It’s Valentine’s Day (anticipated, dreaded or ignored on principle), when everything that could be heart-shaped gets so shaped. But let’s be honest: Love comes in all shapes and sizes: a pot of turnip green soup, a loaf of fresh-baked bread or a drive-thru together for your favorite supper with no dishes to wash. I won’t ask you what looks like love, what tastes like love, on the menu of your life.
No, I think I WILL ask you that.
How about an answer?
In that same vein, Becca Jordan sings a song about a friend’s gift of a simple meal. Here are some of the lyrics of “House of Wonder,” though hearing them set to music makes all the difference.
“You opened up your heart, your home. You welcomed me inside so that I would know I belong. When the sun came up I was still in bed. You came running in to tell me there was bread — and tea and jam. You left your seat; you wanted me to join you at the humble feast. I take seat at the table you’ve been waiting for me, in this house of wonder where my hunger is a blessing.”
So there it is: An open home is open-hearted, offering an invitation, a welcome and a seat at the table for a humble feast. There are no missing ingredients there.
SNACKABLE PIZZA
Betty Domal found a recipe online that has become a keeper in her kitchen. “I made and loved it. And it’s so easy. And why not a tortilla pizza for kids, one at a time? “You can halve this recipe and it would be a good snack kids could make after school and each person could put what they want on theirs.”
Tortilla Pizza
4 tortillas (any kind you like: flour, wheat, corn; you can also use flatbread)
8 tablespoons pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
24 slices pepperoni
You can add these suggested toppings, really anything you like on pizza, but don’t overload the tortilla:
Salami slices
Onion
Bell pepper (probably cook first)
Spinach
Vegetables
Minced garlic
Olives
Parmesan cheese
5-blend cheese
Mexican blend cheese
Red pepper flakes
Mushrooms
Bacon, sausage or ham, but cook first
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (spray it first), or use a cooking mat.
Place the tortillas on the baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce over each one.
Sprinkle with cheese, and top with pepperoni slices.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Take out of oven, and cool about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Makes 4 servings.
CROCKPOT COBBLER
Marilyn Soehl sent another old-fashioned recipe, updated in her slow cooker with a couple of variations on the theme.
Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler
2 (21-ounce) cans cherry, raspberry or blackberry pie filling (Look for one without high fructose corn syrup, the simple version.)
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
Put the pie filling in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle the DRY cake mix over the top, and press gently into the pie filling. Cut butter in thin squares, and lay on top of the cake mix. Do not mix butter in.
Turn the slow cooker to high, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or topping.
Four-Ingredient Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling, or your favorite berry pie filling
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
Coconut (optional)
Put pie filling in the bottom of your slow cooker. Drain crushed pineapple, reserving juice.
Sprinkle dry cake mix over the fruit, pressing gently into the fruit. Cut thin squares of butter, and place them over the top. Do not mix in.
Pour reserved pineapple juice over top. If using coconut, sprinkle it on top of the mixture.
Turn the slow cooker to high, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or topping.
ITALIAN SOUP
This one came from “Regular Reader” and balances the sweet with sheer nourishment.
Minestrone Soup, Big Batch
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups carrots, cut in 2-inch matchstick strips
2 cups celery, strings removed by a vegetable peeler, cut on the bias
2 cups sliced zucchini or yellow squash
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini, Great Northern or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth for a vegetarian dish
2 cups water
1 1/3 cups of your favorite small pasta (I prefer small shells)
1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
Herb Pistou (recipe follows)
Parmesan Reggiano, freshly grated
In a Dutch oven heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, zucchini or yellow squash and onion. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, watching carefully until they are well softened.
Stir in beans, broth and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in pasta. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on a low boil, until pasta is just tender. Check to make sure. Stir in diced tomatoes and Herb Pistou, and heat through. Serve with fresh-grated Parmesan Reggiano on top.
Makes 8 servings, give or take.
Herb Pistou
4 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a small bowl stir together basil, garlic, pepper and salt. Stir in olive oil to make a paste. Then stir into minestrone soup.
JUST A DASH
A reader’s interest in uses for feta cheese brought this dash-size response from Tim Threadgill.
“Feta is wonderful because it is soft and has an intense, salty flavor. One simple appetizer recipe is to make diagonal slices of a baguette, toast them lightly, spread with some feta and top with a nice fig jam.
“Feta makes a wonderful variation of pimento cheese. It is a great substitute in recipes calling for cream cheese. Because of its saltiness, just take care to adjust the amount of salt you add. Many casseroles, particularly cheesy rice types, work well using some feta.”
REQUESTS
— Your ‘love’ meals
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, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar