This Offbeat Life
New Economy Cooking
Backpacking by Bus

Letters to Mom:

Dear "Mom"

I just took a peek at your "Eats" page, just to see what's there, not because I think I can cook. My first thought was, "Gee, these look so easy even I can make them." Thanks for simple sounding recipes that make me at least want to give it a try.

But tell me, where does it end? If you use a few extra yolks for noodles, what do you do with the extra flour paste stuck to the counter after you've made your noodles?

Marcia Tapp

Dear Marcia--To answer your first question regarding what to do with the flour stuck to the board after making noodles - never thought of it before. You'd make a better kid of the depression than I was. Definitely a woman after may own heart! Let's see, you could roll the dough in to little balls and flip them at the next cat that yowls at 3 A.M. or you could put the little hard balls in an empty Altoids box and make a discreet Y2K noise maker for New Year's Eve. If I think of any other wonderful ideas I'll let you know.

- Mom

MENU FOR A COLD WINTERS' NIGHT

Martha Strom Feeds The Herd &
Also Tries Not to Insult Your Intelligence

The next time you're grocery shopping gather all of the ingredients to complete this menu. You'll be prepared with the makings for a very satisfying supper on a cold blustery night when the last thing you want to do is go out of the house for ANYTHING!

• One medium onion
• Four apples
• Sugar
• Brown sugar
• Self rising flour or regular flour plus baking powder and salt
• Cinnamon
• Raisins
• Milk or light cream
• Butter
• Chopped walnuts
• 2-15 oz cans chicken broth
• 2-15 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1-15 oz can white beans, undrained
• 1-15 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 Jar salsa
• Oil for sauteeing
• Vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate chips or Hershey bars for the alternate dessert
• 1-12 oz. bottle of beer

THE EQUIPMENT

• 1-4 1/2 X 8" loaf pan
• 1 can opener
• 1-8 cup pyrex pitcher
• 1 paring knife
• 1-Mixing spoon
• 1 bread knife
• 1-8 X 8" baking dish for the apples
• 1 set dry measure cups
• 1-4 or 5 Qt. dutch oven or soup pot
• 1 set measuring spoons

AND...
THE RECIPES

First--make the bread as it takes only 5 minutes to mix but about an hour to bake.

Second--Wash and core the apples and prepare for baking. They can bake at the same time as the bread. Put both bread and apples in a 350 degree oven for about one hour.

Next--chop the onions and saute them in the dutch oven. Open the cans and add to the sauteed onions and simmer about 45 minutes.

Bread, soup and baked apples should be ready at about the same time!

BEER BREAD

• 1-12 oz. bottle of beer, room temperature
• 4 tabspoons sugar
• 3-cups self rising flour
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Pour beer into the pyrex pitcher and allow to de-fizz for a few minutes. Add sugar and stir. Add flour and stir until blended, dough will be a bit lumpy. Put dough in a greased loaf pan. Set aside 15 minutes to rise. Pour melted butter over all. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Any leftover bread is delicious toasted for breakfast.

Note--to convert regular flour to self rising flour add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt per cup of regular flour.

BAKED APPLES

If you can't tell a baking apple from an acorn squash ask the produce clerk.

• 4 baking apples such as McIntosh, Baldwin, Jonathan etc.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 small lumps of butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated, optional

Wash and core apples (If you want to you can buy an apple corer at your local Walmart). Combine brown sugar, chopped nuts, raisins, cinnamon and lemon zest in a small bowl. Fill centers of apples with this mixture. Top filled centers with small lumps of butter. Place in an 8 X 8 inch baking dish with a little water in the bottom.

Bake at 350 degrees until tender, about 1 hour. Test with a fork for doneness. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream. Just plain is delicious too--and more healthful

OR

If you're not in the mood to core apples or if the "apples" you bought really DID turn out to be small acorn squash here's and outstanding recipe for chocolate sauce for that vanilla ice cream you bought.

You can even make it from 3 or 4 Hershey bars or about 16 to 18 miniature bars--with or without nuts. It's a very forgiving recipe!

FIVE MINUTE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

• 1/2 cup light cream or milk
• 1 tablespoon butter, preferably unsalted
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place ingredients in a Pyrex pitcher and microwave one minute at a time, stirring each minute until sauce is melted and blended.

For chocolate mint sauce stir in 2 tablespoons creme de menthe. It's available in miniature bottles at the local liquor store.

SEVEN CAN SOUP

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans,undrained
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil
• 1-15 oz can white beans, undrained
• 2-14 oz. cans chicken broth
• 1-15 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
• 2-15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1-8 oz. jar salsa

Saute onions in oil until soft and transparent. Add remainlng ingredients. Heat thoroughly and allow to simmer while bread and apples are baking.

Note--I like S&W brand beans and tomatoes. The quality is always excellent.

Well, there you have it--a great tasting simple supper.