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I prepped the vegetables and put them in the slow cooker before work. I didn't want to smell like I'd been cooking when I got to work, so I left DH a note to please season, flour, and brown the meat. I walked in the door after work to a delicious meal! Yay me!

Tomorrow is DHs family reunion. We "host" this using a local church's kitchen and adjoining fellowship hall. There's going to be a lot of food and a lot of visiting. ...And I'm going to be a lot of tired.

Should be a lot of fun,too!

I knew I was going to be out most of the day, so this morning I prepared stuffed bell peppers. I combined ground turkey, mushrooms, and my own Marinara Sauce and stuffed red bells with that. When I got in, I baked them, then I steamed lots of pencil thin asparagus and called it dinner.

Last night husband Jim and I hosted the 18th annual Rotary Oktoberfest -- Around 70 attended and I boiled brats in beer (then they were grilled -- I don't do the grilling!), sauerkraut, hot German potato salad and German coleslaw (both my grandmother's recipes) and apple crisp for dessert. It's a labor of love!

Didn't take a picture of the food before they dug in -- we serve in the steam table pans as the food is heated on the grill.

Martha

Yummy...what is German coleslaw? recipe?
Is the pan on the right the sauerkraut? they sure loved that!

I'm looking for the apple crisp...

quote:

Originally posted by Linderhof:
...It's a labor of love!Martha

Looks terrific, and I bet they loved it. Good job!

Nance -- it is my German grandmother's recipe and I think I've posted it before -- For a head of cabbage -- put 1 cup vinegar in a saucepan, add 1 cup sugar, salt, celery seed (I use a palmful) and a teaspoon of dry mustard. Bring to boil and cook until sugar is dissolved. Then add 1 cup vegetable oil and bring to boil again. Pour over the head of shredded cabbage and 1 thinly sliced onion. It keeps "forever".

And, you CAN use the bagged stuff -- just add onion, however, if there is red cabbage in the mix, the dressing does turn pink.

I like the angel hair shred of cabbage the best if I use the bagged.

And my grandmother always shredded and didn't chop -- if you prefer it chopped, it will be fine chopped.

Martha

I "cheat" on the apple crisp and use apple pie filling (I am making a ton of the stuff after all -- way too many apples to peel! LOL!) -- but I use orange zest (a couple of oranges worth) in
it, then stir and then I use my regular crisp topping of flour, oats, butter, brown and white sugars and a pinch of salt and butter. They "bake" it on the grill so that it is served hot.


Martha
Martha

Martha, I am definitely going to try the coleslaw recipe! But it all sounds so good!

I made haddock chowder today because DGD wants to come and visit us tomorrow and spend the night and she loves that. She is such a sweetie pie (really she is)

The other day I made a good dish. Had about oh, maybe 3/4 + lb of stew meat. I shook it in seasoned flour, and browned it, then added some beef seasoning in about 1/2 c of water and baked it at 200º for about 4 hours. It was really good and I had it for lunch two days also. Oh forgot to say I served it over noodles.

quote:

(I am making a ton of the stuff after all -- way too many apples to peel! LOL!) -- but I use orange zest (a couple of oranges worth) in

Martha, don't you have one of those wonderful apple peelers (cores and slices too) that clamps onto the counter? I made apple sauce the other day using one of those and saved the "curls" too. Maybe I can use them as hair for Halloween!

After the family reunion today...I'm not eating another thing. Husband cooked his own supper...a bag of popcorn.

OH! I deviled some eggs for the reunion! The only batch of eggs there today. Yay me! I brought 3 halves home only because my sister-in-law is visiting her daughter's out-of-town.

quote:

Originally posted by lady of shallot:

Martha, don't you have one of those wonderful apple peelers (cores and slices too) that clamps onto the counter? I made apple sauce the other day using one of those and saved the "curls" too. Maybe I can use them as hair for Halloween!

LOS -- I do. But with everything else I am doing that day, it's just easier to open cans. If I was doing it for 6 or 8, I definitely would peel the apples!

But the addition of the orange zest makes it seem less like canned stuff. And I get lots of compliments on it!

Martha

It's cold on the prairie today. So I fixed chili for dinner. (And lunch tomorrow and lunch Monday and lunch . . . .) First batch of the season and it tasted good!

Simple supper of chili and crackers. Not even dessert!

Martha

I'm out of ground beef in the freezer. Since I'm off Monday for Columbus day, I'm planning on making a run to the meat market for some fresh meat! Chili is on the menu for next week!

Speaking of German food, has anyone heard of the practice of putting some sauergraut into mashed potatoes for a little extra zest when you aren't serving any gravy? Try it ~ it's delicious although it may sound odd! It's especially good served with a pork main entree.

iR -- growing up when my Mom would make spareribs and sauerkraut or pork roast and sauerkraut, she would always serve mashed potatoes with them. And we would put potatoes on our plate, top with the sauerkraut and eat them that way. We all did! So it wasn't just to get the kids to eat the sauerkraut! I've talked to other people with German ancestry and they did the same. Of course, the sauerkraut was cooked in the broth with the meat so it was very flavorful.

Martha

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Resident:
Speaking of German food, has anyone heard of the practice of putting some sauergraut into mashed potatoes for a little extra zest when you aren't serving any gravy? Try it ~ it's delicious although it may sound odd! It's especially good served with a pork main entree.

Made that exact dinner Thursday night with a Pork Roast sitting on top of sauerkraut, then roasted and served with mashed potatoes, very delicious!

All this talk of sausage and sauerkraut...
I didn't have any sauerkraut or German sausage, but I did have cabbage and Texas sausage. So tonight we had fried cabbage with sausage and some fried potatoes. Very good!

LOL - I'm glad others have combined sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and found it as delicious I have!

Yep, First of Fall Cooking starts tomarrow ~ I'm making my special Beef Stew ~ needs about six hours to cook properly ~ and only takes five main ingredients: sirloin steak (which I buy in bulk called "sirloin in a bag" cut to order here that costs @$3.49/lb), carrots, onions, potatoes and cabbage. Yes, cabbage!

It's not done until the spoon nearly stands up-right in the bowl; it's all the other ingredients that make it special though ~ too many to count so I could never write down a recipe for it! Lots of seasonings, spices, mustard, beef broth, horseradish, white wine and whatever else I find in the kitchen to add to it. I never use the same ingredients twice but it still turns out great every time1

Goes great with home-made biscuits ~ but I use the frozen Pillsbury Grands Southern Style instead ~ told you all that I'm not a real baker!

Well, Columbus Day has come and gone; time to tuck in for the winter. Frost is on the ground and winter is coming. Hope everyone is cozy wherever you might be....

Chili with cheddar cheese & sour cream garnish, and roasted hot dogs.
Making Kickstand Chili by request for my daughter's household next. They last requested stuffed green peppers and made those a couple weeks ago.

Yum, this food all sounds so good, making me hungry! We've always eaten mashed potatos with our saurkraut too. In fact, had it last week and the week before.....pork tenderloin, sauerkraut, mashed potatos and green beans. Tonight I made potato soup and corn bread. It was yummy too!

I'm just now reading this thread -- what a coincidence -- just today I was turning the pantry shelf round and round looking for a can of sauerkraut! None there. I have the potatoes. I have the little pork roast. Should have gotten my lazy but t to the store and got a bag/can for dinner. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

And yes, if there is pork and sauerkraut, there has to be mashed potatoes.

I bought some whole wheat and sweet potato gnocchi and used Giada's recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It was really yummy! Tossd the cooked gnocchi with brown butter, fresh herbs (her recipe called for sage which I dislike), maple syrup and black pepper.

We had grilled steak, a baked sweet potato and a big salad. Simple but good and we both adore baked sweet potatoes.

Martha

I want to give making gnocchi a try! I make and like spaetzle, but DH doesn't care much for it...mainly because he prefers his starch to be rice.

My DA used to make spareribs and sauerkraut and then towards the end of the cooking time she dropped in flour dumplings. Tasted marvelous but seemed a bit decadent.

quote:

Originally posted by KeepYouInStitches:
I want to give making gnocchi a try!

My sister and I learned to make gnocchi as kids. While our grandmother made the real thing, we'd practice with clay. Good memories.

DH and I make it now and serve it with a Marinara sauce. Wonderful.

I taught a cooking class tonight at the gourmet/cooking shop in our little town. It's was German food.

I demonstrated and made for the class: wiener schnitzel vom schwein, mashed potatoes and rotkraut (red cabbage)

And apple strudel for dessert!

Dessert first please!

Yum Linderhof, that looks DELISH!

Tonight at our house was meatloaf, baked potatos, green beans and warm bread. Just had cold, crisp apples for dessert.

Linderhof, You already know that I'm your biggest fan for the best home cook and want to see you on Master Chef so won't say it again ~ okay, I will, PLEASE try out for this show ~ you have what it takes to make it!

Back to the subject at hand, October cooking! Made my Beef Stew and it was great with the biscuits... yum, yum and yummy!

Next up: French Onion Soup ~ got the idea from all of the onion trucks running 24 hours a day here for the last week. I followed probably 12-14 of them last week, going slowly and staying back a ways, (wasn't born yesterday and grew up in the rural areas ~ those onions can make a BIG dent in your hood if you're not careful) but did manage to collect a few that fell roadside!

You NEVER steal anyone's produce or products ~ and that includes the jerks who would drive down our lane and steal the asparagus we had carefully tended all year on the banks ~ but onions on the roadways are another matter. If they fall off the truck, it's okay to collect them ~ I did and it's French Onion Soup on the menu for this weekend!

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Resident:
Back to the subject at hand, October cooking! Made my Beef Stew and it was great with the biscuits... yum, yum and yummy!

Next up: French Onion Soup ~ got the idea from all of the onion trucks running 24 hours a day here for the last week. I followed probably 12-14 of them last week, going slowly and staying back a ways, (wasn't born yesterday and grew up in the rural areas ~ those onions can make a BIG dent in your hood if you're not careful) but did manage to collect a few that fell roadside!

You NEVER steal anyone's produce or products ~ and that includes the jerks who would drive down our lane and steal the asparagus we had carefully tended all year on the banks ~ but onions on the roadways are another matter. If they fall off the truck, it's okay to collect them ~ I did and it's French Onion Soup on the menu for this weekend!

Funny how different parts of the country have similar rules. We have similar ones about golf balls!

I've picked up hay for horses on the side of the road before. LOL It was "back in the day" when most of the bales were square. When they hit the the road, they bust open.

Oh! Again "back in the day" when peanuts were grown here, after they were harvested you could go glean the fields. First DH had a hard time waiting for the last piece of machinery to leave the field. He liked fresh boiled peanuts.

IR - Are those Idaho onions sweet yellow or a different variety?
The grocery was out of sweet yellow onions the other day and I wish I'd had one bounce off my truck to hit the person square in the head who failed to have them ordered and on hand in my time of need!!!!

I'm half done baking a scratch cake with caramel frosting.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lurah,

Oh, Lurah, I love caramel frosting!

Martha

Yes, Lurah, these are sweet yellow onions BUT have to brag a bit. Where I live produces more seeds for vegetables than nearly anywhere else. The few onions that fall off the trucks are just the icing on the cake....

Idaho, never knew about your onions, we always hear about your potatotes. Love french onion soup, it's easy to make and tastes so good. I'm making some new soups that I learned about at a recent cooking demonstration including a roasted red pepper and fennel, something I would have never tried on my own but it was different and tasty.

Oh my....YES!

Apple,pear,cranberry crisps...prepped and in the freezer; apple pie fillings prepped and in the freezer; dehydrating tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions & herbs for soups; canned meats, soups, veggies; zucchini bread for guests; grilled naan bread..frozen for future individual pizzas.

There is a site that also allows someone to coordinate meals for communities. We get to participate in this. It's nice because you can sign up to take meals without overlapping with other members.

Our kitchen may look frightful(Not a Halloween pun)...but what comes out of it matters most. I keep telling myself this, so far...no disagreements.

Wow -- Trish you've been busy!

It's Sunday and since our church is at 9 -- we're out by 10 and so we had "brunch" at home -- a Southern breakfast -- grits, biscuits, bacon and eggs and coffee.

Late Sunday afternoon, we had our "Sunday Lunch" pork roast, vegetables (potatoes, turnips, carrots) and applesauce.

"Dinner" may be popcorn!

Martha

Our son bought pizza earlier today for lunch. Tonight for dinner: fried porkchops, potatos cooked in the oven with butter and lemon pepper and green beans. Halloween cookies with butter cream icing for dessert. Yummy!

We had a long weekend at DHs second family reunion in as many weeks. I'm pooped! I grabbed a pear cake from the freezer for my contribution. SIL ordered meat for 100 people...only 35 showed up so DH gave her some money (as did the other two brothers). You'd a thought we would've brought some meat home...nope...was not offered.

Anyway...the 15th of each month, we celebrate the month's birthdays at work. We normally do cake, coffeecake, sometimes donuts. This time I baked a breakfast casserole with waffles, sausage, cheese, etc. along with a bottle of pancake syrup. It was sucked up in no time!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KeepYouInStitches,

KIS -- can't believe that she didn't share or at least offer -- when you paid for some of it! Geesh! I bet your co-workers thought they were special with all that food instead of just a cake or coffeecake!

Martha

Linderhof, when I type communities...it's the "ch" group you mention. When I try to type the word...I get blocked. Rolling eyes inserted here. lol We've had popcorn for dinner....it's especially nice after having one of those Sunday afternoon specials.

I'm looking forward to our holiday cookie baking this year. We have some new families to present our treats to. AND now, that we've organized our baking station, it's going to be even easier.

I need to get our thyme bacon biscuits prepared for November. They can be frozen and baked as needed. It will make our Thanksgiving a bit easier. I may have to make some of those for a family I'm taking a meal to today. How fun!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trish212,

Trish -- would you share the thyme bacon biscuit recipe -- sounds yummy and would be good for both breakfast and soups! I didn't think about anything when I typed the "ch" word!

LOL!

So I'm not sure why mine took and yours didn't.

Anyway, please share!

Martha

This recipe comes from watching P.Allen Smith's show. It provides the recipe source. I hope she won't mind since I give her credit for it. This is one of my husband's favorite biscuits. PS...I'm married to someone who just discovered he shares ancestry with Julia Childs. No wonder he can cook like he does!

Biscuits Bacon Buttermilk Thyme
8 ounces smoked, thick sliced bacon (uncooked)
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp fresh thyme
3/4 lb. margarine
14 ounces buttermilk
1/2 cup all purpose flour (for rolling out biscuits)
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the raw bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and cook in the 350 degree F oven for 18-22 minutes. The bacon should be cooked through, but not crisp.

Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F when you remove the bacon so it will be ready for the biscuits.

Combine the dry ingredients and thyme in a mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly.

Cut the margarine into 1-inch cubes and add to flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or a large fork, blend the butter and flour. The texture will be coarse with piece of butter still visible.

Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour and butter are evenly moist. The key to flaky biscuits is to not over mix.

Sprinkle flour on a work surface or pastry cloth and then turn the biscuit dough out of mixing bowl.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Fold the dough in half, bringing the two short ends together, turn it a half turn, and roll it again.

At this point layer half the bacon onto the biscuit dough.

Repeat the fold, turn and roll two times then add the rest of the bacon and turn and roll two more times, a total of four times. This may seem like extra work, but it's worth it. Your biscuits will melt in your mouth.

On the fourth and final roll, use the pin to roll the dough to a thickness of approximately 1/2-inch.

Cut the biscuits using a 2- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter. The dough should be layered with margarine and bacon.

Bake the biscuits at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This dough freezes well. Just cut the dough and wrap the un-baked biscuits in two layers of plastic wrap. Defrost for 15 minutes before baking.

Notes
For more of Regina's recipes check out her latest cookbook, Regina's Table at Twin Oaks.
Serves 12

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trish212,

Tonight a pork roast with sweet potatoes, biscuits and hopefully apples with caramel for dessert.

I cooked out of my "comfort zone" tonight and fixed pork tacos and Spanish rice. Slices of pork tenderloin, zesty coleslaw and sliced of avocado in soft corn tortillas.

When you eat out here it's either Mexican or Chinese so I usually don't fix those foods at home for it gives us something different to look forward to when we go out.

Martha

trish, that biscuit recipe sounds delicious!

Linderhof, your dinner looks yummy!

Tonight, I cooked a porkloin in the crock pot, then shredded it and made it into bbq. So we had bbq pulled pork sandwiches and chips tonight. Had pork and beans to go with it, but neither of us felt like eating them so didn't bother to open the can. Dessert has just been stuff we have around here: apples, carmel apples, cookies or Hershey bars. I might make a dessert tomorrow.