MICHIGAN COTTAGE COOK

MICHIGAN COTTAGE COOK
SUMMER AT THE BEACH

Friday, December 31, 2010

MOM'S 1940'S FRUIT SALAD--PERFECT FOR BRUNCH, BREAKFAST, BUFFETS AND HOLIDAY FRUITCUPS

This morning I was reading the sign board on an earlier posting that told about the New Year Traditions in Vietnam.  I really liked them.  I especially liked the aspect of life on New Years to honor the Earth with Gratitude.  Maybe we would treat the earth better if we honored it on New Years.


The second aspect is Respect for the Dead.  Red scrolls are printed with poetry that reads, paying respect to our ancestors for our family, or returning the favor to our family for raising us.  A departed family member is named.  A stick of incense is burned for each name as prayers are said, and singing bowls are played. 

I name my family to be honored:  Minnie, Julia and Ernest.


As you know by now, I am all about keeping the stories alive of my parents and grandparents for the next generations.  They are so easily lost.  There are so many questions I wished I had asked before everyone past over.  Following the Vietnamese tradition, I think New Years should become a time of family stories.  I added my stories to the Christmas celebrations and there was the traditional eye rolling.  I know I didn't listen as well as I should have or as I would listen now if they could only tell me again. 


I name my family to be honored:  Harry and Julia.


My Mom prepared this salad every Christmas. It was my job to cut and seed the grapes as there were no seedless grapes back then. There were very few fresh fruits available back in the 1940's and 1950's.  Oranges, bananas and grapes were a few of the only fruits available in the winter.  All the other fruit we ate was canned. 


Sweet, cold and juicy.  Enjoy!!!!

MOM’S CHRISTMAS SALAD
So many fruit salads are filled with puddings or heavy creams.  This one is healthy, easy to make, and refreshing to eat.  Mom would serve it as a fruit cup, but the salad looks beautiful in a glass bowl on a buffet too.


Approximately 1 lb. red grapes, halved and seeded if necessary or to taste
Approximately 6 large Navel oranges, peeled and cut into chunks
Sugar to taste
Approximately 2 bananas, sliced
Orange juice, if desired


Ingredients:  Navel Oranges, red grapes, bananas, sugar and orange juice, if desired.

Cut the white pith off the orange so the juices are able to flow. Combine the grapes and oranges. Sprinkle with sugar and mix together. It does not take much sugar to make this salad sweet. Chill. Just before serving, add bananas and gently mix together. If you want more juice, add a touch of orange juice. Serve in fruit cups.

Rinse grapes well.

Cut the skin and pith off the orange.

Cut orange into pieces.

Cut grapes in half.

Combine oranges and grapes.

Sprinkle with some sugar.  Don't use too much as the juices from the grapes and oranges will sweeten the salad too.

Chill and allow the sugar to pull the juices from the fruit.  I like to chill overnight.

Just before serving, add sliced bananas.  Add a little orange juice if you want more juice in the salad.  Put salad in a pretty, clear, glass bowl.

Serve like my Mom as a fruit cup or place bowl of salad on a buffet table.  Enjoy!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TRADITIONS FROM CHINA, VIETNAM AND JAPAN FROM MEIJER GARDENS

We wish you the Happiest New Year.  Our gift to you is these beautiful pictures from Meijer Garden of New Year Traditions from China, Vietnam, and Japan.  Please remember to double-click on each picture to make it full screen size.  Enjoy the beauty and the information.








I love the origami chains.  I loved to make paper chains when I was little.  When my children were little I had them make the chains with shiny ribbon. 

Thursday, December 30, 2010

SUNDAY OR HOLIDAY BRUNCH RECIPES SURE TO PLEASE

Looking for something special to make for a holiday or Sunday brunch with New Year's Eve coming?  Here are some great recipes for coffeecakes, different ways to serve eggs, insanely good pancakes, and yummy muffins recipes from earlier posts on Michigan Cottage Cook.

COFFEE CAKES
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/03/cindys-church-camp-coffee-cake-with_26.html

http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/04/blueberry-ricotta-cheese-coffeecake.html

DIFFERENT WAYS TO SERVE EGGS
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/04/neldas-breakfast-pizza.html

http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/04/tortillas-cheese-and-steak-part-ii.html

PANCAKES
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-version-of-insanely-great-pancakes.html

MUFFINS
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/tart-cherry-bran-muffins-like-cherry.html

http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/in-case-you-missed-them-check-out-these.html

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS FROM AUSTRALIA, MIDDLE EAST, AND HUNGRY

Here are more pictures from the Holiday Traditions at Meijer Gardens.  I realized that showing three countries per post means I will be posting Traditions well into January as there were 141 different Traditions represented.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  Please remember to double-click on a picture to make it full screen size.



I like anything with animals on it.  The Koala is so sweet.




I love the idea of starting seeds in cotton to put on the tree.




Hours of work represented by these ornaments is immense.  I have always been awed by the Hungarian colored eggs.

I made felt Christmas Stocking for my children so I know how much work is involved.


I as always looking for the donkey.


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

CAROL BOND'S FAMOUS SHRIMP PATE


Carol became famous in the 1960's in North Carolina for this recipe. She was asked to put the recipe in whatever cookbook a local organization was putting together.  It is sublime. It turns canned shrimp into bites of heaven on a cracker. It is also great as a sandwich spread.

A pate is an impressive way to make a little shrimp feed more people at a party or on a buffet.  The price of shrimp is so high and it is so easy to plop a bunch of shrimp on your plate that it is hard to serve very many people with whole shrimp if your budget is tight.  This pate has all the wonderful flavor of shrimp without the back breaking expense.

SUMMER 2007 UPDATE: I tried this with a bag of frozen shell-on shrimp that I cooked, drained, shelled and chopped in a food processor. The pate was heavenly. I also made it with frozen cooked shrimp. I didn’t thaw them completely so they didn’t drain well and the pate was wet; now I quickly dip the frozen cooked shrimp in boiling water and drain them before using in the pate.
SUMMER 2008 UPDATE: Although in the 1970’s I served this pate made with canned shrimp to the CBS 60 Minutes cast and crew when they were filming in Kirksville and everyone loved it, Christy made it with canned shrimp this summer and was very disappointed.
DECEMBER 2010 UPDATE: I was in the store and grabbed what use to be a pound bag of frozen shrimp.  When I got home, I found the bag only contained 11 ounces.  Have you noticed how things just keep shrinking?  I cut the amount of butter and mayonnaise in half but used the original amount of the seasonings.  It was delicious.

CAROL BOND'S SHRIMP PATE
Don't buy white pepper just for this recipe as black pepper works fine.

20 ounces canned shrimp, the tiny, less expensive ones work fine or a 16 oz. bag of frozen shrimp, thawed
1/4 c minced onion
1/2 c butter or margarine
3 T lemon juice
1 t horseradish
2/3 c mayonnaise
1/2 t salt
1/4 t white pepper

Ingredients:  Shrimp, onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, butter, horseradish, salt and white pepper.

Drain and mash the shrimp very fine with a potato masher. Add the onion. Melt the butter. Pour over the shrimp/onion mixture; mix well. Add the remaining ingredients; mix well. (I put the shrimp in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to start chopping the shrimp.  I add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until all the ingredients are mixed.) Pack the resulting paste into a three-cup mold which has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Chill 4 to 5 hours or until firm. Drip mold in hot water and run knife around the edge.  Turn out of mold onto a plate and garnish. This is particularly good on a cracker like Ritz or Town House.

Thaw and drain frozen shrimp.

Dip in hot water to completely thaw.

Drain again as shrimp must be as dry as possible.

Put shrimp on paper towels and remove shells or tails.  Which ever is necessary.  My shrimp just had the tails on.

Squeeze lemon juice.  The rind had gone into cookies.  Waste not, want not.

Melt butter.

Chop some onion.

Finely chopped is best.

Put shrimp in food processor, or mash with a fork or potato masher.

Pulse a couple of times to get the shrimp partially chopped.

Shrimp partially chopped.

Add the rest of ingredients and pulse to mix. 

Looking good.

Ready to pack into a mold.

Spay a bowl or mold with cooking spray.

Pack in the pate and chill completely.

Dip mold in hot water.  Run a knife around the edge of mold or bowl.  Put a plate on top of bowl and unmold by turn over.  Garnish with crackers.

So delicious. 

Enjoy!!!  Enjoy!!! Enjoy!!!