Zucchini is here!

8/18/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Zucchini anyone?

Today’s column is all about zucchini. My husband has already walked in the house multiple times this month announcing that “Zucchini man is here!” All winter long I yearn for fresh zucchini and now I’m overwhelmed! It is in full swing so it’s time to dig out my recipes and decide how many ways we can enjoy it this summer.

One of today’s recipes is for stuffed zucchini. It was born in the 1980s when a customer walked through the door of our restaurant and gifted us with some huge 22-inch long zucchinis. “See what you can do with these,” he said. We came up with a variable ingredients stuffed Bell Pepper type filling and it immediately became our best-selling summer lunch special.

The other recipes are for simple side dishes because...who likes to cook in this heat? The final two are my favorite way to eat zucchini—a chocolate cake and a simple sweet bread that is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Enjoy!

FYI: You will love today’s first recipe because it has nothing to do with cooking! Many years ago, I solicited zucchini recipes from readers. I still have dozens of them in my file. This one was from my friend Carol Pryor. She left this earth too soon but I still laugh every time I read her tongue-in-cheek advice:

BEST ZUCCHINI RECIPE EVER

(Carol Pryor 2001)

1 bushel zucchini

1 raincoat

1 pair of sunglasses

A moderately fast car

                           

Directions: Go to s busy parking lot. Drive around until you find an unlocked car. Put the zucchini in the back seat and drive away FAST before you are discovered!

CORN and ZUCCHINI MEDLEY

4 slices bacon

2 cups chopped zucchini

1-1/2 cups fresh corn

1 small onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

¼ cup Jack Cheese

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Sauté the zucchini, corn and onion over medium heat in the bacon drippings until tender-crisp, about 10 min. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in half of the crumbled bacon and spoon vegetables into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining bacon. Serves 4-5.

ZUCCHINI GARDEN SALAD

4 tomatoes, chopped or cut into quarters

1 medium zucchini, sliced and then halved

Fresh basil (or dried)

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup red onion, minced

Italian Dressing to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate. Serve cold on a bed of lettuce.

KAISER’S COUNTRY DINER STUFFED ZUCCHINI

1 huge zucchini

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

½ bell pepper, diced

1 cup cooked brown or white rice

2 8 ounce cans Hunts tomato sauce with basil, garlic and oregano

Other seasonings: garlic salt, pepper, basil, Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350° F. and line a baking pan with foil

Wash and split the zucchini lengthwise. Scope out the middle and discard. Steam the shells in the microwave about 3-4 min. Drain and set aside.

Cook the ground beef, onion and bell pepper in a skillet until meat is done. Drain well. Add the rice and 1 can tomato sauce to the meat mixture with other seasonings as desired. Spoon into the zucchini shells and top with the other can of tomato sauce and your choice of cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Serves 8 or more depending on size.

CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKE

Southern Living 2002

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

3 cups granulated sugar

3 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate baking squares, melted

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 cups grated zucchini (about 5)

1 cup pecans, chopped

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine first 4 ingredients and set aside. 

Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add granulated sugar; beat until blended. Add chocolate and oil; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Fold in zucchini and pecans. Pour batter into a well-greased and floured Bundt pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 12.

Kaiser’s Country Diner Zucchini Bread

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Beat together until blended:

3 eggs

2-1/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups grated zucchini

Add:

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Spray 2 large or 3 small loaf (bread) pans with cooking oil.

Bake 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool, slice and serve at breakfast, with luncheon salads or a bedtime dessert.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

STRAWBERRY TIME IN OREGON!

6/20/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Oregon strawberries: Sweeter. Redder. Better.

It’s strawberry time in Oregon! This is your official reminder that the season is short—so you’d better get them while you can. Oregon strawberries are known for their deep red color, intense sweetness and short storage life. The fresh berries stay on the vine and ripen slowly to allow the sugars to increase until ready for harvest.

According to the Oregon strawberries website, not many are sold fresh. Some are picked and sold at produce stands but mostly they are processed into sliced or whole frozen berries. That way they retain their summer freshness for us to enjoy all year long. So, if you want fresh berries, you’d better hurry and get them at a stand near you soon.

Chuck’s garden produces strawberries a handful at a time. Just enough for a bowl of cereal or maybe a couple of strawberry shortcakes. Sadly, Eden Valley Farm out Mosby Creek has no strawberries this year. They are taking orders for other berries but no strawberries. So now I’m on the hunt for another berry farm. Darn.

I love to make strawberry shortcake the old-fashioned way served on biscuits. It’s easy to whip up a batch of biscuits to serve buttered and warm, under spoonful’s of berries and whipped cream. Hint: Sometimes I cheat and use Bisquick.

Several batches of frozen strawberry freezer jam are also a must at our house. It’s quick and easy and stores in your freezer for months. We eat ours on ice cream, pancakes and anything else that needs a bit of summer sunshine. I also like a nice luncheon dish with berries. A chicken salad with berries is a nice Sunday supper dish for company. Serve with hot biscuits or fresh sour dough bread. Try it. You’ll like it! Enjoy.

 STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 quart whole berries)

4 cups sugar

1 package powdered pectin

1 cup water

Prepare fruit: Sort and wash fully ripe berries. Remove caps and stems; crush berries.

Place prepared berries in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Let stand for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Dissolve pectin in water and boil for 1 min. Add pectin solution to berry and sugar mixture. Stir for 2 minutes. Pour jam into freezer containers or canning jars, leaving ½ inch space at the top. Cover containers and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours or until jam has set. Makes 5 small jam jars.

Store uncooked jams in refrigerator or freezer. They can be held up to 3 weeks in the frig or up to a year in the freezer. Do not store at room temperature. They will mold or ferment. Once a container is opened, jam should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days.

Note: If jam is too firm, stir to soften. If it tends to separate, stir to blend. If it is too soft, bring it to a boil. It will thicken on cooking.

STRAWBERRY CHICKEN SALAD

1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped chutney (or bottled)
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 pints hulled fresh Oregon strawberries, divided
Iceberg or Butter lettuce leaves or chopped Romaine lettuce

In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, chutney, lime zest, salt, curry powder and lime juice. Add chicken, celery and onion; toss, cover and chill.

Just before serving, slice enough strawberries to make 2 cups; gently toss with chicken mixture. Line platter or individual serving plates with lettuce. Mound chicken salad in center. Garnish with remaining 1 cup whole strawberries. Serves 4.

OLD-FASHIONED STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup+2 tablespoons shortening

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening to fine pieces. Stir in buttermilk to soft dough. Round up the dough on a floured, cloth-covered board. Knead lightly. Roll or pat out about 1/2 inch thick. Cut. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown 12-15 min. Cool slightly. Serves 6.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING

4 cups strawberries (or more).

1 cup sugar (or to taste

½ teaspoon cinnamon

A few spoonsful of cold water

Wash and drain berries. Pick them over. Remove stems and hulls. Slice and put them in a bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon and water. Refrigerate. To serve, split and butter biscuits. Top with strawberries and garnish with whipped cream.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Memorial Day memories and picnics

5/23/18 Cook’s Corner

Memorial Day food for thought

Memorial Day is a bitter-sweet holiday. It’s a day to fly the flag while you enjoy your holiday picnic. First and foremost it’s a day of remembrance. A day to honor the men and women in our military. It is a day to remember that when they signed up, all of them were willing to die for their country. It is a time to remember those who died in service and those who fought and survived. It’s a time to remember those who are currently serving.

In our family, we did that by attending the local Memorial Day parade. When the kids were little they would dress in red, white and blue; sit on the curb and wave their little flags as the parade passed by. They quickly learned to stand up, take their hats off, put their hands over their hearts and respectfully salute every flag. Later, in their teen years they marched in those same parades. Kathy was a cheer leader. Jeff played the trumpet and John the trombone in their high school bands.

We do this in remembrance of two of my uncles who served in WWII. Missouri farm boys, they both enlisted early on. Uncle Red served in the Air Force in England that worked on the fighter planes and endured the raids of the German Luftwaffe. His brother Lee, enlisted in the Army, and served in the Battle of Normandy. He was mentally mortally wounded and would sadly, never be the same.

So, this year, as usual, my husband will don his US Army hat and we will pay tribute to all those in the military by attending the Memorial Day Celebration in downtown Cottage Grove. It begins at 11 a.m. at the CG Armory and then a procession from the Armory to the Memorial Park at River Rd. and Main St. Members of motorcycle groups and people on foot are led by the police and a bag piper, to the park where the event ends with a speaker and a 21-gun salute. I hope to see you there.

If you miss the parade, there is also a National Moment of Remembrance that encourages Americans to stop whatever they’re doing, at 3 p.m. (local time), for a moment of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the U.S. Founder Carmella LaSpada says, “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

After that, most of us will join family and friends for a picnic bar-b-que. Today’s recipe is a side dish that can be prepared in advance to go with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken or ribs. Enjoy! And God bless America!

FARFALLE GARDEN PASTA SALAD

1 (16 ounce) box farfalle pasta

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

½ pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 medium carrots, shredded, rinsed, and drained well

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 (4 oz.) package crumbled feta cheese

2 green onions, trimmed and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or ½ teaspoon dried)

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Cook farfalle according to package directions. Drain well and put in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, tossing to coat. Set aside and prepare vinaigrette and vegetables.

Vinaigrette: Whisk together vinegar, lemon rind and mustard in a small bowl; gradually add remaining olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking until blended. Set aside.

Cover green beans and zucchini in salted water and boil 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain. Mix with shredded carrots and set aside.

Toss together pasta, with vegetables. Drizzle and mix with half the vinaigrette. Add the tomatoes, feta, green onions and spices to the pasta and veggies. Add the remaining vinaigrette and mix well. Cover and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

A tasty vegetable dish for everyone

4/25/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

In 1971, Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moor Lappe became a best seller. His book encouraged people to eat meatless meals and stop wasting the world’s resources. His personal research on world hunger issues had convinced him that because it took so much grain to feed cattle that eating meat was an enormous waste.

Vegetarians in other countries were common but Americans were slow to embrace this new concept. Some vegetarians are Lacto-ovo and eat no meat but will eat dairy products and eggs. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no meat or dairy products. Vegans eat no meat or animal products. Most of us still only eat veggies as a side dish. And statistics vary on what percentage of us identify as non-meat eaters. Some sources say that as much as 6% of the population are vegetarian or vegan.

My son, Jeff, is a vegan. Let me tell you, that diet is not for the faint of heart (pun intended). It is a complete way of living. The vegan diet and lifestyle excludes all animal products in any form. That includes meat, eggs and dairy or any other products of animal origin such as cheese, sour cream, etc. Also, no animal clothing such as leather shoes, etc.   

Jeff became a vegan many years ago because of our family history of high cholesterol and heart disease. Evidence is overwhelming that a well-balanced vegetarian diet is better for you than a meat based diet. Countless studies have shown that a nutritious, plant-based diet will result in a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and more.

Our family, however, is still a mixed group. We can’t give up our eggs and cheese! Most of us are meat eaters but Jeff and his wife Andrea are living proof that their vegan diet is doable and it dramatically lowered his cholesterol. However, it is a balancing act to get enough protein.

So, when they come to our house, in addition to vegetables, I stock up on soy products like tofu and tempeh, rice, beans, hummus and a multitude of other things from Trader Joes. Today, the purpose of my column was to research and find a veggie burger recipe to share with them and you. I regret to tell you that the one I found was too long to print! You can find it and other vegetarian recipes at: www.ohsheglows.com.

My next choice was to find a new way to serve two veggies that are in season right now—broccoli and Brussels sprouts. We seem to eat a lot of broccoli at our house and my husband loves sprouts. I ended up with a combination of the sprouts and broccolini (a hybrid of broccoli and kale).

This recipe is different and will really perk up your taste buds. It’s way more tasty than a run-of-the-mill steamed version of either vegetable. Try it. You’ll like it. Enjoy!

MAPLE and BALSAMIC BRUSSELS SPROUTS

1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts

1 bunch broccolini or other seasonal veggie, such as cauliflower

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

a few handfuls of arugula

¼ cup dried cranberries

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Remove the outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Chop the broccolini into bite-sized pieces.

Spread the vegetables on one or two large baking sheets. Roast the broccolini on a separate sheet because it takes less time. Drizzle with the olive oil, maple syrup, and balsamic and season with pinches of salt and pepper. Toss until well-coated. Drizzle a little more on the Brussels sprouts and a little less on the broccolini since it takes more to get the Brussels sprouts to tenderize.

Roast the broccolini for 20 minutes, until browned but not burnt. Toss halfway through. Roast the Brussels sprouts for 45 minutes, until browned and caramelized. Toss halfway through. Watch and adjust the timing to whenever they look done, and don’t be afraid to deeply caramelize them.

Once roasted, set aside and let cool to about room temperature. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt, pepper, maple syrup, or vinegar as needed. You can roast the veggies a few hours in advance. They improve as they sit and the flavors meld together. Warm just before serving.

Toss the warm veggies with the arugula and cranberries. Taste again, adjusting seasoning to your taste. Serves 3-4.

Note: Recipe is from Jeanine Donofrio.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal with Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner

Contact her by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Easter desserts: Milwaukee Schaum Torte and Mini-Cheesecakes

3/28/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Easter came early this year. So, my mind started wandering down the path of wondering why the date and month vary from year to year. I looked it up and of course, the explanation was complicated. I chose the following because I could understand it. It is from the Roman Catholic church’s Loyola Press:

“In the early days of our Church (like today), there were many different beliefs. The society was agricultural and many religions used the seasons to celebrate special feasts. It was important, in teaching about Jesus, to have people connect the Gospel message to their daily lives. Since Jesus' resurrection was the beginning of a whole new life and occurred so near the spring feasts, it was determined that Easter would always be calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (that is, the first day of spring).”

Got it? Me too. Now we can start thinking about what we’ll be serving for Easter dinner. Most of us don’t vary the entrée and side dishes that we serve on that day. Some families enjoy baked ham, others eat prime rib. Vegetarians might enjoy a grilled vegetable platter with Portobello mushrooms. Still others may choose not to cook and go out to dinner at a restaurant instead.

After a big meal, my family looks forward to a nap and then something special for dessert. Spring has sprung and our tastes have lightened up but we all crave a sugary treat. Our tummies may be full from dinner but we all want to know—what’s for dessert?

Now, take it from me. If you’re having company, try any new recipe before you have company. Friends recently invited us to dinner and I offered to bring dessert. I tried a quick lemon cheesecake. I still don’t know where I went wrong but it didn’t set up and was tasteless. It was too late for a do-over, I took it, we ate some and threw the rest away. Embarrassing? You bet.

Following are two tried-and-true recipes. My husband’s grandmother and her sister were great cooks. They owned a German bakery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their maiden names were “Butter.” (That’s the truth.) Following is a Schaum Torte recipe, one of their family’s favorite desserts.  Also, if you want to feed cheese cake to a crowd, try the Philadelphia Mini-Cheesecake recipe. Delicious. Enjoy!

MILWAUKEE SCHAUM TORTE

Torte shell:

6 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring.

Preheat oven at 250° for one hour.

Butter a 9-inch spring form pan

In large mixing bowl, beat room temperature egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high speed until very stiff peaks form.

Pour into pan, place in oven and bake for one hour. Turn off oven, leave door shut and let stay in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven to cool.

Betty’s Pineapple filling:

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch’

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually stir in pineapple juice. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 min. Remove from heat, stir in butter and lemon juice. Cool thoroughly.

Whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla

 Beat cream until nearly stiff, gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff.

To assemble:

Remove torte from pan. Spread filling across top and finish with whipped cream. Slice and serve 10 lucky guests.

EASTER MINI-CHEESECAKES

Kraft recipe

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons coconut

54 speckled chocolate eggs

Heat oven to 325° F.

Mix graham crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter; press into the bottoms of 18 paper lined muffin cups.

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar with mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Spoon onto crusts in pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon toasted coconut shaped into a nest. Fill each nest with 3 speckled chocolate eggs. Serves 18.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at bchatty@bettykaiser.com

1929 grocery prices and recipes

2/28/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Someone recently asked me where I find all my recipes. Well, some of them used to come to me in the mail. Snail mail! The hand-written kind on recipe cards mailed with postage stamps. Back in the day, I was writing this column weekly. One summer I remember asking readers for zucchini recipes. I was inundated with mail from up and down the Oregon coast and California. I still use some of those recipes.

Well, I recently received not one but two pieces of chatty news and real-mail recipes. One was from a reader thanking me for last month’s chicken pot pie recipe. She, like me, had been having trouble finding just the right combination of ingredients. My recipe (courtesy of Maryana Vollstedt and Betty Crocker) worked for her too. Yea! Thank you, my friend.

Then, a bulky letter arrived from Kitty, in So. California that said, “I was thinking of you while going through my late, great-aunt Mildred’s things and came across this.” Imagine my surprise when I unfolded a huge yellowed newspaper sheet from the Portland “Morning Oregonian,” dated Sat. April 20, 1929! The sheet is 17” wide X 23” long.

One side of the paper has West Coast and International news. The other includes tidbits similar to what a former colleague and I worked on reviving. It includes a cooking tips column, recipes, grocery ads, handy hints from readers, social news—i.e. house-guests, fashion tips and more.

So, pour yourself a cup of tea, sit down and share this blast from the past with me. Mind you, this paper was published before the Great Wall Street Crash October 24, 1929. The average family income was less than $200 per month but enough to put food on the table and set some money aside for a rainy day. Income plummeted as the Great Depression set in.

Life was good in that pre-depression era and new-fangled things like Tater Flakes were being introduced. You know, crisp, crunchy potato chips! Frye’s Meat Guide was available for 3¢ postage. If you were having a party you could order a birthday cake from the Bake Rite Bakery. On Saturday, a three-layer Strawberry filled cake (regular 45¢) was only 38¢!  

The MacMarr Stores had three locations in Portland and their prices were enticing. i.e. Libby canned milk was 3 cans for 25¢; 1 pound of coffee was 48¢ but 3 pounds was only $1.39; 19 POUNDS of sugar was $1; 2 dozen eggs were 57¢; a fresh, 3 bulk pounds of pure lard was only 45¢; a large bottle of Del Monte Catsup was 19¢ and a one-pound tall can of salmon was 20¢ each or 3 for 59¢.

Handy hints? A Grant’s Pass woman won a prize for her kitchen shears suggestion. My favorite was a way to save time when sewing buttons on a child’s coat or shoes (!). The suggestion was to pull the thread through a piece of beeswax to strengthen it and hold the buttons longer. It still works.

 In “Expert Cooking Now Made Simple” columnist Jeannette Cramer extoled the many radio programs, newspaper and magazine articles that were now available to train women to become good cooks. There were now resources and practical answers for budding homemakers.

Radio host Betty Baker was one of those sources. The Oregonian printed 15 of her recipes! Whew. Recipes in tiny print cover half of that huge page. They include Curried Spinach, Pork Threads, Baked Ham with New Potatoes in Cream and several desserts. I chose the following for their simplicity and similarity to ones that I have baked or eaten in my lifetime. Remember cooking in a double boiler? Now we use the microwave. Enjoy!

LEMON CHIFFON PIE

1 cup sugar (divided)

3 eggs, separated

5 tablespoons hot water

Juice and rind 1 lemon

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 small baked pie shell

Combine ½ cup sugar and beaten egg yolks and then add hot water. Mix thoroughly. Cook in top double boiler until thick. Add lemon juice and rind. Beat egg whites until stiff and beat in second ½ cup sugar. When thick, add baking powder and fold the first mixture into this (egg yolk mixture). Pour into baked pastry shell and bake in moderate 350° oven. Garnish with whipped cream.

CABBAGE with SAUSAGE—CREOLE

1 dozen sausages

½ pound fresh pork

1 large head cabbage

1 tablespoon oil

Salt

Red Pepper pod—1/2” long (or red pepper flakes)

(Betty’s note: Sauté some peppers and onions with the meat; add some chicken broth)

Shred cabbage and cook in boiling water 10 minutes. Drain. Sauté sausages and pork cut into very small pieces. When almost done, add cabbage, red pepper and seasonings (and broth). Simmer 5 minutes. Serve hot with rice and buttered corn bread.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at  bchatty@bettykaiser.com