Welcome to Sundays with the Lechlers. This blog shares recipes and events in our lives. It's written for family and friends and people who like to cook and read about good food. We all live busy lives, so we set aside Sundays to rekindle.
A perfect day to start your holiday baking. Don't forget the week of the 20th Cook's Corner presents its cookie section and it is always a treat. If you are not into baking here are a couple of books that I have finished and have enjoyed...also perfect activity for a day like this: Lisa Gardner: Live to Tell; Invasion of privacy by O'shaughnessy Brooks came home for a long week end and brought me a new cookbook: Pat Conroy's Cookbook. I am enjoying reading it like a novel, as I do most cookbooks. Then there are the games on my tablet; another lovely activity. Enjoy the day.
I am having Thanksgiving cooking withdrawal. Luckily I am not going to be hosting the event this year although in truth, I really love doing it. But everyone needs a break and this year we will enjoy Beth's mother's New Orleans style Thanksgiving. The plans are made, the tickets are bought, the bed and breakfast booked, and the turkey left behind. We are looking forward to the fun with the Bettencourts. (Ann is a great cook!) Her onion pie....lovely. I am reading Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year with the recipes and story telling that saved her sanity after having Gourmet magazine go under leaving her high and dry after twenty years of being its editor. The story of this misadventure was nicely woven into the recipes that she made and served her loved ones and friends all of whom helped her through the ordeal. Ruth is a talented writer and three of her books helped me through some of the long Paris nights when I was making that trip every other month for several years. Truthfully those three books of hers are my favorite, but this one is also compelling to me. Read: Tender to the Bone; Comfort me with Apples; and Garlic and Sapphires...forget her novel Delicious. In My Kitchen Year Ruth gives her best tried and true turkey recipe after testing hundreds of turkey recipes for Gourmet. All you need is a super clean oven (or new ones like mine), a turkey, a rack and pan, a cup of water, and Bob's your uncle. Preheat your extremely clean oven to 450 degrees.(Unless you are inviting the firefighters for the meal.) Rinse and dry a 16 pound turkey. and bring it to room temperature. Put the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the bird in the oven and forget it for an hour. After an hour make sure the cup of water is still in the bottom of the pan, if it isn't add another cup. Rotate the pan in the oven for even cooking Cook for another hour or until the temperature inside the bird is 170 degrees. Take it out and let it rest and there you have it. She says nothing about seasoning the bird, so I would do it the way I always season turkey. It's just an idea, but after the fancy step work we usually go through, this might give a break to a tired cook. Let me know how this works for you. I found this picture on The English Kitchen site and thought of my old friend, Ruth Smith, who never had idle hands. She crochets several place mats and items shown below for me. I try to keep at least one example of her fine work out on display some place in my house. I like changing them every once in a while and smile when I remember our good times and trips which she took with Andy and me. RIP
I have a long 'to make' list especially after cruising Pinterest's food and drink. I will show some of my finds, but today I made split pea soup with ham and cauliflower. After all, it's fall at Many Branches.
To make~ These party sandwiches look delicious. I read the reviews and it was written that they might be a bit greasy and to be sure and use salted real butter, not margarine. (With real butter they are less greasy.) Other than that, there were rave reviews. If you tailgate, which I do not, I understand they are scarfed down in a hurry.
2 24 packs of King's Hawaiian Rolls (party potato rolls are okay too.)
1 pound shaved ham of your choice (they used Virginia ham)
24 slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I would use the hot German mustard.)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried onions
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
instructions
Slice the rolls in half, line the bottom of two 9x11 baking pans with the bottom halves of the rolls...24 in each pan. They should fit snugly. Spread the ham over the rolls and then layer the Swiss cheese on top. Cover with the other halves of the rolls. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, combine the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and dried onions. Over medium heat, stir until the butter has melted to create the sauce. USE REAL BUTTER ONLY. Pour equal parts of the sauce over the top of the two pans of rolls and then sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds. Cover the pans tightly with foil, and then refrigerate over night or at least three hours.
To bake
Oven should be ready at 350. Place the covered baking pans in the oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has finished melting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 48 mini sandwiches. Make your own.
My Homemade Baking Mix Recipe
Author: Karrie
Prep time:
Total time:
Ingredients
5 cups flour
¼ cup baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup Butter flavor shortening or butter
Instructions
Using a Kitchenaid mixer or food processor – blend in ingredients until powder.
Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.
If you use butter, baking mix needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer so that the butter wont go rancid. If using shortening, it can be stored in a cool, dry place.
I usually do about 3 batches of this recipe at once.
Ode to the Over-the-Rhine bloody Mary at The Eagle~
Beth and I had the most amazing week end with the Cincinnati Lechlers. We drove down early Saturday morning to Pam's house where we gathered for our first adventure of the day. (She had a lovely breakfast prepared for us. ) We had to take two cars and arrived at Jungle Jim's in good order. Six acres of craziness greeted us. We wanted to go in all directions at once, but caught ourselves in time. International products flooded our sight as we meandered through the store. We spend an hour and a half there, but I am sure one could spend the entire day exploring. We then felt lunch coming on and headed for Over-the-Rhine which is a downtown hot spot. It felt like New York City on a Saturday morning. People were everywhere walking their dogs, chatting on the street, and all of the eating places had a least an hour to wait because the people went up and down the street putting in their names and which ever vibrated first was the one where they ate. Mary and I sat at a bar and she had a glass of wine and I had, of all things, a long island ice tea. (That shocked about everyone including the bartender.) Yes, that early ! Beth joined us and also had a wine. Our buzzer announced lunch and we went to The Eagle where they served the most wonderful bloody Mary with bacon, kale, celery and liquid fire. Loved that too. This place was known for chicken so several people ordered chicken and each ordered a side and we all shared that. I had a shrimp po boy. The gabbing that went on included trip plans for Paris and Rome. Another girls (and I use that loosely) gone wild.
We then drove to Finlay market where there was a display of bacon like I had never seen. The butcher had dipped, soaked, marinated and encrusted bacon in ever ingredient known to man. They had a giant pumpkin carved with cooked bacon hanging out of its mouth. We had lovely gelato and called a halt to the excursion about 5:00.
We got back to Glenda and Joe's with all our booty (which Pam and George kindly iced and packed for the journey home the next day) and settled in for dinner, cards, and the OSU football game. Much later Beth stayed at Pam's and I spent the night at Joe and Glenda's. We both agreed it was special and hoped to do it again soon. (P.S. Andy couldn't go because he had two tests at Ohio State to study for on Tuesday : Physics and World War history. You do know he is 80 years old, right? Keeping fit and smart. That's my man.
And so it begins...Mary Alice in the pink, Kathy, Pam, Beth and Pam Taylor
This is a really giant cauliflower from Jungle Jim's and I have only used 1/2 of it so far.
This was at the bacon counter--yes, that is fried bacon sticking out of its mouth. We (Beth and I) bought cauliflower the size of a big man's head so I started in on a dish as soon as I made it to my kitchen. We still have kale and tomatoes from the garden so I made kale chips and they were delicious with the roasted cauliflower.
Picture to right: Pam's kitchen on another get together with Mary Susan this time.
This may be hard to believe, but I have never made, cooked, or eaten a sloppy Joe. This morning I was reading Cook's Corner (after all, it is Wednesday) and there was a recipe for that sandwich. I tried to recall making it or eating it, but gave up. I think back when it came in a can was when it was rejected. That and I figure the filling makes the bun soggy and I dislike a wet piece of bread. Perhaps if the bun is buttered and toasted to a crunch I could gag it down or maybe even like it if I could get the 'manwich' image out of my head. (That is what it was called, I think.) It seems to me to be thick chili on a bun. but then I am no expert. The recipe given here was from Betty Crocker back in 1991, but I am sure this sandwich came to light way before then. 1 pound ground beef (I would probably add some Bob Evans Zesty sausage in that as well for a little kick) At this time of year I put that sausage in about everything but pie. 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/3 cup ketchup 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper sauce Put it all in a skillet and let it cook 10-15 minutes and slap it on a bun...if you want to. I was not too impressed with today's recipes in Cook's Corner but she can't hit a home run every time. Since there are six acres of products at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati waiting for exploration Saturday when , as Pam calls it, 'girls gone wild' hit the store, I expect there to be many things to write about and pictures to show, so stay tuned. Phones tell the story in a hurry these days. So far there are seven of us with three more meeting for lunch and a second market to plunder. The guys will be waiting for us to come home to drinks, cards, and dinner which, hopefully they will come up with because we will be coming down with a case of shopping vapors. Cute idea from Mennonite Girls can Cook and Pinterest. Book related: I found a pair of sisters whom I had never read before. As I was getting books ready to be taken to some nursing homes I found this book Acts of Malice by Perri O'Shaughnessy. I started it and later could not put it down. I am about to look for their other offerings.
People are so creative. This is a candy corn witch for your door. This Saturday Beth and I leave for Cincinnati and a girls gone wild day out with ten ladies of Cincinnati. It may take two cars to get us to our destinations, but we will get there for sure. I have new shoes that should take me through the six acres with no trouble at all.
The doctor would not give me a cortisone shot for my leg. He said I should get shoes with structure.(He was right, so it seems.) Have you ever been in one of those store that fit your shoes as they once did years ago, measuring and inserting and blessing you with movable body parts once you find the right fit? Easton Shoes has been in business for many years. Beth and I went on Sunday to return a pair that was not working to exchange for a different brand. The place was so crowded with bad feet that each worker had three customers at a time and yet found time to fit us all...for a great deal of money. The are designer shoes of a different kind and just as expensive...but not as pretty. I am satisfied and think my boots are stylish and even one of the pairs of shoes is just as perky as the boots, but it is the Mary Jane's that will carry me through the day. (They are made in Austria and it's a Finn brand that suit my needs.)
Don't these nuts look delicious with both white and black sesame seeds?
2 cups cashews
3 tablespoons of white and black sesame seeds
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons coconut oil
mix together, place on baking sheet spread out mixture
broil 5 minutes or until each piece is crunchy and a little brown
toss with kosher salt to taste and enjoy
You must make this in a loaf pan. It calls for a tube pan, but this is SOOO much better! sof'ella's spice swirl cake mix from World Market. It is wonderful.
I have made it in a tube pan, but the loaf pan works so much better--all from my new ovens which have been working over time.
TWO NEW OVENS FOR MY BAKING STATION. I AM BAACCCK.
Do you think I have enough dinner plates? Beth just reorganized this French (built in) plate rack and I am admiring her good job. Ray Mayo built this for me when we redid the entire kitchen. Love it. I do love Cook's Corner now that Lisa Abraham has taken over and brought it back to its once great Wednesday glory. Today was a good one. Even though you would have to whack me several times to get me to tailgate, one recipe that I found delicious was printed today and can be used, in my case, for everything BUT a tailgate but if you like those events, it is built for that as well. Reuben dip~ 1 pound sauerkraut, well drained 1.2 pound chopped corned beef 1/2 pound Swiss cheese 2 heaping tablespoons mayo 2 heaping tablespoons grainy mustard party rye bread or rye bread slices (those firm little squares of rye bread) In a slow cooker (love my slow cookers) combine all the ingredients and turn to high. Let simmer until cheese is completely melted and all ingredients are hot. Stir so that everything is well combined. Spoon on party rye bread. Lisa reminded us that November 20 is the day the large cookie recipe section is due on our doorsteps. I have several years of these squirreled away and had at least one recipe in last year's section. I submitted the rich filled cookie recipe this year and Lisa wrote they were now testing each recipe and she has the pleasure of tasting every entry. Lisa also loves beets, as do I. I take them in any form and enjoy the presentation. Roasted beet and avocado salad 1 pound beets, peeled and cut into pieces olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 cups mixed salad greens 1 avocado, sliced thinly (I would toss in lemon juice to hold the color) 1/4 cup red diced onion 1/2 cup walnut pieces Balsamic vinegar to taste Heat oven to 400. Place beets on a sheet pan drizzled with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Salt and pepper Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes or until fork tender. When beets are softened and slightly blistered, remove from oven and cool. Arrange the ingredients to suit your eye for beauty and taste Sprinkle the walnuts on top and drizzle platter with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste There are two more good recipes today, but I will get to at least one of them another time. The really great one is too long to type--Nutella cookie cheesecake bars reads delicious, but it would take forever to retype it for the blog. I will try to cut and paste it, but if you can't wait go to Columbus Dispatch Cook's Corner and the recipe will be in that section. In case you don't read Mennonite Girls Can Cook's blog, I don't want you coconut lovers to miss this recipe. It is on my 'to bake' list now that my two new ovens are installed. (Those ovens are beauties and so are these cookies.) The recipe won't cut and paste, so you can go to the Mennonite Girls Can Cook's blog for the recipe. Sorry...but YUM!
The week end of the 24th Beth and I are going to visit the Cincinnati Lechlers, namely the women, although Andy is going too to visit with Joe while the ladies tour Jungle Jim's a six acre super fun market that we have heard about for ages. Pam has also added Findlay Market which is suppose to be great as well. (Jim Lechler said we would need a van to get everything home.) I am really looking forward to the day with the ladies. We will have lunch out as well and in the evening the guys gather with us for take out, drinks and cards. You can expect pictures. lol
About
Jungle Jim’s International Market is a place where the first rule is to treat customers like gold. The second is to have fun doing it. People come from several states away for the unique shopping experience Jungle Jim’s International Market offers. A wide selection of food from all over the world, red hot deals and, of course, fun.
Jungle Jim's might well be America's wackiest supermarket, a fun house maze of a store north of Cincinnati that draws 50,000 shoppers a week from as far away as Indianapolis and Lexington, Ky. "The Jungle" is not all fun and frivolity; its other defining trait is a huge selection of specialty foods from 75 countries. Take a guided tour of the 6-acre foodie paradise or peruse the miles of aisles on your own and see what new delicacies you can find! ABOUT Findlay Market is Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions. The Market is located just blocks from downtown in Over-the-Rhine, a dense historic neighborhood rich in 19th century architecture. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Findlay Market is open year-around with three dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods plus plenty of dining options. From April to November, the Market also hosts a thriving farmers market, dozens of outdoor vendors, numerous street performers, and lots of special events on weekends including the OTR Biergarten. Experience for yourself this quintessentially urban shopping experience.
Anyone who knows my husband, Andy, likes him or loves him or both. He has no enemies at all which is rare in this world. He is the best husband a woman could have and an excellent hands on father and grandfather. However, he has a flaw, but only one I hasten to write. He has no bed side manner AT ALL. He is very good at running to the drug store to buy what ever potion that might help me get out of this or that ailment and he is very good at waking me up once I get into a good sleep in order to make sure I am not dead yet; but only if his movie has ended or his study is complete or he has had a bite to eat. Then I pop into his mind and he comes upstairs to see if I am breathing, leaving mind you, without asking if I would like water or a cracker or a heating pad...nothing. Except for yesterday. I had been sick and in and out of the bathroom for 28 hours straight. I am finally starting to get some sleep when I hear him climbing the stairs. He is so cheerful as he pats my limp arm and lovingly asks if I would like a gin and tonic.
I cannot tell you how fast time is flying for me. I have lost September and cannot get over it. I am not ready to begin the holidays which are coming at us all none stop. I wanted to just hang out today. And that is what I am doing. All four dogs are at the vet for the entire day. This is their yearly day of shots, check ups, baths, nails, expressed (you don't want to know what that is and neither do I.) I have washed and waxed the floors and they have stayed nice for five hours. I love the glow of the heart of pine floors when they have just been babied. I have maybe four or five more hours to enjoy the fur free floors before the hoard arrives all a titter over having been gone for so long. I do love my dogs. I have also continued to read The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. The characters are nearly the same as the other 'Girl' books with a boat load of new and confusing characters. I cannot stop reading it although I usually give up if new characters keep popping up. Not this time. The book is good. I finished (quickly) Lee Child's newest book, Make Me. If you haven't bought it, wait for the paper back if you must read it at all. I am a true fan of Lee Child's but I am thinking he is losing his grip. Some of the books I have just bought I am trying to keep away from saving them for the library bag that I take to the beach house for Joe, Andy, and me in January. Sometimes I just can't resist. I am loving my Apple tablet. I have ever so many games going on that thing and I can send and receive emails and do Facebook and just about everything else. It is little and can go every where with me. Joe and I have Trivia Crack games going all the time. The pool has been closed as of Saturday and most of the outdoor furniture has been stored. I think it is sad. I love looking out and seeing everything in its place surrounded by great planters, vines and herbs. The garden is still spitting out tomatoes although it is a pathetic sight. I did make the best end of the summer soup yesterday and when Joe and Glenda arrive Friday, we are going to have it with grilled cheese sandwiches. They will be here all week end. I see my doctor tomorrow. I am very healthy but I may need a cortisone shot. I have never had one, but I have a weak left leg and it does not like to shop...well, we can't have that! Beth and I cleaned and organized the large walk in pantry a few days ago. We had a gadget bin in which I placed all bad buys and useless kitchen items that I had no used in a year. We took many machines to the basement and turned that closet into a pots and skillets easy access. There are other things there as well, but things I actually use pretty often. I laughed as I read a line in someone's blog: “Why buy it for $8 when you can make it yourself with $89. worth of ingredients and $350 in kitchen equipment?”That's been my motto too it seems.
This Saturday Beth and I leave for Cincinnati and a girls gone wild day out with ten ladies of Cincinnati. It may take two cars to get us to our destinations, but we will get there for sure. I have new shoes that should take me through the six acres with no trouble at all.
Don't these nuts look delicious with both white and black sesame seeds?
