Homemade Pizza Pie

Around our house just about everything is homemade- pie crusts and fillings, mac n' cheese, baby food, lemonade- even the pizza!

I was on a recent visit in Dora for an upcoming cooking article when I tasted the very best homemade pizza crust from Marty Uhlmann.

Marty is a family friend that I remember as I child as making the best pies! My parents and the Uhlmann family would have club every Saturday with other farm families, where the men would talk politics and the women would bring some of the best homemade country fixins' and us kids would play in the hay barn or the creek. Good memories....

I interviewed Marty for the article and she had prepared three recipes- pizza, Lemon Meringue Pie and a Custard Pie. (Which I had a piece of each- you know me- I never turn down good food!)

The pizza crust taste like homemade rolls-it's amazing and fairly easy.

During the interview I recall Marty stating: "Back then we didn't go to the store to get a pizza- we made it!" I laughed, it's funny how things change. But, around our house we still do it the old-fashioned way I guess. (Wouldn't have it any other way either.)

Enjoy this pizza and let me know how you like it. This recipe will make two pizzas- we freeze the other one, so there is always one on hand, then there's no need to go to the store.

Pizza

by Marty Uhlmann
Makes two crusts and two toppings

Crust:
1 pkg. yeast
2 Cups lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
7 Cups flour
1/4 Cup salad oil

Dissolve yeast in water and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Dough will be dry. Set in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let the dough double in size. Meanwhile- make the topping.

Topping:
Pan fry the following ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger
1 lb. sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups tomato paste
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 lb. grated cheese (1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 cheddar)

Place ingredients in large skillet (we use a cast iron skillet) and cook.

Punch dough down, split into two doughs and turn out on floured counter and roll the dough thin. (Remember this dough and topping will make two large pizzas.)

After rolling dough out, place in pizza pan and fold crust over and pinch to seal. Cover with towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Add skillet mixture then add any of the following ingredients: olives, mushrooms, green peppers, pepperoni, smoked wieners and cover with cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees until crust is brown, approximately 25 min.

Blueberry Lemon Pie

Our family visited Persimmon Hill Berry Farm on Wednesday night in Lampe (which is just about 18 minutes from our house) and had an incredible time! The farm is a berry farm and agritourism destination for many each year…as the farm is famous for their Blueberry Thunder Muffins!

We picked up some muffins and blueberries while on our visit. And sampled the farm's newest treat- Blueberry Bread Pudding. We plan on going back next week for some blackberries!

With 3 pounds of blueberries I decided to try out a new pie recipe. I haven’t yet sliced the pie, but how can you go wrong with this list of ingredients? Enjoy!

Blueberry Lemon Pie
by Lane

Single Pie Crust (My grandmother Garrison’s recipe)
1 1/3 c flour
½ tsp salt
½ c Crisco shortening
3 T ice cold water
½ tsp vinegar

In a food processor pulse flour and salt. Add shortening and pulse into combined (it will resemble cornmeal). Add water and vinegar and pulse until combined- the mixture will form a ball. Roll out first dough and then repeat for second dough.

Filling:
¾ c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ c water
3 c fresh blueberries
1 T lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and water in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. Cook until thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let mixture cool. After the mixture has cooled add blueberries, lemon juice and zest.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour filling into pie and top with second crust. Brush top of pie dough with mixture of (1 egg and 2 T milk).

Bake for 18 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 325 degrees for another 20 minutes. Let pie cool before slicing.

Beef...it's What's Cooking at My Home

Being beef producers our family sits down to many meals that are centered around beef. It's always nice to have new recipes that incorporate hamburger. If your like me you go to your old standby hamburger recipes a lot, and always appreciate a new way to use hamburger for a fresh recipe.

I recently interviewed a farm family in my hometown for a article I'm working on for one of the publications I write for.

Rocking Z Ranch- the Sauls Family -Dale, Connie, Rolly and Megan are beef producers that sell at some local farmers' markets in southern Missouri. The farm raises all-natural Angus beef that is free from hormones, steroids, antibiotics and growth enhancers.

Their website is full of great tips for cooking beef and recipes that the family create.

Check it out...I'm sure you will find a new recipe to share at your dinner table tonight! And be sure and take a look at the Missouri Beef Industry Council's website for beef recipes as well.

Local Flavors, Local Colors

The weather is cooling off, the leaves are starting to turn and fall is on it’s way to the Midwest! Ahhhhh…how I love this time of the year. It’s warm enough during the day, but just cool enough to wear a light jacket at night.

The beautiful fall colors, harvest time in the fields, colorful mums start appearing, pumpkins of all sizes, corn mazes, apple pie, winter produce from the garden….there are so many wonderful parts of the fall!

As you might have caught on recently from reading my personal blog – I’ve become a huge “localvore.” Not that I wasn’t before, but with my job at the Dept. of Ag I’ve learned a lot about eating local and I have truly found my passion in life. (Yes, I know it might sound corny – but it’s true!)

In my job I work with farmers across the state that sell their farm products at farmers’ markets or off their farm. I also help producers become certified organic through the USDA and help our Agri-Tourism operations market their businesses. I get to spend the day at farmers’ markets visiting with the producers, going to do farm tours with specialty crops growers and I have the opportunity to learn something new everyday. I truly love my job and enjoy helping our producers across the state.

I really feel like everything that I have done before this job was preparing me for this position and the work that I now do. Yes, there are days in the office that aren’t so wonderful, but that’s why they call it a job – it ain’t all peaches and cream all the time.

I am just thankful for this position finding me and so thankful for the farmers that I have the opportunity to work with on a daily basis. Ok that said, back to cooking right?

If you haven’t been on the Farm to Fork Cooking Blog, you need to. It’s all about eating local food, with great recipes and stories! I’m addictive…I wish I could get paid to just cook and write about the pleasures of local food. The blog is a part of FineCooking.com, which is a great site that you can find lots of wonderful and tasty recipes on.

Today’s cooking treat: Butterflied Chicken! I watched Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network the other day and I knew this was one recipe I knew I would love, plus I have a ton of rosemary in my herb garden that needed to be put to good use.

Butterflied Chicken
By Ina Garten
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each), deboned and butterflied

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste.

Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.

Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Heat a grill with coals. Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin

Recently, I’ve had apples on the brain. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to eat healthier, maybe it’s because I recently visited Peter’s Market near Marshall, Mo for work or maybe it’s because it’s apples season in Missouri – but either way I’ve had apples on the brain.

On a recent visit to Peter’s Market for work I toured the very impressive orchard and came away from the market with the best Gala apples I’ve ever eaten! I also purchased apple butter, some pickled okra (because I didn’t pickle any of my own this year…ran out of time), home-grown nectarines, gallon of apple cider and a few other Missouri made products that I hadn’t tried before.

Paul Peter, owner of Peter’s Market, took me around the orchard to look over their extensive operation. I learned that Peter’s was the largest distributor of Jonathan apples in the nation, who would have known….right here in good ole Missouri.

There are over 7,000 named varieties of apples in the world – 7,000!

Since it’s apples season across the nation what a better time to try your hand at making a homemade apple pie or this new recipe I recently tried from Paula Deen. I didn’t know about stuffing a pork loin with apples, but this is a very simple recipe for dressing up a traditional pork loin, plus it makes a lovely presentation. And you know…it’s all about the presentation!

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
Photo and recipe from Paula Deen, Food Network

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
8 fresh sage leaves
2 cups thick-cut white bread cubes, crusts removed
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed
1 (3 pound) pork loin roast, butterflied

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, apples and sage. Sauté until softened. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the bread, egg, butter and salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth gradually until everything is moistened. Let the stuffing mixture cool completely before putting it in the pork loin. Spoon the stuffing down the pork, horizontally, in a line. Roll the pork over the stuffing, jelly roll style, ending with the seam down and fat side up. Lightly score the fat, in a diamond pattern, with a sharp knife. Tightly tie the pork roast up with butcher's twine, season it with more salt and pepper, and transfer to a roasting pan. Roast the pork in a preheated oven for about 90 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with apples and fresh herbs.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Happy Holidays to All! (See Larger Image)

Christmas is just around the corner, can’t believe how quickly it’s came this year. I wish there was more of a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My co-worker Sarah Gehring is the Membership Coordinator for AgriMissouri™, a marketing program through the Missouri Dept. of Agriculture that promotes Missouri made products.

She is also a fellow blogger, with her AgriMissouri Showcase Blog. She posted today on finding the right gift to give to those names on our Christmas lists that have everything. One of her favorite gifts to give are AgriMissouri gift baskets, full of great local Missouri food products such as meat sticks, salad dressings, soups, spices, bbq sauce, cheese ball mixes, summer sausages, pasta sauces…plus you'll be supporting Missouri's largest industry-AGRICULTURE and the farmers and farm families.

From Sarah’s post:

Lots of AgriMissouri members offer holiday gift baskets. This makes gift giving so easy. All you have to do is visit their web site or call the company, discuss the baskets they have available and place your order. Several of them will even let you customize the gift basket so that you can include specific products. I've given grandparents, neighbors and out-of-state family AgriMissouri gift baskets and they are always a hit.

To help you find AgriMissouri members offering holidays gifts, the AgriMissouri Holiday Gift Guide is located on the web site. It's the easiest shopping you will do!

*The gift box above is available at Missouri Mercantile.

Cream of Crab Soup to Warm Your Heart

This is a post from the archives last year that is one of my favorite posts! Enjoy...

Have you ever thought about how you have made the friends and relationships in your life? I have.

As I was making a pot of crab soup last night I started thinking about the people I have met throughout my life and how they have made footprints in my life. For instance, the soup recipe I was making was given to me by some folks in Maryland.

About two years ago I met Cecil and Michelle. My parent’s had decided that they were going to sell our family farm and purchase another one closer to Springfield, Mo. As soon as they put the farm up for sale, people were visiting from all over the county to look over the farm. There were people from California, Florida, Colorado, New York…I was amazed by the response.

But while all this was happening my parents were having their doubts about their choice to sell. I was unhappy about the decision from the get go. The family farm meant the world to me. Every childhood memory I had steamed from those hills, trees, creeks, barns, cattle, the swimming hole, dirt roads, fences and the “love tree.”

The “love tree” you ask? This is a very special place on my parent’s farm. My niece named this tree. The love tree is on the largest hilltop on my parent’s farm. It overlooks the entire farm, stock and barns. On this very special hilltop my husband proposed to me in 2002. We engraved our initials in this tree, and that is why my niece calls it the “love tree.”

Every memory of mine is wrapped into our family farm. So, when a couple from Maryland came for a visit (Cecil and Michelle) and decided to make an offer on my parents farm that matched my father’s asking price…..I became very worried!

This was the first buyer that asked the full asking price. Would my parent’s sell? Would I loose my Ozark hills? Would I never see our love tree again? Would I never be able to take my kids to the farm?

I met Cecil and Michelle and they were a wonderful couple. They had decied to move from Maryland to the Ozarks to escape the big city life and move their family to the country. They always wanted to have a farm and timber and they loved my parent’s farm.

For about four months the couple made frequent visits to our farm, as they were trying to sell their business in Maryland. During that time my parents and the couple became very good friends.Then one day my father called me and asked me, “Lane how would you feel is we didn’t sell the farm?” Although my father knew the answer to this question I gave him an answer. “That would be the best news in the world.”So it was. My parents after many months of “to sell or not to sell” had decided to remain on our Ozark farm. But the friends they had made: Cecil and Michelle did purchase a farm about 20 minutes from my parents and the couple remains close family friends of ours.

It’s experiences like these that bring all different types of people into our lives. My friends stem from Charolais cattle breeders, former FFA’ers, college friends, overseas experiences, co-workers, local Mid-Mo friends, a summer softball team my husband and I play on, many ag-related groups I serve on….all these experiences shape the relationships we acquire and the people we are. I am thankful to have met so many wonderful people throughout my life like Cecil and Michelle.

Here is a crab soup recipe that Michelle passed on to my mother and me. It is way too easy to be as good as it is! My friend Danni recently won 1st place with this soup recipe in her company's Soup Contest!

Cream of Crab Soup
By Michelle(This makes a very large batch. I usually cut it in half, unless I’m serving it for a party.)
6 cans of cream of celery soup
2 quarts half and half
1 stick of butter
1 lb. of crabmeat (if using canned crab meat 4-5 (6 oz) cans)
A bag of steamed broccoli florets
1 ½ tsps. of Old Bay seasonings (found in the spice area in your local grocery store)
2 T. garlic powder
3T. dry mustard powder

Put everything except the crabmeat and broccoli into a large pot. Bring ingredients to a slow simmer for 25 minutes. Be sure to stir quite often. Meanwhile, steam your broccoli florets and when steamed chop coarsely.

After the soup mixture has simmered for 25 minutes, place crabmeat and broccoli in pot and simmer till the mixture is thick enough for your own taste. Garnish with any white cheese and oyster crackers.* After I add the crabmeat and broccoli I usually only simmer the soup for another 10 minutes and then remove it from the heat.

Slow Food???

If you aren’t familiar with the Slow Food movement then you should be. This movement has caught on across the nation. The main point of Slow Food is educating people about their food choices. So that people know where their food comes from, how it was produced and supporting local producers.

From the organization’s website:

Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Ultimately, it is about pleasure and taste, knowledge and choice. Once we begin to take an interest in the enjoyment of food, and in finding out where our food comes from, we can begin to see the effects of these choices. When we shorten the distance—both literal and figurative—that our food travels to get to us, we are participating in the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is about coming together as a food community—connecting producers and co-producers, coming together on the farm, in the market, and at the table—to create and enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.

Slow Food is also simply about taking the time to slow down and to enjoy life with family and friends. Every day can be enriched by doing something slow - making pasta from scratch one night, seductively squeezing your own orange juice from the fresh fruit, lingering over a glass of wine and a slice of cheese - even deciding to eat lunch sitting down instead of standing up. For example, here in the Slow Food USA office, we take a moment to eat lunch together every day!

If you have some time and you are interested in the organization…I highly
suggest wondering on over to the Slow
Food Blog as well.

This is a recipe I pulled off the Slow Food Kansas City website which ended
up being a great quick meal. This recipe is a spin on one of my favorite foods:
Lasagna.

Mike's Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna

Filling
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms,
sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry vermouth

Béchamel sauce
4 1/2
tablespoons butter
4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 1/2 cups of
whole milk
2 1/2 Parmesan Cheese
Ground nutmeg
1 9oz pkg. oven ready
lasagna noodles
1 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese

For filling:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms release juices and begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add artichokes and vermouth. Cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For béchamel sauce:
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens and lightly coats spoon, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups parmesan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.

Spread 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over bottom of 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Top with enough
noodles to cover bottom of dish. Spread 1/4 of artichoke mixture over. Spoon 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over. Top béchamel with1/4 mozzarella.

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with enough noodles to cover. Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with layer of noodles, then remaining béchamel.

Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Cover with foil and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 350F .Bake Lasagna covered with foil 1 hour (or 1 hour and 15 minutes if chilled). Remove foil. Increase temperature to 450F.Bake lasagna until golden on top, about 10 minutes longer.

Makes 8 servings.

KC Market Cookbook

The City Market in Kansas City is selling the most beautiful cookbook, In Season Cooking Fresh From the Kansas City Farmers' Market.

My copy is on the way...

The cookbook is filled with beautiful photos of the recipes, market produce and farmers that sell their produce at the City Market.

The cookbook is only $24.00 and would make EXCELLENT Christmas gifts!

If you are interested in purchasing this wonderful cookbook:

Email: ashgrove@kc.rr.com with your request

By mail: In Season Cookbook, The Ash Grove Press, Inc.P.O. Box 8564Prairie Village, KS 66208

Here are some of the highlights of the cookbook:

• 90 original recipes, organized by growing season and created with farm-fresh fruits and vegetables


• Personal interviews with farmers and growers


• The evolution of farmers' markets, including historic photos of the City Market


• Useful tips on how to shop at a market


• Helpful seasonal produce guide


• Suggested wine pairing for all recipes


• A portion of the proceeds benefit the City Market

Buying Locally Grown Food

When I go home and visit my folks there is one topic of conversation that comes up often…. that most people these days don't know where the food comes from. Most people today don’t know who grew their food or how and where was it raised.

My parents are farmers who are in their 60’s. Whenever my husband and I come and visit and it’s dinner time my father tells us about how things were when he was growing up. He says when he was a kid my grandmother would go to a local butcher in town that would help her pick out the perfect pork roast or the best steak. That butcher would not only cut the meat in front of her, but also knew exactly what farm the meat came from.

Times sure have changed. Today, most everyone shops at the supermarket (where you buy food, clothes, shampoo, medicine, garden supplies, pet food, birthday cards all at the same store). All meat purchases are pre cut and packages and it’s almost impossible to find a whole chicken.

Food has become so impersonal. Today, we don’t know the farmers that raised and produced our food. We don’t know the process the food went through from the farm to the family table. Do you know that most all food Americans consume today is trucked in 1,500 miles before it reaches our local supermarket! 1,500 MILES! It’s a fact that food that travels that many miles looses much of its flavor and nutrition. If we want to make food more personal again we need to start buying local food.

Being a farm kid it is important to me to know where my food comes from. All beef in my refrigerator comes from my family’s beef farm. I buy chicken either in the store (but I try to only buy chicken that is raised in Missouri) or I purchase from some FFA students that raise free-range chicken. Lamb and pork come from some producers I know in southwest Missouri, I place three orders a year with two families. I do however, purchase Burgers Smokehouse pork products too because this company is a Missouri product.

I try to buy all food products I can local – and my definition of local is made in Missouri. What produce I don’t grow in my garden I purchase from the farmers’ market. I also purchase Missouri honey from the beekeepers, goat cheese, walnuts, pecans, ice cream, breads, jams and jellies….you get my point. It’s really not that hard to find local products, you just have to be more selective in your purchasing decisions. I can buy many food products at area farmers’ markets or I can find a lot of what I need by searching on the AgriMissouri Buyer’s Guide.

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Locally Grown Food
1.) Helps to sustain the environment
2.) Promotes tourism within the area
3.) Grown locally, not traveling 1,500 miles from field to table
4.) Promotes healthy food choices
5.) Maximum freshness
6.) Exceptional taste
7.) Unique varieties
8.) Nutritious and affordable
9.) Helps to support our family farms
10.) Retains food dollars in the community

Recipes from the Farmers' Markets

Who doesn't like shopping at the farmers' markets for fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, meat or whatever you might have listed on a shopping list.

I make my grocery list on the weekends for the next week's meals. Before going to the local grocery store, I ALWAYS hit the local farmers' markets in my area for the produce or fruit I don't grow in my own garden.

Buying from the markets is not only a great shopping experience because of the discussions with the local growers, but its produce that wasn't trucked in 1,500 miles to a grocery store from the coast...so the produce is much, MUCH fresher.

Besides the fresh, local produce at the markets are the recipe cards many vendors provide at their stands for the produce they sell.

I came across the St. Paul Farmers' Market site a couple weeks ago that lists a wide range of recipes from the vendors at the market. You can also find great recipes on the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers' Market website.

Fair Food

County and state fairs are my favorite times of the year. Usually beginning Late May and ending early September, these fairs are what agriculture is all about.

Many youngsters get their first real taste of healthy competition in showing in competing in their county fair events. From raising the prize-winning show heifer, to selling their hogs, or even entering flowers and vegetables in the fair, many young children learn about all the fun events and pleasures at their local county fairs.

Ag youth are an important part of carrying on the agriculture traditions their parent and even grandparents work in. County and state fairs are a vital part of these traditions.

I grew up showing cattle at fairs, entering fruits and vegetables that I grew in the garden at the local contests and enjoying the great fair food. Every year at the Missouri State Fair there are three things I must do: 1.) Catch up with old friends that show at the fair, 2.) Get a big ole glass of lemonade and 3.) Eat a corn dog.

So, today to celebrate county and state fairs across the country, I’m sharing some old fashioned fair recipes. I am also including a recipe that I got from Silver Dollar City for their Deep-fried Oreos.

This year get out to your local fair and enjoy the wonders of the fair.

County Fair Lemonade
8 lemons
1 cup sugar
10 ice cubes

Bring lemons to room temp.

Roll lemons, then slice and half and squeeze into a gallon container. Toss lemon rinds into a container. Pour sugar over rinds and let sit for 30 minutes. Add ice cubes and enough water to fill container. Stir and serve. Add more sugar if desired.

State Fair Corn Dogs
½ cup yellow corn meal
½ cup flour
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. baking powder
A pinch of salt
½ cup milk
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
1 T. melted butter
6 skewers
6 hot dogs
Vegetable oil

Mix corn meal, flour, sugar, dry mustard, baking powder and salt in bowl. Add the milk, beaten egg and butter. Mix well.

Place hot dogs on skewers and dig each hotdog in the batter, making sure you coat it well. I like to coat a couple of times.

Deep fry for about 2 minutes and until the corn dogs are golden brown. Drain on paper towel and let cool.

Cotton Candy Cookies
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 T. granulated fructose
2 tsp. orange oil
1 tsp orange rind, grated

Beat granulated fructose, orange oil and rind into the stiff egg whites. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately before cooling.

Deep-fried Oreos
1 cup of pancake mix, buttermilk if you have it
¾ cup ice water
1 quart vegetable oil
14 Oreo cookies
Powdered sugar

Freeze cookies for three hours.

Heat oil in a heavy 3 quart saucepan.

While oil is heating up, lay out a cookie sheet with paper towels for draining. In a medium bowl mix water and pancake mix completely.

As soon as batter is smooth, dip each cookie, one at a time. Place coated cookie in oil and cook until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar.

Cooking with Venison

Today I have a little something different on the menu from my usually recipes. It’s all about venison, that’s deer meat for those who don’t know what it is.

One of the greatest things about living in the country and growing up on a farm is “reaping what you sow.” We always had plenty of deer, wild turkey, crappie, farm-raised beef and on occasion pheasant in our deep freeze at home. My father and brothers are hunters and fishermen, as my husband is. They always fill their farm tags every deer and turkey season and we are able to stock up on meat for the year.

My family always grows a very, very large garden also. My father always says, “Nothing tastes better then when you grow it with your own hands.” I remember as a young child our whole family in the garden picking okra, green beans, corn, watermelons, potatoes…every vegetable your could imagine. On the farm we grew, raised or hunted much of what we ate.

Some might have never had the opportunity to try a wonderful marinated deer roast in a red wine sauce, deer chili, deer sausage, stuffed pheasant or even a roasted wild turkey, but in my home these meals were part of everyday life.

Cooking deer meat is tricky…you have to cook it slow, so to not make the meat tough. Deer roasts are best marinated overnight, to get rid on the “gamey” taste the meat can have sometimes. Here is one stand-by recipe my mother could cook all day and it would be ready at dinnertime.

Deer Chili
1 lb. venison, browned with salt and pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2, 49-oz. cans tomato juice
1 can tomato paste
½ small onion, diced
Additional salt and pepper to taste
1 T. garlic powder
2, 15-oz. cans of kidney beans, drained
2, 15-oz. cans of chili beans, drained
Dash Tabasco sauce
Chili powder to taste

In a crock pot combine all ingredients and cook on medium for about 6-8 hours. If you prefer thicker chili add more beans and meat. The longer this chili simmers, the better it is.

Snow means Baking Time

This past weekend was another one filled with about 5 inches of snow in Mid-MO. (I am really beginning to get “cabin fever”.)

I miss being on my parent’s farm. Even when the weather is cold, snowy and wet there are chores that need tendin’ to. I never remember being bored on the farm. Water gaps had to be fixed, ice covered ponds had to be busted up for the livestock, birthing cattle had to be brought up to the barn and newborn calves needed extra special care in the winter time.

Yes, living on the farm you seldom get a day off just because of a snow and ice storm. Oh, how I miss those days on the farm…

The other memories I have on my parent’s farm during the winter time is winter baking with my mother. After chores were done mom and I would try out new recipes for cookies, pies, cakes and breads at the house. We would thumb through old Farm Journal and the local Douglas County Fire station cookbooks for new recipes. (The Douglas County cookbooks are complied of recipes from the farm cooks all around the area and are put out each year, my mother has some that are over 30 years old. They are the “best” cookbooks for good Ozark cooking.)

It was times like these with my mother that I miss the most. We shared many laughs and happy memories in the kitchen. We still have times like that, but now that I live about 3 hours away from my parents, it’s just a little harder to get together as often as I would like to.

I was recalling the past winter memories with my mother in her kitchen this past weekend, and I decided I would do some baking. By the time Sunday came I had baked: 30 Ginger cookies, 6 dozen chocolate cookies, 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread and a few other goodies.

It was a great weekend in all and I was reminded of my wonderful mother the entire time. Here are the recipes from this past weekend.

Super Duper Chocolate Crinkles
By Lane
Makes 6 dozen cookies

½ c shortening
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, unbeaten
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
½ c. chopped nuts
Confectioners Sugar

Melt shortening and chocolate; add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add egg, one at a time, beating well after each.

Sift together all dry ingredients; add to chocolate mixture, fold in nuts.

Chill dough for a couple of hours.

Roll dough into small balls and then roll in confectioners sugar, coating well.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-13 minutes.

Crackle Top Ginger Cookies
From Farm Journal, 1958
Makes 25-30 cookies

1 c. shortening
2 c. brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 c. molasses
4 c. sifted flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
Sugar for rolling

Cream shortening; add brown sugar gradually. Blend in egg and molasses – beat until light and fluffy.

Sift together all dry ingredients; add gradually to creamed mixture. (Dough should be soft, but not sticky or tops of the cookies will not crackle.)

Add vanilla and lemon extract. Chill for about 4 hours. Shape into ball and roll in sugar.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13 minutes.

The Podchef Site - Check it Out

In today’s age of food and genetics many are puzzled about what is safe and what’s not to put on their food. GMO’s, herbicides, fertilizers, EColi, BSE….all of these issues are on the minds of many.

From placing fertilizers on the gardens we grow at home to the farmers that use chemicals on their crops to remain competitive in the ag industry…What does all of this mean for the food that we consume?

The Podchef site discusses many of these issues. As the site reads: Welcome to the Podchef's Gastrocast! The podcast about cooking, food, and the politics of what we eat. I’ve listen to a few of the podcasts and I’m very impressed.

Whether you come from a farm or not, I think that everyone can gain a little knowledge from this site. Whether you agree or not it’s worth a read and an open mind.

Passing on Traditions

My boss recently put together a radio segment for our Rural Issues Forum program that I thought many of you would enjoy, titled. "Who'll make the gravy?" This program made me think how lucky I was to have parents and grandparents teach me the simple things in life.

Like to cook squash and zucchini, growing herbs, baking the perfect chocolate chip cookies and how to be adventurous in making new recipes.

I have talked a lot about learning to cook old fashioned recipes from my mother and grandmothers before...from sweet potatoes to biscuits. I am amazed how many people my age don't know how to cook or prepare so many meals that our parents and their parents lived on.

For instance, one of my girlfriends calls me just about everytime she cooks anything...about twice per week. She called the other day and asked me how to make mashed potatoes! I laughed. "Well, "I said, "boil your potatoes until they are done."

"Done? she asked.

"Yes, they are done when you stick a fork in them and they are soft." I replied.

"Soft, how soft?" she asked.

"Umm..." I thought to myself how do I explain this? "The fork will easier slide through the potatoes, you will know."

After giving my friend further instructions on the ingredients and the perfect mashing techniques I felt as though she could make her mashed potatoes.

It's amazing how many of the easiest recipes so many young people today have no idea how or where to begin. Why were they not taught? Why weren't the lessons learned? How will grandma's sweet potato recipe be taught to future grandchildren and family members?

I am in the process of recording all of my mothers and soon, my mother-in-laws family recipes. Because someday I might be the only one that knows how to make my mother's famous fried chicken...or my mother-in-laws wonderful shrimp and fettuccine.

Think about it...those cherished secret family recipes could be lost if our young adults and children are not given the opportunity to have traditions passed onto them.

Don't let those traditions be lost....