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Published: November 20, 2007 11:19 am
Cookbook Corner: Book stirs up memories of church’s culinary heritage
Originally published in the November 16, 2007, print edition.
By Sarah Johnson
The Land Correspondent
If you go far enough back in time, you can trace the history of St. Mary Help of Christian Church in St. Augusta to an 1852 Catholic missionary to the Chippewa named Father Francis X. Pierz, who celebrated Mass in the log homes of early German settlers.
Throughout the years the area suffered a major tornado that destroyed the village as well as a plague of grasshoppers that, when gone, prompted the parishioners to build a chapel in thanks for being insect-free at last.
Today more than 1,800 souls call St. Mary Help of Christian their spiritual home, one that is now on the National Historic Register. Their cookbook, “Stirring Up Memories,” reflects both the new-style cooking and the timeless cuisines of their forebears.
At the back of the cookbook is a “heritage section” reprinted from a cookbook published by the church in 1954.
Nestled in with recipes for Swedish rye bread and burned sugar cake are quaint advertisements of the era for dancing pavilions, blacksmiths and coal suppliers with telephone numbers like “5317” and “285.” What a hoot to browse these pages.
Here are a few of my favorites from the book. I hope you enjoy preparing them as much as I enjoyed selecting them.
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’Tis the season for the fragrance of a perfectly spiced apple bread wafting through the house on a chilly morning. This version takes advantage of the simplicity of applesauce for its fruity goodness. Better make an extra loaf because it’ll go fast.
Cinnamon Applesauce Loaf
Submitted by Jill Lommel
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sweetened applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup seedless raisins (or chopped walnuts)
Powdered sugar glaze (optional)
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. In a large bowl, blend applesauce, sugar, eggs and margarine. Stir in flour mixture just until blended. (Batter will be lumpy.) Mix in raisins (or walnuts). Spoon batter into greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze if desired. Cut into 12 slices to serve.
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It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas treats. Perfect Peppermint Patties recreate the chocolatey, minty goodies everybody loves. Plus they’re a snap to prepare, a real blessing during the hectic “holidaze.”
Perfect Peppermint Patties
Submitted by Mary Keske
1 (1 pound) box confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine (softened)
2-3 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Combine first four ingredients. Add milk and mix well. Roll into small (half-inch to one-inch) balls and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill 20 minutes. Flatten with glass to one-quarter inch thick. Chill for 30 minutes. In microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Dip patties in chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper to harden. Yield: Five dozen.
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There was a time eons ago when something like chicken enchiladas was considered quite exotic. (I remember my mother making Asian-style stir-fries and plain old tacos and having my friends’ eyes pop wide.) Of course, today’s home cooking is a lot more cosmopolitan, but if you don’t have a good recipe for chicken enchiladas, here it is. I tried it on my family and they heartily approved: Four out of four “yums.”
Chicken Enchiladas
Submitted by Ruth Fritz
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups hot water
1 tablespoon instant chicken bouillon
8 ounces sour cream
10 (8-inch) tortillas
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken or turkey
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
4-ounce can chopped chilies (drained)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
In saucepan, cook onion and margarine until tender. Stir in flour, hot water and bouillon. Cook and stir until mixture boils; boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. In separate bowl, combine two cups sauce mixture with chicken or turkey, one cup cheese, chilies and cumin. Divide chicken mixture between the 10 tortillas and roll up, folding in sides. Arrange in greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake 25 minutes at 350 F. Serves 6 to 8.
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Simple, yes, but sometimes the best things are. You may not even have to write down this recipe for a fantastic Fruit Salad Dressing. Everything is in one-third-cup measures. Pour over mixed fresh fruit chunks and savor the sweetness.
Fruit Salad Dressing
Submitted by Bernice Henkemeyer
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup cooking oil
May add celery seed or poppy seed as desired.
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If your family isn’t big on jellied cranberries for Thanksgiving but you want a dash of cranberry at your meal anyway, try Cranberry Baked Beans. They’re not something you can whip up at the last minute, but that slow-cooked flavor doesn’t come quickly. You can save some time (but not money) by using presoaked navy beans available these days in the supermarket. You can also substitute bacon for the salt pork. If you choose to use salt pork, put it in the freezer for a while to make it easier to dice.
Cranberry Baked Beans
Submitted by Mary Jo Pfannenstein
3 cups dry navy beans
5 cups cranberry juice
1/2 pound lean salt pork (diced)
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
5 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil; boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for one hour. Drain beans and discard liquid. Return beans to Dutch oven. Add cranberry juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until the beans are almost tender. Drain, reserving cranberry liquid. Place beans in a 2 1/2-quart casserole or bean pot; add remaining ingredients and 1 1/2 cup cranberry liquid. Cover and bake at 350 F for three hours or until beans are tender and of desired consistency, stirring every 30 minutes. Add reserved liquid as needed. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.
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Eight-Day Pickles comes from the heritage section of the cookbook. I include it here as an example of the old-fashioned types of cooking methods that have become mostly a part of the past. How anyone could wait eight days for a gherkin is beyond me, but I guess they didn’t have the jarred variety back then.
Eight-Day Pickles
Submitted by Adeline Laudenbach
Wash one peck of pickles and put them in salt water strong enough to carry an egg, for three days. Then drain and put in clear water for three days. Take out and cut in half-inch chunks. Heat two quarts of water, 1 quart of vinegar and 8 teaspoons of alum. Put cut pickles in alum, bring and heat to boiling point. Let stand for 1 1/2 days. Then drain. Make syrup of the following ingredients.
8 pounds sugar
1 quart vinegar
1/2 cup mixed spices in bag
Put pickles in syrup and boil for a while. Let stand until next day. Put pickles in jars and heat syrup to boiling. Pour over pickles and seal.
“Stirring Up Memories” is available for $15 plus $3 postage and handling from: Marilyn Hurrle, 24466 County Road 7, St. Cloud, MN 56301, phone (320) 251-1093.
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