The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.


ThinKING OUT LOUD

Farm Family Insights: by Natalie Dowell Schmitt

"Summer Salads!"

August 23, 2011 Column

When I write my columns, I never really know if what I’m sharing is useful or not. It is kind of a one-sided conversation. So when I received an email from a farm wife down by the Minnesota/Iowa border, it made my day. She had just put up Minnesota Tomato Mixture, a recipe I shared last year when I was inundated with an abundant crop of tomatoes. It has now become one of her favorite recipes and is one of mine too! This was the start of a great conversation.

Since I was up against a deadline, with no idea what I was going to whip up, I asked Rose if she had any suggestions, stories or recipes she would share.

After 50 years of marriage to Alan, she has a lifetime of stories she has saved in her diaries, a legacy she is leaving to their two daughters. What a great gift idea!

I don’t have a diary of all the things Mark and I have done over the last 30 years of marriage but I still have stories and recipes I can share with our kids. Making a family story/cookbook might become my new winter project.

But I think I will hold off on sharing it with the kids for awhile. Some of my favorite phone calls from the kids start out with “Mom, how do you make….?”

Right now, Rose is trying to use up the garden vegetables. She says after years of sometimes more weeds than veggies, the garden finally looks nice.

The first recipe is from a church cookbook and the second if from a church potluck. The last recipe is one of my favorite garden salads.

Rose and I have a similar problem; we only have two eaters in the house.

Her solution? Invite some friends in, eat and play a game of cards!

I really like the way she thinks. Enjoy!

Vegetable Salad …Rose Breitsprecher

2 cucumbers
3 c. celery
1 green pepper
1 onion
4 tomatoes

Cut the vegetables up and mix together in a large bowl. Cover with dressing. Let stand in refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Dressing:

½ c. vinegar
1/3 c. salad oil
¾ c. sugar
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp garlic powder

Mix and pour over salad. Rose suggest using the whole amount of garlic powder.

Taco Salad

1-½ pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 package taco seasoning mix
(if you don’t have a mix just put in chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and paprika. Cumin is the heat flavor, so use sparingly.)
Mix beef and seasonings together, set aside to cool. In a large bowl cut up the following:
1 head of lettuce
2 or 3 tomatoes,
1 or 2 green or red peppers
1 onion

Add 1 can of drained and rinsed kidney beans

Add seasoned meat mixture

Break up a 15 oz bag of Nacho Cheese Dorito chips. Stir in about half of the bag.

Stir in a 16 oz bottle of Western Dressing (You can use more or less)

Top with the rest of the chips.

Festive Layered Salad by Marie Opatz

4 c. shredded Romaine lettuce
4 carrots cut up
1 c macaroni shells (cooked and cooled)
1 package frozen peas
Red onion sliced into rings
2 c cubed cooked ham
½ c shredded Swiss Cheese
2 or 3 hard boiled eggs chopped up

In a large bowl, layer in order given. Set aside and chill.

Dressing:

Mix together 1-½ c. of Miracle Whip and 2 TBSP Dill weed.

Toss salad with dressing until coated, and then serve.

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As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

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