Category: Recipe of the Week

We are always looking for recipes for storage foods.  This one is particularly useful. Reader Penny in Arkansas kindly sent us her directions for cooking wheat berries. There are far more uses for your stored wheat than just grinding flour!  Infogalactic has this description: “A wheat berry, or wheatberry, is a whole wheat kernel (except for the hull/husk), composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Botanically, it is a type of fruit called a caryopsis. Wheat berries have a tan to reddish-brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads …

Reader Trisha H. kindly sent us one of her favorite side dish recipes, for Lemon Spring Greens. This serves four. Ingredients 18 ounces (or 500 g) of spring greens. 1 large lemon without wax. Sea salt, to taste. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste. 2 TBS virgin olive oil. Directions Grate the lemon zest (the outermost part of the peel) finely onto a cutting board, then transfer to a small jar for which you have a lid. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze half the juice into the jar, over a wire mesh strainer. (Be careful to strain out any …

Reader A.V. kindly sent us one of her favorite dessert recipes for a delicious South African Melktert (Milk Tart). It makes 8 servings.  This recipe is broken into two sections: one for the filling, and one for the pastry crust.  This recipe requires the use of a set of ceramic pie weights. Melktert Filling: Ingredients 1 quart milk ½ cup sugar 1 Tablespoon butter 2 large eggs (or 3 small eggs) 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon Directions for Making the Melktert Filling In a heat proof …

Reader Arlene X. kindly sent us one of her favorite recipes: Arlene’s Cornbread Crumble Turkey (Serves Four Adults) Ingredients: 1 C Buttermilk 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard 4 Skinless turkey fillets (about 3 oz each) 4- by 4-inch square of cooked cornbread (about 1 C of cornbbread crumbs) 1 Egg white 1 C Chicken broth 1 Tbsp Cornstarch 1 lb Frozen baby carrots 1 Tbsp Fresh sage, rinsed, dried, and chopped (or 1 tsp of dried sage) 1 Tbsp Butter Directions: Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Combine buttermilk and Dijon mustard. Mix well. Add turkey fillets to buttermilk mixture to marinate …

Alan’s introductory comments: This is one for my favorite meals. It requires the use of a garlic press and a pressure cooker, preferably with an internal elevated cooking rack. It makes five adult-size servings. Ingredients: 2 lbs. boneless round steak, 1-1/2″ to 2″ thick 2 TBSP Cooking Oil 1/4 cup Flour 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Pepper 1 Clove of Garlic, pressed 1 Medium Onion, sliced 1 TBSP Fresh (or 1 tsp dry) sage, thyme, basil, or rosemary–depending on your herb(s) preference 10 ounces (1 can or 1.2 cups) of beef broth (fresh or canned broth) 10 ounces of water …

Helen J.’s San Juan Island Salad This is a salad recipe from an old family friend who was a practiced gardener. A local on the island butchered pigs each year and cured bacon. Thus, nearly all of the ingredients were local. Note that the ingredients are listed without measurements. The ratio of ingredients is intended to be fine-tuned to suit your family’s taste preferences. Lamb bacon, Turkey bacon, or Tofurkey Bacon can be substituted if you refrain from pork. Ingredients Red table grapes, halved Bacon, cooked and diced Broccoli crown pieces, briefly steamed (firm) Diced Celery Diced Onion Slivered almonds …

This is a family multipurpose standby that yields about 5 cups of flour mix that can be incorporated into many meat recipes– most often as a flour in which to dredge or roll various meat cuts before baking or cooking. But it can also be incorporated into meat-based soups, or for use in dough to include in meat pies and pasties. (For the latter, add more unseasoned flour, unless you want a really peppery flavor.) Note: This flour can be stored refrigerated in a tightly-sealed container for many weeks. You can greatly reduce the quantity of salt, for low-salt diets. …

This was an old a Rawles family favorite. Ingredients 4 Large Chicken Breasts, skinless (or substitute 6 small skinless breasts.) 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 C Sour Cream 1/2 C Cooking Sherry 8 Ounces Sliced Mushrooms Paprika, to taste. Directions Put Chicken in a large, lightly-greased rectangular baking dish. Mix together the soup, sour cream, mushrooms and sherry, in a large bowl. Then pour over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 375 F for 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours, until juices run clear. Notes and Serving Suggestions I usually serve this over a bed of …

This is a variation of a widely-published and shared recipe. Ingredients 1 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix (or fresh equivalent) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons ground cumin 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained 4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth (or equivalent volume of homemade broth.) 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn (or fresh or frozen equivalent volume) 12 ounces tortilla chips 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and diced Salt and pepper to taste Directions Heat …

This recipe first appeared in Enola Gay’s book: The Prepared Family Cookbook. By the way, we highly recommend both Enola Gay’s Paratus Familia blog and all of her books. Ingredients 1 Pound Ground Beef (or venison, rabbit, etc.) 1/2 Head of Cabbage, shredded 2 Ribs of Celery, sliced (or celerac) 1 Small Bell Pepper, cut into small pieces (or dried peppers) 1 Medium Diced Onion (or dried onions) 2 Cups Cooked Kidney Beans (or (1) 16oz. can) 2 Cups Diced Canned Tomatoes (or fresh) 4 Cups of Water 2 T Beef Bouillon (or pwd soup base) 1/4 tsp Garlic powder (or …

Avalanche Lily’s Scratch Chocolate Cake This is a standard, time-proven American recipe. It is a favorite in our family. Ingredients 2 Cups white flour (sifting the flour is optional) 1 Cup Cocoa Powder 2 tsp Baking Soda 2 Cups Granulated Sugar 2 Eggs 2 Cups Hot Water 2 Rounded TBSPs of Butter   Directions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mix all ingredients into a batter Oil (or lard) coat the interior of a 8″x16″ glass baking dish. Pour batter evenly into the baking dish Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Decorating and serving Suggestions Allow cake to cool 20 minutes …

Okie Ranch Wife’s Lo Carb Green Chile Cheese and Egg Bake I found the original recipe on an Atkins Diet-friendly web site and changed it up to suit my taste. It is a great way to use eggs from your chickens and other garden produce. I would not suggest doubling this recipe in a larger dish, due to the increased cooking time. I suggest baking it in two 8″x8″ dishes. – OkieRanchWife Ingredients 4 oz can of Green Chile Peppers or equivalent weight of fresh chiles 8 large Eggs ½ Sweet Red Pepper, small dice 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream 1 …

Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Biscuits Here is a favorite that we bake nearly every week here at the Rawles Ranch, especially in winter months. Ingredients 2 Cups Flour 1 TBS Baking powder 2 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar 1/4 tsp Salt 1/2 cup of the thick portion of a can of coconut milk. (Or use butter or shortening, for a traditional recipe) 2/3 cup the watery portion of a can of coconut milk. (Or use cow milk, for a traditional recipe)  

Avalanche Lily’s Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients: 8 medium sized potatoes peeled and thinly sliced 2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced 1 Organic Prairie Summer Beef Sausage (12 ounce), thinly sliced 1 can 13 ounce Organic Coconut Cream and milk–first stirred up. (We use Native Tree brand) 1 Tablespoon minced Garlic Himalayan salt, to taste Directions: In a nine by thirteen inch rectangular Pyrex/glass dish, pour a little of the mixed milk and cream on the bottom of the pan. Alternate layers of sliced potatoes, onions and sausage.  After laying down the first set of potatoes, onions and sausage, …

Okie Ranch Wife’s Yogurt Ranch Dressing This yogurt ranch dressing is a pantry-friendly recipe. I have made it several times already and it is always gone quickly. What I like about making this recipe is that you choose what you put into it. I stay away from commercial products like mayonnaise that has soy or canola oil in the ingredients. You can make your own mayonnaise using just olive oil. You can also make your own yogurt and apple cider vinegar. This recipe easily doubles or triples.   Ingredients ½ cup Plain Yogurt (not Greek style) 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise 1 …