Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin

Homemade Pretzels

2012-01-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

Homemade Pretzels
Dorcas Annette Walker

I started the month of January with pretzels and I am going to end the month with another pretzel recipe. Our family always ate big fat pretzels with ice cream, but then we were Pennsylvania Dutch, who’s German and Swiss ancestors immigrated here to America in the early 1700’s searching for religious freedom. For years my sister has made Homemade Pretzels, but it wasn’t until this month that I decided to try it myself. To my surprise pretzels aren’t that hard to make and Homemade Pretzels are softer than store bought ones.

Pretzels originated in Europe made of dough in soft and hard varieties, savory or sweet flavors, tied in a knot-like shape known as the pretzel loop. Most agree that pretzels were invented by monks and became associated with Lent and Easter. By the 12th century the pretzel was an emblem of bakers. The custom of using lye in baking pretzels evolved in the 18th century and became well liked due to baking out excess moisture and increasing self life and crispness. In the 20th century pretzels had become popular throughout the United States as Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York became renowned for their soft pretzels. Today Pennsylvania is the center of American pretzel production.

Some pretzel facts:

- The annual U.S pretzel industry is worth over $550 million.
- The average American consumes 1.5 pounds of pretzels per year while the Philadelphian consumes 12 times more pretzels as the national average.
- In the early 1950’s the Volkswagen Beetle was nicknamed the “Pretzel Beetle”.
- The Pretzel Museum opened in Philadelphia in 1993.
- Governor Ed Rendell declared April 26 as “National Pretzel Day”.
- The Anderson Pretzel Factory produces 65 tons of pretzels daily.
- The largest pretzel weighed 40 pounds and measured 5 feet across.
- Speyer Germany is called the “pretzel town” and has a weekend festival in July that attracts 300,000 visitors with over 100 bands and floats where 22,000 pretzels are thrown out to the crowds.
- On January 1st some people give each other pretzels for good luck.
- In Germany the fourth Sunday in Lent is called “Pretzel Sunday” where boys give girlfriends pretzels.
- On May 1st love-struck boys paint a pretzel on the doors of sweethearts.
- An upside-down-pretzel means a sign of disgrace.
- Some pretzel sayings: “today the sun pretzeled down” means the sun is hot, “he got pretzeled” means he crashed, “I pretzeled him one” means I punched him in the nose, “he pretzeled down the road” means he went fast, and a “pretzeled appearance” means stylishly dressed.

Pretzels can be seasoned and decorated with: salt, sugar, sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin, or caraway seeds, nuts, melted cheese, bacon bits, mustard, icing, and cinnamon. You can use different flours such as whole wheat or rye. Christmas pretzels are made with gingerbread and covered with chocolate frosting. For unique shapes boil the dough in baking soda water for 30 seconds. For a darker look glaze with egg yolk before baking. Preparation time for my Homemade Pretzels is around 1½ hrs and this recipe makes (depending on the size of pretzels) close to 30 pretzels.

Homemade Pretzels

1½ c warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg dry yeast
4 c all-purpose flour
cooking spray
4 tsp baking soda
Kosher salt

Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a cup and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast rises. Put flour in a medium-sized bowl and add the yeast. Knead dough for 5 minutes until smooth adding a little flour as necessary. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, spray dough, and cover. Let rise for an hour. Take a pinch of dough and roll out into a thin string with your hands then loop and knot. Dip into a small bowl mixed with baking soda and ½ c of warm water. Place on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350º for twenty minutes until browned. Cool and store in a zip-locked bag!

Weekly tip: Pretzels can be used as a crunchy topping for salads, desserts, and soups!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Bacon, Egg, & Potato Fry

2012-01-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Bacon, Egg, & Potato Fry
Dorcas Annette Walker

We’ve been having winter weather lately here on the mountain with cold temperatures and a few skiffs of snow, although overall winter this year has been mild. To pamper my hens we put out heated water dishes, turned the heat lamp on, and on cold days I fix up a batch of warm rice give to my hens- all which helps them keep laying. I’ve also mucked out the henhouse a couple of times giving them fresh straw and making sure that all the nests are soft. In return my hens continue to lay big fat brown, white, and cream colored eggs of which I’m expecting a double yolk any day now. Even in the midst of frigid weather there is lots of activity in the henhouse.

The big rooster, which was attacked by my hens, put in a separate pen, and lined up for beheading has managed to escape his fateful day. In fact Red Pepper is beginning to remind me of a cat with nine lives. When I was down with my arm, Dana decided it was too much work to fool with the rooster, who had started growing feathers back and looked healthy again, and without my knowing it, put my rooster back in the henhouse. As soon as I found out I protested indignantly -considering all the work I had given the rooster to keep the old boy alive-, especially when Dana admitted that the hens had begun attacking him again. I convinced Dana to rescue my poor rooster again and had him put Red Pepper in the back enclosed garden. Red Pepper shook his remaining bedraggled feathers looking quite the sorry sight as he began surveying his new domain. Since then I’ve fixed up a temporary shelter for my rooster, who has another batch of feathers coming back in while starting each day out with loud crows like an alarm clock. Once again the dear fellow has managed to avoid getting his head chopped off.

My Bacon, Egg, & Potato Fry is a hearty dish perfect for a winter day that can be prepared for breakfast, lunch, or supper. You can substitute sausage, hot dogs, or leftover ham for the bacon or add mushrooms, black olives and peppers if desired. Preparation time for the Bacon, Egg, & Potato Fry is around forty-five minutes and this recipe serves four.

Bacon, Egg, & Potato Fry

2 pieces of bacon
4 large potatoes
salt & pepper
6 large eggs
¼ c milk

In a medium-sized iron skillet fry the bacon crisp. While the bacon is cooking peel, wash, and dice the potatoes. Remove the bacon when done adding the potatoes to the hot grease. Salt and pepper to taste, cover, and let one side brown. Turn over the potatoes, crumble up the bacon and sprinkle over top, and re-salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about fifteen minutes until the potatoes are soft flipping the potatoes a couple of times. Beat up the eggs and milk in a small bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and cover. Stir until the eggs are cooked and scrambled. Serve hot. May garnish with ketchup!

Weekly tip: To determine if an egg is good or bad put in salt water. If it sinks it is okay, but if the egg floats throw it out!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Homemade Beef Fajita

2012-01-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

Homemade Beef Fajita
Dorcas Annette Walker

Last week I featured an old recipe of my mother. This week I am giving what to me is a new recipe, although fajitas- a Spanish nickname- goes back as far as the 1930’s of what were throwaway parts of the beef given to Mexican cowboys as part of their pay then grilled and served on tortillas. I have my son, Dwight, to thank for introducing me to fajitas as he puttered around cooking in my kitchen this past week as I seldom eat out in restaurants preferring to prepare my own meals at home. While some love to eat in Chinese or Mexican restaurants- trying foods they have no idea of what they are eating, including my own dear children, I am a bit fussier. A couple years ago I was talked into going into one of these types of restaurants to try fried ice cream that my husband declared was delicious. Even though all restaurants are supposed to be inspected unfortunately this one did not meet my standard of cleanliness to start with and I wasn’t put at ease with all the chattering away in a language I couldn’t understand, but my waterloo came when I was presented with greasy ice cream that turned my stomach on sight. I couldn’t get out of the place fast enough. Now some people- like my husband- might enjoy mixed up stuff like fried ice cream, but I prefer my fried foods and frozen desserts to remain separate, thank you, especially when I have no idea of what is going on back in the kitchen.

Speaking of brand new, I also want to quickly tell you about a new hardback 365 day devotional from Bethany House that just came out called Love is a Verb by Gary Chapman and James Stuart Bell with several other writers featured in it including myself. This devotional retails for $19.99, but I will let you have it postpaid for $20.00 if you send a money order or check to: 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556.

Now back to cooking. Fajitas are a true blend of Tex-Mex food. While our Homemade Beef Fajita uses beef you can also substitute chicken, pork, turkey, steak strips etc. adding mushrooms, black olives, salsa, tomato, lettuce, and sour cream to your heart’s desire or for added zest and warmth sprinkle on three to four drops of Tabasco sauce like my son, Dwight, does. Preparation time for the Homemade Beef Fajita takes only ten minutes and this recipe makes one fajita, although you probably won’t stop with only one.

Homemade Beef Fajita

¼ c shredded leftover beef
¼ c frozen seasoned onions
¼ c chopped red & green peppers
garlic, regular salt, & pepper
¼ c shredded coby-jack cheese
1 flour tortilla

Lightly oil skillet and slowly sauté on low the beef, onions, and peppers for five minutes adding the salts and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the cheese and let melt. Microwave the tortilla for fifteen seconds. Place the beef mixture in the middle of the warmed tortilla and fold over. You can use a toothpick to secure the tortilla. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Each summer I chop up garden fresh red and green peppers layering them out on paper towel-lined trays to dry and then freeze for handy year round use or you can also dry the peppers in a dehydrator!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Mom's Pretzel Soup

2012-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Mom’s Pretzel Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

Another New Year has begun laid out fresh and unmarred before us; a time to ponder the past and set goals for the future. Considering the medical catastrophes that hit our family and what we are still recovering from the previous year, I was ready to turn the page on a new beginning. Last year after only a couple of months had passed our lives did a complete u-turn when my husband, Dana, had open heart surgery. Then to finish out the old year I fell dislocating my elbow, which the orthopedic surgeon says may take up to a year or longer to get back to normal. Despite major setbacks there have been many blessings along the way. I’m thrilled that I can use my wrist once again making me independent, our circle of friends has enlarged, we have a wonderful sup-portative home church and caring pastor, and our family unit has grown even closer. There is so much to be thankful for.

The one way I keep from totally losing it when life throws a curve is by staying organized. This is time of the year I pull out all my lists and goals from last year and then revise, delete, or add for the coming New Year. There is something mentally challenging and exhilarating to me about taking inventory and planning ahead while shuffling through calendars and pages of notes- something that might drive some folk batty. I love finding ideas or projects that I stashed away during the past year to consider. One of my favorite things is starting a new cooking notebook for my column for the year while browsing through old and new recipes.

Since the New Year started off cold and snowy I decided to feature a soup dish. Not any soup mind you, but a favorite of my mother’s that she would make whenever we were sick- perfect for me right now as my elbow recuperates. My mother never used a recipe for her pretzel soup that is very simple and easy to make so I’ve had to measure out the ingredients as I made it up. My Mom’s Pretzel Soup has a slightly nutty crunchy taste and is a great digestive aid- a perfect help for colds and flu this winter. You can also substitute toast instead of pretzels if you prefer. Preparation time for my Mom’s Pretzel Soup is around ten minutes and this recipe serves one.

Mom’s Pretzel Soup

½ c pretzels broken into bite-size pieces
1 c milk
1 tsp butter
salt & pepper

Place the pretzel pieces in a bowl, add milk, and butter. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Microwave for a minute or so until the butter is melted. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: A rule of thumb when serving soups: dish up thick soups into heavy china, pottery bowls, mugs, or sty foam while serving thin light soups in elegant crystal or fine china!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Dwight's Breakfast Bake

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Dwight’s Breakfast Bake
Dorcas Annette Walker

It happened so fast right before Christmas. One minute I was on my feet changing my son’s bed with a list of things to get done that day when my foot caught on one of the numerous cords running across the floor and I fell flat on my face. I kept telling my son that his bedroom was a disaster area and that one day I’d break my neck. Thankfully it was my elbow that was thrown out of joint instead, although the pain was excruciating. It wasn’t like I hadn’t fallen before, but this time when I saw my arm sticking out in a position that wasn’t normal, I realized that I was in big trouble. On the way to the hospital in the ambulance I was given a shot for pain, which didn’t even faze me. Normally it doesn’t take much to knock me out. In the ER I was given a stronger dose of pain medication that barely took an edge off my agony. After x-rays- where it was confirmed that my elbow was indeed out of the joint- I was sent by ambulance down to the Cookeville hospital. On the way I was given another shot. Almost six hours later, I was still awake and hurting when the orthopedic surgeon finally came down to the emergency room, put me under, and got my elbow back in place.

The next day I spent throwing everything up- a reaction from all the pain meds I had been given- while my dear husband tried to nurse me back to health. Suddenly I couldn’t dress myself, put up my long hair, or even take a shower. I’ve always been independent. Now I was dependent on my two fellows that at times were quite helpless. Thankfully my daughter, Dawn, came to the rescue. Between helping me she cleaned my house, wrapped up all my Christmas presents, baked lots of goodies, and fixed meals. What at first seemed like a big disaster turned into a special family get-to-gether. Instead of spending only a couple of days with us, Dawn and her family spend the entire week. Despite having my arm in a cast our house was full of laughter and love during the Christmas season.

Dawn and Dwight helped me put together this week’s column. One morning Dwight fixed a new dish that I named Dwight’s Breakfast Bake. Not one crumb was left. Since I couldn’t take pictures with my arm in a cast, Dawn did the honors for me. Both of my children rallied around their mom to make lots of wonderful holiday memories that warm our hearts to carry into the New Year.

Dwight’s Breakfast Bake is an ideal way to use up leftover ham and can also be made for lunch or as a light supper. You can add or mix match sausage, pepperonis, hash browns, and black olives. Preparation time for Dwight’s Breakfast Bake is around forty minutes and this recipe serves eight.

Dwight’s Breakfast Bake

1 can of eight crescent dinner rolls
8 large eggs
4 pieces of bacon crumbled
½ c cooked ham chopped
½ c frozen seasoned onions with peppers
1 c shredded coby-jack cheese
salt & pepper

In a 9 x 13 greased baking dish layer the crescent rolls on the bottom. Beat up four eggs, add a little bit of milk, and pour over the rolls tilting the dish to cover. Sprinkle on the meats and onions. Beat the other four eggs adding a little bit of milk and layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake at 350º for thirty minutes. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Have a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

2011-12-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Christmas Cookies
Dorcas Annette Walker

In case you haven’t noticed I’ve been a bit wild over chocolate recipes this year for the holidays. In my way of thinking how else can you properly celebrate unless chocolate is involved? For those of you though, who aren’t crazy over chocolate I’m going to give you a vanilla version or what I call my Snowball Cookies that are also rolled in powdered sugar. That’s the neat thing about cooking. You can always find or change a recipe to suit your own taste buds. I feel sorry for the folk that don’t cook. They are limited in so many ways when it comes to personalizing food. When you are the chef the sky or rather the saucepan is the limit. So this Christmas don’t be afraid to try a new recipe along with the tried and true ones.

These Chocolate Christmas Cookies are very simple to make and will go fast with their soft brownie-like texture dusted with a cracked powdered sugar crust turning a plain chocolate cookie into something fancy. The Chocolate Christmas Cookies are great dipped in a glass of milk (my son’s favorite way of eating cookies and cake) or by themselves. You can add chopped nuts if you prefer or mix in some chocolate chips for a double chocolate burst of flavor. Preparation time for my Chocolate Christmas Cookies is around twenty minutes and this recipe makes two dozen cookies.

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

2 c self-rising flour
1 c sugar
½ c cocoa powder
½ c shortening
2 eggs
¼ c milk
1 tsp vanilla & almond extract
1 c powdered sugar

In a medium-sized bowl mix together all the ingredients except for the powdered sugar until well combined. The batter will be stiff. You can add another drop or two of milk if needed. Take a heaping tablespoon of batter and form into a ball. Roll in the powdered sugar until well coated. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350º for ten minutes. Let cool for five minutes before removing from the cookie sheet. Finish cooking and then store in an airtight container!

Snowball Cookies

1 c sugar
1 c shortening
2 eggs
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla & almond extract
3 c self-rising flour
1 c chopped pecans
1 c powdered sugar

Cream sugar, shortening, and eggs together. Add milk and extracts. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Take a tablespoon of dough, form into a ball, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for ten minutes at 350º. While warm roll the cookies in the powdered sugar and let cool. Makes three dozen cookies.

Weekly tip: When rolling out cookie dough or forming it into a ball the dough is often easier to work with if you chill it first. Cover and place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for about an hour until completely chilled then roll out the dough or form it into balls!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chocolate Peanut Nuggets

2011-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Peanut Nuggets
Dorcas Annette Walker

Have you ever had a day when it seems like everything goes wrong? I had a “Calamity Jane” Saturday this past week. For some reason my dear hens decided somewhere along the way to go modern and stage an attack on my large white rooster that is twice as big as them. My “women libber” hens kept pecking and pulling feathers off of the rooster until they had intimidated the poor fellow to where he hid in the henhouse. Nothing deterred the hens no matter what I sprayed on or did to the dear boy to help him get his self esteem back. I finally decided Saturday afternoon that I had to move my rooster before the hens did him in. So putting on some old clothes and gloves I girded myself for the battle of catching my turkey-sized rooster. Feathers and straw flew everywhere with me biting the dust more than once until I managed to corner and catch the dear boy. By the time I put him into a large feed stack and deposited him in another pen I was out of breath. A couple of hours later I tripped over the small fence around my herb garden while gathering some chives for supper and landed flat on my face in the dirt again. By then my bones were definitely protesting. I dusted myself off and limped into the house for a cup of tea. As dusk settled in I went back outside to help my son get some firewood. We had made a couple of trips and were on our last load- Dwight pushing the wheelbarrow ahead of me- when I reached over and picked up the handle on my wagon to leave the woodpile. Just as I was getting ready to pull the wagon I heard a loud noise and looked up in time to see a dead tree falling in my direction. I screamed and totally froze. The tree twisted and thankfully landed on the workshop standing next to me. Dwight raced back in wide-eyed disbelief. I moved my body and wagon to safety while he pushed the tree over enough for it to crash onto the ground. I tell you once I got back into the house there was nothing that was going to get me out of the door again that day.

So this week I decided to do something simple and made up a batch of my Chocolate Peanut Nuggets. You can mix-match nuts, add dried fruit and/or rice crispies, or substitute white chocolate for dark. Also using decorative candy or cupcake papers will make the Chocolate Peanut Nuggets a perfect homemade candy Christmas gift. Preparation time for my Chocolate Peanut Nuggets is around twenty minutes and this recipe makes three dozen nuggets.

Chocolate Peanut Nuggets

2 lbs dark chocolate almond bark
1 (16 oz) jar of dry roasted peanuts
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl microwave the chocolate until melted. Stir in the flavorings and peanuts. Drop by large tablespoons into candy or cupcake papers in muffin pans. Chill in the refrigerator or freezer a few minutes until hard. Store in an airtight container!

Weekly tip: To help make it easier and less of a mess to get the melted candy into the papers to harden, use a table knife to first push the paper down into the muffin pan before dropping in the candy mixture!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Holiday Cake Truffles

2011-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cake Truffles
Dorcas Annette Walker

This year for my birthday I decided to make Holiday Cake Truffles instead of a birthday cake. I’ve been reading about these intriguing cake truffles that seem to be all the rage. It turned out that I didn’t get my Holiday Cake Truffles made for my birthday on Monday like planned as I ended up back in the hospital with my husband instead. I was out in the living room in my recliner relaxing Sunday evening when I heard my husband go into the bathroom. A minute later there was a loud noise and I realized that Dana had fallen. I raced to the bathroom in time to help my husband get up and sit on a nearby chair. I told Dana to sit still thinking that maybe he had taken a dizzy spell and ran to get my son. By the time I got back my husband he was standing, took a step, and started to fall. I tried to hold onto him, but it was like trying to stop a falling tree as Dana is taller and weighs twice as much as me. To my horror my husband hit the floor again. By then Dwight had arrived so he helped me get his dad up off the floor and with us both holding onto Dana we tried to walk him to his recliner. Dana had barely taken three steps when he passed out again. We lowered my husband to the floor, put a couple of pillows under his head, and patting his cheek while calling his name I got Dana to respond. His pulse was thready and rapid so telling Dwight not to let his dad get up, I ran to call 911. With the assurance that an ambulance was on the way, I ran around getting dressed- as I didn’t want to make a grand entrance at the hospital in my PJ’s- while keeping an eye on Dana trying to convince him to lie quiet as he was all confused. My husband was admitted and finally taken to his hospital room around midnight. Around 1 o’clock in the morning back home I collapsed into bed feeling my age and thinking, what a way to start a birthday.

These Holiday Cake Truffles are a scrumptious temptation with their soft inner cake core coated by a shell of hardened chocolate that can be made into zillions of ways. You can use any flavor of cake mix (I used lemon) and frosting then coat with melted candy, white or dark chocolate and even put these balls on sticks for holiday lollipops. The Holiday Cake Truffles can be garnished with crushed nuts, peppermint, sprinkles, mini holiday candies, and rolled in powdered sugar or cocoa. Whether plain or fancy these Holiday Cake Truffles will be an elegant addition to your holiday celebration. Preparation time (not counting freezing time) is around thirty minutes and this recipe makes twenty-eight cake truffles.

Holiday Cake Truffles

lemon cake mix
1 c vanilla frosting
1 lb chocolate almond bark
candy sprinkles & powdered sugar

Bake cake mix according to the directions, cool, and then remove from the pan and crumble. Add frosting and mix with a beater on low speed until combined. Roll into 1½ inch balls and place on a wax papered cookie sheet. Freeze for one hour to set. Melt chocolate in the microwave until runny and completely cover the cake balls. Garnish with sprinkles before the chocolate hardens or roll in the powdered sugar after the chocolate sets!

Weekly tip: Another way to cover candy or a cake truffle with melted chocolate instead of dipping is by using a teaspoon and pouring it over the top, swirl around, let harden, and then ice the bottom!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chocolate-Mallow Bars

2011-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Chocolate-Mallow Bars
Dorcas Annette Walker

This past week we had some very interesting company at our house in the form of British folk all the way from England, whom we had never met before. As anyone who knows me will tell you I am the chatty soul who knows no stranger, but even my husband was shaking his head in amazement over how all this came to be. It started when my niece went over to England the other year as an exchange student and made friends with a girl named, Hazel. Somewhere along the line Hazel and I got connected through facebook and began emailing back and forth. Hazel became intrigued about my descriptions of the south and the Tennessee Mountains where I live. So she and her Mum decided to take a vacation touring the west then swing by our place on their way up to New York to see the Thanksgiving parade. Hazel’s brother, wife, and young child decided to come so they all rented an RV to travel in. They definitely are braver than me as I would never consider driving in a strange country on the opposite side of the road of what I’m used to. While going through San Francisco in the middle of heavy traffic they lost a side mirror and then later damaged the muffler backing up. They made it to Oklahoma when the transmission went out so were towed back to Texas spending the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. After spending part of a day in a garage making several phone calls to the company, who owned the RV, they at last were given another RV to continue their journey. Despite battling jet lag and coping with time changes as they traveled east, the Barrie family finally arrived at our home- only a couple days later than planned- where I had a hot supper waiting for them.

I gave a true warm Southern welcome with lots of food. We had a wonderful time during their short stay with laughter and conservation between the southern and British accents. They ate all the food I set before then with hearty appetites so I sent plenty of goodies to help see them through the rest of their journey admiring the stamina and grit of the British in their endeavors to tour the United States from coast to coast in just one month. We promised to stay in touch. Before leaving the Mum warned me that she would be asking for some of my recipes.

One of my desserts was the Chocolate-Mallow Bars. These bars have a soft bottom with a fudgy middle topped by melted marshmallows, chocolate bits, and crunchy peanuts making it a handy snack during the holiday season. Total preparation time for my Chocolate-Mallow Bars is forty-five minutes and this recipe serves twelve.

Chocolate-Mallow Bars

1 chocolate cake mix
1 egg
½ c water
1 c creamy peanut butter
¼ c milk
1 (10 oz) bag of marshmallows
1 c chocolate chips
1 c salted peanuts

Mix cake mix, egg, and water together and press into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes. Combine the peanut butter and milk and spread over the partially baked bars sprinkling the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts over top. Return to the oven and bake for twenty more minutes. Let cool and slice into bars before serving!

Weekly tip: When flouring a pan for a chocolate batter use cocoa powder instead of flour!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Spinach Quiche

2011-11-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Spinach Quiche
Dorcas Annette Walker

Can it be that Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away? Not that I want to put anybody into a panic mode, but time seems to fly faster every time I turn around. This year instead of having Thanksgiving at our house we will be with our daughter and her family in Nashville. I quickly discovered over the years of moving hither and yon with my husband in the ministry that it isn’t the place, festive decorations, or even a superb meal- although all those things are nice- that make a holiday truly special. A perfect celebration is when I can spend it with close friends and family members. I truly am blessed to have so many friends. One of the biggest fringe benefits in writing a cooking column- besides getting to spend time in the kitchen and experiment with food- is getting acquainted with so many folk, who tell me that they read my column faithfully every week. I’ve met fans while buying yarn for a project, in the hardware and fresh produce departments of a store, while checking out, through emails, out on the street, in the hospital, and even pumping gas into my car. It doesn’t matter what the circumstance just let two cooks get their heads together and there is an instant connection. This year as I give thanks for all my blessings you, my fans, are also at the top of my gratitude list. I hope that each of you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Holidays also mean lots of extra cooking. While baking why not whip up a healthy Spinach Quiche and pop it into the oven too? My Spinach Quiche is ideal for a brunch, excellent heated up in the microwave for a quick lunch, or eaten as a light supper. Some make it without the crust; add cream cheese or yogurt for a creamier texture. You could also include chopped onions, chives, or peppers to spice it up. No matter how you make a Spinach Quiche it is a delicious quick and easy meal. Preparation time for my Spinach Quiche is ten minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves six.

Spinach Quiche

8 large eggs
1 c milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 pd frozen spinach thawed

In a medium-sized bowl beat the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Fold in the cheese and spinach. Pour into a deep dish 9-inch pie crust. Bake at 350º for forty-five minutes until puffed and the center is firm. Serve warm!

Weekly tip: To thaw out frozen spinach, put into a colander and run under hot water. Squeeze out excess water. You can save the spinach water to make soup or use it as soup stock!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Pecan Nut Pie

2011-11-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

Pecan Nut Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

In all my years associated with the Walker clan I have yet to make a dessert too sweet for the Walker men. The guys are known for their “sweet tooth” and to them the sweeter the dessert the better. My old Mennonite recipe of the Pecan Nut Pie during holidays was one of the fellow’s favorite, especially my husband’s old brother, Dale, who was a Vietnam vet and very patriotic. Dale spent a lot of years, until he retired, in Germany involved in several border incidents that never made the news. A family favorite tale of Dale’s army life was years ago when he was in his early twenties and wounded in Vietnam. The surgeon involved in his case decided that Dale’s leg was too badly damaged to be saved and made the decision to take it off- making the mistake to declare his intentions in Dale’s hearing. Dale pulled out a hidden pistol, pointed it at the doctor’s head, and said, “Oh no, you’re not.” When the surgeon tried to reason with Dale saying, “You are going to lose that leg anyway.” Dale replied, “I might, but not by you.” Today Dale has both legs and barely walks with a limp thanks to the Walker bulldog determination.

Unfortunately, a lot of vets aren’t as fortunate as my brother-in-law. We still have too many soldiers overseas trying to keep peace in war torn areas of the world risking their lives each day. The longer the situation drags out in Iraq with a no win solution, the more I agree with an older vet who summed up today’s overseas state of affairs by saying, “We need to pull our boys back home, let them fight it out amongst themselves, kill each other instead of our boys, and when they finally decide they want peace send in our boys to clean up the mess.” Meanwhile we salute each veteran with heartfelt thanks of gratitude for their part in ensuring that America remains the home of the free and the brave!

My Pecan Nut Pie has a crunchy nutty filling that also can be made into mini tarts by placing pie crust into mini muffin pan cups and filling for individual servings this holiday season. You can add maple syrup to the corn syrup for a different twist or substitute dark corn syrup for the light and for every chocolate lover just add one cup of chocolate chips to make a chocolate pecan pie. Preparation time for the Pecan Nut Pie is five minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

Pecan Nut Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
3 eggs
1 c light corn syrup
1 tb self-rising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ c brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tb melted butter
2 c pecan’s halves

In a small bowl beat together the eggs, syrup, flour, extract, sugar, and salt with a Wisk until smooth. Add the butter and pecans and pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Let cool before serving!

Weekly tip: For a perfect homemade pie crust think cold. Always use chilled eggs and cold water to ensure a flaky crust. Some even chill the pastry before rolling it out and chill before baking. Don’t overwork the dough as handling it too much will result in a tough crust!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Pumpkin Trifle

2011-11-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Trifle
Dorcas Annette Walker

November is the month where I focus on counting my many blessings that have been bestowed upon me and my family. Despite our country’s economic and political woes there is still much to be thankful for. This year the top of our family’s appreciative list is my husband. As most of you know that read my column, Dana, suffered a heart attack and open four by-pass heart surgery the first of April. Since then my husband has been in and out of hospitals due to chronic lung problems as well as being a severe diabetic. He also has suffered mini strokes affecting his short term memory. There have been constant doctor visits, filling out stacks of paperwork, and endless phone calls to the state, social security, and disability office. Even with stressful days when Dana’s health took a nosedive, juggling our sudden drop in finances, and having to take over the leadership in our family we are very grateful to have Dana still with us. This holiday season will be extra meaningful for our family.

Like my grandmother always said there is a silver lining to every dark cloud in life and a rainbow of blessings if one will look for it. Our rainbow with Dana’s health issues has been getting to know so many caring and wonderful nurses. From the many ER nurses and cardiac staff to the cardio rehab team each one has spread a touch of brightness with individual rays of color into our lives. Knowing that they will be there day or night, week days and weekends, if needed is such a support. Our lives have been greatly enriched with their cheerful smiles and words of encouragement these past months every time we have come into contact. To each nurse that has had a part in caring for my husband we send a big hug and grateful thank you!

For Dana’s birthday, I decided to make a Pumpkin Trifle substituting Splenda for sugar in the pumpkin bread and using sugar-free pudding and caramel. You can add nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to the pumpkin bread and even replace the pumpkin with sweet potato. Either way the Pumpkin Trifle makes an elegant holiday dessert. Preparation time for my Pumpkin Trifle is ten minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves eight.

Pumpkin Trifle

8 slices of pumpkin bread
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding
4 c cold milk
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip
caramel topping
chopped pecans or walnuts

Cut bread slices into cubes and make up the pudding as directed. In individual dessert dishes or one large glass bowl divide and layer the pudding, bread cubes, cool whip, and warmed caramel topping twice. Finishing by garnishing with chopped nuts.

Pumpkin Bread

2 c sugar
½ c cooking oil
2 eggs
2 c mashed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 c self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg, ginger, allspice & ground cloves

In a large bowl beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add the flour and spices mixing well. Divide the batter and pour into two greased loaf pans baking at 350º for 1 hr.

Weekly tip: To make homemade pumpkin cut the pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds, and bake at 350º for one hour in the middle of the oven to soften the skin. Let cool, peel, and cut into chunks. Put into a Crockpot covering the bottom with water, cover, and cook on high for five hours then low for five hours. Let drain for a couple of hours and then freeze or can in pints!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Sweet Potato Halloween Pie

2011-11-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potato Halloween Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every year around Halloween my mind goes back to where I first tasted a Sweet Potato Pie years ago when our family lived on a small isolated island for a couple of years off the coast of North Carolina. The only way to access Harkers Island was by a draw bridge. My father hoped that by living in a milder climate he would be able to get around easier with his arthritis caused by many internal bleeds that was slowly crippling him. Looking back I don’t know if our family or the island folk had the greatest culture shock from having a northern Pennsylvania Dutch family in their midst. Not only did the island folk have their own unique accent, but most of the islands folk were quite superstitious. They were quite astonished when my father parked our trailer in the back of the property beside a graveyard where we kids played. We discovered it was a perfect place to play hide and seek, especially after dark. Meanwhile no one would come near our trailer once the sun set. The large property we lived on not only contained a church where we attended school, but there was an old run down abandoned mansion that had weathered the fierce coastal storms throughout the years- sometimes being the only thing left standing- so was also considered an emergency building and island landmark. With its tall dark narrow halls and multiple rooms this large building that some declared haunted was the perfect place to explore. Even though with our strict upbringing we were never allowed to go trick or treating we still managed to enjoy ghostly experiences.

The church school was small and quite rigid. The principle was an ex-sergeant, who ran the school like a mini army making us come to attention every time we approached a staff member and answering “yes sir” or “no sir” while enforcing discipline like a drill sergeant. Sleeve lengths and skirt hemlines were inspected every day. I’ll never forget the day my younger sister was called out in the lineup for having too short of a skirt. Lois was having a growing spurt and my mother was hard pressed letting out hems and in some cases sewing a piece of material around the bottom and hemming it up. This came to light when my sister was told to let my mother know she was to let down her hem as her skirt was too short only for Lois to reply, “She can’t, it’s a fake hem.” “What?” roared the principle, “What do you mean by a fake hem? There is no such thing. I can see at least two inches that can be let down.” In vain did my sister protest only to get marked up for arguing. Between the island superstitions and unique church/school experiences this short span in my life still remains a vivid memory.

Sweet Potato Halloween Pie

1 9-inch deep dish pie crust
2 c mashed sweet potatoes
4 oz cream cheese
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
1 (1.55 oz) Hersey’s chocolate bar

In a large bowl beat all the ingredients, except for the pie crust, until smooth and creamy. Pour into the unbaked pie shell and bake at 350º for forty-five minutes until the center of the pie is almost firm when you jiggle it. Chill and decorate the pie by cutting the chocolate bar with a sharp knife in pieces to make a Halloween pumpkin face. Can garnish with cool whip or other Halloween candy!

Weekly tip: You can also make a sweet potato custard by eliminating the crust and adding a mashed banana or raisins if you’d like. Another idea is to make a candied sweet potato pie by slicing the sweet potatoes instead of mashing them, and pour the beaten sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon over the sliced sweet potatoes along with halved pecans!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Goulash

2011-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Goulash
Dorcas Annette Walker

Yesterday I was sitting out on my front porch in the late afternoon jest a’rockin a spell watching the sunlight filter through the canopy of autumn leaves all around me sparkling like multi-colored gems letting it all soak in. I feel sorry for folks, who don’t have a front or back porch where they can sit every so often and let their spirit catch up with their bodies. Life too often turns into a frantic race with the clock. Earlier that day I had been in town making several stops and needed a chance to sit and catch my breath. All was quiet except for a chirping of the birds now and then in the treetops broken by a few loud crows echoing through the woods by Red Pepper- my large white rooster with his fiery red comb. Rocking and sipping a mug of warm tea I felt my body relax and wouldn’t have traded places with the richest person on earth.

Today it is raining outside with the temperature dropping for another cold spell. As soon as I got up I started a fire in both of my stoves and decided to make an old dish- what I call comfort food on a dreary day- that I can’t even remember where I first tasted it what my family calls Goulash. To my surprise I discovered when doing some research that what I call Goulash is a far cry from the original recipe. My Goulash is made up of macaroni cooked in a tomato sauce with ground beef that makes a hearty satisfying meal. Often I use leftover cheese and macaroni when preparing Goulash.

Goulash originated in Hungary and is a national dish of thick stew consisting of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika made by cattle herders and stockmen that initially used three kinds of meat. Today only beef, veal, pork, or lamb is used. Some cookbooks suggest using flour to thicken the stew while others use tomatoes cooked down into a paste. Many Hungarian chefs forbid the use of tomatoes instead employing chopped potatoes to cook down as a thickener. The Slavic’s use deer, boar meat, or bacon and mushrooms in their goulash while the Czech Republic’s goulash is served with dumplings. Some mix match carrots, parsnips, green peppers, celery, hot chili peppers, bay leaf, thyme, caraway seeds, red wine, sauerkraut, sour cream, and substitute kidney beans in place of potatoes. Others spoon the soup or stew over noodles or potatoes.

In Canada and the United States we use hamburger instead of beef and macaroni in place of potatoes, which cuts the preparation time down drastically. In the mid twentieth century the Betty Crocker and Margaret Fulton cookbooks made Goulash here in America a popular dish. In parts of New England and the Midwest, Goulash is known as American Chop Suey. Goulash is also a slang term for a dish made with miscellaneous leftovers. Some replace the beef with chicken or use taco seasoning for a Mexican flare. No matter how you like your food seasoned or what kinds of vegetables you prefer, you can experiment and make a Goulash recipe to suit your taste buds.

Goulash

1 (7.25 oz) box of Mac & Cheese dinner
1½ lb hamburger
1 tb dried minced onion
garlic, regular salt & pepper
1 qt canned tomatoes
1 pt mild salsa

Prepare the Mac & Cheese dinner as directed. Brown hamburger adding onion, salts and pepper to taste in a large pan. Pour in the tomatoes and salsa and bring to a boil cooking for fifteen minutes. Stir in the macaroni and cheese and simmer for five more minutes. Preparation time is thirty-five minutes and this recipe serves seven!

Weekly tip: Another way to jazz up leftover cheese and macaroni is by pouring homemade chili over the top before serving!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

White Chili

2011-10-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

White Chili
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every day I look outside and see the colors intensifying on the tree leaves. Soon they will reach their peak. Sunny days with cool breezes surrounded by many autumn shades enchant me until I can hardly stay indoors. Like a squirrel hoarding nuts up for the winter season, I want to soak up every bit of this delightful weather possible. Clothes hung out on the line dry quickly even when the temperature doesn’t get high. There is something invigorating about battling the wind while pinning wash to a clothesline and seeing clean clothes whip around in breezy gusts. Even the hens in the chicken yard squawk and do a two-step dance as the wind ruffles their feathers giving them a fall dusting while colorful leaves float down to the ground all around.

One such delightful day this past week found me outdoors burying spring bulbs in different spots reminding me of Lady, my golden German shepherd, who will scratch around in the leaves until she makes a spot to hide a bone or choice morsel for later instead of eating it right away. Digging in the dirt gives time for contemplation. I’ve discovered that planting bulbs is like planting seeds. It’s really a matter of faith putting brown dead-looking bulbs in the ground, forgotten during long winter months, trusting that a resurrection will occur next spring and turn something lifeless into beautiful flowers like those photographed on the labels that entice people into buying them.

Autumn weather also brings rainy weather, damp days, and cold nights where the only good place to be is close by a warm stove. I keep plenty of dry wood on hand and keep my wood stoves cleaned out. Already I have kept fires burning several times savoring the smell of the crackling wood that keeps my house warm and cozy. Fall also means the start of watching tendrils of smoke curling out of the chimney until they disappear into the atmosphere leaving behind the scent of wood smoke that wraps around one like the comfort of an old quilt. This past week during a cold spell I made up a pot of White Chili.

I became intrigued the first time I spotted a recipe for White Chili awhile back and have checked out different recipes before trying it myself. White Chili can be made as simple or exotic as you like. Some add oregano, garlic, green chilies, cumin, green peppers, cayenne peppers, and even jalapeno peppers to spice things up or sour cream to enrich the broth. My White Chili is a milder version. However you prepare your White Chili it is an ideal way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. Preparation time for my White Chili is twenty-five minutes and this recipe serves eight.

White Chili

2 c chopped chicken/turkey
2 (15 oz) cans of white Northern/kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can of creamed corn
1 (11 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 tb dried minced onion
1 tb dried parsley
1 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

In a large saucepan mix together the chicken, beans, corn, and soup (adding one soup can of hot water). Then stir in the onion, parsley, chili powder adding salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Serve hot with shredded cheese, nacho chips, or sour cream!

Weekly tip: Doing up extra chicken or turkey when preparing a meal is a great way to have instant leftovers later for quick use in soups and salads by chopping up the cooled meat, putting it in sealed bags or containers, labeling, and freezing !

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Sweet Potatoes

2011-10-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potatoes
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every autumn when the leaves begin to change colors and the brisk breezes begin to blow up here on the mountain, I am drawn to cooking with Sweet Potatoes. This is the time of year that stores stock fresh supplies of Sweet Potatoes making it easy to add to your menu. Sweet Potatoes provide excellent nutrition as they are loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber and are one of the most versatile vegetables to fix. Sweet Potatoes can be prepared as part of the main meal in a baked casserole, mashed, eaten by themselves, grilled, or served as a snack. There are endless possibilities when it comes to preparing Sweet Potatoes. Here are a couple of ideas to try:

Microwaved Sweet Potatoes

Poke holes all around a whole sweet potato with a fork, then it wrap up a paper towel or place in a microwave bowl with a lid (what I always do when preparing several potatoes at a time), and microwave until soft when you pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Cut the sweet potato in half, place butter and a scoop of brown sugar on top. Garnish with cinnamon and serve!

*You can also use applesauce, crushed pineapple, raisins, or chopped pecans as added toppings!

Sweet Potato Fries

Cut sweet potatoes (peeled or with skin left on) in half and slice into wedges. In a bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and toss until the potatoes are coated. Place on a baking tray in a single layer and bake at 350º for thirty minutes until crispy brown. Serve hot!

*You can also substitute taco seasoning mix, paprika, garlic salt, red pepper, or Tabasco sauce to give your fries added zest!

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Bake sweet potatoes wrapped in tinfoil in the oven at 350º for forty-five minutes until soft. Let cool, then cut in half, and scoop out the center. Mash the sweet potato and mix with a little milk, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture back into the shells, sprinkle on chopped pecans, and bake for ten minutes until the nuts are toasted and the topping is slightly browned. Serve hot!

*You can also add cream cheese or cottage cheese to the sweet potato mixture for a creamier texture!

You can find the recipe for my Candied Orange Sweet Potato and Sweet Potato Delight on my Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at:
http://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com/2010/10/candied-orange-sweet-potatoes.html
http://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com/2008/10/sweet-potato-delight.html

Weekly tip: Handle sweet potatoes with care as their skins are delicate. Store in a cool dry place as dampness will cause the sweet potatoes to spoil. Never store raw sweet potatoes in the refrigerator as the insides will become hard and affect its taste. If sweet potatoes are stored properly they will keep for several months!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: http://www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com/

Carrot Zucchini Brownies

2011-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Carrot Zucchini Brownies
Dorcas Annette Walker

I was in my veggie garden this week harvesting pumpkins and the few remaining vegetables. I’m always sad to see the brown shriveled remains of what once were growing green vines loaded with zucchini and yellow squash signaling the end of the summer season. Long ago an ancient Hebrew writer penned the words, “To everything there is a season.., a time to be born and a time to die.” Right now our household is in a time of mourning a beloved aged pet.

Years ago I agreed to let my son have a dog out of sheer frustration as personally I was a cat person. Dogs chewed things, barked at night, ran through flower beds, and were more trouble than they were worth, but ever since Dwight was little, he kept asking for a dog. It wasn’t until my son went through two knee surgeries that backfired due to internal bleeding- undoing everything done to stop his knee bleed in the first place- that I gave in. Dwight, who has severe hemophilia and averaged two to three internal bleeds a week was no stranger to pain, but this episode had lasted five months with the orthopedic surgeon pressing us for another surgery brought me to the brink of desperation. Always on the skinny side, my son had lost twenty pounds and was in constant pain despite strong narcotics. I had tried everything I could to bring the spark of life back into my Dwight’s eyes without success until the morning I mentioned the possibility of getting a dog.

As soon as people heard about our situation, we were overwhelmed with offers of dogs and advice from friends and dog breeders. I was hoping my son would pick out a small dog, but Dwight fell in love with a six month old chocolate lab pup- the color of sand- and named her Sandy. From the start Sandy was Dwight’s dog, whining at the door every morning until she saw Dwight. My son began spending his days outdoors propped up on the porch swing with pillows or sleeping in the yard using Sandy for a cushion. He’d hobble around on crutches playing with Sandy to give “her” exercise or painfully limp down our gravel road to walk his dog. Then one day Dwight wanted to ride his bike so my husband rigged it up where he could drive it with his stiffened leg. From morning until night, Sandy and Dwight were inseparable. Dwight began going longer periods without his pain medication and slowly became a lively healthy-looking boy once again.

One month later we went back to see the orthopedic surgeon, who shook his head in amazement as Dwight bent his knee back and forth without pain, asking me what on earth we had done to get more movement in a knee than expected without another surgery. I smiled and told the surgeon it was God and a chocolate lab while Dwight chattered nonstop about his dog, Sandy.

Carrot Zucchini Brownies

1 c shredded carrots
1 c shredded zucchini
1 c sugar
2 eggs
½ c vegetable oil
¼ c orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 c self-rising four
½ c raisins
½ c chopped pecans
1 tb cinnamon
cream cheese frosting (optional)

In a medium-size bowl mix together thoroughly the first seven ingredients then stir in the flour, raisins, pecans, and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350º for thirty minutes. Makes twelve brownies. Let cool before serving!

Weekly tip: Dust nuts and raisins with flour before adding to the batter as this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom while baking!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

2011-09-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Barbeque Chicken Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

My son, Dwight, has advanced his cooking knowledge from grilling outdoors to learning how to make a homemade pizza crust. He has become fascinated working with rising dough, which while at this point is limited to crafting pizzas or bread sticks- since like the rest of his generation pizza is considered the main item all other foods revolve around, little does my son realize what other avenues of cookery this entails . While Dwight hasn’t yet mastered the art of cleaning up- at least to my specifications- my son is becoming quite the chef. The other night we were both working together in the kitchen. Having a male perspective while cooking is very interesting as a guy’s viewpoint is totally different than a women’s, especially in the kitchen. Together we created a Barbeque Chicken Pizza that I thought I’d feature in this week’s column.

Our Barbeque Chicken Pizza is quick and easy to prepare particularly if you use leftover meat. You can substitute the chicken for pork, turkey, or beef- whatever you have on hand- with your favorite barbeque sauce and add crumbled bacon, mushrooms, black olives or peppers if you wish. For a deluxe pizza add a top crust with mixed cheese. The possibilities are endless. No matter how you fix it your family, especially your kids, will love your homemade Barbeque Chicken Pizza. Preparation time for the Barbeque Chicken Pizza is around fifteen minutes (not counting the baking time) and this recipe makes one 12-inch pizza.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

pizza dough for 12-inch pizza pan
1½ c hickory flavored barbeque sauce
2 c chicken cut up into pieces
1 small onion diced
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread ½ c of the barbeque sauce on the pizza crust mixing the chicken pieces in the rest of the sauce until coated. Layer the onion and chicken on top of the sauce. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Serve hot!

Homemade pizza dough:

1 pkg dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 c warm water
2½ c all purpose flour
2 tb vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

Stir in yeast and sugar in warm water until dissolved. In a large bowl place flour adding the salt and oil. Mix in the yeast and knead until smooth. Let sit and rise until almost doubled. Roll out the dough thin on a floured surface and place on a pizza pan covered with cooking spray. Makes enough dough for two regular-sized pizzas!

*Can substitute wheat bread flour for the plain flour or mix half and half.

*Use any leftover dough for breadsticks by rolling out thin, sprinkling with garlic salt, topping with shredded cheese, and then baking.

Weekly tip: You can also use frozen bread dough that is thawed and rolled out for a homemade pizza crust!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Double Squashy Casserole

2011-09-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Double Squashy Casserole
Dorcas Annette Walker

Yesterday I was cleaning my veggie garden spot to make it look a bit tidier where stalks of corn and vines have dried up. Time always flies when I work outside on a sunny day soaking up the warmth before autumn’s chilly blustery weather arrives. Harvesting seeds always gives me the same kind of thrill as canning produce for my pantry, but then I’ve been a pushover for saving seeds since the first year of marriage. I was fascinated to discover when the brilliant marigold flowers grown from a thin packet of seeds dried out that the pods were full of seeds. Little did I realize back then as I zealously broke off and saved each dead flower pod that not only was I keeping my window box looking tidy, but my efforts were a direct result in making the marigolds bloom like wild creating an eye-catching spot on the college campus.

Gathering seeds always brings back memories of all my other landscaping endeavors throughout the years where my husband pastored churches that I had to leave. Now that I’m living on my own piece of land I am a bit garden crazy. This year I grew gorgeous tall sunflowers that towered over everything else. After letting the birds eat a good portion of the seeds, I gathered seed pods to save while letting some fall to the ground to come back up- a rule I follow for every seed I harvest. If only humans patterned their lives after seeds what a better world we would live in. Once planted a tiny seed will produce lovely blooms, and then depending on the type of plant yield food to sustain human life and before dying give back seeds to reproduce their existence many times over in the cycle of plant life that the creator ordained.

So a kind deed given to someone else has a way of multiplying like seeds creating a circle of goodwill that eventually will find its way back to you in a bountiful measure. I love watching how a smile or considerate word changes an unfriendly atmosphere into pleasant conservation. We humans have the choice of leaving our fellow man feeling better for seeing us or letting our chance encounter in life become like a pesky weed.

For some reason growing squash reminds me of good deeds spreading everywhere. You never know where one will grow next. The yellow squash is like a ray of sunshine. This week I tried a new recipe I named Double Squashy Casserole to use up some yellow squash and zucchini. The Double Squashy Casserole tastes like a fresh summer garden with its colorful slices of squash with chopped onion in a creamy sauce topped by bread crumbs. Preparation time for my Double Squashy Casserole is around forty-five minutes and this recipe serves twelve.

Double Squashy Casserole

2 medium yellow squash
2 medium zucchini
1 small onion diced
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c milk
1 (6 oz) box of chicken stove top dressing

In a 9 x 13 oven dish thinly slice the yellow squash and zucchini alternating layers of each while sprinkling onion and cheese on each layer of squash. Mix together the soup and milk and pour over the top. Sprinkle the stove top dressing over the casserole. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350º for thirty-five minutes. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: There are almost 100-150 varieties of squash classified in two categories of winter (hard skin) and summer (soft skin). Both have a good source of vitamin B1, C, folic acid, fiber, and potassium!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Old FAshion Lime Pickles

2011-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Old Fashion Lime Pickles
Dorcas Annette Walker

I first tasted Old Fashion Lime Pickles years ago in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and of course the first chance I got I made some for myself. Since then I’ve always kept a shelf full with several quarts of these old timey pickles in my pantry to have on hand. Their brilliant green color always brightens up my room of canned produce. This time of year cucumbers have multiplied in gardens and usually there is an abundance to be found so this past week after taking inventory, I decided to restock my pickles and make up a batch of the Old Fashion Lime Pickles as several of those jars on my pickle shelf were empty.

As soon as my son came home one evening while I was simmering vinegar and spices on the stove to make the pickling syrup he told his dad, “I can smell Mom doing up her a batch of pickles as soon as I entered the house.” To me there is nothing like having spicy smells permeate the house when one is canning. From the first batch of spring strawberry jam, to summer green beans, tomatoes, peaches, and pickles, then to apples and pumpkins in the fall each one has its own particular aroma when preserving. Even though canning can be a long and tiring process hearing the “ping” of the lids as canned jars seal is a pleasure I never tire of- not to mention the satisfaction of seeing the shelves in my pantry fill up to overflowing with produce for the coming year. No matter which way the economy goes, I know that my family will have healthy food to eat.

My Old Fashion Lime Pickles are a chunky sweet pickle that has a unique spicy taste of their own. Their greenish tint adds color to any meal. I always dice up some of the Old Fashion Lime Pickles when making my potato and macaroni salad, which help to add a distinctive flavor. Even though it takes a couple of days to make these Old Fashion Lime Pickles they are well worth the time and effort. One batch of my Old Fashion Lime Pickles makes six to seven quarts.

Old Fashion Lime Pickles

10 large cucumbers
1 c pickling lime
2 qts white vinegar
8 c sugar (about 5 pounds)
2 tb pickling spice
1 tb green food coloring
1½ tb salt
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp celery seed
½ whole cinnamon bark crushed

Slice cucumbers in ¼ inch chunks in a clean bucket (not aluminum). Cover with water and stir in pickling lime until dissolved. Soak for 24 hrs stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse the cucumbers three times in cold water. Then soak the cucumbers for 3 hrs in ice water and drain. In a large saucepan bring to a rolling boil the vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, food coloring, salt, cloves, celery seed, and cinnamon bark. Pour syrup over the drained cucumbers and let sit overnight. Pack into clean quart jars, seal, and can for fifteen minutes. Let jars cool and then chill before serving!

Weekly tip: For a guaranteed sealing of jars when canning, always make sure that there is no cracks or food particles on the top of the glass jar by wetting your finger and running it around the rim before putting on the lid and ring. Then make sure that all the filled jars are completely covered in water by a good inch!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Labor Day Beans

2011-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Beans
Dorcas Annette Walker

Outside my window the birch trees lining the driveway already have yellow leaves floating down on every wind laying a carpet of gold across the lawn. I’ve noticed the poplar trees have turned as well due to the dryness, although if we soon don’t get a good rain the autumn colors this year will be muted instead of flaming across the mountain peaks. Even with hot days the nights have grown cooler and in every breeze stirring up the dust I feel fall in the air just around the corner. I love to hang out the wash this time of the year watching lines full of clothes puff out in every gust quickly drying almost as soon as it is hung up while feeling the wind ruffle through my hair. Soon gentle breezes will turn into blustery autumn weather and the temperature will plunge downward, but for now the sun still warms the earth with its fervent heat. Meanwhile I decided to do up a batch of my Labor Day Beans for this holiday weekend.

This summer has been a study in weather contrast gardening wise. We had frosts and freezing temperatures into May causing me to scurry around and cover up my bean and tomato plants. Then up until this month every time we turned around we had stormy weather with heavy rain showers between soaring temperatures near 100 degrees- what I call jungle weather. After nearing being froze my poor crops were then alternately drowned and scorched. Needless to say I’ve had better harvest from my gardens in past years. Despite unpredictable weather patterns, I was excited to reap wax (yellow beans) and black beans for the first time. I still have lima beans climbing around my tall sunflowers. With increasing prices, I may venture next year into growing kidney and butter beans. Either way I’m “beans” about gardening and trying out new vegetation.

My Labor Day Beans is a colorful hearty autumn dish that can be served year round hot or cold. Filled with protein the Labor Day Beans are a nutritious addition to any meal and can also be fixed in a Crockpot or baked in the oven. Chunks of hamburger with multicolored beans simmered in a lip-smacking sauce tastes great when paired with corn muffins or used on a cookout. Other beans such as black, pinto, or white can be added or substituted as well for variety. Preparation time for my Labor Day Beans is around forty-five minutes and this recipe serves ten.

Labor Day Beans

1 lb hamburger
1 tb dried onion or small onion chopped
garlic, regular salt, & pepper
1(27.5 oz) can pork’n beans
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can lima beans
1 (15 oz) can butter beans
1 c ketchup
½ c bacon bits
¼ c br sugar
¼ c dark syrup
1 tsp mustard

Brown hamburger and onion adding salts and pepper to taste in a large skillet. Dump the contents of all the beans into the pan. Mix in the ketchup, bacon bits, brown sugar, syrup, and mustard. Bring to a boil and let simmer for thirty minutes. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Saving the starchy liquid bean juice and adding it in when cooking makes the sauce thicker, more favorable, and gives extra body to your finished dish!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Double Strawberry Delight

2011-08-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Double Strawberry Delight
Dorcas Annette Walker

Ever since I was a small girl and planted my first wild strawberry plant in a sty foam cup placing it on my sunny bedroom windowsill, I have been enchanted with strawberries. Each day after school the first thing I did was to check on was my strawberry plant talking to the green leaves and making sure to keep it watered when the soil dried out. I still remember the excitement of seeing tiny berries form and slowly redden after the white flowers had died. My mother was quite impressed with my green thumb as every plant died on her. In fact that tiny plant became the conservation piece of our household. It was triumph indeed when my father actually came to my bedroom to see my strawberry plant. The day I harvested tiny strawberries and shared them with my family clinched my fascination with plants. From one strawberry plant on my windowsill my love of living green things grew to covering every available space in my house with plants as a young housewife until my husband complained that we lived in a jungle. Today the lure of seeing things grow has stretched outside to several gardens that I delight to work in.

Early this spring, Dana built a wooden fence to protect my newest flower garden in front of our woods where we keep my two German Shepherds. At one end of my garden is a steep hill where I planted several strawberry plants that thrived and produced strawberries. It was delightful to go out first thing each morning and see which strawberries were ripe. So you can imagine my shock when one morning I discovered that my two “wolfies” had jumped the wooden fence and dug out several of my strawberry plants killing them. I loudly scolded Shep and Natasha severely wagging my finger threatening in front of their long black noses telling both what bad dogs they were for getting into my strawberry patch. Even though they whimpered and apologized by licking my hand to reassure me that they had learned their lesson, I decided to take no chances on further raids in my garden and had Dana run electric wire around the fence. Some folk might claim that strawberries and German Shepherds don’t mix, but I am determined to have a patch of strawberries regardless of having German Shepherds in the same area.

My Double Strawberry Delight is an excellent simple light summer dessert with fresh strawberries, angel food cake, and cool whip. You can substitute other fruit in season like peaches or raspberries coordinating the jello as well. The Double Strawberry Delight is a colorful dessert that also can be served year round using canned or frozen fruit. Preparation time for my Double Strawberry Delight is fifteen minutes (not counting baking or cooling time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Double Strawberry Delight

1 angel food cake mix
1 (3 oz) box of strawberry jello
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip
1 lb fresh strawberries

Prepare the angel food cake mix according to the directions folding in the strawberry jello before baking. Tear the cooled cake in half placing bite-size pieces in the bottom of a glass dessert bowl. Layer half of the cool whip on top. Hull and slice half of the strawberries on top of the cool whip. Repeat using the rest of the cake, cool whip, and strawberries. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: Strawberries do not ripen after harvest so choose ripe strawberries. Medium to small berries usually taste better than large ones. Use strawberries as soon as possible, but leave the caps/stems on and do not wash the strawberries until ready to use. You can store strawberries in the refrigerator for several days if you layer them with paper towels!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chocolate Angel Lightning Cake

2011-08-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Angel Lightning Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

I finally had a more normal week- meaning that I was able to stay home for a change instead of running my husband to one of his numerous doctor appointments, cardio rehab, or having another hospital episode- spending the week catching up on several things indoors and out that needed urgent attention when my week ended in a big bang. Saturday evening right after supper my husband and I were relaxing in the living room. A summer storm had arrived, thunder was rolling, and lightning flashing. I was enjoying hearing the sound of rain falling outside envisioning all my thirsty plants greedily drinking when suddenly right out of the blue a loud noise exploded and lit everything up like the noon day sun. Living here on the mountain we’re used to having violent storms come through- not to mention having a neighbor, who loves to shoot guns until it sounds like a war is in progress some days- but when I heard this explosion I knew something close by had been hit.

My husband asked, “What in the thunder was that?” as I jumped out of my recliner and ran to the back of the house. Rain was pouring down making it hard to see in the darkened twilight, but I noticed that the henhouse lights were out. My heart sank as I figured that my henhouse had been struck by lightning since I couldn’t see damage anywhere else. It was still storming when we went to bed. I was heartsick imagining discovering fried chicken the next morning in the henhouse. Nothing like a bolt of lightning rattling the henhouse and killing hens to put off egg laying for any of the surviving chickens left.

The next morning as soon as I awoke I ran to check the henhouse. My heart gave a leap of joy when I saw fat hens waddling around the pen busily scratching for worms looking quite unconcerned over their death-defying experience of the previous evening. While I fixed Sunday dinner, Dana went outside to investigate. A couple of minutes later Dana came back inside shaking his head telling me, “You’ve got to come outside and see this for yourself.” Lightning had struck the huge tree at the front corner of Dana’s workshop splitting it, ran down the tree, put a hole in the roof of the workshop, went inside blowing out paneling, insulation, window trim, light switches, etc (knocking out the henhouse lights that run from the workshop), then traveled across the yard to the main pole beside out house, flipped a main switch, and disabled our phones. The miracle is that nothing caught on fire, not a feather was singed, and we are still all in one piece.

My Chocolate Angel Lightning Cake will zap your taste buds with an explosion of melting chocolate, Carmel, and crunchy peanut butter surrounding the velvety angel food cake texture filled with chocolate chips that with either turn you diabetic or send any chocolate lover into orbit. The Chocolate Angel Lighting Cake has the appearance of a lightning strike right down the center. Preparation time for my Chocolate Angel Lightning Cake is around fifteen minutes (not counting baking or cooling time) and serves twelve.

Chocolate Angel Lightning Cake

1 angel food cake mix
1 c chocolate chips
½ (11.75 oz) jar Carmel ice cream topping
2 c powdered sugar
4 tb cocoa
2 tb crunchy peanut butter
1 tb shortening
¼ c hot water

Prepare angel food cake mix according to the directions folding in the chocolate chips before baking. Let cool. Spread melted Carmel topping over the top of the cake. In a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar, cocoa, peanut butter, shortening, and hot water with a Wisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake letting the frosting run down the sides and serve!

Weekly tip: When adding chocolate chips or nuts to a batter first dust with flour to prevent sinking to the bottom of the cake!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff

2011-08-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff
Dorcas Annette Walker

This month I am sharing some summery dessert recipes that I am experimenting with myself. So welcome to my air conditioned kitchen as we mix together some ingredients to help beat the heat. Right now a lot of fresh fruit is in season and can be bought at a low price making it not only healthy for your family, but economical as well. Last night I served this week’s masterpiece and as we taste tested it, we were tossing names around that would aptly describe this fruity dessert. My son, Dwight, came up with the winning title: Triple Layer Fruit Fluff. Normally Dwight is rather picky about eating fruit so I wasn’t sure how he would like a bunch of fruit all mixed up together, but he was quite enthusiastic over my Triple Layer Fruit Fluff.

It used to be that when making an Angel Food Cake cooks had to save up a dozen eggs first. Now-a-days you can whip up an Angel Food Cake with a box mix or buy one already made. Speaking of eggs, I was quite excited to find the first egg laid by the chicks we bought and raised this spring. The way they gobble up the food and scraps I throw them these past months have turned them all into fat hens. Lately I’ve been given them broad hints about laying eggs as the reason for their feathery existence in my hen house. I’m reserving dark threats about wringing their necks and putting them in the pot for any laggards that show up in the flock. So I was quite pleased to discover a few bright ones (my Cornish Rock hens) amidst my mixed group of chickens that decided to start laying. The way I lavishly praise the sight of an egg, you’d think that there would be a mad rush of hens to sit on the nests and lay eggs, but unfortunately chickens are a bit bird witted at times. It was a sad day about a month ago when my huge majestic rooster (about the size of a small turkey) suddenly died. I miss his loud crow early in the morning, although my large white ducks- Daffy Duck, Quack Quack, and Snow Queen- do their best to fill in the gap. Whenever I stick my head out the back door it is amazing the racket those ducks make trying to get my attention. We bought a small plastic kiddie pool that we keep filled with water in the chicken yard, which the ducks enjoy splashing around in. Romeo, my male Mallard duck’s head is turning a gorgeous shade of green while his feathers are starting to sport brilliant colors. Sweet Juliet looks rather drab blending in with the dirt where you usually find her sitting contently while her mate struts around the pen.

My Triple Layer Fruit Fluff is a light fruity rainbow dessert, easy to make, using fruit, angel food cake, and cool whip that looks elegant in a glass dish. You can mix match all kinds of fresh fruit and substitute the cool whip for vanilla ice cream if you prefer to turn the Triple Layer Fruit Fluff into a frozen dessert. I used sugar-free jello for my diabetic husband. Preparation time for my Triple Layer Fruit Fluff takes around thirty minutes and this recipe serves fifteen.

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff

1 angel food cake
1 pkg (3 oz) of strawberry, lime, and orange jello
1 (10 oz) can Mandarin oranges drained
2 c blueberries
2 c strawberries- hulled and cut into pieces
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip

Divide the angel food cake into thirds and tear into bite-size pieces in three medium bowls. Sprinkle a box of jello over each bowl and toss with a fork until well coated. In the bottom of a glass dish place the orange cake pieces, layer with Mandarin oranges, and cover with cool whip. Repeat with the lime cake pieces and blueberries covering with cool whip, and then the strawberry cake pieces and strawberries covering with cool whip. Garnish with slices of fruit. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: Crushing strawberries and adding sugar before freezing in zip lock bags gives the strawberries a fresher taste when thawed, saves space in your freezer, and makes an instant filling for pies or shortcake!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

2011-08-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

August is the hot humid month of summer when outdoor temperatures soar. Now-a-days the month of August is also the start of another school year. Each year school is moved up into what we used to consider summer vacation time. Of course back then we didn’t have air conditioning only open windows and fans stirring the hot air as we sweltered in the heat trying to get our minds focused on textbooks once again. I’m very thankful today for modern conveniences such as central air during these hot summer days. This week I made up a Strawberry Ice Cream Cake; an ideal summer dessert.

Aluminum foil is a widely used household item for wrapping food, grilling, crafts, etc. The earliest production of aluminum foil was in France about 1903. Commercial foil was made from a thin leaf of tin in 1910 at a Switzerland plant near the foot of the Rhine Falls that used water energy to produce aluminum since 1886. This foil was pliable and easily bent or wrapped around objects. Here are some aluminum and tinfoil facts:

- Tinfoil is stiffer than aluminum foil.

- Aluminum is prepared in thin metal leaves.

- Tinfoil is fragile and sometimes laminated to plastics or paper.

- In the United States the commercial production of aluminum foil began in 1913.

- Aluminum foil supplanted tin foil in the mid 20th century.

- World War II established aluminum foil as a major packaging material.

- In North America aluminum foil is also called Reynolds Wrap after Reynolds Metals- the leading manufacturer in the USA.

- In 2003 the annual production of aluminum foil was approximately 666,000 tons.

- Aluminum foil is extremely durable and is 100 percent recyclable.

- Americans throw away around three pounds of aluminum foil annually.

- It takes roughly 400 years for aluminum to break down naturally in a landfill.

- Recycled aluminum takes 95 percent less energy to produce aluminum.

My Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is a light sweet summer dessert containing rich creamy strawberry ice cream with a crunchy graham/chocolate cookie base surrounded by cool whip. You can substitute the chocolate graham cookies with chocolate or Oreo cookies. Other fresh fruit such as peaches, blueberries, etc could be used instead of strawberries. Preparation time for my Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is around twenty minutes (not counting the freezing time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

1 lb strawberries
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip
1 (12.5 oz) pkg fudge covered graham cookies

In a medium-size bowl crush ¾ of the strawberries. Stir in the condensed milk and ½ of the cool whip with a Wisk and mix well. Pour into a tinfoil-lined loaf pan. Crush half a pack of the cookies and gently press into the entire top of the strawberry mixture. Freeze overnight (or at least six hours until firm). Turn out onto a serving dish, peel off the foil, ice the cake with the remaining half of the cool whip, and garnish with sliced strawberries!

Weekly tip: For easier lining of tinfoil in a pan cover the outside of the pan first. Also a cardboard covered with tinfoil makes an excellent cake dish!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Nutty Cheerio Snack

2011-08-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Nutty Cheerio Snack
Dorcas Annette Walker

I’ve always kept snacks around and carried them with me as I traveled due to the fact that I have hypoglycemia- where my blood sugar can suddenly drop. Snacks were also a lifesaver when my children were young. I think though the biggest fan of my snacks is my husband, Dana. Every time we headed down the road on a trip the first thing- almost before we were out of the driveway- Dana would ask is, “What did you bring along to snack on?” Since Dana’s heart surgery and being diabetic where his sugar swings, having a snack handy has saved the day more than once traveling back and forth to the doctors down in Cookeville. Now that my husband has to be on a strict diet, I’ve been doing research on heart healthy foods. It hasn’t been easy for Dana, who for years ate everything and anything, to switch to smaller portions of food and stay on his cardiac/diabetic diet. After hearing my poor husband complain for the umpteenth time that there was nothing for him to snack on- refusing the baby carrots, bananas, and apples that I keep handy for such a thing- I decide to combine a couple different items together and came up with my Nutty Cheerio Snack that was an instant hit with Dana.

Cheerios was invented in 1940 by Lester Borchardt, an employee of General Mills, after months of trial and error to figure out how to puff the oats into a circular shape. First named Cheeri Oats the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945. By 1954 Cheerios became General Mills’ most popular selling cold cereal partly due to the face that Cheerios sponsored “The Lone Ranger” radio show. Today there are more than ten varieties of Cheerios. In 1999 Cheerios earned the distinction of being the only cold cereal to effectively lower cholesterol. Cheerios have only one gram of sugar per serving, fiber, aren’t made with any artificial flavors or color dyes, are low in fat, is an excellent source of iron, and contains at least 10 percent of your calcium needs.

My Nutty Cheerio Snack is a perfect filling crunchy heart-healthy snack. You can substitute a different kind of Cheerios from regular Cheerios, add other nuts instead of pecans- as nuts are low in saturated fat and beneficial to your heart as well- or use different dried fruit in place of raisins. Preparation time for my Nutty Cheerio Snack is ten minutes and this recipe makes twenty cups.

Nutty Cheerio Snack

1 (15 oz) box of regular Cheerios
1 (16 oz) pkg of pecan halves
1 (12 oz) bag or box of raisins

Combine all three ingredients in a large bowl and store 1-cup servings in a sealed baggie.

Weekly tip: Besides making a healthy snack, you can crush Cheerios and add to flour for homemade baked items or used crushed Cheerios in place of bread crumbs!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Dwight's Grilled Pork Chops

2011-07-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dwight’s Grilled Pork Chops
Dorcas Annette Walker

My son, Dwight, came to my rescue again this week when my husband was back in the hospital with lung problems. It has been a slow recovery process since my husband had his open heart 4 by-pass surgery over three months ago. Yesterday when Dana tried to do some cardio rehab he nearly went into cardiac arrest. So I’ve not had much time to spend in the kitchen lately. With the summer heat wave and high humidity that has blanketed the mountain a hot stove or oven is the last place I’d want to be near for any length of time anyway.

I have never been a real meat eater like the fellows in my household; especially pork. Secretly I was thrilled that pork is mainly ruled out on a cardiac diet. But one day- one of those days when your mind comes up absolutely blank- despite gazing at all the food in the freezer and pantry and browsing through recipes for an idea for something quick to make up for supper as I was running out of time, Dwight came home. When I told him my about my dilemma over what to make for supper, in true male fashion, Dwight shrugged he shoulders like it wasn’t that big of a deal and offered to grill something. Since Dwight had mastered grilling hamburgers and hot dogs to his satisfaction he decided to try pork chops while I made a vegetable and potatoes. To my surprise Dwight had the meat done before I was finished. I chose the smallest pork chop and took a tiny bite. It actually tasted good. I took another bite thinking that my hunger had overridden or paralyzed my taste buds. The next bite was even better. Now folks if I think a pork chop- considering that I don’t even like pork chops- tastes delicious you know that it has to be something exceptional. When I asked Dwight what he had done to those pork chops to make them taste so good, I was delighted to find out that he had used a simple method. The next time Dwight made up some of his pork chops, I also had him do potatoes on the gas grill as well. Why should I slave in the kitchen if my son will cook? So this week when Dwight came to my rescue and grilled up some pork chops I followed him around with my camera (to catch my son in action) along with a pen and paper to write it all down in order to pass his recipe along to you. The next hot and humid day try some of Dwight’s Grilled Pork Chops that I promise are finger-lickin good.

Dwight’s Grilled Pork Chops

4 pork chops
garlic salt
regular salt & pepper
spray cooking oil

Spray the racks with oil and turn on the gas grill. When the racks are hot lay a pork chop on the top rack, sprinkle on the salts, and pepper. Then spray the meat with cooking oil to hold in the meat juices, turn over, and do the other side the same way. Turn the heat to low and close the lid for five minutes. Turn over the pork chops and brown the other side the same way. Preparation time is around fifteen minutes and this recipe serves four. Serve browned pork chops immediately. You can garnish with apple sauce or cooked apples!

Weekly tip: To round out a grilled meal of meat, vegetables, and potatoes, try something different and grill fresh fruit for dessert as well. Grilled fruit actually tastes sweeter!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-07-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Dorcas Annette Walker

Summertime madness, as any parent brave enough to confess will tell you, is not the local grocery or department store sales, but their offspring out of school during the summer. For some reason the summer heat that drains and exhausts an adult doesn’t seem to have any effect on children. If anything it rejuvenates their systems. I shake my head over the many escapades my sister, brother, and I got into during the summer as kids. We dug underground houses that turned into forts or tepees when we hit solid rock a couple of feet down. When it rained and the holes in the ground became flooded we climbed trees swinging dangerously from the treetops or explored the surrounding countryside daring each other to jump off of dizzying heights. The fact that not one of us ever suffered a broken bone during our growing up years was not due to our prowess, but the guardian angels watching over us. I can often remember the look of shock on my mother’s face (when after a long day’s work at the local hospital) we proudly showed off our handiwork or bragged about what all we had done that day as she shook her head speechless in despair over our dirt encrusted bodies and torn clothing. Living out of state we didn’t have any close relatives to keep an eye on us and we were too poor to have a babysitter while my dad was laid up with internal bleeds. As long as we showed up in one piece for mealtime, my dad figured we were doing okay.

When I became a mother I determined that my children were not going to be left unattended to run wild during the summertime. Somehow even with close supervision my daughter, who inherited my sister’s tomboy personality, managed to wreck her bike every time I turned my back until her elbows and knees remained covered in splotches of red mercurochrome as bandages were quickly torn off in “playing”. As soon as one spot healed up Dawn had another accident. Four-year-old Dwight one summer somehow managed under his father’s nose (while working outside and “keeping an eye on his son”) to firmly nail down a decrepit looking board on top of our new wooden front porch that stuck out at a jagged angle- the first thing anyone noticed when approaching our home. Dwight had put so many nails into that one board crossing the porch in a way that my husband would have had to rip up almost half of the porch. Instead Dwight’s “diving board” became a conservation piece. Another hot summer Sunday afternoon while we were taking a nap, Dwight dug three large holes in our front yard to plant “trees”- brush that my husband was clearing on our land.

I try to look sympathetic and wait to chuckle later when my daughter complains of all the wild antics that my grandchildren get into during the summertime- even when she is keeping an eye on them. So far this summer my granddaughter has broken her arm falling off the trampoline while my grandson cut his finger playing with a pocket knife requiring stitches, blacked his eye, and stepped barefooted on a pitchfork. My daughter has been kept busy running my grandchildren back and forth between the ER and the local doctor’s office. What my daughter doesn’t realize is that with the inherited genes her children carry and summertime madness, she doesn’t stand a chance.

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 brownie mix (your choice)
1 qt vanilla ice cream

Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions- you can add more water if needed- and spread the batter into a greased rectangular cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes and let cool. Cut in half and transfer upside down into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Soften ice cream and layer over the top half of the brownie. Top with the remaining brownie. Cover and freeze until firm. Cut into eight pieces and serve!

Weekly tip: You can substitute any cake mix or use a different flavor of ice cream to make you own individualized Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches. For easier transfer line the cookie sheet with wax paper or tinfoil before baking!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw

2011-07-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw
Dorcas Annette Walker

The hot sultry days of summertime reminds me of childhood summers spent at religious camps without the benefit of air conditioning that we consider a necessity today. The three services a day attended in a large wooden tabernacle often with sawdust on the floor, except for a few camps that featured children services in the afternoon, were more often spent in sleeping and resting from the rigorous games and hikes spent with the other kids in between services than in listening to long sermons. Being raised in church we were an expert authority on what preachers were the most interesting (those who told stories) or were just plain boring, short or long winded (those who tried to preach through the entire Bible in one sermon), and what preachers could hold one’s attention (not just in volume, but in antics- our favorites were those who jumped around a lot, marched up and down in the congregation waving their arms, throwing things in the air, standing up on stuff, or banging on the piano while preaching). Back then everyone attended religious camps no matter what denomination and my father was an expert at discovering camps. I even remember attending a black camp meeting where we were the only white folk. Little did I realize then what a rich cultural experience I was being exposed to. But the main ingredient that made us kids judge what was a good camp was the food. It was at a small mountain camp that I had my first taste of Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw also known as “freezer slaw”.

Celery seeds are very small (about 1/16 of an inch), light brown, and have been used in medicine to treat colds, flu, water retention, poor digestion, arthritis, liver, spleen ailments and for funerals since the time of the Greeks and Romans. Records show that the Chinese were familiar with the plant by 5 BC and woven garland of wild celery have been found in early Egyptian tombs. Celery was considered a holy plant in the classical period of Greece worn by winners similar to the use of bay leaves today at Olympic Games. It wasn’t until the 19th century that celery seed or “smallage” as the ancients called it first appeared in pickling recipes. Celery seed has a slightly bitter aromatic flavor used mainly in soups, salad dressings and pickling.

My Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw has a crunchy pickle taste with a hint of celery. You can include green pepper, onion, or add chopped tomatoes after the slaw has cooled. The Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw is a great way to use up cabbage and will last for several weeks in the refrigerator or store frozen in the freezer year round. This “freezer slaw” is delicious eaten with pork roast, barbeque sandwiches, or hot dogs. Preparation time for my Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw is around twenty minutes and this recipe yields around five to six cups of slaw.

Ole Fashion German/Mennonite Slaw

1 medium-sized head of cabbage
1 tsp salt
1 c vinegar (brown or white)
1½ c sugar
½ c water
1 tsp celery seed

Grate the cabbage into a large bowl and mix in the salt. Let sit while bringing the vinegar, sugar, water, and celery seed to a rolling boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Pour over the cabbage immediately, seal, and let cool. Refrigerate and completely chill before serving!

Weekly tip: Store dried herbs and spices in plastic, glass, or tin containers in a cool, dry, dark place avoiding being close to humid sources such as dishwashers, sinks, coffee makers, microwaves, stoves, or in the refrigerator. If stored properly dried herbs and ground spices will retain their flavor for up to a year; whole spices for 3 to 5 years!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Fourth of July Pie

2011-07-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

Hooray for the red, white, and blue; the home of the brave and the land of the free!!! In my senior year (considered to be the dark ages by my kids and grandkids) I won a writing high school contest on an article about the Statue of Liberty and ended up having to give a speech on it in front of the entire school- a scary proposition as back then I was very shy (also something else my children and grandkids are skeptical about). The first time I read in grade school about the Statue of Liberty given as a gift of friendship to the United States from France, I was intrigued about this regal lady standing in the New York harbor designated as a national monument and universal symbol of freedom and democracy. This 125 year old engineering marvel restored in 1986 still stands as a beacon and daily welcome to the free world. Untold millions of emigrants (25 million between 1892-1924 alone) have arrived through Ellis Island under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty to begin a new life in a vast land where according to our Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal”.

Today visitors can tour the museum gallery, search for ancestors on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor where over 700,000 names representing every nationality are inscribed, and see breathtaking views from the Statue’s observation deck. Despite numerous wars and even a terrorist attack on our own soil this weathered grand old lady still stands triumph with her lamp held high.

Regardless of crime rates, political greed and corruption, economic woes, and all that you can think of in what is going wrong in this country, we still are very blessed to live here in America. This fact was brought sharply to my attention a couple of months ago when a friend of ours (an American missionary nurse) in Mexico was shot and killed while sitting beside her husband, who was driving trying to escape from drug cartels and make it to the U.S. border and safety. With drug wars constantly going on plus fighting between the Mexican government and these drug lords the average person lives in fear of their life. Every week there are pictures in the news showing the ravages left behind of terrorist attacks and suicide bombers in other countries where our soldiers are fighting to gain peace. How thankful we should be to live here in the good ole U.S.A. So this Fourth of July let’s raise the flag and celebrate our freedom.

My Fourth of July Pie will be a grand finale to any celebration with its creamy filling and fruity topping. You can substitute a graham cracker crust for the regular one and mix-match a variety of fresh fruits for the top decoration. Preparation time for the Fourth of July Pie is around twenty minutes (not counting cooling time) and serves eight.

Fourth of July Pie

1 (9 inch) deep dish regular crust
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 c sugar
1 (8 oz) cool whip
strawberries & blueberries
canned whip topping

Bake pie crust as directed and cool. In a medium size bowl beat together until smooth: softened cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip. Pour into the cooled crust. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top of the pie. Garnish with whip topping. Chill completely and serve!

Weekly tip: Always dip sliced fresh fruit into lemon juice and drain before using as a garnish or decoration to prevent the fruit from turning brown!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Salmon Cakes

2011-07-07T05:06:00.000-07:00

Salmon Cakes
Dorcas Annette Walker

I’ve always been fascinated by the salmon’s migration against incredible odds, which reminds me so much of my father, who lived with severe hemophilia that handicapped his physical body, but not his spirit. It would have been simple for him to give up, sit back, and take it easy. My dad had more than enough excuses, but he was raised on a farm with a strong work ethic. We children learned early on that Dad tolerated no slackness or being lazy. There were times growing up when we complained about working harder than other kids our age in order to keep our household operating with a fulltime working mother, who was the sole support of our family, along with a handicapped father, who wasn’t able to fix things around the house like other dads. We soon became trained in many diverse areas as my father didn’t believe in spending his time lying around. My friends were in awe that I, who was always very skinny, with the help of my younger sister could change a flat tire or hitch up a trailer. It might take us girls longer than an adult and entail both of our bodies working together in unison to raise the car with a jack, but the last thing us teenage girls complained about- at least in our dad’s hearing- was broken fingernails or getting dirty from what my dad called “good ole plain hard work”. In turn I passed my father’s worth ethic along to my children, who were positive when they were young that they were being tortured. Now I’m thrilled to see my father’s legacy being passed down to my grandchildren.

There are seven categories of salmon. The most popular human consumption is the Atlantic salmon sold fresh, canned, or frozen from salmon farms as wild salmon are endangered and illegal to catch. Salmon get their pinkish color for the krill they eat, produce 2,500 to 7,000 eggs, and can weigh up to 100 pounds. Spawning salmon return to the precise stream or river of their birth by their keen sense of smell (greater than a dog or bear) relying on ocean currents, tides, and the gravitational pull of the moon to overcome great distances (the longest distance of a tagged salmon was 3,500 miles) and hazardous conditions. Salmon are “anadromous”, which means making a drastic metabolic change not once but twice when going from fresh to saltwater and back. Pacific salmon die shortly after spawning, but Atlantic salmon are capable of surviving and spawning again. Commercial salmon farming began in Norway in the late 1960’s. Today Chile and Norway are the two largest salmon farming countries in the world. Chum salmon are also called “dog salmon” because the Eskimo people catch, freeze, and then feed them to their dogs during the winter months. Evidence has proven that the Inuit and Eskimos live a longer life span due to a diet mostly of salmon and seal meat. Salmon meat contains rich sources of Omega 3 essential fatty acids known to lower heart disease, decrease hyperactivity, dyslexia, and dysphasia, improve concentration, and fight against colorectal cancer.

My Salmon Cakes are a filling addition to any meal with their mild fish flavor along with a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. You can add chopped onions or green peppers and substitute the mashed potatoes with cooked rice, crushed crashers, or bread crumbs. Other canned fish can be used as well. Preparation time for the Salmon Cakes is twenty minutes and this recipe makes four large fish patties.

Salmon Cakes

2 tb butter
1 (14.75 oz) can of pink salmon
1 c mashed potatoes
1 egg
salt & pepper

Melt butter in an iron skillet. Mix together in a small bowl the de-boned salmon with juice, mashed potatoes, and egg. With a large spoon drop the batter into the hot grease. Let brown on one side and flip over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with paprika and serve hot!

Weekly tip: Potato flakes can be added to the mixture to make firmer fish cakes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Father's Day Cake

2011-06-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Father’s Day Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

This Father’s Day our family will be especially grateful to have my husband, Dana, with us. Little did we realize over three months ago how fragile my husband’s hold on life was until he had a slight heart attack, which led to the finding out that the major arteries of his heart were blocked culminating in a 4 by-pass open heart surgery the first of April. The days before Dana’s heart surgery I was mostly concerned that he would make it into surgery before a major cardiac arrest happened as his vitals kept swinging wildly. I figured that once Dana had his heart surgery he would quickly bounce back on his feet like his usual self as my husband has always been healthy with a strong constitution. Unknown to me our life had already drastically changed. Instead of getting off the respirator within a couple of hours after heart surgery, Dana ended up having to stay on the respirator for over twelve hours when his body exhibited high levels of carbon dioxide. The next morning the left side of Dana’s face drooped. I knew this was a sign of a stroke, but when he started moving his hands and legs we became more concerned with the function of his left lung as the lower lobe had collapsed that turned into pneumonia and a buildup of fluid. After a couple of weeks in the hospital all I wanted to do was bring my husband back home and nurse Dana back to health confident that he would soon regain his strength. Meeting other fellows, who had gone through open heart surgery and recovered quickly only strengthened my resolve that Dana could rebound as well. Instead the last two months for us have been filled with continual complications with Dana’s breathing, more evidence with the passing of time the side effects of Dana’s neurological stroke, his sugar that persists in swinging despite taking four insulin shots a day all slowing down his recovery process. Our life now revolves around making sure that Dana gets his meds at the proper time, insulin shots, using his inhaler every four hours, between frequent doctor and ER visits. The last thing I am doing is complaining as I am so very grateful to have Dana still with me. The sad fact of life is that without trying or even meaning too in the daily race of life we take our loved ones for granted until an emergency strikes whether it be a serious car accident, tornado disaster, or a sudden heart attack. Suddenly our priorities change and we focus on what really is the most important to us. For our family having my husband, father, and grandfather with us will be a precious gift this Father’s Day. So on this Father’s Day don’t forget to honor the special father in your life that you still are privileged to have.

I saw this idea for a Father’s Day Cake in a magazine and was instantly captivated by its simplicity. The decoration of the Father’s Day Cake is easy enough that your children or grandchildren can help. Since Dana is on a strict diabetic diet I used a sugar free cake mix and frosting, but any cake mix or favorite brownie recipe could be utilized. Construct whichever shirt pattern you desire first with a toothpick and then decorate with different colored icing using frosting gels, small candies, chocolate chips, or sprinkles to help embellish your Father’s Day Cake. Preparation time varies depending on the how elaborately you craft your cake. This recipe makes one special 9 x 13 Father’s Day Cake.

Father’s Day Cake

1 cake or brownie mix- your choice
1 (15 oz) container of frosting- your choice
decorative candies

Prepare the cake mix as directed baking it in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Let cool, frost, and then decorate. Garnish by placing your decorated cake into a gift box with tissue paper!

Weekly tip: Use a baggie for small decorating jobs with frosting as it is quick, easy to handle, and can be discarded afterwards!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Heavenly Peach Pie

2011-06-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Heavenly Peach Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

We’ve been having quite a heat wave up here on the mountain lately. As hot as it has been here, I feel sorry for all you folk living off the mountain in the lower altitudes and cities having to survive hotter temperatures. Each day I’ve been making sure that my hens and dogs have plenty of water. I do my outdoor chores early before the heat escalates outside. One thing hot summer days are good for is hanging out wash. It doesn’t take long for clothes to dry on hot days. I hang my clothes out in the morning and then keep an eye on the sky for any scattered afternoon showers. My ducks love it whenever a shower comes by flapping their wings and doing a hop and ducky dance around in the dust as the raindrops fall announcing the good news to the rest of the livestock that dashes for cover. The hot temperature is also ripening my raspberries and peaches. On warm days I love something cool for a dessert so this week I made up a Heavenly Peach Pie.

Peaches are a classic sign that summer has arrived and are quite a versatile fruit. The peach is a member of the rose family, originated in China, was considered symbol of longevity and immortality, and mentioned as early as 79 A.D. Known as “Persian apples” the peach was developed in Persia, went to Europe, and then came to America with the colonist. The first peach orchard noted in Florida was in 1565. There are over 700 varieties of peaches- some Chinese peaches are flat- with two main popular classes: clingstone and freestone; white flesh and golden. Peaches are sometimes referred to as “stone” fruit due to their pits. Most peaches are cultivated by grafting different combinations of rootstocks. Nectarines are peaches without the fuzz. The season for fresh peaches is June to the end of August. China is the largest worldwide producer of peaches followed by Italy. The peach blossom is Delaware’s official state flower, South Carolina is known as the “Peach Capital of the World”, while Georgia is considered to be the peach state. The world’s largest cobbler is made every year in Georgia measuring 11 feet by 5 feet. Peaches do not gain flavor with cooking. One large peach has fewer than 70 calories and is a good source of vitamin A and C. The saying, “you’re a real peach” originated from the tradition of giving a peach to your loved ones.

My Heavenly Peach Pie with its light fruity peachy taste is quick and easy to make year round using canned or fresh fruit. You can substitute the regular crust for a graham crust or even use the peach filling as a salad instead of a pie. Preparation time for my Heavenly Peach Pie is around fifteen minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe makes one 9-inch deep dish pie.

Heavenly Peach Pie

1 (3 oz) box of regular or sugar free peach jello
1 c boiling water
1 (15 oz) can of slices peaches or 1 c peeled diced fresh peaches
1 c cold water or peach juice
1 (8 oz) cool whip
1 9-inch deep dish baked pie crust

Combine the boiling water with the peach jello in a medium sized bowl stirring until dissolved. Dice the peaches and add cold water or peach juice mixing well. Refrigerate until set. With a Wisk thoroughly blend the cool whip and jello. Pour into the pie crust and chill. Garnish with sliced peaches and serve!

Weekly tip: How to tell if a peach is ripe- the flesh should have a slight give using your entire hand to give a light squeeze only as the fruit bruises easily while checking for an even coloring!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Tuna Salad

2011-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Tuna Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

My husband loved to fish- something I never became enamored with. Hiking through tall weeds to get to a fishing site, fighting hungry misquotes, or wading up an ice cold creek was never my idea of fun- not to mention having to touch and hook squirmy worms that to my mind belonged in the garden. Before our daughter, Dawn, attended grade school and then later on our son, Dwight, all valiantly followed their father on his summer fishing trips. I stayed home waiting for the sun burnt worn out fishermen to arrive exhausted late in the afternoon triumphantly holding up their day’s catch. While Dana gutted and cleaned the fish I got my iron skillet hot and ready to fry up the fish for supper. There is nothing tastier than a mess of fresh fish fried crispy golden brown with homemade hush puppies and tartar sauce on a summer evening. To my husband’s chagrin once he taught Dawn and Dwight how to fish, they always managed to out catch their dad. Competitions ran high each summer bringing home an abundance of fish that I was able to freeze. Now that both kids are grown, Dana’s fishing equipment lies neglected in his workshop and I miss having fresh fish each summer to fry up. Thankfully today one can buy frozen or canned fish year round.

We are all urged to add more fish in our diets and for awhile tuna was the rage until someone decided that tuna contained high amounts of mercury causing a health scare about eating tuna. Further studies have concluded that the benefits of eating tuna in moderation outweigh the dangers. Lately I’ve been seeing advertisements about the jellyfish’s ability to give a person a better memory. Next thing someone else will decide that jellyfish are a health danger. It never ceases to amaze me what idea or notion shows up. Since I don’t live by the ocean I have no worries that one of the fishermen in my family will catch and bring a jellyfish to my house. While I know how to fry fish and use tuna in the kitchen, I’d have no earthly idea how to prepare a jellyfish. So I’ll just leave the jellyfish eating to the experts.

Since I always keep a couple cans of tuna handy in my pantry it only takes me a couple of minutes to make up a batch of my Tuna Salad. My favorite way of eating Tuna Salad is in a sandwich with lettuce and sliced tomatoes along with chips. Tuna Salad can also be layered in a soft tortilla to make a wrap or placed on top of a tossed salad for a different twist. However you serve your Tuna Salad you will have a filling and healthy addition to any meal. Preparation time for the Tuna Salad is ten minutes and this recipe serves five to six.

Tuna Salad

2 (12 oz) cans of tuna- your choice
1 hardboiled egg diced
1 heaping tb of dried onion or 1 small fresh onion minced
1 c mayonnaise
salt & pepper

Drain the tuna and dump into a small bowl with the egg and onion. Stir in the mayonnaise adding salt and pepper to taste until well mixed. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: To save freeze fresh fish in lidded containers completely covered with water. To use frozen fish thaw, roll in a mixture of cornmeal and flour, and then deep fry!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Homemade Root Beer Floats

2011-06-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Homemade Root Beer Float
Dorcas Annette Walker

Even though summer doesn’t officially begin until June, I’ve always considered the Memorial Day weekend as the kickoff for summertime. School is usually out or almost finished and as any mother will tell you summer begins when the school year ends no matter what the calendar says. Here in the South on the mountain Memorial Day weekend means grave decorations and family reunions. I love seeing hillside cemeteries covered in floral arrangements. It always brings back memories of my past. I called my daughter and asked her what she remembered most about her grandmother. To my surprise not only did Dawn remember my mother, but also my grandmother on a rare visit to her house one summer when she was a little girl. Dawn enchanted all my Yankee relatives with her southern accent. I remember Dawn asking me one evening when I tucked her into bed why they all talked so funny. Her best memory was of my grandmother, Dawn’s great grandmother, making Homemade Root Beer Floats. Then my mind when down memory lane of when I was a girl having root beer floats (sometimes my grandmother used cream soda) at my grandmother’s house on a hot summer day listening to the adults talk about when my mother was a small girl and how they made homemade root beer. They would mix up a batch of root beer, put it in bottles with corks, and place the bottles up on the tin roof. When the corks begin to pop and the liquid fizzed they knew the root beer was ready to drink. This Memorial weekend I’m going to make sure that my grandchildren (the fifth generation) have Homemade Root Beer Floats to keep our family tradition going.

Root beer is a carbonated sweet beverage made primarily from the sassafras root or bark. Today homemade root beer is usually made from a concentrate. Charles Hires, a Philadelphian pharmacist, was the first to introduce root beer to the public in 1876 that became an instant hit. By 1893 his family began manufacturing and distributing bottled root beer. A & W, the number one selling Root Beer Company in the world, founded by Roy Allen, began marketing root beer in 1919. Root beer floats is also called “black” or “brown cow” in some areas substituting chocolate ice cream for vanilla or cola instead of root beer. Although there is no congressional record or presidential proclamations, August 6th is celebrated by many as National Root Beer Float Day. I discovered recipes for root beer cake, root beer cupcakes, liqueurs, etc.

Nothing hits the spot more on a hot summer day than a Homemade Root Beer Float. Not only is making your own floats more cost effective, but you can create your own family recipe by experimenting with different flavors of ice cream and soda. You can add toppings of whipped cream, maraschino cherries, or candy sprinkles for decoration if desired. Instead of stopping at the nearest ice cream parlor for cold treats, start your own family tradition at home or at a family reunion with Homemade Root Beer Floats.

Homemade Root Beer Float

vanilla ice cream
root beer soda

Place a couple scoops of ice cream in a tall glass and pour in the root beer until it foams up to the top of the glass. Serve with a straw or spoon!

Weekly tip: To frost a glass to keep your beverage cold longer this summer simply place the glass in the freezer. For a complete coating first rinse the glass inside and out in cold water and then place in the freezer. Caution: Don’t freeze beverages in a glass as it will break. Also be careful when handling a frosted glass as it is more slippery!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Brown Floured Wax Beans

2011-05-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Brown Floured Wax Beans
Dorcas Annette Walker

This month as we honor mothers, I decided to share a favorite recipe of my mother that she used to make frequently while I was growing up. I didn’t have any idea of how original her Brown Floured Wax Bean recipe was until I started looking around. Recipes for wax beans are scare even in cookbooks. On the internet I found recipes to make sweet and sour wax beans, fried onions and bacon with wax beans in a sauce, mustard and pickled wax beans, and wax beans made in white gravy. Especially down here in the south you don’t see wax beans served very often as few stores even carry the item. So this year I decided to plant wax beans in order to can and keep a supply of my own yellow beans on hand. I think the main reason that wax beans are not more of a southern cuisine is because wax or yellow beans tend to have a milder- what some might consider a boring- taste compared to green beans. My mother’s brown flour gravy adds a delicate flavor to the wax beans that turns yellow beans into a gourmet dish. Little did our family realize or appreciate what an awesome cook we had living in our own home. Between the influence of my mother and grandmother is there any wonder that I ended up loving to experiment with food and cook?

Wax or yellow beans, also called by some “butter beans” originated in the tropics of Central and South America and got their name due to the waxy texture and feel of their skin giving them a different flavor and texture when cooked from green beans. Wax beans vary from light to a deep yellow color, are a slender and long bean, covered with a thinner and more velvety skin. Their peak growing season is late July to September. Wax beans are canned, frozen, boiled, fried, steamed, used in soups, stews, and casseroles, and are popular cooked fresh today in stir-fries. Yellow wax beans provide a great source of vitamin C, iron, and immune boosting folate. Preparation time for my Brown Floured Wax Beans is fifteen minutes and this recipe serves two to three.

Brown Floured Wax Beans

1 tb margarine
1 heaping tb self-rising flour
1 (14.5 oz) can of wax beans
salt & pepper

In a small saucepan melt the margarine, add flour, and brown. Then pour in the juice of the beans adding salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil stirring with a Wisk until thickened. Fold in the wax beans and simmer for five minutes before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika!

Weekly tip: Cooking with salt intensifies natural flavor and brings several blended flavors into perfection!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chicken Salad

2011-05-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Chicken Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

So far the month of May this year has acted like March with sudden weather changes. Last week I was outside in my garden tucking my six-inch green bean plants and tomatoes in straw to keep them from freezing during a sudden temperature plunge into the low thirties while this week here on the mountain the temperature is reaching nearly ninety degrees. I doubled checked my calendar the other day hanging beside my computer to make sure that this was indeed the month of May. Thankfully all my dear plants survived the frost. The month started out with all kinds of storms and lots of rain causing flooding in the low areas, but the hot humid weather this week has quickly dried out the ground until now all my plants could use a good shower. From what the weather forecasters are predicting rain is on the way. Despite the crazy weather pattern all the spring flowers have been gorgeous this year lasting until the next bunch starts blooming. Everything is green and growing here on the mountain. Right now my iris’ dazzle the eye with an array of colorful hues. While the plants are handling the heat my dogs act lethargic each finding a cool spot in the shade to flop their furry bodies down at. Even the chickens settle down in a dusty spot in their pen until the hottest part of the day is over.

When it is hot, I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking or eating. So this week I made up some Chicken Salad and wrote the recipe down to pass along. My Chicken Salad makes a perfect lunch or a cold supper on a hot day. You can substitute turkey for the chicken, add grapes, nuts, olives, celery, chopped cucumber, boiled eggs, tomatoes, or even dried fruit. This Chicken Salad is a basic recipe that I start with and add or mix in other ingredients depending on my mood, what I have on hand, or what is growing in my garden at the time. Speaking of which, I can’t wait until I can begin picking fresh veggies from my garden this year. I’ve already started harvesting some of my herbs. Preparation time for my Chicken Salad is ten minutes and this recipe serves eight.

Chicken Salad

2 c chopped cooked chicken
1 tb dried onion or one small fresh onion minced
1 tb sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper
1½ c mayonnaise

In a small bowl mix together the chicken, onion, and pickle relish adding salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Chill the Chicken Salad and then serve in a sandwich, on a lettuce leaf, or in a cucumber cup!

Weekly tip: To make a cucumber cup take a long straight cucumber and cut into three pieces with a sharp knife. Cut off the two ends so that each cucumber piece stands up straight. Then cut a zigzag pattern along the top edge. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon leaving ¼ of an inch of cucumber at the bottom. Fill with a salad and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

2011-05-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Whether motherhood comes by physically giving birth, adoption, or becoming a stepmother, one’s life will never be the same again. Motherhood challenges one’s mental, physical, and emotional state and once you become a mother you will always be a mother. I never could understand the phenomenon of how my mother every time we visited her, as an adult and mother myself, would revert back to my childhood days by asking me before we left to go anywhere, “ Dorcas did you remember to brush your teeth? Or Honey, you need to wear a coat it’s chilly outside.” Today I vex my own adult children with the same questions and advice whenever they are around. Little did I comprehend the first time I held my own tiny helpless infant in my arms how much my entire life would change. During the demanding days of toddlerhood, cheerleading early school days, and trying to keep up with the whirlwind teen years my own personality became merged with my children. When they are happy I am happy. Any upheavals in their world affect mine. Is it any wonder that mother’s tend to have a meltdown (labeled the empty nest syndrome) when their children take the first leap into the adult world? And yet I would have it no other way. I’ll never forget the look of awe in my daughter’s face as she held our first granddaughter close in the hospital and tried to explain her new feelings of motherhood to me- the exact same feelings I had for her as a newborn years ago- as Dawn said, “Mommy, I would do anything for Annette even if it meant having to give my own life.” I can’t comprehend women, who will neglect their children, abuse, or let them become abused. I’m glad once a year in the endless round of daily tasks we are given the chance to stop, celebrate, and take a moment to contemplate the precious gift given us- motherhood.

I decided this year to make a special dessert, Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake, for Mother’s Day. I can’t remember where I first got the idea for this cake, but it is something that brings out the creative side of me each time I make it. My Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake is a combination of some of my favorite ingredients that to me embodies springtime. I’m not the only one in my household wild over this cake. Last night when I gave my husband a small piece he told me, “You’d better put this under lock and key it’s so good.” Preparation time for my Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake is around thirty minutes (not counting the baking or cooling time) and this recipe serves sixteen- that is if you can stop with eating one piece.

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

1 lemon cake mix
1 c raspberries
1 c sugar
½ c water
¼ c cornstarch

Prepare the cake mix as directed using a bunt cake pan. Cool and cut in half. In a small saucepan combine the raspberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, cook until thickened, and cool. Spread over the first cake layer and top with the second layer of cake.

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar
2 tb shortening
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ c milk
2 c sweetened cocoanut flakes

Beat powdered sugar, shortening, extract, and milk until smooth with a Wisk. Spread over the entire cake. Sprinkle on the cocoanut. May garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves!

Weekly tip: While flowers, cards, and phone calls brighten a mother’s heart the best gift you can give your mother is time with yourself!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Veggie Ham Casserole

2011-05-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Veggie Ham Casserole
Dorcas Annette Walker

The one thing I always enjoy after cooking a large meal for a holiday or company is the leftovers. While traveling around the United States I’ve actually run into some people who throw their leftovers into the garbage. Can you imagine? They would rather spend money going out to eat instead of eating nutritious leftovers. It never made a lick of sense to me. Living on the road for years with my husband traveling and having to eat out in restaurants day after day, I quickly became tired of restaurant food. I’d rather prepare and eat a homemade meal any day than go to a restaurant to eat. Especially with the high cost of food these days (not to mention all the people starving around the world, who would give anything for one good meal) saving and the utilization of leftovers makes good economic sense. Here in America we have been richly blessed with an abundance of food that I’m afraid is too often taken for granted. Being raised by a Pennsylvania Dutch father in a poor family food was not something that was wasted. Frozen leftovers can quickly be heated up in the microwave for a later or used as a base to make a brand new meal. Some leftovers actually taste better the second time around giving the ingredients a chance to marinate and become more favorable. After spending hours in a kitchen cooking up a big meal, I always look forward to using leftovers the next few days giving me a chance for relaxation away from time cooking in the kitchen.

Our family tradition over the years has been that I always cook up a big turkey for Thanksgiving and then a large ham for Easter. I freeze the larger leftover slices of ham for another meal and then use the small pieces of meat for something like in my Veggie Ham Casserole. Since I usually make up a batch of cheese and macaroni with a big meal along with a couple kinds of vegetables making a Veggie Ham Casserole is a snap afterwards and uses up a couple different leftovers at the same time presented in a different manner. You can substitute the vegetables or use scalloped potatoes in place of cheese and macaroni, replace the yogurt with milk, bake the ingredients, and top with a bread or cracker crumb topping for a nifty casserole. No matter how you make up a Veggie Ham Casserole it will be a tasty, filling, colorful, quick, and nutritious meal. Preparation time for my Veggie Ham Casserole is ten to fifteen minutes and this recipe serves five.

Veggie Ham Casserole

3 c prepared cheese and macaroni
1 c cooked mixed vegetables drained
1 c chopped cooked ham
½ c plain yogurt
¼ c parmesan cheese

Mix the cheese and macaroni, vegetables, and ham with the yogurt in a microwavable dish. Sprinkle with cheese and microwave on high for five minutes or so until thoroughly heated through. Serve hot with a tossed salad!

Weekly tip: Crusty bread or cracker toppings can be made by crumbling the bread or crackers into small pieces, layering on top of the casserole, and then pouring a stick of melted margarine over them before baking. You can also substitute a stuffing mix for the bread!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies

2011-04-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies
Dorcas Annette Walker

The celebration of Easter majors on life as the earth all around us rejuvenates itself with new growth and blooms overnight despite fluctuating temperatures. No matter how one celebrates this holiday everything points to the creator of the universe whose power and majesty is above and beyond mankind’s ability to reproduce. Who else but God, by the tilting of the global sphere we live on, can turn barren ground and trees into beauty that dazzles the eye? Every tiny chick that hatches out of a hard egg shell is a testimony to the power of the resurrection. Our little farm is alive this spring with peeps and chirps of chicks in all sizes filling the chicken yard with downy bodies that soon turn into feathers along with quacking baby ducks. One becomes memorized watching these fascinating little fuzz balls grow into fat waddling hens along with the anticipation of having fresh eggs appear this fall.

Along with taking care of our livestock, every chance I get finds me burying seeds in the ground in my vegetable and flower garden between spring showers. Each tiny seed that I cover with dirt is an act of faith that in the days to come the dead seeds will sprout and produce living plants. I’ve also transplanted my trailing lima beans and squash in the garden along with some of the other flowers I had started. All that remains on my dining room table now is tomato plants looking rather lonely by themselves. Soon they too will get the chance to grow outside and once again I will reclaim my dining room for eating instead of using it as a green house.

I blame all the excitement of life and new growth around me that triggered off my brain cells into another wild culinary experiment of combining a picture I had torn of out a magazine awhile back that intrigued me with another recipe I discovered while browsing through some cookbooks to create something entirely new that I named my Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies. The Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies are fun to make and remind me of when I colored eggs and made candy for Easter with my children. My Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies are delicious plain or decorated and make ideal party favors or snacks. Preparation time for my Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies is around thirty-five minutes (not counting decorating time) and this recipe makes eighteen 3-inch cookies.

Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies

2 sticks butter melted
1 c sugar
¼ c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
3 c self-rising flour

Cream butter sugar, milk, and extracts together until smooth. Add flour and mix until crumbly. Take a handful of dough; form into an egg shape with your hands, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes until lightly browned. Let the cookies sit five minutes before moving and cool before decorating!

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar
2 tb shortening
¼ c milk
½ tsp almond extract
food coloring
candy sprinkles

Beat sugar, shortening, milk, and extract until smooth with a Wisk adding more milk if needed to make a thin consistency. Add a drop of food coloring and mix until getting the desired color. Spoon the frosting over the cookies until covered and then sprinkle with candy.

Weekly tip: When covering candy or cookies with a thin icing place the items to be covered on a rack over a waxed cookie sheet for easy clean up. Let sit until the icing is completely hardened!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Carrot Salad

2011-04-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

Carrot Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Jello was a rare thing in our home when I was growing up. To me it was a mysterious delightful intriguing substance that began appearing in salads and desserts during my teen years. So you can imagine my delight when one of my first tasks in helping out in the school kitchen was to serve plain jello for a lunch time dessert. To my chagrin the jello seemed to take on a life of its own every time I scooped out a square with a metal spatula wobbling and sometimes flopping back into the dish while trying to deposit it onto a waiting tray. The dinner line quickly backed up everyone enjoying my confusion and antics of the jello as I tried to get the knack of serving that day’s dessert while wanting to sink into the floor in embarrassment. The head cook seeing my dilemma took over. Later in the privacy of the kitchen, not willing to let a simple thing like jello outdo me, I practiced lifting out and serving leftover jello while the rest of the staff looked on and gave advice. Afterwards I discovered that jello salads are a lot easier to serve than plain jello. Perhaps the subconscious memory of my first disastrous encounter with jello permanently imprinted on my brain is the reason that I seldom make plain jello.

Jello facts:
- Peter Cooper received the first patent for gelatin in 1845. Fifty-two years later Pearl Wait came up with a fruity tasting gelatin his wife, Mary, named JELL-O.
- Gelatin is made from cattle bones, hides, and pork skins soaked in acid or lime, washed repeatedly, and then boiled to remove the gelatin, which has no odor, color or taste.
- Gelatin is used primarily in food, pharmaceutical (outer shells for hard and soft capsules), and photography (the production of photographic paper and film).
- During World War II gelatin was used as blood plasma substitute.
- The first four flavors of JELL-O were orange, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon; today there are 20 flavors.
- The first sugar-free JELL-O was invented in 1923 with 12 sugar-free flavors currently available.
- During the early quarter 20th century, immigrants entering Ellis Island were served JELL-O as a “welcome to America” treat.
- JELL-O is called jelly in the United Kingdom.
- In 1996 the JELL-O museum opened in New York, which is considered the birthplace of JELL-O.
- In 2001 Utah declared JELL-O the official snack; the people of Salt Lake City eats more lime flavored JELL-O than any other city in the world.
- Today gelatin is used to construct paint balls.
- More than 158 products are sold under the JELL-O brand with 300 million boxes of JELL-O sold in the United States each year.

Carrot Salad

2 (3 oz) boxes of orange jello
2 c boiling water
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple
1 c grated carrots

Stir together in a medium-sized bowl the jello and water until dissolved. Add the can of pineapple and carrots. Chill until set. Preparation time is around twenty minutes and this recipe serves seven. You can serve the Carrot Salad plain or on a leaf of lettuce. Garnish with mayonnaise, cool whip, and/or carrot curls!

Weekly tip: Always use canned or cooked pineapple in gelatin salads as fresh pineapple or kiwi will prevent the jello from setting!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Dwight's Grilled Burgers

2011-04-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Dwight’s Grilled Burgers
Drocas Annette Walker

Family member support becomes invaluable during a crisis. My heart always goes out to people, whose family structure is fragmented during a catastrophe. We are blessed to have two adult children within our close-knit family unit, who have been right with us from the start of Dana’s hospital episode. Not only has Dawn and Dwight transported me back and forth, dropped their work schedules to rally around their dad, help with laundry and housework that I was getting behind on, but they make sure that I am eating right to keep up my strength. One of the first things you quit during hospital stays, as you become isolated from the outside world, is structured meals. One spends hours sitting in a waiting room waiting on surgery to get done, only to transfer one’s body to another waiting room where life revolves around the intensive care visiting hour, until you move to a hospital room of continual interruptions day and night for procedures and tests. Your focus on getting your loved one back on their feet becomes your first priority. I’ve found that simple and quick meals are what one goes for in hospital life.

My son, Dwight, loves to fix stuff on the grill stationed on our back porch. After a long day at work, Dwight will often grill something for his supper. During one of my short overnight stays while I was getting packed up to go back to the hospital, Dwight grilled up a hamburger to eat first letting me feature his culinary skills in this week’s column. Warm spring weather is a perfect time to spend outdoors cooking something on the grill surrounded by a dazzling array of spring blossoms. Dwight’s Grilled Burgers is a basic recipe that you can use to make your own deluxe burgers. With a soft bread exterior and crusty inside you get a toasted crunchy taste with each bite. Preparation time for Dwight’s Grilled Burgers is around fifteen minutes and this recipe makes one grilled burger.

Dwight’s Grilled Burgers

2 slices of bread or hamburger bun
1 hamburger
garlic salt & pepper
1 tb chopped green peppers
1 slice of pepper jack cheese
1 tb margarine

Get the grill hot and wait until the fire dies down. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on the hamburger and place on the hot grill. Lightly brown the bottom and flip over. Place peppers and then the cheese on the hamburger. Butter the bread and place the buttered side down on the hot grill. Shut the grill until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted. Place the toasted sides against the grilled hamburger. Add lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard before eating!

Weekly tip: Use hickory or other wood chips to add flavor to your grilled meat!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Egg Salad

2011-04-04T05:42:00.000-07:00

Egg Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Monday morning started out normal to begin with. I had my list of things that I wanted to get done and had started on the housework when Dana called me from the doctor’s office. He had been having chest pains over the weekend with an elevated blood pressure, but was ready to walk out of the doctor’s office and get back to work as his blood pressure was lower thinking it all was a waste of time. As soon as the doctor saw Dana, he sent my husband to the hospital. I dropped everything and rushed to our local hospital. Tests confirmed that my husband had suffered a mild heart attack over the weekend so the doctor transferred my husband by ambulance to the Cookeville hospital. My son left work and drove me down to Cookeville where our daughter met us. In the space of hours my world dramatically changed. Not only had my husband suffered a heart attack, but he is facing a triple by-pass. Sitting at the hospital with my children- while keeping an eye on my husband as he slowly adjusts to being a patient that is supposed to lie in bed and let others work on him- I couldn’t help but ponder on the fact how quickly life can change. All of our family’s focus is now channeled on seeing that Dana has a successful heart surgery and recuperates. Not only did my housework schedule change, but I had to quickly rearrange my recipes as the last thing the hospital staff needs is a strange cook muddling around their kitchen, sweet as they all are.

So I decided to share a recipe my mother often made that popped into my mind late last night before I fell asleep on the pull-out couch in Dana’s room. Talking by phone with my sister yesterday we both repeated together a phrase we often heard our mother say during our growing up years that now is our motto when any disaster strikes. “It’s a great life if a body doesn’t weaken.” My mom’s Egg Salad can be used as a simple salad on a lettuce leaf or as sandwich filler. Preparation time for my Egg Salad is ten minutes (not counting boiling time for the eggs) and this recipe makes two cups.

Egg Salad

4 large eggs boiled
1 c mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
Salt & pepper

Mash cooled boiled eggs in a small bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and mix well. Serve on a lettuce leaf or between two slices of bread!

Weekly tip: To make it easier to peel boiled eggs add ½ tsp salt to the water when boiling them!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Funny Cake

2011-03-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Funny Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

It’s a cake, no it’s a pie, no it’s Funny Cake- one of my dad’s favorite desserts. My father, born on April 1st, wasn’t expected to live beyond his childhood having severe hemophilia, yet he constantly fooled the doctor’s. Despite numerous internal bleeds that nearly took his life and untold hospital stays, my dad lived with vigor and vim taking long road trips by himself proving that he could be independent- even if he had to get around with a couple of canes or crutches- starting churches in new areas, and moving our family to different states. He often disagreed with doctors saying, “What do they know? I’m the one who lives with hemophilia.” It was nothing for my dad to check himself out of a hospital when he decided that he was well enough to go home. Since hemophilia is a rare genetic condition, my dad had to go to hospitals with a trained hematologist often a couple of hours away. I’ll never forget the night a specialist from a large university hospital called me at home begging me to talk to my dad and convince him to stay overnight. Nobody ever forgot my father once they had met him. Today my son carries the same genetic gene of hemophilia like his grandfather, who died when Dwight was eighteen months old. Even though my son is more laid back that his grandfather, Dwight still has many mannerism of my father. I had to smile the other day when my grown son told me that he didn’t care what the hematologist or an orthopedic surgeon said about one of his ankles, he wasn’t going to have any surgery until he was good and ready. The last time I saw my father alive, I made a Funny Cake for him. After my father died, I quit making Funny Cakes. This week in honor of my father, I made a Funny Cake for my son, who shares the legacy of hemophilia with his grandfather.

Funny Cake is a German Pennsylvania Dutch dessert that is so named because it is a pie and cake all in one with a gooey chocolate bottom topped by a vanilla cake in a pie crust. Some put the chocolate on top of the cake batter that reverses itself when it is baked. The recipe I use comes from an Old Mennonite cookbook. Funny Cake is a perfect April Fool’s Day dessert. Preparation time for my Funny Cake is about ten minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

Funny Cake

1 (9 inch) pastry

Bottom:
½ c sugar
¼ c cocoa
1/3 c hot water
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Top:
½ c sugar
¼ c shortening
1 egg
½ milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 c self-rising flour

Combine the sugar, cocoa, hot water, and vanilla in a small bowl and pour into the pie pastry. In another bowl cream the sugar, shortening, egg, milk, and vanilla together and then stir in the flour. Pour on top of the chocolate mixture spreading it around in a circle. Bake at 350º for 1 hour. Let cool and serve on a cake plate!

Weekly tip: One easy way to line a pie plate with a crust is to wrap the pastry around a rolling pin and slowly unroll over the pie pan without stretching the dough. Trim the edges of the crust and then flute as desired!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup

2011-03-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

March is known for its fickle weather. You never know what the next day will bring. One day is sunny and warm the next day chilly and rainy causing the temperature to drop sharply overnight only to wake up with a frosting of snow. Despite the up’s and downs of weather spring flowers valiantly bloom and trees continue to send forth buds. Each day is a new delight of color that boldly announces the fact that spring has arrived. After the drabness of winter months the rainbow of blossoms is a feast for the eyes- each fragile flower a miracle. As the earth comes alive there is magic in the air. People start smiling more, kids act like spring lambs let out into the pasture for the first time, birds start building nests, everyone’s thoughts turn to gardens, and even arthritic bones loosen up a bit. This past week during a cold spell I made up a pot of my Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup. My meat and potato husband loved it so much he nearly ate it all up.

Meanwhile the garden on my dining room table continues to grow. My Hubbard squash decided to bloom while my lima beans continue to climb all over my chairs. I plan on setting out my pea vines, lettuce, and spinach this week. I need room to start more flower seeds. In the henhouse our baby chicks have outgrown the brooder and are in the nursery section as they feather out. We bought three ducklings that seem to grow an inch a day. All sleep and eat until startled into a mass of squawking and flapping wings making an unbelievable racket. We have already started feeding them out of our hands. Our little farm is bursting with life.

My Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup is a filling soup with chunks of potatoes and hamburger floating in a creamy sauce. Any leftovers can be heated up in the microwave. The Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup makes a perfect meal for a chilly day. Preparation time for the Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup is 45 minutes and this recipe serves six- unless you have an appetite like my husband.

Cheeseburger & French Fry Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 small onion chopped
½ tsp garlic salt
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3 c hot water
4 c crinkled cut French fries
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp salt
Pepper
1 c cubed processed cheese

Brown hamburger and onion with garlic salt in a medium-sized pot. Drain the grease. Add milk, water, French fries, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Lower the heat and add the cheese. Simmer for fifteen minutes until the cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Weekly tip: Did you know that you can grow potatoes in containers, trash bins, buckets, garbage bags/cans, and burlap sacks to free up garden space for other plants and avoid the backbreaking chore of digging potatoes out of the ground? All you need is a sunny spot, put holes in the bottom of your container/bags for drainage, and keep watered as needed!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

St. Patrick's Day Jello Salad

2011-03-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick’s Day Jello Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

There are two kinds of fiascos in cooking; one where the dish tastes horrible or where your recipe didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to, but it still is delicious. I think it is the magic of combining and preparation of ingredients knowing that the results can either be perfection or a disaster that captivates us cooks. No matter how long a person has cooked or prepared a certain dish, who among us hasn’t come up unexpectedly with a flop? That’s why some folk don’t cook. They figure it takes too much effort, have become discouraged when recipes don’t turn out, or are intimidated by professional chefs that use high-fluting sounding words and costly equipment. While there are all kinds of gadgets today advertised as must-have for cooking- some which takes a science degree in order to know how to operate the complicated item- good cooking can still be done with simple utensils. Some folk jump on the bandwagon of every new cooking apparatus that comes out. I’m not against modern conveniences, equipment that cuts down on preparation time, or shortcuts, but I think each cook has to decide for themselves where to draw the line. Staying in homes all across the United States while out traveling on the road in evangelism with my husband, I’ve worked with all kinds of cooks. Some kitchens have been any cook’s dream filled with the latest up-to-date modern equipment; others have been sparse and simple, while some kitchens were a nightmare of cutter and confusion. I quickly found out that it was the cook that made the difference not the equipment.

I still smile whenever I think back to my first little kitchen in a rental cabin on a college campus where one had to use pliers to turn on the oven. That stove was a big challenge and easily could have overwhelmed me, but I was determined to rule it and not it me. When we moved a year later to a place that actually had an oven with a knob, I had become adept at knowing just where to twist the pliers for the correct oven heat. It stood me in good stead as I moved to different parsonages switching back and forth from electric to gas heat. I’ll never forget one kitchen where you had to prop the oven door shut with a chair to keep it closed. Today I cook on my own stove with a solid top and self-cleaning oven surrounded by a kitchen I designed myself. Ironically, it has been on broken down stoves and less than ideal kitchens throughout the years where I have produced the most of my home cooking entertaining folks from hitchhikers my husband picked up along the road to conference dignitaries.

My simple St. Patrick’s Day Jello Salad was the first molded jello salad that I attempted that turned out beautiful and is still a family favorite. The St. Patrick’s Day Jello Salad melts in your mouth with its creamy smooth texture. You can use other flavors of jello or add nuts if you prefer. Preparation time for my St. Patrick’s Day Jello Salad is around ten minutes (not counting chilling time) and this recipe serves fourteen.

St. Patrick’s Day Jello Salad

2 (3 oz) boxes of lime jello
2 c boiling water
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (8 oz) container cool whip

In a medium-sized bowl mix water and jello together until dissolved. Stir in the pineapple. Chill until starting to thicken. Add cool whip and mix thoroughly. Pour into a large jello mold and refrigerator overnight. Turn out onto a plate and serve!

Weekly tip: To remove a jello salad from a mold flawlessly first spray the jello mold with a non-stick cooking spray then dip the mold in hot water afterwards. Also rinse the salad plate with cold water before turning out the salad for ease of repositioning to the center of the plate!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

3-Bean Salad

2011-03-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

3-Bean Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Springtime always turns my mind towards salads. Here is an old fashion Mennonite vegetable salad that can be made year round and is perfect for warm spring days when you are busy outdoors. While I wait impatiently for the weather to warm up enough to start planting, I keep occupied with my vigorous indoor garden that has outgrown my dining room table pinching back my lima beans that are over two feet tall and clambering up the backs of my chairs. My peas have outgrown the wooden stakes and are curling around the squash plants that in turn trail over into my tomatoes. I plan to start giving them a taste of some real sunshine during a warm sunny day soon. Meanwhile I find myself walking around outside checking to see the latest flowers that have popped up out of the earth to reassure me that spring is near.

Salads have been around since ancient times, but here in United States salads were not used regularly until the 1960’s when cold salads needing little refrigeration became popular for picnics and outings. During the J. Edgar Hoover era the bean salad was known as his favorite dish. The first half of the twentieth century garden salads were usually made of lettuce switching over to fruits in the winter season. Dressings were either oil and vinegar or mayonnaise sometimes with a sour cream base. Soon using other garden vegetables in salad became all the rage. Beans add fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, and iron to the diet.

My 3-Bean Salad is quick and easy to make as well as being an ideal and economical dish to use when feeding a crowd. Not only does the 3-Bean Salad give you a fresh summer taste, add color to the menu, but it is very nutritious as well. You can include other kinds of cooked beans such as limas or black beans, sprouts, carrots, broccoli, or sliced radishes to add a unique twist to your bean salad. You can also substitute the oil and vinegar dressing with mayonnaise if you prefer. Preparation time for my 3-Bean Salad is fifteen minutes and this recipe serves eight.

3-Bean Salad

1 (15 oz) can of cut green beans
1 (15 oz) can of cut wax beans
1 (15 oz) can of red kidney beans
1 small onion
½ c cooking oil
½ c sugar
1/3 c vinegar
1 tsp salt

Drain beans, mince up part of the onion, and place together in a serving bowl. Mix together the oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Pour over the beans and stir until well coated. Chill overnight and stir before serving. Garnish with onion rings!

Weekly tip: Beans are classified into two basic categories: pod and shell with a peak season from May until October. Fresh beans can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. If you want sweet-tasting and crisp fresh beans cut them as little as possible!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Strawberry-Pretzel Salad

2011-02-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Strawberry-Pretzel Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Growing up we always had pretzels in our house. Every time we ate ice cream at my grandmother’s house you had a soft fat pretzel with it. While I don’t make homemade pretzels as a special treat like my sister does, I still enjoy eating pretzels with my ice cream- often getting funny looks from others until I talk them into trying it. Some folk to my amazement have never eaten pretzels.

There are two main kinds of pretzels: soft and hard. It is said that hard pretzels began from a baker, who accidently baked his batch of pretzels without first letting them rise and then forgot about them until they became hard and dark. Soft pretzels with their unique knot-like shape (called the pretzel loop) are often served with mustard or dips. The pretzel originated in Europe thought by monks as a way to teach children the Trinity or as a reward for saying prayers. Pretzel baking took firm root in Southern Germany and developed into an emblem of bakers by the 12th century. During the 1500’s the city of Vienna was under siege and was saved by pretzel bakers working through the night, who heard tunneling underground and notified the guard. The grateful emperor awarded the pretzel bakers with an honorary coat of arms. Pretzels were a convenient way to give food to the poor and considered to be a blessing becoming such a scared sign that they were often packed in coffins of the dead. By the 17th century the “marriage knot” was signified by a pretzel wished upon, broken, and eaten together during a wedding ceremony. By the 19th century soft pretzels were introduced to North America by German and Swiss immigrants. In 1850 the Sturgis Bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania started the first commercial hard pretzel bakery. A popular treat of crumbling pretzels as a topping and eating them with ice cream became popular and led to the pretzel ice cream cone. Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York became renowned for their soft pretzels during the 20th century. During the Depression era hot pretzel vendors sold inexpensive pretzels on the streets for lunch. A Pretzel Museum was opened in Philadelphia in 1993 and in 2003 the Governor of Pennsylvania declared April 26 as National Pretzel Day.

My Strawberry-Pretzel Salad can also be used as a dessert. This salad has a crunchy nutty-like crust with a creamy filling and jello topping. You can substitute raspberry jello with raspberries or orange jello with mandarin oranges. Preparation time for my Strawberry-Pretzel Salad is around thirty minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Strawberry-Pretzel Salad

2 c mashed pretzels
2 sticks margarine melted
1 c sugar
8 oz cream cheese
16 oz cool whip
3 (3 oz) boxes of strawberry jello
3 c boiling water
2 c cold water
strawberries optional

Mix pretzels, ½ c sugar, and margarine together and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 350º and let cool. Beat cream cheese, other half of sugar, and cool whip together until fluffy. Spread on pretzel crust sealing around the edges and chill. Make jello and let cool for 30 minutes adding strawberries if you desire. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares, garnish with cool whip, and a strawberry!

Weekly tip: To mash pretzels quickly, place in a baggie and crush with the side of a hammer!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Homemade Tomato Soup

2011-02-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Homemade Tomato Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

February is a tantalizing month that teases you with thoughts of spring. Daffodils poke their heads out of the ground showing the first sign of green as trees and bushes start forming buds despite frigid temperatures. The sun shines and the thermometer rises hinting at warmth, yet there is a cold brisk breeze along with lingering snow in shady spots that lets you know winter is still not over. Usually about this time I get “cabin fever”. This year I am too busy keeping up with the green plants overflowing my dining room table. I decided in January to start some plants for my garden from heirloom seeds and talked my husband into setting up a light on my dining room table. While the snow was flying outside and the wind was howling around my house, I played in the dirt.., uh, potting soil. After planting some tomato seeds I couldn’t resist planting peas, beans, lettuce, Hubbard squash, and a couple of flowers. They hardly took up any room. I didn’t think all the seeds would sprout, but lo and behold if they all didn’t come popping up out of the soil. I transplanted the tiny plants into small Styrofoam cups. In a couple of weeks the plants had tripled in size so I again transplanted the healthy plants into large cups amazed at the size of their roots while crowding my dining room table. I’m not worried about my foot high peas as I will be able to plant them in the ground in a couple of weeks, and my tomatoes and lettuce are coming along nicely, but it is my nearly two foot tall lima beans that are starting to concern me as I can’t set them out until about the middle of April. Dana keeps telling me that we will be picking our first crop of limas inside the house. I’m beginning to feel a close empathy with Jack in the Beanstalk in the midst of my dining room jungle. Instead of reclining in my chair by the fire looking at flower magazines at leisure, this year I am kept on the go transplanting and watering all my growing plants. I’ve come to understand the true meaning of winter gardening. Hopefully if I cut back on the miracle grow I can stunt the growth of my lima beans for a little bit.

For a taste of summer in the middle of winter my chunky Homemade Tomato Soup makes a healthy and yummy lunch with its high vitamin C content. I love eating a grilled/fried cheese sandwich along with my Homemade Tomato Soup. Any leftovers can be heated up in the microwave. Preparation time for my Homemade Tomato Soup is fifteen minutes and this recipe serves around five.

Homemade Tomato Soup

1 qt tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Chop tomatoes in a blender or pour into a kettle and mash. Boil tomatoes and sugar for ten minutes stirring with a Wisk. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat, and serve!

Weekly tip: To prevent the milk from curdling in tomato soup you can also add a teaspoon of baking soda to the tomatoes and then 1 tb of flour with the milk. Warning: doing this makes your tomato soup taste like canned soup!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Valentine Petit Fours

2011-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Valentine Petit Fours
Dorcas Annette Walker

Probably next to Christmas, Valentine’s Day is the most celebrated holiday; a day for sweetheart’s young and old. New love is exciting to behold in a new couple, but there is something even more romantic about an older couple, whose love instead of diminishing has deepened throughout the passing years. Unfortunately today, love seems too often be just a passing fancy for a short spell of time where commitment is thrown out of the window over trivial or selfish reasons only to discover later that they have shortchanged themselves in the long run. Instead love is a tender sprout that must be nourished and given careful attention if it will continue to grow, bloom, and bear fruit. When my husband and I got engaged on Valentine’s Day thirty-five years ago (and was married four months later), we set a goal of reaching fifty years together although people around us shook their heads and said that we would never last. Here are some things I’ve discovered throughout the years that love is:

- Not only romantic moments, but faithfulness during the daily grind of life
- Seeing a person at their worse and still loving them
- Communicating even when you don’t agree
- Giving each other space to be their own individual person
- Disagreements and arguments, but not quitting until it is worked out
- Being willing to forgive
- Sharing the enchantment of a newborn, frustrations of toddlerhood, and the whirlwind of teen years
- Spending hours at the bedside of young children during sickness and hospital stays
- Being flat broke and hanging in there together
- Hidden love notes, daily phone calls to stay in touch, and saying, “I love you”
- Facing an empty nest and discovering that you are still are friends
- Continuing to love each other as our bodies age

My Valentine Petit Fours are unique ways of showing your special valentine that you love them. You can write words, individual messages, or decorate your Valentine Petit Fours any way your heart desires. You can also use this idea for other holidays as well.

Valentine Petit Fours

1 pound cake
1 (16 oz) can vanilla frosting
wax paper
decorative candies/sprinkles/gel icing

Freeze the pound cake and then cut into 2 inch cubes. Microwave frosting 15 seconds at a time stirring in-between until the frosting is the consistency of heavy cream. With a fork holding the cube dip or run frosting until completely covered then use a knife to slide it onto wax paper. Decorate with candies, sprinkles, and gel icing. Let harden and serve on ruffled baking cups!

Weekly tip: You can use a hair dryer to slightly melt the frosting for a smooth glossy look before decorating!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Sloppy Joe's

2011-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Sloppy Joe’s
Dorcas Annette Walker

My husband is quite the storyteller, who not only puts himself into the story changing voices to match characters and creating sound effects as he goes along, but with his imagination Dana is also good at adding or changing parts of a story on a whim. Our children always begged their dad to read them a story knowing that before the story ended they would be nearly scared out of their wits. Even simple nursery rhymes became hair-raising experiences. I have to credit my husband with getting my children to read at an early age in order to catch Dad when he suddenly veered from the written words. I can still hear my kids yelling, “No, daddy, that isn’t the way it goes,” and Dana answering, “How do you know? You can’t read.” Their little faces would concentrate on each word until they could identify them. The only place I didn’t let my husband tell stories was at bedtime to avoid nightmares.

I’ll never forget the first time our daughter asked why the barbeques we had for supper one night were called Sloppy Joe’s. My husband instantly got a gleam in his eye and before I could answer he said, “Sloppy Joe’s are called that because Mommy chops up this person called Joe, adds some stuff to him, and cooks him up.” Dawn immediately questioned, “That’s not true is it, Mommy?” Before I could reply, Dana grabbed his knife and waved it around saying, “And you know what? When we run out of Joe we’ll start on your guys. We’ll have sloppy Dawn first and then sloppy Dwight.” By now both of our kid’s eyes were huge and they were hanging onto the edge of the table. Then Dana put down the knife, grabbed his sandwich, took a big bite, and said, “Mmm, I love Sloppy Joe’s. I can’t wait until we have sloppy Dawn and sloppy Dwight.” I was quick to reassure my children that it was only another one of their dad’s tall tales. Now-a-days it is the grandkids that beg their Grandpa to tell read them a story.

The history of Sloppy Joe’s is a paradox. Owners of a restaurant in Iowa that is known for their sloppy sandwiches claim that it was named after a cook they had by the name of Joe, another hypothesis is that the name derived from the appearance of a man called Joe after eating a messy sandwich, while in Florida a bar called Sloppy Joe’s claims they invented the name. There are many varieties of Sloppy Joe’s with alternate names such as: Wimpies, Yip yips, Slush burgers, Barbecues, and Hot tamales. In parts of Northern New Jersey a Sloppy Joe refers to a cold deli-type sandwich. My Sloppy Joe recipe comes from an old Mennonite cookbook that I have used for years.

Sloppy Joe’s

2 lbs hamburger
1 small onion chopped
1 c catsup
2 tb br sugar
2 tb vinegar
1 tb prepared mustard
garlic salt, regular salt & pepper

In a large iron skillet fry hamburger and onion until brown sprinkling on the salts and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with hamburger buns. This recipe serves eight!

Weekly tip: When doubling the recipe you can substitute tomato sauce or soup for part of the catsup!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Hot Potato Salad

2011-01-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Hot Potato Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Here is a brand new recipe that I tried out for the first time and had to share. All the Hot Potato Salads that I had previously tasted throughout the years were okay, but were nothing real special that stood out to me. Now I’d be the first one to admit that everyone’s taste buds and what they like are often different so don’t take my opinion personally if you have a favorite Hot Potato Salad recipe that you love. While browsing through cookbooks I came across a Hot Potato Salad recipe that intrigued me and I thought, why not try it? After all I encourage you all to try new stuff and the worst thing that could happen would be that I and my fellows wouldn’t like it. So one cold snowy day while I was in my kitchen baking, I made up a batch of the Hot Potato Salad giving the recipe only a few tweaks. The next meal my guys immediately recognized a new dish. Dana lifted an eyebrow in my direction and asked, “Is this another one of your experiments?” I just grinned and said, “Try it”. True to his nature (hopefully with faith in my ability as a cook and the fact that I have yet to poison him), Dana dug out a good portion of my Hot Potato Salad onto his plate. Now my son, Dwight, is pickier eater. He tentatively put a small spoonful on his plate with a doubtful expression on his face. After a small bite though, Dwight looked up in surprise and said, “Hey this is good!” He finished up his small portion and got another big helping with my husband following close behind him. In one meal we nearly ate up the entire Hot Potato Salad. Now don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself.

The potato has fed civilizations, yet it is often has the reputation as junk food. The potato itself is a healthy food. It is the way it is prepared. We can blame Thomas Jefferson, who first introduced French fries to America. Potato chips soon followed and thus came the downfall of a main staple. One serving of a medium-sized potato though with the peel left on is a good source of fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin C, contains no fat, and is low in calories.

My Hot Potato Salad is a mild potato salad-style casserole wrapped in a cheesy sauce that makes an awesome combination giving a warm summer taste on a cold winter day. Preparation time for the Hot Potato Salad is twenty-five minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves eight.

Hot Potato Salad

8 medium-sized potatoes
1 c mayonnaise
1 c milk
½ stick of margarine
½ lb block cheese spread cubed
1 tb dried chopped onion
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp dried crushed celery leaves
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Cook, cool in water, and cube potatoes. In a microwave bowl combine the rest of the ingredients and microwave until the cheese is melted stirring frequently. Butter a 2 qt baking dish, place the potatoes in it, and pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350º for 1 hr until browned, and bubbly. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Red potatoes are especially good for salads because they don’t absorb the dressing or break apart easily, and due to their thin skin they don’t need to be peeled thus adding color!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Apple Salad

2011-01-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Apple Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every day in our lunchbox there was an apple, sandwich, and cookies. In fact I grew very tired of the sight of the ever present apple, but whenever I complained I was told, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. My mother did all kinds of things to tempt me to eat my apple. She quartered and cored it and even reluctantly peeled the apple to try and get me to eat my apple instead of bringing it back home. On rare occasions we got a banana or an orange. In those days there were no kid’s vitamins. My mother was trying to keep us healthy and instill healthy eating practices. Thanks to my mother’s persistence somewhere along the way I began to like eating apples. So guess what I packed in my kid’s lunches when I became a mother, and found myself doing when my daughter complained that she didn’t like apples? Unfortunately today, children are not sent off to school with a packed lunch and healthy apple. So here is a recipe to add apples to your diet and help your family stay healthy this winter.

In Greek mythology, apples were associated with the healing god Apollo. During medieval times physicians used cooked apples for bowel disturbances and apple juice was prescribed as an antidepressant. The apple is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits and is in the rose species. Not only are apple delicious, makes a great snack, are low in calories, and is a natural mouth freshener, but they are a great source of fiber, especially the skin. To store apples and keep them crisp place them in the bottom of your refrigerator as apples ripen fast at room temperature. Always wash apples before eating or using.

My Apple Salad is a healthy colorful crunchy salad made up of different fruits enfolded in a mild sweet creamy dressing. You can add sliced grapes, flaked coconut, or other fruits and substitute the chopped nuts with walnuts, almonds, or peanuts- mix-matching items to create your own individual salad. Preparation time for my Apple Salad is about twenty minutes (not counting the cooling time) and this recipe serves around fifteen.

Apple Salad

4 c red apples diced
1 c raisins
1 banana sliced
½ c minced celery
½ c chopped pecans
1 c water
½ c sugar
2 tb self-rising flour
1 egg
½ (8 oz) container of cool whip

Mix together the apples, raisins, banana, celery, and pecans in a medium-sized bowl. In a small saucepan bring to a boil stirring constantly with a Wisk the water, sugar, flour, and egg until thickened. Let cool. Stir in the cool whip and fold over the fruit until thoroughly covered. Let chill before serving. Can garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: A pinch of salt intensifies something sweet. That is why people sprinkle salt on raw fruits such as apples, cantaloupes, and watermelons!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Oatmeal Cake

2011-01-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Here is another recipe from scratch, which reminds me of the story about a newlywed, who asked the storekeeper where he kept the “scratch” because that’s what her husband said his mother made everything from. This Oatmeal Cake recipe is as old as the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I got this recipe from a young hill mother. We were from opposite ways of life, but became close friends. Mae had a daughter close to the same time as mine, but instead of a ruffled bassinet her baby bed was a plastic wash basket on the floor beside their bed. Her husband, Wade, came from a family of sixteen- it took a five gallon bucket of potatoes every meal. When we met them they already had eight children. With my first child I hemorrhaged, had to spend time in the hospital, was given blood, went down to ninety pounds, and it took me a full year to recover while Mae had babies every other year like she was fixing up a pan of cornbread.

Wade and Mae moved from a two-bedroom trailer to a small house perched on the side of a hill with rickety narrow wooden planks over a stream halfway to their house that I was scared to drive across. One morning partway across the “bridge” to get Mae to take her to the store carrying my nine-month-old daughter and a large diaper bag, I looked down to see a snake stretched out right under my feet. I screamed, took one flying leap, and ran the rest of the way up the hill not stopping until I reached the front porch where I collapsed. The kids were quite enthralled and spent the morning trying to find the snake while I endeavored to get my shattered nerves under control. We never did make it to the store that day.

After moving they bought a jersey cow for milk. One day Wade called. The cow had eaten some kind of weed and the vet said that it would probably go dry. Nothing daunted, my husband prayed over the cow reminding the Lord how much Wade and Mae needed milk for all their young’uns and how they shared their milk with us. The Lord answered prayer and instead of going dry the cow doubled its output to four gallons a day. Despite abject poverty the cow and young’uns thrived and the last we heard several years after moving from the area was that Wade and Mae’s children numbered eleven.

This Oatmeal Cake is a filling dessert ideal as a snack with a hot beverage. I added applesauce to the original recipe and you could add raisins as well. The cooked frosting sets this plain cake off. Preparation time for the Oatmeal Cake is forty-five minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Oatmeal Cake

In a large bowl mix together, cover, and le set for twenty minutes: 1¼ c boiling water and 1 c quick oatmeal.

Then add:
1 c br sugar
1 c sugar
1 c applesauce
½ c shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Stir in and beat thoroughly:
2 c self-rising flour
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35 minutes.

Cooked Frosting:

1 c br sugar
1 stick margarine
1 c cocoanut
3 tb milk
½ c chopped pecans

Bring to a rolling boil in a small saucepan, let simmer for ten minutes, and then spread over the warm cake!

Weekly tip: When needing to measure shortening or thick liquids, first spray the measuring cup with a cooking spray, measure the ingredient, and then pour out!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Sausage Pie

2011-01-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Sausage Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

Another New Year with blank pages spread out before us; a time of making new resolutions as we evaluate the past. Little did I realize four years ago when I wrote a cooking column at a local editor’s request that it would evolve into a regular column and blog where I would get to meet folk via the internet not only around the United States, but Canada and Britain. One sweet fellow up in Ohio invited me to appear on his televised weekly cooking show. I nicely declined as I’m not into the new fangled ways of cooking with strange pots and pans in front of an audience. My greatest inspiration that draws me to my kitchen each week is the emails and phone calls from you local folk here in Tennessee that tell me that my column is the first thing read in the Friday edition. I figured I’d have run out of recipes long before now. Instead this past week I began filling another notebook with some more old recipes to redo along with new ideas to try out. I’ve found cooking to be a grand adventure that time doesn’t diminish.

This week I’m featuring an oldie my fellows love evolved on the spur of the moment many years ago one afternoon when I was baking in kitchen and realized I hadn’t planned anything for supper. I found leftover carrots and peas and since I was making pies I decided to add potatoes, some sausage, and turn it into a pie. Nothing fancy, but I figured it would be filling. My husband loved it so much that he bragged about my Sausage Pie until I had to make another one for his friends. They acted like it was the best thing they had ever eaten. Since then I’ve made Sausage Pie for visitors and once on a mission trip out west- at my husband and friend’s request as to me a meat pie isn’t fancy company fare. For some reason a meat pie seems to be a man’s dish. I’ve never had a recipe for it so when I made up a Sausage Pie this week I measured and wrote things down.

My Sausage Pie is a colorful blend of vegetables, potatoes, and sausage wrapped together in a flaky pastry crust that makes a hearty meal. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated up for another time. Preparation time for the Sausage Pie is around 30 minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves six.

Sausage Pie

2 pastries for a 10-inch pie
1 lb sausage (your choice) browned & crumbled
2 c potatoes peeled, diced, & cooked
2 c carrots peeled, sliced, & cooked
1 (15 oz) can of peas
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp seasoned salt
salt & pepper

Drain vegetables and layer in the pie crust with the sausage. Sprinkle parsley flakes and seasoned salt adding regular salt & pepper to taste. Cover with a top crust and crimp the edges together. Bake at 350º for 1 hr until the crust is nicely browned. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Using cold ingredients and not over-mixing or over-working the dough makes for a flakier pie crust while glass or dull metal pie pans brown the pastry best!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-01-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

Wintertime not only brings snow days with chilling temperatures, but unfailingly all kinds of germs make their rounds as well. Already up here on the mountain colds and flu have begun their cycle. My pastor and his wife came down with a bad case of cold/flu symptoms close to Christmas. I was planning on sending some goodies their way so decided to also include a batch of homemade chicken soup. Marty called me that evening telling me between croaks how much they enjoyed my soup and homemade noodles asking me for the recipe. Guess what? I didn’t have one. I never thought a body needed a recipe for plain ole chicken soup. Then this week I came down with the sniffles and decided to make up a pot of my chicken soup. This time I stopped to measure my ingredients and wrote them down to share with the rest of you, who use recipes. My husband enjoyed my chicken soup so much that he ate three bowls before he stopped. What better way to start off the New Year with a Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup to help keep you healthy throughout the coming winter months?

My Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for lunches or as a main meal- just include hot cornbread or muffins. You can substitute leftover turkey for the chicken, use chicken/turkey broth, saved potato or vegetable water, pureed squash or leftover celery, and you can even add diced vegetables if you prefer. Either way this Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup will hit the spot. Preparation time is around 35 minutes and this recipe makes close to one gallon of soup.

Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

3 c cooked chicken chopped in 1 inch pieces
12 c water
1 tb dried onion or 1 small onion diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
dash of garlic salt
pepper to taste
homemade noodles

In a large kettle bring to a rolling boil all the ingredients except the noodles. Break noodles into around one inch pieces dropping them in and covering them with the boiling liquid. Boil with a lid on for ten minutes and then let simmer on low until ready to eat. Serve hot and garnish with parsley flakes!

Weekly tip: Homemade noodles! In a small bowl work into a stiff ball: 2 c self-rising flour and 3 large eggs. Roll out very thin on a lightly floured surface. Let sit for 2 hrs. Fold the dough over a couple of times and cut into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Continue to dry until ready to use. To save make sure that the noodles are completely dry before storing in airtight container!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Christmas Cheesecake Bars

2010-12-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cheesecake Bars
Dorcas Annette Walker

As a minister’s wife a major part of Christmas holidays has always been taken up directing Christmas programs. I quickly discovered that no matter how well you plan and practice for perfection it is the children themselves that give your Christmas program its unique twist, often at unexpected moments. I’ve seen small sheep walking around on two legs instead of four, being more interested in yanking off their headdress than baaing like sheep, and wise men appearing in all their glory with gifts for baby Jesus minus their crowns. One Christmas program a fight broke out in the middle of recitations when a boy standing in line decided he had waited long enough and without warning marched up to the mike and wrestled with the boy trying to say his piece demanding, “Move over! It’s my turn now.”

My first introduction to Christmas programs going in a different direction than planned was in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Since the small church only had one switch to control all the lights, one Christmas I put candles everywhere (including along the altar) in order to give a candlelit program. All went well until the children lined up in front of the altar started singing, “Away in a Manger”. One wiggly little girl kept moving around until suddenly in the midst of our song she screamed out, “Help me, I’m on fire!” I quickly checked her- she had only felt the heat of the candle and panicked- while trying to keep the song going. My husband jumped up and ran over to investigate while “Away in a Manger” quickly faded away as all the kids crowded around the girl yelling, “Let me see! Where is she burnt? Is she really on fire?” Yet despite all the crazy things that can go wrong during a Christmas program, unfailingly the wonder of the angels appearing to shepherds on a hillside always shines through.

Today my daughter is grown and directs Christmas programs herself. Last Sunday we went out to Nashville to see her church program. I was enchanted to see one squirmy little girl’s white choir top with a gold bow become twisted until it looked like a rumpled bib while a couple of small boys, minus their choir tops, did somersaults on the platform as the older children tried to say their pieces- I told my daughter afterwards that the rowdy boys would make perfect sheep. It wasn’t until the first sound of the bells being played by the children with Christmas music that everyone’s attention was arrested. As the sound of bells rang out around the manger, once again the spirit of Christmas came alive to celebrate the miracle of a tiny babe born in a stable.

Christmas Cheesecake Bars

1 pkg graham crackers crumbled
1 stick margarine melted
3 tb sugar
3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c yogurt
1 tb self-rising flour
1 tsp vanilla

Mix crackers, margarine, and 3 tb sugar together. Press firmly in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 5 minute at 350º. Meanwhile beat together until smooth all the other ingredients adding the eggs last and pour onto the top of the baked crust. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the center is almost set. Let cool, refrigerate, and chill thoroughly. Cut into squares and decorate with decorating gels and sprinkles. Makes 18 bars!

Weekly tip: For a perfect cheesecake: soften cream cheese to room temperature before beating, don’t overbeat the eggs- will cause falling, test for doneness by gently shaking the cheesecake –don’t use a knife or toothpick- as over baking causes cracks across the top, and to cut use a sharp knife dipped in warm water!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Peanut Butter Brittle

2010-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Peanut Butter Brittle
Dorcas Annette Walker

How well I remember snow days when my children were small. It seemed like an endless parade: wet mittens, coats, and muddy floors, getting everyone all wrapped up and outside to play only for them to turn around and come back inside. By noon the excitement of no school had worn off and my little angels would start to snarl at each other like tigers. I found the best remedy was to get out some bowls and spoons and begin making up a batch of cookies. Even if the camel’s heads were a bit lopsided and the recipe made only half the amount- thanks to little fingers sampling the cookie dough- it kept my kids occupied and happy. Not only did we make memories together, but I ended up with Christmas cookies. Whenever frigid winter winds are howling outside, there is something comforting about working in my kitchen. I always like to stock up ahead on items needed for holiday baking so I don’t have to venture out when bad weather hits. This week during a snowstorm, I made up a batch of Peanut Butter Brittle.

Don’t think I’m bragging, but my family and I believe that my homemade Peanut Butter Brittle is quite superior to any store bought. The other year when I first made up a batch I thought it had flopped when it didn’t turn out rock hard. The candy tasted delicious and disappeared so fast- not to mention being easier to chew- that I had to make up another batch. This year I made a double batch and before it had even hardened my husband and son were trying to snitch some. With a success like that I don’t care if my Peanut Butter Brittle never gets teeth-busting hard. Don’t get discouraged or give up if a recipe doesn’t turn out perfect. You may accidently stumble onto a brilliant idea.

My Peanut Butter Brittle is a quicker version of the cooked one and easy to do making a perfect gift idea when wrapped in a Christmas tin. You can substitute almonds for peanuts or any use other nuts, and replace one cup of honey for one cup of sugar. Make on a dry day as humidity tends to make the finished product sticky. Use pot holders or oven mitts when handling as the candy will be very hot. Preparation time for my Peanut Butter Brittle is around six minutes (depending on the wattage of your microwave cooking time may vary) and this recipes makes close to 2 lbs.

Peanut Butter Brittle

3 c sugar
3 c peanuts
1 c light corn syrup
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tb margarine
2 tsp baking soda

In a microwave-proof bowl, microwave on high for four minutes (stirring halfway) the sugar, peanuts, corn syrup, and salt. Mix in vanilla and margarine and microwave for two more minutes or until runny. Add baking soda and stir until the mixture becomes light and foamy. Pour onto two large cookie sheets covered with wax paper and spread the candy to about ¼ inch thick. Let completely cool. Turnover and break with a hammer. Peel off wax paper and store candy in an airtight container!

Weekly tip: If you are a chocolaholic, who thinks a bit of chocolate makes everything taste better, melt a couple squares of chocolate or some chocolate chips in the microwave, dip the ends of the Peanut Butter Brittle into it, and let harden for some one-of-a-kind candy!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mix

2010-12-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mix
Dorcas Annette Walker

An exciting part of Christmas is giving gifts. Our family tradition is to start placing gifts under the tree as soon as it is up. My youngsters loved touching, carefully counting and shaking presents to see if they could guess what was in them. By their teenage years I was using all sizes of boxes, weights, and items that would make noise in order to camouflage what was inside the wrapped gifts. Now that my kids are grown, I still like to keep them on their toes. For a couple of years I took turns choosing one to be “honored” by giving them a gag gift that involved starting with a big box with a slightly smaller wrapped present inside until they got down to a tiny final gift. Then last year instead of just selecting one person, I wrapped up all their presents that way. This year I plan to have a treasure hunt giving a clue to discover the first gift with the next clue attached to the gift etc. After all the hours spent wrapping presents it will be relaxing to sit back and watch my grown children race back and forth throughout the house searching for their Christmas gifts. I don’t want them to lose the anticipation and excitement of Christmas just because they are getting older. I am open to other suggestions to help keep the spirit of Christmas alive at my house.

Instead of just giving toys, I began when my children were little to give books by a favorite author and then to build sets of books each year. I get my practical side from my mother. When my daughter was a teenager, she would give me the size and colors of a couple carefully selected clothes within a certain price range that I would put back on lay-a-way. I initiated my son-in-law, Randy, on his first Christmas by giving him socks. It has become a family joke with everyone wildly guessing each year in which present Randy will find his socks. I always make sure not to disappoint him. In the first couple of years after my daughter was married her mother-in-law gave a large basket filled with toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap etc. each Christmas. Last year my daughter she said what she really wanted most for Christmas was a new laundry basket. Like a loving mother I made sure that my daughter got the one she desired. By sharing lists of things that are needed or wanted our family avoids the hassles of standing in long lines after Christmas to return or exchange items.

My Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mix makes an ideal gift from the kitchen. This rich chocolate drink is perfect for wintertime. You can substitute a mocha-flavored creamer with one cup of instant coffee granules; add miniature marshmallows, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, or chocolate/mint chips to the mix to make one-of-a-kind gourmet drink. Preparation time is ten minutes and this recipe makes around nineteen cups of mix.

Gourmet Hot Chocolate Mix

10 quarts powdered milk
1 (16 oz) coffee creamer
1 (16 oz) instant chocolate breakfast drink
1 lb powdered sugar
1 (5 oz) pkg cook & serve chocolate pudding
In a large container mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Use ¼ c of mix to one c of hot water. Serve with marshmallows or peppermint candy canes!

Weekly tip: For a holiday twist dip 24 large marshmallows halfway into a mixture of: 1 c powdered sugar thinned with 4-5 teaspoons of water and then roll in crushed peppermints. Let dry for a couple of hours on wax paper and thread with wooden skewers!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Old Fashioned Soda Cracker Fudge

2010-12-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Old Fashioned Soda Cracker Fudge
Dorcas Annette Walker

This month I will be giving recipes ideal for holiday treats or gift giving. Every year around Christmastime I set aside a day in my kitchen baking cookies and cooking candy. With holiday music soaring in the background and scrumptious goodies filling up my counters, Christmas for me really begins. I love giving homemade gifts of cookies and candy to friends and neighbors; something that quickly became a Christmas tradition for our household. In today’s fast-pace society of readymade items lining the shelves of the stores temping one to take shortcuts, Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to slow down enough to set aside some time to have a family night or friend get-to-gether with homemade food. While glittering lights and holiday sales try to tempt one to spend beyond their budget, why not determine to center this Christmas season on family and friends instead of commercialism? Instead of expensive presents, why not give the gift of time and something homemade? Expensive presents can never substitute for sharing oneself.

Fudge is usually a very sweet and extremely rich type of candy often flavored with chocolate. Even though there is no record of when fudge was first invented, fudge is believed to have been the result more than one hundred years ago of an accidental “fudged” batch of caramels as both caramel and fudge are cooked at a very high temperature and need lots of stirring. Fudge quickly became popular, especially on college campuses. Soda cracker fudge or peanut butter cracker fudge originated by using what one had on hand during the depression era. Another widespread item was cracker candy made by layering crackers on the bottom of a foil-lined pan, pouring the boiled ingredients over the crackers, baking for five minutes, chilling in the refrigerator until set, and then broken into pieces.

My Old Fashioned Soda Cracker Fudge is a simple and easy recipe to make that can use various ingredients for different twists. You can add one cup of butterscotch morsels, chopped walnuts, or pecans to this recipe or for chocolate fudge add: one (12 oz) bag of chocolate chips and substitute brown sugar for white then sprinkle on crushed peppermint candies. The possibilities are endless. Preparation time for my Old Fashioned Soda Cracker Fudge is around ten minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe makes about a dozen, one-inch pieces of fudge.

Old Fashion Soda Cracker Fudge

2 c sugar
½ c milk
5 tb crunchy peanut butter
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow crème
24 saltine crackers

Crush crackers in a blender and line in a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. In a small saucepan bring sugar, milk, peanut butter, and marshmallow crème to a boil and cook for five minutes stirring constantly with a Wisk. Pour over crushed crackers making sure all the crackers are coated. Let cool until set then cut into one-inch pieces. Store fudge in a tight container as it will last a long time- if not eaten first!

Weekly tip: To get marshmallow crème out of the jar without a big mess first dip a large spoon into hot water repeating as necessary. This will cause the marshmallow crème to slide out of the jar and off the spoon with ease!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread

2010-12-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread
Dorcas Annette Walker

I’ll never forget my tenth birthday for two reasons. First it fell right on Thanksgiving Day, which didn’t seem to make it much like a birthday as it was overshadowed by a major holiday. Second instead of a small turkey that year my parents could only afford a duck. Even though our family was poor my parents invited a guest to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. I had the “honor” of sitting beside this scruffy fellow with unkempt long dark hair and scraggly beard that I had never seen before in my life, nor knew where my parents had come across this guy. Today I cannot remember man’s name, but one thing that stands out in my mind is the fact that while this fellow slurped, growled, and plowed his way through the food like a starved person, I barely touched mine. Since visitors were rare in our home and I was quite shy it was like sitting beside a big wild bear. To my ten year old mind, my birthday was a total disaster.

Little did I realize it then, but my parents were instilling valuable principles into my life. At that time going shopping with my father or mother was sooo embarrassing as neither one met a stranger in their life. My parents were always smiling and willing to talk to anyone. Years later my teenage daughter would say to me, “Really, Mom, do you have to talk to everyone? It is so embarrassing!” And no matter how poor we were when Thanksgiving and Christmas came around there was always someone worse off than us that we could help. The holidays are a perfect time to reach out to others. It never ceases to amaze me how a smile, a kind word, or a simple act of kindness can help make someone else’s day and at the same time lift your own spirits.

My Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread is an old Mennonite recipe that has become a favorite in our family. The sweet colorful moist bread with a subtle orange flavor filled with cranberries and nuts always signals that the holidays have begun. Instead of making a loaf you can also turn this recipe into cupcakes or muffins. For added richness slather a slice of Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread with softened cream cheese. Preparation time for my Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread is about an hour and this recipe serves twelve large slices.

Holiday Cranberry Nut Bread

2 c self-rising flour
1 c sugar
1 c chopped cranberries
1 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1 egg
1 c orange juice
¼ c cooking oil

In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, sugar, cranberries and walnuts. Add the egg, orange juice, and oil mixing thoroughly. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes until browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for five minutes before slicing!

Weekly tip: For a festive touch with your butter or cream cheese: flatten chilled butter or cream cheese with a rolling pin in between wax paper, cut with a lightly greased large cookie cutter, and drizzle with a bit of maple syrup or honey before serving!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Greek Yogurt

2010-11-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Greek Yogurt
Dorcas Annette Walker

Even though America has become the melting pot of diverse cultures, Thanksgiving is one holiday that unites us with the focus on food; the traditional turkey usually as the main centerpiece. Before Thanksgiving Day arrives my daughter and I will be busy each in our own kitchens cooking up storm. When our families get together the main hub will be my kitchen bursting with energy and laughter overlaid by a strong aroma of tantalizing smells that always draws the guys. Soon we will have to dodge bodies and shuffle for space while trying to make order out of all the chaos to reach my goal of another Thanksgiving dinner. Without fail my husband will ask, “Honey isn’t it time for dinner yet?” His question always signals that fact that once again I am running behind schedule. In desperation I will start shoving dishes into any nearby fellow’s hands pointing them to the table in order to give us room to finish up the last minute details. At last a spot will be found for each one to squeeze in around the table, grab hands to pray, and give thanks for another year of bounty, each family member, and the many blessings we daily enjoy.

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I get out all my recipes and cookbooks and start browsing to make up a menu choosing the dishes and desserts that have become a family tradition while pulling out and studying new recipes or ideas that I have collected. Holidays are a great time, when one is already spending lots of time in the kitchen, to try out something brand new. This year I decided to try a Greek Yogurt recipe that my sister gave. I always keep a batch of homemade yogurt in my refrigerator year round. Adding yogurt to casseroles with cream soups, cheese and macaroni, mashed/scalloped potatoes, puddings, and fruit desserts always gives the dish a creamier texture with healthful benefits added without changing the taste. The more I uses for yogurt that I find the more endless possibilities I discover. To add pizzazz to your holiday meals this year make up a batch of Greek Yogurt. Preparation time for the Greek Yogurt takes around seventeen hours (I let the yogurt sit overnight) and this recipe makes seven to eight cups.

Greek Yogurt

1 gal regular or 2% milk
2 c plain yogurt

Scald the milk, turn off the heat, and let cool slowly (about an hour). Gradually stir in the yogurt that has come to room temperature. Put the pan in the oven with the light on and let sit for sixteen hours without opening the door. Pour into four layers of cheesecloth covering a colander sitting in a pan. Let the yogurt drain for four hours in the refrigerator. Then ladle into sterilized jars or containers and refrigerate.

Weekly tip: Substitute this spread for your butter this holiday. Mix: 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 3 tb of honey, and ¼ tsp of cinnamon together until well blended, chill, and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Fudgy Spice Cake

2010-11-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

Fudgy Spice Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Originally called Armistice Day at the end of World War I, in June of 1954 Congress amended the Act of 1938 to officially make it Veteran’s Day in honor of American veterans of all wars. Each of us owes a great debt to the veterans living and dead for the freedoms we enjoy today. Veteran’s Day is a chance to stop our busy schedules, watch old glory wave high, listen to patriotic speeches, tap our feet to the music of parades, and pause for a moment to remember our veterans. Every year our church has a special Veteran’s Day service to honor the veterans with a home cooked meal in the fellowship hall afterwards. I made up a Walker-size cake for the church dinner this past Sunday. Next to the Walker clan’s love for their country is their love for eating.

The Walker fellows have a trait of not knowing their own strength or realize how intimidating they can appear when grouped together. One year when several of the family was meeting at the mission the crowd of men kept growing larger with each son’s arrival repeatedly asking Dad Walker, “Reverend, just how many sons did you say you had?” Dad loves to brag that he raised his own private body guards. The boys carry on the tradition of family tales. One time when their sister’s luggage was locked inside a small town bus station from her Greyhound bus arriving late at night after being delayed, the boys decided to break into the station and retrieve her stuff. A local cop spotted them and hauled them all down to the police station. After the chief of police heard the complaint, surrounded by four huge fellows that barely fit in the small station, he told the cop to let them go stating, “We don’t have enough man power to prevent these guys from breaking in.”

My Fudgy Spice Cake is a rich filling dessert deceptively simple to make with an eye-catching decorative design that makes it almost too pretty to cut and eat. Four layers of cake are surrounded by frosting making each moist bite a delight to eat. The Fudgy Spice Cake is ideal for holidays or a large crowd of people. You can substitute a nut cake mix or another flavor instead of spice. My Fudgy Spice Cake can be made up ahead of time as this cake keeps well. Preparation time for the Fudgy Spice Cake is around an hour and this recipe makes one large cake.

Fudgy Spice Cake

1 spice cake mix
3 (16 oz) cans of chocolate frosting
Almonds
Chocolate chips

Prepare cake mix like directed. Divide the batter into four parts pouring into greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake each layer at 350º for twenty minutes and cool. Cover each layer with chocolate frosting and then frost around the side and top. Using a tablespoon lightly depress the spoon into the frosting to make swirls around the side and top of the cake. Garnish with almond flowers!

Weekly tip: To make the almond flowers place five slivered almonds around a chocolate chip to form the petals!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Carmel Pie

2010-11-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

Carmel Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

My introduction to veterans came when I married into Dana’s military family. Since the American Revolution, there has been a Walker from this family tree serving in every conflict that our nation has been engaged in with the exception of the Spanish-American War. My father-in-law is a veteran of World War II, the Korean, and Vietnam War. He entered the military after lying about his age to a judge, who gave him the choice of going to jail or to war. When the judge informed his mother, she told the judge that her son was only sixteen. So Dana’s dad went to another town, where lied about his age again, and joined up with the Navy ending up on one of the boats guarding the bay where the Japanese surrendered. After two years he joined the Army then thought about joining the Marines, but they told him he would have to go through boot camp again so instead he joined the Air Force serving sixteen years. He retired with twenty-one and a half years in military service. Just between my father-in-law, his two sons, one daughter, and three grandsons there has been a total of 73.5 years of Walker military service given to our country in the last three generations.

Standing erect his five sons still loom over their dad head and shoulders, but all the boys respect their dad’s ability to handle himself. He could break cement blocks in two with one hand and do one handed push-ups into his late sixties having to stop when he had trouble keeping his balance. After retiring from the military and turning his life around from being an alcoholic, my father-in-law started a rescue mission in the city of Fort Myers to help others. Word quickly got around not to mess with the head guy despite his being a preacher, small size, and age. One street fellow started giving trouble and pulled a knife on my father-in-law. He took the knife away from the fellow and threw it over to the curb about the time a policeman came by and asked, “Reverend you need some help?” Dad Walker said, “No somebody just needed to know who was boss around here. It’s all taken care of”. He then reached down shut the knife, dropped it in the man’s pocket and told him, “If you reach in your pocket, I’ll break your hand.” The poor guy was so nervous he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Another time some guys got into a fight in the dormitory. One of the fellows was enormous called Little John. Dad Walker and a son stopped the fight. My father-in-law then shoved Little John in his room, shut the door, and told him to stay there. In a few seconds slowly and very carefully Little John opened up the door and asked quietly, “Preacher can I come out now?”

My Carmel Pie has a smooth Carmel filling sandwiched between cool whip and a graham cracker crust making a rich elegant dessert that will grace any occasion. Even though this simple dessert takes hours to make it is well worth the time invested. I usually make two pies at a time. Preparation time for my Carmel Pie is a little over three and one half hours and this recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

Carmel Pie

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Remove the label and immerse the can of condensed milk in a kettle of water completely covering the can. Bring to a boil and slowly boil adding water as needed for three hours. Let cool. Open and pour into the graham cracker crust using a spatula to smooth it out. Layer with cool whip and chill before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: When cutting frozen pies first dip the knife into warm water to make the slicing easier!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Autumn Biscuits

2010-11-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Autumn Biscuits
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn is the time when the days start to get shorter as we head toward winter. Last week after picking up my husband in town it was already dark when we started home. I noticed one house lit up and at first thought that they had already put up their Christmas lights. Instead it was lights for Halloween. With pumpkin festivals and contests held for fall décor of homes and businesses, autumn decorating has become almost as important as trimming the tree for Christmas. Don’t worry if you aren’t crazy over natural fall colors. You can find colors ranging from hot pink to brilliant purple available to dazzle the eye. I still haven’t figured out where pink and neon purple fits into autumn yet, but then teal and orange Christmas decorations puzzle me as well. I worry that with all the modern decorations at our finger tips the younger generation will never enjoy or know the delight of making homespun decorations that was in harmony with nature.

Mothers of all generations have always been concerned with feeding their family nutritious meals. I feel sorry for young mothers today constantly bombarded with magazine articles, commercials, and advertisements that often contradict themselves of what foods are necessary for healthful families. Added to the dilemma is the fact that most youngsters today are not raised hoeing and weeding gardens so wholesome vegetables appear to them as strange items from outer space. One way to introduce nourishing foods to the family is by concealing them within a familiar item. My Autumn Biscuits are a perfect way for doing this. You can substitute pumpkin or squash for the sweet potato if you prefer. The Autumn Biscuits are a delicious addition eaten plain with a meal, as a snack with honey, or your favorite jam. Preparation time for my Autumn Biscuits is ten minutes and this recipe makes eight to ten biscuits.

Autumn Biscuits

2 c self-rising flour
1 c cooked sweet potato
3 tb shortening
1 c milk
cinnamon

In a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, sweet potato, and shortening with a fork until crumbly. Add the milk and mix well. Pour out onto a floured surface adding flour as needed. Knead the dough a couple of minutes. Shape biscuits by breaking off a handful, form a flattened ball, and place on an ungreased tray. Bake at 350º for twenty minutes until lightly browned. Spread with butter or cream cheese and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: *Last week 1 cup of brown sugar was omitted from the Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

2010-10-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

A hand-written letter sent in the mail has almost become obsolete with how most people correspond with others. While I still occasionally send out a note written by hand, I’ll have to confess that emailing is a lot quicker and easier for me. Communicating through cyber space is not without its perils though. I first signed up with yahoo email. A couple years passed without any problems. Suddenly one day my phone started ringing as friends from out-of-state began calling asking what was going on. Someone had hacked into my email account and was sending out frantic letters asking for money using my name telling folk that I was stranded in Africa. After a couple of months yahoo was able to run this person down. I started a new email account, but was left shaken at the thought of being sabotaged again. By then my local telephone company had email accounts so I signed up with them, changed all my addresses, and notified my editors. Months passed by and once more I began to relax. Lo and behold if I didn’t discover that randomly people posting emails to me would get their emails returned with my address blocked. A friend of mine using the same telephone company would sometimes have to send an email to me three or four times before it would go through. I called the technical support a couple of times about this problem. The last support fellow I talked with, stating my frustration and trying to impress upon him the vital importance for me to be able to be in contact with my editors and them with me, I was told that the only way they could completely solve the problem was for me to forward the blocked emails. I hung up the phone feeling quite confused. How I am to get a hold of emails that never even come to me is beyond my understanding. Maybe the local company thinks that I have psychic powers. So I have signed up with gmail after being assured by friends that using gmail will solve all my email problems. We shall see. You can now reach me at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com

Thankfully food is one way of interaction that never fails. You can count on smiles of satisfaction whenever you prepare a lip-smackin dish. Not only does food satisfy a basic human need, but it also gives comfort along with an artistic touch. My Pumpkin Bread Pudding is a new twist to an old dish that makes a perfect fall dessert. You can add raisins or pecans to the Pumpkin Bread Pudding, and drizzle Carmel, honey, or maple syrup over it before serving. Preparation time is fifteen minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

12 slices of wheat bread
4 c milk
6 eggs
2 c or 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tb pumpkin spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
powdered sugar

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a buttered 9x 13 baking dish. In a medium-size bowl beat until smooth: the milk, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour over the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake at 350º for one hour (covered with tinfoil for the first 30 minutes) until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Weekly tip: For an even crunchier bread pudding texture, toast the bread before cubing!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Mince Apple Pie

2010-10-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Mince Apple Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every Thanksgiving at home a mincemeat pie was served. Without fail my father would always shake his head and sadly inform us that that the store-bought mincemeat was nothing like the mincemeat his mother used to make on the farm. To keep the family tradition going, each Thanksgiving I would buy mincemeat and make a pie even though a jar of mincemeat was “quite dear” or real expensive like my English grandmother would say. Both my children hated mincemeat. After awhile I finally quit making a mincemeat pie as there were always oodles of other holiday desserts. This past week I decided to add some extra ingredients to an apple pie. To my surprise and delight it reminded me of a mild version of mincemeat pies in years gone by. So I have named it my Mince Apple Pie.

Mincemeat refers to something ground or minced up. An old slang saying, “to make mincemeat”, meant to utterly destroy. Mincemeat was originally medieval containing a sweet and spicy mixture of chopped meat, suet, and fruit as way of preserving meat. English mincemeat recipes from the 15th - 17th century were used to bake a huge pie on Christmas Eve with a pastry topping effigy of baby Jesus lying in his cradle. Early New Englanders made large batches of mincemeat stored in crocks sealed with a layer of lard that could be kept up to ten years. Mincemeat recipes vary by region or ancestry. By the mid-twentieth century recipes for mincemeat sometimes substituted vegetable fats and butter or used green tomatoes to make it vegetarian. Commercial preparations package mincemeat in jars, foil lined boxes, or tins. Mincemeat pies are sometimes served with a slice of cheddar cheese.

Mincemeat was the name of a British operation during World War II that succeeded in making the Germans believe that the Allies would invade the Balkans instead of Sicily- their real objective. British naval intelligence took a corpse they named Major Martin, dressed him as a major, along with a briefcase containing sealed papers. They fitted the corpse with a life jacket and pushed the body out to sea where the tide carried it to shore. When the body was turned over to the British they noted that the papers had been resealed. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the United States were wired: “Mincemeat Swallowed Whole”. The operation accomplished sending German vessels away from Sicily and spreading the German defensive across Europe. Major Martin, whose real identity was never revealed, was laid to rest in a graveyard at Heulva.

Mince Apple Pie

two pie crusts
1 qt apple pie filling
½ c raisins
¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
sugar
cinnamon

Spread one crust over a 9-inch pie pan. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the pie filling, raisins, and nuts and pour into the pie crust. Add the second crust on top sealing the edges poking holes in the crust with a knife. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Serve hot or cold!

Weekly tip: A piece of hot apple pie in a bowl of milk makes a scrumptious filling snack or meal!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes

2010-10-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes
Dorcas Annette Walker

Last Sunday our home church had its annual home coming. Along with the huge crowd there were all kinds of casseroles, meats, salads, and desserts that overflowed several tables in our church fellowship hall. Even after everyone was stuffed there were enough leftovers to make another church meal. The sight of tables filled with food always captivates me with the possibility of discovering a new recipe. I think the one thing all good cooks have in common is curiosity. Just let a different dish appear before us or a familiar one with a new twist to it and our noses start to twitch. Not only is the taste of delicious food one grand delight, but chatting with all the other cooks and discussing recipes is the main highlight of church dinners. I’ve made more new friends discussing ingredients to a casserole or dessert over the years than in any other way. No matter what area of the United States I’m in as long as there is food around it is always an instant ice-breaker. Food has a way of breaking down any age or culture barrier. It was Granny in her nineties, who passed this recipe along to me a couple of years ago. What a joy to know that if I live to be a hundred years old I’ll still be interested in trying new recipes.

Our first frost up here on the mountain recently signaled that it was time to begin harvesting the sweet potatoes in my garden. My Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes recipe is a new twist on the sweet potatoes casserole topped with marshmallows. No matter how you prepare sweet potatoes whether by baking, frying, microwaving, simmering in butter and brown sugar, doing up in pies, or making into casseroles you can always be assured of a tasty and nutritious dish. I always keep a supple of canned sweet potatoes in my pantry. Not only do the jars give off a bright orange color, but they are available for instant use.

My Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes gives a hint of summer with its mild citrus taste and embodies the fall season with its bright orange color while the topping of toasted marshmallows is reminiscent of sitting around a campfire. This casserole is quick and easy to make and can be made up ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to pop into the oven for baking. Preparation time for my Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes is ten minutes and this recipe serves eight.

Candied Orange Sweet Potatoes

1 qt cooked sweet potatoes
½ c orange juice
¼ c syrup
½ tsp ginger
3 tb margarine
pinch of salt
cinnamon
10 oz bag of marshmallows

Mash the sweet potatoes in a medium-sized bowl and add the next five ingredients stirring until well mixed. Pour into a buttered 7 x 11 baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with the marshmallows. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes until the marshmallows are puffy and browned. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: To can sweet potatoes: cook the potatoes until almost tender and ready to peel, then cold pack the potatoes in quart jars with a medium syrup (3 c sugar to 4 c water), and can for thirty minutes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

PA Dutch Apple Butter

2010-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

PA Dutch Apple Butter
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn has finally arrived up here in the Tennessee Mountains with chilly nights and warm days. I’ve been keeping a fire in my woodstove relishing the warmth of a crackling fire. The smell of wood smoke wafting on the air, dried leaves swirling downward, and the popping sound of acorns hitting the hard ground somehow makes one feel energetic once again. Even our ancient chocolate lab, Sandy, kicks up her heels and rolls around on her back in the grass as if to savor the last bit of warmth from the earth. Now is the time for gathering in the last bit of garden vegetables before the first frost hits while pumpkins and apples finish ripening. Although my pantry shelves are overflowing with canned goods, like the squirrels outside, I still want to put up more food. The sight of baskets filled with colorful apples in the market draws me like a magnet.

This is the time to make up a big batch of my homemade apple butter using an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. Just like it takes a mixture of the right kinds of apples to produce good cider so does the blending of certain spices make high-rate apple butter. Once you have tasted the PA Dutch Apple Butter you will never be satisfied with what they sell in the stores now-a-days. My Mennonite grandmother made apple butter in huge black pots over a fire out in her yard that she would put up and sell in their market. I enjoy keeping the family tradition going. There is something captivating about the smell of apple butter slowly cooking on the stove sending out a spicy aroma that makes all the hours it takes to prepare well worth the effort.

My PA Dutch Apple Butter has a thick dark-brown sweet smooth texture of intermingling spices that can be used in different ways: to make a filling apple butter sandwich, spread on one slice of bread, used for filling in stack cakes, and on top of fried squash. While there are recipes that cook apple butter in microwaves, ovens, or the Crockpot, I prefer cooking mine on the stove in large roaster pans like I’ve always done. Preparation time for making up a batch of PA Dutch Apple Butter is three to four hours and this recipe makes seven pints.

PA Dutch Apple Butter

12 c of unsweetened applesauce
6 c sugar
1 tb cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp allspice

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a large roaster pan boiling slowly for at least three hours until thickened. Pour into pint jars and can for ten minutes to seal. Let cool completely before serving!

Weekly tip: One bushel of apples quartered, cooked, and processed into applesauce will be enough to quadruple (four times) this recipe yielding thirty pints of apple butter with one quart of applesauce left!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Southern Green Beans

2010-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Southern Green Beans
Dorcas Annette Walker

One main introduction to southern cooking was beans when we pastored in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Each meal had at least one dish of cooked beans. The kind of beans one grew in the garden and ate was of major importance. At every church dinner you could count on at least one table being full of nothing but all kinds of beans. Up until that time I had never encountered so many beans in my life. Thus began my education in southern-style green beans. I soon was canning and filling shelves of white half-runner string beans just like the rest of the church folk. Since then I’ve ventured out and even grown foot-long string green beans.

The common bean has been cultivated dating back to the ancient Egyptians. There are over 4,000 classifications of beans on record in the U.S. alone. There are three main types of beans: snap, string, and green (string-less) beans that grow as pole or bush beans such as: Kentucky Blue, Kentucky Wonder, and Blue Lake. You can choose between a rainbow of colors: green, purple, yellow (wax), red, black, red-striped, white, and navy beans. Other varieties include: lima or butter, kidney, pinto, and soybeans. With some beans the tender pods are eaten, others you let dry out and store for soups (Shelly or fall beans), while bean sprouts are used in stir-fries. Oriental, Mexican, Southwestern, Middle East, and Southern folk all use different kinds of beans in their cuisine. One recipe called Fifteen Bean Soup is made up of fifteen different types of beans. Field beans are mostly bush and used for stock feed.

Green beans are available year round as canned, frozen, or fresh and are cooked by boiling, steaming, or baking. Some restaurants serve battered and fried green beans. Beans continue to be one of the principal sources of protein for vegetarians and are a healthy food alternative for the poor. Green beans are low in calories, have an excellent source of vitamin K, C, and A, contain fiber, potassium, folate, iron, magnesium, thiamin, copper, calcium, phosphorus, protein, omega-3, and niacin.

My Southern Green Beans are easy to prepare and make a colorful addition to any meal. Some southern cooks use shortening or fatback instead of bacon grease. I have also added small chunks of ham or bacon in my green beans. Preparation time for my Southern Green Beans is around twenty minutes and this recipe serves four.

Southern Green Beans

1 quart canned green beans
Water
1 tb bacon grease
1 tsp chopped onion

Rinse green beans and dump into a medium-sized saucepan. Almost cover the beans with water. Sprinkle on the onion and add the bacon grease. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and let boil for at least ten more minutes until most of the water is gone. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: My recent Lemon Squares recipe had the (three eggs) omitted from the listing of the first six ingredients that you creamed!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Toasted Banana Pudding

2010-09-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Toasted Banana Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every time my mother made toast we made sure to be in the kitchen. The object that kept us enthralled was a tall thin metal appliance. When plugged in a conveyer belt would start to move. My mother would put a slice of bread at the opening and inch by inch the bread would enter the tunnel-like entrance. As soon as one slice of bread disappeared, she would put another slice at the opening until it looked like a train of bread moving through a tunnel. What was even more captivating was the tiny glass window about the size of a quarter in the middle on either side of the toaster where one could see the bread as it slowly moved through the toaster. We would take turns catching the toasted slice of bread waiting until the last second before it began to fall. It wasn’t until my high school years that I discovered that nobody else had a toaster like ours. Whenever I’d invite a friend home with me they always wanted to make toast sitting spellbound besides my mother’s toaster watching as slice after slice of bread got toasted. Today it is rare to find a toaster like my mother’s even at an antique store.

People have toasted bread since the Romans era over an open fire with a simple metal frame or long-handled fork. The word toast comes from the Latin word, “tostum”, which means scorching or burning. The first electric toaster was invented in 1893 in Great Britain. In 1909 the first American toaster only toasted one side of the bread at a time. In 1913 the Copeman toaster was patented, which automatically turned the bread. Then during World War I, Charles Strite, tired of the burnt toast served in the company cafeteria invented a pop-up toaster. The first fully automatic pop-up toaster was invented in 1926 by Toastmaster one-A-one and was considered a prized wedding gift. When the first pre-sliced bread when on sale in 1928, toaster sales skyrocketed by 1933.

Toaster facts:

- In Norway, every other Tuesday, people gather and pay homage to the almighty god “Tohstre”.
- An estimated 75 million Americans eat toast every day.
- The average person spends 35 hours a year making toast.
- Toasters are the subject of a 2005 Kaiser Chiefs song.
- Toasters cause 95% of deaths in children under 5.

My Toasted Banana Pudding captures the last days of summer with its light texture and mild banana taste. Preparation time for my Toasted Banana Pudding is thirty minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves fourteen.

Toasted Banana Pudding

1 baked angel food cake
4 bananas
2 (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 c milk
2 c plain yogurt
cool whip

Cut up the angel food cake into inch-size pieces, spread on a large tray, and bake at 350º for 15 minutes; turning every five minutes with a large spatula. Spread toasted cubes in a 9 x 13 dish, slice bananas, and layer on top. Mix up pudding as directed and add yogurt. Pour over bananas and stir until everything is covered. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm. Garnish with cool whip and serve!

Weekly tip: A toaster uses almost half the energy as an oven; energy is wasted if a toaster is left unplugged after use!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Salsa Dip

2010-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Salsa Dip
Dorcas Annette Walker

It seems like yesterday that our house phone buzzed nonstop with teenage conversations- back in the dark ages before cell phones and wireless phones. In fact I seldom answered the kitchen phone as there was always a teenage grabbing the headpiece as soon as the phone rang, with a surprised look of amazement when a caller actually wanted my husband or me. Since I didn’t believe in letting my teenagers have a phone of their own, much less in their bedroom, the cord was stretched to maximum tautness with the headpiece attached to my daughter’s ear as she’d walk down the hallway talking nonstop. Those were the days when the constant ringing of the phone became normal background noise. My younger son complained that all his sister ever did was talk and giggle on the phone with her friends. He thought it was quite boring and dumb. When Dawn started going with Randy, who lived in Nashville, the only communication we could get with our daughter was between intense private talks on the phone that somehow she managed to stretch to her closed bedroom doorway. Each chat with her boyfriend meant more analyzed and dissected discussions of feedback from her closest friends. It probably would have been more appropriate to have had the florist use phone cords instead of trailing ivy in our daughter’s bridal bouquet.

My husband and I thought that after our daughter was married we would once again have the use of the house phone to ourselves, but lo and behold if our son, who usually didn’t talk much, hit the teenage stage and he became attached to the phone head piece. All kinds of friends called for long and debated conversations ranging around car and truck parts and how many miles a gallon a certain vehicle got. Interestingly enough when I compared all the earlier girl giggles to the present boisterous boy laughter they seemed just about evenly matched and the length of the phone calls remained just the same. So after our son got married it was quite a shock to suddenly discover that when the phone rang we had to answer it. Since then our house has been quite silent without the continual ringing of a phone in the background.

The only way I survived those hectic teenage days was with my Salsa Dip and plenty of tortilla chips during sleepovers. Today there are a variety of tortilla chips that you can use. You can also add or substitute chopped red & green peppers, mushrooms, onions, sausage refried beans, black olives, or serve with sour cream. Heat the dip in the microwave or keep in a Crockpot on low for instant use. My Salsa Dip takes about fifteen minutes to prepare and this recipes makes around six cups of dip.

Salsa Dip

1 lb hamburger
1 pint of medium salsa
15.5 oz jar of salsa cheese or cheese whiz

Brown, chop fine, and drain hamburger. Mix together in a medium bowl the hamburger, salsa, and cheese. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator!

Weekly tip: Use mugs or foam cups instead of bowls or plates for dips, and paper towels as an alternative to napkins for holding chips!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Chocolate Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies

2010-09-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies
Dorcas Annette Walker

Another school year has started and the Labor Day weekend is upon us- the last holiday of the summer signaling the beginning of a new school and work year. I vividly recall the days in yesteryears hurrying down a gravel road to meet the school bus each morning; walking through crisp autumn leaves hoping the bus would be late, shivering and stomping my feet on the snowy ground while turning one’s back to fierce winter gales praying that the bus would hurry up and arrive, to the delight and wonder of spotting the first blooming violet announcing that spring was on its way all while waiting for bright yellow school bus. Today children rush out the front door and hop on the school bus at their doorstep hardly noticing the weather.

Arrival at school meant reuniting with old school friends that you hadn’t seen all summer, checking out new students amidst the confusion and uproar of shouting and laughter, coordinating the labyrinth of different schedules, teachers, and classrooms, inhaling the intoxicating smells of thick textbooks that soon would become familiar companions, and writing down the first word in a brand new notebook.

But I think the biggest change today is the absence of lunchboxes. How important one felt starting out the school year with a brand new metal lunchbox without any dents or scratches. While I am thankful that today’s school child gets a free nutritious lunch, I feel a pang of sympathy for school children that don’t know the joys of trading sandwiches or cookies with other school chums during the lunch hour. Lunchboxes have become a relic of the past sitting in dusty corners of antique shops forgotten and forlorn. Even the working man and woman of today seldom carry a lunch finding it more convenient to buy from a fast food place. I know that time marches on, but in the hurried rush of today I’d love to once again snap open up a metal lunchbox, unwrap a sandwich folded in wax paper, nibble on some homemade cookies, and take a crunchy bite out of an juicy apple.

My Chocolate Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies are a soft and chewy cookie dusted in sugar with a double chocolate taste. You can add raisins or walnuts to these cookies if you prefer. Either way these cookies are delicious and filling with a cold glass of milk. Preparation time for my Chocolate Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies is twenty minutes and this recipe makes about four dozen cookies.

Chocolate Oatmeal Lunchbox Cookies

2 c sugar
1 c shortening
1 egg
1 c milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ c self-rising flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
3 c uncooked quick oats
6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

Cream 1½ c of sugar, shortening, egg, milk, and vanilla together. Mix in flour, cocoa, and oats thoroughly. Fold in the chocolate chips. Form dough the size of a large walnut, roll in remaining sugar, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly and bake at 350º for ten to twelve minutes. Let cool slightly and store in an enclosed container!

Weekly tip: For softer and chewier homemade cookies substitute honey for part of the sugar called for in the recipe!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Lemon Squares

2010-09-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Lemon Squares
Dorcas Annette Walker

I love hearing rumbling thunder in the distance signaling afternoon rain showers coming to wash away the dust and give a brief break in the humidity, even though at times I have to scramble in order to get my wash drying out on the line inside before the raindrops fall. It doesn’t take long for wash to dry on hot days so every opportunity I’m hanging some out. There is something addictive about the fresh smell of sun-dried laundry while nothing bleaches whites better than the sun in its zenith. Another thing good for bleaching is lemons. So here is another lemon recipe to enjoy as the summer days slowly wind down.

Some lemon facts:

- The word lemon is believed to have been derived from Asian language words meaning, "sour or sour fruit."
- There are two different types of lemons — acid and sweet.
- Lemons should be firm and bright yellow. Thin skinned fruit tends to have more juice, while fruit with a greenish cast is likely to be more acidic.
- You may store lemons at room temperature for two weeks; will keep for up to six weeks in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
- Lemon trees bloom continuously all year and can produce up to 500 or 600 lemons a year.
- One medium lemon has about 3 tablespoons of juice and 3 tablespoons of grated peel.
- Get the most juice out of your lemon by warming it in the microwave for 15 seconds or rolling it with your hand on the counter at room temperature.
- Use juice on fruit or white vegetables to keep their color.
- Lemon juice can remove odors from hands, pots, and pans by rubbing with a cut lemon just before washing; run used lemon peels through your garbage disposal to keep it smelling fresh.
- Lemon and salt can be used to treat rust spots, and to clean copper pots.
- Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays or add a twist of lemon to the water in ice cube trays for added zip to beverages
- Add a few drops of lemon juice to whipping cream if it doesn't stiffen.
- Use lemon to replace salt in your recipe for less sodium.
- It is said that the citric acid in lemon juice will dissolve a pearl.

My Lemon Squares have a mild lemon flavor and look like captured sunshine ideal for lunches, snacks, or as a dessert. Drinking mint tea with these Lemon Squares enhances the flavor. For an added contrasting garnish use chocolate curls or drizzle chocolate syrup. Total preparation time for my Lemon Squares is fifty-five minutes and this recipe makes twelve squares.

Lemon Squares

1 stick margarine
2 c sugar
3 eggs
½ c lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ c shredded lemon peel
2½ c self-rising flour
2 tb powdered sugar

Cream the first six ingredients together. Slowly stir in flour beating well. Pour into a 9 x 13 greased baking dish and bake at 350º for 35 minutes. Cool and sift powdered sugar onto the top. Cut into squares and serve with a candied lemon slice and fresh mint!

Weekly tip: To make candied citrus slices or peel: bring one-fourth cup of water and three-fourths cup of sugar to a boil, add fruit, simmer for two minutes, drain, and let cool!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Homemade Lemonade

2010-08-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Homemade Lemonade
Dorcas Annette Walker

When my husband, Dana, was still in Bible College in Pennsylvania we filled in at a small church on weekend’s seventy-eight miles one way from our campus cabin. It was quite a learning experience staying with an older retired couple while we were still in our teens. The lady of the house always served turkey legs and pink lemonade for her Sunday dinner menu. There was only one catch. She was quite a saving soul, who felt that sugar was way too expensive to be used freely so only used half of the sugar required in anything that she made. I’ve always like tart stuff, but her pink lemonade even slowed me down. After his first taste, Dana only drank water. That pink lemonade went a long ways as it wasn’t until our grandkids came along and fell in love with pink lemonade that I even started storing some in my cupboard. Instead come summertime I would always make up a batch of my Homemade Lemonade.

There is nothing quite like the taste of Homemade Lemonade to quench a person’s thirst on a hot sweltering summer day. For some reason though my husband refuses to drink my homemade drink declaring that one swallow is enough to pucker you up for a week. Fortunately, both my kids like my lemonade. So the other Sunday I mixed up a pitcher of lemonade to go along with the meal. My daughter-in-law, Amanda Rose, took one swallow, made a funny face, and asked for sugar. She added a good amount to her glass, but still she hardly drank any lemonade. Later she told my son, Dwight, to be sure and remind her never to drink his mother’s Homemade Lemonade ever again. For those of you brave souls, who love lemonade, I thought I’d share my special lemonade recipe that is a perfect addition to picnics and family reunions.

My Homemade Lemonade is very simple, quick, and easy to make. Even though the Homemade Lemonade resembles the color of water don’t let it fool you as it packs a little kick. If you find my Homemade Lemonade too strong just add more water. Preparation time for my Homemade Lemonade is five minutes and this recipe serves six to eight.

Homemade Lemonade

1 c sugar
1 c reconstituted lemon juice
water

Mix together the sugar and lemon juice in a 2-quart pitcher adding water until it is filled completely up to the top and chill in the refrigerator. Fill a glass with ice and add the lemonade. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint!

Weekly tip: You can frost a glass by sticking it in the freezer and chilling it until the glass is completely cold or for a quick frost top the glass with ice, fill with water, pour out the water, and then add your beverage for an ice cold frosted glass!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Auntie Dorcas' Tomato Juice

2010-08-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Auntie Dorcas’ Tomato Juice
Dorcas Annette Walker

It never fails to surprise me how different threads of life intertwine and push you in a new direction. Making up a batch of tomato juice was the last thing on my mind until last week I received a call from a lady in Cookeville– who shall remain nameless in case anyone that hates tomatoes should decide to throw rotten tomatoes in her direction- asking me if I had a recipe for tomato juice. I searched in vain for a recipe so I began doing research. I was amazed at the high nutritious content in tomato juice. Then I came down with the flu. One day when I was having trouble keeping anything on my stomach I remembered an old home remedy how tomato juice can help settle an upset stomach. I drank some and was amazed how quickly it worked.

Meanwhile about a year ago my niece, Stacy, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. It came as a total shock as Stacy had always been healthy. She was in college at the top of her class, spent a semester in England as a transfer student, and became engaged to her high school sweetheart. Stacy at first figured that the stress from her schedule was the cause. A local doctor made her symptoms worse with is wrong diagnosing until Stacy was able to see a specialist. For months she went to a wound clinic for deep oozing sores on her leg that wouldn’t heal. I’m all for the latest medical science, but sometimes home cures work when nothing else will. I told my sister to have Stacy soak her leg in Epson salts and the sores began to heal. Right now Stacy is run down, a pale shadow of herself, who had to quit her job while waiting for the insurance company to agree to the treatments prescribed to get her Crohn’s into remission.

My sister and I have been taxing our brains with foods to build Stacy’s weakened body back up without setting her system off. Remembering how the tomato juice helped my stomach, I called my sister that I was going to make up a batch of homemade tomato juice and promised to send her the recipe. I decided to call it Auntie Dorcas’ Tomato Juice in honor of Stacy. I’m determined to get Stacy back on her feet and healthy by the time she walks down the aisle as a radiant bride next April even if I have to bring her down to the mountains of Tennessee and doctor her myself.

My Auntie Dorcas’ Tomato Juice is so packed full of vitamins that nearly jump out of the glass. This soothing blend of eight garden vegetables creates a supper wallop of nutrition perfect to start out your day. There are zillions of recipes for fruit and vegetable juice enabling one to make their own homemade blend. You can substitute or add red & green peppers, cabbage, lettuce, watercress, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, or lemon juice to suit your taste buds. Preparation time for my Auntie Dorcas’ Tomato Juice is 4½ hrs (not counting canning time) and this recipe makes around 18 quarts.

Auntie Dorcas’ Tomato Juice

25 lb box of ripened tomatoes
2 lb bag of carrots
stalk of celery
1 qt canned red beets with juice
1 bunch of fresh spinach
4 large onions
3 cloves of garlic
½ c parsley flakes
½ c sugar
4 tb salt
1 tb pepper

Peel, chop, and puree all the vegetables including the parsley flakes adding water as needed in a blender or food processor. Scald tomatoes in hot water to loosen skins then liquefy. Add sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour into a large canner and bring to a rolling boil that you can’t stir down. Then simmer for thirty minutes. Pour the hot juice into clean canning jars and process for fifteen minutes.

Weekly tip: A ripe tomato has a uniform color. You can ripen tomatoes by placing them in a paper bag for a day or so. Then store in a cool place, but not the refrigerator!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins

2010-08-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins
Dorcas Annette Walker

One garden vegetable that is guaranteed to give you an abundance harvest is zucchini or squash. All you have to do is plant one packet of seeds and you will get zillions of squash in return. A lot of gardeners become overwhelmed with their squash harvest not knowing what to do with it all. Thankfully besides giving some away there are lots of ways that you can eat and put up your squash harvest. One way to use your zucchini is by making these delicious colorful Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins.

I read an article this week about survival seed banks, which brought to my mind some folks that we became acquainted with years ago. I was slicing up tomatoes during a visit when she asked me how many years of food we had saved up. I nearly dropped my knife in amazement when she confided that they had put up eight years worth of food in a safe underground storage cellar. Their total goal was for twenty years of food. They believed that we would have to go through the tribulation and were getting prepared when the end of the world came. Emergency seed banks are nothing new with their waterproof military grade containers claiming to keep seeds good for 100 years for you to grow your own food when a worldwide crisis shuts down the food supplies.

Now I believe in putting up and storing food, but twenty years supply? Can you imagine the expense of buying all those jars, the work involved, not to mention finding storage place? If such a crisis would to occur and you had lots of food what kind of person would turn their back on those starving around them? My Bible tells how God daily fed at least four to five million Israelites in the middle of a wilderness where there wasn’t any ground fit to grow a garden and the prophet Elijah with ravens during a severe drought. As long as there are gardeners and farmers around there will be plenty of food. Just grow squash. Meanwhile instead of fretting about the future I plan to enjoy each day that the good Lord gives me.

My Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins are a nifty addition to any meal with their summery tasty. You can add mushrooms, peppers, black olives, or salsa for a different twist. Preparation time for my Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins is ten minutes and this recipe makes eight to nine muffins.

Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins

1 (8.5 oz) box of corn muffin mix
1 c shredded zucchini
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
½ c milk

Mix together all the ingredients and spoon into a greased muffin pan. Bake at 350º for twenty to twenty-five minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with butter!

Weekly tip: Shred and freeze individual cups of zucchini for year round baking use!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Plum Delicious Dessert

2010-08-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Plum Delicious Dessert
Dorcas Annette Walker

The last couple of weeks I have had been going plum crazy as I harvested the fruit off of my two loaded plum trees each day. My plums are dark purple when ripe bursting with sweet juice that runs down your chin as soon as you take a bite. Talk about plum good! There is nothing like picking and eating a fresh plum that has been warmed and ripened by the sun. I’ve been plum busy canning jars of plums and cooking plum jam. So I thought I’d give you a recipe for a Plum Delicious Dessert to enjoy.

Plums are a smooth-skinned fruit that comes in a wide variety of color, sizes, and taste (sweet or tart) with a creamy yellow or bright red flesh containing a flattish pointed stone in the middle of each fruit. The Romans introduced plums to Northern Europe and by 1864 there were 150 species of plums with hundreds of varieties. Plums are native in China, America, and Europe with most placed into two categories: Japanese and European. The plum tree can reach a height of 20-33 feet, is considered a stone fruit tree that is different from other fruit trees in that the shoots have a terminal bud, and blossoms in early spring. California is famous for its export of plums.

Plums are often dried as prunes, but can be stewed, canned, made into jams, jellies, puddings, or used in pies, and cakes. Fermented plum juice when distilled produces brandy. Although plums are high in carbohydrates, they are low in fat and calories, and are free of sodium and cholesterol. Plums contain iron, Vitamin C and A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. They are good for allaying thirst, are proven to have just as much or more antioxidants than blueberries, used in the treatment of arthritis, and helps regulate the function of the digestive system.

Plum Delicious Dessert

1 c crushed graham crackers
1 qt canned plums
½ c sugar
½ c cornstarch
½ tsp almond extract
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Place graham crackers in the bottom of a glass dessert dish. Pit the plums and place in a medium saucepan with sugar. Add enough water to make a liquid paste with the cornstarch, add to plum mixture, and bring to a boil stirring with a Wisk until smooth. Take off the heat and add the extract. Cool for half an hour than pour over the graham crackers. Let cool for another half an hour before spreading the cool whip on top. Take a knife and swirl through the cool whip and fruit. Chill overnight before serving! Preparation time for my Plum Delicious Dessert is about fifteen minutes (not counting an hour for cooling time) and this recipe serves eight.

Weekly tip: Store fresh plum in a cool dark place. And here’s an idea for you- how about using plum jam with your peanut butter and jelly sandwich or instead of sliced bananas and peanut butter substitute fresh slices of a plum? Be plum inventive!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Speedy Sweet Potato Snack

2010-07-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Speedy Sweet Potato Snack
Dorcas Annette Walker

This year I decided to try and grow sweet potatoes in my garden again. Usually I just buy a box at a produce stand as I enjoy having my own canned sweet potatoes year round. I couldn’t resist buying some though the other weekend to tide me over until my own sweet potatoes are ready for harvest. Not only do I like canned sweet potatoes, but I also enjoy eating fresh ones as well. These summer days when I am busy in the kitchen canning, I love to grab a sweet potato and nuke it in the microwave to make what I call my Speedy Sweet Potato Snack.

Sweet Potatoes are not related to regular potatoes. They are classified as a trailing perennial plant whose tubers are eaten instead of the roots. There are only two types of sweet potatoes; the northern drier yellow fleshy ones and the southern moist bright orange colored flesh often referred to as yams. Sweet Potatoes were cultivated in ancient times by the Aztecs, grown in Peru as early as 750 B.C., and introduced into Europe in the 16th century. In the 18th and 19th century sweet potatoes became popular due to Louis XV and Empress Josephine’s fondness for them. Native Americans were already growing sweet potatoes when Columbus arrived in 1492 and were the main source of nourishment for early homesteaders and soldiers during the Revolutionary War. During World War I the UDSA used sweet potato flour to stretch wheat flour. Since 1843, the first Monday in April, Benton, Kentucky holds an annual three-day Tater Day Festival devoted to sweet potatoes.

The sweet potato is the 6th principal world food crop; 90 percent grown in Asia. In the United States the sweet potato is chiefly cultivated in the south. Mississippi claims to be the sweet potato capital of the world. 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes were produced in 2007; in 2004 98,300 acres of sweet potatoes were planted in the U.S. Although mainly harvested from August through October they are available in supermarkets year round due to being stored in controlled warehouses. It takes six to eight weeks after harvest for sweet potatoes to reach their peak in sweetness. Sweet potatoes are considered to be the most nutritious vegetable high in vitamin A, C, B6, iron, potassium and fiber.

My Speedy Sweet Potato Snack has the warm buttery taste of candied sweet potatoes that melts in your mouth. This Speedy Sweet Potato Snack can also be used with a main meal or eaten by itself. You can add marshmallows, raisins, or eat the sweet potato plain with butter and salt. Preparation time for my Speedy Sweet Potato Snack is 3-5 minutes and this recipe serves one.

Speedy Sweet Potato Snack

1 medium sweet potato
2 tb margarine
¼ c br sugar
cinnamon

Poke holes in the sweet potato with a fork, warp up in a paper towel, and microwave until soft. Cut in half and spread 1 tb of margarine on each side. Divide up the br sugar and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: Sweet potatoes should not be refrigerated unless cooked, always use a stainless steel knife when cutting a sweet potato as a carbon blade will cause the flesh to darken, and select only smooth plump dry potatoes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Peachy Pizza

2010-07-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Peachy Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

In the orchard my plum trees and pear tree branches hang heavy with ripening fruit nearly touching the ground. Last week I picked wild blackberries and made up a dozen pints of blackberry jam. Soon my house will hold the aroma of cooking plum jam and another pantry shelf will fill with a new color adding to the existing rainbow of canned goods. In case you haven’t figured out by now I’m rather proud of my pantry. My grandmother stored all her canned stuff in her basement on rows of shelves. For years I dreamed of a pantry as I stored boxes of canned produce throughout the house under beds; tomatoes were in my daughter’s room while the green beans resided under my son’s bed.

Finally the day came when my husband lined the walls of the small room next to my kitchen (originally Dwight’s bedroom) with shelves. I involved the entire family in helping me put my canned harvest on the shelves dithering over whether to organize by vegetables and fruits or color. Even though my family was used to my wild flights of fancy, they soon began shifting impatiently and rolling their eyes over my intense concentration of where each item should go. We’d fill a couple of shelves only for me to change my mind and want to switch the jars around. My kids soon disappeared convinced that I had gone off the deep end for good while my husband tried to reason with me that the point of building all the shelves was for me to fill them not to dither over where food product went. Today any visitor is treated to a tour of my pantry whether they are interested in foodstuff or not. In my mind I can’t understand how anyone cannot appreciate the vivid colors of my pantry. Now that Dawn is married and stores her canned goods under her beds she is an avid admirer of my pantry.

While there are fresh peaches still to be had my Peachy Pizza is a perfect summer dessert, although you can use canned or frozen peaches year round. The Peachy Pizza is lush and filling starting with a sugar cookie crust, topped by a creamy cheese filling, and finishing off with sliced peaches in a clear glaze. For a softer crust leave sit overnight. Preparation time for my Peachy Pizza is around thirty minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Peachy Pizza

2 c self-rising flour
1 stick of margarine
1 c sugar
½ c chopped pecans
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
½ c powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) cool whip
1 (3 oz) peach jello
1 c water
4 tb cornstarch
4 c sliced peaches

In a small bowl mix together flour, margarine, half a cup of sugar, and pecans to form a dough. Spread on a pizza pan and bake at 350º for fifteen minutes. Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. In a small pan mix together jello, rest of the sugar, water and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook until clear. Fold in the sliced peaches and let cool before spreading on top of the filling. Chill the pizza before serving. Garnish with cool whip and a slice of peach!

Weekly tip: Peaches are best eaten fresh within days of being picked. Otherwise store peaches in the refrigerator for up to a week then can, dry, or freeze for long-term storage!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Summer Potato Salad

2010-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Summer Potato Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

The scorching hot “dog days” of summer are upon us. For those of you who don’t live in the mountains “dog days” are when you are extra careful walking in the woods to watch for snakes as this is the time of the year when they shed their skins and are more likely to strike out with their fangs. The name comes from the ancient Romans, who considered Sirius to be the “dog star” because it was the brightest star in the constellation shining between early July and August and responsible for hot weather when rainfall is at its lowest levels. During this time my dogs hide out under the back porch seeking a cool spot to snooze the day away while I stay indoors enjoying the modern convenience of an air conditioner. The mind feels sluggish and the body slow as the heat outside rises with temperatures that stays humid even when the sun has set.

So I only work outside in my garden first thing in the morning while it is still cool. The experts are now informing us that gardening is beneficial to your physical and mental health. They figure that forty-five minutes of gardening can burn that many calories and is as good as thirty minutes of aerobics. How my farmer grandparents would shake their heads and laugh to see all the hype going on today about tanning beds and aerobic classes. Every time I turn around another weight loss or body building gym is opening up. All a person has to do to get a tan and a plenty of exercise is to plant and maintain a garden. Instead of staying indoors riding circles on an exercise bike hoeing rows of corn is guaranteed to give you a full body workout. No weight-lifting equipment can compare with eating fresh corn off the stalk that you have grown yourself or digging into a hill of new potatoes.

My Summer Potato Salad is a brand new recipe that originated from an idea I read about. This Summer Potato Salad has the tangy taste of a freshly tossed garden salad. My son, who generally doesn’t care for potato salad, actually took a second helping of my Summer Potato Salad. You can add shredded carrots, radishes, black olives, diced red and green peppers, fresh peas, green beans, or substitute your favorite salad dressing. Preparation time for my Summer Potato Salad is around thirty-five minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves eight.

Summer Potato Salad

8 medium size potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 small onion and clove of garlic minced
1 tb minced chives
½ c bacon bits
salt & pepper
2 c mayonnaise
1½ c blue cheese salad dressing
1 c ranch salad dressing

Cover and boil potatoes with salt in water for twenty minutes until the potatoes are soft. Rinse in cold water and let the potatoes cool. Peel and cube into a medium-size bowl. Add onion, garlic chives, and bacon bits. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Mix in mayonnaise, blue cheese and ranch dressing until well blended. Cover and chill. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and serve on a lettuce leaf!

Weekly tip: White potatoes are low in starch and are good for boiling; yellow potatoes or Russet potatoes are high in starch and are good for mashing and baking; while red and yellow potatoes are best for steaming, boiling, soups, stews, roasting or scalloped!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

4th of July Cake

2010-07-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

4th of July Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Here on the mountain we celebrate the 4th of July with a bang. Our town is decorated with flags, there is a Demolition Derby, and we finished off the evening with lots of fireworks bringing out the patriotic spirit in all of us. For one evening feuds and ill will are laid aside as from every hollow and ridge each family unites in observing our nation’s birth. To celebrate the fourth this year, I came up with a quick and easy 4th of July Cake.

My neighbors also celebrate the fourth with lots of noise. When we first moved out here in the woods on a dead end gravel road it was a quiet and ideal place to raise children. Times changed when a rental trailer was moved in at the end of the road. Then the breakup of the neighbor and his wife- with her moving into a trailer beside the house and bringing in fellows, who loved to party- definitely livened up our area, especially when they would start yelling and shooting at her husband. You could hear the bullets hitting his tin roof. Our neighbors beside us finally got tired of having a Wild West show right in front of their house and moved. Each 4th of July my neighbors up and down the road start their fireworks during daylight hours so by the time it gets dark they have run out. Then they grab their guns and proceed to try and outshoot each other keeping up a volley of shots up until way past midnight. Any stranger wandering into the area might think that a war was in progress. My animals and I make sure to stay under cover and keep a low profile each year during my neighbor’s enthusiastic 4th of July celebrations while my flag waves a silent salute from the front porch.

My red, white, and blue 4th of July Cake is a perfect dessert to help celebrate Independence Day with its light moist fruity taste that is sure to be a hit with your family. Instead of one large cake, you could make individual cupcakes. Preparation time for my 4th of July Cake is fifteen minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves at least twelve.

4th of July Cake

1 white cake mix
1 c blueberries
1 c raspberries
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Mix together the cake mix like the directions give. Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch round cake pan. Sprinkle one half of a cup of blueberries and raspberries on the top of the batter. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes until done. Flip up-side-down, cool, and frost with the cool whip. Use the rest of the berries to garnish the top of the cake!

Weekly tip: Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake when baking to test if it is done. When the toothpick or knife comes out clean the cake is finished!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Homemade Sticky Buns

2010-07-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Homemade Sticky Buns
Dorcas Annette Walker

Ever since the first time I made up a batch of my Homemade Sticky Buns when my father-in-law came for a visit, he always requested them afterwards. My house seemed to shrink every time the Walker clan arrived. First you’d hear a vehicle honking as soon as it turned into our driveway and next my father-in-law sergeant’s booming voice announcing the obvious fact that they were there. Even the entire neighborhood stood at attention during his visits. After retiring from the military my father-in-law still “barked” his requests. Being brought up in a quiet household it was years before I quit jumping at each roar of my father-in-law’s voice next to my ear whenever we conversed. The walls would vibrate with noise and confusion as each Walker shouted at the top of their lungs all talking at the same time.

I’d find refuge in my kitchen cooking and baking nonstop to satisfy all the hungry mouths. My father-in-law viewed each dish or dessert that I prepared with exclamations of delight like a starved man. So I figured it was my duty as part of the Walker family to try and fill up my father-in-law while he resided under my roof. Once the prayer had been said mealtimes quickly resembled a military attack as hands would grab the food nearest to them in a regular blitz motion despite my feeble efforts to pass each dish around the table. When everyone finally settled down to their own individual plates to commence eating my husband would ask me why I didn’t have anything on my plate. My father-in-law would look over in my direction in amazement and retort, “What’s the problem? All she has to do is ask!” I never became skilled at aggressively battling for food when my in-law’s were around. Instead I was always happy to settle for anything left after the first major skirmish.

My finger-licking Homemade Sticky Buns- what some call cinnamon rolls -will bring a smile of pleasure to your household. Nuts, raisins, or dried fruit can be added as well. Instead of making up a batch of rolls from scratch, I started using frozen bread dough. In a pinch you can also use frozen rolls or store bought frosting as well. Preparation time for my Homemade Sticky Buns is around three hours and this recipe makes one dozen rolls.

Homemade Sticky Buns

1 frozen bread roll
1 tb margarine
½ c brown sugar
cinnamon

Let the frozen dough thaw for one hour. Then roll out the dough thin in a rectangular shape. Spread margarine, layer the brown sugar, and then sprinkle on cinnamon. Roll up lengthwise and cut into one inch pieces with a sharp knife. Place each spiral in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, cover with a paper towel, and let rise for two hours until doubled in size. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes until lightly browned.

Frost with:

1 c powdered sugar
1 tb shortening
2 tb milk
½ tsp vanilla extract

Beat all the ingredients with a Wisk until smooth and spread over the sticky buns. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: To help bread or rolls rise you can turn on your oven at the lowest setting for a couple of minutes with a pan of hot water, set them in sunlight or a warm spot, or use a heating pad underneath turned on medium!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Poor Man's Steak & Gravy

2010-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy
Dorcas Annette Walker

For Father’s Day I am going to repeat a favorite recipe that all the guy chefs have responded to the most and something that my fellows love as well. All the men in the Walker clan have enormous appetites when it comes to food. Something I quickly discovered when a couple of weeks after getting married part of the family arrived and spent most of the summer with us. Thankfully, although I was only seventeen years old, I had grown up cooking and enjoyed spending time in the kitchen. Even so I wasn’t prepared for the Walker appetites. I’ll never forget the first meal. Wanting to make a good impression on my in-laws, I got out my largest cooking pots, and went to work carefully setting the table with my best dishes. With the meal prepared and dessert finished I summoned everyone to the table. My confident smile disappeared when the food barely made it around the table. I felt guilty that I couldn’t offer seconds, but breathed a sigh of relief that I had made a cake for dessert. To my amazement the entire cake (which in our family lasted for over a week) disappeared just as fast. The couple pieces left from the initial round were fought over and eaten. With loud praises for my cooking ringing in my ears, I sat in stunned silence at the deserted table staring at all the empty plates. Doubling my recipes was useless against the Walker clan’s huge appetites. I decided on the spot to triple or quad-triple them.

It was my mother, who gave me the original recipe for Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy. The only problem was that sometimes in my tight schedule of traveling with my husband and getting company soon after arriving back home I would plan to make Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy only to forget to prepare it the night before. One day as I was frantically racking my brains for something else to fix, I browsed through my freezer and I spotted a box of frozen hamburgers. Presto! A light bulb went off in my head. Why couldn’t I use frozen hamburgers instead? No one seemed to notice the difference. It was a quick and easy version of the original Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy recipe and became an all-time favorite. I discovered that frozen hamburgers stick together better than the original version of raw hamburger mixed with crackers when cooked. You can also fix this recipe in a crock pot. Just brown the hamburgers and pour the liquid ingredients over the meat. Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy always brings a smile to my fellow’s faces every time I serve it even though I’ve made it endless times. Preparation time for the Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy takes around an hour and this recipe serves four.

Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy

4 frozen hamburger patties
½ c self-rising flour
3 tb shortening
salt & pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 can milk

Melt shortening in a large iron skillet. Roll hamburgers in flour and brown. Shake on salt and pepper. Mix together soup, water, and milk. Pour over browned meat and simmer for thirty minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, stove-top dressing, and a vegetable!

Weekly tip: Always freeze meat after buying it at the store unless you plan on using it up the next day. Not only will this prevent the meat from spoiling, but you can buy larger packs on sale as well!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com