Uncle Bills Creamed Young Beets And Tops Food

BEET GREEN BORSCHT

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, melt 1/4 cup of margarine or butter.
• Add chopped onions and saute' for 5 minutes but do not brown.
• Add mashed tomatoes including liquid and simmer until reduced to about half (about 20 minutes) then set aside.
• In a large cooking pot, add 16 cups of water and bring to boil.
• Add salt, potato quarters, chopped carrots and the beet and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
• When potatoes are tender, remove into a bowl and mash.
• Add the remainder 1/4 cup of margarine or butter, half and half cream to the mashed potatoes and mix well, then set aside.
• Trim tail ends of the young beets, and scrub only, then cut into small pieces and add to soup pot.
• Chop beet greens into medium size pieces and add to soup pot.
• Add cubed potatoes, spinach greens, green and red peppers, green beans, chopped celery, cauliflower florets and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.
• Add mashed potato mixture, tomato/onion mixture, green onions, fresh dill weed and bring to boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Add lemon juice and stir well.
• Adjust spices to taste.
• Cover and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• Refrigerate any unused portion of soup.

UNCLE BILL'S CREAMED YOUNG BEETS AND TOPS

Steps:

• Snip off the thin portion of the young beet root and discard.
• Wash the small beet with the beet tops well in cold water.
• Place the beet tops in a large cooking pot.
• Cover with cold water and bring to boil.
• Cover and cook for about 4 - 5 minutes or until the greens just start to wilt.
• Immediately remove the beets into a large frying pan using a slotted spoon.
• Add butter and fry on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often.
• Now add the whipping cream, salt and pepper.
• Stir to coat beets and continue to fry until the whipping cream is reduced and starts to thicken into a creamy sauce, about 3 minutes.
• Serve along with your dinner meal.
• You may also use larger fresh beet top greens, but remove most of the stem from the leaves and discard.
• If desired, you can also use larger beets, but firstly peel them and cut them into very small cubes.
• Cook the cubed beets in water for about 4 minutes before adding the beet greens.
• Then continue to cook for another 4 minutes.
• Proceed in the same method as for the young beets.
• This method also works well for Swiss Chard.

UNCLE BILL'S OATMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, cream margarine, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
• Add eggs, vanilla extract and beat well.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda.
• Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture.
• Stir in grape-nuts cereal, rice krispie cereal, rolled oats, both coconut and chopped pecan nuts; mix well to incorporate.
• Drop by tablespoons on an ungreased baking sheet; flatten slightly with a fork.
• Bake in preheated 350 F oven on lower rack for 5 minutes.
• Move to middle rack and finish baking, about 5 to 8 minutes longer or until lightly browned.
• Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.

UNCLE BILL'S FRESH YOUNG PEA & VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a cooking pot on medium-high heat, melt butter and add olive oil.
• Add chopped onions and saute' on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and saute' for another 2 minutes.
• Add chicken broth and water and bring to boil.
• Add chicken soup base, cubed nugget potatoes, and cook for 4 minutes.
• Add carrots, dill weed, parsley and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until carrots are just tender, but still firm.
• Add cauliflower, celery, young peas, red pepper, green onion, white pepper, seasoning salt, Idaho potato flakes and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Reduce heat and add whipping cream slowly, stirring all the while when adding.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Remove soup from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• Refrigerate any unused portions.

UNCLE BILL'S MUSTARD PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash and finely chop cucumbers.
• Seed and dice sweet red and green peppers.
• Place chopped cucumbers and peppers in a large bowl.
• Sprinkle over with pickling salt, cover and let sit overnight.
• The next morning, drain off the liquid and discard.
• Finely chop cauliflower, onion and celery and mix in with the cucumbers and peppers.
• Transfer vegetables to a large cooking pot.
• Add vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are just tender, DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• In a small bowl, mix mustard and turmeric in a half cup of cold water.
• When vegetables are nearly done, mix in mustard mixture and stir until well blended and bring mixture back to just boil.
• Sterilize and prepare canning jars of your choice.
• Fill jars to within 1/4" of the top of the jars.
• Apply lids and screw tops and process according to the method you are most familiar with.
• When jars are sealed and cooled, label and store in a cool, dark place.