Cowgirls in the Kitchen

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Kit Morgan – June 23

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Cowgirls, Cast Iron, and Cold Taters: The Storied Scoop on Potato Salad!

Whether you’re wrangling cattle or wrangling kids to the picnic table, no summer gathering is complete without that humble hero of the side dish world: potato salad. Creamy or tangy, warm or cold, dressed up with dill or spiced with mustard, this kitchen staple has been dishing up comfort for generations.

Potatoes themselves didn’t make their way to Europe until the 16th century, but once they did, it didn’t take long for cooks across Germany and beyond to start combining boiled potatoes with vinegar, mustard, and onions. That early version became the ancestor of what we now call potato salad.

When German and other European immigrants packed up their culinary traditions and headed to the New World in the 1800s, they brought their beloved potato recipes with them. American potato salad likely sprouted from North German roots. They were cold, creamy, and often filled with chopped eggs and sweet pickles. Meanwhile, South German potato salad served warm with vinaigrette and bacon found its own fans here, especially on ranches and around chuck wagons.

I like to think of a cowboy cook spooning hot potatoes into a tin bowl, tossing them with a little bacon grease, vinegar, and salt before setting the dish beside a pot of beans. No mayonnaise in sight. It wouldn’t work for trail life! But by the time our grandmothers were making potato salad in icebox kitchens and feeding entire Sunday school classes, the mayo version had taken hold.

In honor of that legacy, here’s a good, old-fashioned American-style potato salad recipe you might’ve found in a vintage church cookbook or tucked in your grandma’s recipe tin.

Grandma’s Classic Potato Salad

  • Ingredients:
  • 2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 3-6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • ½ cup finely chopped celery
  • ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: paprika for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 15–20 minutes depending on size. Drain and cool completely.
    2. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, celery, relish, and onion.
    3. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and mustard, then fold into the potato mixture.
    4. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
    5. Sprinkle with paprika before serving if you’re feeling fancy.

But don’t think America’s the only place where folks love their taters. Potato salad has gone global! In France, they use olive oil and fresh herbs; in Russia, it’s a holiday staple known as Olivier salad; in Japan, they mash the potatoes and mix them with veggies, ham, and a touch of rice vinegar. Turns out, everyone loves a good potato!

My family’s own recipe has been handed down for generations, and I believe originated in the 1930s or 40s. Omit the mustard. It was all about the mayonnaise. And Nana Bee’s recipe is pretty much like the standard
Grandma recipe, only she used sliced green olives instead of pickle relish. She also used regular white or yellow onion, no red. We’ve never measured the ingredients. It’s all to taste. In fact, I’m making some of our family’s traditional potato salad this week. How can I not after writing this post? Now I’ve got the craving!

So tell me, what kind of potato salad did your mama make? Did she serve it up with fried chicken on Sundays or pack it in a basket for summer picnics? Leave a comment below and let’s swap recipes and stories like it’s a quilting bee.

Because some dishes aren’t just food. They’re memory, love, and heritage all in one.

 

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Cheryl Pierson – April 28

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Hi everyone! Time for another edition of Vintage Recipes here at “Cowgirls in the Kitchen”!  Oh, golly, I had a lot of trouble deciding what recipe to feature today–so guess what? I had to include more than one! I think you will enjoy all of these and they are for very different types of “eating pleasure”, but none of them are hard to make (you know my rule about having to be something easy if I make it!)

This first one is one my best friend’s mom used to make sometimes when we were all over at her house and hungry. I had never had these before, and I begged my mom to make them, but with my dad’s work schedule, we rarely had leftover mashed potatoes, which is a key ingredient for these coveted MEXICAN HATS!  And these are so simple–I still make them sometimes just because I love them. (I will say, if I’m remembering right, ours looks more like a Mexican Hat than this picture, but this will give you an idea).

MEXICAN HATS:

You will need only three basic ingredients:

Bologna

Sliced American Cheese

Leftover Mashed Potatoes (though I have been known to make fresh or buy some ready-made)

On a griddle, place 4 pieces of bologna. Place a dollop of leftover mashed potatoes in the center, in a circle (like the rise of a sombrero) and cook on low heat. As the bologna begins to cook, the edges will turn up, curving around the mashed potatoes (again, like a sombrero). Place a piece of cheese on the top and let it begin to melt over the potatoes. Remove them from the heat, and season as you like. I’ve even been known to eat these with a little picante sauce.

Another version is to put these in the oven–I’ve never done them that way, but here’s how they say to do it, if you want to try that instead of the griddle–(and this calls for instant mashed potatoes, which of course, were not available back when I was eating them as a kid):

Heat oven to 325-350 degrees. place bologna on a cookie sheet and bake until bologna is desired color. Meanwhile cook the instant mashed potatoes according to directions on package. Take the bologna out of oven and put the 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes on it. then put the fat free kraft single on top and bake until cheese melts.

They are wonderful no matter how you eat them, and boy, do they bring back some great childhood memories.

FOR DESSERT: RUM CAKE AND GLAZE

My mom loved to make Rum Cake. This was back in the 60’s and 70’s when bundt cakes became all the rage. She got a HEAVY bundt cake pan (no teflon lining in it, that hadn’t become the norm yet) and that’s what she made these in.

 

Here’s the original cake recipe written in my mom’s handwriting. It’s really faded, and I’ve had to recopy it, but I keep this copy as a keepsake, remembering all the times she made this wonderful recipe and how much we all loved it and looked forward to it.

I’ve written the instructions below so you can read it better.

RUM CAKE AND GLAZE

1 box of golden deluxe butter recipe cake mix (you may have to substitute this for yellow cake mix–not sure they make this one anymore)

1 package Jello instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup rum, OR 1 teaspoon of rum flavoring

4 eggs

Grease and flour pan– you can sprinkle butter pats, brown sugar and nuts in before filling pan with batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes before inverting on cake plate and putting the glaze on.

GLAZE:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup of rum

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add all ingreditents to saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and boil for TWO  minutes. You can pour the glaze over the top, or you can put the cake back into the pan and poke holes in it and pour some of the glaze over that to let it soak it up, then pour the rest of the glaze over the top. Mom always just poured it over the top and it was always wonderful.

And last, but not least, a tried and true recipe for plain, good ol’ fashioned pancakes that is simple to make and you can make it from ingredients you usually have on hand.

PANCAKES:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

Measure and sift dry ingredients. Add slightly beaten egg, milk, and oil together and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix. Don’t OVER mix. Spoon mixture onto griddle for whatever size/thickness of pancakes you want to make. Garnish with fruit, if you like, or you can also add chocolate chips, pecans, etc. while they are cooking. These are really good!

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Jill Kemerer

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Ready for another vintage recipe? This new segment feature recipes our mothers and grandmothers used to make. This month’s recipe? Banana Chocolate Chip Bars!

I love to cook, and I really love to bake. If I had my way, I’d bake fresh cinnamon rolls with cream cheese buttercream frosting every single weekend! Alas, my family is working on improving our health, and that means yummy frosting is a once-in-a-while indulgence instead of every Saturday. Bummer.

One of my favorite cake-like bars does not feature fluffy frosting, and it even has some fruit in it. Practically a healthy dessert, right? Okay, I wouldn’t go that far! My mom, aunts, and both grandmothers were always making banana bread, and this has a slight twist–mini-chocolate chips! These bars are delicious and very easy to make.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Time: 10 minutes prep

Bake: 30 minutes

Makes: 40 small bars (or 20 normal-sized bars)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-5 bananas, depending on size)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

6 TBS melted butter or 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray nonstick spray in 13×9 baking pan.
  2. Whisk mashed bananas, sugar, butter (or oil), milk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl until mixed thoroughly. Whisk in flour just until blended. Gently stir in 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips.
  3. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining mini chocolate chips over the top.
  4. Bake 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Cool completely before serving.

I hope you enjoy this Banana Chocolate Chip Bar recipe!

If you could have one sweet treat every weekend, what would it be?

Cowgirls in the Kitchen With Linda Broday

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Hi everyone, ready to go to the kitchen? This new segment we’re doing feature recipes our mothers and grandmothers used to make. My mom married during the Depression and she talked a lot about not having exactly what a recipe called for and having to make do. Those were hard times but she lived through them by God’s mercy and grace. When I was a girl at home, she used to make something called Slumgullion or you may know it as Goulash. Pretty much anything goes and a lot of times she made it with leftovers in the fridge. Here’s a picture of my mom in her kitchen where you could usually always find her.

Cowboys on cattle drives ate a lot of this. It’s just so easy and very filling. I’m a big fan of anything that doesn’t have a lot of ingredients.

Slumgullion

4 slices of bacon

1 pound of hamburger

1/2 onion diced

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

1 can tomatoes

Optional: Elbow Macaroni

Optional: 1 can of sweet corn and/or sweet peas

Brown bacon in a heavy saucepan or cast iron skillet, drain and set aside. Cook hamburger meat and onion together and drain. Add cooked bacon and tomatoes (drain half the juice) to the beef and stir in the cheese, corn, and the macaroni if you choose to use that. Cook on low heat to let the flavors blend together. Serve with cornbread or some other type of bread. Enjoy.

Thank you for coming to read my post. Have you ever eaten this or something similar? How about old recipes in your family?

Also, have you been on the Facebook Petticoats and Pistols Reader Page? It’s always fun and informative too. https://bit.ly/3EJhldO

 

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Pam Crooks

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Fifty years ago, when I was newly married and newly pregnant with my first baby, I joined La Leche League for all their collective wisdom and encouragement with breastfeeding.  Not only was their focus on nursing babies, they stressed nutrition, too, for ourselves and for our families.

Those ladies were some of my best friends for many years, and they were great cooks, too.  One of them shared her Grape-Nuts Bread recipe, which I’ve made more times than I can count.

C.W. Post developed the cereal in 1897. In 1933, Grape-Nuts sponsored Sir Admiral Byrd’s expedition to Antarctica, fed the troops during World War II, energized explorers during their exploring, and soared through the years where it even got a little marketing help from Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show.

Yep, Grape-Nuts cereal is still alive and well today.  It’s a bit daunting to love in a bowl with milk (my husband says it tastes like cardboard, and he’s right) but in this bread recipe, it’s so-o good!

Chock-ful of protein and fiber, it’s dense and hearty, requires no yeast, and comes together quickly (once the cereal soaks in milk).  It’s delicious toasted, spread with butter, jelly, or my personal favorite, cinnamon butter.

If you’ve never had this bread, you’ll be taken aback by its subtle sweetness and nuttiness.

As with most recipes, Grape-Nuts bread has lots of variations.  Here’s the original one as shown in this image. It’s easy to make, bakes up nicely, and is very good:

GRAPE-NUTS BREAD – Yield 1 loaf

Oven 350 degrees.

  • 1 1/3 cups milk
  • 2/3 cup Grape-Nuts cereal

Combine and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and cool while mixing the following:

  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup sugar

Stir together, then add in:

  • 1 egg, well-beaten
  • 3 Tb. melted butter

Combine all with cereal and milk.

Bake in greased and floured bread pan 55-60 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Here’s my recipe:

GRAPE-NUTS BREAD – Yield 2 loaves

Oven 350 degrees

  • 1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
  • 2 cups sour milk

To sour the milk, add 2 Tb. lemon juice or vinegar and enough milk to make 2 cups.  Let stand 1/2 hour or so. Mix the following:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs

Sift together:

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp soda
  • 3 tsp. baking powder

Combine all ingredients with milk and cereal mixture.

Batter will be very stiff.

Bake in 2 greased and floured bread pans 55-60 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Did you grow up having Grape-Nuts cereal for breakfast?  Have you ever baked with Grape-Nuts cereal?   

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Sarah Lamb

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In the mood for a sweet, fruit treat, or have unexpected company dropping by? Maybe it’s HOT and you just don’t want to heat up the oven but need dessert. I’ve got the perfect and most versatile thing for you. 

Before I got married, my mother in law had what she called a “Courting Pie”. It was a pie served to her and her husband at a get together that brought them together, and is a piece of their family history. 

I’d never had anything like it, and loved it so much! But, as we have some food allergies in our house, and I find for some reason, nowadays cherries make my mouth itch (which stinks, they are my favorite) I’ve modified the original recipe so that we can all enjoy it. 

It’s just as tasty either way you make this, and all of this is pretty much fridge and pantry staples, so you can whip this thing up in less than 10 minutes. 

A few of the heroines in my book can’t cook at all…perhaps they should try this pie out! No cooking required! But here’s a little secret! The original courting pie i going to play a part in a book that releases soon! Cherry Cheese Pie by Carissa. My mother-in-law doesn’t know about that yet, or the fact I’ve slipped her and my father-in-law’s names in there! 😉 

Now are you ready to make the world’s most delish and easy pie?

 

 

Blueberry (or whatever you like!) Cream Cheese Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 block of softened cream cheese
  • ½ cup of sugar (can use less)
  • Can of pie filling (Blueberry, cherry, or raspberry works best)
  • 1 ½ cups of whipping cream OR tub of whipped topping. (whipping cream tastes better)
  • (If using whipping cream, also add 1 tsp of vanilla and 2 tbs of powder sugar to ingredients.)
  • 1 gram cracker pie crust, made yourself or store bought

Steps: 

  1. Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until peaks form. If using whipped topping, you can omit this step.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth
  3. Combine whipped cream and cream cheese mixture, beat until smooth
  4. Pour into pie pan
  5. Add pie filling on top
  6. Refrigerate at least 2 hours

Notes: 

A can of the pie filling can actually generously top two pies, so considering doubling this recipe! I always do!

Don’t want crust or don’t have pie pans? No need for it! Just put the mixture in a small bowl and top with the fruity topping. It’s still amazing. Or, put a crushed graham cracker or cookie in the bottom of a small bowl.

Need to serve a crowd? Make in a 9×13 and cut into squares.

I hope that you’ll enjoy this tasty recipe if you give it a try! Have a good and safe Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Winnie Griggs

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I’m a big fan of soups, especially this time of year, and I’m always on the lookout for new soup recipes, especially of the quick and easy variety. Here’s one that a friend turned me on to, with a few little tweaks of my own.

Tomato, Corn and Spinach Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 large cans tomato soup, about 23 oz each
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cans creamed corn (about 15 oz each)
  • 2 cans whole kernel corn (about 15 oz each)
  • 2 cans diced tomato with green chilies
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen spinach, chopped
  • 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Optional: Shredded cheese for topping (I like pepper jack, but feel free to use  your own favorite)

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in a deep pot and stir until mixed well.
  2. Heat on medium, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes. Add additional liquid if needed
  3. Reduce to low and simmer for another 15 minutes.
  4. Stir and serve.

Optional: Sprinkle individual servings with desired amount of cheese

NOTES:

  • You can substitute an equivalent amount of frozen corn for the canned
  • I like my soups spicy, but if this is too spicy for you, substitute one or both cans of diced tomatoes with chilies with regular diced tomatoes
  • This recipe makes 8-10 servings and freezes well

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Karen Witemeyer

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With Thanksgiving coming around the corner, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes–Candied Yams. This is a tradition handed down from my grandma to my mom to me. They aren’t exactly quick, but there are only three ingredients, so they are pretty easy, and absolutely delicious!

Candied Yams

candied yams
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of my mom’s yams, but this one came the closest. They won’t be syrupy, though. Just buttery and candied around the edges.
  • 5 large red garnet yams
  • brown sugar
  • 2 sticks butter, melted

(Red Garnet Yams taste better than sweet potatoes, in my opinion, but if you can’t find them, sweet potatoes will work just fine.)

Wrap yams in foil (poke a few vent holes with a short knife in each) and bake in a 400 degree oven until soft (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Let cool.

Unwrap yams, remove skin, and slice lengthwise into thin, oblong strips about 1/4 inch thick. Lay flat in a shallow baking dish (jelly roll pans work great), fitting them close together so almost no pan is visible. You will probably need at least 2 pans. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Drizzle (or spoon) melted butter over the yams until all the sugar is moistened. Bake in a 400 degree oven again until yams get dark (sticky and candied) around edges (usually 45-60 minutes).

Use a metal spatula to remove yams. Serve in a shallow dish.

Old-fashioned. Simple. And delicious!

What is your favorite potato dish?

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Shanna Hatfield

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 Back in June, we had company coming. Friends I’d made online, but had yet to meet in person.

So, of course, I decided I wanted to make several thing I’d never made before, like a corn salad. I browsed through dozens of recipes but couldn’t find one I liked. I ended up making my own recipes.

Turns out, that was a tasty decision!

Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 large ears fresh corn

4 strips bacon

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/4 cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.  Cook bacon 15-20 minutes until crisp and browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain grease. When cool enough to touch, dab away grease and crumble into small pieces. Reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Shuck corn and remove silk strands. Add corn to boiling water. Cover and cook about five minutes. Remove from heat, drain hot water, and immerse in cold water to stop cooking process.

Pat cobs dry and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. (I’ve found it’s easiest to hold cobs at an angle to remove kernels. My mom had one of those handy-dandy tools you set over the top of a cob on a cutting board, pushed it down, and it removed all the kernels lickety-split.)

Place corn kernels and bacon in a mixing or serving bowl. Drizzle with the bacon grease (just trust me on this!). Add Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salad dressing. Season with salt. Stir to combine ingredients, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It gives the flavors time to blend. When ready to serve, sprinkle more Parmesan cheese and parsley on top of the bowl (optional).

NOTES: If you are in a hurry, you can use frozen corn instead of fresh, and substitute bacon bits for just-cooked bacon. You can also use dried parsley instead of fresh. If you can’t find Olive Garden Italian Dressing, make your own with this copycat recipe.

Yield: Approximately 4 servings

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Cathy McDavid

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My daughter recently sent me a picture of her in her garden. She’s very excited about the zucchini which are nearly ready to be picked and asked me what she can do with such a bountiful harvest. I told her to make zucchini bread (which can be frozen). As she loves to bake, this sounded like a great suggestion to her.

Just for fun, here’s a simple recipe. Here’s a helpful hint: shred the zucchini ahead of time and squeeze out the extra moisture with paper towels.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons apple juice, orange juice, milk, water, or the liquid of your choice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, optional
  • 1-3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 cups grated or shredded zucchini, medium packed
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 cup golden raisins or currants
  • Optional 2 tablespoons light brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, liquid of choice, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  3. Whisk the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the flour, then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the bowl, stirring or beating gently until smooth.
  4. Stir in the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins or currants.
  5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it if necessary. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
  6. Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top (just under the crust) may seem a bit sticky; but so long as the toothpick doesn’t reveal wet batter, it’s done.
  7. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For best results, don’t slice until it’s cool.
  8. Store the bread at cool room temperature, well wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Well, now I’m going to have to go out and buy some zucchini and make bread, which I love. Or book a ticket to visit my daughter. Maybe I can do both! Hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy!