Sunday in Iowa...

 

This patriotic barn is in Lynnville, Iowa

Sadly, tornadoes spread throughout our area of Southern Iowa, with 7 dead so far and much damage.  Our family members in the affected area are ok, and the tornado faded out about 5-10 minutes before it got to our county and we only got intense rain and high winds.  Two different tornadoes traveled on the ground for many miles.  60° and tornados on Saturday, 26° and snow overnight Sunday into Monday in the same areas.

$avings $aturdays...Canning Sale Chicken

The Dutchman's Store in Cantril, Iowa

After reading about Avian flu being discovered in several backyard flocks of chickens and ducks in several states we thought we might want to replenish our chicken supplies in the pantry and freezer.  Monday we made a trip to Cantril to the Dutchman’s...a Mennonite store that often has very good deals on frozen meat and poultry as well as bulk baking supplies, spices, canning supplies and the like.  We had not made the 70 mile trip since October of last year.  Everything else was 10% to 20% higher than our last trip in the fall, same as our local groceries, except for my poultry purchase.  Bulk canning lids were in stock, but the sign said "Imported", not the Ball commercial canning lids they usually carry...I have about 500 lids on hand at home.

I bought what bulk groceries I needed to replenish our pantry, and lucky me, I found 3 pound packages of nice boneless, skinless chicken thighs which are what I like to can for $3.99, or $1.33 per pound!  Since I paid $2.79 a pound for the last chicken thighs I purchased for canning, this was a great deal! The local HyVee grocery chain had them on sale for 99¢ a pound a week or so ago, but the store here never got any.  

I brought the chicken thighs home and thawed them and canned 6 pounds of them on Tuesday.  The other package went in the freezer.  I got 19 half pint jars with 4 ½ ounces of cooked meat in each jar and all of them sealed too.  If you want to cook them for the freezer instead of canning, check here.

On Thursday, the USDA announced it had found Avian flu in a flock of chickens in Iowa…also a home flock with about 40 birds that had to be destroyed and the location was quarantined.  From experience, we know that this problem will eventually spread to commercial flocks and prices for poultry and eggs will skyrocket. 

I now have 5 dozen jars of canned chicken from 2021 and this week in my pantry…up from my usual stock of 3 dozen.  This will provide us with plenty of cooked chicken for soups, casseroles, chicken salad, and the like .   

I use a 16 quart Presto pressure canner.  It holds 13 half pint jars so I did two loads in succession, to reduce cleanup.

 

                Home Canned Chicken Thighs - 1 canner load
  3 1/3         pounds  chicken thigh, no skin, R-T-C -- 4.125# yields 12 jars
  3 1/3           cups  water
  2 1/2    tablespoons  chicken base
                                                
                        OR   (4.125# yields 12 jars)
  4           5 pounds  chicken thigh, no skin, R-T-C
  4             5 cups  water
  3        tablespoons  chicken base
  1         tablespoon  chicken marinade -- if desired
 
Night before:  Assemble canners, jars, rings, lids, tools; line baking pans w/foil, get out plastic gloves, have chicken thawed.
Bring meat to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°.  Put racks on the slots above and below the center slot in the oven.  
 Cut thighs in half so they lay flat, cut in 1-2" pieces.  Place chicken on extra wide aluminum foil lined half sheets.  Sprinkle with salt. (USE PLASTIC GLOVES).  Clean work area with clorox wipes or hot soapy water.  Don't let raw chicken contaminate the area or come in contact with cooked chicken.
Place sheets in the oven.  Set one timer for 5 minutes and another for 10 minutes.
After 5 minutes reverse pan locations and continue baking until meat looks just set, about another 5-7 minutes.
Total time about 10-15 minutes, depending on how cold the chicken was at the beginning.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining ingredients in the microwave.  Prepare jar lids according to package directions.
Place empty half pint jars in pressure canner with 3 quarts of water.  Let it come to a low boil, with canner lid on but not tightened.  (This is to eliminate thermal shock so your jars don’t break.
Prepare trays to fill jars.  Get out rings, lids, jar lifter, lid magnet, plastic knife, ladle, dinner tablespoon.
Remove pans from oven; place at sink and fill each hot jar with 4 1 /4  ounces of meat, weighing jars.  Fill jars with broth to within one inch. Remove bubbles with a plastic knife.  Adjust lids and place in canner.
Put lid on canner; let vent 10 minutes, cover and time for 1 hour and 15 minutes after rocker starts to move.  Turn down gradually to medium low and let process, with rocker just moving slowly.
Remove from heat and let cool on rack until pressure comes down of its own accord, about 25 minutes.
Remove jars to towel-lined trays; let seal.  After several hours, remove rings and wash jars in soapy water and store in pantry.
You get one half pint with 4+ ounces from every 5 1/4 - 5 1/2 ounces of raw meat.
Yield:   "9 or 10 half pints"

Small Recipes Using BIscuit Mix...Fast Cheese Bread

This recipe is easy, and uses my Homemade Biscuit Mix or Bisquick to speed things up.  I used purchased finely shredded cheese to cut out another step.  I buy smaller packages of the cheese when it’s on sale and keep it in the freezer.   Use your egg white for another recipe.

The recipe is from one of the Peg Bracken “I Hate to Cook” cookbooks; from 1960.  The book is humorous, but the recipes are good.  I bought it for pennies at our thrift shop…they are quite expensive to buy if the old ones are in good condition.   I admit I always envision her with a martini in hand while she cooks supper.  

              

                     Fast Cheese Bread - Half Recipe

  1              cup  Lard Biscuit Mix, Homemade -- 5 ounces  (or Bisquick)

     1/4       cup  Cheddar Cheese -- grated

  1              tablespoon  Onion Flakes

  1              large  Egg Yolk -- beaten

     1/3       cup  Milk

     1/4       cup  Cheddar Cheese -- grated

                  Poppy Seeds

Combine baking mix, 1/4 cup cheese and onion flakes.  Add beaten egg and milk, stir till just moistened.

Spread in a greased 6 inch cake pan, and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese and poppy seeds on top.  

Bake in a preheated (375° toaster oven) 400° oven, for about 20 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes.

Cut in wedges, split and butter to serve.

Martha White Biscuit Mix

                        1 QUART MIX

  1           pound self-rising flour -- sift first (4 cups)

  4          ounces  lard or shortening -- 1/2 cup

Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender or food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature (If using shortening).  Refrigerate if using lard.

Mix will keep well up to 4 months on the shelf if using shortening or in the refrigerator if using lard. 

Recipe weighs 20 ounces; 1 cup recipe weighs 5 ounces.                                

                       

Sunday in Iowa...

Dave's Coal Mine

This is the entrance building to an abandoned coal mine on our son's property between Melcher and Columbia, Iowa  
There is a creek below the building, much coal mining was done along creeks  

I never realized how much coal mining was done in Iowa until I moved here after getting married.

$avings $aturdays...Making More of Less

From the War Advertising Council 1943

 

On Monday, it was 61° at noon.  We were visiting a doctor out-of-town, so we were standing in line at the restaurant.  I commented to the lady in front of me that I didn’t expect to see a crowd there on a Monday, usually a light day for eating out.  She laughed and said she thought everyone was getting out because there was a freezing rain  advisory for Tuesday morning, and the rest of the week was going to be February cold, only in the twenties or less.  (The forecast was right!  It also snowed 4 inches on Thursday. )
I agreed, and said I thought I would get my shopping done on Monday too, while it was warm.  She replied that she was going to do that too, if she could afford it with much higher prices.  We talked about what was more expensive and in short supply…I mentioned plastic freezer bags which have doubled in price here recently and said I guess I would have to start rinsing them out and reusing them like Mom did.  

Next question…When did we stop doing those frugal things that we used to do when we first married? (Both of us are north of retirement age.)
She had the answer…”When we went to work!”  

I didn’t work the first few years I had a child but then went to work full-time when he was in school, as many other moms did who are our age.  We had less time at home and more money to spend…
We went through the “Jimmy Carter” era with sky-high (north of 18%) interest rates; and worked hard to get debt-free so we wouldn’t have to pay those rates.  Then retirees our age got hit with low interest rates which depleted our savings as we could no longer live on the interest.
We both are trying to think like Grandma again... "Use it up... Wear it out... Make it do... Or do without".
Sadly, it appears that our money isn’t ours anymore either; inflation is a tax on all of us.  We’re going to have to remember how to make “More of Less” again and actually practice those strategies.

Small Recipe with Biscuit Mix...Chocolate Pudding Cake Cups for 2

Clockwise, top right:  Cooling, cake ingredients, ready for oven, ready to serve       

When a recipe is in two Taste of Home cookbooks, it’s usually pretty good.  This one was published in "Taste of Home the Best of Country Cooking 2000” and “Taste of Home Cooking For One or Two published in 2003".

I was interested in it because I thought I could use my Homemade Biscuit Mix in it.  These were simple to mix up with pantry ingredients I always keep on hand; another plus. My husband isn’t a real chocolate fan but he thought this dessert was “just pretty good”…he asked what I used for the chocolate flavor because he especially liked it.  I baked these in some 10 ounce ramekins in my toaster oven, and let them cool about an hour before we ate them.    The sauce was still thin, but we dipped our spoonful’s of cake in it to soak it up.  

I consider this another “win”, easy to make, just enough for two with no leftovers, with ingredients I always have on hand.

            Chocolate Pudding Cake Cups for 2

  2 1/2 ounces  Homemade Biscuit Mix or Bisquick -- 1/2 cup

  2        tablespoons  sugar

  2        teaspoons  cocoa powder

  3        tablespoons  milk

     1/2 teaspoon  vanilla extract

                        TOPPING:

  3        tablespoons  brown sugar

  1        tablespoon  cocoa powder

     1/2 cup  boiling water

            Ice cream or whipped cream -- optional

In a small bowl, combine the baking mix, sugar and cocoa. Stir in milk and vanilla. Spoon into two greased 8- or 10-oz. custard cups.

For topping, combine the brown sugar and cocoa in a bowl. Stir in boiling water. Pour over batter. Bake at 350° (325° in a toaster oven) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake layer comes out clean. Top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Yield:  Makes 2"

Martha White Biscuit Mix

                        1 QUART MIX

  1           pound self-rising flour -- sift first (4 cups)

  4          ounces  lard or shortening -- 1/2 cup

Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender or food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature (If using shortening).  Refrigerate if using lard.

Mix will keep well up to 4 months on the shelf if using shortening or in the refrigerator if using lard. 

Recipe weighs 20 ounces; 1 cup recipe weighs 5 ounces.                                

                   

Sunday in Iowa...

 

The Rose Hill Methodist Episcopal Church in Rose Hill, Iowa. 

The frame building was built in 1879 in the Gothic Revival "Primitive" style and has been in the National Register of Historic Places since 2003 

Small Recipes...Hamburger Veggie Soup

It was in the 50's yesterday...but it's colder and it snowed some overnight.  

So here's an easy soup I make to use hamburger mix that I can or freeze.  You can also brown hamburger plain and freeze it to use in recipes like this.  Either method gives you a head start on your meal.  You can use a mixed vegetable blend as purchased, or mix together odds and ends from your frozen vegetable collection to use them up.  If I don’t have my own home canned beef broth I like canned consommé for the good flavor.   Use any small pasta you like, just weigh out the same amount.  I freeze any tomatoes I have left and use them in other recipes.

Serve with some kind of bread, biscuits, muffins or crackers, a small side salad and fruit for dessert for an easy meal that pleases most everyone.    It makes 2 nice bowls of soup with no leftovers.              

                       Hamburger Veggie Soup

  1          half pint  hamburger mix -- or 4 ounces cooked ground beef, thawed if needed

  1          half pint  beef broth -- or consommé

  2          tablespoons  chopped onion

     2/3   cup  frozen mixed vegetables -- thawed - 3 ounces

     1/2   cup  canned stewed tomatoes

     1/2   teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce -- optional

  1          bay leaf

    1/16  teaspoon  pepper

     1/3   cup  uncooked spiral pasta -- 1 1/2 ounces

Combine all ingredients, cook until pasta is done.  Takes 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is done as desired, depending on the brand of pasta you buy.

If needed, first cook 4 ounces ground beef; drain and crumble to use in place of hamburger mix.  Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Serves 2

Small Recipes with Homemade Biscuit Mix... Easy Cheeseburger Pie for Two

Clockwise, top right:  Hamburger and cheese in casserole, canned hamburger mix, ready for the oven, ready for lunch     

I may be the only 70’s mom who didn’t make this casserole…but I guess it’s never too late.  When I was looking through my Betty Crocker’s Timesaving Cookbook 1982  I found this recipe that used two of my favorite timesavers…hamburger mix and homemade biscuit mix.  I cut it down to 2 servings and baked it in my Le Creuset 4 x 6” casserole dish.  It fit perfectly.  My Le Creuset 5 x 5” pan should work too.

I was pleased that the downsized recipe turned out OK the first time.  If you don’t have the hamburger mix use 4 ounces of ground beef and cook it to use.  I put the Betty Crocker freezer mix recipe at the bottom; I actually used my home canned hamburger mix.  The hardest part about this quick version is waiting for it to bake.    

We had it with mixed vegetables (the ends of several different kinds) and home canned peaches for dessert…how 70’s or 80’s is that?                

                  Easy Cheeseburger Pie for 2  

  1              cup  hamburger mix - half pint, drained

  1 1/3       ounces  cheddar cheese, shredded

     1/2       cup  milk

     1/4       cup  homemade Biscuit Mix -- about 1 1/4 ounce (or Bisquick)        

  1              large  egg

 Heat oven to 400° (375° in a toaster oven).  Spread hamburger mix in lightly greased 4 x 6" or 5 x 5" shallow casserole; sprinkle with cheese.

Beat remaining ingredients with hand beater until smooth.  Pour over cheese.

Bake until brown and knife in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Freezer Ground Beef Mix:

3 pounds ground beef

2 cups chopped onions

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

Cook and stir all ingredients in a 4 quart Dutch oven until beef is browned; drain.

Spread in a half sheet pan or rimmed cookie sheet.  Freeze uncovered 1 hour.

Divide beef mixture into containers; cover, freeze and label and freeze.

Makes about 9 cups.

Martha White Biscuit Mix

                        1 QUART MIX

  1           pound self-rising flour -- sift first (4 cups)

  4          ounces  lard or shortening -- 1/2 cup

Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender or food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature (If using shortening).  Refrigerate if using lard.

Mix will keep well up to 4 months on the shelf if using shortening or in the refrigerator if using lard. 

Recipe weighs 20 ounces; 1 cup recipe weighs 5 ounces.