The Recipe Corner

OK, So either all you folks are hoarding your family recipes hoping to sell them to Betty Crocker for elephant bucks or you didn't take me seriously. Shame on you. I'm the most serious person I know(chuckle, guffaw, hee-haw).

So now that it's hunting season here in Pennsylvania Here's a couple tasty treats for all you hunters.

Index

• Squirrel/Chicken/Ham Pot Pie
• Venison Jerky
• Pumpkin Roll
• Pasta with Marinara Sauce
• Mammy's Shoo Fly Pie
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Pig Stomach(stuffed)
• Christmas Holly and Trees
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Potato Filling

Squirrel Pot Pie with Homemade Noodles

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Soak squirrel overnight in salt water in refrigerator.
2. Put the squirrel meat, onion, celery and parsley in large pot with water and chicken broth.
3. Boil until tender. Remove meat from broth.
4. In a 1 cup measuring cup put the egg, dash of salt and oil. Fill the cup with water and beat well. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add flour to make a dough stiff enough to roll and cut. Put on a floured board and knead. Add flour as needed. Roll out and cut in 2" squares.
5. Peel potatoes and slice.
6. Bring broth to a boil and add potatoes and noodles. Boil until potatoes and noodles are cooked(20 min). Add meat and serve.

Helpful Info:

This recipe works equally well with chicken, turkey or ham. For those who don't like game meat in our house I add chicken when I'm making the squirrel. Everybody's happy. Personally, I don't see the problem - squirrel tastes like chicken anyway. The noodles are extraordinary when made this way and I always double the noodle recipe . That way I might get some for leftovers. Enjoy!

Venison Jerky

Having been a jerky fan from way back I'm always on the look out for new and tasty recipes. This one comes to us from my cousin Dayton Umholtz. While I haven't tried it yet he assures me that it is quite tasty. He also suggests preparing this recipe in the dead of night when everyone's asleep so you don't have to share. Either that or you'll have to sit in front of the oven with your shootin iron across your lap. Thanks Dayton.

Update: I've tried it. Best fetch yur shootin iron.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Mix all spices and liquids in a large Tupperware(plastic) container
2. Cut meat in long thin strips(1/4"-1/2" wide) up to 10" in length
3. Marinate meat in sealed container in the fridge for at least 48 hrs being sure to shake up mixture at least twice a day.
4. Soak numerous toothpicks in water. Skewer 2 pcs. of meat near the ends of each toothpick. Hang each one on the oven rack set in the highest position
5. Set the oven at 140-150° and prop the door open slightly to release moisture. Dry meat for 6-8 hrs.
6. When meat is no longer soggy but is not yet burned crispy remove from oven and place in sealable bags.
7. Oh, one more thing. Hide it from everyone, since it tends to disappear quickly!

If you try this recipe and you're not sure you did it right I'm sure Dayton and I would be glad to taste test your efforts. We would need at least 5 lb. each for an accurate evaluation. Please no C.O.D. shipments.My guess is this recipe would also work with lean cuts of beef. Also if you have a smoker you might want to try eliminating the liquid smoke and try doing your jerky in the smoker.

SPECIAL NOTE: Having been successful in my hunt for the wily whitetail this year I had an opportunity to try this recipe. EXCELLENT. If you like Jerky, you'll like this. - Joe

Pumpkin Roll

Here's one from my Mom, Helen Umholtz. It's great at Thanksgiving or for that matter it's great anytime.

Ingredients

1. Beat eggs at high speed 5 minutes.
2. Gradually add sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice
3. Fold in flour
4. Add spices and baking powder.
5. Spread on greased and floured jelly roll pan(15x10x1)
6. Sprinkle on chopped nuts
7. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes
8. Turn onto towel that has been sprinkled with confectionery sugar.
9. Starting at narrow end roll towel and cake to the other end and let cool.

Filling

1. beat until smooth
2. spread on unrolled cake
3. roll up again and chill.

Boy am I glad Mom and Pop are coming for Thanksgiving!

Pigs Stomach(stuffed)

You just couldn't resist checking this out, could you? Well this one has been in the Umholtz family since Methuselah was a pup or at least since my grandmother Flora Wolfgang. This is definitely not a recipe for the squeamish or fat and cholesterol watchers. You're gonna love this.! Everything in parentheses I added to the original instructions to make it a bit clearer, I hope.

• First get a pigs stomach(go see your butcher)
• Soak it overnight in salt water(in the fridge)
• Wash it(no soap)
• The fatty side should be the inside.
• To stuff it you will need:

1. Cubed potatoes(1/2 in. cubes, peeled, about 4-5 potatoes depending on the size of the stomach(the pig's, not yours) and the size of the potatoes.
2. Spare ribs, cut up( individual spare ribs, country style, keep them short about 3 in.)
3. Sausage( we're talkin' country sausage in the casing here, not those puny little breakfast links. Cut it into pieces about 2.5 in.)
4. Onions( 2-3 should do it, diced. See potatoes above)
5. Parsley(you judge)
6. Celery(hack up a few stalks)

Mix everything in a bowl(except the stomach) add salt and pepper. Stuff it all in the stomach(the pig's, not yours). Go ahead pack it in, the stomach(the pig's and yours)will stretch. Use the sausage to block any holes and turkey skewers to close the stomach(definitely the pig's!)when you're done. Put it in a baking pan, add water(an inch or so)and cover. Bake at 350° for 1.5 to 2 hrs. Enjoy.

Mammy's Shoo Fly Pie

Mammy was Flora Wolgang. Today nobody makes Shoo Fly pie better then Hannah Umholtz Green(my aunt). If you think yours is better, send me one. I'll be an impartial judge, honest.

Make pie crust(sounds simple doesn't it? Hey if you can't make or buy(shudder) your own crust get out of the kitchen and get back to watching reruns of MASH. You only need a bottom for this pie. Make sure that you remember to put it in a pie plate otherwise this isn't going to work.)

Crumbs(some of the stuff you're gonna put in the pie crust(you remember the pie crust don't you?)Mix together 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup shortening(I think that's Crisco or butter or something like that) Set it aside. (One of them pastry thing-a ma-jigs would work well to mix this together)

Liquid(the rest of the story) Mix 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 cup hot water. Add 2.5 tblsps. of dark molasses and mix.

Put a layer of crumbs in the pie crust(where'd you put the pie crust!) then some of the liquid, then more crumbs, then more liquid. Make sure you end with a layer of crumbs on the top.

Bake at 450° for 15 min. then reduce to 350° for 20 min. Yours will probably be pretty good but Aunt Hannah's is still the best. Go ahead, send me one....... I dare ya!

Pasta with Marinara Sauce plus Ricotta

Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and fresh herbs. Simmer. Pour over pasta. Stir in Ricotta cheese. Yum!

(Serves 3-4)

From: Joy Kajan-Basile

Peanut Butter Cups

Mix everything but he chocolate chips together and spread in a jelly roll pan. Take 1 package chocolate chips and melt in double boiler. Spread over peanut butter mixture. Cut into squares while still warm. Refrigerate to cool

Let's eat!

Christmas Holly and Trees

From: Karen Colville(BroadwayKC@aol.com)

"I don't know who started it, but Mom used to make these all the time when I was just a wee lass. "

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large pan on the stove. Dump in the cornflakes or cheerios and stir well. Add some food coloring. The amount depends on how dark you want your Christmas Tree or holly to look. Cornflakes work well for holly and Cheerios for Christmas trees. Place some wax paper on a cookie sheet. For the holly make small wreaths from spoonfuls of the cornflakes and decorate with the red hots as holly berries. Shape the Christmas trees from spoonfuls of cheerios and use the red hots for ornaments. This is a simple, fun and yummmmy treat that will feed many from a box of cereal. Prep. time is 20 - 30 min. - longer if you sample the treats along the way. Have fun! Happy Holidays!!

Mable Leventry Ashman's Macaroni and Cheese

Mable, my mother-in-law, passed away this year(1998) and along with an empty space in our hearts she also left this recipe. Mable loved her family and had a great sense of humor. I married her only daughter so she refered to me as "her favorite son-in-law". This is without a doubt in my mind the best Macaroni and Cheese you'll ever eat, so whip up a batch and invite me over. Mable would like that.

Ingredients

Cook 1 cup elbow macaroni for 8 min. Drain and set aside.

Make a medium white sauce using 2 tblsp of margarine, 2 tblsp of flour, 1 cup of milk and 1/4 tsp of salt. Melt the margarine(low heat), add all but 1/4 cup of milk and the flour. Add the flour to the remaining milk in a covered container and shake. Add to the mixture and stir continuously until it thickens - about 5 min. Add the macaroni

Use a 1lb midget longhorn cheese. The type that is cylinder shaped, though I'm sure any longhorn cheese will do. Slice enough cheese for 3 layers in a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Cut the rest of the cheese in chunks and melt with sauce and macaroni. Starting with the cheese make layers of the cheese and macaroni in the casserole(cheese,macaroni,cheese,macaroni,cheese). End with a layer of cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees, about 1 hour or until all the cheese is melted.

Last - don't forget to invite me.

Potato Filling

Ingredients

Here's another PA Dutch Favorite from my Grandmother Flora Wolfgang Umholtz.

Boil and mash the 6 potatoes, add 1/2 cup milk and beat until fluffy. Chop 1 large onion, 4 celery stalks and leaves then saute in 6 tblsp. butter until soft but not brown. Add 1 cup of cubed bread, 1 tsp chopped parsley and 1 well beaten egg . Add pepper and salt to taste. Add potatoes and heat until it looks done-not too long(Honest, that's what it says). You can also bake it in a casserole at 350 degrees for 15 min. My Grandmother just used the frying pan.

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