Trudy's 'Paradise Park' Coleslaw

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up" - Mark Twain

I have a neighbor who has become one of my closest friends. Her name is Trudy and she's 40 years older than me. I met her about 5 years ago while taking an afternoon walk in our neighborhood. She was taking out her recycling bins and I could see she needed some help. I helped her with that, and she also asked me to get her mail. On the top of her pile of mail, I could see what was obviously a greeting card. She mentioned that the following day was her birthday (she was turning 82), and she also invited me in for a cup of tea. I needed to pick up my kids from school, and told her I'd love to come by another day.
I couldn't get her out of my mind, and the following day I brought her some flowers from my garden and we sat and talked for awhile. Since then, we've shared many cups of tea and lots of conversation. I obviously love to cook and often bring her food when we have extra. And many times I've made a dish 'just for her', but there was never any commitment. I started this thinking I was helping a neighbor, but I've gotten as much out the the relationship as she has.
For the past few months Trudy has been ill and going back and forth from the hospital to a nursing home, but she's looking forward to coming home next week. I want to help her, but because I work full time (3rd shift) and have a busy family, I'm afraid to make a commitment that I won't be able to fulfill. I just came back from visiting her and she's in the process of making arrangements for home health care, and for someone to help with grocery shopping and meal preparation. While driving home, the idea came to me about having 1 (or maybe 2) nights a week for my family to plan on preparing and having dinner with Trudy. Again, I want so much to help, but not to over-extend myself; I need to strike a healthy balance. And the wonderful person that she is, she understands this. The plan is for her to come home next Wednesday; we'll just have to take it from there.
Anyway, one day, while sitting with her, she showed me her (very) old cookbook. The cover was torn, pages were tattered and recipes had been hand written on almost every page; recipes she hadn't made in many years. I told her to pick out any recipe from the book for me to try. This was the recipe she chose. She said it reminded her of vacationing in 'Paradise Park' in Florida, and the picnics her and her husband (who passed over 10 years ago) would have with friends. I think I'll make a batch of this to have waiting for her in her fridge for when she comes home next week.

1 head cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup oil

Combine vegetables in a very large bowl.
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, celery seed, and oil.
Bring to a gentle boil.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Pour hot mixture over vegetables and stir.
Let stand and cool.
Keep in refrigerator.
It will stay fresh and crisp for at least a month, if it lasts that long!

Monday - grilled steak, potatoes, corn on the cobb, baked beans

Tuesday - rice and beans, ham steaks

Wednesday - fried fish, scallops, potato skins

Thursday - pasta dish ( not sure exactly what)

Friday - grilled chicken subs, fries (never made this last week)

Saturday - Left-over buffet

Sunday - grilled chicken, pork; baked potato, vegetable

Mexican Style Pizza

My local BJ's (Wholesale Club) has a large selection of McCormick spices and seasoning mixes in large, over-sized containers. This is how I buy my taco seasoning. I haven't actually broken down the price, but for less than $10.00 for a 24 oz container, the savings are much greater than buying the individual packages, even on sale and with coupons. If tacos and taco dishes are often on your menu, I highly recommend buying taco seasoning this way.
When making taco meat, I usually use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey. I'll make 2 or 3 lbs and freeze in 1/2 lb portions. One of these portions is enough for tacos one night and pizza the following night for me and the kids. (My husband's not a big taco fan so he fends for himself on taco nights). I also use this taco meat for soups, past dishes, and casseroles.
I've been making pizza with taco meat for a while now, but just recently found this recipe for a cornmeal pizza crust. It definitely adds something special.


Cornmeal Pizza Crust
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt; mix.
Make a well in the center and add water and oil.
Combine and knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is elastic and shiny.
Makes 2 small (8 in.) or 1 large (12 in.) crust


Mexican Style Pizza
Cornmeal pizza crust (recipe above)
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/3 cup salsa
1 cup shredded taco cheese
1/3 cup prepared taco meat.
1/4 cup sliced olives

Prepare crusts.
Combine pizza sauce and salsa; spread onto crust.
Top with cheese, taco meat and olives.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Ground Turkey Sausage

While browsing recipes, I found a recipe for ground turkey sausage. I loved the concept of using ground turkey for a healthier option, but when I tried the recipe, I wasn't very impressed. I figured I would experiment with some ingredients and come up with my own recipe. I had every intention of doing this, but before I could get to it, I found this recipe

Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
1 lb ground turkey
2 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
I also add 1 tsp dried sage

I usually double or triple this recipe for freezing.
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
At this point I leave in the refrigerator for at least a day to blend the flavors.
These can be formed into any shape you like, but what I like to do is cook it in 1 lb portions, breaking it up into bite-size pieces. When fully cooked and slightly cooled, I lay the sausage on cookie sheets and flash-freeze, then put into freezer bags. This will make it easy to take out just the amount I want when using in a recipe such as pizza, pasta dishes, soups and sausage and pepper subs.

My New Favorite Appliance

My rice cooker. For the longest time, whenever I made rice, it would be instant rice. I could never master cooking regular rice. I would make attempts every so often, never being happy with the results and then go back to instant. That was until I bought a rice cooker. It's so simple; after rinsing the rice, place it in the cooker pot with water, turn it on and leave it alone. It shuts off when the rice is done. Before, I would make rice as a side dish. Now, I will make rice as the main dish with vegetables and meat added to it. Last night that is what I did.

Rice and Grilled Steak Skillet Dinner

• 4-6 cups cooked rice
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• desired spices (I used both Adobo seasoning, and this spice (which is a grilling spice, and added to the rice with the steak really brings out the 'grilled' taste of the dish)). Lately, I've gotten more comforable with experimenting with spices and will just add whatever sounds good, usually being pleasantly surprised.
• 4 cups desired vegetable (I used a frozen mixture of corn, peas, green beans and diced carrots, thawed)
• 1 lb marinated, grilled steak (I'm sure chicken or pork would have been just as good), cut into small pieces.

Heat oil in skillet; add rice and seasonings, mixing well. Add vegetables and grilled steak; adjust seasonings to taste. Continue to cook until heated through.

I also served baked beans with this.

Menu Planning Monday

Monday - Grilled Steak, rice w/ mixed vegetables, baked beans

Tuesday - Pasta w/sausage and peppers

Wednesday - Taco pizza

Thursday - Meatball soup

Friday - Grilled chicken subs, fries

Saturday - Left-over 'buffet'

Sunday - Grilled pork chops, burgers, hotdogs..., baked potatoes, baked beans, vegetable

In Season... Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Today I made my first strawberry-rhubarb pie of the season. The strawberries came from our local market and the rhubarb came from my back yard. Cooking with rhubarb makes me think of years ago, eating peeled rhubarb dipped in sugar at my Memere's with my cousins. I introduced it to my kids and they love it. It's a favorite Spring and Summer treat. They introduce it to friends who come over, most of who have never tried it before.

This recipe comes from a cookbook my mom gave me right before I got married (almost 20 years ago); 'Betty Crocker's Cookbook'. This is a great beginner's cookbook, but even after years of cooking, I still refer to it often. It's where I go to find the most basic version of a recipe or to learn how to cook or prepare a particular ingredient. Some of these basic recipes from my 20-something year old cookbook seem to be missing from the newer versions. Things have been changed to 'improve' the recipes, but this is the strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe I always come back to.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

pastry for 2-crust pie (I use 'Jiffy' pie crust mix)

1-1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp grated orange peel, if desired

2 cups cut up strawberries

2 cups cut up rhubarb

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare pastry.

Mix sugar, flour and orange peel together.

Combine strawberies and rhubarb.

Turn half of the strawberry-rhubarb combination into pastry lined pie plate.

Sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture.

Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixtures.

Dot with butter.

Cover with top crust that has slits in it; seal and flute.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Cover edge with foil strip to avoid axcessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust; 40 to 50 minutes.

Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.