This cook book belonged to my mother. I don't remember where she got it. (Mom you can comments and tell us.) As a child I remember her using it often. It must have gotten wet in some accident in the kitchen at some point because the pages are wrinkled in places. This just makes me love it more. My mom often used the biscuit recipe on page 13. It's the only one I use now. The book naturally opens to the page. When I married a Mennonite and he told me about these little cookie his mom made, of course I wanted to make them for him and on page 279 I found, "Pfeffernusse". This young bride had a happy husband.Recently, in an attempt to make cheap, healthy food for my family I decided to try the very affordable cut of pork, 'the ham hock.' What's a girl to do with ham hock? I opened my cookbook and there I found a wonderful recipe for Split Pea Soup (pg 41) Because I love this recipe so much I thought I would share it with you.
1 ham hock
2 1/2 quarts water
2 1/2 cups split peas
1 large onion
3 medium carrots
Salt and pepper
Cook ham hock and peas together slowly for about 3 hours. Dice onions and carrots and add 30 minutes before severing. Season.
It's that easy! I added celery and cooked it longer that 3 hours because I started with a frozen ham hock. I also added the meat off the bone (its not that much) back into the soup. Mine is really thick after cooling and I like it like that. But if you didn't want it really thick just don't cook it till it gets to that point. And if you do just add water when you are reheating the leftovers! Yummy, easy, healthy, affordable soup. What more could you ask for.
At the end of the book the author has included a little jewel.
"Food for a Barn Raising" This list was found in an olds handwritten recipe book.
115 lemon pie
500 fat cakes (doughnuts)
15 large cakes
3 gallons applesauce
3 gallons rice pudding
16 chickens
3 hams
50 pounds roast beef
300 light rolls
16 loaves bread
Red beet pickles, pickles eggs, cucumber pickles
6 pounds dried prunes, stewed
1 large crock stewed raisins
5 gallon stone jar white potatoes and the same amount of sweet potatoes
Enough for 175 men.
Wow!!!! That must have taken quite the cook force. Talk about team work.
So there you have it- my favorite cookbook. Maybe one day I'll have the privilege of giving it to Grace...if she wants it...if not...I'll keep it!!!!
blessings
1 comment:
That book is like an old friend and I am so glad that you love my old friend. It was bought for me by your father in Kingston, ON on our anniversary at Logos Bookstore. I learned so much from it and I liked the intros to the chapters, like this one from page 90, "A story handed down gives interesting information regarding the various names used for bread dressing used to stuff fowls. There was a large table of guests, and Uncle Dave, who was visiting from an adjoining state, was asked to pass the "dressing." Seeing only a look of dismay on his face, the host tried again, asking him to pass the "filling." Still not getting anywhere he suggested that he pass the "stuffing." "Oh," exclaimed Uncle Dave at last, "we call that ramming!"
That's what cooking is about, feeding our loved ones and guests around the table together.
I have since bought another copy (but only spiral bound) when I found one in the gift shop while crossing on the Chi Cheemaun Ferry. The lady at the counter said, "Wow, thats alot to pay for a cook book." But I just smiled cuz I knew she didn't understand its worth.
Thanks Amie xoxoxo mom
Post a Comment