Column from September 9, 2010

Using leftover rice

It seems like the big thing lately as far as a healthy diet is whole grains. But for many, that’s not an option – if they can’t eat gluten.

For a gluten-free whole grain, you might want to try rice. It’s also sodium-free and contains no cholesterol. And it’s the least allergic of all the grains.

Rice is the primary dietary staple for more than half the world’s population. More than 20 billion pounds are produced each year by U.S. farmers, with 85 percent of the rice consumed in our country grown here.

And there is such a wide variety, from short- to medium- to long-grain, as well as a number of specialty rice.

Rice provides over 15 vitamins and minerals. It is an energy food and contains no saturated fat.

To prepare, follow package directions by combining rice, liquid, salt and margarine in a saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer according time specified on box.

If rice isn’t quite tender or liquid isn’t all absorbed, replace lid and cook a few minutes longer. Fluff with fork to separate grains and to release steam.

For the perfect rice, measure ingredients accurately and set timer to prevent under- or over-cooking. While cooking, do not stir; wait until the timer goes off and test for doneness.

Because rice triples in volume while cooking, it’s not unusual to have leftovers. When my kids were little, they used to eat the extra the following morning with sugar and milk.

Another way to use leftover rice is to make pudding. It’s a nice change from the regular desserts and better for you.

Creamy rice pudding

3 cups cooked rice

1/3 cup golden raisins

¼ teaspoon salt

3-1/3 cups milk, divided

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

½ cup sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup halved maraschino cherries, drained

Combine rice, raisins, salt and 3 cups milk in 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add butter to hot mixture; mix well. Combine sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup milk; add to pudding, stirring constantly.

Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats a metal spoon. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Place maraschino cherries on paper towels to remove excess syrup; stir into pudding.

Spoon rice pudding into eight individual dessert dishes. Serve warm or cold. You can also top with whipped cream.

Column from September 2, 2010

A final farewell to summer

Summer doesn’t officially end until Sept. 23, but the unofficial end is this coming weekend.

Labor Day is often considered the weekend when we begin getting ready for winter. School is back in session, the weather is cooling down, many families and friends have a final barbecue get-together and those shorts and Ts are sorted and packed away until next year.

It’s also a good time to reflect back to see if you had a good summer. For me, it seemed to go by so fast this year.

However, I did have the opportunity to do lots of fun things. There was a great camping trip to Madras, Ore., several pleasant Saturday and Sunday drives, I finished a few writing projects I had been working on, I read tons of great books and we had some good food using our new barbecue grill.

I also found quite a few new tasty recipes and I had the chance to share them with you through this column.

I feel very fortunate to be able to write Table Scraps. It’s lots of fun and I especially enjoy the comments I receive that tell me people are reading it. I would love to feature more of your recipes, so if you’re willing to share some of your favorites, send them to me at reading_frenzy@yahoo.com.

September is already looking like it’s going to be a very busy month with activities planned every weekend, including my daughter’s wedding on Sept. 17 in Eugene, Ore. It means we’ll be missing part of the fair this year, but we’ll be able to spend a day or two at the fairgrounds before we head south.

We also have a final camping trip planned. That means I’ll have to come up with some easy meals that don’t take a lot of preparation. I’d much rather enjoy being outdoors than stuck at the campsite cooking.

Here’s a fun recipe that is quick and easy. You can prepare some of the ingredients – such as cutting up the pieces and mixing the sauce – ahead of time.

It’s enough for four people and can be easily doubled if you are feeding more.

Sweet barbecue chicken kabobs

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

2 cups 1-1/2 inch fresh pineapple chunks

1 each: red and green pepper, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks

½ cup plain barbecue sauce

3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Using eight long wooden skewer (two, side-by-side, for each kabob), thread chicken alternately with pineapple and peppers onto skewers to make four kabobs.

Mix barbecue sauce and juice concentrate; brush some of the sauce mixture onto kabobs.

Grill 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce mixture.

Note: Soak wooden skewers in water 30 minutes before using. Wrap ends with foil before grilling to help prevent them from burning.

Column from August 26, 2010

Preparing for autumn weather

It’s hard to believe fall is just around the corner. We’re already seeing shorter days, cooler nights and back-to-school specials at the stores.

One advantage to fall, however, is the abundance of fresh tree fruits in our area. In fact, the top agriculture commodity for Washington state is apples. 

Here in Adams County, our farmers contribute $344 million dollars annually to the state’s $38 billion food and agriculture economy. Our top three crops are wheat, potatoes and apples.

A popular crop that will be ready for harvest soon is peaches. There’s nothing as sweet or as juicy as a peach fresh off the tree.

And you can do so much with them – cobbler, pie, fruit salads and jams and jellies.

The one drawback, as far as I can tell, is the fuzzy skin on a peach. I’ve known several people who just can’t tolerate it. Personally, it’s OK by me, but it is necessary to remove the peel if you’re baking with peaches or when you make jams or jellies.

Peaches are simple to peel. Just dip them for a few seconds in a pot of boiling water. The skin will split and easily peel away from the fruit.

Canning peaches is very simple, too. All you have to do is fill up quart jars, add some sugar to taste and pour in boiling water to cover. Then, process in a water bath canner for about 20 minutes.

You might want to wait until the temperatures begin to cool down, though. We are still having hot days and canning is definitely one way to heat up your house.

But is you do have peaches that need some attention, you could try making freezer jam. It’s quick and easy and because you’ll be putting the jars in the freezer, you don’t have to heat up the kitchen with canning.

I found this unique recipe recently and I’ll be trying it this fall. It’s the first time I’ve seen vanilla bean added to peach jam and I’m willing to bet it adds an interesting flavor.

Remember, as always, if you want your jam to set properly, be sure to follow the recipe exactly and measure carefully. This recipe will make eight half-pint jars or four pint jars of freezer jam.

Peach freezer jam

2-¾ cups finely chopped peeled and pitted ripe peaches (about 2-¼ pounds)
6-½ cups sugar
2 pouches (1 box) Sure Jell Liquid Pectin
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and cut into 8 small pieces

Combine the peaches and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar should be almost dissolved.

In a separate bowl, combine the pectin and lemon juice.

Stir the pectin mixture into the peach-sugar mixture and stir constantly until the sugar is no longer grainy and is almost completely dissolved, about three minutes. Add the almond extract and the vanilla bean seeds and stir to combine.

Spoon the jam into clean half-pint or pint-size jars. Place one piece of vanilla bean inside of each jar. Cover the jars and let stand at room temperature until jam is set, up to 24 hours.

Place the jam in the freezer and use as needed. Freezer jam should be consumed within one year. Jam may also be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Column from August 19, 2010

Recipes can bring back fond memories

The best recipes are often the ones that we keep in our heads. Those are requested for many events or get-togethers.

I was visiting with Grace at the Chamber of Commerce a while back and she told me about a recipe for cinnamon rolls she got from Barbara Pederson. It’s one of her kids’ favorites and they always request she make it when they come to visit.

Of course, Grace keeps it in her head, so she has to stop and think about how it’s made whenever anyone asks for the recipe.

I have lots of recipes like that – my meatloaf, spaghetti, chili, potato and macaroni salads, baked beans, etc. My daughter tends to be the one to ask for those and it’s difficult to explain some of them.

The best way to learn how I make them is to watch carefully during the process.

When my kids were in high school, it wasn’t unusual to find my dining room table filled with their friends who stopped by for spaghetti. Even when I would meet one who hadn’t been to our house before, they tended to tell me they heard about my spaghetti.

There’s nothing like a roomful of crazy teens to make a house feel like a home.

I wish I had Grace’s recipe back then. It would have been the perfect ending to a perfect meal for those kids.

Grace was generous enough to write it down to share with my readers. You’ll have to do some improvising, but that’s the secret to remembered recipes.

So, have fun preparing these cinnamon rolls and if they don’t turn out exactly right, try again. Once you get the hang of it, you might be making them regularly for your own friends and family.

Cake mix cinnamon rolls

1 box yellow cake mix

5 cups bread flour

2 packages or 4 teaspoons yeast

2-1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees)

Mix all ingredients together and knead until soft (dough will be sticky). Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and roll out into a rectangle.

Spread with ½ cup butter, sprinkle with ½ to ¾ cup brown sugar. (Grace didn’t include cinnamon on the list of ingredients, so I would recommend sprinkling it on at this point to your own personal taste.) You can add nuts and raisins, if desired.

Roll and slice every 1-1/2 inches to form rolls. Place in buttered pan (Grace uses a baking sheet) and let rise again.

Option: In small sauce pan, melt ½ cup butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup white Karo syrup and 1 cup finely chopped nuts just till warm (do not boil). Cool until warm to touch. Pour into buttered pan and place rolls on top and let rise.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (time will depend on size of rolls). Remove and immediately invert pan onto foil and allow sauce to drip over rolls.

Pan may be lined with foil and buttered for easy removal.

Column from August 12, 2010

 Naomi Reynolds

Sharing recipes with friends

There’s something about a friend giving you a special recipe that has been in their family for generations. It really shows they care about you.

Last week, Eric and I took a road trip. We stopped to visit his mother’s best friend, who is also the daughter of one of Othello’s earliest pioneers. They went to school together and graduated in the same class.

Naomi Reynolds Adams will be 95 years old this weekend. Her mother Sara Little Reynolds came to Othello in 1903 and helped prove up three different homesteads – with her parents, grandmother and husband Earl, whom she married in 1910. She was a much loved member of the community.

Sara and Earl raised eight children in Othello. She loved gardening and had a beautiful yard on Cedar Street. She taught both her children and grandchildren to appreciate nature, to fish and to hunt. She also taught them to embroider and quilt.

Naomi lives in a beautiful home her husband designed and built himself. It features an awesome fireplace made of petrified wood from the Saddle Mountains west of Othello.

You would never know she is 95. She gets around great and still lives on her own, although her children check in on her several times each day.

We had a wonderful visit and Naomi shared lots of stories about the early days of Othello and her friendship with Eric’s mother. We gave her the current copy of The Othello Outlook and promised to send some of the back issues that talked about the centennial celebration as some mention her mother. Sara was one of the women the museum highlighted for its special display that weekend.

I’ll also send her this week’s paper because Table Scraps includes a couple recipes she shared with us.

One of her favorite recipes is for lemon cheese. The recipe is originally from England and came through Canada to her friend Esther Porter, another woman who lived in Othello years ago.

Naomi said she likes to spread it on toast and it’s also good between cake layers or on top of a poppy seed cake. It will last for about two weeks in the refrigerator or can be frozen.

Lemon cheese

2 eggs, beaten

Rind (zest) and juice of two lemons

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Melt butter in double boiler. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thick. Cool before refrigerating.

Crème fraiche

1 cup sour cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix together and let set at room temperature for 24 hours before refrigerating. This will last for two weeks in the refrigerator.

Naomi said to add a layer of both the lemon cheese and crème fraiche in a rolled up crepe. It’s one of her favorite breakfast dishes.

She said the crème fraiche is excellent on gingerbread.

Column from August 5, 2010

 

Restaurant cooking at home

 

Eric and I drove to the Tri-Cities Friday to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. After we ate, the waitress asked if we wanted dessert.

This particular restaurant has a lemon cake that I really like. I typically have a slice … or take one home to enjoy later.

However, they have a new triple chocolate cake that also looked really tasty. So, Eric got a slice of the chocolate and I ordered the lemon – both “to go” – and we shared them later that evening.

I have to say, the chocolate was good, but it was very rich. In fact, even though I love chocolate, that cake was a little too much.

Many restaurants have some of their recipes posted online. They are very choosy about which ones they share, though, because many are proprietary and considered “top secret.”

There are now books available that have copycat recipes from famous restaurants and websites are out there that offer even more.

Here are just three sites where you can pick up favorite recipes: http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes, http://www.redlobster.com/lobster/recipes.htm and http://www.outbacksteakhouserecipes.com.

A quick search will also lead you to many other sites that offer the copycat versions of recipes from lots more restaurants. Just type in “copycat recipes” and you’ll be surprised what you find!

Here’s the copycat recipe for my favorite restaurant dessert.

 

Lemon cream cake

1-3/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon zest
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-1/2 cups lemon pie filling
8 slices lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup sugar. Add oil, egg yolks, water and lemon rind.
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form.
Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, and beat until very stiff and shiny peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Turn batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Invert cake and cool completely in pan.
When cool, loosen edges and shake pan to remove cake.

To make filling: Beat cream to stiff peaks. Fold in lemon filling. Chill until stiff.

To assemble cake: Slice cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Fill layers with 1/3 cup of filling. Spread remaining filling on top layer. Decorate with lemon slices.

Column from July 29, 2010

Eating to help prevent cancer

Every year, more than 500,000 people die from cancer in the U.S. One thing we do here in Othello to help is the annual Relay for Life, which took place July 23 and 24 at the high school football field.



Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this year, but Eric was there. He walked the survivor lap and then, he did quite a few trips around the track with the Simplot team.



Eric worked at Simplot for 34 years and retired two years ago.


Over the past year, we’ve lost several people here to cancer, so whatever we can do to support the cause is a good thing.


Many researchers and cancer specialists believe up to 60 percent of cancer can be prevented by eating certain foods that provide the nutrients to protect our bodies from this terrible disease. In fact, they have a list of the top 10 foods we should add to our diet. They are:


1. Garlic: Protects against skin, colon and lung cancer.
2. Dark leafy greens: Rich sources of antioxidants that attack dangerous free radicals before they can promote cancer growth.
3. Grapes: Contain a very potent antioxidant that can prevent cell damage.
4. Green tea: Slows or prevents the development of colon, liver, breast and prostate cancers.
5. Tomatoes: Helps prevent prostate, breast, lung and stomach cancer.
6. Blueberries: The richest berry in cancer fighting compounds, helping to prevent all types of cancer.
7. Flaxseeds: Block or suppress cancerous changes. Also helps protect against colon cancer.
8. Mushrooms: Help to fight cancer and build the immune system.
9. Cruciferous vegetables: Help decrease cancer risk. This category of vegetables includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
10. Whole grains: Contain a variety of anti-cancer compounds, including antioxidants, fiber and phytoestrogens. These help decrease the risk of developing most types of cancers.


This is a pretty comprehensive list and these foods are readily available in the grocery store. Some can even be grown in your home garden.


There are many more that help prevent cancer, including fava beans. They are loaded with good nutrients.


If you can’t find them, you can substitute chickpeas or lima beans, which also provide some special antioxidants and fiber. They have a similar taste; they just don’t have the high level the fava beans do.


Be aware, though, some people of Mediterranean descent may have a hereditary allergic reaction to fava beans. Rather than take that chance, use the suggested substitutes. 


Here’s a recipe that uses some good ingredients to help prevent cancer. It’s also a refreshing salad for these warm summer days.

Baby artichoke and fava bean salad

8 baby artichokes
Juice of two lemons, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
Salt
1-1/2 cups shelled and hulled fava beans (substitute chickpeas or lima beans, if desired)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces pea shoots (about 7 cups)
2 ounces shaved Romano cheese

Trim the outer leaves of the artichokes down to the tender yellow-green centers. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the artichokes and trim the bottoms to remove any green parts. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise and then into paper-thin slices. Immediately plunge the slices into a bowl of cold water that contains the juice of the two lemons.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add the salt and return to a boil. Add the fava beans and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and run the favas under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice with salt and pepper to taste. Add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.
Place the pea shoots in a salad bowl, tearing any large ones into bite-size pieces. Add the fava beans. Drain artichoke slices and pat dry; add to the bowl. Toss to mix. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat and toss to mix, adding more dressing as needed.
To serve, divide the salad among four serving plate and top with Romano shavings.