July 19, 2018 by Cindy-just-living

Canning Kraut

I went to a farmers market last weekend and found some organic cabbage. I immediately bought the last 3 heads with plans to turn them into canned kraut. I love homemade kraut. At home I brought out the canning supplies and from memory began the process of preparing the cabbage for canning. A lot of my, “from memory” means that I hear my grandmother, “Big Mom” talking as I go through the process. I love spending an afternoon doing something that she taught me. I can hear her voice and smell her kitchen and most of all feel the love in every memory. Big Mom spent her life in southeast Kentucky. She was slow and deliberate in the way she moved and spoke, but every task was done well. Mindfulness comes to mind. She was the original in the practice, only she called it putting your mind to something. She taught me that you keep your hands busy and you waste nothing when it comes to food and resources.

So on this afternoon I

Chopped 3 heads of cabbage (never grate)

2. Tightly pack a sterilized hot quart jar with the chopped cabbage.

3. with a butter knife, make a well to add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of pickling salt.

4. pour boiling water into the jar, leave 1 inch head space.

5. use the knife to work all of the bubbles out of the jar.

6. clean the top of the jar and seal tightly.

7. set the jars away from the house. I have a friend that has allowed me to put these in his shed. Make sure that you have something under the jars as they will spill over when they are fermenting. When they have stopped fermenting they are ready to eat.

Thanks for the memory Big Mom.

February 2, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Big Mom’s Sauerkraut

Our dinner of soup beans and corn bread must have sauerkraut if it is to be a true southern meal. I had canned some sauerkraut last fall and brought it to add to our meal. Again, if I can anything, Big Mom is always in my memory talking me through the process.

Canned Sauerkraut

I usually use 2 or 3 heads or cabbage. I put these in a big bowl and use a cabbage chopper to finely chop the cabbage.

I very tightly pack the cabbage into hot quart jars. I add 1 tablespoon of canning salt and 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar on top of the cabbage. Then, I fill the jar with boiling water.

Insert a butter knife into the jar to work out all of the air bubbles. If the water level falls below 1/2 inch, add additional water.

Seal the jar with a lid and ring.

This next part is very important. I store these in my shed with a plastic container under the jars. The jars cannot be disturbed until they have “worked” or fermented. They will smell badly during this process and it will usually take several weeks for the entire process to be completed.

Cooking Sauerkraut:

Open the canned sauerkraut, drain and thoroughly wash the kraut.

In a skillet, add enough canola oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

Add the kraut.

Serve hot on top of your soup beans.

February 2, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Big Mom’s Corn Bread

Soup Beans must have old fashioned southern cornbread. I taught my daughter-in-law the way that I was taught. Without measuring spoons or cups and by sight and feel. She did an awesome job. I had two big pieces.

1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Put a rounded scoop of Crisco in an iron skillet, about the size of a rounded tablespoon. Place the skillet into the preheated oven.

3. In a medium bowl pour a pile of corn meal and a pile of self rising flour of equal size.

4. Add 1 egg

5. Add salt poured into a finger measure of approximately 1 teaspoon. (Sheila is demonstrating in the above picture)

6. Add enough milk to make a batter that is similar to cake batter in consistency.

7. Pour the batter into the hot skillet with the hot oil. This should sizzle a bit when you pour it into the skillet.

8. Place the skillet back into the oven and bake until golden brown and when a toothpick is stuck into the middle of the loaf and comes out clean.

9. Turn the bread out onto a plate. The bottom is the top on the plate.

Another Hippy Weekend Success!!!!!

February 2, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Soup Beans

Soup Beans, Corn Bread and Sauerkraut Yum

Soup Beans accompanied many meals when I was growing up.

They have many variations, but on the Hippy Weekend we decided to make them the way I ate them most often. You can use whatever beans that you would like. We used a 7 bean mix.

1. Sort your beans for any rocks or other objects.

2. Rinse the beans and then put them in a pot.

3. Generously add water to the pot with a tablespoon of distilled vinegar and let them soak overnight.

4. Drain and rinse the beans in the morning.

5. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches.

6. Add whatever meat you would like to flavor the pot. We used ham.

7. Add a can of tomatoes (optional)

8. Add approximately 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper to your liking.

9. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 4 to 5 hours or until the beans are tender.

We eat the beans over cornbread and usually with sauerkraut and fried potatoes.

Another Hippy Weekend Success!!!!

January 11, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Big Mom’s Fried Apples

I guess this week has been a little bit of a walk down memory lane. I think the holiday’s do that. My Grandmother, Big Mom, was such a wonderful cook. I think she must have expressed her love for her family by cooking the things that they loved to eat. I especially loved waking up in the mornings to the smell of breakfast cooking. The mixture of bacon, eggs, gravy and the sweetness of her fried apples. I always remember watching her bring the apples from the freezer and putting the frozen apples directly into the iron skillet; so, I do the same thing each time I make them.

I remember that she passed along some additional wisdom about cooking fried apples that you need to know first.

1. only turn the apples once or twice, otherwise you get applesauce.

2. The sugar will burn easily so watch them as you cook them on medium heat.

Fried Apples

1. Peel, core, and quarter approximately 8 to 10 apples. (I use Granny Smith. They hold their shape when they are cooked and they are tart enough to make a nice tart sweet flavor)

2. If you have time, freeze the apples.

3. Big mom used bacon grease to cook her apples. I use a little canola oil. I use just enough to cover the bottom of a skillet.

4. Heat the skillet slightly on medium heat for frozen apples, a lower heat for unfrozen apples. Add the apples to the skillet.

5. Sprinkle approximately 1/2 cup sugar over the apples in the skillet.

6. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow the apples to cook. When they have browned slightly, turn them once.

7. Uncover the apples the last few minutes before completely done to allow the liquid to cook dry but not burn. (Big Mom always dabbed pieces of her homemade butter on the top just before serving.)

Yummy!

January 9, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Turkey Pot Pie

The polar vortex has allowed me to have an additional week of Christmas break. I have tried to use each of these cold snowy days to catch up cleaning and some additional small projects around the house. Today, I decided to attack the freezer and use some of the left over food from the holidays. I started with the left over turkey and vegetables and decided that I would combine the ingredients and make some turkey pot pies. Although I don’t eat meat, I knew that my family would enjoy some ready made meals and the left over food would not go to waste. While I was in the process of doing this, I realized that once again my beloved grandmother, Big Mom, would be with me. When I was young I looked forward to my summer stays when Big Mom would teach me to sew, garden, can and cook. Big Mom was known as a very good cook in her community and had, for a time, owned and operated a restaurant that featured her home cooked meals. I loved listening to her soft southern drawl and watching her slow purposeful ways. Now, on occasions such as this, her voice seems to echo somewhere in me always guiding and encouraging as I try to mimic what I heard and saw from long ago.

Big Mom did not teach me to make a pot pie, but she did teach me to make the thickening in the meat and vegetables and dough. I put them together to make this pie recipe.

You will need

Turkey (you can use left overs and/or the carcass )

Frozen Vegetables of your choice or left overs. (Big Mom’s wisdom was that carrots and celery will steal the flavor if you use too much. So, be careful with these. You may also want to stay away from high starch vegetables for this dish.) On this day I used peas, green beans, corn, and some carrots.

1 medium onion chopped

2 to 4 Tablespoons of butter

3 to 6 Tablespoons of flour

Salt and pepper

1. Put the left over turkey or carcass in a large pot and just cover the meat with water. Allow it to boil/ simmer for 2 hours.

2. Remove the meat and bones from the stock.

3. Go through the removed meat to take out fat, bones, skin, or any other parts that you do not want in your pies.

4. Pour the stock into a container.

5. Put all the vegetables and the onion into the large pot. Add just enough stock back to the pot to allow enough liquid for the vegetables to cook. (The liquid should not be above the vegetables. As they cook, they will render additional liquid.) Allow this to cook until all the vegetables are tender.

6. Add the cleaned meat to the vegetable pot and bring to a simmer.

7. At this time you will determine if there should be additional stock added or if you should remove additional liquid from the pot. The liquid should be just below the meat and vegetable mixture.

8. In a microwave safe container, melt approximately 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter.

9. Add approximately 3 to 6 tablespoons of flour to the butter and mix. This should be the consistency of paste.

10. Add the butter and flour mixture to the pot. Mix thoroughly. This should make a gravy. If your gravy is too thin, add additional butter flour mixture. If it is too thick, add additional stock.

11. Add salt and pepper to taste.

** If you plan to freeze your pie or pies, you will need to cool the above mixture before assembly with the dough.

*** The leftover turkey stock can be poured into ice cube trays and frozen. Remove the cubes and store in a plastic bag in the freezer for later use.

Dough

For one 9X9 pot pie:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

All purpose flour (enough to make a dough)

1. Mix the oil, water, and salt until it becomes cloudy. Gradually add the flour until it becomes a wet dough.

2. Pour the wet dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough about 25 times. This should be a soft firm dough. (I think of a firm dough as the consistency of play dough. So a soft firm would be a little softer than play dough. )

3. Divide the dough into two parts.

4. Roll out the first part of the dough to line the bottom and sides of your pan.

5. Fill the pan will the mixture. (Careful that the mixture is just below the rim of the pan.

6. Roll out the second half of the dough to cover the top of the pie. Pinch the edges. Prick the top using a fork in several places to allow the steam to escape during the cooking process.

7. Either wrap the pie and freeze for later or cook the pie at 425 degrees until the dough is browned and the inside is bubbly.

Enjoy.

January 9, 2014 by Cindy-just-living

Meatloaf

When I was a little girl, going to Big Mom and Big Dads house meant a 6 hour drive. However, I knew that when I got there Big Mom would have cooked my favorite meal, Meatloaf and Banana Pudding. Obviously, I was able to eat meat in those days. When I was older, I asked Big Mom to teach me to make meatloaf. I remember her making the mixture and telling me what she was doing as I frantically wrote every word she said on a piece of notebook paper. I can even remember sitting at the red snack bar. Since that day, I have made meatloaf for family and friends on many occassions. I am always asked for this recipe so here it is.

1 or 2 pounds of lean hamburger (I get my meat from a local source that allows the animals free range and practices humane killing)

1 medium onion. chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 to 1 1/2 sleeves saltine crackers

2 cans of tomatoes

1 egg

salt and pepper

Ketchup

1. Mix hamburger, egg, onion, green pepper, 1 can of tomatoes, and 1 sleeve of saltine crackers. Continue to thoroughly mix. (Big Mom’s wisdom here is that the more you mix, the better the meat loaf will taste and hold together.)

2. If the meatloaf is too wet, you can add some additional crackers. (If you use crackers that are salted you may only need about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. A little more if the crackers are not salted. Approximately 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. More if you like pepper.

3. When the meatloaf is ready, form it into a loaf shape on a pan. (You can surround the loaf with potatoes and carrots to bake as well)

4. Pour a can of tomatoes on the top of the loaf.

5. Bake at 350 for approximately an hour. This will depend on your oven so after about 45 minutes you may need to cover with aluminum foil.

6. You can remove from the oven and top with ketchup and then place it back to bake an additional few minutes.

Enjoy.