Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Salad season must be coming soon. The first day of summer is only a month away. Three-bean salad comes to mind, mostly because I have received a number of questions about cooking dry beans. Many families laid in a supply when the first directives to shelter at home came along. For many, cooking dry beans is a new experience. You can find dozens of cooking methods in cookbooks, internet recipe forums and on YouTube. Stovetop, slow-cooker and Instant-pot are just a few...
Potatoes have recently been given away in just about every growing area. With schools shut down and restaurants on limited service, growers, brokers and processing facilities have more that they can sell. Kindly, many have brought supplies to communities and food banks, so they don’t go to waste. Potatoes distributed now, have been in storage six or seven months, so need to be used up quickly. Potato soup and casseroles can use up potatoes fast, but sunny weather has us t...
Spring is here! Gardens are being planted and outdoor activities have increased, even with social distancing. It is the beginning of salad season, but one more requested soup recipe from earlier soup suppers to start us off. Stuffed Pepper Soup is another of the spaghetti sauce recipes I tried and it has been added to my permanent collection. Plain spaghetti sauce is a versatile staple in my kitchen. With a few spice and herb additions, it substitutes well for pizza sauce,...
Easter celebrations will be different for most this year. Social distancing and shortages of some grocery and household items has us all researching different ways to keep house and prepare meals. A number of folks have grown, purchased or received a gift of sourdough starter, a hedge against bread and yeast shortages. One question I have been asked often lately: What can we use the extra starter that builds up for, or do we just throw it away? There are a great number of...
Cold nights and a cool wind from the north, makes for chilly days, even if the sun comes out. Soup season is still with us. This freezes well and is a much more flavorful addition to recipes than commercially canned versions. Cream of Mushroom Soup 4 Tbsp butter 2 cups diced onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh, white or brown mushrooms, sliced 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 cup dry white wine 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour or cornstarch 4 cups beef or chicken broth 1 - 2...
Spring is trying to burst forth, but we do live in Eastern Washington, so anything can happen weather-wise. Spring brings new, fresh food items to market. Lamb chops, roasts and other cuts are more prevalent at large supermarket meat counters this time of year, and some families include roast lamb in their Easter menu. Roasting lamb is not hard, but requires a bit more roasting time per pound that other red meats. This is because lamb is not as marbled with fat as beef and...
Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year. This makes celebrating with dinner out more feasible on the holiday than when it falls midweek. For others, ball games, work schedules or just not wanting to navigate the crowds, means preparing meals at home. With a little ingenuity, you can still make the meals special. Cutting cheese slices, lunch meat, even the whole sandwiches in heart shapes is a fun treat. Heart shaped cookie cutters may be used to cut brownies, Rice K...
A bit of sunshine teases us into thinking winter is over. February and March have yet to come. Winter is not done so we might as well make the most of it. Lemon flavored desserts can add a spark of spring to winter gathering menus. Charlene Kagele shared a recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Bars she found at www.healthygffamily.com. This site features gluten free recipes. These bars would be a nice addition to a Superbowl gathering buffet, or anytime a gluten free dessert is...
Winter weather and hot meals go together. Meatloaf, casseroles, soups and stews, top the list of requested recipes, whether one is using a conventional range, slow-cooker or insta-pot. Jessica Torres shared the recipe for Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf she recently found on www.thestayathomechef.com. The recipe gives instructions for oven baking, but it works equally well in a slow cooker. The mozzarella cheese and seasonings give a pizza like flavor. Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf...
December holidays have come and gone, and now we are in the new year 2020. Resolutions have been made and maybe one of yours is to prepare more home cooked meals. My hope in writing this column, is that the recipes and tips shared will help you to this end. March of 2020 will mark 16 years of writing this column, sharing readers’ recipes and cooking tips, as well as recipes from my personal collection. We have searched out recipes for dishes shared at potluck meals and a...
Christmas is coming! Programs, concerts and parties fill days, along with gift shopping, and celebration meal planning. Meanwhile, in all this, the family needs to eat three meals a day. Barbara Walter catered a meal for a recent Christmas party and many requests came in for her recipes. Barbara is a master of making recipes for delicious meals easy to prepare for parties or everyday. Her recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu is no exception. Chicken Cordon Bleu 8 chicken breast...
December is the month for stocking up on baking supplies. Stores offer many items on sale for the season. It is the best time to purchase spices, as even on sale they can be quite expensive and unless you do a lot of baking, they get old and flavorless before you can use them up. Consider adopting some Spice Buddies. These would be several of your friends. Share the cost and the spices. For instance, Lebkuchen calls for one teaspoon of ground Anise seed. Three or four bakers...
Thanksgiving Day is one week away. If you are the head cook for your family celebration, you may be planning how you will pull it together. Delegating salads and other side dishes to others in the group takes some of the work load, but there are many dishes needing preparation the day of. For many Thanksgiving diners, gravy is the most important item. Will there be enough and will it be smooth and creamy, seasoned just right? The good news is, you can make gravy ahead. Former...
Fall weather has ended production in most Odessa gardens. Time to use up the last fruits and vegetables you braved the cold wind to rescue before the killing frost. My mother would always make an “End of Season Vegetable Soup”, which is essentially the same as “Sweet Bell Pepper Soup”, the recipe I tried this past weekend. The addition of bacon adds an extra savory flavor. Sweet Bell Pepper Soup 6 large green, red or yellow sweet bell peppers 6 cups grated zucchini or yellow...
Deutschesfest is in the books for another year, and most of us have had our fill of German food for awhile. During all this festivity, the late peaches and tomatoes have ripened, and cucumbers and zucchini are making a last ditch effort at production. Following are recipes to help you take advantage of this early fall bounty. Zucchini have enjoyed the rain and quickly produce huge fruit. Impossible Zucchini Pie can be made with any size zucchini, as it is grated for this...
Eat dessert first, save room for dessert. Summer brings an abundance of zucchini, many getting a little large for savory main and side dishes. Just the right size to grind for relish, but how much relish can any family use? Pie, one can not have too much pie. Faux Apple Pie could be the answer to this dilemma. Sampling several recipes, I have come up with a version, not too sweet, nicely spiced with a pleasing texture. Peeled and seeded mature zucchini are sliced like apples...
Mac-n-Cheese, a favorite of most kids and many adults, and a staple side dish on most southern cooking menus, has increased in popularity nation wide. Often, one of the first things kids learn to cook is boxed macaroni and cheese. Easy, salty and addictive. In our last session of Go Odessa Summer Recreation cooking class, we made Macaroni and Cheese. The younger group used a boxed mix with macaroni cooked and chilled ahead of time, so only low-heat, stove-top cooking was...
One thing can be said about Odessa weather of late, it’s changeable. The weather leading up to grain harvest is often like this. Shall I make salad or soup for the days meals? Will it be hot or chilly come meal time? I had a request for baked chimichangas and these easy to eat out of hand crisp burritos are tasty no matter the weather. Some internet searching, came up with two chicken based versions. Chicken and Bean Chimichangas comes from the website, Tastes Better From S...
Vacation Bible School has been happening this week. Some of the program focused on customs of other countries. I have a couple of recipes from countries of my own heritage to share with you. Raisin Tarts, or Fly Pies, as my dad used to call them, come from Inverness, Scotland. Use your favorite pie crust recipe to line the tins. The recipe is so old, it gives wood stove baking instruction (bake slowly) but no given temperature. Inverness Raisin Tarts (Fly Pies) Flakey pastry...
Soup is a good choice for feeding a crowd any time of year, especially when made in a slow-cooker. The ease of putting everything in the crock early in the day, makes hospitality and meal time entertaining stress free. Flylady.com is a website and blog I follow. The tips for easy cleaning and household organization are useful, and recipes for hearty meals on a budget are some of the best offered. Flylady Crockpot Soup is designed to be made from ingredients on hand, so is adju...
Wild weather, wind, a rain storm or two, has our systems confused about the seasons. It looks nice out, but when you open the door a cold wind hits. The world is green but chilly. Ange Hayes posted a picture of Crack Chicken Noodle Soup on Facebook. Her family had enjoyed this recipe and many people asked for the recipe. Creamy broth, savory seasonings and sautéed vegetables added to the chicken make this a hearty meal soup, ideal for these blustery days. Ange found the...
Fresh strawberries and rhubarb has our mouth watering for all things summer. Blueberries and raspberries cannot be far behind. Though berries are available year round, shipped in from southern climates, locally grown is always best, even frozen for later use. Merleen Smith made Baked French Toast for a recent community potluck breakfast and the recipe garnered many requests. Berries, Texas Toast and lots of brown sugar make this a yummy treat anytime. Merleen said she got the...
Lots of recipe requests came in from a recent community potluck meal. Kerry Scheller brought Mexican Corn Bread Salad to the event and she received many requests for the recipe and chose to share it here. The secret to this recipe, I believe, is corn bread muffins. They have more crust surface and this makes the salad more substantial, not soggy as some cornbread salads get when they sit for awhile. This is a layered salad you can make several hours ahead of serving, ideal...
When I asked the “Welcome to My Kitchen” Facebook page followers for favorite spring and Easter recipes, one response I got was ice cream, no recipe, just favorite. Weather is still a bit chilly for the ice and rock salt routine of an ice cream maker, but Rocky Road Freeze, might fit the bill. Frozen in your refrigerator freezer, you can make it several days ahead. This and all the recipes this week are from Taste of Home, Best of Country Cooking, 1999 issue. This volume seems...
Winter is not letting loose of March willingly. Soup on the menu is still in order. Lecia Fink brought Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup to a recent soup supper. She shared the recipe and some tips on preparing. The recipe comes from “Cinnamon and Spice and Everything Nice” by Reeni Pisano. Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 1 small green or red pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced Course salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 can...
