On her special day this summer, 6-year-old Sophia Waldenberg woke up to balloons in her room and a happy song playing on the stereo. She picnicked in the park, rode a carousel, ate ice cream and even got to cruise the aisles of a toy store for a present. "It's as big as a birthday," her mom, Carol Waldenberg, said of Sophia's adoption day. A similar celebration occurs in November every year, to mark the day when Sophia's little sister, Olivia, 3, joined the family.
Dear Readers: A couple in their 80s wrote asking for a recipe for Shepherd's Pie as well as recipes that make good use of leftover meatloaf and other inexpensive cuts of meat. Here's a simple recipe for Shepherd's Pie that I adapted from an old Taste of Home magazine and a couple of Dorothy Dean hamburger recipes. Most skillet-type or casserole dishes that call for ground beef work well with leftover meatloaf, meatballs, etc. Since most of us can always use tasty and budget-friendly recipes for ground beef and other less-expensive meats, if you have a family favorite that doesn't require a lot of work, send it along to the address at the end of this column. We'll share a few in future columns.
Hot dogs cooked in coffee pots. Grilled cheese sandwiches made with irons. When it comes to eating while going to college, desperation sometimes leads to creativity.
Huckleberries galore! At last week's Spokane Farmers' Market, bags of huckleberries covered a full table. And those who ventured to the mountains to pick for themselves report it was an incredible huckleberry year.
Forget trying to plan elaborate dishes based on what you hope to find at farmers' markets. The secret to enjoying the fresh, local produce available at markets is to improvise. That's the message chef David Blaine shared with a group of food lovers on a recent Shop with the Chef tour of the Spokane Farmers' Market.
Show me a mom who doesn't consider it a great coup to find like-new brand-name toddler and kid clothes for a fraction of the original price. With school starting in just a few weeks and winter looming ahead, the bargain radar of budget-conscious mothers is working overtime. They're scanning clearance racks, yard sales and consignment shops for everything from jeans and dresses to winter jackets and snow boots. They know that most of their purchases will last merely one season before their child grows out of it, so paying full price is the last thing they want to do.
Dear Laura: Years ago, I clipped and used a recipe for Freezer Slaw. I'd like to make it again this summer but have lost the recipe. It's a delicious and easy way to preserve extra cabbage from the garden in the fall. Shredded cabbage, green and red peppers and carrots are mixed together in a large bowl. A sweet and sour dressing containing vinegar, sugar and celery seed is added and the mix is packaged in freezer bags. – Janet
Ever spend much time thinking about that tasty muffin you sometimes have with your morning coffee? Where did the eggs used in the batter come from? What about the flour? The berries?
Dear Laura: I have been trying for years to make a good copy of my mother's Spanish Rice recipe. I remember she would brown hamburger, green pepper and onion and then add spices, instant rice and I believe tomato juice. I even bought a cookbook by mail of instant rice recipes but it wasn't included. Any idea where I can get a copy of this recipe? – Bev Dear Bev: Here's a recipe from The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean collection from October 1959. It has everything that you described that was in your mother's recipe, except it uses tomato sauce instead of tomato juice. I made this recipe recently using canola oil in place of the original "fat" and instant rice and it turned out fine. To suit my personal preference for a little more spice, I added extra chili powder as well as some cayenne pepper.
Has the sulking stopped? Whether the result of a Hoopfest bracket championship that slipped away or even just last week's baseball, softball or soccer game, chances are there's a kid or two out there who's not too happy about losing a game.
'Tis the season when Inland Northwest flavors come to life. Over the next few weeks, cars will begin streaming up to Green Bluff and area farmers' markets likely will be hopping with shoppers – all because of a few colorful orbs. Some of the region's most prized gems are ripening on trees and bushes, and eager pickers are starting to score plenty of sweet or tangy cherries and berries. Strawberry season began a few weeks ago, and cherry and raspberry picking on Green Bluff has just begun. Soon blackberries will ripen and the much-coveted huckleberries will dot the mountain bushes.
Dear Laura: Help! I can't find my recipes for French toast (it had flour in the batter) and Mac and Cheese made with beaten egg whites. Both are favorites of kids. – Linda Dear Linda: With school out for the summer, kids will be clamoring for good eats. Here are two recipes from The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean files that fit the descriptions of your lost recipes.
The temptation is coming. Soon area farmers' markets will be awash in all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruit. It'll be tough to not load up. But what do you do with all that produce when you get it home?
What does it mean to grill? Depends on whom you ask. To some it means everything – even dessert – gets cooked over hot coals or open flame. To others it means a main dish stars – usually meat, poultry or fish – but is accompanied by a strong supporting cast of salads and sides prepared off the grill. And to still others it means something in between. Regardless of what type of griller you are, you're not alone. According to a survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, nearly three-fourths of American households own a grill and the typical grill owner cooks outdoors 22 times during barbecue season.
Dear Laura: My sister has been looking for a Dorothy Dean recipe for tuna noodle casserole that uses sour cream. She lost her recipe and would be delighted to have it again. – Kay Dear Kay: I had to put the sharp readers of this column to work on this request, as our search turned up several varieties of tuna casserole but none using sour cream. A few readers sent us a Dorothy Dean recipe that fits your criteria. Another reader had a tuna casserole recipe that also uses sour cream but was unaware of its origin. Both recipes follow.
Wearing T-shirts proclaiming the "Power of 3," employees at Great Harvest Bread Co. are feeling vindicated. With the release of the much anticipated new food pyramids, U.S. government officials declared what Great Harvest has been saying for more than 25 years: Whole grains are good for you. The pyramids recommend that most individuals get at least three servings of whole grains every day. A single slice of a 100-percent whole wheat bread typically equals one serving of whole grains.
Once again, the sharp readers of this column leapt into action when we featured a reader looking for a Dorothy Dean recipe for salmon ring with creamed peas. Our search yielded only a single recipe that came close to that description, and dated back to the 1930s. Since then, several readers sent in copies of a Dorothy Dean recipe from 1977 called Savory Salmon Ring with Creamed Vegetables. As one reader named Betty told us, "Taken from my yellowed, dog-eared, but treasured Dorothy Dean files. Her recipes were the greatest!" Thanks again. We've said it before; the readers of this column are often our best resource. That salmon ring recipe follows.
Dear Laura: I had a wonderful Dorothy Dean recipe for a Salmon Ring in a mold with creamed peas. Over the years I have lost it and would love to have it again. – Alice Dear Alice: The only Dorothy Dean recipe I could find is called Salmon Ring Special. The recipe, originally printed in the late 1930s, suggests serving the dish with a creamy parsley sauce and peas. I found a Dorothy Dean Parsley Sauce recipe from 1948. Perhaps these are the recipes you're looking for?
Dear Laura: I am looking for a raisin and rice pudding recipe that doesn't require a double boiler. – Jim Dear Jim: Many newer recipes call for a double boiler, but I found several recipes from The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean collection, which spanned several decades. Here are a couple of them:
Dear Laura: I saw a recipe in the food section last summer for a pie made with Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars that sounded like it made a pie similar to pecan pie. I cut out the recipe and have misplaced it. – Sheryl Dear Sheryl: The recipe you're looking for was the $1 million winning recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. The recipe's creator, Suzanne Conrad of Ohio, adapted a favorite family pie recipe to use the granola bars. It was published in The Spokesman-Review on July 14, 2004. Here it is:
Local student chefs are getting a taste of how nutrition soon may be as important as taste in their kitchen creations. Through a new class at the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College, students are being challenged to look at the nutritional qualities of the dishes they're preparing.
