Recently, while the school break was in full swing, we took our family on a road trip. Any of you that have travelled with children know just how much fun this can be. While heading south near Swift Current, Sask., we quickly had to pull over after blood was shed in the back seat. One son had a bloody nose and the other had no idea how it started. I quickly grabbed for the baby wipes to clean up the mess.
Later, we arrived in a most relaxing place, the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa in Moose Jaw, Sask. While there, we had a room service spill that left a mess on the carpet. Again, I reached for the wipes to make things sparkling again, allowing us to get to the pool without incident. The next day, while taking a tour of the famous Tunnels of Moose Jaw, we had a bursting diaper. Not to worry, I cleaned up with my wipes and in a snap we were back on track. Al Capone and his gangsters could have used these handy tissues to wipe fingerprints while bootlegging and rushing through their secret Saskatchewan tunnels.
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And finally, after spending some exciting days with the family, I laid down to rest without letting a beauty sin occur. That’s right, I did not sleep with my makeup on. I removed it with a cool and refreshing baby wipe. Don’t leave home without them.
For more information on my recommended travelling destinations, call Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, 800-718-7727 or visit www.templegardens.sk.ca. For the Tunnels of Moose Jaw call 306 693 5261 or visit www.TunnelsOfMooseJaw.com.
One other thing we cannot do without is home cooking. Here is a delicious and wholesome soup that I made to fill those tired stomachs after our vacation.
Beef barley soup
Served with cheese, crackers, veggies and dip for a full kid-pleasing meal.
6 cups water 1.5 L
6 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 oz. (6 g) size
1 can (10 oz.) tomato soup 284 mL
2 cups shredded carrots 500 mL
2 cups shredded potatoes 500 mL
11/2 cups onion 375 mL
1 cup chopped celery 250 mL
1 cup rice, uncooked 250 mL
1/2 cup pearl barley 125 mL
1 cup kidney beans, 250 mL
rinsed and drained
6 cups water 1.5 L
1 tablespoon parsley 15 mL
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
1/4 teaspoon thyme 1 mL
3 cups cooked roast beef, 750 mL
chopped
Heat first amount of water and bouillon cubes in large pot. Stir to dissolve.
Add remaining ingredients except beef. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer slowly for 11/2 hours.
Add beef and simmer half an hour more. Makes about 22 cups (5.5 L).
Variation: For hamburger soup, omit the chopped beef. Pre-cook two pounds (one kg) ground beef. Add to soup halfway through cooking.
Toffee crunch pie
A real treat after a warming soup. Remember to eat in moderation.
1/2 cup butter 125 mL
11/2 cups graham cracker 375 mL
crumbs
1/3 cup butterscotch sauce 75 mL
11/2 cups milk 375 mL
1 pkg. (4 serving size) vanilla
instant pudding
2 cups whipping cream 500 mL
1 cup chopped Skor bars 250 mL
(39 g)
Crust: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in crumbs. Press into a nine inch (22 cm) pie plate. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for 10 minutes. Cool.
Pour butterscotch sauce onto the bottom of the crumb crust.
Prepare pudding mix with milk using the method directed on the package.
Whip the cream and stir into the pudding mix, along with the toffee bits (reserving two tablespoons/30 mL) for the topping.
Spoon into the crumb crust.
Place the pie in the freezer for six hours. Remove 10 minutes before serving.
English cheese-butter tarts
Dear TEAM: I found the recipe for butter tarts made with cottage cheese that you had requested in the Dec. 4, 2003 issue of the Western Producer. It was in the Five Roses Guide to Good Cooking (1954), which was the first cookbook that I owned. – S.N., Seven Persons, Alta.
1/2 cup cottage cheese 125 mL
3/4 cup sugar 175 mL
2 egg yolks
1 lemon
1 cup seeded raisins 250 mL
Press cottage cheese through a sieve. Beat the sugar and eggs together and add grated lemon rind and juice, raisins and cottage cheese.
Place in pastry lined tart pans. Bake at 450 F (230 C) for eight minutes, then 350 F (180 C) until browned.
Flax pecan chocolate chip cookies
Many people who do not want to consume trans fats or a high amount of saturated fats have asked how to make healthier versions of recipes that they love. I did some experimenting with my favourite recipe. You’ve got it – cookies. I substituted the called-for butter or margarine with a healthy oil alternative. The results were great.
3/4 cup oil 175 mL
1 cup sugar 250 mL
1 cup brown sugar 250 mL
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
2 cups all-purpose flour 500 mL
1 cup oatmeal 250 mL
1/2 cup milled flaxseed 125 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1 teaspoon baking powder 5 mL
1 teaspoon baking soda 5 mL
11/2 cups pecans, chopped 375 mL
3/4 cup chocolate chips 175 mL
Mix oil and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat.
Mix flour, oatmeal, flax, salt, baking powder and soda together. Stir into creamed mixture. Add pecans and chocolate chips. Mix until blended. Form into one inch (2.5 cm) balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, about two inches (5 cm) apart. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 10 minutes. Yields approximately 72 cookies.
If you want to reduce the fat in your recipes, here is a conversion chart to try with your favourite recipe. Note some cookie recipes do not work as well, but experiment.
Here is a solid fat to oil conversion chart:
1 cup (250 mL) to 3/4 cup (175 mL)
3/4 cup (175 mL) to 2/3 cup (150 mL)
1/2 cup (125 mL) to 1/3 cup (75 mL)
1/4 cup (50 mL) to 3 tablespoons (45 mL)
Slow cooker safety
Dear TEAM: The slow cooker beef dip recipe in the Jan. 22 edition caused me to write. After looking up how to cook meat in a slow cooker it recommended precooking the meat. Is this necessary? – M.L., Denzil, Sask.
Dear M.L.: I am so glad that you wrote back to TEAM with your question. I quickly went back to a slow cooker safety article that I did in May 2003. Jane Carlyle of the Food Safety Line assisted me in completing the first column, so I gave her a call with your question. We both agreed that sharing the basics of slow cooking was the best way to answer your question.
Slow cooker recipes are often comfort foods like stews and soups. But if used improperly, it can cause food to develop enough bacteria to make eaters sick. Here are some tips on how to safely use this energy-efficient appliance:
- Do not use a slow cooker for roasts or whole chickens. A slow cooker heats food so slowly that bacteria could multiply.
- Always cut foods into small pieces.
- Fill the cooker no less than half full and no more than two-thirds full. Place slower-to-cook vegetables at the bottom and around the sides of the pot. Then add meat, cover all the food with liquid such as sauce, broth or water and cover tightly.
- Schedule permitting, cook on high for one hour, then reduce to low for the remaining cooking time.
- Only remove the lid to stir or check to see if cooking is complete.
- If you are away during the cooking process and the power goes out, throw away the food even if it appears to be done. If at home, finish cooking immediately by some other means.
- For safety reasons, precook ground meat.
- If you have had problems with your recipes in the slow cooker, perhaps you should get the temperature checked. Sometimes when the appliances age they do not reach a high enough temperature.
For more information on slow-cooker safety, call the food safety info line at 800-892-8333 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information is also available on the food safety info line website www.foodsafetyline.org.
Jodie Mirosovsky 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.
