Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

Sample Chapter: Mystery of the White Cat

From the book about life in the country
Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
(True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)

by LeAnn R. Ralph.

http://www.ruralroute2.com/samplechapter8.php

[A pleasant read, in the midst of the normal news...granny]

Other books with sample chapters....

http://www.ruralroute2.com/signupthankyou.php

http://www.ruralroute2.com/kitten.php

Thanksgiving Kitten
by LeAnn R. Ralph

Thanksgiving was three days away, and — as is often the case in Wisconsin at this time of year — the weather had taken an abrupt turn for the worse. But even though the afternoon high temperature was only 20 degrees, I had decided to visit my horses at the stable where I boarded them.

My husband and I were living in the southern part of the state then. I’d been busy teaching English at a private boys’ boarding school that fall so I’d had few opportunities to see my two geldings. Since many of the students had such a long distance to travel to get home for the holiday, however, we were given the entire week off from school.

I’d only just arrived at the barn and was planning to let the horses in when I became aware of a plaintive yowling coming from the hay mow above.

“Must be a kitten,” I muttered.

I knew the solid gray mother cat — who was winding herself around my ankles at the moment — had produced a late litter of kittens. But in spite of conducting many searches among the thousands of bales of hay, no one at the stable had yet been able to find them.

As I stood in the cold, quiet barn, the kitten continued its eerie howling. And yet, the gray cat was such an exceptionally good mother that I was sure she would soon go to its rescue.

She didn’t.

Fifteen minutes later after I’d let my horses in and they were eating a special treat of grain, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

I ascended the steps into the mow, and there, at the very top of the hay pile — 70 or 80 feet high, right next to the rafters — stood a tiny, calico kitten, crying pitifully. She looked only a few weeks old.

“I’ll be right there,” I said, as I started to climb the hay. “I suppose you wandered away from the nest and now you can’t find it again.”

It occurred to me, as I moved from bale to bale, that I didn’t know where the nest was, either. It also occurred to me this kitten had never seen a human being and that when I got to the top, she would probably run and hide.

She didn’t.

As I climbed higher, the kitten stopped howling, and when I reached the top, she ran to me.

“There now,” I said as I picked her up, surprised the kitten seemed so unafraid. “I don’t know where your nest is, but I’ll take you to your momma instead. Okay?”

The kitten mewed, as if she was agreeing my idea sounded like a good plan.

Because I needed both hands to climb down, I unzipped my insulated coveralls and tucked the kitten inside. Before I retraced my hazardous journey, I glanced around the mow, wondering if this was the only kitten in the litter. I didn’t see or hear any others.

Carefully lowering myself from bale to bale, I finally reached the mow floor, miraculously unscathed. Then I went down the steps into the barn.

“Here you go,” I said, as I set the little calico next to her mother. This particular barn was home to most of the cats on the place, about a dozen in all, so I was confident the kitten wouldn’t feel one bit lonely.

More than an hour later, after I had spent some time with my horses and then had visited with the stable owner in another barn, I was ready to leave. Curious to know what the kitten was doing now, I peeked into the barn where I’d left her.

I didn’t see any cats.

Except the kitten.

She was lying in the middle of the floor on the freezing cement, so cold the only movement she could make was a feeble attempt to meow. It looked to me like she was nearly dead.

“Oh, no! You poor little thing,” I said, scooping up the almost lifeless bit of calico fluff and tucking her inside my insulated coveralls.

Thirty minutes later, the kitten still felt deathly cold to the touch, although she did seem a little more lively. By now, I knew that she was suffering from hypothermia.

I decided, then, that I’d better take her home with me. Surely by tomorrow or the next day, she would be completely recovered from all but freezing to death, and then I could bring her back to the barn.

As soon as we arrived home, I fixed a box and set it next to the heat vent in the bathroom. After I fed the tiny calico a warm milk and egg yolk mixture, she curled up in her box and promptly fell asleep.

When my husband came home from work later that afternoon, I ushered him into the bathroom.

“I have something to show you,” I said, “but we can’t keep it.”

I reached into the box and brought out the calico kitten, who yawned sleepily and then licked her incredibly pink nose.

Randy’s eyes began to twinkle. “She’s adorable!” he exclaimed, taking the kitten from me and stroking the smooth, soft fur. “But you’re right. We already have enough cats although I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to keep her until after Thanksgiving.”

“Sure,” I said, instantly abandoning the idea of returning her to the stable, “maybe someone will want a Christmas kitten.”

I knew for certain we couldn’t keep the calico because, after all, we already had six house cats.

For the next several weeks we avoided naming the newcomer, thinking it would be easier to give her away if she didn’t have a name.

No such luck.

When the kitten had been at our house for four weeks we realized she was with us to stay. After consulting a book of names that listed all of the origins, we began calling her Billie, an Old English derivative of Wilhelmina that means “strong willed.” It seemed an appropriate name, too, because we soon discovered there wasn’t a cupboard door in the house Billie couldn’t get open if she set her mind to it.

As it turned out, Billie was not the only kitten in the litter. On Thanksgiving Day, the mother cat brought the rest of her children down to the barn where they soon learned to eat from the dish with the other cats. In all, there were three more kittens. All calico. And all wild. You couldn’t get within 20 feet of Billie’s sisters.

I can’t help but wonder why the gray cat we called Lady Chatterly (because she was so friendly and talkative in only the way that cats can be) refused to care for the kitten who had wandered away from the nest — especially since she was such an excellent mother.

And for that matter, why hadn’t Billie been afraid of me when her sisters stayed so wild?

As my husband once suggested, maybe it was Lady Chatterly’s way of saying “Happy Thanksgiving.” If so, it brings new meaning to the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving” because all these years later, Billie is still with us — and she’s STILL spending quite a bit of her time getting into cupboards.

And yet, perhaps that’s the point. Through all my years of Thanksgivings, the memories have become a blurred mixture consisting mostly of turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. But the year I saved a tiny calico from freezing to death is a Thanksgiving I will never forget.

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the farm books “Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)” (trade paperback; 2003), “Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam” (trade paperback; 2004), and “Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories” (e-book; 2004)

Hope the water has dried off and that the gullies didn’t wash any more...<<<

I think that storm is over, there will be more.

I cannot go outdoors, so do not know if I have a wash problem or not.

Think of what this will do for the real estate market<<<

Some one is sleeping on the job.

Living in a radioactive house, that smells would make me very unhappy.

Follow the money and hope that folks wake up.

Sometimes, I suspect that every ship load of stuff from China, is/should be considered an act of war, for it is all making us sick and unsafe.

Isn’t that what a war does?

[Looks like a tortilla to me....granny]

http://www.lefsetime.com/all_about_lefse/lefse_recipes.php

Lefse Recipes
lefse ready for serving
Lefse IS Beautiful !!!!!

Aunt Charlotte’s Lefse recipe
(our favorite!)

* 4 cups riced potatoes
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 cups flour

Find a grill or lefse making accessories to make your own lefse!

Click here to view detailed instructions for making this lefse recipe.

Traditions Lefse Kit

Florene Erickson Family Recipe:

* 6 cups riced potatoes
* 3 Tbsp Crisco (heaped)
* 1 1/2 cups flour
* dash of salt

Lefse by Ida Sacquitne:

Makes about 12 lefse rounds

* 4c riced potatoes
* dash salt
* dash sugar
* 2 -3 T half & half
* 2 T margarine
* 2c flour

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From the Frederick Philbert
Jensen, Jr family

* 3 Cups riced Potatoes
* 1/2 stick butter
* 1/2 cup cream
* dash of salt
* 1 1/2 cup flour

Send us your favorite recipe!

Lefse recipe using instant potatoes submitted by Mary Jane Flikke

I was reading your lefse recipes on your web site and didn’t see any using instant mashed potatoes. I love lefse and learned to make it because I moved so far away from my relatives who baked it when I was growing up. Because of time constraints (working, going to college and being a single Mom to 3 kids), I started using instant mashed potatoes to reduce the time it took to provide my family with this treat. Here’s the recipe I use:

LEFSE (Norwegian Tortillas)

Bring to a boil (microwave works fine):

* 3 cups water
* 16 tablespoons butter (½ lb.)
* 8 teaspoon salt

Add above to:

* 9 cups dry instant potato flakes
* 3 cups milk
* 4 scant cups flour

Mix well, make into long roll.
Cut into 4 dozen pieces.
Refrigerate in single layers on cookie sheet between waxed paper layers which have been sprayed with vegetable spray.
Refrigerate overnight or until thoroughly chilled.

Roll out as pie crust into dinner plate size pieces.
Keep pieces of lefse dough refrigerated until ready to roll them out.
Use lefse stick to lift from pastry board to griddle and to turn to brown both sides.
Bake at 350 degrees to 375 degrees on lefse iron/griddle or pancake griddle.
Bake until browned bubbles appear.
Remove excess flour from griddle between baking each sheet. Pastry brush works well.
Stack sheets together and cover with a towel until baking is finished to prevent drying out.
Brush any excess flour off sheets of lefse before folding and storing in zip lock bags.
Freezes very well.
If sheets have dried, add a dampened piece of towel to zip lock bag, placing it flat over the sheets of lefse before freezing or storing.

Warm slightly in microwave before serving.

Makes about 4 dozen

Send us your favorite recipe!

Lefse recipe using instant potatoes submitted by Edith Cano
(This recipe was dictated to Edith by her Norwegian grandmother Ramona Johnson)

1 batch = 24 lefse

ADD to: 3 cups boiling water:

* 1 ½ teas. salt
* ¾ cup margarine or butter
* 2 1/3 cup canned evaporated milk
* ¼ cup sugar

Heat all until real hot. Now ADD:

* 4 cups Idahoen instant potatoes (you can use any brand)
* (2 lbs 4 oz makes 6 batches)

Mix like for eating. Chill. Then ADD:

* 1 ½ to 2 cups flour when ready to roll. (Mix with hands until flour is absorbed)

Form lefse dough into golf ball sized (or larger) portions. ROLL out flat with Lefse rolling pin using flour as needed (so it won’t stick) turning often with lefse turner until thin. Use lefse turner to lift from pastry board to griddle. Bake on Lefse griddle at 410-435 degrees until golden brown bubbles appear. Flip with lefse turner and brown other side. Stack lefse on towel and cover with another towel until baking is finished to prevent drying out. Once cooled, lefse freezes well.

Perfect Norwegian Lefse submitted by Rebecca Knoepke

Boil, drain and rinse ten pounds of peeled Russet potatoes, but be very careful not to over cook them. That’s the key the perfect rolling. Wet potatoes give you sticky lefse!

Rice the warm potatoes and add 2/3 cups half and half, 2 sticks of margarine, 1 TBSP salt and 1TBSP of sugar. Blend well with an electric beater. Place this bowl of potatoes in the fridge overnight covered loosely with a piece of wax or parchment paper to allow them to evaporate some of the moisture. In the morning, add 6 cups of flour and mix well. (I usually have to mix it with my hands.)

Now, roll dough into palm sized balls and return them to the fridge, taking them out a few at a time as you roll them. Cold potatoes are easier to roll than room temp. Flour your lefse surface well, roll it out thin, and grill with your griddle at 400 degrees. (don’t grease the griddle!) You definitely need a lefse stick to get the rolled lefse from the rolling surface to the grill. You can buy one, or make your own.

Last is the most important part. As you remove them from the grill, place them in several layers of towels to sweat until they are cool. This takes several hours. I use a flour sack towel with a folded bath towel under it, and on top of it. Once cooled, store in saran in the fridge, or freeze in freezer bags. Enjoy with butter and sugar!

Send us your favorite recipe!

Lefse Recipe submitted by Tom Hovland

* 5 cups riced potatoes
* 1 Tbsp salt (popcorn)
* 1/3 cup cream
* 3 Tbsp butter/shortening (melted)
* 2 cups flour

Cook potatoes (Yukon Gold / Russet-homegrown) with skins on; peel as soon as can be handled, rice and measure. Mix with cream, salt and butter. Cool for 2 to 3 hours - then add flour.

Roll out and fry on lefse grill, cool on cloth. Age overnight in cool place.

Note: lt is sacrilegious to put any foreign object on Lefse other than butter, roll up and eat.........

An Ole Scandinavian Lefse Recipe (a little lefse humor)

Yew tak yust ten big potatoes
Den yew boil dem til dar don,
Yew add to dis some sveet cream
And by cups it measures vun.

Den yew steal ‘tree ounces of butter
And vit two fingers pench some salt,
Yew beat dis wery lightly
If it ain’t gude it is your fault.

Den yew roll dis tin vit flour
An’ light brown on stove yew bake,
Now call in all Scandihuvians
Tew try da fine lefse yew make!

Photos and video on page:

http://www.lefsetime.com/all_about_lefse/making_lefse_instructions.php

Making Potato Lefse in 8 Easy Steps

* 4 cups riced potatoes
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tsp sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 1/2 cups flour

Step 1: Boiling
To ensure your potatoes cook evenly, cut them into pieces that are roughly the same size, and place them in the salted water before you bring it to a boil. Peel and cut potatoes in half and then quarters. Place potatoes into a large pot of salted water and boil until fork-tender. (You should be able to pierce potatoes with a fork easily.) If you’re looking to make a small batch of lefse, 1.5lb to 2lb of potatoes will give you approximately 4 cups of riced potatoes. If there are any potatoes left over, why not just have them with your supper?

Step 2: Ricing
Drain the potatoes in a large colander then return them to the empty pot to avoid washing more dishes.When potatoes are done boiling, drain into a large colander. Be sure they are well drained. You can rice the potatoes into the empty pot you used for boiling to avoid washing more dishes. Rice all your potatoes and then measure out 4 cups (lightly packed) into another large bowl. Don’t waste a lot of time here, your potatoes need to be warm to melt butter in the next step.
Rice the potatoes using a potato ricer. (Need a potato ricer? Visit our Products section.)Try to work quickly when ricing potatoes—your potatoes need to be warm to melt butter in the next step.

Step 3: Cooling
Add pats of butter to your riced potatoes to melt, then set the bowl aside to cool completely.To your 4 cups of riced potatoes, add 1/4 cup butter in pats so it melts in evenly. Stir a few times to get the butter mixed in well, then set your potatoes aside to cool completely. The potatoes need to be cooled to at least room temperature. If you are on a time schedule, place your bowl of potatoes into the refrigerator to speed up this process.

Step 4: Mixing
When your potatoes are cooled, mix in whipping cream, salt, sugar and flour.When your potatoes are cooled, mix in whipping cream, salt, sugar and flour. Stir until all the flour is mixed in evenly. Then knead (like bread dough) 10 times.
Stir until all the flour is mixed in evenly.Then knews (like bread dough) 10 times.

Step 5: Patties
Use a measuring cup to make the patties fairly consistent in size.Depending how big you want your sheets correlates to the size of patties. 1/3 cup lefse dough equals a 12 inch round approximately. This gives you a nice, not too thick, not too thin sheet of lefse. But if you like your sheets bigger, roll it more or make bigger patties. We do suggest using a measuring cup so that your sheets are fairly consistent in size. Measure out your potatoes to a tray or cookie sheet and form into patties, just like a hamburger patty. To prevent cracking on the edges of your sheet when rolling, be sure the edges on your patties are nice and smooth. Let the patties rest for 5 minutes before rolling. While your patties are resting, turn your lefse griddle on and set control to 500 degrees.
To prevent cracking on the edges of your sheet when rolling, be sure the edges on your patties are nice and smooth.Make all of your patties in advance to speed things along. Let them rest for 5 minutes before rolling.

Step 6: Rolling
Preperation is the key to success with rolling lefse.

Preparation is the key to success with rolling. Round pastry boards are great for rolling lefse. They have size guides to indicate how large your sheets are, and can be a great guide to round sheets. Prep your pastry board by spreading out about 1 cup of flour into a circle just a bit bigger than the sheet of lefse you intend to roll. Rub the flour in thoroughly to your pastry cloth. You will need to lightly sprinkle flour onto your pastry board between each sheet, paying special attention to the center as it tends to build up the most moisture and could cause sticking. A flour dredger is a very handy tool for that step.

Prep your rolling pin by working flour into every groove of your pin. This can be sped up by rolling your pin directly into flour, ex. place a cup of flour onto your pastry board and roll your pin back and forth through the flour. Be sure to rub flour in on any missing spots. You can also use a rolling pin cover; it functions the same as a pastry cloth when prepped with enough flour.

To begin rolling, place your patty down at the center and gently roll forward and back so that your patty becomes a small oval. Then either rotate your board slightly or change your angle and roll forward and back. Continue rotating or switching your angles so that you keep your lefse round and until you have achieved the size of lefse you’d like. Of course, there is no rule that says your sheets have to be round, ovals taste just the same!
Rolling lefse is like rolling pie crust, start from the middle an work out.Continue rotating or switching your angles so that you keep your lefse round and until you have achieved the size of lefse you’d like. Your lefse doesn’t need to be perfectly round.

Step 7: Transfer
Lift from the middle slowly for transfer to the lefse grill.

Time to grab the lefse stick so you can transfer from the pastry cloth to the lefse grill. Generally you can just attack the sheet right down the middle and gently lift up. Others like to flip a little bit of the side of the sheet over the stick and roll in a couple turns and then lift up. The only caution I give here is to lift cautiously because you can spoil your hard rolling efforts very quickly, especially if there is a sticky spot. Once the sheet is off the board, move quickly to the lefse grill. You need to get the whole sheet down as soon as possible for a nice even cook. For good placement on the grill with large lefse sheets, try to line up the edge of your lefse sheet close to the edge of the grill.
Lift cautiously to avoid spoiling your hard rolling efforts. When transferring lefse to the grill be sure to move quickly for a nice even cook.

Step 8: Cooking
Cook the first side for about 30 seconds.

You’ll want to cook the first side 30 seconds, give or take. It’s best to just watch for your cues. Your sheet should bubble up and when you sneak a peek under the edge there should be light golden brown spots. That means it’s time to flip. Run your lefse stick down the middle, lift and turn over. Cook the second side until you see the same signs. The second side will cook considerably faster than the first side. From there simply transfer your lefse to lefse cozies or a nice clean towel.
Lefse is ready to flip when you peek under the edge and see light golden brown spots.When the lefse is cooked, transfer it to a lefse cozy or a nice clean towel.
Stack 10-12 lefse sheets on a cozy or towel, then set them aside to cool.

Let about 10 to 12 sheets stack, cover with a cozy or towel, then set them aside to cool. If you see that your sheets have a bit too much flour, wait until cooled and dust off. Wipe off excess flour on your lefse grill with a dry cloth to avoid burnt flour on your sheets.

When your lefse is completely cooled, fold in half, then half again and store in zip-top freezer bags. They will keep in the freezer for 6 months or more.
When the lefse is completely cooled, fold it in half, then half again.Lefse will store in the freezer for 6 months or more.
Folder lefse ready for servingOf course once you’ve cooked all your patties all that’s left is clean up and enjoying your very fresh, very yummy lefse. I love to eat it just plain as can be when it’s still a little warm. YUM!

* Buy a lefse sample of this recipe.
* Purchase the lefse starter kit to make lefse at home.
* Go to the website home

Provided by: www.LefseTime.com

http://www.lefsetime.com/all_about_lefse/waffle_recipe.php

Waffle Recipe
from Norwegian Cooking for Everyone

Makes around 10

* 3.5 oz butter
* 4 eggs
* 4-5 tablespoons sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 cups milk

Melt the butter. Combine in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Let the batter rest for around 15 minutes. It should be the texture of a thick sauce. If too stiff, add a little cold water. Bake on a greased hot waffle iron. Freshly baked, lukewarm waffles are delicious with sour cream and jam, and cold waffles are goo with butter and brown goat cheese.

http://batter-splattered.typepad.com/battersplattered/2009/06/bierocks-rock.html

I can’t say that this is the most photogenic recipe that’s ever crossed my plate but I have made these tasty little beef and cabbage stuffed rolls twice in one week. We even had these bierocks last night on burger night. The husband tasted the first batch and declared them an acceptable substitute for burgers, and hey, they contain vegetables so it’s like a complete meal in one palm-sized packet.

They would have been much prettier, I’m sure, if I’d used an official bierock dough recipe, yeasty and slightly sweetened, but instead I cheated and used store-bought rolls of refrigerated crescent rolls. Next time, I’ll either have to make my own dough or at the very least, buy something like frozen bread dough that will bake up a little fluffier. The crescent rolls are nice too though, because they aren’t too bready and they get nice and crispy and flaky on the outside.

Online details are a little skimpy on the origins of these but they have German-Russian roots and were brought to the U.S. by Volga Germans. Sometimes they’re called runzas. There’s even a chain of restaurants named after runzas — I haven’t spent too much time in the midwest so that was news to me.

Half the sources I checked said to dip these in mustard, the other half swore by ketchup so I played it safe and dunked in both.

Here’s my version, adapted from this recipe. I thought the filling was a little bland so I added some more worcestshire, salt and caraway seeds till it was good enough to eat straight from the skillet.

Bierrocks

Makes 10 to 12 rolls

2 (1 pound) loaves frozen bread dough, thawed, or 2 refrigerated tubes of crescent rolls

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

2 T lemon juice

1 small head cabbage, chopped fine

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1/2 cup melted butter or 1 egg white whisked with 2 T water

Saute beef, onion and garlic, salt, lemon juice, and pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat, until beef is browned. Add cabbage, Worcestershire sauce and caraway seeds. Cook until cabbage is limp. Season with additional salt, Worcestshire, pepper, and caraway seeds to taste. Drain liquid from mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

On a lightly floured board, roll each loaf of dough (if you’re using frozen bread dough) into a 12 inch circle and cut each circle into 6 wedges. If you’re using crescent rolls, just unroll the crescent one at a time. Spoon cabbage/beef filling onto center of each dough piece, dividing equally. Pull three points of each wedge up to the center and pinch to seal. Place bierocks on a lightly greased cookie sheet. If desired, brush dough with melted butter or egg wash.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot, or wrap and freeze for heating later.

Posted at 12:20 PM in meat, meat, and more meat |

http://batter-splattered.typepad.com/battersplattered/in_the_garden/

Which brings me around to this: let me tell you about the supper I’d guard with my life.

2946301894_912f50e2f3

It’s a pasta timbale, the Italian ... or Spanish? ...or French? (I googled it but am even more confused now) word for drum, and so, no matter it’s etymological origins, it’s a big drum-shaped dome of pasta. I stumbled across the recipe and had to make it.

Hm. According to this source, the word ‘timbale’ is also “a Spanish euphemishm for the vulgar term cojones, since they come in pairs, are rather large, and make alot of noise...” Okay.

Boys!

This recipe reminded me of two things.

First: My mom used to make these huge pots of spaghetti sauce — are you with me when I say that pasta sauce tastes best when ‘tested’ using a wooden spoon, straight from the pot while simmering on the stove, still a few hours away from showtime, otherwise known as suppertime? Sure the stuff on your plate is good and all, and it’s the same as the stuff bubbling in the pot, but no, the wooden spoon sauce is the best. What’s even better is when you have a little bit of bread to dip into the pot.

After dinner, she’d stir all the leftover spaghetti noodles into the leftover sauce and put it in the fridge, then the next day she’d put it in a pan and bake it in the oven. So good! Baked leftover spaghetti — the sauce has thoroughly soaked into the pasta, the flavors are concentrated. Oh! So good.

It’s even better the next morning — we’re on day three here, if I’m not mistaken — talk about budget dining! I’d eat it cold for breakfast. I was such a sucker for cold pasta leftovers for breakfast when I was a kid.

Lasagna! Cold! For! Breakfast! You can keep your pancakes.

Second thing: if you’ve ever seen the movie Big Night, you know what I’m talking about with the drum-shaped pasta. Ah, Big Night. I think I watched you a thousand times and never got tired of you. Such a beautiful food movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to seek out a copy. Although I think their drum-shaped pasta was named a timpano.

You say timbale. I say timpano. They say cojone. Either way, it’s a big drum-shaped and delicious stack of pasta.

Pastina Timbale

Serves 8

Salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 pound spicy Italian sausage links, boiled for 6 minutes and cut into bite-size pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 pound pastina

Pastina Timbale Sauce, recipe follows

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Brush 8 (12-ounce) ramekins or 1 large oven-safe bowl with butter and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and saute sausage until browned.

Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil and the minced garlic in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is light brown, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the bread crumbs to the skillet and stir them every minute for 3 to 5 minutes until the crumbs are lightly toasted. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of the parsley and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Cook for 30 seconds.

Pour the bread crumb mixture into the prepared ramekins or bowl and press around the sides to line with the bread crumb mixture, using your fingers to evenly distribute it along the bottom and up the sides.

While the Pastina Timbale Sauce is simmering, cook the pastina in the boiling salted water until just shy of al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain the pastina in a colander.

Reheat the sauce, if needed, and add the drained pastina and then the browned sausage. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of parsley, and remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Transfer the pastina mixture to the lined ramekins (1 1/4 cups per ramekin) or large bowl. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Invert the molded pastina timbale onto warmed individual serving plates, and serve.

Timbale Sauce:

3 pounds canned diced tomatoes, drained

2 jalapeno chiles

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Gorgonzola

1 small jar roasted peppers, julienned (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss tomatoes and whole jalapeno chiles with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place tomato mixture on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for 15 or 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from heat and finely chop the tomatoes. Transfer tomato pulp and any juices from the cutting board to a bowl. Chop the chiles and taste to determine their heat.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, season with salt, and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and stir. Add the chiles and simmer for another minute, only adding as much jalapeno as you want for spice. Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir in the Gorgonzola. Stir in the roasted peppers and the parsley. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Fried Zucchini

Serves 4

3 firm medium zucchini, sliced into half-inch pieces

Extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 a fresh chili, sliced, or 1 small dried red chili, crumbled

handul of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves picked, or 1 t dried oregano

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 good-quality anchovy fillets, in olive oil

zest and juice of half a lemon, in separate bowls

optional: sprig of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped

Glug some olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic and chili. After 30 seconds, add zucchini and herbs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Make sure your pan’s not too hot — you don’t want the zucchini to cook too quickly. Mix it all up and cover with a lid slightly ajar to hold some steam in. Give pan a little shage every couple of minutes for the next 10 to 12 minutes. For last 2 minutes of cooking, add anchovies and lemon zest. Once anchovies have melted, season to taste, add a squeeze of lemon juice to balanc the chili and seasoning. Serve right away with chopped mint, if desired.

We had ours with strawberry ice cream. Yum.

Painted Fish Rhubarb Cake

Makes a 9x13 inch cake to serve, gosh, alot of people.

Mix 4 cups of diced rhubarb with 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, place in a greased 9×13 pan. sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar. add rhubarb mixture.

Mix 1 package yellow cake mix per directions, minus 1/4 water. pour over rhubarb.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, until batter pulls away from sides. let set 10 minutes.

Optional, depending on how quickly you want to eat rhubarb cake: place jelly roll pan on top of cake and turn over to remove cake. liquid may pour down the edges.

When you say you temper them in a roaster pan, do you pile them in there as opposed to a cookie sheet with a single layer? Thanks for sharing this tip, as I’d hate to have the food get moldy from inadequate drying.

>>>When you say you temper them in a roaster pan, do you pile them in there as opposed to a cookie sheet with a single layer? <<<

Yep! Or should I practice - ‘You betcha’.

Please note that this is MY technique... Drying vegetables is not a science when done at home, but an art. Your own style and practices should be developed. (Hey, for some the humidity is sky high normally and for others, dry as a bone - some are at 8,000 feet and others are dangling their toes into the sea.)

Some items I just dump into the roaster and stir three or four times during the time in the oven, including the cool-down. If I am doing something like parsley, I don’t get too aggressive with the stirring (unless I want parsley flakes 8^) - If I am doing meat, I would increase the temperature 10º just to be safer and stir more.

Here is part of one article:

Conditioning & Pasteurizing

When drying is completed, small pieces will be drier
than large pieces, even on the same tray. When dried
in the oven or dehydrator, some food dries faster in
some spots on the tray. To condition or equalize the
moisture, place the dried vegetables in a glass or plas-
tic container or crock. Cover tightly and let stand for a
week. Stir or shake the vegetables everyday. If there is
evidence of moisture, return them to the drying trays
and heat in a 150 °F oven for 30 minutes. Cool and
package.

Pasteurizing is recommended when vegetables are
sun dried. Insects may have gotten on foods dried out-
doors and may cause spoilage. To pasteurize, spread
the dried vegetables on trays in a single layer. Place in
a preheated oven, 175 °F for 15 minutes or at 160 °F
for 30 minutes. Remove and cool. You may also pas-
teurize vegetables by sealing them in heavy plastic
bags and placing the bags in the freezer at 0 °F for at
least 48hours.

Packaging

Cool vegetables before packaging. Package dried veg-
etables in small quantities you can use within one
week after opening. Every time you open the contain-
er, the food is exposed to air and humidity and the
quality deteriorates. Small glass jars, metal cans with
tight lids, plastic freezer cartons, and plastic freezer
bags that you can seal with heat, twist tapes, string, or
rubberbands all make good containers. Scald and dry
them thoroughly. Pack the dried food into the contain-
er as tightly as possible without crushing and seal to
keep out moisture.

msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is0723.pdf

Maybe my attention span doesn’t last a whole week for the conditioning or something...(Maybe old age has something to do with it) So, I reserve the long term stuff for sauerkraut or crock pickles. Anyway, I just make sure it is uniformly dry before storing.

But then fruits are totally different... (another chapter in the art of dehydrating... )

>>> “Burma Shave” signs on the roadways. <<<

In the Southeast we had “See Rock City” birdhouses and barns.

btw: Lookout Mtn ,Tn is the home of Rock City.. ( and in the old days “Jet-Fly ,, WFLI am 1070..

how about steering wheel spinners.. moon hubcaps.. headlamp visors.. vacuum and/or manual wipers..

DW I need your help on a couple of items..

I thought you posted a canned cabbage method,
and I thought I saved it.
and I thought I could find it in the archives of 19k...

but I'm old and my PC is not that fast ,

although it's amazing what you can find under “cabbage”

and item 2 : do you can your frozen cube steak / meats that are putting on age or freezer remorse(burn)

Thanks again for bailing me out in advance...

Does the past show us what we might expect in the future?

THE BAKERS’ REGULATIONS. VICTORY BREAD

The bakers have co-operated loyally. Probably no other food industry has been more vitally affected by the war. All bakers using three or more barrels of flour a month have been licensed and so are under the control of the Food Administration. This means practically all the commercial bakers of the country, and many hotels, clubs, and institutions. About two-fifths of the bread in the United States is made in bakeries and three-fifths in the home. The bakeries have used 35,000,000 barrels of flour each year, so the importance of this field for conservation is plain.

The amount of wheat flour they are now permitted to have has been reduced: at present 80 per cent of their last year’s quantity, or, if they are pastry and cracker bakers, 70 per cent. They must make no bread wholly of wheat flour. Some substitute must be mixed with the wheat. When the regulation went into effect in February, 1918, 20 per cent was required and later, 25 per cent. In pies and cakes there must be at least one-third substitute. The amounts of sugar and fat used are limited. Even the sizes of the loaves are fixed, so that the extravagance of making and handling all sorts of fancy shapes and sizes may be avoided. Bread must not be sold to the retailer at unreasonable prices.

Victory bread is bread made in accordance with these regulations. The name “Victory” was chosen as representing the idea underlying the conservation of wheat. The name is really a present to the Food Administration, having been used by two large firms who gave up all rights to their trade-mark.

Hotels and restaurants are required to make or serve bread containing at least as much of the wheat substitutes as Victory bread. They may not serve more than two ounces of bread and other wheat products to a guest at a meal. Many of them have recently promised to use no wheat at all till the next harvest. That means, of course, that only through intelligent effort can they serve yeast bread.
THE INDIVIDUAL’S ANSWER TO THE BREAD CRY

Until the wheat-supply increases and the Food Administration lessens restrictions, use no wheat at all if you can possibly do without. Remember that you can make delicious muffins and other quick breads from the substitute flours. And you need no bread at all at some meals. An extra potato or a serving of rice can be eaten instead of the usual two slices of bread and the body will be supplied with the same amount of energy. Do not be the slave of old food habits. When all Europe is eating to keep alive, fastidiousness and food “notions” must play no part in the dietary.

Some people find it is almost impossible to do without the baker’s loaf. Hundreds in crowded city quarters have no facilities of their own for baking. Women doing their share in factories and workshops cannot get up earlier to make corn bread for breakfast. Victory bread must be saved for them. For households which must use wheat, the Food Administration has fixed a voluntary ration of 1½ pounds of wheat per week for each person. This includes wheat in the form of bread, pastry, macaroni, crackers, noodles, and breakfast foods.

All who can should do more than their share—they must do their utmost to make up for those whose circumstances prevent them from doing it. The interests and desires of each of us in this war can be translated into service in no more effective way than by conforming our food habits to the needs of the hour.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14055/14055-h/14055-h.htm

>>>vacuum and/or manual wipers<<<

LOL, remember you had to let up on the accelerator a bit so there was enough vacuum to clear the rain on the windshield... When you accelerated the wipers stopped! My Willys Jeep had vacuum with a hand crank for manual operation.

Anybody else remember watching the RADIO?

Tom Mix, Suspense, Amos & Andy, Jack Benny and Rochester, The Shadow,Jack Armstrong - The All American Boy, etc, etc.

>>>I thought you posted a canned method,<<<

Hmmm, wonder which I posted - I usually refer to Jackie Clay for that... Like:

Canning German style cabbage

My question is about canning German style sweet and sour red cabbage. I can find it in the supermarket but am having a devil of a time finding a recipe for it. Do I treat it like a sauerkraut? Or salt it, rinse it and pressure can it with flavorings? Or should I just give up?

Leslie
Mrsdragnfly at centurytel.net

Never give up! Especially in canning. Here’s a recipe for you. If the spices don’t seem right for your taste, you may vary them a bit.

Sweet and sour red cabbage:

4 quart finely shredded red cabbage
4 tart apple, diced
1-1/2 quarts vinegar
1-2 cups water
4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper corns
2 tsp. caraway seed
1/2 tsp. mace (optional) 1/2 tsp. whole allspice
1/4 cup sugar

Place spices in a spice bag and simmer with all the ingredients but sugar in large pot for 20 minutes. Remove spice bag and add sugar. Pack hot into hot pint jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath (unless you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet, then consult your canning manual for directions on adjusting your time to match your altitude if necessary.)

Or you can use this Dutch variety.

Dutch spiced red cabbage:

2 heads red cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup salt
1 gallon vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. each mace, allspice, cinnamon
1/2 cup honey

Sprinkle shredded cabbage with salt and let stand 24 hours. Press moisture out and let stand for 3 hours. Boil the vinegar for 8 minutes with water and spices. Add honey. Pour hot over cabbage. Keep in large bowl or earthen jar or can by heating to simmering. Pack hot to 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Cover with hot juice, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts) unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet; then consult your canning manual for directions for adjusting your time to match your altitude if necessary.

—Jackie

OR

Processing cabbage

I was reading your recipe for canning cabbage, and I am wondering, you say to process the jars for 60 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. Now my question is are you using a pressure canner or hot water bath? And do you really mean to process for 60 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure? I’m questioning the 60 minutes.

Rozie Smith
Clarkfield, Minnesota

Yes, you must pressure can cabbage, as it is a low acid food, as are all vegetables (except tomatoes which really aren’t a vegetable but a fruit…). I have two quite recent canning books which discuss canning cabbage, which isn’t USDA recommended because it gets stronger when you can it. One says to process quarts for thirty minutes, and the other 60 minutes. I try to err on the side of safety and I DO process my cabbage for 60 minutes. — Jackie

and

To can cabbage, I shred it, then boil it just until it wilts. Pack it in quart jars, and fill the jar to within a half inch of the rim with the liquid it was boiled in. Add a teaspoon of salt if you want. Wipe the rim, put on a pre-boiled warm lid, and screw a ring down firmly tight. Then place in your canner and process the quarts for 60 minutes at 10 pounds. (Adjust pounds of pressure, if needed, according to altitude).

#2 >>>do you can your frozen cube steak / meats that are putting on age or freezer remorse(burn<<<

You Betcha.

I try to clear whatever is in the freezer that is getting older and can it. This year, since it is my drying year, LOL I plan to dehydrate some of it. If wife and daughter will let me do something other than zucchini and yellow squash chips...(maybe I will just give them one dryer for that)

I should have clarified something...

German and Dutch recipes are PICKLED (note the vinegar) and therefore can be waterbathed. (high Acid)

60 minute processing is for plain cabbage.(low Acid) therefore pressure canner is a must!

Remember, plain cabbage gets stronger tasting when canned. (but I like it that way.)

>>> Remember, plain cabbage gets stronger tasting when canned. (but I like it that way.) <<<

I remember now it was Jackie Clay. and it was the low acid process ..

my squash chips did not pass the pliable stage in dehydrator, will test with the new hotter unit..

thank you once again.

Yes, my honest thoughts are full of cussing and “where is my gun”.

In the past couple hours, there has been many reports on the Las Vegas scanner, but 2 of them will give me nightmares.

An 18 month boy, being rushed by ambulance to the hospital, for burns to the soles of his feet, “from playing on the hot asphalt”.

The babies pain is so terrible that they were giving it morphine in the ambulance, for the pain. [Morphine was approved by doctor at the hospital...]

No wild animal would subject a child to this kind of torture.

Then I listened to a dispatcher’s call to check out a pet shop with puppies in the window, no food or water and the shop is closed till Tuesday, per the sign in the window.

When animal control arrived on scene, the voice told us the story was true and to send the top police people available, for she wanted witnesses and photos.

Is this what our country has come to???

Earlier, I missed the whole story, but they evacuated an airplane and then asked if the people had to be checked again, before they could get back on.

It turned out that the plane’s passengers, were not to get back on, as Las Vegas was the destination for them.

Just a lazy quiet weekend in the desert.

how about steering wheel spinners.. moon hubcaps.. headlamp visors.. vacuum and/or manual wipers..<<<

LOL, I’ll have you know that my 41 Ford, was lowered, had fender skirts, and the sweetest singing mufflers you ever heard.

My mother always said that I had loud mufflers.

Why did we like them so loud?

I loved that car.

It even had a good radio and was a metallic dark green, a forerunner of the paints that would come later.

THE BAKERS’ REGULATIONS. VICTORY BREAD<<<

To me, rationing is so close that I can smell it, for we are at the mercy of the world and they can stop feeding us at any minute.

A real war, will of course give us rationing and so will martial law.

Of course a president could also, with one of his executive orders.

Of course, it would be all in the interest of the economy and the betterment of the country, and of course ‘equal rights to the food’.....

Let the communist countries join together and we are done for.

Cuba and Venezuela can mess up the east coast shipping and Panama can be shut down by the chinese.

No, not difficult to imagine a license being needed for food.

Said license just might be a National ID card.