November 19, 2007
A good all around ointment to soothe irritated skin..
1/2 cup dried Calendula petals
1/2 cup dried Plantain leaves
olive oil to cover
about 1 Tbl. beeswax
Place herbs in glass bowl over simmering water (or double broiler),
cover with oil. Warm the oil stirring often for about 2 – 3 hours.
Strain out the herbs and discard.
Place herb oil back in bowl over steaming water and add enough beeswax
to create the desired consistency. Pour into lip balm jars.
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November 19, 2007
(Makes one nine-inch pie)
4 cups fresh blackberries (thawed frozen is okay)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Unbaked pie crust
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a deep pie dish with the pie crust, or purchase a commercially-made one. Set aside. Mix all other ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. If it appears too “wet”, mix in a little more flour (about 2 tablespoons). Turn the fruit into the pie shell and dot with butter or margarine. You can bake the pie as is, or cover it with another pie crust. If you do this, pinch down the ends to hold it to the other crust. Then score the top several times with a sharp knife. Bake for 1 hour, or until the top crust is a golden brown. (Note: A sugar-free version can be made by substituting appropriate amounts of artificial sweetener.)
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November 19, 2007
Purchase an iron mold shaped like little ears of corn in flea markets or kitchen supply shops, or look in grandma’s kitchen wherever she keeps her bakeware – there just might be one there already! Grease lightly and preheat in a 425 degree oven. You will need:
3/4 cup Flour
3/4 cup Yellow Corn Meal
1/4 cup Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk (or Buttermilk if you prefer)
1/4 cup Shortening
Sift dry ingredients together. Add milk, eggs, shortening, and beat until smooth. Pour into preheated and greased molds and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
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November 19, 2007
9 cups whole-wheat flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup honey
Sift together 3 cups flour, salt, and yeast. Combine milk, water, butter, and honey in a saucepan and heat over low heat until liquids are warm (butter need not melt completely). Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour a cup full at a time until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and allow to rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in large greased bowl and turn to grease all sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about one hour.
Punch dough down and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf. Place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about one hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
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November 19, 2007
1/2 pound Mealy potatoes
4 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons Oil
2 Tablespoons Chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon Dried dill
1/4 teaspoon Savory
1/4 teaspoon Marjoram
1/4 teaspoon Powdered sage
Oil for frying
Boil or bake the potatoes, then pass through a foodmill. Mix the flour, salt, oil & herbs with the potatoes. On a floured board, roll this dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into triangles 3 or 4 inches wide.
Fry in very hot oil on both sides until light golden.
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November 19, 2007
1 Fillet of beef (5-6 lb) trimmed
5 Garlic cloves, slivered
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
Tabasco sauce
1 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 cup Port wine
2 teaspoons Thyme
1 bunch Watercress
To prepare the fillet, make slits in it and put slivers of garlic in the slits. Rub well with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Combine the soy sauce, olive oil, port and herbs and place the fillet in this marinade in a baking dish for at least 1/2 hour unrefrigerated, or an hour or more in the refrigerator. Turn several times while it is marinating. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the fillet on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30-35 minutes, basting occasionally with the marinade. A meat thermometer should register 120~ for very rare, 125~ for rare, 130~ for medium-rare. After it is removed from the oven, the internal temperature will rise as much as another 10~. Allow the fillet to rest, covered with foil, up to 30 minutes. If it needs to sit longer, you might try a catering trick: Wrap the fillet, just out of the oven, in plastic wrap.
Unwrap just before slicing. Cut into slices and place on a warm platter; garnish with sprigs of watercress.
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November 19, 2007
1-1/4 Cups Pecan Pieces
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1 Cup Light Karo Syrup
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spread pecans in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over pecans. Bake slowly at 375 degrees until done, approximately 1 hour. Hint: Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil about halfway through baking to prevent crust from getting too brown before the pie is done.
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November 19, 2007
For The Starter:
1/2 Ounce Yeast
2 Teaspoons Sugar
To Feed The “Plant”:
7 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
7 Teaspoons Sugar
To Flavour:
1 1/2 Pounds Sugar
Juice Of 2 Lemons
Mix starter ingredients with 3/4 pint of warm water in a glass jar. Stir, cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. This is your starter “plant”. Feed the “plant” with 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger and sugar each day. After 7 days strain through a fine sieve. Dissolve the sugar in 2 pints of water. Add the lemon juice and the liquid from the “plant”. Dilute with 5 pints of water, mix well and store in corked bottles for at least 7 days.
Use strong bottles as pressure may build up which will cause thin bottles to explode. For the same reason use corked bottles rather than those with a more secure closure that will not ‘give’ under pressure.
The amount of sugar in the final stage can be varied according to taste.
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November 19, 2007
2 pounds Red-Skinned Potatoes, sliced
6 large Cloves Garlic, sliced lengthwise
1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
4 cups Watercress Sprigs, rinsed
2 Tablespoons Chives, chopped
Mix potatoes, garlic and oil in a 10 x 15″ rimmed pan. Bake at 450 degrees until well browned, about 1 1/4 hours. Turn vegetables with a wide spatula every 10-15 minutes. Pour vinegar into pan, scraping with spatula to release browned bits and to mix with potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour potatoes into a wide, shallow bowl. Chop half the watercress and mix with potatoes. Tuck remaining watercress around potatoes and sprinkle with chives.
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November 19, 2007
2 quarts dandelion flowers
3 pounds sugar
1 ounce yeast
1 lemon
1 orange
1 gallon boiling water
Pick the dandelions on a sunny day. Pick just the heads until you have two quart jugs full. Wash flowers and put into a large bowl. Slice orange, lemon thinly and add to the flowerheads. Pour boiling water on top of them, stir well. Cover bowl, leave for ten days, no more. Strain liquid into another bowl, stir in the 3 pounds sugar. Spread the yeast on a piece of toast, and float on top. Cover the bowl and leave for another 3 days. Remove the toast, strain again, and bottle. Cork loosely at first. The wine will be ready to drink in 3 months.
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