Foraging in My Yard for Spring Salads

Posted on April 20, 2022 by okieranchwife
Flowers from dandelion, violet and henbit for my salad.
Wild Onion Grass that grows my my front porch.

Food is freedom. Control the food, control the people.

Wild onion grass, violets and Dandelions! It is Spring in Oklahoma.

And my hens are producing more eggs since the daylight lasts longer. I have 10 dozen in my fridge right now. When I was working I would take eggs for my co-workers, now that I am retired I use a lot of eggs. They are a great protein to add to breakfast frittatas or quiches and when hardboiled,  they are a quick snack. But back to my yard.  

Even though we had a mild winter a Spring tonic salad is just what the herbalist ordered to get your body cleaned out.  

I don’t spray anything on my yard so everything I forage is pesticide free. When I am gathering for my salad I use a plastic veggie bag from the grocery store. I fill it with a variety of large and small dandelion leaves some blossoms, violet leaves and violet flowers. I have cleaned wild onion grass in my fridge so no need to gather more. Unfortunately, I have not seen any lambs quarters yet. There is a lot of henbit taking over parts of my yard, but the leaves are a little too old for a salad now but I can probably use some flowers for color. I will make this salad again for Easter Sunday lunch.

After I have washed and dried the greens I toss them with the chopped wild onion grass, flowers and dandelion petals in a large bowl. I posted a recipe for PA Dutch hot bacon dressing back in August 2011. It was one of first blog posts. I’ll summarize the recipe here. This is a wonderful dressing for a slightly bitter Spring salad.

  • 3 slices of Bacon (or more to your taste) well cooked and crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp all Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 1 whole Egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 cup Water

Cook bacon and remove from skillet and set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the skillet. I like to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe. In a small mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Add beaten egg, vinegar and water. Whisk until well blended. Cook in bacon drippings until the liquid thickens. Pour over your salad. This is a great dressing to use for crisper greens like frisee, radicchio and dandelions. Serve while still warm. It can be reheated in the microwave but is best fresh.

I do hope you have food in your yard! Happy foraging.

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Hrudka – Eastern European Easter Cheese

Posted on April 13, 2022 by okieranchwife
Easter Dinner 2021 Hrudka cheese is between the deviled eggs and ham slices

This is a repost from Resurrection Sunday in 2022. I don’t eat pork anymore so that protein won’t be on my table this year. I’m making my hrudka today. Hopefully there will be some for Sunday.

My family is from Eastern Europe. My mom always made this egg cheese for Easter. And I have been making this for more than 20 years. It is an easy cheese to make at home no special procedures or rennets.  If you have backyard chickens the cheese will take on a wonderful orange color if you let your chickens free range. All you really need is milk and eggs with only a couple additions.  The photo is from last Easter. I will make my cheese this Friday. Most of it will remain for Sunday lunch.

You will need cheese cloth and twine to complete this recipe. You can also use a leg from clean pantyhose or knee high stockings. I use cheese cloth.

  • 12 large fresh Eggs
  • 1 quart Whole Milk
  • 1 Tsp Kosher Salt (use ½ Tsp if you use fine salt)
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla

Using a heavy bottom 2 quart pot, add all ingredients and beat thoroughly. Cook slowly over low heat. Stir constantly. This will take at least 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t hurry the process. You will appreciate the end product. The egg mixture will separate into what looks like yellow cottage cheese curds and liquid whey. Keep the liquid. You can use it place of milk in waffles or pancakes.

Line a sieve or small colander with the cheese cloth. The sieve should be over a large bowl to collect the whey. Be careful to keep the edges of the cheese cloth above the lip of sieve so you don’t lose the egg curds. Gather the edges of the cheese cloth to form a ball and tie off with twine. Suspend the cheese cloth ball over the bowl and allow to drain. I tie the ball off one of my cabinets. Let it drain for about 2 hours. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate overnight. To serve, remove the cheese cloth and slice. This fresh cheese will last about a week in the fridge.

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OkieRanchWife Chicken Rice Soup

Posted on April 13, 2022 by okieranchwife

So I had a lot of leftover basmati rice from a previous meal. Since I never want to waste anything, I went shopping in my deep freezer this morning. We are having a cool rainy day and I thought soup would be great.  I found a gallon baggie of chicken leg quarters I bought in July 2021 for $5.99 for 10 pounds of chicken.  A baggie of quick sale grape tomatoes. Don’t know when I froze them because I didn’t put the date on the veggies. Six homegrown sweet banana peppers from the deep freeze. Frozen in September 2021. A baggy from the deep freeze of my own home grown  yard long green beans. Freeze date August 2021. I had a half head of green cabbage and a baggy of baby carrots from quick sale veggie tray in my crisper drawer. Just the other day I bought 10 ounces of baby spinach for 39 cents. I love an inexpensive meal and this one was made for pennies.

  • 4 Chicken Leg quarters, skin on and bone in (or a whole chicken)
  • Water or Chicken Stock to cover the chicken
  • 1 small Onion, diced
  • 3 Celery Ribs, diced
  • 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 2 cups fine sliced Green or Red Cabbage
  • 2 cups Green Beans, sliced into bite size
  • 1 cup Carrots, sliced in rounds
  • 6 Sweet Banana Peppers, seeded and sliced
  • 10 ozs Spinach
  • 3 cups cooked Rice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Using a large stock pot, put the chicken leg quarters or whole in the pot. Add water or stock to the pot so it covers the chicken by at least an inch. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.

Add the ingredient except the spinach and rice. Season to taste. When the chicken is cool, shred the meat off the bones and add meat to the soup. I keep the bones and skin in the freezer to make stock. After I cook the all of the saved bones and skin, I give what is left to my barn cats. They do love it.

Let the soup simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Then add the spinach and rice. Simmer until the rice is heated. I served the soups with croutons I dehydrated from everything bagels. So good.

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Balsamic Pork Bites with Rice

Posted on January 31, 2022 by okieranchwife

I found two quick sale family packs of boneless pork chops during one of my recent grocery runs into town. I used both packs for this meal but it will stretch over several days. I do like to cook in bulk and eat leftovers. I have a Zojirushi rice cooker that I love. I rinse the rice in the rice pot add that appropriate amount of water for the amount of rice I use. Hit the cook switch and forget about it until I need the cooked rice for my recipe. It automatically switches to keep warm setting when the rice is cooked. So much easier than stove top.

  • 3.5 pounds Pork chopped in bite size pieces
  • 2 tbsp unsalted Butter
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic cloves, minced or peeled and pressed
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh Rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried Thyme
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth, homemade or store bought
  • ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar, dark or light
  • 4 cups cooked Rice, I like long grain Basmatti
  • Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish optional

Cook rice according to your preferred method.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven. I like an enameled cast iron one for this recipe because of the acidic balsamic vinegar.  Brown the pork bites in batches. Set each batch aside. Season with salt and pepper to taste as needed. Return browned pork bites to the Dutch oven. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme to the pork. Mix well. Add the chicken broth and balsamic. Simmer over medium low heat until the liquid reduces by one quarter approximately six to ten minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish fresh thyme or parsley as an option.

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Pasta with Bacon Mushroom Cheese Sauce

Posted on January 30, 2022 by okieranchwife

This is such as easy dish to make on a Sunday because it will keep wonderfully in the fridge and can be used as leftovers for the rest of the week. I didn’t have fresh mushrooms but I had dehydrated sliced mushrooms from my quick sale purchases. I grabbed two handfuls of the dehydrated ‘shrooms, (yeah, precise I know) I put them in hot water and let them hydrate for at least an hour.

  • 8 ozs Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 medium Sweet Onion, diced
  • 4 ozs sliced Mushrooms, white button or Baby Bellas
  • 1 sweet Bell Pepper, diced, use red, yellow or orange
  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced or peeled and pressed
  • 1 tsp dried Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • One 16 oz package of Spaghetti, break in half when it goes into the boiling water
  • 2 tbsp unsalted Butter
  • 2 tbsp of All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 2 cups of reserved Pasta water
  • ½ cup Half and Half
  • 8 ozs of grated Cheese that melts easily ( I had 4 ozs of Colby Jack, 2 ozs of crumbled Blue Cheese and about 4 ozs of Garlic Dill Feta left over from a cheese board)
  • ½ cup dry White Wine

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook bacon, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the bacon is crispy about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and salt and pepper. Turn off heat. In a large soup pot cook pasta. Cook about two minutes less than package directions. The pasta will finish cooking with the residual heat from the cheese sauce. Drain, but keep two cups of the pasta water. Put pasta in a large bowl.

Using the soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When melted whisk in  the flour. Whisk until smooth. This is actually making a blond roux. Whisk in half and half and ½ cup of the pasta water. Simmer and stir until smooth. Add the cheese. Stir until melted. Add the remaining pasta water and stir until smooth. Turn off the heat. Stir in the spaghetti. Mix until the pasta in covered in the cheese sauce.

Reheat the mushroom mixture in the skillet over medium high heat. The mixture should start to sizzle. Heat the mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes but don’t let the mixture burn. Add the dry white wine to deglaze the skillet. It might smoke a little. That’s okay. Stir the wine to deglaze the fond from the bottom of the skillet. Take off the heat. Stir in the mushroom wine mixture into the pasta and cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly making sure the pasta is not clumped together. You can garnish with fresh or dried parsley when serving. Enjoy! 

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Peasant Cooking for Modern Day Home Cooks

Posted on January 30, 2022 by okieranchwife
Cookbooks from my collection

By peasant cooking I do not mean porridge gruel three times a day. I mean thoughtfully using ingredients to stretch meals. Many home cooks do this instinctually to feed the family.

I am certain that everyone has experienced sticker shock at the grocery store lately. Meat prices across the board have increased. Also fresh produce prices are crazy. My local stores still have mostly stocked shelves. What I have noticed during my grocery and sundries runs are the lack of choice in sizes of various items. While not a food product, I looked for the small three ounce bottle of contact lens solution that I use.  Nope. Nothing. I had to buy the vastly more expensive 12 ounce bottle. That’s enough to last me a whole year. I suppose in the end I saved money. SIGH.

To continue my grocery odyssey. I was blessed with a very productive garden last year. My two deep freezers are stuffed with my own home grown produce.  I do shop quick sales in the meat department so I have meat protein in the freezers. And I want to stretch that meat as far as I can. Several years ago I may have made individual steaks. Now I would forgo the steaks and grind up a couple sirloins to make a large pot of chili. Where I would have one meal for two people, now I have three, four or more  meals per person depending on the amount of other ingredients. I use a grinder attachment for my KitchenAide mixer but I don’t always grind. I also cut meat into chunks or shred the meat after cooking it. It all adds to increase the amount of meat available to feed a crowd. Recently, my meals have been a great New England Clam Chowder and yesterday I made a wonderful spicy Taco Soup. I will post those recipes soon.

I have 160 acres that I call home. I forage, garden and keep chickens right now. Presently I do not hunt but if the SHTF I would to feed us. My chickens live out their natural lives. When they do not continue to lay eggs they just keep on pecking on my property. 

Anyway three books on peasant cooking in my library are “Peasant Cooking of Many Lands” by Coralie Castle, “European Peasant Cookery” and “The Old World Kitchen” by Elizabeth Luard. I also learned peasant cooking from my mom and my Baba (grandmother) in the Northern Blue Mountains of the Northeast.

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Almond Butter, Turmeric and Pumpkin Dog Treats

Posted on January 12, 2022 by okieranchwife

Way back in the Fall of 2015 I posted a peanut butter dog treat recipe. That is still one of the most viewed posts. It is still a good recipe but I wanted to change it up a little. I am still using the basic ingredients but exchanging and adding a couple of items.

Almond butter takes the place of peanut butter. I am a label reader. I noticed more brands are adding high fructose corn syrup and soy or canola oils. I don’t eat those frankenfoods, so I don’t want to feed them to my dogs. I also added fresh ground black pepper because the pepperdine works synergistically with the curcumin in the turmeric.

  • 2 1/2 cups Oat Flour (grind Regular Oats in a blender or food processor.)
  • 2 Eggs, beaten (I have chickens so I use my fresh eggs)
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin, use 100% pumpkin,  not the pumpkin pie filling if you are using store bought
  • 2 tbsp Almond Butter
  • 1 tbsp Turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Flaxseed Meal
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper, needs to be fresh ground

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 163 Celsius.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add a bit of water as necessary to make a workable dough. It will be dry and stiff like a cracker dough. Spread some oat flour on your counter top or cutting board so the dough will not stick. Roll out to about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into size appropriate pieces for your dog. I have an Irish Wolfhound so his pieces would be too big for a mini dog. You can also use seasonal  cookie cutters for a bit of whimsy. The dogs don’t care but I think they are cute.

Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until hard and dry. Remove from oven, let cool and store in an air tight container.  As for quantity, your mileage will vary. I hope your furry friends enjoy these.

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Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet Casserole

Posted on January 12, 2022 by okieranchwife

This so easy and quick. I had everything in my pantry when I decided to make this for dinner last night. Earlier in the day  I went to town on grocery and mail run.  I found some quick sale cuts of beef. I used my Kitchen Aide meat grinder attachment  to grind a pound of the beef. I do not buy pre-ground meat from the store. The rest of the cuts went into my deep freeze. For the oil, I use a mixture for four cooking oils, coconut, extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin sesame oil and avocado oil.  I mix my own Taco seasoning because that nasty gunk from soy ingredients formed in the back of my throat after I ate the store bought packages.

When I add the chopped fresh tomatoes as a garnish I also drizzle a Costa Rican salsa condiment called Lizano salsa/sauce.  It adds just a different and unique taste to the dish. No problem if you don’t have. I recently bought some after I tasted a friend’s Costa Rican rice casserole.  I will have to post that. It is yummy.

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 pound Ground Beef, Venison or Bison
  • 1 Red Onion, diced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1.25 ounces Taco mix or one store bought package
  • 1 cup uncooked Rice (I use a long grain Basmatti)
  • One 15 ounce can of Black Beans, don’t drain the liquid
  • one 10 ounce can of diced Tomatoes and Green chilies, undrained
  • 1 cup Corn, frozen, fresh or canned
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste
  • Zest and juice of 1 Lime
  • 2 tbsp of chopped fresh Cilantro Leaves, optional
  • 2 cups shredded Cheese of your choice, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc
  • 1 Tomato, diced
  • Green Onions sliced
  • drizzle of Lizano Sauce, if you have it

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large heavy cast iron skillet, at least a 12 inch one,  or Dutch Oven.  Add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and mix to combine.

Stir in rice, beans, canned tomatoes and green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer until the rice is cooked about 18 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice.

Top with cheese and cover until it melts. Serve and garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes, green onions and Lizano Sauce.

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Country Style Pork Ribs Braised in Spiced Ginger Beer

Posted on January 2, 2022 by okieranchwife

I made this dish with a black-eye Pea Salad for New Year’s dinner. The salad is a Carla Hall recipe.  Here in the sort-of South people eat black-eye peas on New Year’s day for luck, health and prosperity.  These pork bites are so easy to make. And bonus, one pot meal. Don’t fret if the country ribs have a lot of fat. It will render out when you brown the pork. The fat will also make the finished product juicy and not tough or dry. I do not cook low fat dishes. I try to follow a low carb meal plan.

  • 3 -4 pounds boneless Country Style Pork Ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 large Onion, sliced root to tip so they keep their shape while cooking
  • Two 12 ounce bottles Crabbies Orange Spiced Ginger beer
  • tiny Potatoes enough to cover the pork
  •  2 Cutie Oranges, sliced
  • Sea Salt, Kosher or Himalayan and Pepper to taste (I use a 4 color pepper mix I that grind fresh)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium to medium high heat brown the pork in batches in a heavy bottom Dutch Oven. I use an enameled cast iron one.  Don’t crowd the pot so the pieces brown. Season with salt and pepper for each batch.  During the browning process fond will accumulate on the bottom and even sides of the pot. That is great this will be flavor for the finished dish.  Set the browned pork aside in bowl.

Add onions to the dutch oven. Sauté the onions in the remaining pork drippings until translucent about 5 to 7 minutes. More fond will accumulate.  Remove onions from pot and mix with browned pork bites. Turn up the heat for one or two minutes. Stay at the stove because the pot can easily burn if not watched. 

Add one bottle of the ginger beer to deglaze the pot. Scrap the fond from the bottom and the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers. Add the second bottle of ginger beer and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add pork and onion mixture to the dutch oven. Cover the mixture with a layer of tiny potatoes. Season to taste. Top the potatoes with the sliced oranges.

Single layer of tiny potatoes
Top with orange slices, cover place in oven

Place the lid on the dutch oven and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes and pork. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove oranges slices to eat or to add to the compost pile. Enjoy!

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Garden Greens and Red Pepper Quiche

Posted on January 2, 2022 by okieranchwife
Golden Brown and Delicious

This a quick and easy recipe for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even breakfast for dinner. You can use a variety of greens in this quiche. Use what you have on hand.  I had blanched kale and mustard greens in my deep freeze. They are part of my garden harvest.

One deep dish Pie Crust, store bought or homemade

1 Red, Yellow or Orange Pepper, diced

1 medium Onion, diced

10 or 12 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in half

8 to 10 ounces Garden Greens, (baby spinach, kale chard etc)  cut  into chiffonade ribbons

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric

6 Eggs (my girls are still producing so I have really fresh eggs)

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

4 ounces shredded Cheese of your choice, I used extra sharp Cheddar Sea Salt and Pepper to your taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place pie crust in a deep dish pie dish. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork.

In a heavy bottom skillet, cast iron if you have it, heat a tablespoon of Olive Oil over medium low heat. add red pepper and onions into the pan. Sauté until peppers are soft and onions are translucent. You don’t want to brown them.   Add garlic powder, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add the ribbons of greens in batches and sauté until soft.  Add tomatoes, mix into the greens and remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until smooth and add heavy cream. Season egg mixture to taste.

Add the greens mixture into the pie dish in an even layer. Top with shredded cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The top should be puffed and golden brown. As it cools the top will collapse.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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