Good morning, friends. We are easing into June and full-on summertime, and my guess is that picnics will be the feast of choice in 2020. In that spirit, please send your favorite easy-travel recipes and menus.
Hungry Husband received a shipment of meat from a well-known website. “Was looking forward to the pork chops, but they were dry and not tender. Please share recipes for how to make juicy tender pork chops.” He would also like to know the best places to buy local strawberries in bulk.
A.E., surveying a garden that is disappointing, noted, “Lemon verbena is growing everywhere outside my raised beds, but not much is growing inside them. I am wondering how to use lemon verbena. Does anybody have ideas? Can this herb add a lemon taste to cooking?”
THREE TO TRY
In her Lookout Mountain kitchen, Linda Morris has been occupying herself as many of us have: “cleaning out drawers and cabinets. I ran across these recipes that had gotten on the bottom of the stack. As I remember them as being ‘keepers,’ I am going to revive them during this time at home.”
One-Cup Cobbler
1 cup flour, self-rising
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter
1 cup fruit (peaches, apples, cherries, strawberries or blueberries)
Mix flour, sugar and milk together. Melt butter in baking dish, then pour in flour mixture. Pour fruit on top, and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees. This is quick, easy and delicious.
Candy Bar Cookies
1 Snickers bar (regular size)
1 Hershey bar (regular size)
1 family-size brownie mix
3 tablespoons water
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 bags M&M’s plain (regular size)
Chop Snickers bar into small pieces. Break or chop Hershey bar. Mix brownie mix with water, eggs, flour and oil; then fold in walnuts and M&M’s. Place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cheeseburger Pie
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Cook beef and onion in skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown.
Drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate, then sprinkle with cheese. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork, or whisk until well blended. Pour into pie plate.
Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
OLEO OLIO
Margarine or butter? We asked; you answered.
* Here’s an opinion in no uncertain terms, about the margarine/butter debate. Debbie Pataky of Lookout Mountain affirmed, “I’ve always been told that you can put a stick of margarine in the woods, go back a year later and it would still be there. The wild animals won’t even eat it. I am a firm believer in butter.”
* Diane Niemchick chimed in. “To be honest I only use butter when cooking now. I do use and buy oleomargarine though. Because I use the soft spreadable kinds it just isn’t suitable for cooking – too much water content. Before the spreadable, I used oleo and was very happy with the results.”
* Ms. Niemchick found this research from dietitian Caryn Zinn.
“When we examine the chemical structures of both materials, it is easy to see why someone would suggest that margarine has a similar chemical backbone structure to plastic. However, the same could be said about butter, or any fatty acid present in the human body. Many varied substances share similar chemical properties, but even the slightest variation in molecular structure can make a world of difference.”
GLUTEN-FREEBIE
We continue the discussion with John Brindle Tucker about Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix. He wrote, “Here is Pamela’s recipe that The Bread Basket on Signal Mountain used. I bought three loaves every Friday until they discontinued and ran out of mix. As I said, I order the mix from Amazon.”
Gluten-Free Honey White Bread
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup milk
1 pound Pamela’s gluten-free bread mix
Heat conventional oven to 325 degrees. Spray a standard-size loaf pan with nonstick coking spray.
Dissolve yeast in warm water, and combine with eggs, butter, sugar, honey and milk in a stand mixer, or with a handheld electric mixer, just until incorporated. Add Pamela’s bread mix, and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick.
Put batter into pan, and evenly smooth with a spatula or knife. Place pan in warm spot that is free from drafts, and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until it almost reaches the top of the pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
TWO TO CAN
From Trion, Georgia, Nell Thomas sent these canning recipes that she uses every year. I am assuming yellow is her squash of choice for the first recipe.
Squash Relish
12 cups squash, cut up
4 onions, chopped
2 hot peppers
2 bell peppers
6 cups sugar
1 small jar pimientos, drained
2 1/2 cups vinegar (I use white)
1 teaspoon canning salt
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard seed
Mix all ingredients together, and cook for 20 minutes. Put in hot jars, and seal.
Pickled Okra
4 pounds small tender okra
10 pods red hot pepper
10 garlic cloves
8 cups vinegar (I use white)
1 cup water
3/4 cup pickling salt
Wash okra, and dry. Be sure okra pods are small. Leaving a short stem on each one, pack okra in 10 clean hot jars. Place 1 pepper and 1 clove garlic in each jar. Heat vinegar, water and salt to boiling. Pour hot vinegar mix over okra, and seal jars. Let stand 8 weeks before using.
This is very good to have all winter. It is so crisp; be sure to wait 8 weeks to open.
As with certain seasons in the history of the world, the hardest part is the waiting. But there are expectations great and small, always.
It will be no small thing to hope you will join the celebration next Wednesday, right here.
Requests
* Picnic fare
* Tender pork chops
* Strawberries in bulk
* Ideas for lemon verbena
To Reach Us:
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar