Dear TEAM: I was wondering if you have a recipe for gourmet jalapeno delight, or if you could find one. I would like to make my own. – O. G., Dauphin, Man.
Dear O.G.: I did not find a specific recipe, only one suggesting that you add onions, jalapeno peppers, spices and salt to a mixture of three parts of sour cream to one part of mayonnaise. Is there a reader who can help us?
Dear TEAM: In your travels, have you ever come across a recipe for banana loaf made with syrup or honey instead of sugar? – M.K., Meadow Lake, Sask.
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Dear M.K.: I hope this recipe is what you are looking for.
Honey banana loaf or muffins
This recipe is made with honey and makes one loaf or 12 muffins.
11/4 cups flour 310 mL
2 teaspoons baking powder 10 mL
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1/2 cup raisins or walnuts 125 mL
1 cup mashed bananas 250 mL
1/4 cup honey 60 mL
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk 15 mL
1/3 cup oil 75 mL
1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1 mL
Mix together and bake 18-20 minutes at 375-400 F (190-200 C) for muffins or until lightly browned. Bake 60-70 minutes for the loaf.
Source: The Canadian Honey Recipe Book from Canada’s honey producers.
Recipe found
Dear TEAM: In the Feb. 12, 2004 issue of the Western Producer, a lady was looking for a recipe for cream of wheat noodles. I found a recipe my mother used to make, so I hope it is similar to what M.J. was looking for.
Cream of wheat noodles
2 tablespoons margarine 30 mL
2 cups cream of wheat 500 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
11/2 cups cold water 375 mL
Fry wheatlets in margarine until golden brown, being careful not to burn. Add cold water quickly, keeping the pan at arm’s length, because the rush of steam can burn you. Stir until all the water is absorbed and the wheatlets separate. Add salt and serve instead of rice. – W.K., Mistatim, Sask.
Also, thank you for the following e-mail from a reader as she describes how it cooks:
Regarding the cream of wheat noodles, it was a dish my mother made and I still make it. You browned the cream of wheat while stirring to a golden brown. Then slowly pour in boiling water. Keep stirring and it puffs up. Add only enough liquid so it is thick and cream of wheat is soft. While it keeps cooking, you can tell how much it is absorbing. We never measured, but stop before it gets soupy. If it seems a bit soupy, cook a little longer until it is dry. Add salt and sugar to taste, then mix with cooked noodles, macaroni or whatever kind of pasta you like.
When I made this recipe, I loved the wonderful smell of the cream of wheat as it was browning. We combined the recipe with vegetable noodles, adding salt to some of the batch, and sugar to the other half to compare tastes. I must confess I enjoyed maple syrup on the cream of wheat noodles.
Friends from Ottawa were visiting last week. Both of Don’s parents and all of my grandparents originated in Ontario and Quebec, so maple syrup was a treat as we were growing up. We were delighted that they brought us maple syrup. On the cans of syrup were several recipes. We were thankful Jenny and Chuck were bilingual, since most of the recipes were in French.While we celebrated the long weekend at the cabin we tried syrup several ways:
- On oatmeal or cereal, vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt with fresh fruit.
- In coffee. Since I don’t drink coffee, I’ll have to take the words of Don, Jaime and Troy.
- On pancakes, waffles and French toast as tradition goes. Don also puts maple syrup on his bacon. Here are some other uses.
Pork ribs in maple syrup
3 pounds pork ribs cut in 1.5 kg
two inch (5 cm) lengths
1 cup water 250 mL
1 cup maple syrup 250 mL
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice or cider 60 mL
vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce 60 mL
Cook in oven at low heat 275 F (140 C) for three hours.
Salad dressing
This salad dressing tasted wonderful on fresh cabbage from my mother’s garden.
3/4 cup soy oil or canola oil 175 mL
1/2 cup cider vinegar 125 mL
2 tablespoons lemon juice 30 mL
3 tablespoons maple syrup 45 mL
1 teaspoon paprika 5 mL
2 teaspoons mustard 10 mL
1 teaspoon dill seed 5 mL
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons potato flour 30 mL
(I used cornstarch)
Mix these ingredients together to your own taste to give the flavour that is most appealing to you. I added more fresh dill to the recipe, since it is a favourite herb of mine.
Suckers
Summer fun with the kids or grandkids can be making suckers from maple syrup.
The following recipe yields 12 suckers.
2 cups maple syrup 500 mL
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 mL
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter 30 mL
Boil all ingredients to 280 F (140 C) according to a candy thermometer. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet or waxed paper in sucker shapes, or twirl a stick in the solution to form a sucker.
How to keep the ball bouncing
Recently I have been researching what it’s like to farm in Saskatchewan today. As well as interviewing farmers for my study, I’ve talked to others who work in the agricultural community.
Farmers are looking at the future and wondering what is in store. The financial burden that many are facing can seem heavy, yet where can they go to talk about this? Talking with friends and loved ones can help. Sometimes, though, it is difficult for people we know well to be objective and honest because of their feelings for us and of their roles in our lives.
Further, our family and friends cannotrecognize the type or seriousness of a problem nor the best way to help us cope with it.
Making a decision to see a psychologist or other mental health worker can be a difficult one. Acknowledging that you have a problem, and arriving at the point where you are ready to talk about it, is an important first step. Sometimes it is easier to tell our problems to someone we do not know and who has no expectations of us.
A psychologist can help you set goals and identify the ways you can achieve them. Goals can include feeling less depressed, feeling more comfortable in social situations, improving pain management, changing your behaviour or increasing self-esteem. It can be hard work to change.
You have to be ready to commit to attend sessions regularly and follow through on recommendations. Although you cannot change the past or other people, you can change how you react to them. Psychological treatment is primarily focused on helping you make personal changes to improve your life.
Choose a counsellor with whom you feel comfortable. One practitioner might be a good fit for one person but not another. Use your feelings as a gauge. Does this person appear kind, understanding and non-judgmental?
Do you feel listened to and uniquely appreciated? If not, perhaps you need to try someone else.
There can be many different people who claim to treat mental health problems. It is important to ask them if they are regulated by a provincial licence to practise.
People often access psychologists through local clinics and hospitals, upon referral from their family physicians, or upon the recommendation of friends, family members, religious leaders and teachers.
The Canadian Psychological Association website lists the names of all the provincial and territorial regulatory bodies of psychology at www.cpa.ca/canreg.html.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
