Technically, I've never even made these, so this recipe should not be on the "old standby" blog. However, it's most definitely a Sytsema family tradition, and the Breukers (Holly & my mom) have called me questioning the ingredients enough times that I'm going to post it anyway.
Sour Cream & Chive Potatoes - Mary Sytsema
6 cups water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 sticks margarine
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 cups potato buds
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
chives
Combine water, milk, margarine, & salt. Just before this boils, remove from heat and add potato buds. Mix together. Add cream cheese & mix together. Add sour cream & mix together. Add chives to taste.
This can be made ahead of time and warmed up in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. From my personal observations: Marty's mom makes this and we heat it in the microwave in big bowls. My mom makes it and it comes out of the oven in a 9x13 pan, and somehow it doesn't taste anywhere near that good. I should also note that Marty's mom shared this recipe in a family cookbook a few years ago, and it was discovered that - oops - somehow some of the measures weren't quite right. Since I've never made this, I can't vouch for the instructions above. Proceed with caution and if you get it right the rewards will be worth it!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Pumpkin Crunch
One of the best parts of Thanksgiving: Mary Sytsema's Pumpkin Crunch. Need I say more.
Mix:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
16 oz pumpkin
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
Pour into 9x13 pan, greased on bottom only.
Sprinkle on top:
1 yellow pudding cake mix (use a gluten-free mix to make the recipe gluten-free)
1 c. chopped pecans
Pour over top:
2 sticks of melted butter
Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until golden & set. Cool & serve with Cool Whip. Refrigerate leftovers.
Tuscany Potato Soup (or, Potato Sausage Kale Soup)
What to do with all that kale? Chip it, saute it, freeze it...or make soup. Potato sausage kale soup. I got this recipe from Cindy Revilla, a fellow CPA at H&S Companies, whose husband made it. At the time, I didn't have an abundant kale supply. I actually had to buy it at Meijer. But since then it's become a definite "old standby" recipe, especially in the fall. I make a triple batch and freeze a bunch of it in lunch-size containers to grab on my way out the door to work. What we don't eat for dinner gets stored in the fridge so the kids can warm it up and take it to school in a stainless steel Thermos for lunch. They'd much rather eat corndog nuggets, don't get me wrong, but sometimes potato sausage kale soup is good for the soul.
Tuscany Potato Soup - Cindy (Robert) Revilla
1 lb Bob Evans Italian sausage (I use my local pig from the freezer, of course)
2 Tbsp olive oil (I sometimes skip this...who needs to add grease to fry pork?)
up to 6 cloves garlic
5 shakes Italian seasoning
1 onion, diced
1 chicken breast, diced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
48 oz chicken broth (often add 30 oz more)
6-7 medium potatoes, sliced
1 bunch fresh kale, torn
1 can of fat free evaporated milk (this wasn't in the recipe - I sometimes add it to make a creamier broth similar to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana)
In soup pot heat oil and cook sausage with garlic, Italian seasoning, and onions. When almost cooked, add chicken and black & red pepper and cook until done.
Add broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are done, about 30 minutes. Add kale near the end. Serves 6-8. Freezes well.
Tuscany Potato Soup - Cindy (Robert) Revilla
1 lb Bob Evans Italian sausage (I use my local pig from the freezer, of course)
2 Tbsp olive oil (I sometimes skip this...who needs to add grease to fry pork?)
up to 6 cloves garlic
5 shakes Italian seasoning
1 onion, diced
1 chicken breast, diced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
48 oz chicken broth (often add 30 oz more)
6-7 medium potatoes, sliced
1 bunch fresh kale, torn
1 can of fat free evaporated milk (this wasn't in the recipe - I sometimes add it to make a creamier broth similar to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana)
In soup pot heat oil and cook sausage with garlic, Italian seasoning, and onions. When almost cooked, add chicken and black & red pepper and cook until done.
Add broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are done, about 30 minutes. Add kale near the end. Serves 6-8. Freezes well.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Once we started buying CSA shares and had an abundance of salad greens, and Anna needed gluten-free dressings, it became apparent that some homemade recipes were in order. Plus, once you've had a homemade dressing, and realized what flavors it holds (and how easy it is to make, seriously), why wouldn't you do that instead of buying clumpy Kraft ranch? Balsamic vinaigrette is one of my favorites...no one else cares particularly for it, but I like it.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Mix first five ingredients well, then whisk olive oil into it. Pour over salad greens and enjoy!
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Mix first five ingredients well, then whisk olive oil into it. Pour over salad greens and enjoy!
White Chicken Chili
Long ago and far away, in a little town called Alma, we went to a party that one of Marty's coworkers held. No idea what for at this point, but at the party a colleague named Cheryl Jacobs brought her white chicken chili. It was the first time I'd ever had it, and I LOVED it. She gave us the following recipe, and I've been making it ever since. It's so easy that a recipe isn't really required. In theory. Somehow, two out of three times I've made it I've somehow forgotten one of the ingredients.
White Chicken Chili - Cheryl Jacobs
1 lb chicken, parboiled and shredded (or use whatever quantity of canned or frozen chicken you have)
48 oz jar Great Northern beans
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz salsa
2 tsp cumin
chicken broth as desired for consistency (I added this on my own)
Mix all ingredients in crock pot on high for 2 hours, or on stovetop on medium for 20 minutes. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and a little dab of sour cream on top.
White Chicken Chili - Cheryl Jacobs
1 lb chicken, parboiled and shredded (or use whatever quantity of canned or frozen chicken you have)
48 oz jar Great Northern beans
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz salsa
2 tsp cumin
chicken broth as desired for consistency (I added this on my own)
Mix all ingredients in crock pot on high for 2 hours, or on stovetop on medium for 20 minutes. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and a little dab of sour cream on top.
Lasagna
For years, Marty's Grandma Sytsema gave all the girls in the family a subscription to Taste of Home magazine. Back in those years I didn't do much cooking, so unfortunately I don't have many testimonials for their recipes. And my snarky self (and my husband) admits that the best part of the magazine was looking at the frighteningly homely-I mean-homey pictures of the cooks who submitted recipes. And marveling at the frighteningly creative ways to include football-shaped food at your Super Bowl party and artificially green food on St. Patty's Day. And I almost forgot...the search for the hidden "Ted's Toothpick" somewhere in the magazine was always a good time. My newly licensed CPA self, childless and putting my husband through school, rebelled at everything the magazine promoted as good. Plus there was the one recipe I tried for a grilled egg salad sandwich...it still sounds good to me until I remember the part where you "grilled" it in an inch of Crisco! Gag, still. Growing up on my dad's no salt/no fat/no sugar/no flavor diet in the 80s, I knew there were better ways to "grill" a sandwich with some Pam and a non-stick pan.
But all that judgment aside, Marty loved the food and he'd carefully cut out the recipes he wanted to try. And when we tried the "Traditional Lasagna" from April/May 2000, we knew we had a winner. We'd tried lots of others, but this one was what we loved. The page in our 3-ring binder is dirty and tattered...the sign of a true classic. And here it is. I've included the conversions to triple the recipe. When the kids were smaller, I'd make a triple batch and divide it into 6 8x8 pans, so we'd have one for supper - with leftovers - and 5 for the freezer and the occasional needy friend. Now we go through a full 9x13 in a sitting.
Traditional Lasagna
3 1 lb ground beef
2 1/4 3/4 lb sausage
72 oz 24 oz tomato sauce
36 oz 12 oz tomato paste
6 2 garlic cloves, minced
6 2 tsp sugar
3 1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 1 tsp salt
1 1/2 1/2 tsp pepper
9 3 eggs
9 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
9 3 cups (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
24 oz 8 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
27 9 lasagna noodles (I use gluten-free)
18 6 slices provolone
9 3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
Cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the next seven ingredients. Simmer, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan. Layer in an ungreased 9x13 pan:
1 cup meat sauce
3 noodles
provolone cheese
2 cups cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
3 noodles
2 cups meat sauce
remaining cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
3 noodles
remaining meat sauce
1 cup mozzarella
Cover and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Yield 12 servings.
But all that judgment aside, Marty loved the food and he'd carefully cut out the recipes he wanted to try. And when we tried the "Traditional Lasagna" from April/May 2000, we knew we had a winner. We'd tried lots of others, but this one was what we loved. The page in our 3-ring binder is dirty and tattered...the sign of a true classic. And here it is. I've included the conversions to triple the recipe. When the kids were smaller, I'd make a triple batch and divide it into 6 8x8 pans, so we'd have one for supper - with leftovers - and 5 for the freezer and the occasional needy friend. Now we go through a full 9x13 in a sitting.
Traditional Lasagna
3 1 lb ground beef
2 1/4 3/4 lb sausage
72 oz 24 oz tomato sauce
36 oz 12 oz tomato paste
6 2 garlic cloves, minced
6 2 tsp sugar
3 1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 1 tsp salt
1 1/2 1/2 tsp pepper
9 3 eggs
9 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
9 3 cups (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
24 oz 8 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
27 9 lasagna noodles (I use gluten-free)
18 6 slices provolone
9 3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
Cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the next seven ingredients. Simmer, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan. Layer in an ungreased 9x13 pan:
1 cup meat sauce
3 noodles
provolone cheese
2 cups cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
3 noodles
2 cups meat sauce
remaining cottage cheese mixture
1 cup mozzarella
3 noodles
remaining meat sauce
1 cup mozzarella
Cover and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Yield 12 servings.
Apple Dumpling
This is a classic, easy, Grandma Breuker comfort food from my childhood. And much like her Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake, this can be considered dinner on the occasional Sunday night in the fall. According to my mother, she had to hound Grandma for an actual recipe with measurements after they were first married. I'll include the one with measurements here, and it finally dawned on me last night that I, too, could now make this one without them! Ahhhh, forty is good...
Grandma Breuker's Apple Dumpling
8x8 pan (double for 9x13)
4 medium apples
1/2 cup sugar
cinnamon (guess we didn't ever pin her down on this one)
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
Slice peeled, cored apples into pan. It should be about half full. Pour sugar and sprinkle cinnamon (liberally, IMHO) over the apples and dot with butter.
In bowl, mix Bisquick and add milk until it pours evenly but not runny. Pour over apples and smooth over. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 30 minutes (a little longer in my experience, and more like 50 minutes if it's a 9x13).
Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
Bring to boil, then add 1 tsp vanilla and butter (nope, no measure here either).
Serve when warm and add ice cream if desired.
Now that I'm thinking about this, I don't have strong memories of eating it at my Grandma's house...it was pretty much something my mom would make. But I think of her telling me how she learned to make it at my Grandma's hand, and I hope I make it often enough that my kids will someday want it and have to call me for the recipe when they're on their own.
Grandma Breuker's Apple Dumpling
8x8 pan (double for 9x13)
4 medium apples
1/2 cup sugar
cinnamon (guess we didn't ever pin her down on this one)
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
Slice peeled, cored apples into pan. It should be about half full. Pour sugar and sprinkle cinnamon (liberally, IMHO) over the apples and dot with butter.
In bowl, mix Bisquick and add milk until it pours evenly but not runny. Pour over apples and smooth over. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 30 minutes (a little longer in my experience, and more like 50 minutes if it's a 9x13).
Sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
Bring to boil, then add 1 tsp vanilla and butter (nope, no measure here either).
Serve when warm and add ice cream if desired.
Now that I'm thinking about this, I don't have strong memories of eating it at my Grandma's house...it was pretty much something my mom would make. But I think of her telling me how she learned to make it at my Grandma's hand, and I hope I make it often enough that my kids will someday want it and have to call me for the recipe when they're on their own.
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