Gosh those home ec teachers were good--Sweet-Sour Pork on Rice

Sweet-Sour Pork on Rice
Our Favorite Meats Favorites From Home Economics Teachers Copyright MCMLXVI

1 ½ lbs. pork cubes
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
¼ c. flour
2 tbsp. oil
½ c. water
¼ c. vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 c. apricot preserves I used about 3/4 cups
1 green pepper, cut into strips

Toss pork cubes with seasoned flour; brown in oil. Stir in water, vinegar and soy sauce; cover and simmer to 45 minutes. Add preserves and green pepper; cook for 15 minutes. Serve on hot cooked rice.

Yield: 6 servings
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This book has coughed up another surprise hit. I originally chose this recipe to use up some peach preserves but then I realized I had apricot preserves in the fridge that needed to be used up. I only had about 3/4 cup but that was enough. I thought this might be overly sweet but it really wasn't. It was a mild sweet and sour sauce (probably because of the water) but nicely balanced.

I'm really enjoying this cookbook. I'm almost sorry I didn't pick up the other copy I came across. It would have made a nice giveaway. I can't be the only one who likes old cookbooks.

The recipes tend to be more economical too. I really stuck to the basics again at the grocery store again this week and I spent only 48 cents more than I did last week. I'm not really shooting for a specific amount, I'm just buying only what we need so it was funny to come so close to last week's total.

Blast From The Past: Meat Puffs from June 2007, also from this cookbook. That recipe was a hit here too.

Question of the Day: I just can't think of one today. Have a nice weekend.

Cleaning out the pantry--Easy Meat Sauce

Easy Meat Sauce
Best Recipes From the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars Copyright 1979, 1981, 1982
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
¼ tsp. oregano
1 28-oz. can tomato puree
1 cup water

In large saucepan, brown ground beef with garlic; stir in Lipton Onion Soup mix, oregano, tomato puree and water. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Serve over hot noodles, spaghetti or rice.

Makes about 5 cups sauce.
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This week was all about using stuff up. I had a packet of onion soup mix in the cupboard so that's why this recipe caught my eye.

This was fine, nothing special. The flavor wasn't very robust. I added a bit of sugar because it was a bit too acidic for my tastes but that really depends on your tomatoes. I served the sauce over cheese ravioli which worked out better than over plain pasta, in my opinion.

I'm getting down to the dregs of my freezer which makes it more difficult to plan meals. At least that means that a trip to Costco is in my future. I haven't been there since August.

Blast From The Past: Zippy Beef Tips from July 2007. That's where the other packet of soup mix went.

Question of the Day: Do you waste a lot, an average amount, or very little food in your kitchen?

A good deal--Grilled Racks of Baby Backs, Kansas City Style

Grilled Racks of Baby Backs, Kansas City Style
The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking & Entertaining Copyright 2006

Four 1 ¾ to 2 pounds slabs pork baby back ribs

Smoky Rib Rub:
1/ 4 cup smoked paprika
2 tablespoons smoked salt or coarse salt I used kosher salt
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar I used the brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried chipotle chilies or, for a milder rub, additional smoked paprika I used the dried chipotle
1 tablespoon chili powder

At least 2 cups sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce

( I only made two racks so I halved everything.)

Strip off the thin membrane on the ribs’ lower side. Preheat the oven or covered grill to 275 degrees F. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the rub. Coat the ribs liberally on all sides with the remaining spice mixture.

Wrap the ribs tightly in 2 layers of foil, place on baking sheets, and bake for 2 hours. The meat should be beginning to shrink away from the ends of the bones, exposing them a bit, and if you tug a rib, it should pull apart with little resistance.

(You can cool and refrigerate the ribs at this point. Bring them out about 30 minutes before grilling which is what I did.)

Heat the grill to medium. Sprinkle the top side of the racks of ribs evenly with the remaining rub. Grill the ribs uncovered over medium heat for a total of about 20 minutes (7 minutes on each side, then coat with sauce and cook for 6 minutes).
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I don't usually paraphrase recipes but the authors of this cookbook must have been paid by the word. I just didn't have it in me to transcribe the several paragraphs this recipes consisted of so I just gave you a shortened version.

I picked up some baby back ribs for about $1.69/lb a few weeks ago. My original plan was to put my smoker together and use that but I decided to be realistic (putting the smoker together is way down on my to-do list) and I made these in the oven and on the grill. I made two racks, not knowing how much meat would really be on these ribs after cooking, figuring I could freeze the leftovers.

The rack we ended up eating was perfect. Perfect. The rack held together but the meat pulled clean away from the bone with slight tugging. I decided to just try a bit of the second rack and it wasn't as perfect. The meat needed a bit more cooking to come cleanly off the bone which is good I guess, since I can reheat them in the crockpot after freezing them and they won't be overcooked. It was just blind luck that we ate the better rack first.

These ended up being much simpler to cook that I imagined they would be. I baked them off on a Sunday evening and did the grilling after work on Monday. They weren't smoked but they got their smokiness from the smoked paprika and dried chipolte powder. I used cheap, cheap barbecue sauce (Kraft) but you know it was as good as anything I've had in a chain restaurant which is really the only other place I've had baby back ribs.

So a success although they're a bit too heavy and normally a bit too expensive to make very often.

Blast From The Past: Creamy Cole Slaw from October 2005. I've been making a loose version of this cole slaw and my son LOVES it. He wasn't big on these ribs but he ate two servings of cole slaw.

Question of the Day: Do you like baby back ribs?

Oktoberfest--Braised Stuffed Beef Rolls (Rinderrouladen)

Braised Stuffed Beef Rolls (Rinderrouladen)
Betty Crocker’s New International Cookbook Copyright 1989

2 pound beef boneless round steak, ½-inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon prepared mustard I used a spicy brown mustard
3 slices bacon, cut into halves
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ cup snipped parsley
3 dill pickles, cut into halves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Pound beef until ¼-inch thick. Cut into pieces, about 7x4 inches. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread each piece with 1 teaspoon mustard. Place ½ strip bacon down center of each piece. Sprinkle with onion and snipped parsley. Place pickle on narrow end of each; roll up. Fasten with wooden picks.

Heat oil in 10-inch skillet until hot. Cook rolls over medium heat until brown. Add 1 ¼ cups water, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 hour.

Remove roll to warm platter; keep warm. Add enough water to liquid in skillet if necessary to measure 1 cup. Shake 2 tablespoons water and the flour in a tightly covered container; stir gradually into cooking liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute (add water if necessary). Serve gravy with rolls.

6 servings.
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I came across some German recipes, on a blog I think, celebrating Oktoberfest and I thought, that's a great idea. I'll make a German recipe. Well, duh! I had just made these beef rolls a few days earlier.

I can't vouch for how authentic this recipe is but it was delicious. The gravy was a bit tangy from the dill pickles. I chose this recipe in order to use up some of the dill pickles halves that I canned earlier this summer. The pickles were a bit overprocessed but they held together through the braising process. The pickles and the mustard really gave these a different flavor from most stuffed beef rolls.

I really like this cookbook. It's Betty Crocker so the recipes are very doable. They may not be authentically international but they sound good to me and I've bookmarked quite a few of them.

Blast From The Past: Mushroom-Stuffed Beef Roll-Ups from May 2006. Those were good beef rolls too.

Question of the Day: How many different kinds of mustard do you have on hand right now?

A great recipe--Raspberry (Peach) Kisses

Raspberry (Peach) Kisses
Cookies 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes From Around the World

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2-3 tablespoons raspberry preserves I used peach preserves
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, to dust I didn't bother with this

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter two cookie sheets. (I lined them with parchment and sprayed them very lightly with spray oil.) Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, beating just until blended. Mix in the dry ingredients. Drop teaspoons of the dough 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I used my smallest scoop which was too big.) Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the sheets halfway through for even baking. Transfer to a rack to cool. Stick the cookies together in pairs with the preserves. Dust with confectioner’s sugar just before serving.

Makes 15 cookies. (I made one dozen 'sandwiches' and there was one orphan.)
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I was looking for a recipe to use up some preserves. I wasn't expecting much but I think I'm going to be adding this recipe to my Christmas baking this year. I loved the texture of the cookies. There were so light and delicate, they just melted in my mouth. They were delicious too of course. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

The only downside was the size of my cookies. My smallest scoop was actually three times too big (one tablespoon). These were almost the size of whoopie pies. I'm hoping I can find a smaller scoop for these so I can get more cookies out of this recipe.

My first recipe from this book, Toffee-Oat Bars, was just okay. They weren't a disaster but when the first recipe I try from a cookbook isn't great, I sometimes resist making another recipe from that book, which I think is what happened here. I don't think I'm biased against this cookbook any longer after this recipe.

I think I'm going to stop going to auction (the farmer's market) on Fridays. The produce is still pretty good but my cookbook guy has been missing for 2-3 weeks and the stand where I buy a Patrick Star cookie for my son has been empty for two weeks. It's not worth the drive just for fall produce. I was going to try out a different market on Saturday but we drove over there (my son and I) and I thought it was creepy looking so we left without going in. Auction would look creepy without any people too but there's always a crowd there - this other place looked empty. Of course, I've been saying that I was going to give up auction for a few weeks now but I keep going back. I'm addicted.

Oh yes, I guess I have to find more venison recipes. My husband got a deer on the first day of archery season. He hasn't brought up the freezer that I promised him yet but I have no idea where we're going to put the meat if we don't get another freezer. I want to see if the meat is any good first, to be honest. Not every deer taste good.

Blast From The Past: Big Game Baked Round Steak from December 2005. I was really getting into venison until the freezer died and we had to give all of the meat away.

Question of the Day: Do you have a favorite cookie recipe?