Mmmm...Mmm...Good

Ever since I went to see Julie and Julia a few days ago, I've been cooking up a storm...for me anyway. I've signed up for something called Farm Fresh Delivery (my first delivery is this Friday), I've visited a local Farmer's Market, and I've run by a local farmer's roadside stand to pick up around four dozen ears of sweet corn (some to eat this week and some to freeze for winter)....the last unfortunately.

On Saturday I made both chili and Italian beef. Also on Saturday I got a call from a friend who has a garden bursting with zucchini and she called to beg me to take some. I did. Especially since she so kindly even grated enough for me to make four loaves of zucchini bread, delivered it to my house, and even brought a couple of recipes typed out.

Tonight when I got home from school (and it was practically night since I didn't leave school until 5:15 p.m.) I put on some kale to boil, broke green beans to steam, put the Italian beef in the oven to reheat, mixed up two loaves of zucchini bread which are now in the oven, and will probably go back after posting this to put on some water for sweet corn.

Here is my mother-in-law's recipe for Italian beef:

Ingredients: 5 to 7 lb. rump roast, 2-3 cps. of water, 2-3 beef bouillon cubes, 1 t. marjoram (I actually used some from a small herb garden I grew on my deck this year), 1 t. thyme, 1 t. oregano, 5 drops Tabasco sauce, 2 t. garlic powder or 1 clove minced, 2 T. Worchestershire sauce, 1 c. green pepper (more really) chopped or sliced into thin strips (I prefer sliced), salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Cook beef 40 minutes per pound at 325 deg. Remove, cool, and slice thin. Add water, bouillon, etc. to juices (in same pan). Simmer 15 minutes. I put that same pan right over the burner or flame of my stove. Add sliced beef. Marinate 4 to 5 hours or overnight. Heat before serving on rolls. Do not boil, just simmer.

This recipe is somewhat like the chili I make because you can play around with it a little. You can add more bouillon if you want a stronger beef flavor, use herbs to your own taste, use minced hot peppers of some kind (I did this weekend using the peppers I got at the Farmer's Market) and adjust for how spicy you want it, and you can chop or slice the green peppers. Also, I like a lot of green peppers to put on the sandwich with the meat and juices.

Also, for bread I don't use plain old buns. I use rolls, preferably hard rolls which I've had trouble finding lately, but did find them at Kroger. This allows you to pile on the beef, peppers, and pour some of the broth (au jus) right on the sandwich. It really is best to leave the beef marinating overnight for more flavor.

Enjoy...I'm off to check on my works in progress.

I'll never attempt to be Julia Child, but then I've found good tasting food doesn't have to be difficult. Au jus just may be the only french cooking term I do know. Oh, and bon appetit (even though this is an Italian recipe).

A Great Meal With A Surprise

Tonight we had the best meal of all meals, mainly due to its simplicity and the fact that as it turned out only two meals were needed, one for Ed and one for me. Mary wasn't hungry and Erin was going to her boyfriend's house. That means no cooking an entree because we happened to have some leftovers..only enough for the two of us.

We had eaten at Macaroni Grill a couple of nights ago. Restaurant portions have gotten out of control. Ed had a pork chop left, and I had spaghetti and one large meatball left. As sides we had leftover (from home) stir fry veggies mixed with....also leftover...rice. The only thing fresh was the Indiana corn I picked up today from a local farmer whose sons grow sweet corn each year (which is planted weekly for six weeks, so as to produce a bountiful, delicious six-week long crop).

It was a great meal and an easy meal. There was one interesting thing about one of the ears of corn. I've never, ever seen this. I am the product of a family of farmers. While my father didn't farm, my uncles and grandfather did. I've picked, shucked and eaten loads of sweet corn. Do you see it? The itty bitty baby corn growing inside its....mother?

By the way, I am buying a couple of dozen extra ears this last week to parboil, cut off the cob, and serve at Thanksgiving.

Picnic Season

I always say I love cooking and entertaining even though I don't do it that often. I have over time become a bit of a cookbook addict. No, I don't usually go to that section if I'm at a book store, but I have made several purchases from a discount book seller who comes to my school. I've been trying to break this habit because I have a kitchen cabinet full of them. I also buy them when I travel.

Most of my favorite recipes come from friends, and I try to keep those in a special place. The recipes handed around are usually the best. There are, however, a couple of recipes that I have discovered in old cook books (now falling apart or marked with stains and spills from lots of use) that I hold on to.

Since I have company and more family is coming over for a cookout, I decided to pull out one of my favorites. We have an acquaintance who was once visiting when I served this recipe, and he complimented me on it; I took that seriously since he owned a couple of grocery stores in another town; not a grocery store chain like Marsh, Kroger, or Walmart, but a family owned business, so his stores had these wonderful international areas and amazing delis and bakeries. If he liked it, I thought it had to be a good one.

Old Fashioned Potato Salad
1 c. mayonnaise (not salad dressing like Miracle Whip)
1 T cider vinegar
1.5 t. salt
2 t. prepared mustard (if you like mustard potato salad, put in more of this and less mayo)
.5 t. celery seed
dash pepper
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
4 c. diced cooked potatoes
1.5 c. sliced celery
.5 c sliced green onions
.25 c. sliced radishes
2 T chopped parsley

Early in the day: In a large bowl, stir mayo with next 5 ingredients until mixed; add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.

It's pretty simple. The thing to watch is the potatoes. I don't like mine overcooked or they turn into mashed potatoes. If you like yours that way, of course, by all means cook them longer. I peel and cube the potatoes, get the water boiling, and pour them in. I just remove them and rinse them under cold water so they won't keep cooking. I like the potatoes to stay a bit firm.

It serves six, but I usually double it for a crowd, as there will be today. This recipe comes from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, Copyright 1973. Maybe this same cookbook is reprinted and updated, but I haven't checked to see. Mine looks very used and the pages have come apart from the binding. I have to keep it together with rubber bands.

Today I'm adding to that a linguine vegetable salad, brats and burgers, and possibly a rhubarb/strawberry pie. Oh, and our guests will bring things to pitch in, so no telling what we'll end up with. Isn't it great the way food reminds us of places, people, and our childhood? The only thing I won't have that I miss from my childhood is homemade ice cream.

Now I'm just hoping it won't rain, but if it does, the guys will just grill in ponchos.