Purple Pickled Eggs and Beets

Boil three eggs
In a saucepan heat one 16 oz can of sliced or chopped beets
and add a scant 1/2 cup of sugar
and a scant 1/4 cup vinegar
Continue heating until sugar completely dissolves
Cool
Place the eggs in a quart jar.
Pour the beets and juice over them.
Let this chill in the refrigerator at least 24 hours.
Can be kept for several days.

Good in salads or appetizers.

My mother used to keep a jar in the refrigerator.

Open faced BLT with cheese

For four sandwiches:
Place four slices of bread on a cookie sheet
Spread  bread with a good quality mayonaise
Cook eight slices of bacon
Put lettuce on top of bread slices
Put tomatoes on top of lettuce
Put two pieces of bacon on each sandwich
Top with generous slice of cheddar cheese

Place sandwiches under broiler until cheese melts.

Made for the kids by Jumpy C.

Pineapple Apple Float

My aunt, Grace, used to make this in the summer.

Fill a tall glass with scoops of pineapple sherbet.

Pour apple juice over them.

Stir just a little and drink in the shade.

So cooling and refreshing  on a hot summer day.

Crab Florentine

2 10 oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach thawed
3 Tbsp butter
1 tbsp onion, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
dash Worcestershire
salt and pepper
1 pound fresh crab meat
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
grated Parmesan cheese
paprika
butter
Drain spinach and press out water. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a small skillet, add onion and saute.  Add spinach, lemon juice and salt. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes, only until spinach is hot.  Remove from heat and spoon into 8 ramekins.  Flatten spinach out to completely cover bottom of a ramekin.  Melt remaining butter in saucepan, add flour and stir over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.  Slowly add milk and stir until thickened.  Add sherry and cheese, stirring until cheese melts.  Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add crab.  Spoon mixture over spinach.  Top with bread crumbs, Parmesan, paprika and dot with butter.  Bake at 350' for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Place under broiler until lightly browned.

The Best Iced Tea

Take a ceramic pitcher which holds at least 4 cups
Put five tea bags in the pitcher (use a good black tea)
Pour boiling water over the tea and let steep about 10 minutes
Take out the tea bags.
Add one cup of sugar and stir until dissolved.
You may let this cool a little.
Pour tea into a larger gallon size pitcher
Add water to near the top.

Put plenty (I mean fill it full) of ice in a glass.
Pour the tea over the ice.

You may add lemon, lime and or mint.

Sit on the porch and sip.

Always use the same method, the same pitchers and you will always have excellent iced tea.

Okra and Tomatoes

 4 or 5 fresh tomatoes and juice, chopped
1 pound okra
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. bacon grease (or canola oil)
salt and pepper

Wash and slice okra into rounds about 1/2 inch thick.  Saute onion and okra in grease or oil until browned.  Add chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes.  Add water if necessary to prevent sticking.  If too juicy, uncover and cook a little longer. Serve hot. Good on rice.

Chilaquilas from Guatemala

5 eggs
12 fresh tortillas
1 small mozzarella cheese
ollive oil
1 large onion
3 large fresh very ripe tomatoes
chopped parsley
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Beat the eggs in a deep bowl.  Fold tortillas in half and place a slice of cheese in each.  Dip tortillas in egg to coat very well and fry on both sides in oil.
Grate onions, mash tomatoes, add parsley, salt pepper and garlic powder.  Mix and simmer over low heat.  Pour over tortillas when ready to serve.

Corn Fritters

1/2 cup milk
2 cups boiled corn, cut from the cob (boiled 8 minutes)
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Add milk to corn. Sift dry ingredients together. Add to corn mixture.  Add eggs and butter.  Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls into canola oil heated to 375'.  When brown, drain on paper towels.  Serve immediately. Yields 1 1/2 dozen.

The Real Tomato Sandwich

First you have to have a real tomato.  Grow it yourself, a big boy, a better boy, perhaps an early girl.  Or get it from a road side stand, a farmer's market or your neighbor.

Slice the tomato generously onto white bread.  Only white bread will do.

The white bread must be generously slathered with mayonaise.  Duke's is best and then Hellman's.

Salt the tomato.

This is the real thing.  It does not need to be adulterated with bacon and lettuce and whole wheat bread.

You will probably have to make a second sandwich.  Might as well make them both at once.

Fresh Corn and Pattipan Squash Stir Fry

6 ears of silver queen corn
3 pattipan squash
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsps canola oil
2 Tbsps butter
salt and pepper

Cut the kernels off the corn.  Chop the squash into small chunks (say three to a teaspoon).
Crush and chop the garlic cloves and begin to saute in the canola oil (hopefully in an iron pan).
Add the corn and the squash and stir fry for approximately 7 to 8 minutes.  Add butter and salt and pepper.  Enjoy while hot.

Fried Green Tomatoes

4 large green tomatoes
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup canola oil

Slice tomatoes 1/4 " thick.  Beat egg in mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Set aside.  Combine cornmeal, salt and pepper.  Spread mixture on sheet of aluminum foil.  Dip Tomatoes in eggs; coat in cornmeal mixture. Heat oil and butter in frypan.  Fry both sides of tomatoes until brown.  Drain on paper towel.  Serves 4 to 6.

Blackberry Jam

2 quarts of fresh blackberries ( 1/4 of which are unripe), pick near the fence of the cow pasture and look out for snakes and chiggers
6 cups sugar

Wash berries and cook in saucepan over moderate heat until juice begins to flow and berries are soft.  Run through a food mill to obtain juice and pulp.  Measure out 4 cups of juice and pulp mixture and place in preserving pot.  Bring to a boil.  Add sugar and cook over moderate heat until candy thermometer reaches about 221' F (about 30 minutes).  Pour into jars and seal.  Make a cobbler with the extra juice and pulp. Yield: 6 half pints.