Welcome to My Kitchen

Cooler nights are slowing most garden production. Zucchini though, seem to keep producing right up to the killing frost. Mrs. Jackie Winfrey of Quincy sent in her favorite zucchini jam recipe, Pina Colada Jam. She reports that this freezer style jam gets rave reviews.

Pina Colada Jam

6 cups granulated sugar

6 cups shredded yellow zucchini

1 can (8ounces) crushed pineapple, un-drained

1/4 cup lime juice

2 packages (3 ounces each) pineapple gelatin

1 tsp rum extract

Combine sugar, zucchini, pineapple and lime juice in Dutch oven or heavy kettle. Bring to a boil over high heat, boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin and rum extract. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Pour in jars or freezer containers. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to one year. Yield: 3 1/2 pints.

Note: I tested the recipe with green skin zucchini and the recipe turned out fine, though I am sure it is very pretty when using the yellow zucchini. This jam would make a luscious ice cream topping.

The Odessa Memorial Hospital Auxiliary just received the latest edition of the German cookbook, Unser Tagalich Brot, The Staff of Life V. Though we often think of German recipes being special occasion, difficult to prepare dishes, the book is filled with everyday fare as well as traditional German dishes. Reuben Casserole, attributed to the late Dorothy Gies, is easy to prepare and oven baking frees the cook to do other tasks.

Reuben Casserole

2 cans (10 3/4 ounce each) condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup

1 1/3 cups milk

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 Tbsp prepared mustard

2 cans (16 ounce each) sauerkraut, drained

1 package, (8 ounces) uncooked medium width egg noodles.

1 can (12 ounces) corned beef, crumbled

2 packages (8 ounces each) shredded Swiss cheese

3/4 cup rye bread crumbs, toasted

2 Tbsp melted butter

In a medium bowl, mix soup, milk, onion and mustard until blended. In a greased 13x9 inch baking dish, spread drained sauerkraut. Top with un-cooked noodles. Spoon soup mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with corned beef, then cheese. In bowl, stir together rye bread crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Sprinkle over cheese. Cover with foil tightly. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until noodles are tender. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Note: when I make this dish, I like to remove the foil and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes to brown the top a bit before serving.

Last spring I purchased The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving, by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. I have tried several of the recipes and especially like Blender Ketchup. The full tomato flavor is less sweet than commercial ketchups and because it is pureed in the blender, you don’t have to strain out the tomato seeds.

Blender Ketchup

7 cups chopped peeled plum tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

2/3 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp pickling salt

1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)

1/2 tsp each: whole allspice, whole cloves and pepper corns

1 bay leaf

Combine tomatoes, onion and red pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Add vinegar, sugar and salt. Tie cinnamon, allspice, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf in cheesecloth and add to saucepan. Return to a boil and boil rapidly, uncovered, stirring frequently, until volume is reduced by half or until mixture rounds up on a spoon without separation, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove cheesecloth bag.

Have 3 half pint jars at the ready in a small canner filled with boiling water to 1 inch above rims. Remove jars from boiling water, drain and ladle ketchup into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim. Top with lids and rings that have been heated in hot water. Tighten rings fingertip tight. Place jars in water filled canner, cover and return to a boil. Process 15 minutes, keeping water at a rapid boil. Lift jars from boiling water with jar lifter and place on a towel covered surface to cool. Yield: 1 1/2 cups or 3-half pints.

Tomatillos are becoming more readily available in the markets and for growing in home gardens. In this same cook book is a recipe for Tomatillo Mexican Salsa. One batch yields 2 cups, a feature I like about the recipes in this book. You can try new things with out committing large quantities of ingredients.

Tomatillo Mexican Salsa

1/2 pound tomatillos

2 hot chile peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup each apple juice and cider vinegar

1/4 tsp pickling salt

1/2 tsp each: ground cumin and dried oregano

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Remove husks from tomatillos and discard. Wash tomatillos and coarsely chop in food processor or by hand. Transfer to a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan; add chilies, red pepper, onion, carrot, apple juice, vinegar, salt, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 10 minutes.

Stir in sugar, return to a boil and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Ladle into half pint jars and process 20 minutes or cool and ladle into freezer containers and freeze up to 3 months.

A number of recipe requests have come in for items donated to the Odessa Historical Museum bake sale. I am still searching for the maker of Raspberry Pinwheel Cookies and Oatmeal Banana Bread. If you were the maker of either of these yummy treats please share your recipe.

These and all other recipes may be sent to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159 or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Watch for frost.