I just fixed myself a cup of apple cider. I have to say it that way as more and more I rely on instant packaging or one serving size. There was never a problem of making too much when the family was all home or even with Robert and I as he was quite adept at using the microwave if I wasn’t around. On a cold day such as this, we certainly look for a hot cup of something or some kind of comfort food such as soup or stew. We were talking the other day about how we dressed for school during the winter months. Remember long brown stockings, white ones for Sunday, held up by a garter belt, long underwear (what a job it was to get the stockings over the underwear so it wasn’t all bunched up), snow pants, overshoes, more than one pair of mittens, etc. We dressed by the wood-burning kitchen stove, no furnace and we walked to school across the neighbor’s pasture. That is another story. The lunches we carried were sometimes warmed on the stove in the corner of the room. Do I sound like Little House on the Prairie? Our school closed two years later and we went to town. Still no hot lunches until I was in high school. We survived the coldest of temperatures just like today but, oh, how we wished spring would come early. We didn’t expect the roller coaster weather like this but at least the sun is warm and bright most days.
I have several books from the library and spend the evenings for the most part reading. The latest is about the Norwegians settling in North Dakota or the settling of Alaska. So much is typical of what my grandparents must have done in this area. I can also relate to the planting of the gardens, threshing, home remedies for illness, using horses for field work or whatever, we did have a car with no seatbelts and all eight of us in it, some sitting in others laps. It was togetherness of the highest form. Our meals were beef and potatoes, vegetables from the garden either fresh or canned and whoever heard of shrimp in this area. Times have certainly changed and I’m glad for TV, maybe even cell phones and communication anywhere in the world in a very short time. In spite of all this, the weather probably hasn’t changed a whole lot in the winter. How quickly we forget from one year to the next.
Lemon Shrimp
1 package (12 ounces) uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 pounds cooked shrimp
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded carrots
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 350º. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and mix with butter in a large bowl, stirring until butter is melted and noodles are evenly coated. Add remaining ingredients and mix again. Transfer to 3-quart casserole. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Peas and Pearl Onions
1 1/2 cups pearl onions, trimmed
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried chervil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 packages frozen peas, thawed
2 cups shredded lettuce
In a Dutch oven, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add pearl onions; boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. In the same saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the onions, water, sugar, and seasonings. Add peas and lettuce; stir until blended. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve with a slotted spoon. Makes 12 servings.
Sweet Apple Dumplings
FILLING:
4 cups coarsely chopped apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
DUMPLINGS:
1 can Pillsbury Grands® Refrigerated flaky biscuits
SYRUP:
1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat oven 375º. Combine all filling ingredients. Set aside.
Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each biscuit into a 6-inch circle. Place 1/2 cup of filling on center of each biscuit; stretch dough around mixture, completely covering fruit. Pinch to seal. Place, seam side down, in ungreased 13×9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In medium saucepan, combine water and flour; blend thoroughly. Stir in remaining syrup ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour syrup mixture evenly over dumplings, completely coating each.
Bake at 375º for 25 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown. Spoon warm dumplings and syrup into individual dessert dishes. 8 servings.
