Who Offed the Ham and Beans?

March came in like a lion, roaring with fierce winds; covering the landscape with snow that turned to ice under the hot rays of the sun.  Mid-month, March became a bipolar version of Mother Nature; some days warm enough to go without a jacket or long sleeved shirt; some days making us wonder if we could ever turn off the furnaces in our homes.  The question now is, with the end of March, will it end like a meek little lamb lying in a field scented with blossoming wild flowers?

So, it’s no wonder that on a wind chilled weekend, I would find myself prepping beans for an overnight soaking.  The next day pouring them into a crock pot with water, vegetables and chopped up, baked ham to make a hearty ham and bean soup.   During the long wait, my mind began to wander over the origin of this soup.  Warning, my mind is a huge game of trivial pursuit; constantly full of questions and the gathering of answers.  Is it any wonder that my favorite genre of reading is mysteries?  The gathering up of clues to answer the questions of “Who Done It?”, “Why?”, “How?” before the reveal in the final chapters.

John Egerton, a historian and writer of Southern foods, based the origin on the African slaves in the Appalachian Mountain states of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.  To survive, they made due with whatever foods their “owners” grudgingly bestowed on them, namely white beans, ham hocks, collard greens, onions.  After the Civil War and the freeing of all slaves, many fled to the northern states, finding employment as cleaning and cooking staff.  On the menu of the United States Senate, even served today, is a ham and bean soup credited to the black Southerners.  Of course, the House of Representatives could not be outdone, so have their own version, without onions.

There you go, through brilliant deduction (Sherlock Holmes would be so proud!) the mystery of “Who Offed the Ham and Beans?” has been solved, and now for the recipe.  I chose to make this soup in a crock pot for convenience; that way it could cook, I could get chores and assignments done, and not worry over the pot.  I soaked the beans in cold water overnight which would allow them to cook up nice and tender, but also make them less gassy.  Now that’s a good thing!

 Ham and Bean Soup (Crock Pot)

Ingredients:

 

1 and ½ cups white beans (aka Great Northern)

1 and ½ cups pinto beans

Cold water to cover

8 additional cups cold water for cooking. (see note)

1 cup each chopped onions, carrots, celery and potatoes

1 tsp. salt (see note)

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. each dried basil and oregano

2 cups chopped cooked ham (leftover spiral sliced ham is what I used)

Preparation:

Place beans in a large bowl, add water to cover them, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let soak overnight (minimum 12 hours).

Next day, drain beans and add to 6-quart crock pot; add in all other listed ingredients.  Cover, set on low for 8- 10 hours (beans are tender), or high for 4-6 hours.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper is needed.

Note:  if using vegetable broth instead of water to cook, do not add in 1 teaspoon of salt; taste after cooking and add if needed.

Makes 10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Cow Tipping.

The first time I’d ever heard the term “cow tipping” was in 1990 when first moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Our residential neighborhood was surrounded by Amish farmland, with local, bored teenagers bragging about this night time exploit.  What exactly is “cow tipping”? An activity of sneaking up on any unsuspecting, or sleeping, upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment. The practice of cow tipping is generally considered an urban legend, and stories of such feats viewed as tall tales.  Except if you happen to live in a rural area, with even adults bragging how they did this activity during teenage years.  Personally, I saw this as cruelty to animals; I certainly wouldn’t enjoy being hurt and/or frightened being pushed down onto hard ground in my sleep!

Spring forward to 2009 with the moving to Utah; cows here are “handsomer”, for lack of a better word, than the overworked black and white milking cows of Pennsylvania.  Where those East coast cows would back away if you stared at them; cows in the Southwest have, what I would definitely call New York attitude, as they stare back with “whatchalookinat?”  Asking about cow tipping, folks would ask, “What is that?” and once explained would proclaim, “Well that’s stupid!”  So much for cow tipping in the Southwest.

Which now brings my convoluted thought processing to “beef tips”.  Did you ever go to a restaurant where the special for the evening was beef tips?  The server explains how this is a special cut of tender beef, prepared in a rich gravy and served over, well something; rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, a pureed vegetable.  Sounds really good, and it has to be special, considering the price is almost equal to a T-bone steak.  Here comes the surprise, where exactly does this “special cut of tender beef” come from on the cow?  The tips are small, about one inch; is there only one tip in each cow!?!  Originally, a beef tip was the tip of a tenderloin or sirloin steak which was trimmed off to give the steak a smoother, rounder appearance.  Nowadays, while quality restaurants may perform the same trim job, beef tips could simply be a steak cut up into one inch pieces and called the same thing.  Depending on the quality of the beef itself, the cooking process is the same, but may take longer.

The recipe I’m giving uses a simple London broil cut, lean, with all excessive fat removed as the fat will only make the gravy greasy, not tastier.  A hint for all those hunters bringing home elk and deer this season; this recipe works very well for those meats also.  I use Portabella mushrooms as they have a meatier texture, yet mild flavor; they are often used, as a substitute, for vegetarians who want to partake of a “burger”, just not the meat part.

Beef Tips with Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean London broil

4 Tbsp. flour

1 large onion, julienned

1 lb. portabella mushrooms, cut into one inch pieces

1 cup red wine (merlot or burgundy)

1 cup beef stock (not broth, too watery)

1 tsp. dried, crushed thyme leaves

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 lb. wide egg noodles

Preparation:

Spray a 4-quart crock pot bowl with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut London broil into one inch pieces, mix with the flour to coat all sides; place in bottom of crock pot bowl.  Place onions over beef, mushrooms over the onions in a layering process.

Whisk together wine, stock, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic; pour over mushrooms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerator overnight (8 hours). 

Next day, remove plastic wrap, place bowl into cooking unit, cover with appropriate lid, set on low and let cook for 8 hours.  At 7 and ½ hours, prepare egg noodles according to package directions.  Serve beef tips over egg noodles

Makes 6 servings.

Note: If a thicker gravy is desired, stir in one teaspoon of corn starch, at a time, until desired consistency is met.

Mary Cokenour

Eat Like a Real Local, Anywhere.

In my short lifetime (only 58, have plans to age 200), whenever I have traveled, it was always important to find local eateries to experience the food.  Why?  Basically, how would I learn about different cuisines, if all I ever ate was what I already knew about?  If I didn’t like it, seaweed salad for instance, then no loss to me if I never ate it again.  What if it was something absolutely amazing, soft shelled crab sandwich (yep, you eat the shell and all with this crab), and I missed out?  Alright, I hear, “Well if you never tried it, how could you ever miss it?”   While that might be a good point for those who are complacent, have no curiosity or spirit of adventure; it’s definitely not good enough for me. 

Think of it this way, you heard about Aunt So and So, never met her; saw photos, heard about how great she was.  Suddenly, you hear that she passed away and feel an emptiness inside; a sadness, not just for her passing, but that you missed out on meeting this wonderful person.  That’s what people should feel about life in general; don’t let it pass you by while you make excuses; or are afraid you won’t like an experience.  You never know definitely, if you hide in a cocoon indefinitely.

My initial experience with Southwestern and Mexican cuisines were, sadly, chain restaurants who supposedly offered up authentic recipes.  Imagine my surprise, moving to the Southwest, finally dining on the “real stuff”, and pondering what the chains were serving.  Even ingredients, such as chile peppers, refried beans, black beans and hominy were novelty items in the supermarkets’ “international aisle”.  That’s why, with the recipe I am giving, it contains Lima beans, not white pinto beans aka Great Northern beans; didn’t find those till I came out to Utah.  I also wanted a brighter color to break up the monotony of red and black beans mixed together in a red sauce.  Since an Amish favorite is “Barbecued Lima Beans”, I certainly thought they would be a delicious addition to my version of Southwestern Beans.  Served with roast beef, barbecued ribs or chicken; along with fluffy buttermilk biscuits or cornbread, this recipe is a perfect side dish.

Why wonder what you’re missing out on, go find out!

 

Southwestern Beans

 

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped

2 large Jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 (12 -16 oz.) package thick cut bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans
3 (16 oz.) cans butter beans aka Lima beans
2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans

(Beans – drain, do not rinse)

2 (18 oz.) bottles barbecue sauce (smoked hickory flavored)

Preparation:

Spray 6 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.  Layer onions, Jalapenos, bacon, black pepper and garlic in bottom.

  
 

Add layers of beans separately; or mix beans together and then place inside crock pot.  Pour barbecue sauce overall; cover; set on low for 5 hours.

 

Makes 20 – one cup servings.

 

 Bonus Recipe – Baked Barbecue Chicken Leg Quarters

 Ingredients:

4 chicken leg quarters (leave skin on)

½ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (12 oz.) bottle brown sugar barbecue sauce

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450F; line jelly roll pan with aluminum foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chicken on pan, drizzle olive oil over all; sprinkle salt and pepper over all.  Roast for one hour; remove pan, brush on half bottle of barbecue sauce over chicken.  Place back in oven for 10 minutes; repeat.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: the high temperature will melt the fat on the chicken, leaving the skin crispy, yet sealing juices into the chicken.

Mary Cokenour

Escaping Persecution Creates a Melting Pot of Foods.

Heads up, this will not be about the Mormons and their travels to Utah in 1847.  No, I am going ahead in time to 1914 with the establishment of “Russian Settlement”.  It is not known if the settlers there had another name of this now ghost town in the Park Valley area of Box Elder County.  By 1917, the residents had moved to either California, or towards Salt Lake City; continual crop failures, children sent to outside schools, supplies not shipped in as promised broke them.  The only remnant that the town ever existed is a little white fence built around two gravesites, Anna Kalpakoff, who was accidentally shot by her husband, and her sister-in-law, Mary Kalpakoff, who died during childbirth. 

These settlers were Molokans, a Russian Protestant-like Christian sect; this particular group belonging to a sub-sect called the “Jumpers and Leapers”.  These believed they were visited by a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, held revivals with intense zeal, reporting miracles that rivaled the stories from Christ's apostles.  Molokans were also pacifists; they refused to bear arms, or join with any of Russia’s military forces.  Life in Russia became exceptionally difficult, for any religious sect, after the publishing of Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” (1848); with Lenin finally overthrowing the Emperor and his court in 1918.

As with any other persecuted religious groups (Amish, Mennonite, Puritans, Quakers, Mormons), moving elsewhere to find freedom was a very good idea.  As with any immigrants that came to the United States, they brought with them culinary goods they could carry and recipe books.  America is called “The Melting Pot”, a gigantic living, breathing, working version of the child’s book, Stone Soup.  Picture this, the country is the cooking pot being filled with ingredients from every ethnic, religious, racial populace that has settled its lands.  Our language which we call English, is a variation of Olde English, Spanish, French, German, Latin and a few others thrown in as seasonings.  While we are all American, sometimes we tend to forget where our ancestors truly came from; we have forgotten, or not bothered to learn ancestral histories.  We also tend to forget that our ancestors were not that welcomed by residents already well-established here; they had to fight for their, and your, rights.

There is your mental meal to chew upon, now something to prepare for dinner to make your stomachs happy.  Since I have brought up Russia, a popular meal prepared with either beef cubes, strips or ground is “Beef Stroganoff”.  The history behind this dish is vague: #1 – 1850s created by a chef for Count Grigory Stroganov who had rotten teeth and needed the meat to be very soft.  #2 – 1891 created by French Chef Briere for Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov; using shallots.  #3 – 1871 Elena Molokhovets writes a cookbook for young housewives; her recipe uses mushrooms, onions, bouillon, allspice and mustard.  None of the recipes include the use of egg noodles, rice or ground beef; those are strictly American inclusions along with the invention of cream of mushroom soup and crock pots.

Personally I have made many versions of Beef Stroganoff using lean meat or ground beef; in a skillet or crock pot; sauce made of sour cream or cream of mushroom soup.  To avoid any disappointments, always make sure to drain any excess oil after browning the beef; who enjoys a slimy sauce really?  When using beef cubes or strips in a skillet, tenderize the meat overnight with a drizzle of red wine vinegar; breaks up the fibers and even Count Grigory’s teeth would   appreciate it.  Ground beef (90% or higher lean) is the quickest to brown in a skillet and this is the recipe I will now share.  Enjoy!

 

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

 

1 package (12 oz.) extra wide egg noodles.

1 lb. lean ground beef (90% or higher)

1 medium onion, diced

1 package (8 oz.) mushrooms, chopped

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. beef stock

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Prepare noodles according to package instructions; begin browning meat, medium-high heat, in 12 inch, deep skillet.  When meat is partially browned, add onions and continue to brown until no pink shows in meat; drain any excess oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, beef stock and Worcestershire; mix and let cook for 5 minutes.  Add cooked egg noodles and sour cream; mix thoroughly; remove from heat and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus Recipe:  Beef Stroganoff for Crock Pot

Ingredients:

3 ½ - 4 lbs. lean beef, cut into ½” cubes

½ cup flour

½ cup olive oil

1 bag (12 oz.) frozen, diced onions

1 can or jar (8 oz.) of sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground black pepper

3 beef seasoning packets or bouillon cubes

2 cups water

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ lbs cooked, broad egg noodles

 Preparation:

Mix beef cubes and flour together; heat oil in large skillet, medium-high heat, and brown all sides of cubes; drain excess oil

Set 6 quart crock pot on low, place in all ingredients, except sour cream and egg noodles. Cover, cook for 8 hours, stir in sour cream.   Let cook for 15 minutes; serve over egg noodles.

Makes 8 servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asian, Hawaiian, Mexican...Well it's a Crock Pot Chicken Recipe.

As many recipes I keep seeing on Facebook about Asian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Chinese Chicken in the Crock Pot, Mexican....well you get the gist of it.  There comes a point where it's simply, I've got these ingredients in the pantry and chicken; what do I do with it all to make a meal?

That's exactly what happened last week after I pulled out chicken and simply stared at it.  I was totally clueless as to what to make with it.  Do I fry it, bake it, make a casserole?  I saw a jar of pineapple chipotle salsa, cans of pineapple and a plan began to take form.  I pulled out green bell peppers and onion from the refrigerator and began dicing.  Then came the crock pot into which I dumped it all, set it on high and said to myself, "Good Luck!".  Four and one half hours later on, the chicken was tenderly cooked; the sauce looked thin, but was quickly fixed with an addition of cornstarch whisked in.  Served over white rice, it was amazingly delicious; score one for the "throw it all in and good luck" technique.

Pineapple Chipotle Chicken

 Ingredients:

6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 (16 oz.) jar pineapple chipotle salsa
1 (15 ¼ oz.) can pineapple slices, drained  (drink the juice, it's tasty!)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups cooked rice

Preparation:

Spray interior of 4 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Line sides and bottom of pot with chicken; place bell pepper and onion in center.  Pour salsa over all; cover with pineapple slices.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours; until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Carefully remove pineapple and chicken; mix cornstarch together with remaining ingredients in pot to thicken sauce.  Serve chicken breast and pineapple slice (s) over rice; spoon sauce from pot over all.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Crock Pot Comfort Food.

This year, summer in Monticello, Utah seemed to consist of two weeks in July and two weeks in August.  The rest of June, July, August and even September has been cool and rainy; not that I'm complaining mind you.  The primary source of our water is from the Abajo Mountains, that's right, real mountain spring water flows down, gets filtered and pours out of our faucets...jealous much?  Now what we didn't expect was to see snow on the tips of the peaks in June and July; and this past Friday the mountains themselves were covered in a light blanket of snow.  Down in Monticello, it was, what the locals call, very breezy; while visitors kept asking, "Why is it so windy?"

Let me explain, "10 to 30 mph = slightly breezy", "30 to 50 mph = breezy", "50 to 80 mph = very breezy".  As to the question, "Why is it so windy?"  Well scientifically, "Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Then cool air moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow. A windstorm is just a storm with high winds or violent gusts, but little or no rain."  Or I could give you one of my snarky (yes, I'm snarky, not snippy) answers, "See the windmills at the north end of town; that's our wind farm making all the wind.", or even better, "Go to the BLM office on Main Street; they have the weather machine and can adjust it for you."  Hey, ask a silly question...

Anyway, with temperatures dipping into the 30s at night, and low 60s during the day, it seems a good time to begin thinking about fall and winter meals, especially the comfort food type.  Comfort food, that which wraps itself around you (figuratively), making you feel warm all over and it's soothing to the soul.  I remembered a recipe from my first crock pot cookbook from the 1990s, "Swiss Chicken Bake" and knew this would be a perfect comfort food for a cool day. Bad news though, while I was in the process of divorcing my first husband, he broke into the storage shed and stole a box full of my cookbooks.  Why did he do this?  To hurt me of course, but they were only books, material items that could be replaced, or replaced with similar items.  I looked in my current crock pot books, but couldn't find this recipe, so here's where memory had to take over, and I did a pretty good job at remembering!

 

 

Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake

 

Ingredients:

6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 (10.5 oz.) package herb seasoned stuffing cubes
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
8 slices Swiss cheese

Preparation:
 

Spray inside of a 4 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray; place frozen chicken in bottom and against sides of crock pot; sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken.  Pour stuffing cubes into the “well” made by the chicken.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together soups and milk; pour over stuffing cubes and spread out to edges of crock pot.  Cover the “sauce” with slices of Swiss cheese.

 

Cover crock pot, set on low; cook 4-5 hours; chicken will be fork tender and easily come apart.

Makes 6 servings.

Option: use cornbread stuffing cubes with Cheddar cheese instead of herb seasoned stuffing cubes and Swiss cheese.

Enjoy the comfort!

Mary Cokenour

Another Asian Chicken in the Crock Pot Recipe.

First it was Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot recipes that kept popping up on the sidebar or newsfeed of Facebook. Now it's Asian chicken recipes; just because you add soy sauce to a recipe, that doesn't necessarily mean its an Asian recipe.

So here I go creating my own version, but while the others use boneless, skinless chicken breasts; I used bone-in chicken legs and thighs.  I tried to remove as much skin as possible, but the 10 hours cooking time took care of what did remain.

 

Savory Pineapple Chicken

 

Ingredients:

 

8 chicken legs, skin removed

8 chicken thighs, skin removed

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks, reserve juice

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce

 

 

Preparation:

 

Spray the inside of a 6 quart crock pot with cooking spray; layer the chicken legs and thighs inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a small mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, reserved juice from pineapple chunks, garlic, ginger and Hoisin sauce.  Pour over the chicken; top with pineapple chunks; cover, set crock pot on low and cook for 10 hours.

 

 

 

If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken and whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch; add more until your desired thickness achieved.  I left mine just the way it was after cooking; next day's leftovers, the sauce had thickened on its own.  The chicken does come right off the bone, so makes it easier to serve over rice.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour