After last weekend with company and getting to run around and go shopping, this weekend was pretty quiet. Saturday, I went to Hallettsville, TX, which is the county seat for Lavaca County for their Market Days. It was nice, with a good selection of jewelry, glass yard art, wooden yard art and of course lots and lots of cute little girl bows and outfits, and several booths pushing local honey. However, one of the things I found that interested me most was the booth that was selling the packs that can be heated or chilled and used for pain. Since both my daughter and I have made them, she to sell at our craft show and me to use back when I was having problems with sciatica and needed heat and cold frequently, I am always interested to see different types. I picked one up and it felt as if it was filled with beans, but the lady told me she used corn. This was interesting because my daughter and I both have used rice for the filling and find that it holds up well. They had all sorts of shapes that were cut and sewn into channels of some type for the lower backer, upper back, neck and even a display of ones to use on your eyes. They are shaped like a sleep mask and have an elastic band across the back to hold it in place. When I recently had an appointment with my eye doctor, she told me to use a warm pack on my eyes to help with the itching. It does seem to help and if I continue doing it, either my daughter or I are going to have to make a few. My daughter has made some she calls “Boo-boo Buddy” that are made in the shape of a football, airplane, flower, turtle, etc., just for children to use on their little bumps and scrapes, and are just the right size for them to hold themselves. However, the sleep-mask type was what I looked at the most closely. (Of course, I did a tiny bit of marketing for Orange Corn for my grandson, can’t you just feature heating one of these for your back or neck and smelling the sweet scent of citrus?) The lady selling them was fascinated with the idea, since what they use in the bags is corn and felt it might be something to try, so now she has his business card! She said that the corn she uses is just the stuff marketed for deer feeders or cattle or whatever, and that is what the orange corn is!
Sunday morning brought heavy fog when it was time to go to church and driving was messy. Of course, by 10:00 a.m., it had lifted. And, since our local Fire Department was sponsoring their annual BBQ plate dinner for a fundraiser, with a big auction, an hour or so later found me back in town having lunch with friends and spending three or four hours listening to the auction. The weekend was fun, but not nearly as much as last weekend!
How many times in the past several years have you come across a recipe that calls for Arugula? Other than knowing that it is some type of leafy green, edible plant, do you know anything else about it? Me neither… so I decided to look it up online and see what I could find.
It is an aromatic salad green that is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola and is common to Italian cooking.
Arugula, like most leafy greens is low in calories and high in vitamins A and C. A serving of one-half cup is only two calories! How’s that for a diet food?
Back in Roman times, it was grown for its seeds as well as for its leaves. The taste is a little “peppery” and is similar to watercress, which can be substituted for it in a salad if Arugula is not available. It is also kin to the radish and mustard family. According to the information that I found, Arugula is easy to grow at home if anyone wants to try something a little different in the garden. The picture accompanying the article showed a leaf that has sides that are uneven, sort of curving in and out rather than being smooth as spinach leaves are, and a stem (rib) that needs to be removed before using. The leaves keep well in the fridge if they are put into a perforated plastic bag, after being wrapped in a damp paper towel. This information is from www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-440/arugula.aspx. Actually, I typed “Arugula” in Yahoo and it gave me several sites of information.
Now, instead of a recipe using Arugula, I am going to give you a recipe for some truly great cinnamon rolls you can start in your bread maker using the “dough” setting, and then baking them, and in the process, making your house smell absolutely wonderful.
My youngest daughter is always willing to share her recipes and has shared the one for cinnamon rolls with her brother, who made them so frequently that he burned his family out on them! Now, she is willing to share with my readers. After her demonstration of culinary expertise, I may even begin using mine more often!
She has listed the ingredients in the order that her bread machine requires. Hers, as well as mine, requires the liquid to be added first. Check your bread maker recipe book, following the instructions for dough. This does not bake the dough, it only mixes, kneads and rises on this setting. Then you take over. You may have to make it a couple of times to get the feel for the dough. She says it is a touchy-feely operation; she has done it so often, she can tell by looking if it needs flour added.
Virginia’s Super Cinnamon Rolls
DOUGH INGREDIENTS:
½ cup hot water
½ cup milk
1/3 cup butter (works best if sliced)
1 to 2 tablespoons butter flavoring*
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 to 4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 package dry yeast
TOPPING
2 to 3 tablespoons softened butter
½ cup sugar
Cinnamon
½ to 1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
½ cup raisins (optional)
GLAZE
(Mix together until well blended)
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk (more if needed)
½ teaspoon vanilla
Put dough ingredients into bread maker and set bread maker to dough cycle. After machine has been blending dough for several minutes, add additional flour as needed until dough forms a smooth ball and moves around freely within the container. (If you are unfamiliar with the dough cycle on your bread maker, it is best to add only two tablespoons of flour at a time and let it blend in well before adding more – some machines take longer to mix the dough.) When dough cycle is complete, usually 1½ to 1¾ hours, pour dough onto floured surface and gently pat into a rectangle approximately 1-inch thick. (The less you handle and roll the dough, the more light and fluffy your cinnamon rolls will be.) Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons softened butter over dough and sprinkle with ½ cup sugar and enough cinnamon to cover dough lightly. The ½ to 1 cup chopped walnuts; pecans or raisins can be added at this time. Roll up, starting with the wide side, pinch the dough to seal. Cut into eight, 1 to 1½ slices. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and place rolls slightly apart and away from edges of pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk – about 30 to 45 minutes. They should completely fill the pan. Bake at 375ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and centers feel firm when gently lifted. Cool for 10 minutes before glazing. *Several other recipes had as much as 1½ cups of butter, but she has found that adding the butter flavoring gives the rolls a buttery taste without adding so much fat. (In fact, I couldn’t get the butter flavoring and used 2 Tbs. butter flavored granules to make mine).
Texas Taco Salad
1 package taco seasoning mix
2 cans (15-oz) Ranch Style beans, drained
2 quarts shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 avocados, peeled, diced, and dipped in lemon juice to prevent darkening
1 package shredded Cheddar cheese (1 to 1½ cups)
1 bunch green onions, sliced, including tops
1 bottle Catalina style dressing
1 bag (8-oz) size broken tortilla chips or corn chips (corn chips taste best)*
Drain the beans and empty into a pot, add the taco seasoning mix to the beans and heat, stirring occasionally, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Combine beans lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, cheese and onions. Toss with dressing. Just before serving add chips, or serve salad on bed of chips. Top with a dollop of sour cream before serving if desired. (Note from Joyce: I think this would be delicious with the addition of 1 or 2 cups of boiled shrimp, using the ready cooked shrimp from the grocery store. They would need to be thoroughly thawed and patted dry before using). *Another recipe that I’ve used calls for the chili flavored corn chips and they would probably be good in this also, although maybe not with the shrimp!
The following recipe for Lemon Broiled Fish is from “Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook, Collector’s Edition”.
Lemon Broiled Fish
½ cup margarine or butter, melted
¼ cup REALEMON® Lemon Juice from Concentrate
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (4 slices)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ teaspoon paprika
1 pound fish fillets, fresh or frozen, thawed
In small bowl, combine margarine and ReaLemon® brand. In medium bowl, combine crumbs, parsley and ¼ cup margarine mixture; dip fish into mixture. Broil until fish flakes with fork; top with crumb mixture. Return to broiler; heat through. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 4 servings.