Campfire Cuisine

7/28/10
Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

Campfire Cuisine

Vacation time is in fully swing and families everywhere are cooking around a campfire. Good camp meals don’t just happen. They take planning. Lists must be made and a great deal of thought put into meals cooked outdoors with minimal refrigeration.

Camping menus should be simple with much of the prep work done at home. Lettuce can be washed and bagged for salads. Burger patties formed and put on ice. Desserts can be as simple as sliced oranges sprinkled with coconut. But bacon sizzling on a grill always starts off the day and marshmallows dropped in ashes (and wiped off) always end the day.

Stick cooking was invented for people like me who don’t want to be slaving over a hot fire all day. If you put a hotdog on a stick and let little kids and big grown-ups cook their own main course they’re happy campers. Put that dog in a toasty bun at lunch or dinner, add a plate of beans and you’ve got a meal!

Eventually, hamburgers and hot dogs get old and we begin hankering for something else to eat. Again, those hot dog sticks come in very handy. You can thread them with cubed pork, chicken or steak in an endless variety of combinations. A can of pineapple cubes with onion and bell pepper added to the skewers make a great, easy main course.

I found this first recipe on the “Travel Oregon” website. They periodically send me interesting Oregon-style recipes. Chilaquiles, however, are Mexican comfort food so this was one was a surprise. If you like enchiladas, you should like these. This is a breakfast recipe and will serve a crowd. The other recipes are basic camping food with just a little twist. Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Chilaquiles

A Dutch Oven
Olive oil
1 dozen eggs
Splash of milik
1 12-ounce can enchilada sauce
4 corn tortillas, hand cut into 1-inch strips or cubes
Pinch of fresh chopped oregano
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 avocadoes, sliced

Wipe the sides of the Dutch Oven with olive oil. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Saute the oregano, onions and bell pepper until translucent. Pour in egg and milk mixture and stir frequently. When the eggs are almost cooked, begin heating the Dutch Oven lid.

Place tortilla strips into the enchilada sauce; then combine the strips and sauce with other ingredients in the Dutch Oven. Continue to cook mixture, stirring and folding ingredients. Add 2/3 of the Monterey Jack cheese and half of the cilantro. When the meal is almost done, add the rest of the cheese and cilantro and place the diced red onion and chopped avocadoes across the top.

Cover with heated lid for a few minutes and serve!

Breakfast Pig on a Stick

Hot dog forks
campfire
1 package fully cooked sausage links
1 package refrigerated breadsticks

Spear a sausage link on a stick.
Lay one breadstick dough strip out and wrap dough around the sausage. Pinch the end or poke it over the stick end. Cook over coals until the bread is browned. Take your time and keep rotating it so that the bread dough is brown outside and cooked inside. Eat plain or dip in catsup, mustard, or whatever your kid will eat.

Basic Cedar Planked Fish

2 pounds of salmon, char, halibut or trout fillets, skin on or skinless
1/4 cup canola oil or Italian dressing (if using skinless fillets)
General seasoning and herbs
1 large lemon cut in half and then quarters to serve.
1 red cedar plank large enough to hold fish in a single layer

Soak plank for 8 hours or overnight in a bucket in plain water (weight with brick to keep plank submerged). Drain plank and pat dry.

If using skinless fish, rub one side with oil; place on plank, oiled side down. If using unskinned fish, place on plank, skin side down.

Sprinkle fish generously with seasoning. Cover plank loosely with aluminum foil. Place plank on campfire grill over campfire and cook until fish is just opaque, about 15 to 25 minutes. The plank may catch on fire around the edges near the end and this is okay; if the fire becomes too strong, spray plank with water bottle.

Serve on plank or transfer to serving dish. Discard plank after use.

Russian Cherry Delight

1 15-oz. can crushed pineapple
1 21-oz. can cherry pie filling
1 21-oz. can strawberry pie filling
2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling
1 8-oz. bag chopped pecans
1 18-oz. box Duncan Hines yellow (butter recipe) cake mix
1 to 2 sticks of butter
3-4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 12-inch Dutch oven

Preheat a lightly greased 12-inch Dutch oven to 350 degrees.
Pour crushed pineapple on the bottom and spread evenly; cover lightly with cinnamon. Follow the same procedure with the cherry pie, straw berry pie, and apple pie fillings (but don’t drain!).

Spread dry cake mix evenly over pie fillings. Sprinkle pecan pieces evenly over the dry cake mix.

Cut butter stick into thin squares and apply over entire top.

Bake one hour at 350 degrees, with nine charcoal briquettes under the oven and 15 on the lid. Check after 20 minutes; if necessary, adjust the number of briquettes. Serve warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped topping. Serves 10 to 12

Note: Be sure and bring along a can opener and some bowls to serve this in. Then, if you’re really camping and don’t have access to ice cream, try pouring a little milk over the warm cake. Delicious!

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Her columns are published weekly in the Cottage Grove Sentinel.

Cottage Grove history 101

7/21/10 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Welcome visitors! If you’re visiting Cottage Grove, today’s column is dedicated to you as we glimpse into Cottage Grove’s past. At one time, Oregon was not what you see now. In the days before automobiles, fast food, big box stores, electric lights or even paved roads, there were Indian villages and pioneer settlements right here in the Grove. It truly was the new frontier.

Back in 1987 my husband and I drove into town for the first time. We got settled in the Pine Meadows campground and then came back into town to board an excursion steam train at the Village Green that took us into the mountain foothills.

As “The Goose” chugged deep into the forests on what is now the Row River trail, we got a sense of what it must have been like to be an early settler in this area of Lane County. As we bumped along and listened to the recorded tour, we discovered that the area not only had a rich history in the lumber industry but also in gold mining.

At the turn of the twentieth century, such trains mostly hauled supplies to the Bohemia mining and lumber country. That changed in 1971, when it was announced at a Chamber of Commerce banquet that an excursion train, “The Goose,” would begin tours for visitors. Today, that train runs in Yreka, Calif. on an eight-mile track with breathtaking views of Mt. Shasta.

Many people assume that the early settlers of this area were loggers and miners. But historians tell us that long before the white man came, there were Indians. Before the days of logging and mining, the Calapooya Indians had an established culture and lifestyle in this beautiful valley.

Beverly Ward writes about these very first inhabitants of South Lane County in “Golden Was The Past, 1850-1970.” Her first chapter, “The Indians of South Lane,” paints a beautiful word picture of the early 1800s that the settlers saw when they first entered the Willamette Valley and discovered the Indian population.

“The Calapooya Indians vast domain included parts of Lane and Douglas counties,” she writes. “When the settlers arrived the Cottage Grove area was well populated. The Indians numbered in the hundreds and their villages dotted the banks of the Coast Fork and its tributaries — the Row River, Silk Creek and other small streams.

“The rolling fields in the valley were covered with lush grass. Wild game abounded in the beautiful timbered hills. Steams afforded the Indians eels and the clear waters teemed with trout. When the fall rains came, the salmon migrated to the far reaches of the unobstructed streams to the spawning ground that had given them birth.

“The camas that blanketed the swales, was also an important source of food. The Indians dug large pits in the ground and lined them with rocks. After the rocks were heated, the bottom of the pit was covered with wet grass, then it was filled with camas bulbs and more wet grass … the whole was covered with hides to hold in the steam. Steamed bulbs were dried and stored for future use. They looked like citron and tasted like sweet potatoes.

“The Klamath Indians traveled from eastern Oregon over the rugged Bohemia Mountains to fish in Row River … the place they camped is now known as Wildwood Park. The Indians used long handled spears and dip-nets to catch the fish that gathered in the turbulent waters below the falls.

“The Indians traveled afar to trade. The Calapooyas procured obsidian from the eastern Oregon Indians for arrowheads and they obtained salt, shells, seafood and certain furs from the tribes along the coast.

“On the upper Rogue River was a special Indian meeting place. Here, the Willamette Valley, Eastern Oregon and Coastal Indians gathered to settle their affairs, trade and hold religious rituals and potlatches. Many sporting events were held and these affairs often lasted for days. The Indians liked to gamble and played games of chance and some went home without their shirts!

“The Calapooya Indians adapted themselves to the white man’s ways. They wore clothing like the settlers and the children played together; they learned to speak each other’s languages.

“There was no Indian uprising in the Cottage Grove area. The old settlers can be commended for they treated the Indians better than in many other places.

“But the Indian had to go to make way for the white man. Their numbers gradually diminished. Some moved westward to avoid the encroaching settlers. After the Rogue River War in Curry County, many Calapooya Indians were rounded up and taken to reservations.

“Diseases took a drastic toll. The Indians couldn’t cope with the white man’s contagious diseases. Their traditional practice of sweating themselves in sweathouses, then leaping into the cold streams was deadly when they were ill.

“Samuel Knox, an early pioneer was credited for saving many Indian lives. When an epidemic of measles swept through an Indian encampment on the Row River, Knox visited the Indians and persuaded them to stop using the sweat houses when they were ill.”

The author mentions that the Indians buried their loved ones’ belongings with them so they would have something in the hereafter. One rainy winter, bones, beads, tools and other artifacts were washed out of an Indian burial ground on Row River. She concludes her chapter with this observation: “The Indians have left marks on this land that time can never erase.”

If you want to read more of these stories, I suggest that you pick up a copy of “Golden Was The Past — the stories continue …” You might also check out the Cottage Grove Museum on H. St or the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum on Main St. You will not only learn more of the area’s history but also help support the wonderful work of our historians, the keepers of our past.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. 

Her columns are published weekly in the Cottage Grove Sentinel

True Blueberries

7/14/10 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

True Blueberries

Oregon blueberries are one of the first fruits of summer, coming right on the heels of strawberries. This year, according to the Oregon Blueberry Commission, the crop is looking bigger and better. Their data indicates that Oregon’s blueberry harvest could reach a new record with about a 50 million pound crop. Some of them are grown right here in Lane County (check the classifieds for growers).

Blueberries are not only delicious but they are nutritious. The USDA recommends that we eat five-to-nine servings a day of fruits and vegetables. Just one-half cup of blueberries per day is equal to one serving. If we divide that amount of berries between our breakfast cereal and a cup of yogurt or some ice cream, we’re nicely on the way to meeting our daily goal.

Now, try and swallow this statement: “In general, blueberries are the richest sources of antioxidant phytonutrients of the fresh fruits and vegetables that we’ve studied,” says Dr. Ronald Prior of Tufts University.

So what does that mean to us? Basically, it means that these tasty little berries are powerful disease fighters. Research in laboratory tests indicate that blueberries contain natural compounds that help us stay healthy and may help prevent age-related disease and even some forms of cancer.

But even if none of the above was true, we all know that colorful blueberries are delicious as snacks as well as mealtimes. Try freezing them; then scoop out a spoonful and pop them in your mouth as a snack. They taste like a frozen popsicle. Wonderful!

Isn’t it nice to know that something so tasty is also good for you? The following recipes are courtesy of Oregon Blueberry Commission. Some were winners in the Great Oregon Blueberry Recipe contest. They range from a delicious salmon main dish to dessert. Enjoy!

Neskowin Blueberry Salmon

Kelly Andersson of Sutherlin, Oregon, 1st prize in Great Oregon Blueberry Recipe Contest

1 cup Oregon blueberries
2 Chinook salmon filets, 6-8 oz. each
½ fresh ruby red grapefruit
½ cup crushed pineapple
Fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 small Anaheim chile
2 fresh limes
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup brown sugar

Generously butter a glass baking dish and spread pineapple in the dish. Sprinkle liberally with fresh ground black pepper. Slice the chile into very thin rings and arrange over the pineapple. Squeeze the juice of two limes over the chile slices, then lay the salmon filets over the sliced chile. Peel and trim the grapefruit, and cut it into bite-size chunks and arrange those over the salmon. Top with Oregon blueberries, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season generously with chili powder. Bake at 425° till top is bubbly and salmon is opaque. Serve with rice and fresh steamed asparagus or artichokes.

Wild Summer Greens with Oregon Blueberries & Tarragon Blue Cheese Blueberry Dressing

Combine fresh wild greens and edible flowers for a light summer salad. Include any of the following:
Nasturtiums, Johnny Jump-Ups, Day Lilies, Spinach, Shiso, Sweet Cecily, Endive, Arugula, Belgian Endive, Lemon Mint, Beet Greens, Mustard Greens, Tarragon Leaves, Garnish with Red Onion and Orange Wedges.
Top with Oregon Blueberries and dressing (as follows):

Tarragon Blue Cheese Blueberry Salad Dressing

In a small bowl, combine:
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/3 cup blueberry vinegar (purchase ready-made or use recipe that follows)
2 tablespoons, plus ½-cup olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove chopped shallot
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash together blue cheese into blueberry vinegar until cheese is well incorporated. Pouring slowly, in a steady stream, whisk in the olive oil. Add 1 clove chopped shallot, 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon and 1 teaspoon honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Oregon Blueberry Ice Cream

2 pints Oregon blueberries
1 quart whole cream
2 egg yolks or equivalent pasteurized egg substitute
¾-cup sugar
¼-cup water
1 lemon, juice & zest
Pinch salt

Pick through Oregon Blueberries to remove any stems. Simultaneously melt sugar into water, lemon juice and zest to approximately 125°. In another pan, heat cream to about 100°. Puree berries. Add pureed blueberries to simple syrup mixture while still 125° until bright blue not cooked.

In a large mixing bowl combine beaten yolks or egg substitute and a pinch of salt. Then slowly mix cream and yolks together, whisking constantly. Now add Oregon Blueberries to cream mixture. Place in refrigerator for 45 minutes to chill.

For best results, use a 5-quart ice cream maker with an electric motor top and wooden bucket. Chill to 45° with lots of ice and rock salt.

Makes about 1.5 quarts or about 12 half-cup servings.

Oregon Blueberry-Lemon Squares

Lorely French of Forest Grove, Oregon, 2nd place

2 cups rinsed Oregon blueberries
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup (½ lb.) butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder

Mix flour and ½ cup powdered sugar until blended. Mix in butter, cut into small pieces with a large fork until dough holds together when squeezed. Press evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Bake in a 350° oven until crust is golden brown, usually 20-25 minutes.

While the crust is baking, whisk eggs together with granulated sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir in Oregon blueberries. Pour egg mixture over warm, baked crust. Return to the oven and bake until the filling is firm and does not move when gently shaken, usually 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with teaspoon powdered sugar and let cool at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.

Summertime Thieves

July 7, 2010
Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Sunshine and warm summer days have finally arrived along with some strange companions — burglars and scam artists. At the risk of putting a damper on rest and relaxation, today’s column is dedicated to some common sense reminders to keep your property safe while you’re on vacation. We begin with a reminder to stay calm and keep your wallet securely shut against telephone scam artists.

If you’re like me, you assume that phone calls targeting elderly grandparents with bad news about their grandchildren being arrested and needing money to bail them out of jail only happens to other people who live far, far away. Wrong!

Recently, a former neighbor’s family was targeted and she sent out this email warning. In the interest of confidentiality and safety, I am not revealing any of the family members names, only their general locations. Here’s the message:

“Warning. My daughter told me about a horrible, cruel scam that is taking place in your area (Lane County). Someone called her grandmother and said that her granddaughter was in Niagra Falls and was in a car accident and arrested for a DUI. The caller asked the grandmother to wire him money to bail the granddaughter out of jail.

“This, of course, was false. She was safe at home in the Pacific Northwest. This scammer looks for elderly people, finds out something about their family and then uses scare tactics to extort money from them.

“Her grandmother was understandably very upset. This is a horrible, cruel act to play on our elders. Please be aware of this scam and pass it on to those you love. Before they panic, send money or give out personal information to someone over the phone, tell them to call the supposed victim first to confirm if it is true or not. Never give out personal information over the phone and report these calls to the local police department.”

Fortunately, this family didn’t fall for the scam but evidently many people do. Otherwise, the con artists would stop conning!

The following information came to me in the form of an email entitled “Things your burglar won’t tell you.” My email sources indicated that this information came from www.crimedoctor.com but I couldn’t find it there. Another cited source was Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor who wrote a book titled “Burglars on the Job” after he interviewed 105 convicted burglars in Oregon, California, North Carolina and Kentucky.

The bottom line is that I don’t know where the following information comes from but it’s good stuff. So, whether you’re leaving home for the day or a month, I think you’ll find some valuable information here. This advice is given from the burglar’s perspective:

“Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working at your house and yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.”

“Those yard toys your kids leave out on the driveway always make me wonder what type of gaming system they might also have.”

“Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer on your front door to see how long it takes you to move it.”

“If decorative glass is part of your front door entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see whether or not it’s set. That makes my job too easy.”

“A good security company alarms the window over the sink and the second floor windows which often access the master bedroom and your jewelry. You should put motion detectors up there too.”

“To you, leaving your window open (just a crack) while you’re gone during the day, is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.”

“I’m not complaining but why would you pay all that money for an alarm system and leave your house without setting it?”

“I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home; for flat screen TVs or gaming systems. I’ll drive by or walk your neighborhood at night before you close the blinds to choose my targets.”

“Avoid announcing your vacation on your ‘Facebook’ page. It’s easy to look up your address.”

“I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions or offer to clean your gutters (don’t take me up on it).”

A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than an alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.”

“If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Sometimes I hit the jackpot and walk right in.”

“Sometimes I carry a clipboard. Sometimes I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.”

“The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.”

“I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’s just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.”

“Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.”

“Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside tables and the medicine cabinet. “

“You’re right, I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.”

Have a safe summer everyone!

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

Fourth of July favorites

6/30/10 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

Time really does fly. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the bicentennial of these United States of America and this year we will celebrate birthday number 234! The object of our fireworks celebrations, of course, is to celebrate freedom and as Thomas Jefferson said, “to contemplate the meaning of democracy.”

Food and drink also play a big part in our Fourth of July celebrations. So here’s a little bit of trivia for you: Early descriptions of Independence Day parties indicate that drink played a larger part than food! Historians often mention that Early Americans drank frequently and sometimes to excess. The Fourth provided them with a convenient and patriotic reason to party hearty — sometimes toasting our young country’s military heroes until July 5.

Many of the menu items from the late 1770s and the early 1800s seem a little foreign to us. For-instance, bowls of stiff eggnog were fixtures at parties along with a coveted turtle soup that is now probably on the endangered species list. And here’s another bit of trivia: Although it was a luxury, ice cream became more readily available in the mid-1800s thanks to a Florida doctor who invented an ice maker to fight yellow fever!

Menus of course, were largely dictated by regional availability. Midwesterners enjoyed fried chicken and potato salad. Salmon was popular in New England. And I have it on good authority that Southerners ate Brunswick stew in addition to barbecue! Hamburgers and hot dogs came along much later.

Today’s menu suggestion is for pulled pork sandwiches done in the Crockpot and served on nice soft, Kaiser rolls; topped with tangy coleslaw. Because I love dill pickles with coleslaw, I’m throwing in a recipe for fried dill pickles — a southern delicacy. And finally, I’d like to remind you to use your ice cream maker. So whip up a batch of homemade strawberry ice cream to complete your meal. After all, it’s tradition. Happy 4th everyone!

Carolina Barbequed Pork

Adapted from Rival Crockpot cookbook

Crockpot meat
1 (4-6 pounds) boneless pork butt or shoulder
2 onions, separated into rings
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (cayenne if desired)

The night before cooking, remove excess fat from roast and place in a bowl. Pat vinegar onto meat; rub with dry ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

Barbecue Sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup catsup
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or crushed red pepper

Prepare BBQ Sauce the night before. Combine in saucepan: vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne. Stir to mix well, bring to a boil and cook 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate to let flavors meld.

The next morning, place onions in crockpot. Place roast over onion. Drizzle about one-third sauce over roast. Refrigerate remaining sauce. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW 10-12 hours or HIGH 4-6 hours.

During last half hour of cooking, drizzle one-third reserved sauce over roast. Remove meat and onions, drain. Chop meat and onions together into small pieces or shred with fork. Return to crockpot to re-heat and stir to coat with sauce as desired.

Lightly butter Kaiser rolls and toast on grill, buttered side down. Serve meat on buns, topped with coleslaw. Pass remaining sauce to drizzle on sandwiches. Serves 8 generously.

Cole Slaw

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:
3 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 head cabbage)
3 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 head cabbage)
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup grated yellow onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2-3 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery seeds, salt and pepper and whisk well to dissolve the sugar. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Place in the refrigerator, covered, to chill slightly before serving. Yield: 8 servings

Fried Dill Pickles

1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
1-1/4 cup flour
1 (16 ounce jar) pickle slices


1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying
In a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/4 cup of the flour, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, seasoning salt and garlic powder.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine cornmeal and remaining flour.
Preheat oil in a deep fryer or pot to 365° F.
Dip drained pickles into milk mixture and then dredge them in the flour mixture. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

Simple Strawberry Ice Cream

3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups strawberries
1 cup heavy cream
teaspoon vanilla
Drop red food coloring

Mash the strawberries with half the sugar in a bowl. Refrigerate.

In a saucepan, mix the egg yolks with the milk, salt and remaining sugar. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly to boiling point. Do not boil! Transfer the mixture to a chilled bowl to cool. When cool, place in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. When cool, stir in cream and vanilla; then blend in strawberry sugar mixture and food coloring. Process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 1-1/2 quarts.

Note: recipe may be doubled. Eat immediately!

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.