Cynthia of Tastes like Home has a cookbook out.  It’s called My Carribean Cookbook.  What a delectable title!  She always makes scrumptious-looking and sounding meals on her blog, so I know her cookbook will produce the same types of recipes.  Check out Cynthia’s blog; you can buy the book here.

Paz

Hi all,A roundup for A Day that Really Schmecks has been posted. Check it out here.

A Day that Really Schmecks II
Jasmine will host the event again. If you’re interested in participating, I’ve reposted Jasmine’s instructions below.

Paz

Here’s how in four easy steps:

• Prepare your favourite Edna recipe or share an Edna story. The recipes don’t have to be from Food That Really Schmecks, they can be from any of Edna’s books. In fact, if after you’ve read the write-ups from the other post and you feel you’ve a recipe that captures Edna’s spirit or simple and delicious cooking, you can post that as an honorary Edna recipe.
• Publish your post by Monday, 29 January.
• If you can, please photograph your dish and include it in the post.
• Email the link and photograph to me at cardamomaddict at gmail dot com (you know…replace the “at” and the “dot” with their appropriate symbols).

I’ll post the round-up a few days later. Who knows, maybe we can make January a month that really schmecks

It’s De-lurking Month!
That means if you regularly or occasionally read this blog but never leave a comment, here’s your chance to do so. And if you normally comment, feel free to continue to do so. It’s no fun without you here!

The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted (That’s the name of the soup!)

 

Edna Staebler’s cookbook, Food That Really Schmecks, has been republished. In honor of this occasion, food bloggers are participating in an event called A Day That Really Schmecks. The bloggers will prepare a recipe or two from the book and blog about it. Jasmine of will post a line up of the blogged about recipes on Confessions of a Cardamom Addict on January 15, 2007.

Staebler was an award winning journalist and author. She recently passed away in 2006 at the age of 100. I’m certainly glad that it’s never too late to learn about her and her work.

From the title to its content of Mennonite Country Cooking recipes, I found Food That Really Schmecks appealing. As I read the book on the subway and at work, people who spotted the title made comments. The title alone was a conversation starter. I’m not sure what “schmecks” literally means, but I get the gist that it means something along the lines of “good, great, awesome…” that sort of thing. Anyone out there, please feel free to enlighten me.

I liked how the book is filled with recipes for seemingly everything – from Grape Wine to Milk Toast, sauces for vegetables, pickled eggs, cheese bread, porridge bread, Almond Macaroons, to Angel cake, Sponge cake and more. There are even recipes for candy! I also like that a measurement conversion table is located in the back. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a section entitled ‘A Variety of Things,’ where you can find recipes for sausages, cheese, and home remedies.

Interspersed throughout the book are Staebler’s stories about cooking Mennonites and her family, which I found entertaining. The book really packs a punch and has a lot to offer.

I decided to make the recipe entitled, ‘The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted’ (another title I like). The ingredients are simple and the recipe uncomplicated.

I’m wondering, though, if there’s a typo in this recipe. ½ cup raw rice is mentioned twice. In any event, I only used the ½ cup rice measurement once and it worked out fine. The soup was light, yet filling.

Best of all, I like how Staebler encourages the reader not to take the recipes seriously but instead have fun with them. “Experiment, improvise, be a little reckless,” she writes. I did have fun and added a little Cajun Spice, which my friend had sent me, to make the soup spicier. Loved it!

There are many recipes, from which to pick. The soup I prepared was a good start and I plan on trying out more of the recipes.

Look, mom! I’m making Mennonite Country food! That really schmecks!

Don’t forget to check out Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, January 15, to see a round up of all the prepared meals that schmeck. Thanks, Jasmine for putting this together.

Paz

Ed. Note: According to Jasmine, “Schmecks” means “tasty” or “tastes very good.” Also it seems that the double posting of the rice ingredient is indeed a typo. The rice ingredient only appears once in the first cookbook printing. So that that means there should only be one listing of 1/2 cup raw rice in the new cookbook version, as well.

The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted
Food That Really Schmecks – Edna Staebler

When Mother made this mild, thick soup with vegetables, rice and beef, we didn’t need or want anything else. The amounts I give are approximate.

1 large, meaty beef bone (I think it comes from a cow’s leg)
Water to cover the bone with at least 2 quarts left after the boiling

½ cup raw rice
2 medium-sized sliced raw potatoes
½ cup raw rice (Paz Note: I wonder if this is a typo, since it’s already mentioned above)
2 or 3 sliced carrots
½ cupful sliced cabbage
1 cup celery, cut up
Salt and pepper
1 small sliced onion (optional)
1 cup cut-up green beans
½ cup green peas
Lots of parsley

Boil the beef till it falls off the bone. Add the rice and boil for 15 minutes, then add the vegetables and continue boiling until they are tender but not mushy – about 20 minutes. Cut the meat into more-or-less bite-sized pieces, keeping it hot in the soup. Add the cup-up parsley and serve into large, deep soup dishes – again and again.

 

 

It’s Delurking Week!

 

Garlicky Rice

Our fellow food blogger and friend, Ruth Daniels has a recently released cookbook. It’s called Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories: Recipes to warm the heart. Months ago, I had the pleasure of being one of her recipe testers and I liked the recipes I tried.

The cookbook is filled with favorite family recipes and personal stories. I like how each recipe comes with a “Tips and Variations” section. There’s also a “Cooking Primer” section. All are helpful to the reader.

The first recipe to jump out at me from this new cookbook was the Garlicky Rice. I’m a rice eater, so this recipe called my name (“Paz, Paz! Make me first! Make me first!”).

The ingredients consist of rice, butter, onions, carrots, chicken stock and most important of all, garlic. The recipe calls for 8 cloves of garlic. Who’s afraid of a little garlic? As long as it tastes good, I say, “Bring it on!” Besides, garlic is good for you. Years ago, I’d read the memoir of two American sisters called Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. At the time they were age 101 and 103 and part of their health regiment consisted of eating a clove of garlic (raw, I think) daily. So, I’m not afraid of garlic.

The combinations of the ingredients were delicious! Ruth recommends serving this rice with grilled steaks and chicken, other slow cooked roasts or your favorite shrimp or scallop dishes.

If you’re looking for a different version of rice to make, try this Garlicky Rice.

Congratulations Ruth on the release of your cookbook!

Paz

 

Garlicky Rice
Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories – Ruth Daniels

Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter
8 cloves garlic, minced – This is not a typo!
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped or grated (1/2) cup)
2 cups plain white raw rice, preferably Italian, well rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock

1- In large skillet, melt butter and cook carrot and onion until golden, about 5 minutes.

2- Add garlic now so it will be aromatic. If you cook garlic in step 1 with onion, mixture it will become bitter.

3- Add rice to the pan with an additional tbsp of butter if needed. Stir to coat the rice.

4- Add chicken stock, bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

5- Remove from heat, fluff/stir gently with a fork. Re-cover and let rest for 5 minutes or so.

Once I become serious about cooking, Tio Pete recommends that I purchase a Fanny Farmer Cookbook. He and Anne have two copies – an original 11^th edition published in 1965 and a 12^th edition copy published in 1979.

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook is one of the most popular cookbooks published in the past 60 years. Originally published in 1896, it contains several recipes, and provides a lot of cooking descriptions, tips, and explanations regarding food and its preparation, developing good cooking habits, menu planning, entertaining, cooking staples, cooking equipment, cooking terms and procedures, the correct heat temperature and much more.

I’m able to find a used 1994 copy edited by Marion Cunningham and the first recipe I make from the book is skillet fried pork chops and mashed potatoes. For a first timer, my meal isn’t bad. If I do say so myself, it’s incredibly delicious! The pork chops are moist and tasty and the mashed potatoes are fluffy and buttery. My success encourages me to continue cooking. Yay!

The next recipe I try is lemon-parsley tripe. With simple ingredients of tripe, butter, onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice and minced parsley, I find that I can’t go wrong and produce another delicious meal.

Oh, and lets not forget the simple lamb meal I make – lamb sautéed in a pan.

Wooo whooo! I’m on a cooking roll! My cooking adventures continue!

What is the first cookbook you purchased? Do you still use it?

Paz