Red Stew--worthy of a birthright?

I was inspired to post this recipe after last night's lesson at D6, where Esau trades his birthright for some of the "red lentil stew" that his brother made (Genesis 25:29-34). Although I'm sure it's not worth a birthright, it is mighty tasty, full of healthy ingredients that reportedly ward off colds, and it is probably similar to Jacob's original stew. Red lentils are available at Wheatsfield in the bulk section.


Ethiopian Lentil Bowl
Simply in Season cookbook
6-8 servings
75 minutes total

2 c dried red lentils
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 head (yes, the whole head) garlic (cloves peeled and mashed)
3 T tomato paste
½ t paprika
1 t salt
½ t ground ginger
¼ t pepper
3 c water
¼ c lemon or lime juice

1. Rinse and sort lentils. Cover with water and soak 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, chop onions and mash garlic cloves.
3. In a soup pot sauté onions and garlic in oil over medium-hi heat until golden, about 10 minutes.
4. Mix in tomato paste and paprika. Add remaining seasonings and half the water. Stir well.
5. Add the rest of the water. Stir again, cover, and bring to boil.
6. Add lentils and lower heat. Cook until lentils have softened, 20-30 minutes.
7. Add juice and serve hot.

This is so thick! I often eat it by scooping it up with tortillas or pitas. It’s also amazingly sweet tasting—the garlic mellows from all that simmering. It also freezes really well.

A triple batch will barely fit in my big (8Q?) soup pot.

"Sloppy Joe" (Barbeque or BBQ to me)

An incredibly useful recipe--makes a big batch to feed many or freeze; also a good meal base (see options at end of post).

Barbeque (Sloppy Joe)
Grandma Walburg’s recipe
Yield: 10 cups (20+ servings)
45 min prep + 1 hour simmer

3 lbs. ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 tsp chili powder
14 oz ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
2 cups water
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcester sauce

Chop vegetables. Brown meat and vegetables in large pot, sautéing until celery is soft.

Add chili powder; cook 2 minutes.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for an hour.

Freezes well in large or small portions. Serve in buns or over bread.
Other options: To 3 cups of the mixture: Add a packet of taco seasoning and use in taco salad, nachos, etc. Add a can of whole tomatoes and a can of chili beans to make chili. Add a can of spaghetti and a can of vegetable soup for goulash. My grandma would freeze a batch and take the extra ingredients for camping meals—they’re easy to mix up in electric frypans.

Update

First--if you are part of Cornerstone Church, you have until July 1 to submit up to three recipes for the Cornerstone Cookbook! Check the program or email me for the submission email address. I submitted Energy Bars, Stuffed Shells, and Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritoes.

Second--I have tried several of the recommended products from the last post.

Blood meal to repel rabbits--this sort of works. I found I needed to apply a lot of it, quite often, to each plant that the rabbits liked to eat. After a while we decided it was easier to fence in the vegetable garden and just give up on a couple perennial flowers that they love to eat.

Citrus infused vinegar--I love this and use it with Borax to clean my toilets most weeks. It smells much better than most cleaners, although I do use super strength toilet cleaner every month or so to get it really really clean. I did also make a spray bottle of Citrus Disinfectant and I enjoy using that to clean countertops. I must say, though, that Clorox Green Multipurpose Spray is still my favorite spray cleaner. I haven't decided if I'm going to shell out for a new bottle once mine is gone!

I'm still updating my goodreads--feel free to check it out for recommendations--or just visit me at the library to get some personal recommendations for you, your kids or your grandkids!

Home products you can make

I am saddened to note that an entire quarter year has passed since I have posted to the blog. One reason this has come to pass is that I have misplaced our cute pink camera. It was last seen in mid-December, and we hope it comes to light soon, but until then there will be no new pictures of food. :(

However there are still things I'd like to share. First, I continue to record and review all the books I'm reading using goodreads.com--you can see small book covers on the right side of this blog and you should be able to click on any of them to see my review. I add several books a week, so there should often be something new to read.

I've also been spending a lot of time reading blogs--mostly food blogs, but some library and book blogs as well. My current favorite is smitten kitchen. Today she is featuring granola bars that look amazing!

And for today's main event, I'd like to share the following tips. These are taken from Homemade (click to see the book in the Ames Public Library catalog), a book produced by Readers Digest that provides recipes for foods, cleaning solutions, and gardening products that you can make yourself. In general I thought this book was informative and clear; most of the recipes were made of cheap, easily available ingredients. I typed out the ones I want to use sometime (and bolded several that I mean to try in the next couple months). Please forgive the shorthand I used, and let me know if you don't understand my abbreviations. Do share if you try any of them; I'm curious to know what works.

Homemade by Readers Digest—Recipes for food, green cleaning, and garden products

In the Kitchen

• Strawberry Frozen Yogurt: Combine 16 oz plain yogurt, 2 c pureed strawberries, 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, 1 c milk, 1T vanilla. Pour into ice-cream maker, no more than 2/3 full, freeze in batches. Firm in freezer before serving; thaw 30 min before serving.
• Orange Cream Pops: Combine 3 oz orange jello pack in 1 c boiling H20, dissolve. Stand till room temp. Add 8 oz yogurt, ½ c milk, ½ t vanilla. Stir to blend. Freeze in molds or 3 oz cups for 2 hours; insert sticks or plastic spoons. Freeze 4-8 more hours. Makes 10.

Around the House

• Bubble Bath: 2 oz dishwashing liquid, 6 cups water, 1 oz glycerin. Swish in bucket and pour into tub.
• Citrus disinfectant: In a quart jar, combine peel from one piece of citrus fruit and 3 c white vinegar. Close and store for two weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain. Store in the jar. Pour 1 c vinegar in 32 oz bottle and fill with water for spray cleaner. Add 1 c vinegar to 2 gallons water for floor cleaner.
• Multi-purpose cleaner: 3 ½ c hot water into 32 oz bottle. Add 1/2c white or cider vinegar, 1 t borax, 1 t washing soda, 1 t liquid castile soap and shake. Spray (counters, kitchen app., tile, painted things) and wipe.
• Oven cleaner: ¾ c clear ammonia in a small bowl overnight in closed oven. Wipe down using damp sponges w/ baking soda. Or use my method and wipe up with dish deterg. on sponge.
• Scouring powder: equal amounts baking soda, borax, salt. Sprinkle, scour, rinse, dry.
• Soft scrub: Combine ¼ c borax and ½ t oil soap. add ½ t lemon juice, stir. Apply to sponge, clean surface, rinse, dry surface.
• Nontoxic toilet bowl cleaner: Flush toilet. Sprinkle 1 c borax on bowl; drizzle 1/2c white vinegar on top. Let sit for 3 hours; scrub with brush. or leave overnight; no scrubbing needed.
• Stronger toilet cleaner: combine 2/3 c borax with 1/3 c lemon juice to make paste. apply to toilet bowl with rag. let sit 2h then scrub off.
• Drain opener: Pack drain with ½ c baking soda, pour in 1 c vinegar. Cover for 10 minutes; flush with boiling water.
• Upholstery shampoo (for car interiors): 6 T grated soap flakes and 2 T borax mixed in large bowl; slowly add 2 c boiling water, stirring well. Cool. Whip to foam. Brush dry suds onto furniture; wipe off with damp sponge.
• Goo-be-gone: dip cloth into white vinegar and rub on goo. rinse and dry.

In the Garden

• Weed killer: 5% bleach, 95% boiling water in spray bottle. Douse weeds. Check the next day—increase concentration if necessary. Place bottomless plastic bottle over weed to isolate from nearby plants.
• Anti-Rabbit: sprinkle blood meal over soil around edges and in garden beds. reapply after heavy rains. (Fencing needs to be as small as chicken wire and at least a foot deep.)
• Anti-Deer: Tie white grocery bags or rags to fence posts at deer-nose height to flutter in wind and simulate deer tails.
• Insecticide: Puree 10 garlic cloves with 1 T vegetable oil. Strain into quart jar. Add 3 c hot water and 1 t dishwashing soap. Close and shake to mix. Put into spray bottle. Spray plants infested with aphids, whiteflies, etc., making sure to get both sides of leaves. Apply every 3 days for a week. Repeat after rains or as needed.
• Insecticide for aphids and mealybugs: Combine 1 c rubbing alcohol and 1 c water in spray bottle and shake. Test on a leaf—if it browns, do not use. Otherwise spray whole plant—undersides of leaves, flower buds, but not open flowers. Repeat every other day for 3 days.
• Aspirin insecticide: Stir 3 regular aspirin into 5 gallons water in can. Treat plants twice monthly.
• Bug blaster soap spray: good inside and out for caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects. Add 1 T dishwashing soap to 1 gallon water, stir. Test spray on plant. Next day, coat entire plant. Repeat twice a week until no longer visible, then as needed.
• Ammonia plant conditioning spray: 1 part household clear ammonia, 1 part liquid dishwashing soap, 7 parts water combined in large container. Spray on garden plants and lawn for fertilizer and insecticide.