MORE EATIN' WITH MYRA AND GINNY BATES

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Additional recipes from the extended dyke family who love to eat, after the fold.




PASTITSIO
This lasagna-like Greek dish is so popular and so rich, it needs only a salad to complete the meal. Myra often doubles it to make sure there are leftovers. It'll serve 6-8.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground turkey (traditionally, beef, veal or lamb is used, but with all the other fat in this dish, turkey is an acceptable substitute)
1/2 chopped Vidalia or Walla Walla onion
2-1/3 cup whole milk
2 large brown eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter + 4 tablespoons sliced butter
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 ounces of Ginny's tomato paste
2 cups water
8 ounces ziti, bucatini or penne pasta
4 tablespoons all-purpose white flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water. When two minutes from being done, scoop out and save in a saucepan. To this pan add 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and one beaten egg. Do not cook, just stir together and set aside.

Crumble the ground turkey in a large saucepan and brown over medium heat until no longer pink but not deeply brown (it will cook more in the oven). Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.

Drain the meat and onions in a colander. Return to the saucepan and add the tomato paste, allowing it to caramelize briefly in the pan before adding 2 cups water, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15-20 minutes.

While the meat sauce is simmering, make a roux. In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Before it browns, whisk in flour until it is well-mixed. In a slow steady stream, whisk in 2 cups milk until it is completely smooth. Cook, whisking often, until the sauce is thick and bubbly, 6-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add the other 1/3 cup of Parmesan.

Layer half the pasta mixture in an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture over it evenly, then add the rest of the pasta on top of the meat. Pour the cream sauce over the top, smoothing with the back of a spoon until level.

Bake until browned in places, 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.


PIEROGIES
Myra makes these when Ginny has produced some of her home-made cottage cheese. They can be frozen and reheated later -- Margie says they are better after freezing.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dry curd cottage cheese
2 egg, slightly beaten
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour (they won't "puff" properly with whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons canola oil
Kosher salt
3/4 cup warm water
One chopped Vidalia or Walla Walla onion (or 3-4 scallions, if you'd rather)
1/2 cup butter

PREPARATION:
Make the filling by combining the cottage cheese with one of the beaten eggs and seasoning to taste with salt. Set aside.

Mix salt and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a deep bowl. Add the second beaten egg, oil and water to make a medium-soft dough.

Knead on a floured board just until the dough is smooth -- overworking with toughen the dough. Divide into two parts. Cover with a cloth and let stand for at least ten minutes.

After the dough has rested, roll it as thin as you can on a floured board. Cut rounds from the dough with the open end of a wide glass. As you cut a round, hold it in the palm of your hand and place a spoonful of filling in it, folding over to make a half-circle. Press the edges together with fingers -- the edges must be free of filling. The edges have to be well-sealed to keep filling from leaking.

As each pierogi is made, placed it on a towel-lined tray and keep covered with another towel to prevent them drying out.

When all the pierogis are made, bring a large pot of salted water to a vigorous boil. After it is boiling rapidly, drop a few pierogies at a time into the water -- don't try to cook them all at once.

Stir very gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and keep them from sticking to the pot. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Cooking time will depend on how thick you made the dough and the quantity of filling. They will be ready when they are puffed.

Remove each pierogi with a skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly. Then transfer to a deep buttered dish and drizzle with butter to keep them from sticking. Cover and keep hot until all are cooked and ready for serving. Top with chopped onions which have been lightly browned in butter.

OR -- if you're making them to freeze, store them in a buttered freezable dish in the refrigerator until chilled, then put on an air-tight lid and freeze. To re-heat them, you can pan fry them in butter over a medium heat until they are light brown in color, or bake them in an oven until they are hot and plump.


ZUCCHINI TIME

Every summer, there comes a time when zucchini is ripening in the garden faster than normal human consumption can accommodate. Myra is always searching for recipes which will use up zucchini in new and tasty ways. Here's one:

BLACK BEAN AND ZUCCHINI QUESADILLAS
This should feed 4-6 as a main course.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chopped or grated zucchini, squeezed in a cloth or paper towel to get out the extra liquid
2 cups cooked black beans (canned is okay), drained
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded queso fresco
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Myra's corn salsa as a topping

PREPARATION:
Saute the zucchini, beans, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper for five minutes. Spread one-eighth of mixture onto each tortilla. Sprinkle each tortilla with one-fourth of the cheese. Fold each tortilla in half and cook in pan until the cheese melts and the tortilla is toasted. Cut into wedges and serve with corn salsa.


Another zucchini-user is this recipe which Jaime would make with Margie. To please her, he substituted the traditional pork with ground turkey.

JAIME'S ALBóNDIGAS A LA MARGIE
Serves 6. Serve with rice.

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds ground turkey
2 medium onions, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
2 zucchinis, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 quarts of Ginny's whole canned tomatoes with juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

PREPARATION:
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, onion, zukes, eggs, breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin, 3 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Form into 32 (2-inch) balls. Transfer to a large plate and place in freezer until fim, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and chiles in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add 8 of the meatballs and cook until brown, turning often, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining meatballs, 1 teaspoon of oil per 8 meatballs.

Reduce skillet heat to medium-low. Add the tomato sauce puree and return all the meatballs to the skillet. Cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.


GINNY'S FISH TACOS
Serve four unless more than two teenagers are at the meal.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup of Ginny's home-made sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3-4 tablespoons good olive oil
1/4 thinly shredded cabbage (about 2.5 cups)
4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 serrano pepper, halved lengthwise, one-half minced
3 ripe high-flavor tomatoes
1 large ripe avocado
1 pound fillets of firm white fish -- Ginny prefers hake, bass or grouper -- cut into 16 equal strips
8 whole wheat tortillas (6-inch)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:
In a non-metal bowl, mix the sour cream and lime juice. Put half the mixture in another bowl for serving. Toss the cabbage, scallions and minced serrano with remaining sour-cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dice tomatoes and avocados, and drizzle lightly with olive oil to coat avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil and the remaining half serrano pepper over medium-high head, coating bottom of pan. Season fish on both sides with salt and apper. In two batches (starting with larger pieces), cook the fish until golden brown on all sides, 5-6 minutes. Remove the serrano piece.

Using warmed tortilla, fill each tortilla with slaw, fish, and avocado/tomato mixture. Drizzle with reserved sour-cream mixture. Serve immediately with corn salsa.


SCALLOPS WITH HAZELNUTS AND BROWN BUTTER
Serves four if there is another hearty side dish. This is Davonn's particular favorite. Takes half an hour to make.

INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh hazelnuts, skins removed, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 pound large sea scallops (about 12)
1-2 bunches (about 1/2 pound total) baby arugula, washed well and dried
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:
Clean the scallops of muscle and cut in half horizontally. Divide arugula among the serving plates.
In a large skillet, stirring frequently, cook butter over medium heat until it is golden brown and most of the foam has subsided, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer the butter to a small bowl and stir in the hazelnuts and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl to keep the butter warm and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Season the scallops generously with salt and pepper. Place the same skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, cook the scallops in two batches (to avoid steaming) until they are browned and opaque in the center, turning over once with a thin-bladed metal spatula, about 2 minutes total.

Top the arugula with 3 scallops each. Spoon hazelnut butter over the scallops.


COBB SALAD
Myra really loves Cobb salads, and if she has one or two of the ingredients, that's excuse enough for her to make this "use up the leftovers" meal that actually calls for a lot more than leftovers. This will feed her and Ginny a lovely lunch.

INGREDIENTS:
(You can trade this in and out, depending on what you've got left over.)
2 hard-boiled brown eggs, chopped
1 ripe avocado, chopped
2 of Ginny's best ripe tomatoes, chopped (organic heirlooms preferably)
2 cobs of roasted corn, cut from the cob
2 cups of organic baby greens or lettuce
1 cup of fresh or lightly steamed frozen sweet peas
1/4 cup bleu cheese
1 large chicken breast, grilled or pan-fried
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts or other roasted nuts
3 strips thick-sliced prosciutto or organic bacon (for Myra only), fried and crumbled

FOR THE GREEN GODDESS DRESSING:
2 tablespoons fresh Myra mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or mashed anchovies
1.5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 small scallion, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Line up the salad ingredients in rows on two plates, contrasting color and texture. Put the bacon on Myra's plate only. Drizzle with the Green Goddess dressing and let each diner toss her salad her own way.


VEGGIE BURGERS
This makes four burgers, which often will feed only two. Even Myra the meat-eater finds these a delicious and acceptable substitute for a cheeseburger.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup medium-grind bulgur
1 can (14.5 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large brown egg
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:
In a medium bowl, mix bulgur with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 cup boiling water. Cover bowl, and let sit until bulgur is tender (but still slightly chewy), about 30 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid.

Place beans in a medium bowl; mash with a potato masher until a coarse paste forms. Add breadcrumbs, scallions, egg, carrot, cayenne, tahini, and bulgur. Season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Form mixture into 4 patties, each about 1 inch thick.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low. Cook patties until browned and firm, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on whole wheat buns with Myra's mayonnaise, thick slices of ripe tomato, and fresh lettuce.


MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES
These are very popular for the annual Boxing Day Tea and other special events. Makes 4 dozen.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Texas pecan halves
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar

PREPARATION:
In a food processor, pulse pecans, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal; add butter and pulse until a dough forms. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 level tablespoon. Space 1 1/2 inches apart on two large baking sheets. Bake, switching sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until cookies are just golden around edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a rack to cool completely. Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Roll cookies in sugar twice to coat thoroughly, tapping off excess.

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Summary only...

MORE FROM GINNY BATES: THE LAST OF THE FAMILY RECIPES

Myra is rather driven when it comes to cooking for her family and friends. Margie says it is part of her being a control freak, which really pisses Ginny off. Myra's mother cooked three meals a day all her life because they simply didn't have the money to eat out, even fast food. Ginny does the salads and veggies, and gets breakfast for the kids. Sometimes Ginny does the main meals, or their friends cook/contribute to a potluck meal, but mostly it's Myra. The truth is, it's how she proves her love. Gillam not only understands it as such, he's picked up the same habit, god help him. The upside is, Myra doesn't have to earn wages for a living, so she has the time and energy to shop and cook. Who knows how she would cope, otherwise.

Other posts containing Myra's recipes occur here and here. In the list below are three different kind of holiday cookies, if you are so inclined.

FRANCES' WALNUT RAVIOLI FOR JEWS AND NONJEWS
Designed to equally please both of her mothers-in-law. Serves 4 as a main course with salad.
INGREDIENTS:
One batch of Frances' whole wheat pasta, rolled out for ravioli making
1.5 cups walnuts
1 ounce sliced pancetta
1 ounce smoked salmon
2 shallots, minced
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed and minced
1 large Bosq pear
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
6 tablespoons grated parmigiana reggiano
Freshly ground white pepper and kosher salt to taste
Juice of one small lemon
PREPARATION:
Roast the walnuts and chop them.
Cook the pancetta in 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat until crisp on edges. Cook the smoked salmon in the same amount of butter the same way until well-moistened. Into each pan add half the onion and garlic, stirring and cooking until onion is softened. Add 1/2 cup walnuts to each pot, along with 1/4 cup water to each, and simmer, stirring, until the liquid is reduced by half.
Transfer each mixture to a bowl and mash into a paste with a fork. Core and peel the pear, and cut in half. Dice the pear and stir 2 tablespoons of it into each mixture with equal amounts of parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and half the parmigiano. Put the rest of the pear into a bowl with the lemon juice.
Mound small amounts of each paste mixture into the raviolis, taking care to keep the two recipes separate from each other. Seal the ravioli and save on a dry kitchen towel until all are done.
In a skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until foam subsides and the butter just begins to brown. Stir in pears with lemon juice, the rest of the walnuts, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat, allowing to sit.
Add the ravioli to two 3-quart pots of vigorously boiling salted water, again keep the types separate. Cook at a slow boil, stirring very carefully, until tender, 3-5 minutes. Gently scoop out ravioli to drain in a colander. Add each batch of ravioli to a serving bowl and pour half of pear-butter sauce over them. Sprinkle with the rest of the parmigiano and serve.

FRANCES' WHOLE WHEAT PASTA DOUGH
Reluctantly created by Frances when Myra insisted she wasn't going to use her pasta machine for all-white-flour pasta. Serves 6, maybe. Takes about 20 minutes, unless the grandkids are helping with the pasta shaping (to be ardently desired), in which case it takes as long as it takes.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups semolina flour (Myra met her partway, because chemistry is chemistry, and who would be stupid enough to argue with an Italian chef about recipes?)
1.5 cups sifted whole wheat flour (fresh)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 fresh room-temperature brown eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
VARIATIONS: You can add in fresh herbs, chopped spinach, or homemade tomato paste to this dough in small quantities to give it a burst of flavor. If what you're adding is wet, you'll need more flour when you begin kneading.
PREPARATION:
Get ready to have some group fun.
Combine semolina, whole wheat flour, and salt.
Beat eggs lightly. Mix eggs with water and oil.
Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until a stiff dough forms. You may need to add more flour.
Turn onto floured marble board and knead 10 minutes or until elastic. Put into an oiled bowl and allow to rest, covered by dishtowel, for 20 minutes.
While it is resting, fill your pasta pot with water and put it on to boil, adding salt BUT NEVER OIL to the water. Make your sauce to go with the pasta, or if you're making ravioli, make your filling.
Roll the dough out thinly.
Cut it into the desired shape or use the pasta machine to make whatever you want.
Once you have all the pasta ready, cook it in vigorously boiling water for 2-5 minutes. Scoop it out while it is al dente and add it to your sauce, so it will soak in the flavor of the sauce as it finishes cooking.
Prego.




WHOLE WHEAT ROSEMARY POTATO BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups white bread flour
2 medium Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
At least 3 cups water
PREPARATION:
If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, then peel the potatoes, cut into chunks, boil in water until done, and mash thoroughly.
In a large wooden mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, yeast and as much water as you need to make a sponge. (Like a thick batter.) Set aside for 10 minutes so the flour will hydrate well.
When hydrated, add the mashed potatoes, oil, and 2 cups of the white bread flour. Mix well. Add more water if you need to make a slightly sticky dough. Let it rest in a draft-free place for 20 minutes.
Flour your board and turn the dough onto it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Knead for five minutes using more flour, if necessary, to produce a smooth, soft but not sticky ball of dough. Oil a ceramic or stainless steel bowl, roll the dough into it so every surface of the dough is coated with a thin film of oil, and cover with a damp dishtowel. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise until doubled (around one hour).
Turn the dough out again onto your lightly floured board, lightly punch down, and divide in half. Shape the dough into two loaves and put in greased loaf pans. Cover loosely with damp dishtowel and let sit until it doubles (about 1.5 hours). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake the loaves on a middle rack for 20-30 minutes until golden. Let cool thoroughly before slicing or bagging.
VARIATIONS: Use other herbs instead of rosemary, such as marjoram, dill, fresh garlic, or dried onion flakes. May want to switch black pepper to pepperoncino.

WHOLE WHEAT ROSEMARY BREAD FOR BREAD MACHINE
Not as popular as Myra's hand-kneaded rosemary potato bread, but it's a time saver because of the bread machine. Makes 1.5 pound loaf.
INGREDIENTS:
2-2/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white bread flour
3 tablespoons wheat bran
2.5 teaspoons dry yeast1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
PREPARATION:
Add ingredients to bread machine hopper and push the basic bread cycle button.



BARLEY-STUFFED TOMATOES
Myra frequently makes just plain barley as a side dish, instead of another carb, because it's a whole grain and its flavor goes well with spicy recipes. If she has some left over, she'll make this recipe the next day. Best with Ginny's homegrown Big Girl tomatoes. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
6 large organic tomatoes
3/4 cup cooked barley (see below if you have to cook it first)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews or pistachios are all good)
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed, then minced
1/3 cup fresh peas (frozen will do)
3 tablespoons grated parmigiana reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
If you have to cook the barley first: In a large saucepan with a lid, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 3/4 cups barley, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and all the liquid is gone. Turn off heat and set aside.
Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out insides carefully. Remove the seeds and chop the flesh finely, saving all the juice. Add this to the barley mixture. Sprinkle the interiors of the tomato shells with salt and pepper. Set them upside down on brown paper to drain.
Preheat over to 375 degrees F. In a non-stick skillet, sauté the chopped nuts and the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until the mushrooms are glistening but not completely cooked. Add this mixture to the barley mixture, then add the peas and green onion, mixing well. Taste to add salt and pepper.
Fill the tomato shells with the barley mixture. Set the shells close together in a baking pan and pour 1/4 cup water around them in the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with grated parmigiano.



BULGUR SALAD
Myra loves bulgur -- it was one of the grains that was always available in Lesbian collective households, and she likes to melt a little butter in a pan, add the bulgur to coat each kernel, add a small amount of water and heat to boiling, at which point it's done. It's a great snack. She's not especially fond of tabouleh, so for her family and friends she makes bulgur with other seasonings. This is a great quick meal that can use leftover chicken or fish. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2.5 cups fresh veggies (asparagus, peas, carrots, zukes) peeled and cut on the diagonal into slender pieces
6 cups fresh salad greens or lettuce
1/2 cup chicken or fish stock
1.5 cups leftover chicken or fish, shredded or flaked and heated for 30 seconds in microwave
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pepperoncino flakes
Kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Pour the boiling water in a large bowl and add the bulgur. Cover and let sit for half an hour.
After you cut up your veggies, mince the onions and garlic, melt the butter and oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and veggies. Sauté 4 minutes.Add the veggie mixture plus chicken or fish to the bulgur mixture and stir. Combine the stock, lime juice and pepperoncino. Add salt to taste. Pour this over the bulgur mixture and toss to coat. Arrange salad greens on four plates and top with bulgur mixture in equal portions.

TRIBADE TOAST
Once a month treat, and also requested by the kids for birthday breakfasts. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
Loaf of unsliced bread -- leftover challah is great for this
2 brown eggs
1/2 cup raw milk
Teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 bananas
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup butter
Apple butter or confectioner's sugar
PREPARATION:
Cut the bread into 2-inch thick slices. Carefully cut into each slice from the top to make a pocket big enough to hold half-pieces of banana; do not tear all the way through.
Peel bananas and cut each into half. Cut each half lengthwise into 2 slices. Stuff two slices into each bread pocket.
Beat the eggs together with the milk, cinnamon and salt.
Heat oil and butter together in a non-stick skillet to medium heat. Dip each bread pocket into the egg mixture, then place into the skillet. Cook for one minute or until golden brown. Turn and fry the other side until done. Put on plate and spread with apple butter or, as a rare treat, confectioner's sugar.



AVOCADO BRULEE
Decadently rich, and for rare occasions only. Margie adores this. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
3 ripe Haas avocados, chilled overnight
6 tablespoons chilled cream from raw milk
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
PREPARATION:
Peel and pit the avocados. Cut in chunks.
Place the avocado, cream, lime juice and sugar in a blender. Blend slowly until creamy.
Pour into individual cups or bowls. Chill until end of meal. Serve with coconut macaroons.

CANDY CANE COOKIES
Three nights a week for the first three weeks of December, Myra and Ginny help their children make cookies, cakes and breads after dinner. They each get one serving of these "holiday treats" while fresh, and the rest are sealed and put in the freezer. On December 18, all of the confections are spread out on the dining table. A stack of hand-painted tins are slowly filled with one of each item, between layers of waxed paper. A hand-made card from the children is attached, and the tins are either given to friends and neighbors or mailed off by overnight express to family. Some of the treats are held back for their annual Boxing Day Tea or other noshing up through the New Year. It's a controlled sugar frenzy, even with so many of the baked goods being whole wheat and seasoned with fruit juice or small amounts of honey. But the most popular of the treats, for the children, are Candy Cane Cookies, Stained Glass Cookies, and Gingerdykes, and it's because the making of them are such fun -- Ginny likes that the emphasis is on the creation, not the consumption of sugar. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies, and leaves the children's palms stained bright red for a couple of days.
INGREDIENTS:
2.5 cups white pastry flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 large brown egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Small amounts of both red and white paste coloring (comes in a jar in specialty baking sections, not the drops usually used for food coloring -- paste gives a bright color that lasts after cooking and doesn't dilute icing or batter)
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
PREPARATION:
Put the candy canes into a thick, sealed plastic bag and let a child crush it with a hammer on the butcher block: Their favorite part of the whole recipe.
While they are pounding away, sift flour and salt together, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, cream the butter, then gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Reduce to lower speed and gradually ad in the flour mixture. Beat until just blended.
Remove little bit more than half the dough from the bowl and set aside. Into the dough remaining, add enough white paste food coloring to turn the dough a vivid white. Beat just until evenly mixed. Wrap this dough in plastic and put in the fridge. Wash the mixing bowl and beaters, and add the dough set aside back to the bowl, along with the crushed peppermint candy and enough red food paste to turn the dough a vivid red. Beat just until evenly mixed. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge.
Distract the kids for half an hour while the dough chills. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop one teaspoonful of white dough for each child and give it to them on a light floured board. Show them how to roll each portion of the dough between their hands to make a 4-inch long rope of dough. Repeat this until all the white dough is made into ropes and laid out on the baking sheets.
Repeat this process with the red dough, which has been left in the fridge until now. If any point either dough becomes too soft, chill it again until it works well.
When the red dough has also been turned into 4-inch long ropes, help the children twist one rope of each color together in a spiral like a barber pole, pinching the ends together to make it a joined unit. When the braid is made, it can be shaped into either a candy cane J or a round wreath. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
While the children scrub their hands, bake the cookies for about 8 minutes until firm to the touch but NOT browned. Cool completely before trying to remove them from the sheets. Can be frozen in a tightly sealed container with waxed paper between the layers.

GINGERDYKES
These are always made by the children for holidays, but sometimes other occasions, too. Very healthy cookies, except for the icing. Makes about 3-dozen 4-inch cut cookies. Be sure Ginny has fashioned you some cutters from copper flashing before you begin.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons fresh ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground cloves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons (one stick) of softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large brown egg at room temperature
1/4 cup raw milk
ICING:
Mix confectioner's sugar in a ziplock back with a small amount of warm water or, for added flavor, lemon or lime juice until it makes a thick icing. Seal the bag tightly, and when it is time to ice, snip off one tiny corner with scissors, making your own frosting tube.
PREPARATION:
Combine the flours and spices in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter and brown sugar together in a bowl with electric mixer 1 minute or until fluffy. Add the molasses and beat until smooth. Reduce the mixer's speed, add egg and milk, and again beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into three balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and chill at least one hour, or overnight.
When ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Flour your work surface and one dough ball with whole wheat pastry flour. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Use Ginny's cutters to make gingerdykes, crescent moons, woman's symbols, dolphins, Mount St. Helens, yonis, geckos, Stars of David, whatever you prefer. Place the cut cookies onto the baking sheets.
Gather excess dough and return to fridge. Repeat with remaining dough balls and extra dough until you are out of workable dough. Let the kids eat the scraps of leftover dough, it really won't give them worms.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until slightly puffy and dry in the center (PMS-y, Ginny calls it.) Cool on wire racks. Distract the children until it's time to ice and decorate the cookies.



ICEPICK LESBIAN KEY LIME PIE
Myra got this recipe from a dyke in the Bay Area who is also the woman who turned her on to McVities' cookies. Ginny says Myra has a perfectly good whole wheat pastry recipe and should be using that for her pies, but Myra says it's not nearly as appropriate for sweet chilled pies which are not baked. Ginny then replies that it's all about that ex in the Bay Area, really. Myra says Ginny doesn't have to eat it if she doesn't want to, and besides, the long period of whisking develops certain muscles in her forearms...
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups of crushed McVities cookies (the plain kind, not with the caramel) from the U.K.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for the crust)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature (for the pie)
4 large brown eggs
1.5 cups turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon grated zest from a Key lime
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed Key lime juice (maybe 8-9 limes)
PREPARATION:
Combine the McVities' crumbs and melted butter in a 9 inch pie dish and mix until they come together. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and sides with your fingers, bringing the sides up level with the lip of the pan. The crust will be about 1/4 inch thick everywhere. Set aside.
Bring out your double boiler, or you can use a stainless steel bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water if you need to improvise. In the upper bowl of the double boiler, combine the eggs, sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Place this over the double boiler and whisk nonstop for 15 minutes. (Think about the muscles you are creating and keep the faith, sistah.) The filling will almost double in size, turn frothy and opaque, and form ribbon-like folds off the end of the whisk. When it is "custard-like", add the softened diced butter and keep whisking until the butter is completely melted.
Pour this filling into the crust and chill in the fridge for at least three hours before serving.
If you don't get the icepick Lesbian joke, ask a dyke friend who's a Socialist what it means in reference to Key Lime pie.

MYRA'S FRUIT BARS
A great use for fresh berries bought in bulk. She freezes these bars and brings them out as healthy treats. Makes 12-16 bars.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 brown organic eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons whole raw milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 cups of fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or cut-up peaches
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour an 8 x 8 baking tin.
Sift together first three dry ingredients and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and oil. Add eggs and remaining ingredients except fruit.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Pour into the baking dish. Spread a layer of fruit on top and back 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before you cut into squares.

STAINED GLASS LEMON COOKIES
These are NOT the popular cookies with a cut-out section filled by a hard candy that melts and creates a "glass" effect. This recipe is something Myra and her little brother made every year as children with their mother. It is extremely time-consuming but brings out the artist in every child and adult, and turns out cookies that are so beautiful no one wants to eat them. Makes about a dozen (double layer) cookies when all done.
INGREDIENTS:
2.25 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 large brown egg yolk2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 cup confectioner's sugar, divided into half
Approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Small amounts of paste food coloring in blue, red, and yellow (comes in a jar in specialty baking sections, not the drops usually used for food coloring -- paste gives a bright color that lasts after cooking and doesn't dilute icing or batter)
3-4 cookie cutters in simple, small shapes
PREPARATION:
(This first step should be done ahead to avoid the children's frustration.) Using electric mixer, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until well-blended. Beat in the egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt, and beat until the mixture begins to clump together. Divide the dough in half.
Flatten half into disk and wrap in plastic. Separate the other half into six equal portions in separate bowls. Add food color paste to each smaller dough to make bowls of red, blue, yellow, green (blue plus yellow), purple (red plus blue), and orange (red plus yellow) dough. Blend thoroughly, making sure to use a clean spoon for each bowl. Flatten each ball of colored dough into disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Remove the plain, uncolored dough from the fridge and roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Use the cutters to make several shapes, reusing the leftover dough after chilling to roll out again and extract as many cookies as possible. Place the cut cookies onto two large parchment-lined baking sheets and return to fridge to chill while you move on to the next step.
Put on some sing-along music. Make sure you and the kids are dressed in clothes you don't mind being permanently stained. Spread newspaper on the floor, and cover the table or workspace with waxed paper (you can stick it down to a surface with drops of water on the backside).
Roll out each colored dough disk onto floured waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Give each child a dull butter knife.
Remove the baking sheets of plain dough cut-outs from the fridge and give one to each child as blank "canvases". With adult assistance, show them how to use the butter knife to cut a small geometric or irregular shape from one of the colored doughs and place it on top one of the plain cut-outs. Switch to a different color and cut out another shape that can fit along one edge adjoining the color already laid down, as if you are assembling stained glass on top of the cookie. Keep going, visualizing and creating your puzzle, until the top of the cut-out cookie is covered with a second mosaic layer of colored dough. Try to leave a 1/8 inch plain rim all around the outside of the cut-out cookie.
Continue until all your cut-out cookies are covered. The colored dough is going to become warm and tricky to handle, but using the flat of the butter knife, you should be able to lift it from the waxed paper. The artistic vision and abilities of your children will astound you.
When all the cookies are covered, take a photo of each baking sheet of "canvases", then bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be firm and light golden at the edges but not so done as to fade the colors. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet. Let the kids eat the leftover colored dough, and try scrubbing their multicolored hands.
When the cookies are completely cool, mix 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar in a small ziplock bag with enough lemon juice to make a thick but squeezable frosting. Seal the bag tightly, twist up the excess bag, and snip off a tiny bit of corner to make a squeeze frosting applicator. Allow each child to decorate her/his cookies around the edges with lemon frosting, leaving the interior "stained glass" effect outlined. Allow the frosting to harden before freezing the cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

GINNY'S SUNDRIED TOMATO AND BASIL MUSTARD
Used as a sandwich spread or as a condiment for various veggies. This can be quite hot and needs to sit in the fridge 4-5 days before use. It will not be that freaky French's yellow. Keeps about a month in the fridge. Makes 2 cups.
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
4 teaspoons mustard flour
1/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 shallot, finely minced
8 sundried tomato halves
1 cup good-quality nonalcoholic white wine
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
PREPARATION:
Soak the sundried tomatoes and mustard seeds in the wine overnight. Combine this mixture with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and grind to a paste. Transfer to a glass jar with a tight lid.

MYRA'S SALSA
(Caveats: Myra doesn't like cilantro, and she thinks bell peppers are a cop-out when other peppers are available. Margie doesn't care for onions but will eat them mixed into dishes if they are not raw or in big chunks.)
Make several hours ahead of time or overnight and keep in the fridge. Makes 3-6 cups, depending on add-ins.
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 small fresh tomatoes from Ginny's garden, seeded and medium diced
4-5 ears fresh corn, shucked (frozen corn can be substituted if absolutely necessary, about 2 cups)
4-6 small green onions from Ginny's garden
1/2 Walla Walla sweet onion or Vidalia onion, chopped into fine dice
2 ancho or serrano peppers (anchos are hotter)
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I know, Myra doesn't like cilantro but cumin is fine)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional add-ins:
2 cups cooked black beans (not the cooking juice)
1-1.5 cups chopped zucchini (great way to use up Ginny's zucchini overplanting)
1-2 cups diced ripe avocado (may want to decrease olive oil if you add this)
PREPARATION:
In a dry hot skillet, sear the corn, green onions and peppers until charred. If you're grilling, you can do this on the grill outside. The onions will take much less time than the corn. If you're using frozen corn, set it out to thaw and pat dry before searing.
Cut the corn from the cob. Peel the peppers, cut out the spines and seeds and discard along with the peels. (Retain the seeds if it's just you and your lover, no kids, and you like the extra heat.) Mince the peppers and chop the green onions finely.
NOTE: Wash your hands thoroughly now, including under the nails, before you run any risk of transferring ancho oil to your own tender membranes or that of another.
In a skillet, melt butter gently with olive oil. Add white onion dice and sauté until clear. Add the green onions, minced garlic, peppers and balsamic vinegar and cook lightly until the heat of the peppers is well-distributed.
Whisk lime juice, zest, and oil in a small bowl.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl except go light on the salt for now. Cover and store in fridge until ready to serve. Taste at last minute and add salt if needed. Serve with fresh tortilla chips, or over grilled foods, on baked potatoes or camas roots, with eggs, or as garnish for plain cream soups.

(Garlic, painting by Tami Oyler)

ROASTED GARLIC
This is worth having around if you cook a lot -- great for salad dressings, adding in to dishes, or eating warm spread on a thick piece of toasted bread.
INGREDIENTS:
Several heads of garlic (elephant head garlic is great for this)
1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil per garlic head
2 tablespoons chicken stock per garlic head
PREPARATION:
Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic skin but leave the skin of the inner bulbs intact so the bulb holds together. Cut off the top of the bulb to expose the inner bulbs.
Place each bulb in the well of a muffin tin. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over each head, then put 2 tablespoons of chicken stock into the well. (If you want this to be vegetarian, using veggie stock instead.) Bake for half an hour or until the cloves squeeze out of their skins when pressed.
Eat right away, or store in sealed container in fridge and use as needed.



SKENE MANGO CHUTNEY
This recipe was developed by Myra after she wrote the first Skene book, based on the character Yerush's imagined mango chutney. Really good with roasted birds or pork. Makes 3 pints, to freeze or can.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups mangos (4-5 fruits), peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries (Myra doesn't like raisins)
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine
2 cups turbinado sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 red wine vinegar
Shallots, enough to make 1 cup finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepperoncino flakes
PREPARATION:
Combine the sugar and vinegars in a 6-quart pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered until it is syrupy and slightly thickened, about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir periodically while it is cooking.
Pour in glass container or canning jars and seal. Put on one of Ginny's labels.



YOKO GECKO SMORGASBORD
Serves 2.
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 juvenile brown crickets from reputable pet store
1/2 teaspoon Reptivite
2 teaspoons strained-fruit baby food (alternate between banana, apricot, peach or tropical fruit)
Pinch of crushed calcium vitamin supplement
Pinch of bee pollen
PREPARATION:
Gut-load the crickets by placing them in a small enclosure with dried apricots and carrots for a day. Dust them with Reptivite and release into the gecko habitat.
Mix baby food with calcium supplement, bee pollen and warm water to syrup consistency. Place in gecko habitat.
Repeat every 2-3 days.

Read More...

Summary only...

MORE FROM GINNY BATES: FEEDING APPETITES AND MORE RECIPES

This is an excerpt from my novel-in-progress, Ginny Bates. Just in time for Hannukah tomorrow is a recipe for Lesbo Latkes and Homemade Applesauce. If you are already a familiar reader, skip down to Read More. If not, here's links background information in the sidebar to the right, third item from top.


Mid August 1987

A week after Myra's birthday, Ginny woke up, stretched, took a big sniff and said "Apples!"

Myra asked "What, do I smell like apples?"

"Not yet" grinned Ginny. "But it's harvest time for Galas. And then all the rest start coming in. This year, our house is in shape and we can put up apples."

"Applesauce?" asked Myra.

"Mmm. And apple butter. And big shiny jars of stewed apples" said Ginny.

"And pies" said Myra. "One of the reasons to have that giant freezer in the storage room."

"After breakfast, let's cruise the farmer's markets outside of the city. Galas are best for applesauce, we'll start with that."

For the next two weeks, their house smelled like baking apples and cinnamon. After September arrived, they began making apple butter with Cameos; stewed apples with Braeburns; and pies with Jonagolds. In October, they switched to Granny Smiths for the pies and Cripps Pink for stewed apples. They bought Mason jars in bulk, in big and little sizes. Ginny designed labels for their "MyGin" brand and gave away jars of butter and sauce to all their friends. She mailed cartons of carefully packed jars back to her family in Denver. And Myra made enough pies to feed them (and dinner guests) four a month for the next year.

For general eating, the fruit bowl always held Golden Delicious, and the rest of the year (depending on the season) also Fujis and Jonagolds. Myra used the jars of stewed apples for baking cakes or as side dishes when she roasted duck and pork. Ginny's applesauce came out of the cupboard for latkes and fritters. They used apple butter as much as they used jam on toast or syrup on pancakes.

During berry season (blue, rasp and cran), they went to U-pick farms and came home with 20 or 30 pounds of berries at a time. Most of these were frozen for use all year. They didn't buy blackberries, however, because the bramble along their eastern fence produced all they could eat or bake into cobbler. Likewise, grapes could be browsed from neighbor's vines when they went out for an evening walk.

The first weekend in October, they went on Saturday to the SalmonDays Fair in Issaquah and came home with cases of smoked salmon and huge steaks to freeze. Then on Sunday they drove to the Washington State Seafood Festival in Shelton and brought home shucked oysters (for Ginny), steelhead, scallops, snapper, yellowfin, sole, prawns, clams, and crab meat for the freezer.

In July they went to Bon Odori, the local Japanese Buddhist Festival. They celebrated the Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras. They kicked off summer with the Northwest Folklife Festival, then attended the Highland Games where Myra always cried when they piped "Will ye no' cume back again?" In July they went to the annual powwow at Daybreak Star, making sure to be there for the salmon bake. They also attended the First Nations Powwow at U-Dub in the spring. Most years, they took a four-day weekend in late August and drove with Sima and Chris to the Nimipu Sapatqayn and Cultural Days at the Nez Percé Reservation in Spalding, Idaho.

They of course fasted and went to Temple for Yom Kippur. They attended services for Rosh Hashanah, then went home and ate apples dipped in honey with their friends. They drove to Puget Sound for Tashlikh, and always either hosted or helped organize community seders. They held tamaladas in December. They marched for Martin Luther King Day, Take Back The Night and International Women's Day. They attended the lesbian and gay film festival, the Dyke March, and Cinco de Mayo. Myra kept her eyes peeled for any event that might have taiko drumming, which she found mesmerizing. They got mammograms every other October, donated blood each month for the local hospice, and in April Myra read her poetry everywhere she was asked to perform.

And they celebrated two anniversaries each year: June 6, when they had walked to Aux Delice and along that walk decided to move beyond friendship, and again on June 11, the day they had become lovers. Allie joked that their having waited five whole days between their first date and plunging into total commitment was probably some kind of a lesbian record.

MORE RECIPES FROM MYRA AND GINNY'S KITCHEN:

MYRA'S MAMA'S SALMON CROQUETTES
Feeds 4 usually. This will only feed two if one of them is Ginny and there is no other main protein dish. Serve with Myra's mayonnaise to which fresh chopped dill has been added.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups fresh salmon, cooked (other fish can be used as well)
If you must use canned salmon, one large can pink salmon, drained, skinned, boned and flaked
Juice of one fresh lemon plus another lemon sliced thinly for garnish
2 beaten eggs
1 small Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup stone-ground corn meal
1/2 cup whole-grain crackers, crumbled
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup canola oil
PREPARATION:
Chop the onion finely and sauté in 1 tablespoon butter until clear.
Mix salmon, eggs, parsley, cracker crumbs, baking powder, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add sautéed onions and butter. Form into patties and roll each in corn meal, setting them on waxed paper. Chill for half an hour. Heat canola oil in skillet with remaining tablespoon of butter. Fry croquettes until crispy brown. Drain on brown paper before serving.

POT ROAST
This is what Myra's Mama served when they had enough money to buy meat. It is Gillam's favorite main dish, and what he requests for his birthday dinner every year. It makes fabulous sandwiches the next day if there are any leftovers, which is seldom. Even Ginny, who doesn't much like beef, will eat this pot roast. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
3.5 pound boneless chuck roast
1 cup of beef stock (okay to use good canned stock, but watch the salt accordingly)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
5 cloves of garlic
6 carrots
3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
PREPARATION:
Use a large cast-iron Dutch oven. Preheat over to 275 degrees F.
Peel the carrots and cut into large chunks. Crush and peel the garlic. Cut the onion into large chunks.
Put the oil into the pot and get it medium hot. Rub the roast all over with pepper and salt. Sear the roast several minutes on all sides in the pot -- let it sit while a side is browning, so it sears properly. Remove the roast temporarily and reduce the heat in the pan.
Spread onion chunks on the bottom of the pan. Place the roast on top of the onions. Sprinkle garlic on top of the roast. Add the stock and molasses. Cover and place in the oven.
Cook for 5-6 hours, checking once an hour. During the last half hour, add the carrots. The smell is gonna be driving everyone nuts, so plan to have a tide-me-over on hand a couple of hours before dinner is actually ready.



CORN CHOWDAH
Myra and Ginny never quite get enough of this while fresh corn is in season. It's also a great basic chowder to which they can add cooked lobster or fresh clams. Myra likes to offer crumbled crisp bacon or pancetta as topping for those so inclined. Great with thick wedges of whole-grain toast and sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt and olive oil. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
5-6 ears of fresh corn, shucked
3 large organic Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes
2 fresh carrots, peeled
2 fresh scallions
1/2 large Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
3 cups raw milk
1 cup fresh cream
2 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Strip the cobs of kernels, "milking" them with your knife to get all the juice, saved in a bowl. Scrub the potatoes and dice into 1/2 inch pieces, without peeling. Grate the carrots.
Chop the scallions finely. Mince the onion. Melt the butter in a large thick-bottomed pot with a lid, then add the onions and scallions. Sauté over medium neat until the onions are soft. Add the potatoes, carrots, milk, pepper, and generous salt. Bring to a boil. Stir, add the corn and cream, and keep stirring. (If you are adding lobster or clams with their juice, do that now, too.)
Once the soup comes to another boil, cover, turns off the heat, and let it steep for five minutes. Remove about one-third of the potatoes into a separate bowl, mash them thoroughly, and stir them back into the soup. Serve.



MYRA'S BASIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD FOR BREAD MACHINE
This is the batter she just piles into the bread machine and makes for basic sandwich bread. Makes one short loaf. Takes about 3 hours on most machines.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey (Ginny argues against this, but it's to feed the yeast, dammit, it's chemistry)
1-1/8 cups warm water
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dry milk powder (actually works better than real milk)
PREPARATION:
Put ingredients into your breadmaker and push the appropriate button. Note: The warm water and honey start the yeast process as soon as they come into contact, so don't mix this and wait to start the breadmaker.
VARIATIONS: You can alter the chemistry of this bread by substituting a small amount of white flour for whole wheat and adding nut meal or dried potato flakes. Just make sure the main dry ingredient quantities add up to about 3 cups and experiment away. A teaspoon of pepperoncino adds a lot of flavor without heat to this recipe. And fresh minced herbs are a great idea in small amounts.



SEVEN GRAIN BREAD
One of the staple breads of their household, this is Ginny's first choice for toast or sandwiches. Makes two 1.5 pound loaves.
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup cooked brown rice, about 3 tablespoons uncooked
1/3 cup millet, 2 tablespoons uncooked
1/3 cup cooked barley, 2 tablespoons uncooked
1.5 tablespoons dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat bread flour
3 cups hard whole wheat flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, chopped fine
1/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1.5 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon honey
1.5 tablespoons safflower oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
VARIATIONS: Instead of the cornmeal or rolled oats above, substitute an equal amount of buckwheat, wheat germ or wheat bran. Instead of the rice, millet or barley cooked grains, substitute an equal amount of cooked bulgur or kashi.
PREPARATION:
Cook the grains first. The rice, millet and barley can be cooked together in the same saucepan with a lid. Use about 1 to 1.5 parts water to 1 part grain; cook until water is absorbed. Cool to room temperature.
Make your sponge by dissolving yeast in 2 cups warm water. Add in 3 cups hard whole wheat flour, the molasses, honey and rolled oats. Mix well and let rest to make soft sponge in a floured bowl in a warm place, covered with a damp dishtowel. After it has rested, add the safflower oil, salt, vinegar, sunflower seeds, cornmeal and 3 cups hard whole wheat flour. Knead on a floured board until elastic, about 100 times. Add the cooked grains, kneading until fully mixed. Place in oiled bowl; cover with damp cloth, set in a draft-free spot and let rise to double in bulk.
Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Place in oiled bread pans and let rise to double. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until done. Let cool completely before cutting or bagging for storage. Can be frozen.

WHOLE WHEAT FOCACCIA
Myra uses this as the base for their homemade pizzas. Makes 24 small chewy slices.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon regular white sugar (spread out over so many slices, it's okay, it really is)
1 0.75 ounce packet of yeast
1.5 cups all-purpose flour (yeah, white flour AND white sugar -- listen, it's better than giving money to that fascist who runs Domino's, isn't it?)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.25 teaspoons kosher salt (but don't put it away yet)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (don't put this away either)
VARIATIONS: Sprinkle the top with fresh rosemary, sesame seeds, or parmigiana reggiano.
PREPARATION:
Stir the sugar and yeast in 1.5 cups of warm water. Let this stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
Combine the flours and salt in your food processor with the dough blade attached. Add the yeasty mixture and process until a soft dough forms.
Pour the olive oil through the feed tube of the processor while the motor is running. Process 2 more minutes, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Transfer the dough to an oil-coated bowl, cover with a kitchen towel in a draft-free warm spot and allow to rise 45 minutes.
While it's rising, you can make the pizza sauce and toppings.
Oil a baking sheet and dust with corn flour. Transfer your dough to this baking sheet, pressing it into a rectangle. Cover with towel again, put in warm spot and allow to rise another hour.
Preheat over to 425 degrees F. Poke texture all over the top of the bread with your fingertips. Brush the top with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt plus toppings like rosemary or parmigiano. Bake 20 minutes. Pull from oven and put on pizza toppings. Bake another 10-15 minutes. Cool at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Note: If you want to save this focaccia for future pizzas, bake it 30 minutes before adding pizza toppings. Cool, wrap in plastic, and freeze. When you want to make a pizza, pull out of the freezer (no need to thaw it, put back on baking sheet, add pizza toppings and bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY CRUST
This is good for pies, quiches and empanadas alike. You can line pie crust tins with it, cover with waxed paper, then plastic wrap, and freeze ahead of time. Makes one pie crust -- double for a pie with a top crust. Note: When it comes time to roll this out, a chilled board makes a world of difference.
INGREDIENTS:
1.25 cups whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon wheat germ
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 7 slices
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 tablespoons ice water
PREPARATION:
Combine flour, salt and wheat germ in mixing bowl.
Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Add egg yolk and water, stirring until mixture forms a ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Can leave in fridge for up to 24 hours before using.
Roll out as desired.

WHOLE WHEAT ROSEMARY POTATO BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups white bread flour
2 medium Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
At least 3 cups water
PREPARATION:
If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, then peel the potatoes, cut into chunks, boil in water until done, and mash thoroughly.
In a large wooden mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, yeast and as much water as you need to make a sponge. (Like a thick batter.) Set aside for 10 minutes so the flour will hydrate well.
When hydrated, add the mashed potatoes, oil, and 2 cups of the white bread flour. Mix well. Add more water if you need to make a slightly sticky dough. Let it rest in a draft-free place for 20 minutes.
Flour your board and turn the dough onto it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Knead for five minutes using more flour, if necessary, to produce a smooth, soft but not sticky ball of dough. Oil a ceramic or stainless steel bowl, roll the dough into it so every surface of the dough is coated with a thin film of oil, and cover with a damp dishtowel. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise until doubled (around one hour).
Turn the dough out again onto your lightly floured board, lightly punch down, and divide in half. Shape the dough into two loaves and put in greased loaf pans. Cover loosely with damp dishtowel and let sit until it doubles (about 1.5 hours). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake the loaves on a middle rack for 20-30 minutes until golden. Let cool thoroughly before slicing or bagging.
VARIATIONS: Use other herbs instead of rosemary, such as marjoram, dill, fresh garlic, or dried onion flakes. May want to switch black pepper to pepperoncino.

WHOLE WHEAT ROSEMARY BREAD FOR BREAD MACHINE
Not as popular as Myra's hand-kneaded rosemary potato bread, but it's a time saver because of the bread machine. Makes 1.5 pound loaf.
INGREDIENTS:
2-2/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white bread flour
3 tablespoons wheat bran
2.5 teaspoons dry yeast1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
PREPARATION:
Add ingredients to bread machine hopper and push the basic bread cycle button.



CORN FRITTERS
A real staple from Myra's childhood. Best with fresh summer corn, especially Silver Queen. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups corn stripped from cobs, with cobs "milked" to get all of interior juice from kernels
3 large brown eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 green onions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Canola oil for frying + 1 tablespoon butter mixed in
PREPARATION:
Mix together all ingredients, with flour adjusted to hold fritters together. Heat oil and butter in cast iron skillets. Drop by tablespoons into hot oil and cook 3-5 minutes, turning once. Drain on brown paper. Watch out, folks eat 'em as fast as they cool off.

WILD RICE WITH BLUEBERRIES
Excellent for stuffing game. Serves 4 as side dish.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups long-grain wild rice
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup chopped Texas pecans
Kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Cook wild rice according to package directions, likely an hour. Drain. Add blueberries and pecans. Add 1/2 cup water and salt. Cover and cook over low heat or bake in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir before serving.



ALLIE'S BRAISED CABBAGE
Takes 2.5 hours to bake, but worth it. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head organic green cabbage
1 Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Rinse cabbage and pat dry. Discard any old outer leaves. Cut into 6-8 wedges, depending on size of cabbage, and trim core but leave wedges intact.
Arrange wedges in a 9 x 13 baking dish with a lid, in a single layer. Cut the onion into slices and arrange over the cabbage layers. Mix stock, oil, and red wine vinegar together, and pour over the entire dish. Season with pepper and (light) salt.
Place lid on dish and bake for an hour. Remove lid, turn cabbage, and if it is getting dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Replace lid and back for another hour.
When the cabbage is completely tender, remove the lid and turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Cook another 15-20 minutes until the vegetables begin to go brown at the edges.
Season to taste. Serve warm. Great with pork dishes.

EDWINA'S VEGGIE FRITTERS
These can be made with a wide variety of grated veggies, but use at least two different kinds in the batter. Great for making winter root crops look new and interesting. Serves 4-6.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup each of grated carrots, sweet potatoes, red or golden beets, squash -- peel before grating
6 green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 brown egg per cup of grated veggies, beaten
Canola oil as needed for shallow frying
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
1 cup of feta, crumbled
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine grated veggies in a bowl and add salt, mix. Let them rest for a minute; the salt will leech out moisture.
Put veggies in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then transfer back to dry bowl.
Add green onion, spices, cornstarch and eggs. Add pepper and mix well.
Heat thin layer of oil in non-stick skillet. Shape mixture in patties, pressing firmly. Cook fritters in batches over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Drain on brown paper.
Transfer fritters to an oiled baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Arrange on a platter and top with crumbled feta.



LESBO LATKES
These are of course made for Chanukah, along with fresh doughnuts, in a group effort. But they are also popular other times of the year. For the quantities this entails, Myra gladly sidesteps the mandolin or hand grater in favor of a food processor. You can make these up to eight hours ahead, and reheat them on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about five minutes. One recipe makes 12-16 latkes, which is enough for a family dinner but not enough for Chanukah.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (although blue potatoes work well, too, and make deep purple latkes)
1 cup grated onion
1 large brown organic eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Enough canola oil to fry these latkes, 1/2 to one cup
PREPARATION:
Scrub the potatoes but don't peel. Grate them in a food processor, in more than one batch if necessary. As they are grated, place in a large bowl of cold water. Soak them 1-2 minutes after the last batch is added, to reduce the starch. Drain well in a colander.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Place the drained potatoes in a dishtowel and roll up in a twist. Keep twisting tightly over the sink to wring out as much liquid as possible. Put the potatoes in a bowl with the onions, and stir in the egg and salt.
Heat 1/4 cup oil (to begin with) in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Spoon four latkes (two tablespoons potato batter per latke) into the skillet and spread them into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce the heat to medium and cool until the bottom side is browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the latkes and cook another 5 minutes or until browned. Drain on brown paper and season with salt and pepper. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep making latkes. Place the drained and cooked latkes on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan and keep them warm in the over.
Serve with real sour cream and Ginny's applesauce.



MARGIE'S FAVORITE SCALLOPED POTATOES
Here's the scoop: Margie really prefers to not have onions in dishes. So Myra makes this half with onions, half without, and marks the "tainted half" with a green onion X on top. Serves 5 with one serving left over for Margie's lunch the next day.
INGREDIENTS:
6 medium Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn or blue potatoes (Margie especially likes blue scalloped potatoes)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups raw whole milk
1/2 cup cream
3 tablespoons sifted flour
7 green onions with 2 inches of green left on
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon good mustard
Pinch of nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
PREPARATION:
Grease an 11 x 17 inch baking dish with a lid. Tear off a strip of foil and fold it until it is 13 inches long by 2 inches wide, and thick enough to be a little stiff. Squeeze it into place as a divider, bisecting the baking dish in half.
Scrub the potatoes but do not peel. Using a mandolin, slice very thinly into a large bowl. Cover with water to keep from turning brown.
In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Finely chop 6 of the green onions, add to the butter and sauté for one minute.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan, melt the rest of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. When the butter is melted but not turning brown, sprinkle in the flour and stir with a whisk until smooth and bubbly. Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Add the milk and stir with whisk until flour is well-blended into the hot milk. At the last, stir in the cream and turn off the heat.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and squeeze out excess water. Return them to the bowl and pour the flour/milk mixture over it. Mix well. Pour half of the potato mixture into one side of the baking dish. Into the half remaining in the bowl, add the onion/butter mixture and stir well. Pour this into the other half of the baking dish. Cut the remaining green onion in half and use it to make the "onion" half with an X.
Put on lid and place in oven, baking at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.



PERFECT ASPARAGUS
The best asparagus is young and tender, but you can make all your asparagus come out evenly cooked and tender using this method. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
12 asparagus spears
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon Ginny's mustard
Freshly-ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
Cooking twine
PREPARATION:
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the bottoms of the asparagus spears until they are as slender as the top. Arrange them in two bundles of six, with the tops aligned; trim away the bottoms so they are all the same length. Tie the bundles together at the top and bottom.
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a vigorous boil. Drop in the two bundles of asparagus and cook until bright green and tender. Remove from the water and cut apart, fanning them on a plate.
Melt the butter with the mustard and drizzle over the asparagus. Salt and pepper to taste.

ROASTED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES ALA JULIA AND JACQUES
Serves 6. But you should double this recipe and have leftovers, 'cause they're great the next day and you can do all sorts of dishes with 'em.
INGREDIENTS:
6 large Yukon gold, Yellow Finn or blue potatoes
6 cloves roasted garlic (see recipe for this elsewhere on this list)
3/4 stick of unsalted butter
1.5 cups cream
1/4 cup milk (optional)
Fresh white pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Scrub potatoes and cut into chunks but do not peel. Fill large saucepan with water, add salt, and place in potatoes so they are covered. Place on lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to the sauce pan so the heat of the pan dries them thoroughly.
As the potatoes are drying, melt the butter in another saucepan (but do not brown it) and mash in the roasted garlic. Add a little salt and pepper to this mixture. Add the cream and bring to a careful boil. Turn off the heat.
Rice the potatoes into a ceramic serving bowl and add the garlic/cream mixture, beating well along the way until pureed. If you are not going to serve immediately, keep the potatoes fresh in this manner: Smooth the top of the potatoes flat with a spatula and cover the top surface with 1/4 cup milk. Place in warm oven or at back of stove to keep warm. Right before serving, stir in the milk. Preventing the potatoes from oxidizing in this way greatly enhances their flavor.

SWEET POTATO STICKS
Serves 6. Great with a curry dip or a spicy peanut sauce, or just on their own as a starch side dish.
INGREDIENTS:
6 organic sweet potatoes
1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
One-half cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Scrub sweet potatoes and cut off tips, but do not peel. Cut lengthwise into slices half an inch thick. Cut these slices in into 1/4 inch wide sticks.
Put slices into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, rubbing it into all sides. Sprinkle with cheese and toss.
Arrange on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes until browned and crisp, turning at least once. Season to taste.

(Nimipu root digging bag used by women, from 1800s)

CHRIS'S CAMAS (QE'MES) ROOT
(Transcription)
Myra: Okay, Kash-Kash, here's a pad, will ya write down your recipe for roasted camas root?
Chris: Well, no. It's a family tradition.
Myra: (after a pause) Fair enough. But how about a recipe that the average person out there could use, without any secrets given up?
Chris: I didn't say it was secret. I just said it was a family tradition.
Myra: (after another pause) So, you mean only people in your family get to make it?
Chris: Any Nimipu who has camas roots and a way of making it can make it, that's not up to me.
Myra: But not someone who isn't Nimipu?
Chris: If they have the roots and a way of making it, sure, that's fine. It's not for me to say.
Myra: Is this some sort of rejection of codependency? I mean, I'm not doing my share of something?
Chris: (sighs) We gave you not just the recipe, but the root itself. In 1805. All you could eat of it. Saved your lives, although some of your Corps of Discovery gorged themselves and puked for a while. The most important vegetable of the entire Northwest. We gave cooking methods to Narcissa Whitman, too, but she didn't think it was important enough to write down in detail. You also took most of the land it grew on and turned it into plowed fields. Although our children are now going out each spring to replant the bulb, learning how to find the blue flowers that distinguish it from its deadly cousins. Seems like a lot of the energy is going in just one direction here. Why do you want to put it into this recipe book of yours, again?
Myra: (quietly) Because it's one of my favorite things to eat. When you make it for me, I feel nourished in ways I don't know how to describe.
Chris: (laughing) It's very high in iron and vitamin C.
Myra: That's not what I mean, and you know it.
Chris: I'll make it for you any time you want, Myra. For the rest of my life. How's about that for an offer?
Myra: (long silence) Deal.

MYRA'S EMPANADAS
These are baked, not fried, and come in both savory and sweet varieties. Makes about 10 empanadas.
Begin by making a double batch of whole wheat pastry dough (find recipe elsewhere in this list) and rolling out on chilled board. Cut into rounds with dessert-sized bowl.
INGREDIENTS FOR MEAT EMPANADAS:
1 pound flank steak
2 large Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onions
2 brown eggs, hard-boiled
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Salt and pepper the flank steak. Grill or broil until done enough to shred (not too dry). Shred the beef.
Dice onions finely and put into bowl with shredded meat and cumin.
Melt the butter with paprika and let stand a minute. Pour this colored butter over the meat and onions, adding a little more salt and pepper, mix and allow to cool. When cool, use this mixture to fill empanada rounds along with 2-3 slices of boiled egg. Put filling on one side of the round and fold over the other half to make a half-moon shape.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Seal edges of filled empanada rounds with moistened fingertips, making sure the seal is tight, then curl up edge onto itself and crimp like piecrust. Brush with milk and bake for 20 minutes or until done.
INGREDIENTS FOR BLUEBERRY OR OTHER FRUIT EMPANADAS:
2 cups fresh blueberries (can use other berries, or sliced fresh fruit)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mascarpone or ricotta
PREPARATION:
In a saucepan combine fruit, sugar and vanilla. Stirring thoroughly, heat over medium until hot. Pour into a bowl and cool. Mix in mascarpone gently.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put fruit filling on one side of the round and fold over the other half to make a half-moon shape. Seal edges of filled empanada rounds with moistened fingertips, making sure the seal is tight, then curl up edge onto itself and crimp like piecrust.. Brush with milk and bake for 20 minutes or until done.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGGIE EMPANADAS:
1 large Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion, diced
1.5 tablespoons shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (Myra prefers shitaki or chanterelles)
4 ounces carrots, grated
4 ounces zucchini, diced
4 ounces yellow squash, diced
8 ounces broccoli, diced
8 ounces chopped fresh spinach
8 ounces corn cut from cob (or frozen, if need be)
8 ounces tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 pound of fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces
2 large brown egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable or chicken stock (depends on whether you want this to be totally vegetarian)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1.5 teaspoons paprika
1.5 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
1 teaspoon pepperoncino
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, garlic and shallots, and cool until soft and clear but not browned.
Lower the heat and add the tomatoes, parsley, stock, wine vinegar, and mushrooms. Simmer while bringing a large pot of water to a boil.
In the boiling water, drop the carrots, zucchini, squash and broccoli. Cook until al dente. Add the spinach and heat through. Scoop out and plunge into ice bath. When cool, drain well.
Put the vegetables back into the pot along with the corn and mozzarella. Mix in the pepperoncino, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put veggie filling on one side of the round and fold over the other half to make a half-moon shape. Seal edges of filled empanada rounds with moistened fingertips, making sure the seal is tight, then curl up edge onto itself and crimp like piecrust. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes or until done.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN CURRY EMPANADAS:
2 pounds organic chicken, whole legs including thighs
1/2 pound cooked basmati rice
1/2 pound fresh or frozen baby peas
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 large Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 green chili, seeded and minced (wash your hands afterward)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon garam masal or 2 teaspoon curry paste
3 ounces of cream
4.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Place chicken into sauce pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and turn off heat. Leave for 45 minutes. When cooked and cool, bone and skin chicken, then shred into a bowl.
Prepare the basmati rice according to package directions.
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until the onions are softened, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and green chili, and keep sautéing for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, peas, garam masal or curry paste, and spices. Stir well. Lower the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two. Add the shredded chicken, stir. Add the cooked rice and cream. Mix well and taste. Add salt and pepper as desired.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put chicken curry filling on one side of the round and fold over the other half to make a half-moon shape. Seal edges of filled empanada rounds with moistened fingertips, making sure the seal is tight, then curl up edge onto itself and crimp like piecrust. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

ALLIE'S TREF HASHED BROWNS
Myra's absolute favorite. But when cooking for Sima and Ginny, substitute oil + butter for the lard. Or, if you've cooked goose or duck the day before, save and strain the fat from that pan for superior hashed browns. Note: It is NOT cool to serve Jewish people tref food without their consent. Sneaking sugar into a recipe if you are serving a diabetic is likewise acting like a tool of the patriarchy.
Use a cast-iron skillet with a lid. Feeds 6, or three if Myra's eating.
INGREDIENTS:
6 Yukon gold potatoes (really, no others will quite do)
1/2 Walla Walla or Vidalia sweet onion
Lard (or, for non-tref, equal amounts canola oil and butter)
1-2 tablespoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt
PREPARATION:
Shred the potatoes, skins and all. Gillam can do this if it's not on the mandolin. Shred the onion separately.
Rinse the potatoes until the water is clear. Pat them completely dry with a dish towel -- this is crucial. Mix the onion in with the potatoes.
While that's happening, preheat the skillet to medium high. Add oil and wait until it glistens. It must be thoroughly hot before you begin. Test by dropping a shred of potato into the hot oil -- if it begins sizzling immediately, you can add the rest.
Add the potatoes in an even layer. Press down to flatten then with the back of your spatula, then add salt and pepper over it.
Cover skillet with lid. Do not mess with the potatoes. After five minutes, take a look. When the edges of the hashed browns look dark brown and the top of them looks like it's cooking (maybe another five minutes), loosen the sides with your spatula.
Drip a little bit more oil over the top of the potatoes, then drizzle honey over them. Flip the hashed browns. Cook just a bit longer. Drain on brown paper and serve.

GINNY EGGS
Halve the recipe if it's just her and Myra. Great with blueberry muffins. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
8 fresh brown eggs at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into bits
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chives (cut from the upstairs deck)
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Put butter to melt slowly over a low heat in a nonstick skillet. Beat together the eggs and cream cheese. Add a little pepper and salt (you can finish seasoning after it's done to taste).
Turn up heat to medium low. Add the egg mixture to the butter and cook slowly, stirring constantly. When the eggs are set but creamy, remove from heat. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

MATZOH BREI
Myra prefers to use egg and onion matzohs for this. Very quick breakfast that always puts Ginny in a good mood. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS:
4 egg and onion matzoh
4 brown eggs
1/2 cup raw milk
3 tablespoons butter
Fresh white pepper and kosher salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Turn on the kitchen tap and run each matzoh under the running water on both sides. Crumble the matzoh in medium pieces into a bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add the matzohs and blend.
Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring from the bottom with a large spatula. Keep the matzoh in large scrambled pieces. When eggs are done, serve.



ALLIE'S NANA'S SWEET POTATO PIE
Creates one 9 inch pie. Will make those Northern wimmins of cullah swoon.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups white flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans plus 1/2 cup whole pecans
1/2 cup of Crisco (can use unsalted butter if folks freak out about the Crisco)
1/4 cup ice water
2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 quart when cooked)
2 large brown eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION:
Cut off the ends of sweet potatoes, then peel. Boil in a pot of water until soft, about 40-50 minutes. When done, turn off heat.
Sift together flour and salt. Add pecans, then Crisco. Mix together until it beads. Add ice water. Continue mixing with your hands until it comes together in a dough, adding more water if necessary.
Make a ball of the dough and press it into a pie plate, make sure it comes up the sides. Flute the edges. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and put it into a 375 degree F oven for about ten minutes.
While it bakes, make your filling. Scoop the sweet potatoes out of the water and mash in a large bowl, using a potato masher to make sure there are no lumps. Add sugar and cinnamon, and mix well. Add the nutmeg and the eggs. Whip with a whisk. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, mix again.
Melt butter in small saucepan. Add to sweet potato mixture and whip well.
After pie shell is cool, fill with sweet potato mixture. Arrange whole pecans in pattern on top of pie. Sprinkle cinnamon over this and bake pie in oven at 375 degrees F for 55-60 minutes. When cool, serve and top with whipped cream.



CHRIS'S FAVORITE PECAN PIE
Chris doesn't make these, Myra does. But Chris appreciates them out of all proportion. Makes one 9-inch pie.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups Tejas pecan pieces + half cup of whole pecans (East Texas papershell pecans are best)
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3 large brown eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package of McVities cookies (from the U.K.) or pecan shortbread cookies
PREPARATION:
Crush enough cookies to make 1 cup of crumbs. Melt 1/2 stick butter and add to crumbs in a pie plate. Moisten the crumbs with the butter and press them into the plate, up the sides, creating a crust. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Melt the remaining 1/2 stick butter in a small sauce pan. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
Mix into the eggs the brown sugar, Karo, melted butter, salt and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add in the pecan pieces. Pour into pie shell. Arrange the whole pecans in a pattern on the top. Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees F, then lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 40-45 minutes.
Great for freezing to save for special occasions.

GILLAM'S PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES
These began as a recipe by Myra, but Gillam added on the glaze and intensified the peanut butter layer. Makes 16 brownies.
First, make the brownies:
INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 organic brown eggs
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup whole grain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 8" square baking pan.
Melt chocolate in double boiler, stirring until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk butter until light, slowly adding sugar until well-incorporated. Stir in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in milk and molasses. Add the melted chocolate and beat well.
Stir in flour, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Spread evenly in greased pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Set aside to cool in pan.
Now, for the peanut butter layer and glaze:
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup organic peanut butter (can use other nut butter for different flavors)
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
2 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
PREPARATION:
In mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioner's sugar and milk. Beat until it is light and fluffy. Spread this evenly over the brownies.
In double boiler, combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and unsalted butter. Melt slowly over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle in cross-hatches over the peanut butter. Chill.

STRAWBERRY TRIANGLE DOUGHNUTS (STDs)
These are technically scones, not doughnuts, because doughnuts in the shape of a triangle with fruit added turned out to be too hard to make. But Margie and Gillam never knew the difference. They frequently asked for STDs as a treat after Myra developed this recipe. Makes 16 triangular scones.
INGREDIENTS:
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1.25 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fresh (NOT frozen) strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon balm leaves, or zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
Confectioner's sugar
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flours, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Gently add the strawberries and lemon balm/zest.
In a second medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead several times. Divide the dough in half. Form a rectangle from each half using your fingers. Cut lengthwise down each rectangle, then cut the halves into four triangles, alternating top to bottom.
Place the triangles on the cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until just light browned on top. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Can be served warm or frozen for future use.



GINNY'S APPLESAUCE
This recipe is for small batches but can be expanded for your annual "putting up" of applesauce. With the right combination of apples, you won't need sugar and the mix of flavors will be extraordinary.
INGREDIENTS:
3 organic Red Delicious apples
1 each of organic Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady apples
2 lemon slices
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Water
PREPARATION:
Wash the apples well. Core them and cut into thick slices (no need to peel them -- most of the antioxidant value of an apple is in its skin).
Combine the apples, lemon slices, and 1/2 cup water in a large nonstick saucepan. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until apples have fallen apart into sauce and chunks, stirring often. Do not leave unattended or allow to burn. You may add more water if needed, but it should be thick.
When done, add cinnamon and nutmeg. Store in covered container in fridge and eat within a week.
To make larger quantities for canning purposes:
1 bushel = 4 pecks = 8 gallons dry weight
One peck of apples = 40-45 medium-sized apples
Multiple the above quantities of apples by pecks or bushels. If you buy 3 pecks of Red Delicious and 1 peck of each of the other six varieties, you'll end up with around 32 quarts of applesauce. If you use bushels instead of pecks, you'll end up with around 128 quarts of applesauce, which is what Ginny and Myra make. (Gillam alone consumes 15 quarts a year.)
If you upgrade the above apple quantities to pecks, you'll need 80 slices of lemon, 10 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 5 teaspoons of nutmeg to make your 32 quarts.
Can in the usual manner. Get Ginny or Allie to make your labels for giving jars away to friends and family.


Copyright 2007 Maggie Jochild

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