The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
I have never had such good luck growing tomatoes and peppers in all my gardening years. Of course it occurs when the kids have left home and it is just the two of us at home. Mark was questioning my sanity when he asked why I was canning all these tomatoes, peppers and apples. I reminded him I’m still “cooking for the kids”. Jars will disappear from the shelves after a family visit. It’s nice to know they still “need” their mom’s cooking even when they’re out on their own. I’ve been restocking my pepper relish and tomato juice/sauce supplies. The shelves are filling up nicely. They all look so pretty lined up in rows of summer colors. I’m trying my hand at making my own spaghetti sauce this year. I’m sharing a recipe from a dear friend who cooks by taste. I think you’ll like Gordon’s spaghetti sauce. He says it never turns out the same way twice but is always cooked with love.
My apple trees are loaded again this year. The zester apples have been processed into the sweetest applesauce. Mark can eat a whole pint in one meal or as a snack. The cortlands, honeycrips and haralsons are ready for pressing into cider and chopping up into chunks for cakes, crisps and pies. I discovered an apple pie cake recipe in an old diocesan centennial cookbook. I have made three pans of it and I think Mark has consumed at least a pan and a half by himself. Apparently it is good for breakfast. It has a caramel sauce topping but he thinks warm cake topped with ice cream would be great too. I like the sauce. One batch of sauce makes enough for two cakes.
½ c butter, softened
2. c sugar (I use brown and regular sugars)
2 eggs
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP hot water
1 tsp soda
2 c flour
5 c apples, chopped/chunked
1 c chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans
Mix butter, sugar, spices and well-beaten eggs. Dissolve soda in hot water. Add to butter mixture with flour.
Mix well. Stir in apples and nuts. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes at 350 degrees. May be served with ice cream or the following sauce:
½ c butter
½ c cream
½ c brown sugar
½ c sugar
Bring to a boil.
Serve it warm on the cake.
He likes to make large batches of 8 – 12 quarts at a time to can or freeze. You are only limited by the size of your pot. Here is the list of ingredients:
Italian seasoned pork sausage – about 1 pound for 1.5 to 2 quarts of sauce. Brown and chop up.
Fresh tomatoes – steamed and peeled – as many as you want. Cook them down and leave chunks large enough that people know it is from scratch. ? After the sauce is cooked down, you can strain it if you want to remove the seeds, just spoon the tomato chunks out of the sauce first.
Tomato paste to thicken
Mushrooms – can be fresh or canned. I like to use fresh and sauté them in butter (or butter and white wine) before I put them in the sauce. I like to use a German white wine, because I like to drink a glass too.
Dark Brown Sugar to taste. I often use a ratio of ¾ cup to 2 quarts of sauce.
Seasonings & Spices:
Onions, a good healthy amount. If you like them soft, sauté them with the mushrooms
Worchester Sauce 1– 2 TBSP per quart
Oregano – More than a healthy amount!
Basil, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Bay leaves and salt.
I don’t use a lot of salt, but enough to enhance the other flavors. Sometimes I have added cilantro, a sweet barbeque sauce or ketchup spice. Put the spices in a cheesecloth and throw it in the pot to simmer while you cook down the tomatoes.
He says he may have forgotten some small things, but the most important ingredient is love! ? My secret ingredient in spaghetti sauce is grape syrup (ok..grape jelly that didn’t set up). The grapes and sugars mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Pepper Relish
Becky Dowell
12 green bell peppers
12 red bell peppers
12 onions
3 c. sugar
2 c cider vinegar
1 TBSP salt
This is what the kids all request for their shelves. When they were little, it was a family affair grinding the peppers and onions with the old hand crank grinder clamped on to the picnic table as the juices ran all over the ground. The smell of the vinegar, sugar and veggies simmering on the stove just made your mouth water. This is a recipe my mom developed and is still a family favorite. Grandsons have tried heating the recipe up with some hot peppers. Waiting to see how that turns out.
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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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