A Little Country Cookin’

I haven’t posted any recipes in a while so I thought I would share a couple of our favorites with you today. Plus my days have been jam packed lately and I haven’t had a lot of time to just write. Wish I did…but I guess it’s not to be, for right now.  All my writing strength is going into my most recent assignment for Union Gospel Press.  Currently, I am writing thirteen fiction stories that have Biblical truths in them for the 1st-3rd grade Sunday School papers, for the spring of 2014. I have never done this before!  Yikes!  But, it is also good since it is stretching me to write fiction!

Anywho!

Moving on…..

Recipe #1~

Walleye Patties

 

Joel loves to fish and more specifically, Walleye fish.  Each spring he usually gets enough for us to freeze and then we enjoy it through the winter.  This spring he hasn’t been able to fish as much as he usually does, but I’m really hoping he can get out more in a few weeks, because he really does love it. Plus, it’s a blessing to have fresh caught fish!

This recipe is a favorite around here and my mom absolutely loves it.  She even requested it for the birthday dinner I cooked for her this year.

If you don’t have Walleye, I think this recipe would work with almost any kind of firm white fish.

 

1 lb cooked Walleye~  I usually just place it in a 9x13 with some melted butter and lemon juice, seasoned with salt and pepper. (350 degrees for 15-20min or until it flakes when pulled with a fork)

1 1/2 cups mayonaise

2 eggs

8 oz shredded cheddar

4 1/2 cups potatoes shredded

1 onion chopped

3-4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs (These are so easy to make.  I just take any leftover bread and crumb it in my coffee grinder. I place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven after I have finished baking something.  It dries them out nicely.  Just stir them a time or two to make sure they all get dried out.  Then I place the dried crumbs in jars that I have in my freezer just for this purpose. When I’m ready to use them I get out the amount I need and season them up.

1. cook fish

2. par-boil potatoes and onion in boiling water for about 5 minutes.  You want to soften them, but you don’t want them mushy.  I always sample some to see where they are at.  Not very technical , but hey this is country cooking! Drain the water off and your ready to go….or you can go for the easier route and use frozen shredded potatoes. (I just never have these on hand!)

3. Mix fish, potatoes, onions, mayo, eggs, and cheese together in large bowl.

4. Add in the seasoned dry bread crumbs starting with 2 cups.  Then keep adding until you can make a patty that will stay together and not fall apart.  Again not technical….rather a trial and error type cooking!

5. Fry in small amount of butter or oil.  I use my electric skillet so that I can do 6 at a time.  I use just a smidgen of oil with it.  I don’t like anything that has been soaked in oil.  YUCK!  If your pan is non-stick it will only take a small amount.  Fry till golden brown on both sides.

As for the amount this makes…..I’m going to guess about 14-16 patties….depending on the size you make.  I keep forgetting to count the number of patties it makes….sorry. 

Serve with tartar sauce or ketchup.

 

Recipe #2

Blackberry Muffins

(altered from Simply Recipes)

 

Oh goodness these are SO good!  Last summer we had a bumper crop of wild Blackberries growing out in my dad’s CRP fields.  They were huge and they were ABUNDANT.  Sadly he had to mow those fields and so this year I will be forced to forage in the fence rows for these black beauties.  I am so thankful for the bags and bags of these that I was able to put into the freezer.  Another freezer blessing!  It seems this time of year when fresh fruit seems so scarce and if it is available it is yucky,  is when my meals are majorly supplemented by what I was able to can or freeze from the previous growing season.

 

2  1/2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream or vanilla yogurt (just make sure if you use the yogurt to reduce the amount of sugar)

1 cup sugar (You can definitely use less.  I do!)

4 Tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 Tablespoons milk

1  1/2 cups blackberries

 

Combine dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs.  Add sour cream, sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) (I personally put mine in frozen…works for me, but you may want to follow the directions on defrosting and coating with flour) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.Add the wet ingredients to the dry. 

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake in 400 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.

Yield: Makes about 18 muffins.

 

And that girlfriends is all I have for now! I’ve got to get the veges put in with the roast and pull the bread out of the oven!  Have a great evening!