Homemade Tartar Sauce

Posted on August 5, 2011 by okieranchwife

I developed this tartar sauce one Friday night when we were having catfish (blackened and grilled not fried!) and I found that I had run out of store bought tartar sauce. It doesn’t happen often that I run out of something in the pantry but it did that night. Now I don’t have to worry about getting store bought tartar.

  • 1 cup Olive Oil Mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Prepared Horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried Dill Weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sugar or Sugar Substitute
  • 1 dash of Pepper
  • 1 squirt Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients and chill before using.

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White Chicken Chili

Posted on August 5, 2011 by okieranchwife

This is a nice chili for a complete meal even on a hot summer’s day. The fresh cilantro really makes a refreshing accent.

  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 pound skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1 large Onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove Garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1 tablespoon Red Chili Powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried Cayenne Flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup
  • 16 ozs low sodium Chicken Stock or home-made
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) Cannellini/White Kidney Beans, drained
  • 1 can (4.5 oz) Chopped Green Chilies
  • ¼ cup of fresh Cilantro, chopped

 Garnish:

  •  Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Chopped Green Onions
  • Sliced Avocado

 Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink and well browned about 5 – 7 minutes. Stir often to brown on all sides.

Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cayenne flakes, cumin, sea salt  to chicken and onion mixture. Stir in soup and chicken stock. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Stir in beans and green chilies and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir in fresh cilantro just before serving.  Serve with your choice of garnishes.

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Germantown Beef Stew

Posted on August 5, 2011 by okieranchwife

On a cold late Autumn day this stew really hits the spot. It is equally good, possibly even better tasting with bison stew meat.  Makes about 4 servings.

  • 1 1/2 cups Onions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 2 pounds lean Beef chuck or Bison, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 cups Water
  • 1 cup Apple Juice
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 large Carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup Prunes, halved and pitted
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ginger, powdered
  • 3 tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped

In a Dutch Oven saute onions in EVOO over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium high and add meat. Stir until browned about 10 minutes. Add water, juice, salt pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until meat is tender.

Add carrots and simmer another 15 minutes. Add prunes and simmer 10 minutes more.

In a small bowl mix flour, vinegar and ginger. Mix until smooth and gradually stir into the meat stew. Simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving stir in parsley.

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Savory Good Meatloaf

Posted on August 5, 2011 by okieranchwife

When made with ground bison, this savory meatloaf is a hit with adults and kids.  It has reduced fat content, but doesn’t lose any of the taste that comes with low-fat meals. In my book section I mention several books that touch on the Weston A. Price method of eating.

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds Bison meat, ground
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tablespoons Onion, dried and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun Blend or Tex-Mex blend seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 3/4 to 1 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs or Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Heinz 57 Sauce or A1 Steak Sauce
  • 1 can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Shape  into a loaf and place into a shallow baking pan. Or use a non-stick or glass meatloaf pan and smooth loaf flat and touching all sides of pan.

Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes.

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Hoppin’ John with Rice

Posted on August 5, 2011 by okieranchwife

In the south black-eyed peas are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day for luck in the coming year. But this is good enough to have anytime. With little cooking involved, it is a good meal anytime a winter storm makes life interesting.

  • 1 cup Onion Chopped
  • 1 Sweet Red Pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 Sweet Yellow Pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 Sweet Banana Pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup cooked Ham, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 2 cans (15 ozs each) Black Eyed Peas
  • 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce 
  • 3 cups cooked White or Brown Rice
  • Salsa and Sour Cream optional as garnish

In a large skillet, cook onion, peppers, and ham in EVOO about 4 minutes. Drain the peas but keeping 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add peas, liquid and hot sauce to the skillet. Mix and heat til peas are warm. Serve over rice and garnish with salsa and sour cream if desired.

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Hearty Split Pea Soup

Posted on August 4, 2011 by okieranchwife

Putting a smoked ham hock in this soup gives it a nice campfire feel. You can also use slices of cooked ham diced up or even just a ham bone. Any version is tasty and filling. And it freezes great so you can freeze individual or family sized portions.

  • 1 bag (16 ozs) dried Split Peas
  • 1 1/2 cups of diced cooked ham, smoked ham hock or ham bone
  • 1/2 cup Carrots, diced
  • 2 large Potatoes, (peeled or unpeeled) cubed
  • 6 cups Water
  • 1 can (16 oz) Vegetable Broth or homemade veg broth
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Rinse and clean peas looking for small stones or dirt.  Put peas and water in large pot, bring to a boil for 2 minutes and then cover and remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Combine all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Remove the ham bone and shred meat from bone. Discard bone or give to doggies as a treat.

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Harvard Beets

Posted on August 4, 2011 by okieranchwife

People either love them or hate them. I happen to love them in soup, cooked, raw or even juiced.  This is a recipe that can be found in different versions in many Pennsylvania German cookbooks. It has the sweet/sour favored by this style of cooking.

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch or Wondra flour
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) sliced Red Beets, drained but reserve liquid
  • 2 tablespoons Sugar or Sugar Substitute
  • 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Sea Salt to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Gradually add cornstarch/flour. Stir until smooth but not browned. Add the liquid from 1 can of beets. Cook until slightly reduced bubbly. Add sugar, vinegar and beets. Slowly add more beet juice until you get a syrup consistency. Stir and cook until beets are hot. Add salt to taste.

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Peasant’s Bean Cassoulet

Posted on August 4, 2011 by okieranchwife

Great tasting stew that is packed with fiber. I’ll bet by now you are definitely seeing a trend in my cooking. Yup, I do love soups and stews.  They have that hearty and tummy warming feeling to them that takes me back to my mom’s kitchen.

  • 3 cups Water
  • 1 cup Lentils (red, green or French)
  • 1/2 cup Barley
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • 3 springs fresh Thyme
  • 3 cans (16 oz) low sodium Chicken Broth or home-made broth
  • 4 Romano Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can (16 oz) Navy Beans
  • 1 can (16 oz) Dark or Light Red Kidney Beans
  • 3 cups fresh Spinach
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Louisiana Style Hot sauce to taste

In a medium size pot heat water, lentils and barley to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is mostly reduced and lentil/barley mix is al dente.

Heat EVOO over medium heat in a cast iron pot. Add garlic, onion, thyme and parsley. Saute until tender but not browned. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, lentil/barley mix and cook about 10 minutes until barley in tender but not mushy. Add remaining ingredients and cook til the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

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Sesame Garlic Green Beans

Posted on August 4, 2011 by okieranchwife

The harvest of green beans from home gardens should be coming in right about now. I grow a “yard long” Chinese green bean that tastes so good stir fried or cooked as in this recipe. This side pairs well with chicken or fish. 

  • 1 pound Green Beans, trimmed. (traditional beans should be left whole. Yard long beans should be trimmed and broken into 6 inch pieces.)
  • 3 cloves of Garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Sesame Seeds

Cook the beans uncovered in a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 6 minutes. Drain beans and keep warm in a large serving bowl.

In a small bowl mix garlic, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, EVOO, and sesame oil until smooth. Pour over beans and gently toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm.

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Hungarian Chicken Vegetable Soup

Posted on August 4, 2011 by okieranchwife

I wish I could take credit for this recipe because it is so good but it was a prizewinning recipe from the 1992 Old Farmer’s Almanac Recipe contest. It makes 15 to 20 servings and freezes very well. In fact we just had some for lunch from a batch I made and froze in November 2010.

1 whole Chicken (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds)

11 cups low sodium or homemade Chicken Broth

1 large Onion, chopped

1 bunch Green Onions, chopped

2 large Carrots, peeled and thin sliced

2 ribs of Celery, trimmed and thin sliced

2 cups White Cabbage, chopped

2 medium Tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried

1 tablespoon fresh Dill Weed, minced or 1 teaspoon dried

 Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Hungarian Paprika

Rinse chicken and place in large soup pot. Add broth to the pot and add enough water to cover chicken. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken in tender at least 1 hour.  Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool in order to take the meat from the bones.  I don’t skim the chicken fat from the broth but the original recipe suggests it.  I freeze the bones to make more chicken broth and I give the skin to the doggies as a treat. Dice the meat and return to the soup pot. Add in all remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Serve with crusty bread.

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