Potato Cakes

Potato Cakes
Dorcas Annette Walker

For some reason when I am snowbound or get cabin fever during the winter- feeling like the walls of my house are caving in from having to be indoors so much- I start scrounging around in my cookbooks and recipes for something different to cook. The other day I came across an old recipe for Potato Cakes. As soon as I began frying up a batch in my kitchen last Saturday morning, my husband grabbed a plate and fork and proceeded to hover close by until a sizzling hot Potato Cake was finished. There is nothing like eating a homemade Potato Cake right from the skillet. If you are feeling hungry and want something filling whip up a batch of my old fashion Potato Cakes.

Potato Cakes actually refer to many ways of making fried potatoes. Here in the United States the term is commonly used for frozen hash brown potato patties that are available in supermarkets and served by many restaurants. In England and New Zealand potato scallops or potato fritters- a regular cheap item in fish and chip shops- are usually thick slices of potatoes dipped in batter and fried. Irish potato cakes are typically mashed potatoes mixed with baking soda and fried while Scottish “tattie scones” uses flour, are fried on a griddle, and served with breakfast or topped with baked beans. Southern Australia potato cakes are a sweet dessert made of mashed or sliced potatoes with other ingredients baked in the form of a cake or an actual cake recipe using potato flour.

My Potato Cakes are a type of home-style fried potatoes in the form of a pancake that are delicious as a weekend brunch with bacon, sausage, and eggs or eaten by themselves. For variety you can use unpeeled potatoes, leftover mashed potatoes, add shredded cheese, mushrooms, or chopped veggies to make a well balanced meal. For lower fat content drain fried Potato Cakes on paper towels for a couple of minutes before eating. Either way you like them these crispy Potato Cakes are filling and lip smackin good. Preparation time for my Potato Cakes is about fifteen minutes and this recipe serves eight large man-size cakes.

Potato Cakes

4 large potatoes peeled and shredded
1 small onion diced
½ c self-rising flour
2 eggs
salt & pepper
2 tb shortening or bacon grease

Heat up shortening or grease in an iron skillet until it sizzles when you flick a drop of water on the pan. In a medium bowl mix together the shredded potatoes, onion, flour, and eggs. Drop large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot skillet and mash flat with a wide turner or spatula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using medium heat let the Potato Cakes brown for five minutes, flip over, cover the skillet, and then let the other side brown for another five minutes. Serve hot and garnish with ketchup!

Weekly tip: To save time use a food processor to shred the potatoes then immediately rinse all the parts of the food processor in hot soapy water and drain to save up washing up later!

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

Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake

Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Thirty-four years ago on Valentine’s Day my husband and I became engaged. I’ve kept all his love notes throughout the years in heart boxes. I also make card books by punching holes in cards tying them together with ribbon and using special cards to make placemats that I use for holiday decoration. While browsing through a book of Valentine cards I found this poem that my husband wrote me not long after we were married.

When our locks have turned to gray,
And our three score and ten years of days
Have spent themselves and flown swiftly away.
Still will I wish you at my side to stay;
For every day with you is a Valentine’s Day!
Dana Walker

It was an instant love affair as soon as I heard the intriguing name of Red Velvet Cake. Seeing and eating a piece of this colorful dessert only enhanced my devotion to this unique cake. Since then each year for Valentine’s Day I make a Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake. No matter how you celebrate Valentine’s Day my Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake will make a perfect addition to your Valentine holiday.

A recipe for Red Velvet Cakes appeared in numerous 19th century cookbooks and was considered a popular southern dessert, although cake at the time was considered to be a rich man’s food due to the ingredients being so expensive. Red Velvet Cake was a signature dessert at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City during the 1920’s. After the Industrial Revolution baking ingredients became more affordable for the average folk. During World War II due to food rationing some bakers began using boiled red beets instead of food coloring for their Red Velvet Cake recipes while others believed that the combination of vinegar and buttermilk turned the cocoa to a red color. By the 1960’s Red Velvet Cake recipes were appearing across the nation in major newspapers. Red Velvet Cakes are typically frosted with a white butter cream or cream cheese frosting to give a dramatic contrast.

My Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake is a regal and moist cake that will capture instant attention with its deep red color making it a perfect Valentine’s dessert. Preparation time for the Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake is twenty-five minutes (not counting baking or cooling time) and this heart cake serves sixteen.

Red Velvet Sweetheart Cake

1 devil’s food cake mix
1 (1 oz) red food coloring
1 c cold water
3 eggs
½ c cooking oil
2 (16 0z) cans of cream cheese frosting

Beat the first five ingredients for two minutes and then pour half of the batter into a greased 9-inch heart shaped pan. Bake at 350º for twenty-five minutes. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Let both layers cool, frost, and then decorate your heart cake!

Weekly tip: The best Valentines come from the heart and don’t have to be elaborate. Even if you aren’t a professional cake decorator a simple homemade heart cake still sends a special message of love!

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.com

Snow Cream

Snow Cream
Dorcas Annette Walker

This past week when we got six to eight inches of snow here on the mountain we once again became snowbound on our dead-end road. It took my husband five tries before he finally was able to make it over our steep hill yesterday. Since we are one of the last side roads for the snowplow to reach- and that just in later years- we always keep a bucket of ashes handy to help give traction in order to make it out to the main road.

The recent snow bought back memories of my first introduction to winters in the Tennessean Mountains when we pastored a rural church in Morgan County where the closest neighbors lived a mile away. I was expecting my son and in my sixth month began having labor pains. Each week we traveled down to Oak Ridge where the doctor would shake his head and tell me to try and hold out a little longer. I didn’t become too worried until winter set in. Although we lived on the main road the snow plow went by once a day and after that we were on our own. We discovered the year before the army had to send up a tank in order to get a lady down to the hospital. Dana was intrigued with the thought of using a trip with me in an army tank as an advertisement for our church. I flatly refused to consider being hauled off the mountain in an army tank. I told my husband that he would have to find some other promotional idea. Each time a big snow hit, my husband would hover close by asking me how I felt. My son didn’t make his appearance until early spring right on his due date.

Once again I couldn’t resist the newly fallen snow and made up a batch of Snow Cream or what some might call “poor man’s ice cream”, although to begin with only the very wealthy enjoyed ice cream made from snow. The Emperors of China were the first known people to eat ice cream that their cooks made by mixing snow and ice with fruit, wine, and honey as a tasty treat. In 62 A.D. Roman Emperor Nero wanted snow ice cream so badly he sent slaves up into the mountains on a special trip to bring back snow and ice so his cooks could make some for him. In 1295 Marco Polo returned from China with a recipe for snow ice cream that used yak milk. Soon the rich people of Italy were enjoying frozen milk that eventually evolved into the ice cream we enjoy today.

My Snow Cream can be made using a variety of flavors or eaten with different toppings. Snow Cream tastes like homemade ice cream with its soft creamy texture and should be eaten slowly. Once frozen though Snow Cream becomes solid and hard. Preparation time for my homemade Snow Cream is ten minutes and this recipe makes one gallon.

Peach Snow Cream

1½ gallons of fresh clean snow
1 c sugar
4 tb vanilla extract
2 c frozen peach jam (thawed)
2 (12 oz) cans of evaporated milk

In a large bowl mix together the snow, sugar, extract, and jam. Drizzle the evaporated milk over the snow and stir until well blended. Immediately serve and freeze leftovers!

Weekly tip: Use only wooden or plastic utensils to make snow ice cream as the snow will stick to metal making it difficult to mix!

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.com

Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni

Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni
Dorcas Annette Walker

There are some dishes that are a basic staple when it comes to preparing a meal whether just for the family or for company. One of them is cheese and macaroni. I think that cheese and macaroni range right next to mashed potatoes as a food that everyone loves. I remember when the first boxes of macaroni and cheese dinners came out. They were an instant hit being quick and easy to prepare on the stove compared to the previous baked style of macaroni and cheese and economical as well. Today there are several brands to choose from. I know that cheese and macaroni is my grandkids favorite so no matter what else I prepare, I always make a batch of my Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni.

I still use a cheap brand of the cheese and macaroni dinners and once in a while make it like the directions say, but most of the time I add a few other ingredients to make it more homemade. It wasn’t long until after eating so many of the same flavored cheese and macaroni dinners over and over that I began experimenting. While my husband can eat the same thing twice in a row, I prefer something different. Why settle for something plain when there are different ways to prepare food? Most of the time it doesn’t take a bunch of costly ingredients to give something a homemade twist. Just a blend of a couple ingredients will create a scrumptious taste. The crowning touch is seeing the surprised and satisfied smiles on your family’s faces as they eat something that you gave a little extra attention too.

My Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni is made up of a creamy smooth blend of cheese sauce surrounding cooked macaroni that is sure to be an instant hit with your family. You can experiment with different kinds of cheese for a different taste or pop the prepared Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni into the oven for a few minutes creating a browned crusty crumb topping of crushed crackers or bread crumbs with melted butter. My Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni takes about fifteen minutes to prepare and this recipe serves six.

Cheesy Cheese & Macaroni

2 (7.25 oz) boxes of macaroni & cheese
2 tb cooking oil
1 tsp salt
12 c water
1 c milk
¼ c parmesan cheese
2 c processed cheese cubed
paprika

In large saucepan bring water, salt, and oil to a rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook for ten minutes until tender. Drain water and add milk. Mix in the packets of powdered cheese until smooth. Add parmesan and the cubed cheese. Simmer on low for five minutes until all the cheese is melted. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and serve!

Weekly tip: When cooking macaroni or rice on an electric stove bring the water to a boil, add macaroni or rice, cover with a tilted lid, shut off the burner, and let finish cooking as usual. The food cooks just as fast and you save electricity 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.com

Chunky Vegetable Soup

Chunky Vegetable Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every cold and snowy day my thoughts turn to a bowl of steaming soup with some kind of hot bread. There is something comforting about inhaling the aroma of just-baked bread as you eat a bowl of nourishing soup while the freezing winds howl outside. Just as my outdoor pets and livestock need more food to keep healthy during the winter months so our bodies too need an extra shot of vitamins to ward off the rounds of colds and flu. Instead of popping more pills prepare a kettle of my Chunky Vegetable Soup. I always make a large amount as soups and leftover breads freeze well and are easy to warm up in the microwave on days when your schedule is hectic. Taking a thermos of soup along to work for your lunch is not only healthful, but economic as well.

When I worked in our local hospital I always packed my lunch. My penny-pinching Dutch background didn’t see the sense in paying for food when I always had leftovers at home. Each day as I arrived for work the first thing the other nursing staff wanted to know was what I had brought for lunch. While they grumbled over the cafeteria menu or ordered take-outs from local fast-food restaurants, I enjoyed my homemade food. I soon was handing out extra cookies, brownies, and cake that the different shifts fought over to get a piece of. It was amazing how a batch of just-baked brownies immediately changed the atmosphere at the nursing station and set the tone for the rest of the evening. So if you want to make new friends or improve your work environment, take a Crockpot of homemade soup or some home-baked goodie to work one day and I can guarantee that you will instantly become the most popular person around. You might even win brownie points with your boss.

My Chunky Vegetable Soup is ideal to make using up odds and ends of fresh vegetables right after a major holiday that are left over in your refrigerator. You can add or delete vegetables to cater to the taste buds of your family or put the items in a large Crockpot and let them simmer all day long. The more fresh vegetables you use the more colorful your Chunky Vegetable Soup will be. If you don’t have any fresh vegetables on hand substitute canned ones or use a couple packs of frozen mixed vegetables instead. My Chunky Vegetable Soup takes a couple of hours to prepare and this recipe will make about two gallons of soup.

Chunky Vegetable Soup

2 lbs hamburger
1 large onion diced
1 c chopped celery
2 qt tomatoes pureed
1 qt tap water
1 qt green beans drained
3 c frozen corn
2 c peeled & sliced carrots
1 (15 oz) can of peas drained
2 large potatoes peeled and diced
1 small head cabbage chopped
1 tb dried parsley
1 tb salt
1 tsp black pepper
*optional: 2 c pureed squash and 1 c shredded zucchini

Brown hamburger in the bottom of a large kettle with diced onion. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, cook until all the vegetables are tender, and let simmer. Serve hot!

Weekly tip: Soups are a wonderful way to disguise any vegetables that you or your family doesn’t like. Simply pureed and add them to the soup where the other flavors will override the taste!

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.com

Sauerkraut & Pork

Sauerkraut & Pork
Dorcas Annette Walker

My daughter-in-law’s family starts each New Year out with black-eyed peas, cooked cabbage, and hog jaw to guarantee good luck, money, and prosperity. My sister, who lives up North and where I was raised, always starts their New Year out with Sauerkraut & Pork. Each area of our country has certain traditions of how to bring in the New Year. The New Year is a time of reflection with the stark realization that time moves swiftly by and what is gone cannot be relived, yet it also brings the anticipation of untouched days ahead giving us another chance to make our life count by setting goals and new resolutions. No matter what objectives you have set for the New Year here is one recipe for daily use.

1 c forgiveness
2 c understanding
3 c kind deeds

Mix well and sprinkle liberally with love. Make up a batch each day to hand out to everyone that you meet.

Each summer, just like my grandmothers did in years gone by; I always make up a batch of homemade sauerkraut. Today there are all kinds of fancy gadgets for slicing and shredding, but I still cut my cabbage by hand on a cutting board with a sharp knife. There is something soul satisfying about cutting cabbage by hand that no modern piece of equipment can achieve. Each time I make a batch of sauerkraut I feel connected to the past. While the old method of making kraut was to salt down the cabbage in a large crock and let it ferment until it reached the desired stage, I have modernized my method. Instead of letting the cabbage sit for weeks, I experimented around until I got the right amount of desired sourness and now as soon as the cabbage is shredded, I pack my jars with cabbage, add salt, vinegar, and water and then can it immediately. While some may prefer store-bought sauerkraut to me there is nothing like your own homemade kraut.

Here is an easy recipe for Sauerkraut & Pork that my grandmother used to make a huge batch of for every family reunion. The Sauerkraut & Pork can be prepared in a Crockpot letting simmer all day. You can double or tripled the recipe as it makes great leftovers. My Sauerkraut & Pork takes about an hour and a half to make and this recipe serves four.

Sauerkraut & Pork

4 pork chops
garlic and regular salt
pepper
2 qt sauerkraut

Brown the pork chops in the bottom of a large kettle. Sprinkle with salts and pepper. Pour in sauerkraut (juice and all) and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for one hour. Serve hot over mashed potatoes!

Weekly tip: Homemade sauerkraut: Pack qt jars with shredded cabbage. To each qt add 1 tsp salt, ½ c white vinegar, and fill the rest of the jar up with hot water. 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.com