Mushroom Steak

Here is another easy meal from Mom's recipe box. It might take a little too long to make on a weeknight, but it is delicious and filling. The ingredients are few and easy to come by. I bet this meal would be good using chicken instead of steak, but that is a test for another night.

For this dinner, I used egg noodles, but other types of noodles or rice could be nice. This recipe is a simpler variation of beef stroganoff, which is why I like egg noodles with it. Of the two recipes, I prefer the beef stroganoff, which uses fresh mushrooms. But when fresh mushrooms are not readily available, this recipe will do.

Mushroom Steak

• 1/4 cup flour
• dash of pepper to taste
• 1.5 pounds round steak
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 soup can of water
• cooked noodles or rice

Cut the steak into inch cubes. Combine flour and pepper, then pound into steak with a meat hammer or edge of a heavy saucer. In a large skillet, melt the butter, then brown the steak on all sides. Add the soup and water. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Patti's Meat Pie Pasties

MDS remembers his Mom making these Pasties when he was a kid. So, of course, I asked Patti for the recipe, which she gladly shared. Patti also provided some background information. The pasties are large hand pies and are often called "Cornish Pasties" because they were introduced in this country by the coal miners who emigrated here from Cornwall, England, to work in the mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Supposedly the wives would make the pasties in the early morning and the men would carry them tucked inside their shirts when they went to work in the cold weather. The pasty would keep the man warm, at least for a little while, and then the man's body heat would keep the pasty from freezing before lunchtime.

Patti's recipe differs from the traditional one in a couple of ways. The original calls for round steak cut into cubes, rather than ground. Patti thought that meat would be too tough, so she went with ground round. Patti's recipe leaves out rutabaga because the kids would not eat rutabaga. I can't help but wonder if they would even notice the rutabaga. Next time that I make these, I might try to sneak in some rutabaga.

Warning: Pasties are the type of food that retain heat, so Patti advises to have them out of the oven for about half an hour before dinner. You can really burn your mouth on these things if you don't let them cool for a while.

The recipe calls for pre-cooking the potato, but not the onion or carrot. Patti thinks that a step could be saved by using raw potato. But neither she nor I wanted to risk having the potatoes still crunchy in the finished product, so the hypothesis is untested. The carrot and onion get perfectly soft without pre-cooking. Patti remembers the family would love ketchup on pasties. MDS even vaguely remembers using ketchup. But maybe the ketchup is just for kids, because the pasties were delicious without ketchup.

Patti's Meat Pie Pasties

Crust:

• 2 cups flour 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 3/4 cup butter 
• 5 to 6 Tbsp ice water 

Filling:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef 
• 4 small carrots, finely diced 
• 1 medium onion, finely diced 
• 4 small potatoes, boiled, peeled and chopped 
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. pepper 

Make crust: Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in the butter. Add water as needed. Use a pastry cutter to blend until the dough forms. Divide dough into four equal balls and chill for at least one hour.

Make filling: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Place 1/4 of filling on one side of the circle, shaped into an oval mound. Fold over the other side of the dough to form a turnover. Seal the edges and press with the tines of a fork. Poke a few steam holes into each pasty with the fork. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. If desired, brush with melted butter or egg wash. Allow about 30 minutes to cool. Enjoy!

John's Pasta Salad

A number of years ago, John first made this pasta salad for a family get-together, probably a Memorial Day or Labor Day party. Since that time, others in the family have made this recipe, each adding their own favorite add-ins. Laura likes to add garbanzo beans. The great thing about this recipe is that once you make the basic recipe, you can easily add in any combination of vegetables, cheese, meats, etc. As Laura says, it is a great recipe for using up any veggies that you have sitting around.

Now this recipe will feed a crowd, but could easily be reduced to feed fewer than a crowd. The key ratio for the sour cream to mayo is 1:1. John prefers to use more mayo and sour cream, but it is entirely up to your taste. Other than balancing the sour cream to mayo, the amount of other ingredients is entirely up to you. When I made this recipe, I used everything listed below.

John's Pasta Salad

• 1 16 ounce bag or box of pasta (elbow or rotini work best)
• 1-1/2 cup mayo
• 1-1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 packets dry Italian dressing
• 2-6 cups chopped veggies, such as cucumber, carrot, tomato, celery, etc.

Optional add-ins, to taste:

• Cheese, cubed 
• Diced ham or salami (or other meat)
• Black Olives, sliced
• Can of Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 
• Bottled Italian Dressing, to taste

Cook the pasta. Cool the pasta. Mix the mayo and sour cream with dry Italian. Add the mixture to the pasta. Add cheese, meat and veggies. Stir in. Depending on the veggies, more sour cream and mayo (using a 1:1 ration) may be mixed in. If it is too dry, add some bottled Italian dressing. Chill for several hours. Enjoy!

Grandma's Fried Green Tomatoes

When late summer rolls around, a bounty of vegetables begins to arrive. When looking through Grandma's recipes, I found this one for fried green tomatoes. Although I do not remember Grandma making these, I bet she did. I am glad that I decided to give them a try. These fried green tomatoes were outstanding.

Now, you may find other recipes for fried green tomatoes that require more steps. For example, I saw one recipe that called for dredging the tomatoes in flour, then coating in a beaten egg, then dredging them through seasoned corn meal. There is nothing wrong with taking all those steps. But I plan to stick with the simplicity of Grandma's recipe. The only change I recommend from grandma's recipe is to use salt on the sliced tomatoes to draw out some of the excess water.

This year, Mom has a bumper crop of tomatoes in her backyard. I was lucky to already receive two lovely ripe tomatoes. They were delicious. As the tomatoes continue to grow, I hope to get more tomatoes from Mom, maybe even some green tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes 

• 2 medium green tomatoes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Set in a colander and sprinkle with salt and allow excess water to drain for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, pepper on a piece of wax paper or in a shallow bowl. Coat the tomatoes with the flour mixture.

Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes in a single layer and cook about four minutes per side or until the tomatoes are lightly brown and barely tender. Repeat as necessary with remaining tomato slices. Enjoy!

Grandma included a note that if green tomatoes are gone, use firm red tomatoes. I will have to give red tomatoes a try some time. 

Aunt Paula's Blueberry Coffee Cake

A few summers ago, MDS and I picked several pounds of blueberries while we were in Michigan. Lucky for us, Aunt Paula gave us this excellent recipe to use up some of the blueberries. For some reason, this recipe shouts summer to me, but maybe this winter, I will give it a try with frozen blueberries.

Aunt Paula and Uncle Zach graciously host us when we visit Michigan. The photo here of MDS with Aunt Paula and Uncle Zach was taken around MDS's birthday in 2011. We always have a great time staying with the Holmes, which usually involves a fair amount of wine and delicious food.

Aunt Paula's recipe notes that this coffee cake freezes well. I imagine that it might, but I have never had to freeze it. The entire coffee cake disappears within days anytime I make it.

Aunt Paula's Blueberry Coffee Cake 

• 1 cup butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cream butter and 2 cups of sugar, then add eggs and beat again. Fold in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Pour batter into a greased 9X13 pan. Arrange blueberries evenly over the batter then sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Glaze

• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar (approximately)

Mix the milk and butter together. Begin adding the sugar a little at a time until glaze thickens and can be easily drizzled. When the cake has cooled, drizzle the cake with the glaze. Enjoy!

Grandma's Stuffed Peppers

I have a number of Grandma's recipes cards, but as you can see, she knew her recipes so well, that she did not write much information on her cards: She would simply write "Italian cheese," "parsley" and "garlic" without specifying how much. You might notice that the bottom of the recipe card says "over," but the other side just contains an alternative of using bread crumbs -- probably instead of the rice, but the card does not say so. As I made this recipe, I did some research to fill in the details. It turns out that this recipe likely came from Betty Crocker (or, maybe Betty Crocker took it from Grandma). I have included a more complete recipe below that I hope will help you make this recipe.

These stuffed peppers are easy to make and a delicious, filling meal. As Grandma's own recipe card has an alternative, this recipe could be modified by using Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or other meat. Other herbs instead of parsley could be used. The best part of this recipe is that it is hard to go wrong.

Grandma's Stuffed Peppers

• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. parsley
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 egg
• Italian cheese (optional)

Prepare the peppers by removing the top of each pepper and cleaning out the seeds and membranes. Soften the peppers by cooking them. Option 1: Place the peppers in a large sauce pan and cover with water, bring to boil and cook for two minutes, then drain. Option 2: place the peppers in an microwavable dish, add a little water then cover with plastic wrap; then, microwave for 2-3 minutes.

In a skillet, brown the beef. Add in the onion, parsley, garlic, 1 can tomato sauce, and rice. Turn off the heat and mix in the egg. Mix in cheese (such as parmesan or mozzarella), if desired.

Preheat oven to 350. Stand the peppers upright in a casserole. Fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Pour remaining can of tomato sauce over the peppers. Cover with foil tightly and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Top with cheese. Enjoy!

Rum Cake

Mom and Grandma both made this rum cake, but it had been many years since I tasted it, and I had never made it before. I don't know why I waited so long to try out this cake. It is delicious.

As the name indicates, rum is a key ingredient. Mom says that she used to use imitation rum extract. I used the real thing. Either way, the cake tastes great. The recipe uses instant pudding, which helps make the cake so moist. The other ingredients are basic. As for the tube pan, I actually used a bundt pan. Either type of pan could work.

I made this cake for MDS in advance of his birthday. I left out the pecans because, although MDS likes nuts, he prefers no nuts in baked goods. Rum cake makes a great birthday cake. MDS's birthday is two days before Grandma's birthday. If Grandma were still with us, I am sure she would love to have a slice of this cake.

Rum Cake

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 ounce rum

Mix together the cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, water, and rum. Arrange the pecans on the bottom of a greased tube pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 325 for one hour. Just before the cake is done, mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a sauce pan and boil for one minute. Remove the cake from the oven and pierce the top thoroughly with a toothpick. Immediately pour the glaze all over the top of the cake. Cool completely before removing the cake from the pan. Enjoy!