Madeline opened her lunch box to find a thick slice of leftover lasagna, a side helping of buttery zucchini, an exotic kiwi cut into quarters, five pearly round cherry tomatoes, a tiny Morton salt shaker, two still-warm chocolate chip cookies, and a red plaid thermos full of ice-cold milk.”
Happy Pie Day, Everyone! January 23 has long been officially designated Pie Day, so to mark the occasion, I’m sharing a recipe for one of my favorites of all of Jane’s recipes, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Both Jane and Beulah made amazing pie crust! I’m no slouch in that department either, and I credit Beulah’s instruction for that. I’ll share my favorite pie crust recipe in another post, but today it’s all about the fruit filling.
First, a little food history! Pies have been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks are credited with developing the first pastry shells, and the ancient Romans made pies with all kinds of meat and seafood. Even though apple pie was eaten in Europe long before America was colonized, the phrase “as American as apple pie” is still universally used, probably in honor of the legendary American pioneer and conservationist Johnny Appleseed.
This recipe also has a connection to the January book selection for the Read Between the Vines book club. This quote from The Trackers by Charles Frazier appears in Section V, Indelible Black of the novel. In this scene near the end of the novel, Long has orchestrated a picnic ride for himself, Faro, Val and Eve. The rest of the group is unsure of the motive for the outing, but feel as if they have no choice but to indulge Long’s suggestion. After all, he is the boss! Drama ensues!
The sun hovered over the jagged peaks. Faro added wood until the flames stood waist high. We’d all eaten roast beef sandwiches and potato salad and pie, and we’d already made our way through the majority of the opened bottles of wine, Long drinking almost as much as the rest of us combined.
The Trackers, A Novel by Charles Frazier
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
4 cups sliced rhubarb 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced ⅓ cup flour 1 ¼ cups sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons butter
Pastry for two-crust pie
Directions:
Combine fruits. Blend dry ingredients and toss lightly with fruit.
Place mixture in 9-inch pie pan lined with pastry.
Dot with butter, and cover with top crust.
Seal edges of top and bottom crust with water. Cut small slits in top crust to let steam escape.
Bake at 400̊ F. for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on wire rack.
The original inspiration for this blog was to share recipes from the impressive collections amassed over many years by Beulah and Jane. However, as my original idea has morphed into a slightly new direction, as my ideas so often do, in the future I’ll be sharing tried and true recipes from my own extensive collection plus new favorites that I’ve developed or discovered. I often am asked to share recipes with friends and former students (I taught Culinary Arts for 32 years!). If there are any recipes that anyone would like to see added to this blog, just comment below and I will be happy to share them here.
Now a word about the Long Shot Beef Stew recipe. Dusty and I are charter members of the Read Between the Vines book club, which meets at the original Feather Hills Tasting Room at 410 Thorn Lane, Makanda. Formerly known as Orlandini’s Winery, it’s one of the oldest wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine trail. January is my month to select a book for the group to read and I chose The Trackers by Charles Frazier. I selected this book because it’s set in Depression Era America, a very challenging time in our history and similar in many ways to the post-pandemic period in which we’re living now. I’m hoping that the novel will inspire some good discussion at our next book club meeting on February 8. All book and or wine lovers are welcome to attend, BTW!
There are many food references throughout the text of The Trackers and the quote below inspired this recipe for Long Shot Beef Stew. This recipe is my adapted version of Julia Child’s classic Beef Bourguignon, which is alluded to in the text of The Trackers. I also took bits and pieces of other similar beef stew recipes to come up with surprisingly delicious dish.
Julia, who is identified in the quote from The Trackers, isn’t the famous Julia Child, but rather the Long Shot Ranch cook who often appears in the novel. However, the recipe described is likely Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. This recipe is my adaptation of the culinary classic. Cooking the stew slowly at a low temperature in the oven, produces tender meat and vegetables simmering in a decadently savory sauce. I should also mention that Dusty is the best sous chef ever! We worked on developing this recipe together and we hope that you will give it a try!
“A torn corner of paper marked a page and when I turned to it, a recipe for beef stew with wine and onions and mushrooms. A sentence was underlined in pencil–However, for the best results, make use of every trick. I held up the open book and said, Good advice?– Your bet, Julia said. And not just in cooking.”
The Trackers
Long Shot Beef Stew
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 can (10.5 ounce) condensed beef broth 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 ½ cups dry red wine, like Feather Hills Merlot
⅓ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon marjoram ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 carrots, pared and cut into 1-inch segments 1 pound fresh white mushrooms, quartered 12 small red potatoes (1 ½ pound), quartered 1 bay leaf
Directions:
In a frying pan, sauté beef in hot oil until lightly browned and no pink remains. Add onion and garlic. Sauté just until onions are translucent. Remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a 4-quart ovenproof Dutch oven or casserole.
Stir in tomatoes, beef broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine.
In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, marjoram, bay leaf and pepper. Add to beef mixture and stir to combine.
Cover and bake 2 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender, stirring once.
While enchiladas are often baked in a high-sodium sauce, this soup produces the same flavors. Garnished with fresh avocado to add a heart-healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids.
We recently discovered this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup and found it both delicious and satisfying! Weighing in at just 350 calories per serving, it’s definitely an all-around winner! Tasty, easy to prepare, and nutritious! Hope you’ll give it a try!
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth, divided
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth.
Add chicken breasts to the cooker, turning to coat with tomato-herb mixture. Cook on HIGH 3 hours.
Remove chicken and shred, then add back to the cooker.
Add black and kidney beans and remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Cook on Low or Medium setting for another 2 hours.
There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup from a can.
Laurie Colwin
In my opinion, soup is the ultimate winter comfort food, so this seems like the perfect time to share a series of my favorite soup recipes. Initially, I must confess that today’s recipe is not from either Beulah or Jane’s extensive recipe collections. However, like everything prepared in our kitchen, the dish was inspired by similar dishes prepared by our sweet mothers.
I’d like to begin this soup series with a recipe that is a twist on Beulah’s Potato Soup. Her original version was a Marlow family favorite and is very similar to my Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder recipe. Mom’s potato soup called for fewer aromatics and I’ve substituted ham for bacon, otherwise the two recipes are both creamy, flavorful and hearty. Also, as a nod to convenience, my recipe is cooked in the Instant Pot. Hope you enjoy it!
Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 slices thick-cut fully cooked ham
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup Half -and-half
1 tablespoon corn starch
Preparation:
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook and stir one minute.
Add the broth, ham, potatoes and corn to the Instant Pot.
Put the lid on the cooker, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 10 minutes. Note: It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.
When the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes, then open the valve to release remaining pressure.
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté, whisk together cream and corn starch, and stir into soup to thicken slightly.
Serve with shredded cheese and green onions, as desired.
I make this cheese ball recipe for New Year’s Eve every year without fail. I got the recipe from my sister Marilyn Sue Marlow Gerlach and it always brings back very fond memories of the very first New Year’s Eve party I ever attended. I was staying with my sister and her husband Willis, as I often did when I was a kid. I was so excited when I learned that they would be hosting a couples party for New Year’s Eve. Before that time, the only NYE events I had ever attended had been rather somber events at our church. Nice, but not exactly festive! My memories of that NYE party are a little hazy, but I definitely recall a Christmas tree, music on the record player and a pretty buffet table, featuring this cheese ball and chips and dip. By the way, that was my first experience with chip dip! It was love at first bite, starting an affair that continues to this day.
Marilyn Sue Marlow Gerlach
This cheese ball recipe is very adaptable, blending well with a variety of stir-ins. I like to add finely chopped red and green pepper, but you can also add finely chopped ham, onion or any other ingredients you like.
Easy Cheese Ball
1 stick butter, softened
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Finely chopped pecans
Blend butter, cream cheese and garlic salt until thoroughly combined. Roll in chopped pecans to coat. Garnish with paprika or chopped parsley. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for easier spreading.
When I was growing up, one thing I could always count on was that there would be a large mixing bowl in the refrigerator that contained the batter for these light-as-air dinner rolls. These rolls were my Mom’s secret weapon! Knowing that rolls hot from the oven would elevate even the most ordinary menu to memorable, she always kept the batter on hand. She would stir the batter down occasionally and the cool temps in the refrigerator kept the dough in a sort of state of suspended animation, ready to spring to life with the warmth of the oven. The recipe is virtually foolproof and nothing smells any more divine than the aroma of these beauties as they bake.
Now here’s the thing: I feel a little guilty sharing this recipe because, to my knowledge this was the only recipe my Mom ever refused to share outside the family. When I was in high school, our Future Homemakers of America club (You had to know I’d be a member of that organization, right?) gathered recipes to make a cookbook, which we sold as a club fundraiser. I selected several of my Mom’s recipes that I wanted to submit, one of which was the Batterway Rolls recipe. Before giving the recipes to my teacher, I shared my selections with my Mom. She was fine with all of my choices, except the Batterway Rolls. That one, she said, was not to be included. She didn’t make a big deal about it, but I clearly understood that that recipe was special. With this backstory, I hope you all appreciate just how good these rolls are. Give them a try! I know they’ll become a favorite at your house, too. They might even become your personal culinary secret!
Batterway Rolls
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup soft shortening (Mom never used anything but Crisco!)
1 egg at room temperature
Pour warm water into large mixing bowl. Add yeast; let stand 3 to 5 minutes then stir. Add 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, shortening and egg. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes until batter is smooth and shiny. Beating in this recipe takes the place of kneading. Stop mixer and add remaining 2 cups flour. Stir by hand until flour is fully incorporated. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled. Stir batter down. Place batter in greased muffin cups, filling half full; let rise until double. Bake in a 375 to 400 degree oven or until golden brown.
Makes about 18 dinner rolls
Now you know the secret of Beulah’s heavenly rolls! There’s a lot at risk here! I’ve broken my Mother’s trust in sharing this recipe with all of you. Use your knowledge wisely and tastefully. Your family and friends will thank you!
There’s nothing like a church potluck to inspire me to thumb through my collection of favorite recipes, many of which were specialties of my Mom Beulah and my Mother-in-law Jane. When the date for our 2019 church Thanksgiving dinner was announced, I immediately went to these two tried-and-true potluck favorites. The Corn Casserole came from Jane’s recipe collection. The Sweet and Sour Carrots are from my Mom Beulah by way of my cousin Barb Valier. Barb attends the church where I grew up, Nine Mile Baptist Church in Tamaroa, Illinois, and this was a very popular dish at all the many church potlucks there in the 1970s. Guess that makes it a true recipe classic. Both recipes are equally yummy and I hope you’ll give them a try.
Sweet and Sour Carrots made from Barb Valier’s recipe
Sweet and Sour Carrots
1 pound carrots, sliced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
8-ounce can chunk pineapple, drained
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Cook carrots until fork tender; add green pepper and cook three minutes. Cook 1/2 cup pineapple juice, sugar, and salt. Add vinegar and cornstarch and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Drain carrots and green pepper. Pour sauce over vegetables and stir to coat.
Jane’s Corn Pudding
16-ounce can cream style corn
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine cream style corn and beaten eggs. Stir in milk and salt. Melt butter in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch casserole dish; tilt to coat bottom and sides of dish well. Add corn mixture to casserole. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Each year in November, our church hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for our church family and guests. The talented members of our Recreation Committee roast five turkeys; peel, cook and mash lots and lots of potatoes; and make enough dressing and graving to feed a small army. It really is quite a feast, an event we all look forward to each year. Members are asked to share desserts, salads or side dishes to complete the meal.
This year Dusty and I chose to prepare one recipe from each of our mother’s recipe file to share at the FBCP Thanksgiving meal. The recipes we chose were Sweet and Sour Carrots and Baked Corn Pudding. You might consider adding one or both of these delicious side dishes to your own Thanksgiving feast!
Sweet and Sour Carrots was a favorite recipe in the Marlow household.
Sweet and Sour Carrots
1 pound carrots
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
8-ounce can chuck pineapple, drained (reserve juice)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Cook carrots until tender, drain. Add green pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes. Cook 1/2 cup pineapple juice, sugar, salt; add vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch. Drain vegetables and pour sauce over; stir to coat. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
This sweet corn pudding is a tasty side dish that will please everyone at your holiday table!
Baked Corn Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14 3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Whisk in eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Stir in the corn and cream-style corn. Pour into a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degree for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 10 servings.
Miracle Cheesecake was one of Beulah’s signature dishes! This no-bake dessert popped up on the Marlow Sunday dinner table and at countless Nine Mile Baptist church potlucks.
In doing a little research for this blog post, I was surprised to learn that my Mom’s Miracle Cheesecake has a fascinating culinary history. This no-bake cheesecake was apparently the signature dish at Woolworths lunch counters all over the country! These lunch counters have an important connection to the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. The lunch counters were the site of nonviolent sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina which led to Woolworths removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. Interesting, right?
The Miracle Cheesecake is a light-as-air lemon confection. This iconic dessert is comprised of two parts: the graham cracker crust/topping and the delicious cheesecake filling. A major component of the filling is Milnot Evaporated Milk, an old-fashioned product not commonly used but still available on supermarket shelves. Important note about this step-the Milnot will whip up much fluffier and the dessert will be much lighter when its at room temperature. Do not refrigerate before whipping! I hope you’ll give this recipe for Miracle Cheesecake a try!
This is my Mom’s well-used recipe for Miracle Cheese Cake
Miracle Cheese Cake
1 package (3-ounce) lemon flavored Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (13-ounce) can Milnot, whipped
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Chill until slightly thickened, Cream together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice; add gelatin and blend well. Fold in stiffly whipped Milnot. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together; press 2/3 of mixture on bottom and sides of 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Spread filling over graham cracker crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill several hours or overnight. Cut in squares and serve plain or garnished with fruit.
Beulah Jane 