Good Morning.
For the past several days I've been out and about in a shirt I would normally wear in June, something with long sleeves but thin. I've had the sun roof open on my car and the windows open in my house. There was a whopper of a thunderstorm a few days ago and another one last night, during which occurrences my dog cowered near the bed. Her prayers for relief have been answered, because over the next few days we're supposed to get bombed with up to ten inches of snow. My snow removal man sent out a text to his customers asking if they wanted to get plowed out or if they preferred to hope that everything melts. I choose hope, and meanwhile, I shall eat. I selected today's recipes from The South Dakota Centennial Cookbook because I live in a state where it's possible to turn on the heat and the air-conditioning in the same day.
We begin with a Peach Slush.
2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut
1 can frozen lemonade
1 can vodka
Place everything in a blender. Add ice cubes a couple at a time and process until the blender is full.
A friend and I went to lunch on one of the open sun roof days and chose the restaurant specifically because it has the best onion rings on earth. They're cut very thin and the batter is feathery light. Here's a recipe that's pretty good. Have these morsels with your Slush.
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
2 large white onions
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 egg yolks, beaten, and save the whites
3/4 cup beer - open the can or bottle and let it go flat
Put the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, vegetable oil, and egg yolks in a bowl and mix well. Gradually add the flat beer, stirring constantly. Allow this batter to rest, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 12 hours. Just before using , add the two stiffly beaten egg whites. Early in the day, slice the onions and refrigerate them in ice water. When ready to serve, dry them on a dish cloth. Dip in the batter and fry in hot vegetable oil in a skillet or electric frying pan. Use a fork to turn over and brown evenly. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
For an entree with suggest Roman Meat Loaf. I have no idea why it's Roman.
1 cup cracker crumbs
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 eggs beaten
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper - I'd suggest red because I don't like green
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 4 oz. can mushroom pieces
1 tsp. dried parsley or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
Combine half a cup of the cracker crumbs with the beef, tomato paste, beaten eggs, onion, red or green pepper, salt, and pepper. Pat half of this mixture in the bottom of an 8x8x2 inch glass pan.
Combine the rest of the cracker crumbs with the cottage cheese, mushroom pieces, parsley, and oregano. Spread over the meat, then top this with the rest of meat mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Let stand for ten minutes before cutting.
Serve your meat loaf with Blender Potatoes.
1 cup whole milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. soft butter
1 small onion, quartered
4 medium-sized raw potatoes, peeled, and cut into small pieces
Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until just blended. Do not overblend. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart greased casserole. Bake for one hour in a 350 degree oven. This means you can throw this thing in with the meatloaf. It also means to wash out the blender before making the Peach Slush.
We also suggest Broccoli and Corn.
1 package broccoli, thawed
2 cans cream style corn
3/4 cup cracker crumbs
1 egg beaten
3 strips bacon, fried, drained, and crumbled
Grated Parmesan cheese for the top
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and put into a greased casserole. Top with grated cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. This means you can also throw this thing
in the oven with the meat loaf and the potatoes after they've been baking for 15 minutes.
This is the extent of my math skills.
For dessert, we recommend a Rum Cake.
For the cake:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 18 1/2 oz. yellow cake mix
1 3 3/4 oz. instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the glaze:
1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark rum
Grease and flour a 12 inch bundt pan. Sprinkle the nuts over the bottom of the pan. Mix all the cake ingredients together and pour over the nuts. Bake in a 325 degree oven for an hour, remove, and cool. Invert on a serving plate and prick the top with a fork or toothpick or something. For the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in water and sugar, and boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Smooth evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with seedless green grapes, dusted with powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream if desired, and in view of the weather, I do.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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