When the spring weather is chilly and gloomy outdoors, a fine way to brighten one’s mood is to leaf through favourite cookbooks and browse through the family recipe boxes.
Those times of contemplation will produce a variety of feel-good moments as one remembers the history of the various recipes and the many pleasant times they have been prepared for family and friends.
This week’s recipes bring on fond memories from past get-togethers.
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Baked Pork Chops
6 boneless pork chops
1 tsp. garlic or onion powder
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 tbsps. olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1 clove minced garlic, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, garlic powder and seasoning salt in a flat bowl. Place bread crumbs in a second bowl and beat eggs into a third bowl.
Dredge chops in flour then in egg and crumbs. Heat oil in a skillet and fry chops until browned and crisp on both sides.
Place chops in a 9x13 inch pan and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Combine soup, milk and minced garlic in a bowl. After chops have baked 30 minutes. remove from oven and remove foil. Pour soup and milk mixture over the chops. Cover with foil and return to oven to bake another 30 minutes.
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Cream Puffs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 eggs
Boil together water and butter. When boiling hard, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until it leaves the sides of the saucepan and forms a smooth ball. Add the salt and sugar. Stir, then remove from heat.
When cool, add the unbeaten eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
Drop dough on buttered pans in pieces the size of a walnut and about three inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce to 350 degrees F and bake another 20 minutes or longer. Turn off heat and let puffs dry out with the oven door open. Makes about 18 puffs. When cold, cut in half and fill with fresh whipped cream.
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Hot German Potato Salad
4 large potatoes
3 slices of bacon
1 medium onion
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. celery salt
dash pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
Peel potatoes and cut into chunks then cook and cool. Fry bacon until slightly crisp. Fry onion in bacon fat. Stir in salt, flour, sugar, pepper and celery salt. Cook until bubbling.
Stir in vinegar and water and heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Crumble bacon into mixture and cook until hot. Serves four.
This is a reprint, originally published in the Moose Jaw Express on May 20, 2015.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
