Cole slaw is one of those things for which every family has its own favorite recipe. Some like it sweet. Some like it vinegary. Some like it creamy.
I have personally never been a big fan of a really mayonnaisy cole slaw. Perhaps that’s because I don’t need to eat a lot of mayo. My one exception is KFC’s cole slaw. Love that stuff. Maybe it’s sweet enough to offset the mayo.
Anyway, back to my theory about family cole slaw recipes. We definitely had a cole slaw recipe that we made in the summer, and it didn’t have a lick of mayo in it (which, by the way, makes it a nice cole slaw to take to a picnic since you don’t have to worry about the mayo going bad).
Cole Slaw
Ingredients
Cole slaw cabbage mix (cut your own or by the bag)
2/3 c. sugar
½ c. vinegar
1-1/2 t. yellow mustard
1-1/4 t. salt
1 t. grated onion (my mother always used dried minced onion)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 t. celery seed
Process
Combine the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool. Then add the mustard, salt, onion, oil and celery seed, and mix. I do this in a mason jar. Chill.
Pour desired amount over the sliced cabbage. I can’t tell you how much because it depends on how much cole slaw mix you have and how much dressing you like on your cabbage. What you don’t use can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.
By the way, I recently saw a recipe from Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), who added thinly sliced sweet peppers (you know, those colorful ones you find in a bag in the grocery store) to her cole slaw. Yum.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Three Days is a Lifetime...
The members of my family are big fans of the pickle. Really, fans of anything that is pickled. And I’m not just talking about adults. As a toddler, one of the few vegetables my great-nephew will eat is my dilly beans.
Every summer when the pickling cucumbers were in season, Mom would make her delicious Three-Day Dill Pickles. My assumption is that they were called Three Day Dills because once you made them, you were supposed to wait three days to eat them. They never lasted three days in my family. In fact, after about an hour, one of us (usually my father if he was home) would quietly take one of the barely-pickled cucumbers out of the brine and begin snacking. By the third day, there was nary a pickle to be seen.
At one point, she had a big porcelain jug into which she would submerge her cukes. I don’t know what happened to that jug. I mostly remember her placing the cukes into a big green porcelain mixing bowl, pouring over the hot vinegar, adding the dill, and putting a dinner plate over the cucumbers. She would set a big can of tomatoes on top to make sure the cukes remained submerged. We got good at fitting our fingers under this plate.
Three-Day Dill Pickles
Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs. small pickling cucumbers
2 pints water
1 c. vinegar
1/8 c. salt
4 large sprigs of dill (or two fresh dill heads)
Process
Wash the cucumbers in cold water. (I let them soak for a couple of hours in ice water. My mother never did.) Cut the cucumbers in quarters and place them in a large non-metal bowl. Place the dill over the top of the cukes. Bring your remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over cukes. Cover with a plate so that the liquid covers the cucumbers.
Let sit for three days on your counter. Right. On the off-chance that you have any left after three days, they may be stored in a jar in the refrigerator.
Every summer when the pickling cucumbers were in season, Mom would make her delicious Three-Day Dill Pickles. My assumption is that they were called Three Day Dills because once you made them, you were supposed to wait three days to eat them. They never lasted three days in my family. In fact, after about an hour, one of us (usually my father if he was home) would quietly take one of the barely-pickled cucumbers out of the brine and begin snacking. By the third day, there was nary a pickle to be seen.
At one point, she had a big porcelain jug into which she would submerge her cukes. I don’t know what happened to that jug. I mostly remember her placing the cukes into a big green porcelain mixing bowl, pouring over the hot vinegar, adding the dill, and putting a dinner plate over the cucumbers. She would set a big can of tomatoes on top to make sure the cukes remained submerged. We got good at fitting our fingers under this plate.
Three-Day Dill Pickles
Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs. small pickling cucumbers
2 pints water
1 c. vinegar
1/8 c. salt
4 large sprigs of dill (or two fresh dill heads)
Process
Wash the cucumbers in cold water. (I let them soak for a couple of hours in ice water. My mother never did.) Cut the cucumbers in quarters and place them in a large non-metal bowl. Place the dill over the top of the cukes. Bring your remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over cukes. Cover with a plate so that the liquid covers the cucumbers.
Let sit for three days on your counter. Right. On the off-chance that you have any left after three days, they may be stored in a jar in the refrigerator.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Peachy Keen
I grew up in east central Nebraska, in an area not known for its peaches. Corn, yes; peaches, not so much. Nevertheless, every summer my mom would make peach pie out of fresh summertime peaches, and it was oh so good.
Now I live in Colorado, where our Western Slope peaches are arguably some of the best in the country. Take that Georgia. You have better football teams.
One of the things that prevents many people from making homemade pies is the crust. It’s intimidating. If you find it too intimidating, use a store-bought crust. They aren’t as good, but they’re good enough. However, consider making this crust, as I find it simple and tasty. The vinegar does something that makes the crust flaky and delicious.
Peach Pie
Ingredients
5 c. sliced, peeled peaches (about 7 medium peaches)*
1 t. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
¼ c. all-purpose flour OR 2-1/2 T tapioca
¼ t. cinnamon
2 T butter
Sugar
Process
Mix peaches and lemon juice. Stir together sugar, flour or tapioca, and cinnamon. Mix in with the peaches. Turn into your lined pastry pan, and dot with the butter. Put on your top crust, and crimp. Using a pastry brush, brush top with an egg wash or cold water. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar over the top crust. Take a scissors or sharp knife and cut several holes in the pastry. Place pie on a baking pan and bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 mins. until top is golden brown.
Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. cold shortening
1 egg
½ c. ice cold water
1 t. white vinegar
Process
Mix the flour with the salt. Using a food processor**, cut in one cup shortening.
Break the egg into a measuring cup and mix; add enough of the ice water to bring it to ½ c. Add the vinegar to the ice water. Pour into the flour mixture and pulse it until it’s mixed. It is a very sticky dough.
Divide in half and wrap each half in wax paper. Chill for at least an hour before using. This step is critical as I cannot emphasize enough, it is a very sticky dough.
Roll out into a 9-inch pie pan. Keep the other half in the fridge until it’s time to top your pie.
Notes
*To easily peel the peaches, drop them into boiling water for 45 to 60 seconds, remove them, and drop them in ice water. If the peaches are nice and ripe, the skins will come right off. If the peaches aren’t quite as ripe, it will take a bit more work.
** Pioneer women didn’t use a food processor, so you don’t need to either; it just makes it a bit easier. If not using a food processor, just mix together using a wooden spoon.
Now I live in Colorado, where our Western Slope peaches are arguably some of the best in the country. Take that Georgia. You have better football teams.
One of the things that prevents many people from making homemade pies is the crust. It’s intimidating. If you find it too intimidating, use a store-bought crust. They aren’t as good, but they’re good enough. However, consider making this crust, as I find it simple and tasty. The vinegar does something that makes the crust flaky and delicious.
Peach Pie
Ingredients
5 c. sliced, peeled peaches (about 7 medium peaches)*
1 t. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
¼ c. all-purpose flour OR 2-1/2 T tapioca
¼ t. cinnamon
2 T butter
Sugar
Process
Mix peaches and lemon juice. Stir together sugar, flour or tapioca, and cinnamon. Mix in with the peaches. Turn into your lined pastry pan, and dot with the butter. Put on your top crust, and crimp. Using a pastry brush, brush top with an egg wash or cold water. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar over the top crust. Take a scissors or sharp knife and cut several holes in the pastry. Place pie on a baking pan and bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 mins. until top is golden brown.
Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. cold shortening
1 egg
½ c. ice cold water
1 t. white vinegar
Process
Mix the flour with the salt. Using a food processor**, cut in one cup shortening.
Break the egg into a measuring cup and mix; add enough of the ice water to bring it to ½ c. Add the vinegar to the ice water. Pour into the flour mixture and pulse it until it’s mixed. It is a very sticky dough.
Divide in half and wrap each half in wax paper. Chill for at least an hour before using. This step is critical as I cannot emphasize enough, it is a very sticky dough.
Roll out into a 9-inch pie pan. Keep the other half in the fridge until it’s time to top your pie.
Notes
*To easily peel the peaches, drop them into boiling water for 45 to 60 seconds, remove them, and drop them in ice water. If the peaches are nice and ripe, the skins will come right off. If the peaches aren’t quite as ripe, it will take a bit more work.
** Pioneer women didn’t use a food processor, so you don’t need to either; it just makes it a bit easier. If not using a food processor, just mix together using a wooden spoon.
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