Ramona Hatch

Mediterranean On The Menu

Published on September 24, 2019September 24, 2019 by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

Grecian Chicken

As Dusty and I sorted through Jane’s recipe collection, we were very surprised to find four recipe cards for this flavorful chicken dish! Since all the recipes were virtually exactly the same, we assumed that this must have been one of her favorites! Even though neither Dusty or I remember Jane preparing and serving this recipe, we felt compelled to give it a try and we’re really glad that we did! The grilled chicken is moist, tender, and juicy! Delicious!

Grecian Chicken

1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

1 (2 ½ to 4 pound) cut-up chicken

Juice of 2 lemons (About 2 tablespoons)
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Combine oregano, pepper, garlic powder and salt.
Rinse chicken pieces under running cold water; pat dry.
Rub oregano mixture into chicken.
Mix lemon juice and oils in large shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to coat.
Refrigerate, covered, 12 to 24 hours.
Grill about 45 minutes in covered grill, turning and basting with marinade every 5 to 10 minutes. Note: The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees F.

Yield: 4 servings

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Saturday Nite Special

Published on September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 by Ramona Hatch2 Comments

This simple casserole recipe was very popular in the Marlow household when I was growing up! It’s actually little more than baked beans with ground beef added, but the combination makes a delicious main dish that’s both savory and oh so slightly sweet. I’m sure the fact that the ingredients in Saturday Nite Special are also inexpensive pantry staples made it appealing to a mom on a budget. The brown sugar added to the bacon that tops the casserole give the dish a very modern twist!

Being the rule breakers that we are, Dusty and I prepared Saturday Nite Special for dinner on Sunday evening. LOL We followed the recipe as it appears on Beulah’s recipe card pictured above with one deviation. We replaced the pork and beans with a can of Bush’s Best Original Baked Beans, which added some extra flavor to the dish. I think my mom would approve. Served with some crusty bread and a fresh vegetable salad, Saturday Nite Special was just as tasty and satisfying as I remembered!

Saturday Nite Special

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (28 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (20 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced

Bacon
¼ cup brown sugar

Directions:
Brown ground beef in hot skillet without added fat. Stir often. Add pork and beans. Drain ¾ cup tomato juice from tomatoes and save for future use. Add remaining tomatoes and salt to browned ground beef mixture. Pour half of mixture into greased 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish; cover with sliced onions. Pour remaining beef mixture over onions. Top with strips of bacon and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in 350̊ for one hour.

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Potato Chip Cookies

Published on September 14, 2019September 16, 2019 by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

This recipe may sound a little weird, but I guarantee you’ll love it! The potato chips add just enough saltiness to balance the sweetness of the butterscotch chips! Beulah, my mom, created a cookie tradition when she introduced this recipe into her cookie archive! It’s a childhood favorite of her granddaughter, Angela as well as the rest of the family!

Potato Chip Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips
1 package (12 ounces) butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together butter and brown sugar until thoroughly blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in crushed potato chips and butterscotch chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonsful onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool on wire rack.

Yield: 5 1/2 dozen cookies

Welcome to Beulah Jane!

Published on September 14, 2019September 14, 2019 by Ramona Hatch1 Comment

We are Dusty and Ramona Hatch, your hosts for a culinary journey through our mothers’ recipe collections!

We’ve been toying with the idea of creating this cooking blog for some time and we’re very excited that it’s finally happening! We are so blessed to have inherited two huge recipe collections, one from each of our mothers! We thought that sharing the best of those recipe collections with people who appreciate preparing and savoring good food would be a fitting tribute to these two amazing women! Thus our Beulah Jane blog was born and our culinary journey begun! We’re so pleased that you’ve chosen to join us!

Meet our Moms, Beulah and Jane

Beulah Watts Marlow
Jane Smith Hatch Krueger

Before we jump into sharing our first recipes, it seems appropriate that we give you some background on our blog’s namesakes. Beulah (my mom) and Jane (Dusty’s mom) lived, worked and raised their families at opposite ends of our home state of Illinois. Though they spent their lives hundreds of miles apart geographically, they shared many traits, interests and even work experience.

Moms who worked outside the home were not nearly as commonplace when Dusty and I were growing up, yet both of our moms went to work when we were pretty young. Interestingly enough, both Beulah and Jane worked as cooks in the elementary school cafeterias where their children attended. They also shared an appreciation for Blue Willow china. We’ve incorporated that traditional dinnerware pattern as part of the theme for Beulah Jane, for that reason.

Both Beulah and Jane were very adventurous cooks, collecting countless recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts. Because the recipes were gleaned from a myriad of sources–newspapers, magazines, cookbooks, friends, family–the process of merging and organizing the two recipe collections was like stepping back in time. Because most of the recipes are handwritten, the experience was deeply personal and emotional.

As we categorized and grouped the recipes, it was easy to identify the most treasured and trusted recipes. They’re the recipes that bear the food spatters and splotches of frequent use, testifying to their popularity with both cook and diners. Those are the recipes that you can expect to see shared on this blog.

Chocolate Eclairs

Published on September 14, 2019September 18, 2019 by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

These chocolate eclairs are one of Dusty’s absolute favorite desserts! In fact, he’s so fond of them that Jane, my soon-to-be mother-in-law shared this recipe before Dusty and I were married. She told me that she wanted to make sure that her son would always be able to enjoy these tender, tasty pastries! Don’t let the length of the recipe intimidate you! I promise that they’re really easy to make!

Chocolate Eclairs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Eclair Filling

2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Eclair Frosting

1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water

Heat water and butter to rolling boil. Add flour to water and butter. Beat vigorously by hand over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add eggs one at a time. Beat until smooth. Shape into fingers 4 inches long and 1 inch wide on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Bake in 400 degrees oven 45 – 50 minutes. Cool and cut open. Scrape out excess dough and fill with custard. To make custard filling, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until it thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks. Then quickly blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Cool. For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost eclairs.

Yield: 9 eclairs

Cherry Wink Cookies

Published on September 14, 2019September 18, 2019 by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

As a kid, this was my very favorite cookie! I could never understand why my mother made them so infrequently until I made them myself! The recipe isn’t difficult, but there are a lot of steps in the process. The effort is so worth it, I guarantee it!

Cherry Winks

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans
⅓ cup chopped maraschino cherries

2 ½ cups cornflakes, crushed
maraschino cherries cut into fourths

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In large mixing bowl cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Add milk and vanilla and mix well. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in chopped pecans and maraschino cherries. Using one level tablespoon of dough at a time, shape into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball of dough in crushed cornflakes. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with ¼ of a maraschino cherry; press slightly into top of cookie. Bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and set.

Yield: 54 cookies