Smoked Salmon Dip

Mom in the "uniform" she had to wear when
working at the Hyatt House in Burlinggame, CA

When Mom owned a Seafood market in Ocean Park, Washington we sometimes made this dip for customers to sample. Unfortunately, some customers thought “sampling” meant standing next to the bowl and eating all of it.

Smoked Salmon Dip

1 pound cream cheese (preferably Philadelphia brand)

1 Tb dried minced onion, reconstituted in about 1 Tb of water

1 Tb Mrs. Dash No Salt seasoning

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 Tb Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 pound smoked salmon

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. If consistency is too thick, additional sour cream and/or mayonnaise can be added. Serve with a fairly sturdy chip (I like Tostitos white corn chips).

EZ Beef Stew

My Dad and me, about 1953

This stew is fairly easy because you don't have to brown the meat first (but I usually do because I think it enhances the flavor just a bit!), and once you've got everything into the oven all you have to do is wait. Waiting patiently may not be easy during the last hour or so when your kitchen fills with the delicious aroma of the stew. The parsnips add a hint of sweetness--of course if you don't like parsnips you should add another potato.

EZ Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed

2 onions, chopped (I usually use Maui or Vidalia)

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 Parsnips, peeled and chopped

6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into about 1-inch pieces

   (or you can use a large bag of ready-to-eat “baby” carrots)

2 lg baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into about 1-1/2 inch pieces

one 14-1/2 oz can petite-diced tomatoes

2-1/2 cups beef broth (abt one and a half 14-1/2 oz cans) 

3 or 4 Tbs red wine (optional)

3 Tbs Minute Tapioca

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend

2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 325° F. Scatter about 1/3 of the chopped onions in the bottom of a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Place the raw beef* on top of the onions (do not brown the meat), then cover with the remaining onions and chopped vegetables.

Combine the tomatoes, broth, Tapioca, sugar, spices and herbs and pour over the vegetables and beef. Do not stir. Cover and cook for 3 hours—do NOT peek!

* If you prefer you can sear the meat first--it usually has to be done in 2 batches--then remove and layer as described above.

Incredibly Easy Baked Chicken

This recipe is so simple, but the chicken turns out tasty and moist. Even better, the preparation time is ridiculously quick—about 5 minutes tops! As you can see, there is no quantity shown for the seasoning ingredients, it just depends on the how much chicken you’re baking.

Incredibly Easy Baked Chicken

Chicken (quarters or pieces--whichever you prefer)
Garlic powder
Salt
Other seasonings, if desired
Brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a pan with foil (you don’t have to, but it makes cleanup easier), and lightly grease the foil. Place chicken pieces on the foil. Generously season with garlic powder, and sprinkle with salt. If you want to get fancy, you can add other seasonings such as turmeric, paprika, dried lemon peel, etc. Sprinkle pieces with brown sugar. Place in oven and bake. Check after approximately 40 minutes, and cover with foil if chicken appears too dry.

Approximate total baking time:

Whole wings and/or drumsticks: 50 minutes

Thighs or thigh/drumstick quarters: 55 to 60 minutes

Breasts or breast/wing quarters: 60 to 65 minutes

My niece Treeva, with unknown friend, ca 1982

Date Nut Bread

I find it easiest to use kitchen scissors to “chop” the dates into pieces. You can experiment with other types of nuts—I once used hazelnuts in this recipe, and though it was good, the flavor of the nuts rather overwhelmed the dates. This bread is delicious toasted for breakfast or tea.



Carpenter's Square Quilted Wall Hanging
(stare at it: your eyes will play tricks!)

 Date Nut Bread

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup boiling water
3 Tbs butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

In medium bowl mix dates and soda. Pour water over them and add butter. Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes. Butter a 9x5-inch pan, line bottom with parchment paper and butter paper too (the sugar in the dates is sticky—the parchment paper will prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan).

Whisk dry ingredients in large bowl. After approximately 15 minutes (depending on how quickly your oven heats), preheat oven to 350 F. Add the eggs and vanilla to dry ingredients and stir with a fork to combine. Stir in the date mixture and the chopped nuts.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for approximately 55 minutes, until tester inserted into center comes out cleanly. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Sausage and Hash Brown Casserole

This is good for breakfast but also makes a great dinner casserole. For dinner I usually add some chopped broccoli florets with the hash brown mixture, and serve with a green salad.

Sausage and Hash Brown Casserole

1 pound pork sausage

16 oz frozen hash browns, thawed

   (I use Shreds O'Brien which includes chopped red and green bell peppers)

about 3/4 of a can (10-3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup *

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1-1/2 cups (about 8 oz) cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350° F. and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole. Brown sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. While sausage is browning place hash browns in a large bowl (thaw in microwave on low power, if necessary). Add soup, sour cream, onion, salt, pepper and about 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Mix to combine, then place half of mixture in casserole dish, spread browned sausage in middle and top with the remaining potato mixture. Spread reserved cheese over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes; uncover an bake 10 minutes longer. Makes about 6 servings.

Grandma, Rick & Terri, Nahcotta, WA ca 1951

Crisp German Waffles

Packaged mixes are quick and convenient, but these "from scratch" waffles take very little more time. Beating the egg whites separately and then folding them gives these waffles a light interior texture with a crisp exterior. I like these topped with a banana which has been mashed up with honey and a little cinnamon, or smothered in sweetened strawberries and whipped cream, or ...

Rick on Dad's Harley, April 1964
South San Francisco, California

Crisp German Waffles

2  cups flour

2  Tb sugar

2  tsp baking powder

2/3  tsp. salt

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1-3/4  cup milk

5  Tbs melted butter

3  egg whites

Preheat waffle iron. Whisk the dry ingredients in large bowl.  Stir egg yolks and milk together, add to dry ingredients.  Stir in the melted butter.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold into batter.  Bake in hot waffle iron until crisp and golden.

Lasagna Soup

Fall is the season of comfort food--warm, hearty fare to keep out the chill and help prepare you for Winter hibernation. This soup fits the bill and is pretty healthy too (Not counting the sausage!). The original recipe was in the December, 2005 issue of Cuisine At Home magazine, but I've modified it a bit to suit myself . The recipe can be made to suit both gluten-free and lactose-free diets.

Lasagna Soup

1 or 2 Tbs olive oil
1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Dried Italian seasoning, to taste
1 large sweet onion (usually Maui or Vidalia), chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (I prefer Cremini)
2 Tbs garlic, finely minced (I usually just use the jarred stuff)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite-cut tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 oz) low-sodium chicken broth *
1 cup mini-farfalle or campanelle pasta (optional: omit if you want gluten-free)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (preferably baby spinach)
Optional: diced mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese

This recipe makes almost a gallon of soup, so you'll need to use a Dutch oven or a very large saucepan. Brown the sausage in the olive oil over medium-high heat, seasoning with salt, pepper and dried Italian seasoning. Add the onions and carrots and continue to sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for another 3 or 4 minutes.

Add all the canned ingredients and bring to a boil. Add pasta (if using), lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes (or amount of time required to cook pasta almost al dente, per package directions). Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 or 2 minutes.

The original recipe says to ladle the soup over 1/4 cup of cubed mozzarella to give the soup that "gooey cheese element" of lasagna and further garnishes the top with grated Parmesan. I find stringy cheese in my soup unpleasant, so I leave it out—this is also a good idea for those who are lactose-intolerant. This is not a soup to be served with crushed crackers—I usually serve it with toasted slices of a crusty sourdough bread for dunking, or if I don't have any of that I top it with croutons.

*Note: leftovers are great, but if you have them and need to reheat the soup you should add some additional chicken broth, as the soup seems to get thicker when refrigerated.

Hijinks at Roads End, Lincoln City, Feb 1998
Cousin Terri, Mom, Aunt Peggy & Uncle Lee