I heard a story once long ago about a young man who was trying to decide whom to marry. He lived in the frugal pioneer days. He went to visit both young women while they were making pie. The first girl trimmed off the excess dough and went to the door of the kitchen and threw the crumbs to the birds. The second girl carefully trimmed off the excess dough and used it to make something small to put in the oven. Of course, the practical young man chose to marry the thrifty young woman.
I am not sure that Muriel was exactly like the thrifty young woman but she had grown up during the Great Depression and knew about hardships in life. She went to the grocery store once a week with Bob and cooked dinner seven days a week.
When she got close to the bottom of the catsup bottle, I knew that maybe we would have sweet and sour short ribs for dinner. It was and still is one of my favorite dinners.
Sweet and Sour Short Ribs
2 1/2 to 3 lbs of short ribs
Salt, pepper, flour, fat
1 cup sliced onions
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 small bay leaf
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tbsps brown sugar
1/3 cup catsup/ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
Cut short ribs into individual serving pieces. Remove any excess fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Brow well on all sides in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Remove ribs to warm platter and keep hot. Pour off fat from gravy, then stir in about 2 tbsps flour and enough water to dilute gravy to strength desired.
The recipe is written on a card in Muriel's small precise handwriting. Even though it is in a plastic sleeve, the ink is starting to fade. I have had the recipe for about 41 years - just shortly after I was married.
There are several other recipes of hers that I enjoy and am grateful that I have. Mom/Muriel used to make fruit cake every Christmas. Even though there are a lot of people who make jokes about fruit cake, I loved the cake that my mother made. It was dark and firm and sat for about a month before it was cut up and eaten at Christmas time. She would cook the cakes in her cast iron skillets.
I have a somewhat confused copy of the recipe she used, but I have never had the courage to try to make it myself. She also used to make sugar cookies at Christmas time. Some of them would have nuts in them and others would have the fruit that she used in the cakes. She would role the cookie dough up in waxed paper and put it in the refrigerator. When she was ready she would cut cookies off the round tube of dough and bake them in the oven. I can almost remember the sweet smell of the kitchen. I wish that I had learned how to make those cookies from my mum. The thought of them brings back pleasant memories of Christmas time.
December 5th, 2012
While I was looking in my recipe box for Christmas Wreath cookies, I came across this recipe for
Refrigerator Cookies - Xmas Version
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mixed sliced red and green cherries
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup slivered citron peel
Sift, then measure flour*, resift with salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar twice. Cream butter until soft, add sugar and well beaten egg. Add flour mixture, then add fruit and nuts. Form into two rolls. Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator overnight until chilled. Slice the roll thinly and bake on greased cookie sheet in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden in color.
(I use fruit cake mix in place of cherries and citron peel as it contains both - giving a varied coloring.)
*Note from Elaine: Usually flour now has been pre-sifted. Stirring the flour before measuring should make the flour light and ready for use.)
