Column from June 25, 2009

Sharing great recipes

I was talking with (Othello) city administrator Ehman Sheldon the other day and he was telling me about a recipe he has that is a favorite of his. I said he should submit it for my Table Scraps column.

He said he didn’t know he could do that.

Several times, I have put a little note at the bottom of this column inviting folks to send me their recipes and to include a little story. It would be a fun way for folks to share a little bit about their families and friends.

Recipes can be emailed to labordi at hotmail dot com. Please put "recipe" in the subject line.

I really enjoy hearing about family histories. My grandmother was a wonderful cook. She was born in Hungary and emigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island in the early 1900s.

She had such delicious recipes, but none were written down. I would spend time with her as she explained how to make some of my favorites.

Some of the dishes didn’t require a recipe, but others she kept in her own memory and could tell me exactly how much of each ingredient to add.

I was only able to get a few of my grandmother’s recipes and I cherish them.

Many Hungarian recipes use sour cream as a base and paprika as a main seasoning. One of my very favorites is chicken paprikas and I’ll share it with you.

Chicken paprikas

2 chopped onions

3 tablespoons shortening

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

4 to 5 pounds chicken parts

1 cup water

½ pint sour cream

1 tablespoon paprika

Brown onions in shortening; add salt, pepper and chicken. Add water, cover and simmer slowly until tender. Add sour cream and paprika.

Serve over hot buttered noodles.

Column from June 18, 2009

Enjoying a quiet weekend

This coming weekend is Father’s Day. Although it’s pretty important, we don’t usually go all out to celebrate it at our house.
A simple card expressing appreciation is all that’s necessary, along with a small gift.
We like quiet Sundays. I’m usually working, trying to finish up my writing for the next edition of the Outlook.
If I want to take a break, we might go for a short ride out to the wildlife refuge. That’s always a nice way to spend an afternoon.
We also like to plan simple meals for Sundays. And because it is Father’s Day, we may just decide to have dinner at a restaurant.
If I pick up the tab, it can be part of my gift for the day to both my husband and my son, who has two little boys this year to remind him what being a father is all about.
My son has always appreciated my cooking and is a great cook himself. One of his favorite dishes is an easy skillet macaroni dish I’ve cooked up since he was a little guy himself.
It’s very easy and quick to prepare – a great entrée for a quiet Sunday.

One pot macaroni supper

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon marjoram
16 ounce can tomatoes
¾ tomato can of water
1 beef bouillon cube
2 cups macaroni

Brown beef, onion and garlic. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring once. Serve with ketchup and grated cheese.

Remember, I’d be happy to print some of your recipes. Email them to labordi@hotmail.com. And if there is a little story behind them, all the better!

Column from June 11, 2009

Turkey is for more than Thanksgiving

The other day, my son’s girlfriend gave me a cooking magazine she had packed away in a box. She had decided to sort through the items and came up with the magazine.

I glanced through it and found some great recipes that are easy and quick to prepare.

This time of year, I don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. If I’m not busy writing, I prefer to be outside.

In fact, I even sat in the rain when we had those magnificent lightning storms last weekend. They brought back a lot of memories from growing up in the Midwest, where heavy rain showers were common.

One easy way to prepare a meal is to use a Dutch oven. Combine the ingredients, set the temperature to simmer and forget about it. Soups and stews are great for this type of cooking.

And if you are going to be gone for the day, you can always use the crock pot. Put those same ingredients in to cook while you’re away and you will have a ready-made meal to come home to.

I’m not much of a turkey eater. I like it for Thanksgiving, but I don’t typically cook it any other time.

But this recipe I found sounds really good and I will definitely try it next time I’m in the mood for a bowl of soup.

Turkey tomato soup

4 pounds tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 8 large tomatoes)

3 medium green peppers, chopped

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth

1-1/2 cups water

1-1/2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon pepper

3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast

3 cups cooked elbow macaroni

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for two hours. Stir in turkey and macaroni; heat through. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts).

Column from June 4, 2009

Getting the right amount of calcium

June is National Dairy Month. That’s pretty exciting for the dairy industry because it has an opportunity to tout its product.

But the average consumer should also see the benefits of promoting dairy products in his or her diet.

Studies have shown dairy products are an essential part of any diet. It is recommended every person consume at least three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt every day.

Dairy products contain essential nutrients that help people better manage their weight, reduce the risk of high blood pressure and help prevent osteoporosis and certain cancers. In fact, an eight-ounce serving of milk contains calcium, potassium, protein, vitamins A, C and D, and iron.

With summer just around the corner (although it’s felt like summer is already here this past week), I can think of many super ways to get milk into a diet.

How about ice cream? There are so many different ways to eat that.

And if you’re concerned about fat, you can eat frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream. The possibilities are endless.

Having a barbecue? Throw a slice of cheese on that burger.

Too hot to cook? How about a nice cool salad with grated cheese and a sour cream-based dressing?

You can even start the day with a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk. Add a serving of toast or muffin with butter and you’re good to go.

OK, so I’ve just mentioned four ways to add milk to one day’s worth of meals. I could keep going, but I want to share one of the ways I’ve added milk to my children’s diets.

I suppose it’s a coincidence, but I found myself with a big container of leftover rice. I could have thrown it away – after all, rice is cheap – but I hate to do that. I’d rather find a use for it.

When my kids were little, they would eat leftover rice for breakfast the next morning. They would sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon and pour milk on top. They really enjoyed it as a change from boxed cereals.

This time, I chose to find a recipe for rice pudding that would use all that rice … or most of it, anyway.

I dug through all those cookbooks on my shelf and found quite a variety of recipes. Every one of them was different.

One recipe called for two tablespoons of rice. Well, that wasn’t going to even begin to use up all that rice.

Other recipes required so much work I was ready to throw it out just from reading them.

My son’s girlfriend did a quick search on the Internet and up popped this easy and yummy recipe, so we will use this one any time we have leftover rice from now on.

Easy rice pudding

2 cups cooked rice

½ cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup raisins

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Place rice in bowl, add all ingredients, stir to mix. Pour into greased baking dish or pan. Bake about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

It doesn’t get much easier than that. Plus, this recipe uses two cups of leftover rice!

Writing this column each week is really fun and I’d love it if readers would share their recipes, especially if there is a little story behind them.

I can be contacted at labordi@hotmail.com.