Braille Monitor May 2006
Recipes
This month�s recipes
have been contributed by members of the NFB of Indiana.
Chicken Salad
by Jean Brown
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Jean Brown is president
of the Circle City Chapter in Indianapolis and state fundraising chairman. She
has been a member of the Federation for twenty-four years. Her husband is Ron
Brown, president of the Indiana affiliate and a member of the NFB board of directors.
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 to 20 seedless grapes
1/4 cup English walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
3 small red apples
3 to 4 tablespoons Miracle Whip
Method: Place chicken breasts in a lightly oiled pan and season with seasoned
salt, and black or white pepper. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover with
foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook chicken for forty-five to fifty minutes.
Uncover pan and remove from oven. Let chicken cool and cut into bite-size pieces.
Peel apples and cut into cubes. Cut grapes in half. Place chicken in a large
mixing bowl and add apples, grapes, nuts, and Miracle Whip. Toss with a fork
until all ingredients are mixed well. This salad may be served on buns or lightly
toasted bread. It makes an excellent summer meal served with chips or just a
cold drink. Makes four to six sandwiches.
Sweet Potato Fluff
by Jean Brown
Ingredients:
1 16-ounce can yams
1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks or crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup whole or 2 percent milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 bag large white marshmallows
Method: Warm yams in the microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes and drain. Place
yams in a large mixing bowl and add eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Beat well
until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and smooth. Drain pineapple and add to
yam mixture. Stir in pineapple with a fork. Transfer yams to a glass baking
dish or deep pan, making sure that they are spread evenly across the dish. Top
yams with marshmallows, laying them on their sides with the flat ends touching.
Leave a half-inch border without marshmallows around the edge of the dish. Place
oven rack in top third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake casserole
until marshmallows are golden brown and yams are bubbly. Serve with dinner or
as a delicious snack.
Caramel Icing
by Pam Schnurr
Pam Schnurr is first vice president of the NFB of Indiana, secretary
of the National Association of Blind Merchants, and president of the National
Association of Blind Merchants of Indiana. She has been a member of the Federation
since 1974. She and her husband have been host parents to an exchange student
at the school for the blind from Germany for the last year. She says that it
has been a great learning experience.
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons milk
powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Method: Melt butter and sugar in a saucepan and add milk. Heat mixture on medium
and boil three minutes. Remove from heat and stir for about thirty seconds.
Add vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar a little at a time until frosting reaches
spreading consistency. This will take about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar.
If the icing becomes too thick, add milk 1 spoonful at a time. Pour over warm
cake and let set. Pam says that this is especially good on chocolate cake.
Round Steak with Gravy
by Diane Graves
Diane Graves is president of the Indianapolis Chapter of the NFB of
Indiana and affiliate secretary. Her work as a mediator with the Indiana Civil
Rights Commission reflects her dedication to the mission of the Federation.
In her free time she unwinds by doing handcrafts and trying new recipes in the
kitchen.
Ingredients:
1 pound round steak
2 cloves of garlic
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
1 can sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil
Method: Season the round steak by splitting the garlic cloves and rubbing them
over both sides of the meat. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, then half the flour.
Pound in the flour, using a meat mallet or the edge of a saucer. Then turn meat
over and repeat with garlic, salt and pepper, and other half of flour. Cut meat
into serving-size pieces, and brown the meat in vegetable oil. I don't measure
the oil, so I cannot offer a precise measurement. I just use enough oil to brown
the meat effectively without letting it stick. Once the meat is browned, add
mushroom soup, Lipton onion soup mix, chopped onion, and mushrooms. Mince the
garlic and add it as well. Add about 2 cups of water. Then lower heat to medium
and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure that
meat isn't sticking and a nice gravy is in the works. If you think necessary,
add a bit more water. This makes the tenderest round steak you could ever hope
to eat. We love it. It is great with mashed potatoes or rice.
Potato Soup
by Diane Graves
Ingredients:
8 to 10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed or sliced
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Shredded cheese, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Method: Place potatoes, sausage, and onion in a large pot. Fill pot with enough
water to cover the contents, and boil until tender. Mix milk and flour together,
whisking until smooth. Stir this mixture into the soup and continue stirring
until it thickens and becomes creamy. Ladle hot soup into bowls and sprinkle
shredded cheese over the top if desired. Enjoy.
Easy Apple Butter
by Tami Jones
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Tami Jones is a longtime leader in the NFB. She chairs the Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund Committee, so convention attendees are familiar with her announcements about the tenBroek auction and the Elegant Elephant table in the exhibit hall, where all kinds of small treasures are sold, including Tami�s homemade jams and marmalades.
Anyone who knows much about Tami knows she loves to cook and prowl through cookbooks to find new and interesting recipes. She likes to start with a basic recipe and add her own touches. Below she shares a few of her favorites. This is what she says:
One of my strongest
interests is making jams, marmalades, and apple butter. Here are two of the
easiest and most interesting recipes I know.
Ingredients:
16 or more tart apples, skins included, cored and finely chopped (choose equal
numbers of 2 to 4 varieties for varied color and texture)
2 3/4 cups sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
Method: Measure sixteen cups of finely chopped apples into the bottom of a five-quart
crockpot. (Use one that has both a high and a low setting.) In a medium mixing
bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Then pour this combination over
the top of the apples. Cook on high for three hours, stirring thoroughly at
the end of each hour. Turn crockpot to low and cook for ten to twelve more hours,
stirring apple butter occasionally with a wire whisk for a smoother texture,
if desired. Pour into sterilized jars or freeze, whichever you prefer. Makes
twelve to sixteen cups.
Hint: Time this project
so that the first three hours of cooking end at bedtime; then let the crockpot
do its thing while you sleep. In the morning you will have fresh, delicious
apple butter for your morning toast or rolls.
Carrot Cinnamon Marmalade
by Tami Jones
Ingredients:
4 cups grated carrots
4 cups orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Method: Cook carrots and lemon and orange juices in large saucepan over moderate
heat for thirty minutes. Combine sugar and cinnamon, and thoroughly stir this
mixture into carrots, continuing to cook until thick. Ladle marmalade into warm,
sterilized jars and seal. Makes three cups or a little more.
Cream Cheese Mints
by Tami Jones
If you want to make something for an elegant occasion--a wedding reception,
a silver or golden anniversary, a bridal or baby shower--this recipe is really
easy. The tedious part is forming the mints into fancy shapes, which I do with
flexible molds I purchased in a cooking store. But with several different molds
you can get your friends or kids to help and make a party out of the project.
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 pounds powdered sugar
Food coloring and flavoring as desired (see note at end of recipe)
Method: Combine powdered sugar and cream cheese by mixing thoroughly with clean
hands. Divide into as many parts as needed before adding coloring and flavoring.
For example, if you have both flower and leaf molds, you will need at least
two separate pieces of dough. Add coloring and flavoring a little at a time
to each piece until you achieve the desired color and taste. Press into desired
shapes with flexible molds and place each mint on a cookie sheet covered with
wax paper. Refrigerate till firm. Chill or freeze candy in covered container
until needed.
Note on coloring and flavoring: You can tailor your mints to match the occasion and reflect your personal taste. One portion can be colored green with spearmint, wintergreen, or mint flavoring to use with a leaf mold. A portion can be left uncolored and will remain its natural white. Other portions for the flower molds can be colored yellow, pink, red, orange or whatever, depending on the party color scheme. Any color except green can be used with the flower molds. You can use the same flavoring for all the mints or vary the flavors to match the colors. For example, you might use orange and lemon extracts with orange and yellow, peppermint with pink or red, butter rum or almond extract with yellow or white, and so on. A variety of molds is available if you shop around. I have flower, leaf, heart, rocking horse, and several geometric shapes. Use your judgment and be creative.