Dandelion Greens with Hot Bacon Dressing and Fried Potatoes

My story starts on Friday, with dinner at Grammy's.  She's not my Grammy, she's my great Aunt Grace (Hengst) Smith.  I love to listen to Grace and Aunt Romaine as they talk about when they were kids.  This week I learned that Uncle June used to steal bread out of the neighbor's bread box on the way home from school.  Sounds like Uncle June was the mischievous one!  Aunt Grace also loves to feed people.  There is some mix of at least 15 of her kids, grandkids, brothers, sisters, nieces or nephews that come for dinner every Friday.  I'm so thankful to have experienced dinner at Grammy's!  

Uncle Don mowed early in the week so we weren't sure what the dandelion bounty would be.  We did great!  Mom's cousin, John Hengst came for dinner this week.  He helped Aunt Romaine and I dig for dandelions!          

PICKING AND CLEANING THE GREENS

Using a paring knife, cut down into the dirt around the young dandelion at an inward angle.  Peel the lower "ugly" leaves and dirt away with the paring knife and cut the very bottom of the root away, being careful to keep the plant intact. If the leaves come loose, it's okay.  It's also okay if there are buds down close to the roots. These are edible!  

 

On Saturday, Mary and I learned to cook the dandelion greens with hot bacon dressing, served over fried potatoes.  It was such a great way to spend a rainy afternoon with two of my favorite girls!  We laughed, we cried.  It was 

special!

We had Pumpkin Whoopie Pies as appetizers.  You'll be seeing that recipe on here someday!

 

Aunt Romaine sampled hers while she tossed potatoes into the fryer! 

We enjoyed the greens, but it's not the reason we went.  She is such a special lady and reminds me so much of my Gramma, her sister.  I wish she were here with us, sitting around the kitchen table eating whoopie pies and peanut butter eggs and telling stories about the old days...

 

INGREDIENTS:

6 Qts Fresh young dandelion greens, cleaned and squeezed dry (26 Cup Tupperware bowl full)

1 lb bacon

5 Lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled, sliced thin

Crisco or vegetable oil

2 or 3 Eggs, hard boiled shelled and chopped

1 Egg, beaten

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup water

Apple Cider vinegar - 2 "dumps" from the bottle

Soak the greens in cold water until ready to use to prevent them from drying up.  Wash the greens several times.  They may be gritty, so this is very important.

Fry the sliced potatoes in Crisco or vegetable oil over medium heat.  Turn occasionally until most of the potatoes are golden brown. 

Meanwhile, cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces.  Fry in a heavy pot or large fry pan until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Discard bacon grease or use for another purpose, leaving the bacon bits on the bottom of the pan.  Note:  Romaine's daughter Dorty fries her potatoes in this grease!  I like the way Dorty thinks!

Blend the beaten egg, sugar, flour, water and vinegar.  Taste the dressing for good balance of sweet / sour.

Use the pot or fry pan from the bacon to heat the dressing.  Cook on medium-high, stirring continuously to keep flour and eggs smooth, until the mix starts to bubble.   

Squeeze the dandelion greens to remove the water.  Stir the greens into the dressing until well blended and the greens are wilted, 5 minutes.  Add more: water and vinegar if the dressing starts to get dry, and adjust the sugar as needed.

Add crispy cooked bacon and hard boiled eggs.

Serve over fried potatoes.  Yum!  Enjoy with your best girlies...and look forward to the little beauties flowering so we can make wine!  

To be continued...

Mary's Spaghetti Sauce & Meatballs

Yesterday was Aunt Romaine's day.  Meem and I spent the day learning about her life and the big events of her 88 years.  There were some tears and a lot of giggles.  We wrote down lots of recipes and sampled lots of treats.  She loves to feed people.  I guess that's where I get it from!  We had pumpkin whoopie pies as appetizers, fried potatoes, dandelion greens and hot bacon dressing for dinner, and peanut butter eggs for dessert!

Romaine's recipes and the dandelion greens will come soon.  Mary did the writing and I did the photos, so I can't write that post until I copy them from her.  Soon!

Today, let's talk about my Aunt Mary (Dinges) Williams.  Mary is one of my mom's sisters.  She has four sisters, Mary, Sue, Judy and Sharon and a brother named Ronnie.  They are the children of David and Dorothy (Hengst) Dinges.  Many, many years ago Aunt Mary moved to Virginia to follow love.  She has grown a beautiful family with the slightest of a southern accent.

Today I have her recipe for Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs.  I haven't found the time needed to make it, but thought I'd share anyway.  I'll add pictures when I've had the chance to make it!  

Meanwhile, here's a sneak peak at our day with Aunt Romaine.  She's enjoying her "appetizer" while tossing potatoes into the fryer!

Spaghetti Sauce

1 Small Onion

1 Tbsp Garlic

Olive Oil

2 Cans Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz can)

1 Can Italian Tomato Sauce (14.5 oz can)

4 Cans Tomato Paste (6 oz can), plus 4 cans of water

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tbsp Basil

1 Tbsp Parsley

Pinch of Red Pepper

Saute the onion and fresh garlic in olive oil.  Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water.  Stir and bring to a slow boil.  Add the sugar and stir, then add all of the spices.  Let the spices cook into the sauce, being careful that the mixture doesn’t stick.

Simmer as long as possible, at least 5 hours.  Add meatballs and simmer for another hour.  Add water as needed.

Meatballs

1 Lb Ground Pork                           1 Tbsp Garlic

1 Lb Ground Chuck                         1 Tbsp Parsley

1 Lb Italian Sausage (mild)             1 Tbsp Basil

Worcestershire Sauce                     2 Slices of Bread

2 Eggs                                          Milk

Salt & Pepper                                Pork Bones or Olive Oil

Mix the meats, salt & pepper to taste.  Add the spices and sprinkle the mixture with worcestershire sauce.  Soak 2 slices of bread in milk until the bread is soft and most of the milk has been absorbed.  Add to the meat mixture.  Add 2 eggs.

With your (clean) hands, work the mixture until the bread is not visible.  Grease your hands with olive oil and shape into balls.  Fry or bake (350*) with pork bones until done and add to the spaghetti sauce.  This makes enough meatballs for 2 batches of sauce, approximately 50 meatballs.  Freeze half in freezer bags!

p.s.  I asked Mary about the pork bones.  She said that you can find them in most grocery stores.  She no longer uses the pork bones because olive oil is healthier!

Mary's Magical Healing Soup

Get ready people, this is the first family recipe!

I come from a very large family.  My maternal great grandmother Mary (Molly) Joseph was one of eleven children.  Her daughter, my gramma, Dorothy (Toot) grew up with 8 brothers and sisters.  There are lots of "cousins".  Even if you're not MY cousin, you're probably a cousin to someone! 

In the world of cousins, our family calls them "removed".  There are varying degrees of being removed.  First cousin once removed, or second cousin once removed.  I do not know who is what, so I call them all cousin!

My cousin Mary is the daughter of Ruth (Rudy).  Rudy and my gramma were sisters.  Mary is one of the most kind, generous and loving people I know.  I've heard that she is her mother's daughter.  I'm sad that I never knew Rudy.  I am lucky to know Mary and have her in my life, my Mimi.  Many years ago, she was on a business trip and had a bad cold.  She had this wonderful soup in a restaurant and knew she needed to recreate it at home.  It probably should have a real name, perhaps Rosemary Chicken Soup, or Carrot and Rosemary Soup.  I call it Mary's Magical Healing Soup because it truly does make you feel better.  Always curious, I wanted to know why it makes me feel better.  Why does this soup make my head feel clearer and my breathing easier?

The internet is educational...I learned that rosemary has a long history of medicinal uses.  It has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches. Carrots contain high levels of vitamin A, a vitamin that helps improve the strength of your immune system.  Carrots are also believed to prevent heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration, improve eyesight, and a reduced risk of stroke and diabetes.  Chicken is a good source of iron and protein, two nutrients that can help build your immunity.  Iron is important for your immunity because it helps ensure that your blood cells receive the oxygen they need to protect you from viruses or bacteria that could make you sick. A diet with sufficient amounts of protein helps your body create antibodies that can fight off illness.

This is good soup!  The carrots are sweet and the rosemary is so flavorful.  It simmers together to become a creamy wonderfully warming and relaxing dish!

8 Chicken Leg Quarters                         ½ Box Orzo Pasta

5 Lbs Carrots (from market are sweet)    Chicken Stock

3 Onions (diced)                                  Chicken Bouillon

6 Celery Stalks (diced)

Rosemary – Plastic Container in Produce Aisle

                  

In a large stock pot, cover the chicken with water.  Boil for at least 1 hour until cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the pot (reserving this homemade broth) and remove the meat from the bone.  Cut or tear into bite sized pieces.  Return the chicken to the broth.  (Strain the broth to make sure it's free of bones and other gunk)

Shred 3 carrots into the stock pot and add the celery and onions.  Add the remaining carrots into the pot cut into large pieces.  Smash the carrots into smaller bits as they get soft.  Add all of the rosemary leaves or keep some aside in an herb strainer to remove before serving.  Add the pasta and follow the cooking time on the box.  Add chicken stock and extra bouillon as needed for liquid and taste!

Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Soup)

I love Zuppa Toscana.  It is happiness in a bowl, and a soup from Olive Garden.  I have developed a sort-of addiction to it, friends have offered to stage an intervention.  I'm game, as long as they serve Zuppa Toscana there!  It's so bad, if I get hungry for it and my freezer stash is empty, I head straight to OG for a fix!  I searched Pinterest for a recipe that sounded like a winner, and I didn't change it too much!  Special thanks to Bless This Food http://blessthisfood.blogspot.com/2010/10/zuppa-toscana.html for bringing this recipe into my life!  I made this about 2 weeks ago.  The picture below was my lunch today!  I love freezing my happiness and busting it out whenever I have a craving!

You Need:
2 Lb Hatfield Sweet Italian Sausage

6-8 slices of bacon (cooked & crumbled)

2 ½ Lb Red Potatoes
2 Tbsp butter
3 or 4 Cloves Garlic

Cayenne Pepper

Pam Olive Oil Spray

1 Bunch of Kale (love), about 10-12 Cups chopped

2 Cartons Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock

2 Cartons Water (equal parts to chicken stock)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375*.  Cut each sausage link almost in half (long ways) & spread minced garlic down the center of the sausage.  Sprinkle the sausage with cayenne pepper.  Spray the top with Pam olive oil spray.  Bake for 30 minutes.  I highly recommend making extra of this sausage for another meal.  It is heavenly!

While the sausage cooks, cut the bacon into small pieces and brown it (I give mine a head start in the microwave on some paper towels to absorb the fat – don’t walk away!  It will burn.  Just trust me on this one; I speak from a very stinky experience.)  In a large stock pot, mix the butter & bacon (crumbled or chopped) and cook until the bacon is crispy.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Remove the bacon & garlic from the pot & set aside in a small bowl. 

To the soup pot, add the chicken stock and water.  Meanwhile, wash and cut the potatoes, in half first, then into ½ inch slices.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium & simmer for about 15 min or so (until potatoes are tender).

While the soup cooks, remove the baked sausage from the casings.  Cut or tear it into bite sized pieces and drop it straight into the broth.  I use gloves because the cayenne burns!  Wash the kale (love) and remove the large fibrous stalk.  Tear or cut into bite sized pieces.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the bacon & garlic, kale & 2 cups of whipping cream to the pot.  Allow the soup to simmer for another 10-15 min or so.  

Creamy Root Veggie & Sausage Stew

I'm planning to get to the family recipes soon, I promise.  So far, I've mostly posted my own invented recipes.  Today is no exception.  We had a food celebration at work today.  We do that a lot.  We're good at it!  Today was the Hanover Concrete Chef, a little play on Iron Chef paver style.  The secret ingredients were cranberries for the appetizer, root vegetables for the main course and bread for the dessert.

I chose to make a Main Course.  As usual, I couldn't find a recipe that I liked on it's own, so I read several and made my own inspired dish! Creamy Root Veggie & Sausage and Chicken Stew.  I'm thinking of ditching the chicken in this recipe; the sausage is wonderful and adding chicken just seems unnecessary.  Plus, it makes the title much too long!

It's heavenly sausage, root veggies, kale (love)...oh and cream!  There's Cream!  Our house smelled like scary boiled turnips, but this was a big hit in my book.  A co-worker today gave a vote of confidence when he said that he liked "the one with the weeds."  That'd be my kale (love)!

Let's talk about rutabaga, aka the waxed turnip.  This thing is the size of a softball, hard as a rock, and pumpkin colored on the inside.  I struggled to peel the thing and when I couldn't cut through it, I tossed the whole thing in the pot.  After about 15 minutes, I could cut into it.  I still couldn't cut through the middle.  It may or may not have a core, so I cut around it and moved on.  Bizarre food.  On the left is a rutabaga.  It really is waxy.  Turnips are on the right.

 So, there's my softball sized rutabaga of steel! 

p.s.  Make extra sausage because it is too good to put it all into the soup.  My husband is a picky eater so he was having no parts of this mess, but he loves the sausage.  I can make dinner and soup for work with the same ingredient!  Perfect!

2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage

Ground Cayenne Pepper

2 Large Chicken Breasts

Salt & Pepper

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Medium Onion, diced

5 or 6 Cloves Garlic

2 tsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary

2 1/2 Lbs Yukon Gold Potato, peeled &diced

1 Large (softball sized) Rutabaga, peeled& diced

2 Medium Turnips, peeled & diced

3 Parsnips, peeled & diced

4 Medium Carrots,diced

1 ½ Cartons Swanson Chicken Stock (regular orunsalted)

1 ½ Cartons Water (equal parts as chickenstock)

6 Cups Kale Greens,remove the large fibrous stalks

1 ½ Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

Pre-heat oven to 375*.Cut the sausage down the center, almost in half (long ways).  Spread 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic intothe cut part of the sausage.  Sprinklewith cayenne pepper.  Spray with Pamolive oil spray.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces,sprinkle with salt and pepper.  In alarge stock pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 5minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and sauté until slightly browned.  Add the remaining cloves of minced garlic androsemary; cook 1 minute.  Add the stockand water.  Rutabaga, turnips, parsnipsand carrots.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Remove the sausage from the casings and cutor break into small pieces (if doing this by hand, consider gloves for the cayenne).  Add the potatoes, cook for another 20 minutesor until all vegetables are tender.  Using a hand-masher, mash the contents several times to thickenthe broth.  Add the Kale greens that havebeen torn into bite sized pieces.  Stirin the heavy cream.

Chicken Meatball Soup

I'll call this the un-wedding soup.  I love all food, especially soup.  I love soup a lot!  Italian Wedding Soup, however, is one that I just can't do.  I've tried.  So I thought that if I make it, surely I'll like it too.  (I'm that conceited to think that I could make it better than any restaurant)

I couldn't do it!  I couldn't bring myself to even try it at home.  I made the meatballs and then I bailed.  I felt like such a failure until my resulting concoction turned out pretty good...and then the leftovers were even better.  So, tonight I tried to re-create my un-wedding soup.  It's about like I remember, and now we're looking forward to the leftovers!

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 Lb Ground Chicken Breast                    2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs                    ¼ Medium White Sweet Onion

½ Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs               1 Egg 
Update:  I now add a clove of garlic, minced (Yum!)        

                                      

Soup

2 Tbsp Margarine or Butter                     2 Packages Baby Bella Mushrooms

¾ Medium Sweet Onion                         1 Tbsp Parsely

½ Cup Marsala Cooking Wine                  1 ½ Cartons Unsalted Chicken Stock

1 ½ Cartons Water                                               

½ Lb Medium or Broad Egg Noodles

Preheat oven to 400*.  Finely dice ¼ of the onion, should be about ½ cup.  Mix the meatball ingredients and shape into small balls.  Mine were the size of a quarter and could have been smaller.  Bake for 20 minutes (less if your meatballs are smaller), rolling them over with 5 minutes remaining. 

Dice the remaining onion.  Saute the onion and mushrooms in margarine until the onions are translucent.  Add the marsala cooking wine or sherry.  Feel free to use the real thing here, but I’m a big fan of the cooking varieties.  Simmer for several minutes until the wine has cooked down some.  Add the chicken stock.  Use the empty carton to add equal parts of water.

Add the meatballs to the broth.  Bring to a healthy boil for at least 5 minutes to extract some flavors out of the meatballs.  Reduce to a medium boil and add the egg noodles.  Cook according to package instructions and then a few minutes longer.  They’re never soft enough to absorb the flavors when you follow the package!  Enjoy, and get ready for the leftovers, they’re the best part!

Green Chicken Soup

I tend to alter recipes.  Matter of fact, I have a REALLY hard time following them.  I take things out...I add things in.  If there's butter in there, stand back because I'm going to double it!  Someone special once told me that if I had my own cooking show it should be called "Adda Sticka Butta".  

This is not a family recipe, yet.  I created this soup from several others.  I picked the things about each that I loved and created a soup that has been a big hit with my guinea pigs at work (and loved by some of their young children as well)!

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Leg Quarters or Small Whole Chicken

1 Medium Onion Diced

3 Large Potatoes Diced

3 Stalks Celery Diced

1 Cup Orzo Noodles

1 Carton Swanson Chicken Broth

3 Cubes Chicken Bouillon

4 Cups Mustard Greens Diced

4 Cups Turnip Greens Diced

½ Small Cabbage Diced

Garlic Pepper Salt (to taste)

Water

Cover chicken in water.  Sprinkle with Garlic Pepper Salt (or just salt and pepper) and boil for at least 1 hour or until tender and juices are clear when stuck with a fork (or in a Crock Pot on low for at least 6 hours).  Remove meat from the bone and tear into bite-size pieces.  Strain the broth for bones.  Return the meat to the broth.  Add the chicken stock and bouillon as needed for taste and liquid.

Add the onion, celery and cabbage.  Simmer until tender.  Add the potatoes, simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the greens and pasta.  Simmer until the greens are wilted and the pasta is tender…the longer the better!

Variation:  Any combination of greens will work – chard, spinach, escarole, or kale.  The cabbage is the best part!

Potato & Rivel (sick day soup)

When I was a little girl, my parents would make this soup for me when I was sick. It goes back to my dad's mom, maybe before.  Now that I'm married, I make it for my husband.  He loves it, and has even requested it when he's not sick.  But that's just blasphemy! 

Important:  Serve with raw onions on top!  This is what makes you better!

 

Soup
4-5 Potatoes, peeled & diced
1 Medium Onion
Water
Chicken Stock

Rivels
1 Egg, beaten
1 ½ Cups Flour (approximate)
Salt & Pepper

Mince ½ of the onion and set aside for later.  Dice the rest of the onion and place in a pot with the diced potatoes.  Cover with half water and half chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and continue until the potatoes are tender. 


On wax paper, mix the Rivel ingredients with your fingers until the egg is no longer sticky.  Pinch the dough into small bite-sized bits and drop into the soup.  Continue cooking a few minutes longer.  It’s okay if the potatoes start to break down.

Giving it a go...

I love food.  And I love sharing food.  I especially love learning new recipes from my family and friends! I created this blog to, hopefully (if I don't get too lazy), share some of our family recipes and make them available for all of the Hengst and Joseph family and friends to enjoy!  We'll see how this goes!

Hooray for Spring!  Windows are open and we're enjoying some fresh air!  I'm getting excited for the tulips to bloom!