Tennessee Mountain Cobbler

Tennessee Mountain Cobbler
Dorcas Annette Walker

There is something very cozy about a cobbler baking in the oven on a cold winter day. Winter is a great time to make up a cobbler, although cobblers fit in anytime throughout the year. I have often prepared a fruit cobbler as a quick dessert for unexpected company. Even picky eaters cannot resist a freshly baked cobbler. I have served my cobblers plain or topped with a scoop of ice cream. Either way a homemade fruit cobbler always brings a smile of delight when served warm from the oven.

Cobblers are a European tradition that originated in the American West during the second half of the nineteenth century when west-bound cooks adapted the traditional oven-baked pie recipes to dessert that could be cooked in Dutch ovens. They used a quick crust filled with whatever fruit was on hand. Early settlers were good at improvising favorite recipes when ingredients were not available. The first instance of the word cobbler in print was in 1859.

There are many variations of cobblers called by different names such as tart, torte, pandowdy, grunt, slump, buckles, crisp, croustade, bird’s nest pudding, or crow’s nest pudding all based on seasonal (fresh) or canned fruits. Cobblers are homemade and simple to make relying more on taste than preparation. As many fruits there are there is a recipe for a cobbler.

During the miles I have traveled to different parts of the United States I have eaten many kinds of cobblers, but none captures the taste buds as quickly as the Tennessee Mountain Cobbler served hot from an iron skillet. First the aroma wafting from the oven tantalizes one’s nose with a promise of a homemade dessert. When served the sight of the fruit filled, cake-like, golden brown dessert, with thickened fruit juice running everywhere makes one’s mouth water. Each warm bite is a culinary delight filling up the stomach until one is tempted to groan in satisfaction when the last mouthful is eaten.

The Tennessee Mountain Cobbler is a simple, easy-to-make, quick, Southern recipe that always turns out delicious. It is baked in an iron skillet surrounded with butter that ensures a crispy golden crust through which fruit juices ooze. First butter is melted and then the batter is poured on top. Next a quart of fruit is dumped in and, without stirring, baked. My Tennessee Mountain Cobbler recipe is a variation of the one-cup cobbler making it easy to remember. Preparation time takes five to ten minutes and this recipe serves six to eight people.

Tennessee Mountain Cobbler

In a 10 inch iron skillet melt one stick of butter.

Mix together:
1 c self-rising flour
1 c sugar
1 c milk

Pour batter over melted butter. Next dump one quart of canned fruit and juice of your choice (I used peaches for this recipe) on top of batter. Do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes to 1 hour until crispy brown and a knife inserted in the cake part comes out clean. Let cool a little, then serve while still hot. May garnish with a scoop of ice cream!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Sweetheart Biscuits & Creamed Potatoes

Sweetheart Biscuits and Creamed Potatoes
Dorcas Annette Walker

Certain foods are intertwined with things of the past that make up a part of who we are. Most families have a food dish that has special meaning whether the recipe is simple or complicated. This week I thought I’d share a recipe that never fails to bring back warm memories from my early childhood.

Once a year our family would travel to our grandparents at Christmas. This trip entailed a long winter day’s journey traversing icy roads. I remember being awakened while it was still dark and fumbling around trying to get dressed while our mother bustled finishing up the packing. After a quick breakfast the car was finally loaded and our family would head out in the early cold dawn. Snuggling down in the back seat between my sister and brother I’d shiver and doze off as the car slowly warmed up. Lunch consisted of sandwiches, cookies, and Kool-Aid that my mother had brought along. We’d eat zooming along snowy roads only stopping for gas. Sometimes we’d get slowed down as heavy snow fell isolating us in a white frozen world with my father hunched over the wheel peering out a hole that the windshield wipers kept open while scraping back and forth monotonously. Our mother would nod off, her hectic schedule of working up to the last minute catching up with her, only to jerk awake and gasp every time the car would swerve or slide. Meanwhile, us three kids in the back seat were full of energy and wide awake asking every so often, are we almost there? By late afternoon we seemed doomed to spend the rest of our life confined within a car. As supper time approached and passed the promise that Grandma was making supper for us was the answer to our complaints and growling stomachs. In sheer boredom we’d doze off again as darkness would fall to be awakened by the sound of excitement in our parent’s voices seeing familiar landmarks the closer we got to our destination. One last turn and a final stop sliding on ice would announce that we had arrived. The car doors would open and I’d hear the voice of my grandmother that I hadn’t seen for a year. Our parents would hustle us out of the car and into grandma’s house where we’d be blinded by bright lights. I’d hear laughter and excited chatter and feel warm arms hug me close. Then grandma would herd us to a set table. Steaming hot biscuits would appear by magic, be given a dollop of butter, as creamy potatoes were ladled overtop. We’d dig in and eat until we were stuffed only stopping to gulp cold milk in between bites. With full stomachs we’d give a huge sigh and fall asleep in our chair as the talk and laughter swirled around us. We were at grandma’s house!

Biscuits are considered quick breads so called because they were originally baked twice. The early Romans made this type of bread. Today there are many varieties of biscuits. Biscuits are different than bread in that solid shortening is used and cut into the flour like a pastry before being kneaded, rolled out, and cut into round shapes. My grandmother’s Sweetheart Biscuits were so named because instead of cutting the biscuits out in circles, hands are used to form the dough leaving fingerprints. A guy in love would try to find and eat the biscuits his sweetheart made at a gathering. Some guys insisted that they could tell which one was their sweetheart’s biscuits by the fingerprints, so these biscuits became known as Sweetheart Biscuits. This recipe takes five to ten minutes to prepare and makes eight to nine biscuits.

Sweetheart Biscuits

In medium bowl:
2 c self-rising flour
3 tb shortening
With two knives slice across the flour and shortening until the shortening is cut down into small lumps.

Add:
1 c milk (can use either regular milk or buttermilk)
Mix well and turn out onto floured surface.
Knead the flour into the dough about thirty strokes. Break off dough about the size of a large walnut and shape into a ball with hands. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Biscuits are done when they slide on baking tray. Serve hot.

Creamed Potatoes

Preparation time about 30 minutes. Serves around six. Peel and thinly slice 3-4 medium potatoes. Cover with water.

Add:
1 tsp salt
Cook about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Add:
1 c milk
½ tb crushed dried celery leaves (see cooking tips on blogspot on drying celery leaves)

Stir in:
¼ c cornstarch in water to make liquid
Bring to a boil and turn off stove.
Melt in 1 tb butter.
Serve over hot biscuits torn in half. May garnish with fresh or dried parsley!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Winter Fruit Salad

Winter Fruit Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

The old saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, has lots of scientific knowledge to back it up. I wasn’t impressed growing up eating oatmeal and applesauce for breakfast every morning. In fact I declared that once I was grown up I’ve never ever eat oatmeal or applesauce. Guess what I start my morning out with today? Even though our family lived in the poverty bracket, due to my father being disabled with severe hemophilia, my parents made sure that our diet was balanced with fruits and vegetables. I thought this would be a great time to make a fruit salad using up any leftover fruits still sitting around from the holiday season.

Studies show compelling evidence that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help ward off heart disease, stroke, be an effective tool for controlling your blood pressure, lower cholesterol, prevent diverticulitis, guard against developing cataract and macular degeneration, and even prevent and protect against some types of cancer. Fruit is shown to stimulate memory and help with depression. After consuming substantial amounts of fruit on a regular basis, people that were depressed noticed a difference in feeling better about themselves.

Interesting enough all diets agree on fresh fruit. Fruit is one hundred percent cholesterol free! The wonderful thing about fruit is the ingestible fiber that passes through the digestive system soaking up water like a sponge as it expands decreasing pressure on the intestinal tract. Fruit also consists for the largest part of water that our bodies need on a daily basis. We should all learn to eat more fruits and vegetables. Make a resolution this New Year to try a variety of different fruits and vegetables. Break out of your rut, be brave, and explore other types of fruits and vegetables to add to your diet. There are numerous varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables available today in our supermarkets. Another alternative during the winter months is dried fruits, which still contain the necessary nutrients the body needs. Dried fruit may contain more calories per serving than fresh if you are counting calories.

When putting together a fruit salad let your imagination soar. This is one area where fresh and canned items go well together. You can even try a new fruit and add a twist to your fruit salad. Fruit salads are a quick and easy way to round out a meal or it can be eaten by itself as a healthy snack. My Winter Fruit Salad adds a bit of color to the winter days using canned and fresh fruits with a cooked dressing to tie it together. Preparation time is thirty to forty-five minutes depending on how much fresh fruit you have to prepare. My Winter Fruit Salad recipe serves around twenty-five. You can halve the recipe for a smaller salad.

Winter Fruit Salad

In large bowl drain and save juice of:
1 can fruit cocktail
1 can crushed or chunked pineapple

Add:
2 red apples diced
1 banana sliced
any fresh fruit in season ( I added 3 oranges peeled and diced)
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Optional:
1 c chopped nuts your choice

In large saucepan cook until thick:
fruit juice (a little over 1 cup)
1 c sugar
3 tb cornstarch
Stir in:
1 tb lemon juice

Cool and slowly add with wire Wisk until smooth:
16 oz cool whip

Pour over fruit and mix together. Chill and serve in crystal bowl. May garnish with fresh fruit!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Newport Homemade Vegetable Soup

Newport Homemade Vegetable Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

I’m starting the New Year out with a recipe that I have never done before. This is the time of year to venture out and try something brand new. A couple months after we moved here to pastor the First Church of the Nazarene here in Newport I was sick. A lady in our church, Judy Layman who is also a great cook, brought me some homemade vegetable soup that I had never seen before in all my travels to different parts of the United States. Then a couple of Sundays ago I lay down to rest in the afternoon- something that I rarely do- and received a phone call asking for my punch-bowl recipe the week before. As we chatted the lady mentioned her recipe of homemade vegetable soup using canned vegetable soup that was so easy to make. I scribbled down the ingredients knowing I wanted to check out this recipe as it seems to be a popular one around Newport. In my half-awake state I never did get the lady’s name so I am calling this recipe Newport Homemade Vegetable Soup.

The only homemade vegetable soup that I was previously acquainted with was variations of my Grandmother’s vegetable soup. Every fall I spend a day cooking up a canner full of vegetable soup (using a hodge-podge of fresh garden vegetables) that I freeze for the coming winter. It’s a perfect way to use fresh garden produce. For my Grandmother’s canner recipe you start with a large package of stew beef (a package of cut-up beef) that you brown seasoning with garlic salt and pepper. Then puree in a blender: four quarts of tomatoes, one quart of cooked squash, one bag of onions, and one stalk of celery (dry the celery leaves for future use). Cut up and slice one bag of carrots, one large head of cabbage, and shred a cup of zucchini. Peel and dice up six to eight potatoes. Add: one package of frozen lima beans, one package of frozen peas, two packages of frozen corn, two quarts of green beans, and two cans of creamed corn. Sprinkle in two tablespoons of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, and one tablespoon of parsley. Bring to a boil and cook until all the vegetables are soft. The bright colors of freshly cooked vegetables alone are enough to delight the eye and this is soup is the height of nutrition. When cooled, pour soup into containers to freeze. A steaming bowl of my grandmother’s homemade vegetable soup never fails to bring warm summer memories back on a cold winter day.

There is nothing so cozy as a pot of soup simmering on the stove on a windy winter day spreading its fragrance throughout the house. In the good ole days there was always a soup kettle sitting on the back of the stove reserved for liquid and meat scraps. I sometimes store in the refrigerator during the winter months cooked potato and vegetable water to use for soups. Soups are a great way to personalize a recipe as they are easy to make and there is no limit to what ingredients or spices you can add to tempt your taste buds. The Newport Homemade Vegetable Soup is a quick and easy version of my Grandmother’s homemade vegetable soup of the past. Preparation time is around thirty minutes and this recipe serves five to six people.

Newport Homemade Vegetable Soup

Brown one pound of hamburger. Sprinkle ½ tsp garlic salt, pepper to taste, and 1 tb chopped onion (may substitute small minced onion).

Add to browned hamburger:
2 small cans or 1 large can of vegetable soup of your choice- adding water as directed.

Peel and dice up 2-3 medium potatoes to soup.
½ tsp salt
Boil until potatoes are soft.

Optional add:
½ tsp dried celery leaves
½ tsp dried parsley

Serve hot. May garnish with parsley leaves. Homemade bread, hot cornbread, or corn muffins is a great companion with this homemade vegetable soup!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Cornbread

Cornbread

Dorcas Annette Walker

As we enter the New Year lots of celebrations are underway. There is the lighted ball in the New York’s Times Square, California’s Tournament of Roses with the Rose Bowl football game, Florida’s Orange Bowl, Texas’ Crown Bowl, and Louisiana’s Sugar Bowl. In Vancouver the Canadians enjoy the traditional polar bear swim. However you plan to celebrate the New Year, we can look ahead with anticipation to a new start with a New Year full of fresh promises. A time of looking back over the old year and make New Year’s resolutions for the new.

New Year traditions include certain foods. It is believed that anything in the shape of a ring is considered good luck because it symbolizes coming into a full circle, completing a year’s cycle. So the Dutch eat donuts on New Year’s Day. Cabbage is also believed to be a good luck vegetable; the cabbage leaves representing paper currency. Some folks eat black-eyed peas with hog jowl to ensure a year of prosperity. Others eat sauerkraut and pork. In some regions rice is the luck food that is eaten on New Year’s Day.

I’ve chosen cornbread, a staple of the South, to start the New Year off. No matter what the New Year’s menu might include, for the mountain folk of Tennessee you can rest assured that cornbread will be present; a golden, round bread placed on a dish and served by each person breaking off a chuck along with pinto beans, hog jowl, and cooked cabbage. Native Americans used ground corn long before the European explores arrived in the New World. Cornbread was popular during the Civil War because it was cheap and could be made in many different forms. I was first introduced to cornbread when my husband and I moved south to pastor a small church in the Blue Ridge foothills of North Carolina. Up until that time I had only heard of cornbread or read about it in books. It wasn’t until we moved into the mountains of Tennessee that I experienced cornbread baked in an iron skillet and fell in love with the first taste of the hot, crispy, Southern bread. I began adding cornbread baked Southern style to our menu.

Cornbread is considered a soul food enjoyed for its texture and scent. There is nothing like the smell and taste of hot, crumbly cornbread spread with melting butter and topped with homemade jam. Cornbread is easy to make and very nutritious. The secret to making Southern cornbread lies in baking the batter in an iron skillet with grease, which forms a golden crust as it bakes. There are many recipes for cornbread. The mountain folk prefer using the white cornmeal making a batter of cornmeal, egg, and buttermilk. I prefer the yellow cornmeal for color and add flour. My recipe is known as light cornbread. Preparation time is five to ten minutes and serves eight- depending on how many pieces of cornbread each person eats.

Cornbread

Place 3-4 tb bacon grease or shortening in 10 inch iron skillet and put in oven to melt.

Mix together in a bowl with large spoon:
2 c yellow corn meal
2 c self-rising flour
3 tb sugar
1 egg
1 ½ c milk

Pour cornmeal batter directly onto melted grease in iron skillet. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Turn cornbread out on dish and serve while piping hot!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.