Snow prompts indoor activity
We had a few strange days here recently with snow on the green lawns. Hard to believe in the month of May.
Weather like that makes me want to curl up with a good book or sit in a rocker with an afghan and knit or crochet.
Crochet pattern wanted
Dear TEAM: As a young teenager (many years ago) I was fascinated with crocheting and doilies nicely starched with sugar/water solution. They were the mode everywhere – on end tables and the backs of couches. Also popular at the time were pineapple-designed pin cushions, which I made then, too, and they were a favorite little gift idea.
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“What was old is new again,” they say. I would like to make these pin cushions again. However, I don’t have the pattern anymore, and my friends can’t help me locate this pattern either. It was made in several parts:
- Two single pineapple patterns were crocheted.
- A little heart-shaped pin cushion was made out of satin or cotton and stuffed and sewn up.
- Then one crocheted the heart shapes together. There was about a one-inch space in the pattern all the way around for a ribbon to be interlaced in a certain way. It looked very attractive. The ribbon was tied in a bow at the top centre and the pin cushion could be hung up or laid on a dresser or bureau drawer. – S.B. Thorsby, Alta.
Mishap an opportunity
This past week our freezer door was left ajar and by the time we discovered it, our frozen raspberries were thawed. It was near bedtime, but Marla insisted it was a good time for her to learn to make raspberry jam. And she did. Relatives, friends and neighbors enjoyed the results. Here’s the recipe we used:
Old-style raspberry jam
The intense raspberry flavor of this jam makes it a long-time favorite. Warming the sugar beforehand keeps the jam boiling evenly and ensures success.
4 cups granulated sugar 1 L
4 cups raspberries 1 L
Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250 F (120 C) oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)
Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.
Add warm sugar, return to a boil and boil until mixture will form a gel, about five minutes. Ladle into sterilized jars and process.
Makes four cups.
Source: Put A Lid On It! – Small-Batch Preserving for Every Season by Ellie Topp & Margaret Howard. For details, contact MacMillan Canada, Special Sales Department, 29 Birch Avenue, Toronto, Ont., M4V 1E2, or phone 416-963-8830.
This book describes preserving techniques, when to preserve food , equipment for safe boiling and water canning and possible causes for seal failure or spoiled food.
Treat for teenagers
My 17-year-old son, Matt, told me about these tasty meat buns he had at his cousin’s. I phoned for the recipe. They are a nutritious lunch item, after-school snack or evening treat.
Carol’s meat buns
Dough recipe:
1Ú2 cup warm water 125 mL
1 teaspoon sugar 5 mL
2 tablespoons yeast 30 mL
Mix and let stand 10 minutes.
Mix the following:
1Ú2 cup sugar 125 mL
1Ú2 cup lard 125 mL
2 teaspoons vinegar 10 mL
2 eggs 2
31Ú2 cups warm water 875 mL
8-10 cups flour 2-2.5 L
Mix with yeast mixture. Let rise two hours. Knead and let rise again for one hour.
Meat filling:
2-21Ú2 pounds 2-2.5 kg
ground beef
1 14 oz. can 420 g
sauerkraut
salt to taste
Brown meat, drain well and mix in sauerkraut and salt. Cool. Form the buns around the meat filling, so there is a spoonful of hamburger mixture in the centre of each bun. Let rise another hour. Bake 20 minutes at 375 F (190 C). These taste wonderful fresh, or can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.
Remember that these buns contain meat and need to be treated carefully. If you are sending them in a lunch, send them frozen so they are still cold or partially frozen at lunch time. They need to be given the same caution as all meat dishes and not left out at room temperature.
Sugar explained
Dear TEAM: I like trying the recipes on your page. Now I need some help. I have two beautiful recipe books from Australia. One is Cakes and Slices and the other is Beautiful Biscuits.
Some of the recipes call for the following ingredients: castor sugar, copha (sometimes melted), raw sugar and corn flour. Could you tell me what these are and also what could I substitute for them? I was wondering if rice flour could be substituted for corn flour. Some recipes call for one tablespoon of self-rising flour. Could I use some flour and extra baking powder? Hope you can help, as I would love to make some of the delicious looking things in the books. – F.S., Davidson, Sask.
Dear F.S.: I called one of our Australian friends who is a great cook. Helen used to live in Eston, Sask., and has moved to Summerland, B.C. She reminded me that biscuits are cookies in Australia.
Castor sugar is similar to berry sugar that can be found in stores here. Copha is like a solid white shortening, that when melted looks like paraffin. She said she remembers making chocolate rice krispie squares, and when you combine the copha and chocolate, it goes hard and crispy.
She suggests you experiment with chocolate squares if the recipe calls for cocoa. Raw sugar can be found in health food stores here. It is yellow with big granules. Helen said corn flour is like cornstarch here. For the self-rising flour, she uses one teaspoon baking powder in one cup regular flour. The flour here is lighter.
She also said she has found self-rising flour in some stores, particularly in the form of a self-rising cake and pastry flour.
I hope this helps you with recipes in the book. I also remember pavlova as a very special dessert that our Australian friends liked to serve.
Fast wholesome bread
Each spring, Don and I enjoy meeting our seed customers when they come to pick up their seed. This year one of our customers e-mailed me two of her favorite bread-maker recipes. Kathi says this is the nicest, most tender bread recipe she has ever found. It’s even tender three days later, if it lasts that long.
Honey whole wheat bread
1 cup water 250 mL
1Ú4 cup vegetable oil 50 mL
2 tablespoons honey 30 mL
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
2 cups flour 500 mL
1 cup whole wheat 250 mL
flour (you can substitute
1Ú3 cup ground flax for 1Ú2 cup of the whole wheat)
1 package yeast 1
In bread machine, place all ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select Rapid Bake feature. Check dough after five minutes of mixing: add one to two tablespoons (5-10 mL) of water or flour, if needed. Yield: 1 loaf.
Nutritional Analysis: One slice = 127 calories, 146 milligrams sodium, no cholesterol, 20 mg carbohydrates, three grams protein, four gm fat.
