Trego's Mountain Ear

"Serving North Lincoln County"

Tag: Recipe

  • Back to School Bread

    This versatile classic frequently receives compliments. It can be made into rolls and bread-sticks. With a little cornmeal it becomes pizza dough.

    It also serves as the foundation of Lunch in a Bun, a popular menu item at Trego School. For lunch in a bun, each bun has a filling. Sometimes, it is taco meat and cheese. At other times, they are filled with pepperoni, ham and cheese, then served with marinara sauce.

    These numbers in this recipe are reduced to result in a smaller amount of bread than is produced in the school kitchen.

    Single Rise Dough

    2 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
    3 Tbsp. Sugar
    3 tsp. Salt
    1 cup Water
    1 cup Warm Milk
    1/3 cup Oil
    2 Eggs
    6-6 & 1/2 cups Flour or Bread Flour

    1. Decide on which mixing method you would like to use
      • If dissolving yeast in warm water, use a water temperature of 110 degrees
      • If mixing the yeast right in with the dry ingredients, use a water temperature of 115-120 degrees
    2. Mix as much flour as possible in using a mixer. Work the remaining flour in by hand and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic
    3. After mixing and kneading process is complete, let dough rest for 10 minutes
    4. Scale into proper size units (bread loaves, sandwich buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.
    5. Mold your dough into the shapes you will be making. Pan into the proper sized pans.
    6. Proof the dough units until almost double in bulk. When touched gently, a unit that is fully proofed will full out the dent slowly.
    7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes for loaves and approximately 15-20 minutes for dinner rolls and smaller units.

  • Using your Zucchini

    As I visit our garden, I remember a time when my driver’s door closed, latched, and didn’t lock.  I went to drive home and found close to a hundred pounds of zucchinis in my back seat.  I kind of sniveled about this experience, and another county agent sent me this recipe:

    Zucchini Jam

    5 ½ C grated Zucchini 
    1 (20 ounce) can crushed Pineapple|
    6 C sugar                                            
    2 (3 ounce) packages Jello (any flavor)
    1 C water          
    2 teaspoons lemon juice

    Boil zucchini, sugar and water for 6 minutes.  Add lemon juice and pineapple.  Boil for 6 more minutes.  Add 2 packages of Jello, and boil for 6 more minutes.  Pour hot mixture into jars, put on lid and screw band.  Jars will seal without processing if you put the lids on immediately as you pour in the boiling mixture.

  • Fruit Soup

    For many years, the Census differentiated between Germans and Germans from Russia.  While there were significant historical differences between the two groups, by the time I was doing the demographic work for South Dakota, the largest difference I could see was the menu.  This recipe, for Plumemoos, a fruit soup served cold, is a hot weather dish passed to us from the Germans from Russia.

                Plumemoos

    2 qt      water
    1 c.      sugar
    1 c.      seedless raisins
    1 c.      dried prunes
    1          29-oz can of peaches
    1          cinnamon stick
    1          package red jello
    1 qt.     Purple grape juice

    Cook dried fruit, sugar and cinnamon stick til fruit is tender.  Add jello to hot soup and stir to dissolve – this will color and thicken the soup when it has cooled.   When cooled, add grape juice to taste.  Serve cold – a wonderful, soothing soup for a hot summer day.

  • Corn on the BBQ

    I like cooking my corn on the BBQ. Especially during hot summer days! This is a great method to cook it. Keeping part of the husk helps prevent it from burning the kernels and it turns out tender and juicy. They can even be made up in advance so it’ll get you out of the kitchen sooner. Try it for your next summer get together!

    • Ears of corn
    • Peel back husks, remove hair and the outside husks, but keep several around the corn leaving them connected.
    • Butter each cob
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
    • Put tender husks back around corn
    • Wrap in tin foil
    • Put on BBQ for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Enjoy!

  • Mexican Cornbread

    In the mid-eighties, I taught at Trinidad State Junior College, where I learned that the names Carson, Bowman and Simpson belonged to Hispanic students.  I recollect one beginning student hanging back at the end of class, to ask “Mr. McCurry, did you notice that we were the only white people in this class?”  I hadn’t noticed – I’ve known my students as individuals rather than by race.  Anyway, this recipe comes from Trinidad, Colorado – the notes say it was from Mary DeKleva, and I can’t say if it’s cultural appropriation of not.

    1 cube melted oleo
    1 cup yellow cornmeal
    1 cup white flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    ½ tsp baking soda
    2 tbsp sugar
    2 eggs
    1 cup buttermilk
    1 can hot diced green chili
    1 cup american cheese grated and melted

    Mix ingredients together.  Bake in 350 degree oven in a 9 x 9 pan, for forty minutes.

    A suggestion for lightweights might be to start with a can of mild diced green chili – southern Colorado and northern New Mexico have a tendency for some downright hot peppers in the food.  I learned to enjoy it, but I was never sure the delicacies weren’t a test my students gave me.  “Try this, Mr. McCurry – my grandmother made it.”

  • Rice Krispy Treats with a flair

    Rice Krispy Treats with a flair

    This summer sweet is a great little treat. It’s easy to make and you don’t have to bake.

    • On low heat, boil 1 cup sugar and 1 cup light karo syrup until sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Then mix 1 cup peanut butter until smooth. (Be sure not to overcook or they will turn out rock hard)
    • Stir in 6 cups rice krispies until fully coated. Press into a 9×13 pan.
    • In a separate pan, melt 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips. Spread over rice krispies.
    • Let cool and serve. Enjoy!