Parker House Rolls, My Grandmother's Recipe

And in her handwriting from 1963.  This is the only page saved from a gardening book she kept with her cookbooks. Notice the bookworm hole in the corner.  I loved this book and was saddened to learn it was gone.  But I do hav and treasure this handwritten recipe~  No one has penmanship like this anymore.  Sad!  I collect hand written recipes.  Some are great becasue the dish is tasty nad others are good becasue the penmanship is fabulous.  The are fun to flip through.  Pne day, (soon) I will make a framed arrangement.  Meantime, I try tomake a good collectiof for my nephews, Riley and Davis.  They love to eat and will adventure into the culinary realm one of these days.

Because it is hard to read:
Parker House Rolls, Nettie Delores Stotts
1 cup scalded milk     2 Tbsp. shortening
2 Tbsp. sugar              1 tsp. salt
1 pkg yeast            1/4 c. luke warm water
1 well beaten egg    2  1/2 c flour
Combine milk shortening and salt.  Cool to warm. Add yeast in warm water, add egg, gradually stir iin flout to form soft dough.  Beat vigorously, cover and let rise in warm place till doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.  Turn out on floured surface and make into rolls.  Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees about 15 minutes.  Makes three dozen.

Now, like many grandmothers, hse thought many kitchen tasks were intuitive!  Here I will add details for "Turn out ... make into rolls..."  that I needed.  Punch down dough and turn out.
Nettie kept a pastry cloth in a plastic bag and her rolling pin had a cloth cover on it as well.  She swore this kept any dough or pastry from sticking. I watched hours upon hours and never saw her fight a dough.  No, my mat and pin are not wrapped!  Some kids won't learn.  And yes, I fight with stuck doughs on many occassions!  Back on task here, rol dough 1/2 inch thick and cut with 3 in iscuit cutter.  Brush each circle with melted butter and fold in half.  Place each half circle in a 13 X 9  buttered pan.  Allow to rise about 45 minutes and bake.

Fall Flavors

Ah, fall finally comes to Florida with temps in the 50's.  I won't dig out the old Wisconsin fleece but I have cooked up a pot of beans, small red beans.  And with these I made a warm, spicy soup to warm all the way to the toes of the Combsman.  Yes, it is sad, he gets cold in Florida.  How can that be after twelve years in Wisconsin shoveling snow and ice?
Wash the beans in cold water, put in a pot and cover with two inches of water.

Bring to a boil.   Boil gently for five minutes.  Turn off the heat and rest an hour.  At hour's end pour off the bean water and refresh.  Return to a lose fire for a long simmer of about two and a half hours.  Add water or chicken broth to keep the beans cooking.  After an hour and a half, add chopped onions, peppers, chilies, cumin, garlic, lime, chopped tomatoes, and a dash or two of oregano. Simmer the remaining time.  Once the beans are tender and the sauce is thickening, I take three cups from the pot into the blender.  With a flip of the button and a few seconds of whirl action the puree is ready to return to the soup pot.  Add chunks of chicken or pork (previously cooked) sausage  if you like.  I had previously smoked some spiced pork.  That was a great flavor enhancer.  I am not big on using prepared store bought foods.  However, this Green Enchiladas Sauce is a great pantry item.  I add it to my soups and stews.  I use it in my cornbread batter.  You know, I should do an entire post of its versatile uses.  And yes, I put a large can of GES into the bean soup.  Up the YUM factor!  I served this with warm bread and a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese on top.  You can garnish with sour cream, Greek yogurt, guacamole; use your palette pleaser.

The remaining soup freezes well.  Makes for a great combo with a steaming bowl of rice with fresh tortillas.  Or return it to low heat and simmer till thick and use as a burrito filling.