth participating in the Go Odessa Recreation Program, Cooking Class, learned to make hand mixed Chocolate Chip Cookies this past week. Additionally, they learned room temperature butter is about 66 degrees, for proper creaming of...
July brings many fresh fruits and vegetables to local markets. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries are perfect for making breakfast parfaits, which are a fun culinary treat to get kids involved in meal preparation. Yogurt, granola and your favorite berries make eye appealing, cool refreshing breakfasts for all ages. Breakfast Parfaits • Vanilla or plain yogurt • Granola • Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries • Parfait glasses or large tumblers Wash berries thoroughly an...
Zucchini season is here. Area gardens are producing abundantly, and boxes of the prolific vegetable are showing up, sporting a FREE sign, at many public events. Pan fried zucchini is a delectable treat for many. Sautéed in a bit of butter or olive oil along with some sliced onion and possibly garnished with a bit of crumbled cooked bacon, zucchini makes a quick and easy side dish for any meal. Zucchini bread is a popular use for larger squash. Grated zucchini adds texture,...
School is out and we are officially in summer, an excellent time for kids to learn some cooking skills helping prepare family meals. Baking cookies or cupcakes to share with friends can help children learn the joy of gift giving and showing kindness. A gift of cookies can be a day brightener and a casserole is much appreciated when life gets tough. The Odessa Public Library will soon be open for checking out books again, and kids will have six new children’s cookbooks to choos...
Warm days and cool nights keep local rhubarb plants producing abundant stalks. Pinterest, Facebook and other social media have been flush with many rhubarb recipes and area Record-Times readers have sent in recipes or pointed out selections. One recipe was sent in by Becky Moeller of Harrington. Rhubarb Mallow Cobbler is her go to recipe when rhubarb is in abundant supply. The inclusion of a layer of marshmallows between the rhubarb filling and the cobbler topping adds extra...
