As I write this article, I am in the midst of packing up at the cabin
after a rainy long weekend. The clothes are all wet and muddy. I have a
long day of laundry ahead when I get home.
And food, well I don’t know about you, but I always pack too much. My
excuse is that you never know when company may drop in and you will
need 20 more steaks or the extra six bags of potato chips.
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Food can play a flavourful role in fun summer activities
Recipes – popsicles are made with lactose-free milk and yogurt so are perfect for those who can’t tolerate milk, while everyoneelse will also enjoy them
Even though the rain has come too late for many crops, it will help the
pastures, and there is nothing better than a roaring thunderstorm and a
prairie light show.
I guess I am a bit disappointed about not being able to go to the beach
for what we call the last weekend of the summer vacation for farmers,
but the socializing and food are always the best part of the lake.
Here are some new summer recipes that I have enjoyed.
Saucy Pork Roast
This makes a plain old pork roast into a gourmet dish. I have also used
a beef roast. The beauty of it is that you do not need to start up the
oven.
Meat:
Place a 21/2 lb. (1 kg) pork roast in a dutch oven or large saucepan.
Fill with enough water to almost cover the meat.
Cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer for two hours or until the meat
is tender and will pull apart easily.
Remove the pork from the pan, and shred with a fork into bite-sized
pieces.
Sauce:
In a saucepan combine:
1/2 cup water 125 mL
11/2 teaspoons chicken 7 mL
bouillon powder
1/2 cup chopped onion 125 mL
Cook covered until the onion is cooked. Add the following:
1/2 cup ketchup 125 mL
21/2 tablespoons vinegar 35 mL
11/2 teaspoons 7 mL
worcestershire sauce
21/2 tablespoons brown 35 mL
sugar
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
1/2 teaspoon chili powder 2 mL
1/8 teaspoon cayenne 0.5 mL
pepper
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and stir in shredded meat. Allow to simmer
for approximately 30 minutes and then serve. It is great with a salad
and rice, or as a sandwich with fresh buns.
Hot Fudge Cake
1 cup all-purpose 250 mL
flour
3/4 cup sugar 175 mL
6 tablespoons baking 90 mL
cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking 10 mL
powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
1/2 cup milk 125 mL
2 tablespoons vegetable 30 mL
oil
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
1 cup packed brown 250 mL
sugar
1 3/4 cups hot water 425 mL
whipped cream or
ice cream for topping
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, two tbsp. (25 mL) cocoa, baking
powder and salt. Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
Spread in an ungreased nine inch (23 cm) square baking pan. Combine
brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water
over all of the mixture and do not stir.
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm. Top with
whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
Yield: nine servings. Source: Taste of Home Annual Recipe Book 1995.
Removing stains
Dear TEAM: I enjoy your column very much with your ideas and helpful
recipes. I would like a stain removing formula to apply to dirty jeans
and work clothes.- J.C.D., Spirit River, Alta.
Dear J.C.D.: After hearing your dilemma, I turned to the book Talking
Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean, by Linda Cobb. Her first
suggestion was to never wash work clothes with other laundry. Next, she
suggests presoaking the stains with a good spotter.
One recommendation is Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover. Launder
in the hottest water you can for the fabric type, using the longest
wash cycle available and add 1/2 cup (125 mL) of washing soda along
with your regular detergent.
If grease or oil are the main offenders, you could spray the area with
WD-40 lubricant and wait 10 minutes. Work in dishwashing liquid and
launder as usual. Go-Jo Waterless Hand Cleaner is also an effective
degreaser. Work it into the spot and then launder.
If dust and mud are the concern, prewash the clothes with the hottest
possible water and 1/2 cup (125 mL) of washing soda and 1/2 cup of
Twenty Mule Team Borax. After the cycle is complete, add laundry
detergent and launder.
For heavily stained work clothes, try pouring a can of Coke in the
washer with your detergent and launder.
Here are some recipes for spot removers you can make at home.
- All-purpose laundry spotter – One part rubbing alcohol to two parts
water.
- Beverage, fruit and grass remover – Combine equal portions of white
vinegar, liquid dishwashing soap and water.
- Non-oily stain remover – Combine equal portions of ammonia, liquid
dishwashing soap and water. This solution works well on milk, blood,
perspiration and urine.
- Oily stain remover – Combine 1 tablespoon (15 mL) glycerin, 1 tbsp.
(15 mL) liquid dishwashing soap and 8 tbsp. (120 mL) water.
All of the spotters are for washable fabrics only. Do not use on wool,
silk, spandex, acrylic or acetate. Test in an inconspicuous area if in
doubt.
Hay help
I was just about to turn in, when I stopped to catch the story on the
Ontario hay that is just arriving in the West.
It is great to see the lucky farmers who won the lottery getting their
first glimpse of the feed. There is hope in their eyes and a sense of a
country pulling together in hardship.
What a wonderful gesture this is from the Ontario farmers. Over the
years I have saved quotes that I feel are meaningful. I would like to
end with two.
“You have not lived a perfect day unless you have done something for
someone who will never be able to repay you.” – Ruth Smeltzer
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
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.
