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B Wednesday, October 15, 2014
About speeding to a birthday party
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n Also inside Pioneeer Potluck Classifieds Comics
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Spareribs and Sauerkraut
Good for casual one-dish fall suppers
W Grannie Annie Keystone Drive, Soldotna, Alaska
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hrough the years, a few of our friends have met to celebrate our birthdays. With our busy summer schedules, if we did not do take the time, we would not see them and friends are important. We decided to meet for birthdays at different restaurants, but on this occasion we were invited to Judy and Jim Platz, beautiful bed and breakfast, Call of the River, on the banks of the Kenai River, to celebrate Susan’s birthday. Everyone brought a favorite dish or casserole and we had a grand time catching up on the news. Dolores brought her Pinni machine and all the ingredients to make a wonderful sandwich. I made the birthday carrot cake. I am sorry I cannot remember all the other delicious food that every one contributed, because Bernie made this day hilarious! Susan, Marty, Dolores and I arrived first. We were given a tour of the Bed and Breakfast and were setting around waiting for Bernie and catching up on the gossip, when the phone rang. It was Bernie in her high pitched, in a tizz, voice - “I am gong to be late!! A Trooper pulled me over!” Where are you asked Judy? Just about two blocks from you Bernie says! “ And Please don’t tell anybody, I am so embarrassed!” Well that request lasted about a minute as Susan got Judy to tell the whole story and we all laughingly said “Oh we have to see this!” Keystone Drive was completely torn up for road repairs. There was detours, flags and warning signs up and down the road. Reduce your speed limit to 25 was one of them. Seems like Bernie, in a rush to get to the birthday party, was gong slightly over the speed limit and got pulled over. At first when she saw the flashing lights, she thought it was a pilot car, so ignored the red and blue flashing lights in her rear view mirror. When she realized it was a trooper and he was after her, she pulled over. She rolled down her window and the first thing that fell out of her mouth was “I am going to a birthday party and I have a hot casserole and I don’t want it to get cold!” The trooper said “You were going 5 miles over the speed limit!”...Bernie says “But I have a hot casserole for lunch and they are waiting on me!” Then a second thought hit her and she asked “Would you like to come to lunch with us?” Taken by surprise, the trooper declined her invitation and let her go with a warning to obey the signs. Then she and the trooper looked up the road and there was Marty, Dolores, Susan, and I in the middle of the road waving at her-beckoning to hurry, jumping up and down, pointing and laughing. Judy stood in her yard, not joining us as she was slightly embarrassed at the antics of her guests!! Dolores recalls this event as one of the funniest of her life. Bernie finally showed up, her casserole was still warm and wonderful. And this is just one of the many stories about birthday parties!
hen the weather turns chilly, it’s hard to beat the appeal of a one-pot meal simmering on the stove. Be it the sight (and sound) of food cooking, or the aroma that wafts through the house, these things bring us instantaneous comfort. In addition, for the busy cook, onedish meals are time-efficient, offering the greatest reward for the least effort. Whether you’re fixing supper for yourself or your family, or preparing a meal for company, one-dish meals are equally at home. Casual meals are flexible, too, and may be adjusted according to budget, preference, dietary needs and – the season. In autumn, spareribs and sauerkraut, made with red onion and a Granny Smith apple, is especially tasty and nice accompanied by some crusty rye bread. Alternatively, instead of bread, serving fresh-baked soft pretzels would be a good, especially with October being National Pretzel Month. (Unless you wish to make your own, soft ready-to-bake pretzels come frozen, so look for them at the supermarket.) For dessert and more fall flavor, spice cake is excellent, particularly when the recipe, which follows, comes from frequent recipe contributor Caroline Kennedy, of Bluffton. The
Kitchen Ade Sue Ade
cake, which starts with a boxed mix, is flavorful and ultra-moist, thanks to the addition of extra cinnamon and pumpkin. Recipes for one-dish meals, for breakfast, brunch, lunch and supper are popular and a boon when extended family and friends visit, sometimes for extended stays. Keep them in mind for the holidays, and if you don’t already have one of generous size – plan to get a bigger pot. Sue Ade is a syndicated food writer with broad experience and interest in the culinary arts. She has worked and resided in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 1985 and may be reached at kitchenade@yahoo.com.
Photos by Sue Ade unless otherwise noted
Flavorful and satisfying, easy one-dish Spareribs and Sauerkraut is good for supper on chilly fall nights.
Over medium heat, sauté onion and apple until softened. Add sauerkraut and Worcestershire to pot, stirring well to combine. Lay ribs on top, pulling up some of the sauerkraut to surround ribs, then add potatoes to
pot. Pour some of the sauerkraut/water mixture into the pot. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours (adding more juice/ water to keep ingredients moist during cooking), until rib meat is fall-offthe-bone tender. Makes 4 servings.
Browned baby-back pork ribs, sauerkraut, chopped onion and apples, as well as potatoes, are the makings of a satisfying one-pot autumn meal.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe courtesy Caroline Kennedy, Bluffton
“Great for fall!”
Serve Spareribs and Sauerkraut with crusty rye bread, or, for a change, fresh-baked soft pretzels. October is National Pretzel Month.
Spareribs with Sauerkraut 1 rack pork baby back ribs, cut into 1 to 2-rib pieces Vegetable oil 1 large red onion, chopped 1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped 2 (1-pound) packages sauerkraut 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Salt Fresh ground pepper 1 cup water 6 small red potatoes, scrubbed and
cut in half. Preheat broiler. Drain sauerkraut, reserving juice. Add 1 cup water to the reserved sauerkraut juice; set aside. Season ribs lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper, rubbing the seasoning into the ribs to coat. Broil ribs on both sides until browned. Remove ribs from oven and pour accumulated juices into a large Dutch oven. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil to the juices in the pot to coat the bottom of the pot.
1 (16.5-ounce) box Duncan Hines spice cake mix 3 large eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin ½ cup cold water ½ cup canola oil or applesauce 1 (3.4-ounce) package Jell-O instant vanilla pudding mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ cup chopped pecans, optional* Favorite cream cheese frosting, or whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)* Non-stick baking spray, for pan
pan with baking spray. In large bowl, combine dry cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, water, oil or applesauce, pudding mix and cinnamon. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in pecans, if using.* Pour into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Frost with favorite cream cheese frosting, or serve with refrigerated whipped topping. Store in refrigerator. Makes 16 servings. *Kitchen Ade note: I opted to place pecans on top of cake before baking and served Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gen- the cake with just a light dusting of erously grease a 13 x 9-inch baking confectioners’ sugar.
RIGHT: Caroline Kennedy’s Pumpkin Spice Cake, topped with chopped pecans, is moist, flavorful and full of fall flavor.
See GRANNIE ANNIE, page B-2
10 fresh ways to use Brussels sprouts BY ALISON LADMAN Associated Press
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
This Sept. 22 photo, shows fried Brussels sprouts in Concord, N.H. Chic menus at restaurants around the country have begun serving Brussels sprouts after kale introduced Americans to the idea that there actually are many ways to prepare most vegetables.
Not so long ago there really was only one way to eat Brussels sprouts. It involved boiling the sprouts into oblivion. Once they were reduced to near mush, you’d mound them on your plate, maybe add some butter and salt. You’d then gag down a few bites on the premise that they were healthy, but mostly spend the rest of the meal pushing them around your plate until enough time had passed that it was acceptable to throw them away. Then along came kale. Kale changed the vegetable world. Kale, in all its wrinkled good-
ness, suddenly made vegetables cool, hip even. More importantly, kale introduced Americans to the idea that there actually are many ways — including many delicious ways — to prepare most vegetables. Waiting in the wings for their own hipster moment? Brussels sprouts. Soon they were popping up on chic menus at restaurants around the country. And they most certainly were not boiled to oblivion. So to help you embrace the hipper, more delicious side of Brussels sprouts, we’ve assembled 10 fresh ideas for getting your greens. C
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10 Fresh ways with Brussels sprouts: — Oven-roasted: Cut sprouts in half, then toss with just a touch of olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 425 F for 15 minutes. Add cubes of golden delicious apples and roast for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. — Pan-roasted: Cut sprouts in half and place in a deep skillet with 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black
pepper, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 3 cloves minced garlic. Cook, uncovered and stirring now and again, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender and browned. — Slaw: Shave or shred 1/2 pound of sprouts. The slicing disc of a food processor is ideal. Add 1/2 cup sliced scallions, 1/2 thinly sliced bell pepper and 1/2 cup corn kernels. Whisk together 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Season with kosher salt, black pepper and a splash of hot sauce. Toss with the vegetables until thoroughly coated. See FRESH, page B-2