Women's Heart Health Goes Red Deliciously

Hearts collide in February here at Potluck Paradise headquarters, No, we're not talking about lover's spats, we're celebrating the double-duty heart benefits of Valentine's Day celebrations and the American Heart Month promoting heart health especially among women. Well, what could be better to celebrate our Potluck Paradise National Potluck Month than a Red Dress -- Red Dinner. Although we're more likely to wear a red sweater and jeans.

Enough healthy red foods come to mind to easily fill a potluck table. Whole-wheat pasta tossed with tomatoes and red peppers, or in a red marinara sauce. Salmon is kind of red and then there is red snapper. We could even include some red meat -- a nice piece of lean steak -- smaller than a deck of cards, mind you -- with all the fat trimmed. Of course there are bushels of red vegetables! Tomatoes and red potatoes are too easy. What about red radishes in a non-fat dip, delicious red beets either simply roasted or slivered into a saucepan in the recipe below. Red cabbage is one our favorites. This recipe has all the flavor and hardly any fat. Just two tablespoons of butter for a whole head. 



WWI Victory Red Cabbage
4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Soak the cabbage briefly in cold water. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and seasonings and cook until the onion is transparent, stirring frequently. Drain the cabbage and add to the frying pan carefully as the water clinging to the shreds will tend to spatter. Cover and cook over low heat until the cabbage is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove lid, add the vinegar and sugar, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes.

This is a quick and delicious way to prepare beets. It is a little messy to peel and then slice the raw beets. But the flavor is well worth it. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of slices and how young, or old, the beets are. 
Luscious Steamed Red Beets
3 to 4 red beets
4 large lettuce leaves
grated peel from one orange
Peel the beets and slice very thinly on a vegetable slicer -- about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. Take a heavy bottomed 2-to 3-quart saucepan with a lid. Put about a half inch of water in the pan. Put in two lettuce leaves and then put in the beet slices, sprinkling them with orange rind as you fill the pot. Put remaining two lettuce leaves on top. Cook over low heat until the beets are tender, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so that the water does not completely evaporate! You can eat or discard the lettuce.

And now for dessert!

We're skipping the red velvet cake or chocolate dipped strawberries and suggesting red pears with raspberry sorbet and maybe just a drizzle of dark chocolate. Use the pears just as they are, or poach in a light syrup. You could even use canned pears if you are in a rush. If you do use raw pears, toss them with a bit of lemon juice after you cut them so they don't turn brown as quickly.

Hearty Cornmeal Waffles Stretch Leftovers Deliciously

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters getting the most from our food dollars is an essential. Good use of leftovers is key to that success.  Now anyone can toss the bits of meat and vegetables into a sauce, add some noodles as the "fill them up" starch and a buttered crumb topping and... Ta-DA -- casserole that elevates the humblest bits into a casserole fit for tasty mealtime--call it a hot dish if you live in Minnesota--but that's a saga for another time.

We've learned, however, that families thrive on variety. And not all meats, especially those with a distinctively tasty sauce do well combined with cream sauce.  A childhood memory got us thinking about new ways to combine leftover meats and a tasty starch. When we were kids our mothers sometimes brought the waffle iron into the dining room. Set it up on a tv tray and made waffles to order for dinner. We ate them the standard way with maple syrup and butter. Looking back, I suspect we did it at the end of the month when money was tight.

Recently, waffles and fried chicken have become a popular food combination on food shows, restaurants, and even some fast food places.

Sorry, but those ordinary waffles don't stand up to the ones we make here in the Potluck Paradise kitchens. Since we discovered these hearty cornmeal waffles from World War I wheat-stretching days, they are the only kind we make for breakfast AND as a superb base for leftover barbecued chicken. They are leavened with sour milk and baking soda, creating a light, and yet sturdy, treat.

The hearty rice and cornmeal texture is the tasty counterpoint to savory toppings. We're suggesting leftover barbecued chicken here, but they work equally well with creamed chicken, vegetables in cheese sauce, or even pork or beef stew. The pockets nicely hold sauces in place so you get deliciousness in every bite. The platform really makes the leftover bits of meat or vegetables go a long way to satisfy a hungry family.

Oh, yes.  They are tasty for breakfast as well. We frequently make a double batch and freeze the waffle squares. They toast up perfectly in the toaster. Just put it on low and toast them twice flipping them over in between.

Tasty World War I Rice and Cornmeal Waffles 

1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup milk
1 cup cooked rice, cooled -- we prefer brown rice or even wild rice. White rice will work, just don't use the instant kind
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat your waffle iron. Put the vinegar in a glass mixing cup and add milk to the one-cup mark. Stir and set aside for about five minutes as it sours. In a medium mixing bowl combine the rice, cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt if you are using it. Stir in the sour milk, mixing well to break up any lumps of rice. Stir in the melted butter and eggs. Cook waffles according to the directions of your waffle iron.

Makes about 6 4-inch "Belgian" waffle squares.

Copyright 2015 Rae Katherine Eighmey  All rights reserved

Preserve! Leftover Fruit

Cold and stormy winter days make us long for warm and delicious treats.  And one thing Potluck Paradise has taught us . . . adapting recipes can bring surprising deliciousness. Nothing proves this more than the Apple Preserve we developed for our book talk at the La Crescent Public Library. During our early summer tour through southwest Minnesota strawberry country, we demonstrated making 2 Ingredient, 2 Hour Strawberry Preserves. Now that we were heading into harvest and apple country, we wondered what would happen if we tried the same simple technique on apples.

Fabulous preserves!

Unexpectedly, but logically, the same preserving-sugar magic interaction that keeps strawberries whole, works with apple shreds. The resulting lusciousness is unlike anything we've ever had and is a new favorite. The McIntosh apples -- usually a variety that cooks into soft sauce, delicious spicy apple butter, or strains into clear jelly -- holds up perfectly. Pure sweet apple flavor, great on toast, yummy on ice cream or pound cake and wonderful on a ham sandwich.

It couldn't be easier. Or tastier. We gave a jar to a friend and her husband opened it. He said that it tasted like an unusually delicious honey, as he ate spoon after spoon. 

Amazing Apple Preserves

2 cups grated McIntosh apples

(grated on the large side of a box grater)

2 cups sugar

Mix apples and sugar and let stand for 2 hours or longer. Stir from time to time until sugar is dissolved. Put apples into a large saucepan, at least 3 quarts. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 2 pints.  Store the finished preserves in the refrigerator for up to a month, or in the freezer for longer. 

NOTE: other varieties of apples may work just fine, but I have only tested this with the McIntosh and Gala, other apples should cook and preserve the same way. Worst case, you'll have a potluck preserve that resembles apple butter.  That's not terrible. 

February is National Potluck Month...Again

Start off National Potluck Month with 

Tasty "Top of my Head" Cornbread

Once again, we're declaring that February is National Potluck Month here at Potluck Paradise headquarters. It just seems so right to celebrate this shortest month where, at least in the northern states, the days get dramatically longer. What better way can there be to take joy in friends and family with homey foods that just bring people together. We're not ending this sentence with a question mark because the answer is obvious!

There are the February holidays, of course. The middle of the month is chock full -- Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, and President's Day -- whew!  That will be some potluck!

This year we're also going to talk a bit about getting the most for your kitchen dollars. Yes, gas prices are down and we've not had to spend as much heating our homes as we did last year during the "polar vortex," but it never hurts to be penny wise and food-saving conscious.

We'll start the month off with a recipe we tossed together when we were in a rush, missing a starch to round out dinner, and couldn't find the exact recipe we remembered. This cornbread takes the best of a 19th-century version and makes it quick and delicious.  It is hardy and works nicely left over for breakfast, slightly warmed in a toaster oven or microwave with butter and maple syrup.

Top of My Head Cornbread

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup regular cornmeal, white or yellow
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a glass baking pan about 7 x 11 inches. (Note other pans will work. Fill them only half full. Metal pans will bake faster)

Put the water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Gradually stir in the 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal until well blended and smooth. Remove from heat and let stand about 5 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the regular cornmeal, baking soda and flour, mixing with a fork. Stir half the milk into the cooked cornmeal and then pour that mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the remaining milk and eggs. Mix well and spoon into the prepared baking pan.  Bake about 20 to 25 minutes until the cornbread just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Delicious served with butter, honey, or preserves.


Copyright 2015 Rae Katherine Eighmey All rights reserved.

Spectacular Squash Stew

Winter has been back and forth a few times these recent Minnesota days. And with the quixotic temperatures our appetites here at Potluck Paradise headquarters have slipped into wanting something both hearty and light.

I stood there in the grocery store looking at the wide array of fish, fowl, and meats. None of them "fell into the cart" with menu in hand.  Suddenly I remembered a years-ago recipe for squash stew. I hadn't made it in years.  I did a quick U-turn and headed back to the vegetable section. Amazingly, I remembered most of the ingredients. What I didn't recall in time to purchase, I discovered I already had in my pantry once I pulled the yellowed file card from the recipe box. Okay, I did make a substitution. I only had one can of white beans, so I put in a can of black-eyed peas left over from our New Year's Lucky Food dinner.

The stew turned out so well, I know it won't be years before I make it again.

I made a couple of loaves World War I wheat-stingy bread it has cornmeal and oatmeal in addition to some wheat flour. A slice or two nicely sopped up the stew's delicious juices. A couple of pickles on the side.  Yum!

As the days have continued to alternate between snow and cold with wonderful, warm snow-melting sun, we've gotten into a vegetarian kick here at headquarters. Once we no longer have to climb over snowdrifts to get to the grill we'll probably cook up some burgers or chops. But for now, this lighter vegetarian fare is just right.

Sensational Squash Stew

1 large butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 4 cups

2 cups unsalted vegetable or broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic, more or less to taste

2 green peppers, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 ribs celery cut in 1-inch slices

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cans chopped tomatoes

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon allspice

Combine the squash and broth in large saucepan and simmer over low heat until the squash is slightly cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Put the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until it is just beginning to turn transparent. Add the garlic and green paper. Saute a few minutes longer. Stir in the tomato sauce, cover and reduce heat and cook for about 5 minutes. In a large slow cooker or stockpot combine the squash and broth, the contents of the frying pan and the remaining ingredients. Cook over very low heat until the flavors are combines, about a half hour on top of the stove, or longer in the slow cooker. Serve with brown rice or crusty bread and a salad. 

Copyright 2013 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved.

Soup and Culture Snack Potluck

Girl Scout "Pigs in Potatoes" Snack

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we're not shy about borrowing--a cup of sugar, yesterday's newspaper, a really GREAT idea. So here is an idea we're sharing to celebrate our own National Potluck Month.

Back in January 2008, our friends Barbara and Chas made a resolution to do "one cultural thing each month." Unlike the resolutions we made in January 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. and 2012--they have kept it!  Now more than sixty exhibits, performances, concerts, lectures, public programs, discussions, and discoveries of charming museums later, they are still going strong. Barbara has posted some of their activities and discoveries on her Facebook page leading us to share in some of those adventures and find new places ourselves. 

We got to thinking not only is this a great idea, it is a terrific platform for a potluck party!  

So, now is the time to adopt this resolution and encourage your friends to do the same. Then, once a month, or once a quarter, have a Soup and Cultural Snack Potluck. Host family provides the big pot of soup. Everyone else brings the finger foods to share. Those foods--conversation starters--should represent something about the cultural event or trip from their recent visits. 

There are plenty of things to do in big cities and even the smallest towns have adventures if you go looking. Our favorite small town of Clear Lake, Iowa (population 8,000), has the Firehouse Museum, the Pioneering Museum, and the Arts Center and public library each with a variety of programs. And that's just scratching the surface.

Here in the Twin Cities cultural opportunities seem to be around every corner. While thinking about a recipe to include in this post, I decided to feature one of my favorite small community resources and museums. As February 8, 1910 is the officially recognized birthday of Boy Scouting in America, the North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting seemed a natural.  The museum is located just off Highway 36 in North St. Paul. They offer programs for the public and for scouting groups. Check their website for hours and opportunities. North Star Museum.

A while ago I did a program for the museum on old time scouting foods. Now I've adapted the Girl Scout hearty "pigs in potatoes" into a two-bite appetizer.  The flourless oatmeal cookies are easily made and a light end to a meal full of sharing. 

Girl Scout Pigs in Potatoes 

12 "B"-size red potatoes, pick ones that are about an inch diameter

1 package fully cooked "brown and serve" sausage links--one for each potato

1/2 cup finely grated Cheddar cheese--2 teaspoons for each potato

Scrub and gently boil the potatoes until tender. Cool and slice in half. With a small spoon scoop out a hollow bowl in the middle of the potato halves, reserving the scooped out potato bits. Cook the sausage according to package directions then dice. 

Combine the cooked potato, diced sausage and grated cheese. Gently press back into the potato shell. Warm under the broiler or in the microwave until the cheese melts. Serve hot or at room temperature. These can be prepared ahead and easily reheated. 

Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

2 eggs, beaten separately

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup nuts or coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. Combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat. Mix in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the baking powder, salt and oatmeal and nuts. Last, fold in the beaten egg whites. Drop onto greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let baked cookies sit on sheet for a minute and then remove to cooling rack. Yield: 6 dozen cookies

Copyright 2013 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved.

Let the Potluck Begin--with Super Leftovers!

The Super Party is Over.  The Ravens won and the 49ers put up a good second half.  The commercials had some winners and losers, too. The half-hour long game (and commercial) delay caused by the power outage may have caused guests to empty Super Party buffet tables more than usual, still, we're betting that there some leftovers tucked into cabinets and fridges. 

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters the month-long celebration of our very own "National Potluck Month" is just beginning. . . and beginning with the best makings for great "potlucks" in the first meaning of the word -- the luck of the pot. 

There are loads of opportunities for savvy and clever cooks to use the Super leftovers to make more meals and snacks. Of course in the name of food safety, any food--other than those which are temperature-stable such as chips, raw fruits and vegetables, or cheese--that has been sitting out for more than an hour or so should be discarded.  But for many of us, that still leaves a lot of possible, creative and money-saving possibilities. 

Here are seven ways of thinking about some of the most familiar Super Party leftovers. 

1.  Here in the northern Midwest, we know there is no better topping for a casserole or "hot dish" than crushed potato or corn chips.  Gather up all those crumbs and tuck them away. No need to make buttered crumbs when you have these tasty morsels at hand. 

2. When is a dip not a dip?  When you convert it into a sauce!  Even the smallest drib or drab of creamy dip can be mixed with cooked vegetables and a bit of milk to make a quick creamed vegetable.  Sour cream and onion dip mixed with cooked frozen spinach or boiled new potatoes, yum!  Add leftover salsa to cooked carrots, green beans, or corn, more yum!  You don't need a lot, even the last two tablespoons make a tasty difference. 

3. As the French say, "The sauce is everything!"  With leftover cheese, bits of ham or turkey, and even partial bottles of wine, you have the sauce makings for pasta, macaroni, vegetables, potatoes, or to pour over a toasted English muffin for a quick dinner.

4. Slightly wilted vegetables from the veggie tray slip right into soup stock.

5. Combine slighted fruits such as strawberries, apples or pineapple cubes with sugar and cook into sauces or ice cream toppings

6. The Avocado!!  Unopened ripe avocados will hold for a few days in the refrigerator. You can deploy ripe ones into mashed potatoes. Chop and mix the avocado with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to stop it from turning brown, then add to the potatoes and mash away!

7. Chicken Wings!!!! Reports surfaced over the weekend that more than one billion chicken wings were slated for Super Party platters.  The truly frugal among us would have gathered all those bones, combined them with water and some of the veggie tray leavings to simmer into a stock.  I'm not that thriftily willing to take something that has been in someone's mouth and make it into soup.  However, I would happily cook up any unconsumed wings after rinsing off the salt-containing sauce. 

Copyright 2013 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved