By Staff
Most homemakers possess a very unique appliance in their homes, possibly even more unique than they can possibly fathom.
Homemakers relate our microwaves to just heat food, but electronic researchers have found they are capable of much greater capabilities than that for which they were originally designed; or in other words just culinary uses.
I fully realize that the energy they produce can easily sterilize milk, thaw frozen food as they can heat the exterior and the interior at the same time … although not always uniformly. Since microwaves deliver the energy directly to the food … it comes out hot, yet the oven stays cool.
What I didn't know was that it can be used equally successful in our medical field. It can actually be used to simplify the disposal of infectious medical waste that is now buried in incinerators or hauled to special landfills.
A system, which was developed in Germany, disinfects waste with microwaves; then after that it can be handled in the same way as ordinary trash. The most dramatic application however is using microwave hyperthermia to treat patients suffering from cancer. Obviously cancerous tissue is particularly vulnerable to heat, thus causing it to die. Lockheed even uses it to dry the lightweight ceramic tile that heats the space shuttle from the heat of reentry.
Thus far, however, pizzas emerge soggy and limp. This "brown and crisp" problem has puzzled engineers the longest. While pizzas will bake, in a conventional oven, because the molecules rise as the dough cooks, only those that make their way to the surface evaporate; consequently the dough remains moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. In a microwave oven, however, the water molecules vaporize deep inside the dough; then when they rush to the surface, cool air condenses them thus causing it to soak back into the crust. I have no doubts that sooner or later engineers will eventually find a way to possibly even mix some ingredients into the pizzas and succeed in correcting this problem; but until they have successfully coped with this challenge … we shall continue to prepare our pizzas in conventional ovens.
Harvard Beets
3 cups cooked beets, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler, then add the cornstarch, salt and sugar and make a smooth paste, Add the vinegar and water very slowly, while stirring constantly, until the sauce starts to boil. Add the beets and cover the double boiler until the beets and sauce become rich red.
Homemaker's Hint: To preserve their rich red color, beets are usually cooked in their jackets. To cook whole beets, scrub the roots with a vegetable brush. Leave the skin on, the rootlet, and about one inch of the tops. Then, in a covered pan, you can cook the beets in boiling salted water (enough to completely cover) until they test tender. This can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on the size and maturity of the beets.
A Touch of Levity: When my fifth-grade class came indoors after playing, I noticed that one boy had a red mark around his neck. It had been caused, he explained, when his scarf was pulled off his neck. Quite impressed with the injury, he explained, "I was almost decaffeinated!"
Stuffed Onions
4 large, mild, cooked onions
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup thin white sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup buttered crumbs
Scoop the center from the root end of the onions, leaving the shell. Chop the onion which was removed from the center and mix this with the chopped parsley, soft bread crumbs, white sauce and the seasonings. Stuff the onion shells with this mixture. Arrange on a glass oven dish and cover with the buttered crumbs. Bake for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until the crumbs have been browned.
Homemaker's Hint: Have you ever realized what "hands-down" winner that onion can be? They can be eaten raw, cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, grated, stuffed, baked, sauteed, boiled, deep fried or even barbecued. They have been such a valued flavoring agent in most every cuisine and a most important and versatile ingredient in all types of cooking.
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can spare it.
Sweet Potato Casserole
2 pounds sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 marshmallows
pinch salt
Cook the sweet potatoes, then peel, mash or rice. Add the butter, nutmeg, milk and salt. Place all this into a greased baking dish and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Very carefully push the marshmallows down in the mixture. Slide into an oven of 350 degrees to brown and this should take approximately 15 minutes.
Food Facts: Sweet potatoes are reasonably nutritious and overall they contain less protein and more calories than white potatoes. They are also rich sources of Vitamin A and are also high in Vitamin C and potassium. However, you must watch their shelf life, for they are more quickly perishable than the ordinary white potatoes.
A Touch of Levity: One day when my grandson and his friend were in my house, I overheard the friends complaining, as he was tracing pictures in the dust on top of my tables, that they didn't have anything like that at his house. My grandson's only reply was; "Grandma doesn't care if you write your name in the dust, but you are not ever supposed to write the date."
Food Facts: The next vegetable is one which many homemakers walk right past on their visit to their grocers. It is actually an unappreciated relative of the potatoes which most likely originated in India around the fourteenth century. It is actually quite tasty as well as versatile and can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I have consumed two of them in just this past week.
Eggplant Casserole
1 eggplant
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Melt the butter and use this to cook the onions until just golden brown. Peel and slice then cube the eggplant. Add the tomatoes, salt and eggplant to the onion and butter mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, then place this mixture into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle the top evenly with the breadcrumbs and place into an oven of 325 degrees for just 30 minutes.
Homemaker's Hint: If you do not wish to go to the trouble of putting together an entire casserole, just wash the eggplant and slice without peeling. Set aside while you prepare a dish of boxed bread crumbs. In another dish, make a mixture of egg and milk, then into the bread crumbs. Sprinkle each of the slices with a bit of salt and pepper, then fry them on each side until they become golden in color.
Folks who think they must always speak the truth tend to overlook another good choice … silence.
A Touch of Levity: Man overheard talking to a friend: "I'm locked in a major custody battle: my wife doesn't want me, and my mother won't take me back."
French Onion Soup
3 large onions
3 tablespoons fat
5 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 dry rolls or slices of toasted bread
Slice the onions very thinly, then saute them in the fat for 20 minutes, being very careful not to brown them. Add the broth and simmer, covered for 40 minutes. Split the rolls, place one tablespoon of cheese on each roll and toast until golden brown. Serve the soup and float the toast in each bowl. Serve with cheese.
Food Facts: I consider onions "hands down" winners as the single most important and versatile ingredient in cooking … regardless of what your nationality is. They can be eaten raw or cooked, whole, chopped, sliced or grated, stuffed, boiled, baked, sauteed, deep fried or even barbecued. What other vegetable can claim that distinction?
Succotash
2 cups fresh lima beans
2 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob
1 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Hell and wash lima beans. Cut the corn from the cob. Place the lima beans in a saucepan and barely cover with boiling water. Add salt. Cover saucepan and cook for 30 minutes or until the beans become tender. Add the corn, then cook for an additional five minutes. Add warm milk, pepper and butter; then serve hot.
Food Facts: Lima beans are sold fresh as well as dried, large as well as small. The small fresh beans, also known as Fordbooks or butterbeans, are often served as cooked vegetable, plain or mixed with corn in a creamy vegetable dish known as succotash. The dried beans are used in soups or casseroles. Large lima beans have a strong taste and often need to be skinned before using in a soup or puree.
Homemaker's Hint: Cut down the time you spend dusting by just using an old pair of cotton or wool gloves, instead of a cloth. Simply run your gloved hands over the furniture. The dust collects on the gloves and when they become over soiled, simply pop them in the washer. You would be surprised how many little crevices you can get into with this glove method of dusting.
Mashed Rutabaga and Potato
1 pound rutabagas
1 pound potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
Scrub, peel and cut the potatoes into quarters, and the rutabagas into smaller portions. Place them into the saucepan and barely cover with boiling water. Add salt. Cook the two vegetables until they just test tender. Drain, mash and season accordingly with butter, or even margarine or bacon drippings. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Food facts: For those of you who are not familiar with the rhutabage, they are actually a relative of the turnip. They are yellow in flesh and really quite delicious in soups and stews; as well as boiled or steamed; then sliced and mashed. Available all year round., they are almost always sold waxed, so will keep for months in a cool area. They are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A, niacin and contain a fair amount of calcium. If you have not tasted them, dos o and be pleasantly surprised.
Food for thought: We may not always see eye to eye, but we can try to see heart to heart.
Stuffed Pork Chops
4 rib pork chops, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
sprig parsley, minced
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Begin by cutting through the lean part of your pork chops to make a pocket. Combine the celery, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and thyme. Melt the bacon fat and lightly mix this with the ingredients. Wipe the chops with a damp cloth, then proceed to stuff them with the dressing. Secure and opening in the pork chops with toothpicks. Brown the chops in hot fat using a heavy skillet. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and cover. Place into a moderate oven of 350 degrees and bake for 60 minutes.
Happiness often sneaks in through a door you don't know you left open.
*For Mrs. L.M., here is the pickle recipe that you requested and many thanks for the complimentary remarks regarding the benefits you have derived from this column.
Bread and Butter Pickles
6 large cucumbers
3 onions
3/4 cup salt
4 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
3/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Wash the cucumbers and slice thin. Peel the onions and slice thin. Allow them to soak in a salt and water brine for 3 hours. Drain and rinse under cold water. Combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; add the cucumbers and onions and stir over a low heat for two minutes. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. (Note: there is an interesting footnote for this recipe. As I recall, it came from the recipe file of Mrs. Charles (Mary) Larson, who lived in the beautiful two-story home on the corner of Fourth and Sycamore Streets. Mary was not only a dear friend, but an accomplished cook, industrious worker and a friend to everyone. Both Charlie and Marie have now been laid to rest; and unfortunately their lovely home became the victim of the wrecking ball.)
Baked Pears
4 medium pears
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Wash, halve and core the pears. Place into a baking dish, then fill the hollows of the pears with brown sugar and butter. Cover the bottom of the pan with water, add the cinnamon and cover pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 325 degree oven.
Food Facts: According to our history books, pears may well be one of the oldest cultivated fruits; going back to 35-40 centuries. They were very popular among the Greeks and Romans and now more than 5,000 varieties have been cultivated. Unlike most fruits, pears are actually best when ripened after being picked off the tree. You can ripen them indoors by placing them into a perforated paper bag. Place this bag into an area of room temperature. They will be ready to eat when the flesh at the stem end yields slightly to gentle pressure, for the color is not a reliable indicator. Pears do contain a fair amount of potassium and fiber.
When red tape is made nutritional, we will be able to feed the world.