So, while re-doing my bathroom and bedroom I relocated my "bedspread" to the guest room. I'm now rethinking this room. It is going to be my "white" room. My office will now be home to all things Chicago. The guest room is hardly ever used and can remain "white". My office is used every day. Chicago in there makes much more sense.

After explaining oleo to Courteney, I feel as if I should preface this by saying "Long long ago in a galaxy far far away". 

When I was a kid, before we moved to Dolton, we lived in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. There were 2 grocery stores both owned by men named Sam. One was about 2 blocks away, the other about 5 blocks, (this one was a little larger). Not often, but once in a while, I would be sent to one of these establishments to get something that we had run out of. I was never given money to buy the stuff. I'd go and tell Sam what I needed and he would write it down in his book. I was also given penny candy. I don't know if that was written down or not. My mom would pay for it on Saturday when she did her shopping. All of our dairy products were delivered by the milkman and a lot of our spices came from the Watkins man. I also remember going to the drug store for medicine and that was mostly all that was sold there. We had a rotary dial phone and sometimes when you picked up the receiver, one of your neighbors was already on it talking to someone. Otherwise when you picked it up the "operator" answered and you would give her the number. My number for example was WAterfall 8 7174.

 

This is my own recipe.  I don't like my quick breads overly sweet, if you prefer things on the sweeter side, I suggest replacing the white sugar and molasses with 3/4 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar. Do not omit the honey.

Oatmeal Bran Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
1 ½  c.  bran flakes
1 ¼ c. buttermilk or sour milk
1 egg slightly beaten
½ c. sugar
1 Tablespoon Dark Molasses
1 Tablespoon honey
½ c. vegetable oil
1 t. almond flavoring
1 ¼  cup flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
¼   tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease or spray 9x5 loaf pan.  Pour milk in 2 cup measuring cup. Add  bran flakes, set aside. Mix together sugar, molasses, and honey.  Put all dry ingredients in mixing bowl.  Add sugar to dry ingredients.  Using a fork, stir beaten egg into bran flake/milk  mixture, stir in oil and almond flavoring.  Add to dry ingredients, stirring only until mixed.  Bake 35-45 minutes.  Test with toothpick.

Yogurt Recipe

Not my recipes, but yummy just the same:

Homemade Yogurt

This is a simple recipe: a few tablespoons of pre-made yogurt gives the necessary base while the milk makes up the bulk of the yogurt. I have listed whole milk as the starting point but you may use non-fat, low-fat, (unsweetened) soy milk, etc., and the formula remains the same.

Makes 1 quart of yogurt

1 quart whole milk

1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Have a 1 quart jar with a screw-on lid (or several smaller jars) ready and boil water. Pour the boiling water into the jar and let it stand for 5 minutes to sterilize it. Pour out the water and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the milk until it reaches 180 degrees on a thermometer. Remove from heat, keeping the thermometer in the pot.

When the temperature drops to 115 degrees, stir in the yogurt until thoroughly incorporated. Pour the mixture into the jar and screw on the lid.

Place the yogurt in a warm place and leave it undisturbed for 10 to 12 hours. You can wrap the jar with a towel if your house is a bit cool. For a thicker, tangier yogurt, let yogurt sit an additional 3 to 5 hours.

Refrigerate yogurt for at least 3 hours before eating.

Greek-Style Yogurt

You can make your homemade yogurt slightly thicker and more like Greek yogurt.

Makes 2 cups

Line a medium-large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth and dump 2 cups of homemade yogurt into the center of the cloth.

Bring the four corners of the cloth together and lift the yogurt over the bowl and twist the corners to squeeze out the liquid (it will drain through the cloth).

Continue squeezing to force the liquid out. When the majority of the surface liquid has been drained, it will start to drip more slowly. Tie off the top of the cloth just above the mass of yogurt with string.

Place the cloth containing the yogurt in a strainer or colander and place the strainer or colander in a bowl where it doesn't touch the bottom; liquid will continue to drain.

Place the bowl containing the strainer/colander in the refrigerator and let drain for 2 to 3 hours. After draining, take the cloth containing the yogurt and put it in the sink (do not remove the string). Using your hands, squeeze out any remaining liquid.

Remove the string, open the cloth and using a spatula, scrape out the yogurt into a bowl. Yogurt should be at least as thick as sour cream.

Yogurt Cake with Fruit and Almonds

I dearly love the simplicity of this cake, both in its ingredients and its flavors, but I could see my way to changing a few things up now and again — for example, swap 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup for 1/4 cup of the sugar, or trying stirring in the almonds (or toasted walnuts?) into the batter rather than baking them on top.

Makes a 9-inch cake

1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 cups berries or sliced fruit of choice, or a combination

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar and eggs, stirring and whisking until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, lemon zest and vanilla, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and whisk and stir well to incorporate. Keep stirring until it forms a smooth batter. Gently stir in the fruit. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the sliced almonds evenly across the top of the cake.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes, then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

Banana-Cocoa Bread

This is a lovely loaf — not too sweet with a slight tang from the yogurt and a mellow olive oil undertone. I like the balance the cocoa powder imparts, but if you're partial to a simpler banana bread, omit it. I do think the olive oil is key here; butter is nice of course, but the olive oil really makes this special.

Makes 10 servings

1 cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 very ripe, mashed bananas

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optonal)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-5- inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, maple syrup, eggs, banana, yogurt and vanilla. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Add the nuts, if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in the middle comes about clean, about 50 minutes. Watch so it doesn't over bake.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.

Pasta with Basil-Yogurt Sauce, Peas and Zucchini

Yogurt in pasta sauce may be unexpected but it imparts a nice creaminess — and a bit of a tang — missing in more heavy, traditional dairy-based sauces. In Morocco, fresh peas were abundant. As I like to load up with a lot of green vegetables whenever possible, adding zucchini and spinach to this dish felt exactly right. Serving with extra Parmesan cheese is a must.

Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup fresh basil, packed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pasta

3 cups dried orecchiette pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 to 3 cups spinach, coarsely chopped

In a food processor, combine the yogurt, olive oil, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Process until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it is soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook about 5 minutes, then add the peas and spinach. Cook the vegetables until they are wilted and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the pasta to the vegetables and stir to combine. Pour into a large bowl and add the yogurt sauce, tossing and stirring to coat well. Serve pasta with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

I thought I would share some of my family's favorite Holiday recipes.  Enjoy.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
32 oz. package frozen shredded hash browns

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cook sausage as you would for browning ground beef. Drain fat
In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups cheese, soup, sour cream, sausage and onions. Gently fold in the hash browns.  Spread in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven.  Cook for 40 minutes.  If using cubed hash browns, cook for 55-60 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
2 large Eggs -- Lightly Beaten
1 cup Nuts -- Chopped
1/4 cup Butter -- Softened


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, milk and eggs. Add dry ingredients and butter, mixing until just moistened. Stir in nuts. Spoon into well greased and floured 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 65 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Perfectly Creamy Cheesecake (From Pampered Chef)

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/4  cups  graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup  butter or margarine, melted
1 tbsp  sugar
Filling
3  pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1  cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3  eggs, room temperature
1/2  cup sour cream
1  tbsp  lemon juice
1  tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. For crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until well blended. Press crumb mixture into bottom of Springform Pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack.
For filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time; mix at low speed just until blended. Stir in sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour filling into crust.
Bake 55-60 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken (the center will firm as it cools). Remove from oven to cooling rack. Immediately run releasing tool around sides of cake to loosen from pan; cool completely. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Release collar from pan. To serve, top with pie filling, if desired. Cut into wedges.
Yield: 12 servings

Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 recipe for double crust pie  (or 1 box refrigerated pie crust)
6- 8  large apples, peeled and cored
1/3  cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teas. Cinnamon
½ teas. Nutmeg
¼ teas. Cloves
Sprinkle of allspice if you have it.
1 teas. vanilla
1 teas. Lemon juice
2 teas. Whole milk or cream
3 tablesp.  flour.
1-2 Tablesp. Butter cut into litte squares

Directions:

 Use a glass pie pan. Heat oven to 450.  Put oven racks on 2nd and 3rd from bottom slots.  Put baking
Sheet on lower rack.        
Peel, core and slice apples and put in bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Add both sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Toss to combine. Add Milk and vanilla. Mix with spoon or spatula.  Pour into pie crust.  Sprinkle with butter.
Cover with top crust.
Using your fingers or the back of a fork, crimp the dough to seal it tightly. With a sharp knife, cut 6 slits in the top crust, evenly spaced and radiating out from the center Place the pie on the top rack and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake until the pie crust is golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes more. Place on a wire rack to cool completely (1-2 hours) before serving.

Some people brush the top of the pie with milk or cream and sprinkle with the coarse-grained sugar before baking.  I don’t do this.

I learned to cook by cooking with my mom. It wasn't a teaching moment or a choice. It was "time to cook supper, get your ass in here." My mom probably wasn't the best, but she knew what we would eat.  I loved my grandmother, but hated her pot roast. I loved my mom's. She knew not to sugar it. I learned to make cheap cuts of meat and whatever vegetables were about to go bad taste good. There weren't any cooking shows or famous chefs. It was just my mom and what we did with what we had.

I've been using cauliflower in place of potatoes for some time now. I used it in my Yankee Pot Roast this past weekend. Never thought about soup. I've been watching an early Gordon Ramsey show called the F word. He made a cauliflower puree. I can make a soup out of that.