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Those of us who are Baby Boomers — or older — remember our mothers serving us fantastic and hearty meals that were delicious, nutritious and creative. Unlike the recipes we see on the Food Network, they didn’t require you to spend a day combing specialty food stores for rare and costly ingredients, or investing hours in the kitchen. We’ve culled some favorite recipes from the mothers of Midwest Today staffers and urge you to try them. TURKEY/SPINACH MEATLOAF Heat oven to 400°. Soften tomatoes according to package directions; coarsely chop and set aside. In small skillet, cook spinach and onion over low heat 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in cheese; set aside. In large bowl, combine turkey, oats, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, milk and sun-dried tomatoes; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape 2/3 of turkey mixture into 9 x 6-inch loaf in 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Make deep indentation down center of turkey mixture, leaving about 1-1/2 inches around edges of loaf; fill with spinach mixture. Top with remaining turkey mixture to completely cover spinach filling; pinch edges to seal. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with fork. SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM Butter a 2-quart casserole and layer 1/3 of potatoes over the bottom. Sprinkle salt, pepper and celery salt, onion, flour, 1-1/2 tablespoon butter and some grated cheese to cover. Add small bits of ham over the layer. Repeat all this once and then end with full layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with butter and cheese, salt and pepper. Pour scalded milk over the potatoes. Bake at 375° covered, 60 minutes or more. BROCCOLI CORN BAKE Mix together corn, cooked broccoli, egg, 1/2 cup cracker crumbs, onion, 2 Tablespoons butter, salt and pepper. Pour into a greased one quarter casserole. In a small bowl, combine remaining crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over vegetables. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven 35 to 40 minutes. CREAMED CABBAGE Shred cabbage and cook 9 minutes in boiling, salted water. Remove cabbage, drain well, and place in buttered 1-1/2 quart casserole. Melt butter in pan, stir in flour and salt; cook until smooth. Add milk gradually. Continue stirring until thick. Pour sauce over cabbage and sprinkle bread crumbs over top. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes or until crumbs are brown. CARROT SALAD Cook raisins briefly with a little water just to plump them. Drain. Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate before putting in the mayonaise and sugar mixture. Add last two ingredients a half hour before serving and chill again. If it gets a little runny, drain excess liquid. HONEY BAKED SQUASH Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the squash cut sides down in shallow ovenproof dish and add enough boiling water to come to a depth of 1/2-inch. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes. Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, then add the honey, figs, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Carefully pour off the water from the baking tin containing the squash and turn the squash cut sides up. Fill the hollows with the fig mixture then return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately. APPLE PUDDING CAKE Dissolve 2 level Tablespoons cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold milk. Pour slowly into hot milk (off heat), stirring quickly so it won’t get lumpy. Then put back on medium heat and bring to boiling until it thickens. (Be careful because this scorches easily). Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tablespoons liquor with a little butter. Pour over individual servings of cake and serve warm. CUSTARD PIE Beat egg slightly (yolks should be thoroughly and evenly combined with the whites). Add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle nutmeg over top. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center of filling comes out clean. Hint: The crust usually is soft because of the liquid poured into it. In such cases, suggestions are to pre-bake the crust a little — 5 to 7 minutes. Do not prick crust. To prevent it from bubbling up, lay a piece of foil over crust and sides. Fill with dried beans as a weight to keep the unpricked crust from bubbling up. Remove, then pour in filling. Enjoy! Copyright 2009 by Midwest Today. All rights reserved. |
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