Here is the recipe from Robin's aunt, that we talked about on our garden video on growing beets.
Spiced Beets
4 cans of beets, or 8 cups of fresh beets from the garden. Cooked and diced.
3/4 cup of vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2T pickling spice Put in a bit of cheesecloth or a tea ball works well. Don't want the spice just floating free.
Drain beets, boil the juice and ingredients 20 minutes. If using fresh beets, add a cup of water. Remove the spice. and cook for another 10min. The remove from heat. and cool. Enjoy
Ray Province
The Celtic Ozarkian
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Beta Blend Salad
Here is a salad for those of you looking to get some more beta-carotene in your diet. This important nutrient is typically lacking in the diet of Americans this time of year, as it is hard to get quality vegetables all winter. Hope you like it!!!
The Salad:
1 large golden beet
8 long fingerling carrots
1 yellow tomato
1 bag of spinach
4 leaves of purple or flowering kale (what you can find)
4 leaves from the dandelions in your yard!
The Hillbilly Touch is in the Dressing!
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing made.
2/3 cup of cashews
2 cloves of garlic (1 if you are a wimp!)
1/8 tsp of Greek Seasoning Salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp of fresh thyme
1/2 tsp of fresh oregano
You can arrange the salad as you like. Add the additional ingredients to the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and you are ready to go!
The Salad:
1 large golden beet
8 long fingerling carrots
1 yellow tomato
1 bag of spinach
4 leaves of purple or flowering kale (what you can find)
4 leaves from the dandelions in your yard!
The Hillbilly Touch is in the Dressing!
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing made.
2/3 cup of cashews
2 cloves of garlic (1 if you are a wimp!)
1/8 tsp of Greek Seasoning Salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp of fresh thyme
1/2 tsp of fresh oregano
You can arrange the salad as you like. Add the additional ingredients to the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and you are ready to go!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Surviving the Food Budget
We wanted to share some ideas that can help beat the cost of groceries these days. I am not sure what you are seeing in your area, but lower gas prices have not helped the grocery bill any. The rising cost of food, blamed on the cost of transportation, was not changed. So, we have to be as smart as the food industry.
Grocery stores all over the Ozarks run specials on meat that will soon be out of date. It helps the grocery store contain their costs, and gives the buyer a good deal. How’s that for a new Celtic tradition? We see this all over Springfield, Missouri. I am sure you will see it in your neck of the woods.
Make a list of what you need for staples. Then add what you may need to make a meal of the sale meat. If we find chicken on sale, we have a plan on what meals to make from it. We do the same with pork and beef. It takes an extra minute or so, but it is worth it.
Consider adding in some meatless dinners. We like to do eggs and toast for dinner, once in a while. It is not very Irish, but it is very hillbilly! I suspect there are others that would join me in eating breakfast for dinner. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is another perennial favorite at the Province home.
Use coupons. They save money, if you shop with them wisely. In some stores, like our Walgreen Drug, you can get extra discount on the coupons.
Watch the grocery ads in your area. We recently needed some hamburger for a pot of chili, and had a range of $1.69 to $3.29 for the same 75/25 burger. Not a bad trade off, considering we routinely shop at both stores that represented the spectrum of price.
Look for discount days at your grocery store. One of our favorite stores offers 10% off the whole bill on Tuesdays for Senior Citizens.
According to some recent statistics I read, from the USDA, the average family with teenage children spent $602.80 per month on groceries, on average. I don’t know about you, but I want to keep all that I can. If this will not work, I want to get all I can for the money!
Slainte,
Ray Province
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://www.celticozarkian.com.
Ray is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry.
Grocery stores all over the Ozarks run specials on meat that will soon be out of date. It helps the grocery store contain their costs, and gives the buyer a good deal. How’s that for a new Celtic tradition? We see this all over Springfield, Missouri. I am sure you will see it in your neck of the woods.
Make a list of what you need for staples. Then add what you may need to make a meal of the sale meat. If we find chicken on sale, we have a plan on what meals to make from it. We do the same with pork and beef. It takes an extra minute or so, but it is worth it.
Consider adding in some meatless dinners. We like to do eggs and toast for dinner, once in a while. It is not very Irish, but it is very hillbilly! I suspect there are others that would join me in eating breakfast for dinner. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is another perennial favorite at the Province home.
Use coupons. They save money, if you shop with them wisely. In some stores, like our Walgreen Drug, you can get extra discount on the coupons.
Watch the grocery ads in your area. We recently needed some hamburger for a pot of chili, and had a range of $1.69 to $3.29 for the same 75/25 burger. Not a bad trade off, considering we routinely shop at both stores that represented the spectrum of price.
Look for discount days at your grocery store. One of our favorite stores offers 10% off the whole bill on Tuesdays for Senior Citizens.
According to some recent statistics I read, from the USDA, the average family with teenage children spent $602.80 per month on groceries, on average. I don’t know about you, but I want to keep all that I can. If this will not work, I want to get all I can for the money!
Slainte,
Ray Province
Ray and Robin Province are the owners of The Celtic Ozarkian website, dedicated to issues surrounding life in the Ozarks. You can find us at: http://www.celticozarkian.com.
Ray is currently an IT programmer in the healthcare industry, and freelances in SEO and website development. Robin is a semi retired ICU nurse who now works in coding and compliance in the healthcare industry.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Celtic Bubble and Squeak
Try this lovely recipe some night. It is as Irish as it comes.
Ingredients:
1/2 medium head cabbage, sliced
3 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups potatoes - baked, cooled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, cook cabbage in a small amount of water for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and set aside.
2. In a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, cook bacon and onion until onion is soft and bacon is cooked. Add ham, and cook until heated through. Add butter, then mix in the cooked cabbage and potatoes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned on bottom, turn, and brown again.
Ingredients:
1/2 medium head cabbage, sliced
3 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups potatoes - baked, cooled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, cook cabbage in a small amount of water for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and set aside.
2. In a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, cook bacon and onion until onion is soft and bacon is cooked. Add ham, and cook until heated through. Add butter, then mix in the cooked cabbage and potatoes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned on bottom, turn, and brown again.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Celitc Shortbread for Christmas
Slainte,
Thought you might like to try a very simple recipe that is very traditional for Christmas in Scotland. We have, however, put our family "twist" on the recipe. It is a great treat with a warm glass of tea! Here we go!
Ingredients:
1 lb. of real butter (Dairy Farmers of America Unite!)
5 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of Almond Extract
Some colorful Red and Green sprinkles for Christmas
Recipe:
Make sure the butter is soft. Just set it out on a counter for a couple of hours prior to baking.
Mix the butter and sugar throughly with a mixer. Add the almond extract and mix again just long enough to mix the extract. Start adding flour 1/2 cup at a time. Mix thoroughly. After about 3 cups of flour, your mixer may not be able to hold up, so you will have to mix by hand. When you are down to 1 1/2 cups, pour the mixture out on a clean, lightly floured hard surface and finish the process by kneeding the flour in. It is truly a labor of love!
Once your batter is thoroughly pounded to death, it is ready to bake. Place it in an ungreased, unfloured pan to a depth of 1/2". We use glass, square pans (9"x13") a lot. We also use aluminum pie pans (just for a different look!) Take a fork and poke holes all the way to the bottom of the pan. This will prevent bubbles from forming in the batter. It doesn't ruin the taste, just the presentation. Sprinkle your batter with the sugar sprinkles of choice. Bake at 350 deg. for 10 minutes, then bake at 300 deg for 30-40 minutes. When done, you'll have a lightly browned, sugar cookie type look. Cool. Eat.
The thinner the batter, the drier the cookie will get. So it becomes a matter of taste on how dry you want the batter. Dry also makes it a bit easier to dunk the cookie!
Hope you enjoy this wonderful treat.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Pot Roast
Nothing is better on a cold day than a roast in the oven. And it is so easy!!
1 pot roast (size to fit your family)
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
2 pkg dry onion soup
aluminum foil
Place a piece of foil in a 13x9 pan large enough to completely encase roast. (I usually have to piece 2 pieces of foil together)
Place roast in center of foil. In bowl mix together soup mixes with about 1/4-1/3 cup water and stir together. Mixture will be thick. Pour over roast and seal foil up over roast. Bake at 325 for 3-4 hours. The soups will make a yummy gravy!!
If you want veggies with your roast here is what I do:
4-8 potatoes
peeled carrots
1 onion chopped
butter
garlic salt
Greek seasoning
baking dish to fit amount of veggies
If I am using Yukon gold 'taters, I don't peel them, sometimes I peel the others, sometimes not. Fix them however you like them and cut into bite sized chunks. Cut the carrots into bite sized pieces (we love carrots so I use a whole bag, adjust to your taste). Place a layer of potatoes in your baking dish and then season lightly,top with layer of carrots and onions and then repeat being sure to season the layers of potatoes. Put a couple of pats of butter on top or olive oil and cover with lid or foil. Raise temp of over to 350 for the last hour of cooking time on pot roast and let veggies cook for 1 hour. Serve with roast and gravy.
Some folks add the veggies to the roast to bake and that is okay too, we just like them separate better.
1 pot roast (size to fit your family)
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
2 pkg dry onion soup
aluminum foil
Place a piece of foil in a 13x9 pan large enough to completely encase roast. (I usually have to piece 2 pieces of foil together)
Place roast in center of foil. In bowl mix together soup mixes with about 1/4-1/3 cup water and stir together. Mixture will be thick. Pour over roast and seal foil up over roast. Bake at 325 for 3-4 hours. The soups will make a yummy gravy!!
If you want veggies with your roast here is what I do:
4-8 potatoes
peeled carrots
1 onion chopped
butter
garlic salt
Greek seasoning
baking dish to fit amount of veggies
If I am using Yukon gold 'taters, I don't peel them, sometimes I peel the others, sometimes not. Fix them however you like them and cut into bite sized chunks. Cut the carrots into bite sized pieces (we love carrots so I use a whole bag, adjust to your taste). Place a layer of potatoes in your baking dish and then season lightly,top with layer of carrots and onions and then repeat being sure to season the layers of potatoes. Put a couple of pats of butter on top or olive oil and cover with lid or foil. Raise temp of over to 350 for the last hour of cooking time on pot roast and let veggies cook for 1 hour. Serve with roast and gravy.
Some folks add the veggies to the roast to bake and that is okay too, we just like them separate better.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Spanish Rice
This is a great way to stretch a pound of burger. 4 generous servings plus leftovers
1 lb ground beef
1 cup rice
1 onion- chopped
2 cloves garlic- chopped
2-3 (14.5 oz)cans of tomatoes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
In a skillet brown the beef, onion, and garlic. I dump them all in together and cook the meat until browned and the onions are transparent. Drain any grease. Add rice and tomatoes. The canned tomatoes are whatever was on sale- if they are whole you need to break them up into small pieces. You will need 2 cups of liquid to make the rice cook up, so if the tomatoes look dry, add a can of tomato sauce ( for one of the cans of tomatoes) or water, which ever you have. If you add water, you will need to add more seasonings. I used water last night so I added 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp or so of garlic salt and a nice grind of pepper. I also added 3-4 shots of green Tabasco sauce. Cover and let simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed- about 20 mins.
1 lb ground beef
1 cup rice
1 onion- chopped
2 cloves garlic- chopped
2-3 (14.5 oz)cans of tomatoes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
In a skillet brown the beef, onion, and garlic. I dump them all in together and cook the meat until browned and the onions are transparent. Drain any grease. Add rice and tomatoes. The canned tomatoes are whatever was on sale- if they are whole you need to break them up into small pieces. You will need 2 cups of liquid to make the rice cook up, so if the tomatoes look dry, add a can of tomato sauce ( for one of the cans of tomatoes) or water, which ever you have. If you add water, you will need to add more seasonings. I used water last night so I added 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp or so of garlic salt and a nice grind of pepper. I also added 3-4 shots of green Tabasco sauce. Cover and let simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed- about 20 mins.
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