The Hot Dog Cookbook - Hot Dog Bean Bake, a la Kraut - Labor Day 2017

Date I made this recipe:  September 4, 2017 – Labor Day

The Hot Dog Cookbook – Frankfurter – Weiner – Franks – Coneys by William I. Kaufman

Published by Doubleday & Company Inc.

© 1966

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe: Hot Dog Bean Bake, a la Kraut – p. 59

Before I go one step further, I must point out to you that William I. Kaufman published many cookbooks including this one:  The Catholic Cookbook. This is the first time I've seen an "official" cookbook meant to help Catholics cope with dietary restrictions during Lent and other church holidays, and not the usual and customary spiral bound book published by churches everywhere.  I'm intrigued.  Of course, I have to have it, but right now, it will cost me a cool $50.00 to buy it off Amazon so I'm going to see if I can find it for less; forgive me "Father."

Also, I love how the book is stamped inside "Louise Adelia Read Memorial Library Hancock, New York."  My husband and I returned recently from a road trip through NY state and were not far from Hancock.  A couple of days after leaving that area, we went into the New York City where I purchased this hot dog cookbook.  I love how that all accidentally came together.

Once we got home from our trip the first week of August, summer sped by as it is wont to do and like it or not (not), Labor Day was upon us and which meant I had to decide to observe or not observe Labor Day with a cookbook.  I've mentioned before that cooking on major holidays is a challenge for me as I have too many cookbook that might fit a particular observance but not this year! 

This year, I was updating my cookbook list with my newly-acquired titles, and as soon as I saw The Hotdog Cookbook, I let out a sigh of relief as it was the perfect thing for Labor Day because as we know, Labor Day signals the unofficial end of summer and therefore hot dogs.  Please note though, that summer ain't over until it's over which is Friday, September 22, the first official day of autumn.  I cringe as I write this!

Okay, I've established that this year's Labor Day "cookbook" was a gimme, but finding a recipe was not easy given the breadth of my hot dog recipe choices: 

• Appetizers
• Soups
• Main Dishes
• Sandwiches
• Salads (Salads?)
• Cookout

Appetizer hot dog offerings were the usual and customary cocktail dogs and chafing dish dogs along with "Gourmet Hot Dog Dip" – p. 5 and "Hot Dog and Cheese Canapés" – p. 5.  Pass.

The Soups chapter gave me pause with recipes for "Hot Dog Vegetable Chowder" – p. 9, and "Hot Pot of Barley and Hot Dogs" – p. 9.  Again, no.

We'll come back to Main Dishes so we can continue on to Sandwiches.  Happily, this chapter is back on track with recipes for "Chili Topped Hot Dogs" – p. 69, and "Coney De Luxe" – p. 69.  I almost made the Coney recipe but it called for ¼ wheat germ and I don't know what that adds to the recipe, but it caused me to put it in the "no" pile.

Two recipes from that chapter that were also out were "Hot Dog Spread" – p. 73 as the mixture of ground hot dogs, chopped hard-boiled eggs and salad dressing plus a few more ingredients sounded completely unappetizing, as did the recipe for "Hot Dog and Cucumber Spread" – p. 73  Ick.

Speaking of "Ick," the Salad chapter gave me the most pause.  Here, it seems like the guy is just throwing hot dogs into salads because he could and not because it makes sense. 

As an example, the recipe for "Cabbage, Apple, and Hot Dog Salad" – p. 77, is basically a coleslaw with apples, green peppers, mayo and hot dogs.  A "Baked Hot Dog Potato Salad" – p. 7, is a casserole more than a salad, and it's basically a hot potato salad with green beans (green beans?) and hot dogs.

This then, forced my hand back to the Main Dishes chapter with the hopes that I could find something that wasn't ridiculous to make.

"It was the best of [hot dog] times, it was the worst of [hot dog ] times."

"Hot Dog Pilaf" – p. 17, are you kidding me?  Hot dog "pilaf?"  Eesh.  "Asparagus and Hot Dog Stroganoff" – p. 18 is another one that bit the dust.  I just...sigh.  And "Curried Macaroni and Hot Dogs" – p. 39 is ridiculous.  Just ridiculous.  The winner of the "Are you kidding me?" contest, and it is easy to see why, is a recipe for "Hot Dog Crown Roast" – p. 38, where 18 hot dogs are arranged so as to resemble a pork crown roast, complete with the traditional stuffing in the center.

Never will I ever....

Now I know that I was "asking" for it by purchasing this hot-dog focused cookbook, but still people.  Still. 

Happily, a few more sensible choices were left but even then, I was just not feeling some of the options and for once, neither was Andy.  I mean, they were okay but they were also the usual and customary:  "Barbecued Hot Dogs" – p. 32, not to be confused with "Hot Dog Barbecue" on p. 45.  I could have gone with "Hot Dogs with Pork 'N" Beans" – p. 57, but frankly (pun intended) my mother's dish was better.

In the end, we settled for what I call "Hot Dogs, Deconstructed," which is to say Hot Dog Bean Bake, A La Kraut. To me, this was the best of both worlds.  You had your hotdog, you had your baked beans and you had a sauerkraut topping all rolled into one.  It seemed perfect and it was nearly perfect except the sour flavor of the sauerkraut completely overwhelmed the other ingredients.  If I made this dish on Food Network's Chopped, I would have been chopped for not showcasing the other two ingredients, hot dogs and beans.

Still, all is not lost here because you can save the day with few adjustments.  At least I think you can!  The recipe calls for these ingredients:  hot dogs, pork and beans, chili sauce, sauerkraut and dill weed.  Were I to make this again, I think I would have added some brown sugar to the mixture and possibly even a small amount of mustard and ketchup, particularly ketchup to offset the sourness of the kraut.  Plus, the amount of kraut you use here (1 pound, or in my case, a half a pound) is way more than most of us would ever put on our hot dogs and that is what prevented it from being a great dish. It wasn't bad, but wow, my lips puckered!

Nevertheless, I have once again completed the compulsory portion of our Labor Day weekend was is to say, I made hot dogs!  Until next year....

Hot Dog Bean Bake, A La Kraut – makes 5 servings

1 pound hot dogs

2 cans (1 pound each) pork and beans with tomato sauce

¼ cup chili sauce

1 can (1 pound) sauerkraut, drained

½ teaspoon dill weed

Cut 5 hot dogs into bite-size pieces and combine with beans and chili sauce in a 1 ½-quart casserole.  Cover with sauerkraut and sprinkle with dill weed.  Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.  Top with whole hot dogs and bake additional 15 minutes.

Ann's Note:  As suggested above, I think the addition of some brown sugar and perhaps even some mustard and ketchup might help cut the tanginess of the sauerkraut.

"Picnics" - Chocolate Malted Cake for Labor Day

Date I made this recipe:  September 7, 2015 (Labor Day)

Picnics by Marilyn Myers

Published by:  Running Press

ISBN: 0-89471-583-6

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Chocolate Malted Cake – p. 120

At the risk of repeating myself from another blog, years ago, a co-worker commented that the day after the Minnesota State Fair concludes (Labor Day), the temperature drops by at least 20 degrees and stays there for, well, forever. 

And sure enough folks, the day after the fair, the temperature changed from 90 degrees and humid (very humid) to 70 degrees and not humid.  (Current temperature is 62 degrees.)

I hate this time of year.

And so, a picnic dish is in order to lift our spirits!  And not just any picnic dish but a cake, and not just any cake but a Chocolate Malted Cake.  My husband loves chocolate malts and he spent his Labor Day truly laboring on our house and garage and so he deserved a treat.

This sweet treat is just one part of a menu titled "Before the Mast," indicating, of course, that we should have been out yachting this fine Labor Day weekend.  But kids, we are all yachted out so no go on that theme.  Actually, we don't even own a boat so there's that although we probably should as Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 lakes, don't you know.  Almost everybody we know has a cabin and/or a boat, and weekend bug-outs to go "up north" (often west, but details, details) clog the freeways up and down the state.  The good news is that it is always easier to get into Twin Cities' restaurants during the summer; now that we're into "fall" though, all bets are off.

At any rate, the "Before the Mast" menu contains an "Onion and Ricotta Pie," "Dilled Tomatoes and Cucumbers," the featured recipe – "Chocolate Malted Cake," and "Blush Wine" because what yacht outing would be complete without wine?

Other menus range from "Take a Hike:" Chicken Mole; Cornmeal Muffins; Chewy Molasses Sugar Cookies and Beer, to "Fired Up:" Grilled Lamb; Ratatouille; Green Beans with Basil Dressing; Whole-Wheat Rolls with Sunflower Kernels; Chocolate Malted Cake (so multi-purpose, that!) and Red Wine. 

I had several potential recipes picked out before settling on just the cake and that worked out well.  As it is, I had to wait until the temperature cooled off because no way was I heating an oven when it was already a blast furnace outside.  That said, and here I am repeating myself:  I love summer.  I don't care how hot it gets because summers here are fleeting.  Am I sometimes uncomfortable?  Sure.  I don't care.  In fact, bring it on, the earlier, the better!

As to picnics, this is one of those events that we associate with summer but that need not be the case as picnics work year-round.  Shoot, I've even "picnicked" while on cross-country ski outings but that was a long time ago when I was younger and felt the need to go out and exercise in the winter, what?

This recipe is not very hard but the small challenge I had came with the direction to start with a cold oven.  My oven, and likely yours, has a pre-heat setting and so once I select the temperature and press "Start," it preheats the oven for at least 7 minutes, period.  I do not get the choice to just start with a truly cold oven.  This book was written in 1988, and maybe preheat ovens were not yet popular, but I honestly spent a couple of minutes debating as to whether or not I should subtract the pre-heat time from the total baking time of 45 minutes.  I decided ultimately to go for a full 45 minutes at 350 but I'm not sure that worked.  The cake was moist but seemed just a tad overdone and I bet if I subtracted time, the cake would have been moister.  No matter though, because we snarfed it down anyway.  I mean, it's chocolate malted cake so....

So there you have it, the fruits of my labor on Labor Day.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Malted Cake – makes 8 servings

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons instant natural-flavored malted milk powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup buttermilk

Chocolate icing

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Ann's Note:  You need to start with a "cold" oven, i.e. do not preheat!

To make the cake:  Butter a 9-inch springform pan.  Line the bottom with a circle of wax paper and lightly butter that also.

Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.  Then beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the mixture thickens and becomes silky before adding another egg.

Sift together or sift the flour, cocoa, malted milk, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to mix thoroughly.  Add half of this to the butter sugar mixture and stir just enough to blend.  Add all the buttermilk and stir until smooth, then blend in the remaining dry ingredients.

Pour this batter into the lined springform pan and set in a cold oven.  Turn to 350F and bake about 45 minutes or until the top is barely warm.  Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and remove the wax paper.  Cool completely.

Ann's Note:  Most ovens have a pre-heat cycle and as mentioned above, I debated about whether or not to subtract my oven's pre-heat time (around 7 minutes) or not.  In the end, I decided "Not" but I think that was almost too much as the cake was not as moist as I was hoping.  It's up to you, just be sure to check your cake earlier than I did mine!

To make the icing:  Place the chocolate and cream in a small bowl over barely simmering water.  When the cream is hot enough to melt the chocolate, stir to blend thoroughly.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.  Pour the icing over the cooled cake, smoothing it over and glazing the top and sides.

Ann's Note:  There was not quite enough icing for the top and sides so I skipped the sides and concentrated on the top.

"Cooking to a Degree;" "The College Cookbook;" "Hungry (about cooking for a fraternity)" - Back to School: College Edition

Date I made these recipes:  Labor Day 2014 – Back to School: College Edition

Cooking to a Degree by Mario N. Glasserow and Lois A. Brook

Published by:  Hearthside Press Inc.

© 1972

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Super Meat Loaf – p. 156

The College Cookbook (Updated Version) by Geri Harrington

Published by:  Storey Books

ISBN:  0-88266-497-2' copyright 1988

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores, Richfield, MN

Recipe:  Spinach Pudding submitted by Vassar College – p. 96

Hungry:  What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love & The Power of Good Food by Darlene Barnes

Published by:  Hyperion

ISBN:  978-1-4013-2477-3

Purchased at Strand Bookstore, NYC

Recipe:  Orange Balsamic Dressing - p. 66

And so...just like that, summer was over and kids were headed back to school, and as per usual, I had no idea how that happened. This year, we have friends with kids starting college as well as friends with kids looking at colleges and so of course, I felt the need to have a "Back-to-School, College Edition" blog posting.  And while it's heartening to know that college cafeterias are improving their offerings, more and more students are living off-campus and that means they should learn how to cook something beyond "Open package, add boiling water."  I reference, of course, the (now) college staple, Ramen Noodles; back in my day, we ordered pizza.  Actually, back in my day "Mystery Meat" was a staple for at least one dinner offering during the week.  I may not have been the quasi-foodie that I am now, but still, I had standards.

Still, I do not kid myself in the least that any college student will be making these in a dorm or in an apartment but that's okay.  When it comes to meatloaf, you either love it or hate it (I love it), I am pretty sure most people will run away from spinach, particularly a recipe titled "Spinach Pudding," but the salad dressing may actually make it into the lightning round so there's hope for that.  And while each cookbook (I found three!) had some recipes that I might have enjoyed making, I was looking to put together a meal and so there it is.

The first book, Cooking to a Degree, was published in 1972 when I was in 8^th grade but by then, my dad had mapped out exactly what high school classes I needed to take in order to get ready for college. There was no "fiddle fooling around" where my dad was concerned.  ("Fiddle fooling around" was a Lou Verme classic.)  After a fashion, when it was obvious that I was never going to follow in my dad's footsteps to become a scientist, he erased all the chemistry and math courses he penciled in previously and replaced them with English and history.  As it is, and this should not be a surprise, I ended up with a B.A. in English and double minors in Spanish and History.  This, children, is called "foreshadowing!"

This cook book is intended to be broad-reaching as evidenced by the tag line that says "Food that tastes great, costs little, & prepares fast!  If you're hungry & helpless in your own first kitchen off campus or off-on-your-own."  I could have used this book during my junior year when I shared an apartment off campus with three other women, but then again, we had our own arsenal of cookbooks, provided to us by our mothers and so were pretty much set and ready to go. (By the by, please notice the correct use of "you are" [you're] and "your."  This Grammar Nazi about goes into orbit every time I see people use "your" instead of "you are.")  

The second book, The College Cookbook, was first published in 1982 and I graduated from college in 1980 so, as they say in horseshoes "close enough."  This version was updated in 1988 and I'd love to know what changed but alas, I do not yet own the original version.

This cookbook is a compilation of recipes submitted by college students and/or colleges themselves but what is more interesting is the list in the Acknowledgment section of the schools that sent recipes that didn't make it into the book, including Harvard and Yale.  Had to chuckle—I bet not making it into the book had to be a first for Harvard and Yale, or as I like to say [of them] the "also ran(s)...."  If you're familiar with horse racing (and who isn't?), "also ran" is the term given to horses who did not win, place or show in a particular horse race, or even come close.  Anyway...moving on....

The recipe I selected, Spinach Pudding was submitted by Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, NY.  For as long as I can remember, Vassar was always pronounced in a clenched-jaw, yet breathy kind of manner – "Vaaaah-saaaah."  Nobody but a rube would pronounce it Vas-SAR with a hard "ar" on the end.  So unseemly. (And by the way, and it's too late now, and not that there's anything wrong with Poughkeepsie, but I just don't associate Vassar with that city.  It just doesn't work.  Now Boston?  Sure.) 

And while Vassar has been co-ed since the late 60's, I still think of it as a women's college.  I don't know why.  Perhaps because we take note of the famous women who attended Vassar more than we do the men.  Actress Meryl Streep was a Vassar graduate (in Drama, naturally) as was Lisa Kudrow (best known for the TV show, Friends), who earned a degree in Biology in 1993. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent two years at Vassar before transferring, and Jane Fonda briefly attended before dropping out to go live in Paris, coincidentally one of Jacqueline Kennedy's favorite stomping grounds. 

As to the recipe, it seemed to me that only a Vassar girl would call your basic creamed spinach something like Spinach "Pudding" as it certainly wasn't a pudding and even if it was – ew.  I just don't like the image. Chocolate? Fine.  Butterscotch?  Fine.  But spinach?  Noooo. But despite the name,  I did love the spinach and it went perfectly with the meat loaf from the Cooking to a Degree cookbook.  But I can almost guarantee you that most college students would rather die than eat this which is fine because that means all the more for me!  Spinach, creamed or otherwise, can be an acquired taste. (But it's good for you kids, so eat it anyway!)

The third book in this college cooking extravaganza, Hungry, is the memoir of Darlene Barnes who, upon moving with her husband to Seattle, found a job as a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity at the University of Washington.  I found her description of frat life to be everything I remembered about fraternities and more, which is to say, and I know you'll be amazed – tame! (But whoa—frats in the 90's and early 2000's were something else again).  Sure, frats were known for great keggers but I think all of us non-fraternity or sorority college students threw pretty good parties on our own, thankyouverymuch.

What distinguished sororities and fraternities from all of the rest of us lowly college students was the amount of foofing and poofing that went on when sororities and fraternities held their formal parties.  O.M.G.  The sorority members who lived in my dorm were just a-twitter about these dances and spent days getting ready.  Days-as opposed to the mere hours the rest of us put into throwing together an outfit.  (We do not have time to discuss what constituted a "going out" outfit back in the day except it was sad, people, sad.  But sensible:  after all, I went to school at Northern Michigan University where it snowed.  A lot.  You either dressed for the snow, or you didn't. Period.)

Now here's what I want you to picture because it's a far cry from where frats and sororities are now:  the men had long hair, wore aviator glasses (large glasses, wire-rimmed), shirts with huge bow ties and sometimes ruffled tux shirts...or not.  Plaid pants were still all the rage for the guys, something nobody would likely be caught dead in anymore.  The women also had long hair, also wore aviator glasses (because they were cool) and wore gowns that make me shudder (Granny dresses, anyone?) but hey, "time it was, what a time it was, a time of innocence..." (from Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel).  If the hair was long, it spent hours in hot rollers and curling irons and when released, was sprayed with Aqua Net within an inch of its life.  If it was short, it still got a bit of a fluff before going out.  In my opinion, it was all a bit much but then again, I'm more like the character, Enid, in the movie Legally Blonde who scoffed at sororities than Elle Woods who adored them.

Interesting note:  the very cool store – Specs Optical – on 22nd and Hennepin, where I get my very cool glasses, just emailed me about a trunk show they're having featuring a designer who makes wire-rimmed aviators.  They're back! We were all so ahead of the curve...

At any rate, although this book is mostly a memoir, she still included a few recipes and so I decided to make a salad to go with my meatloaf and spinach pudding and it turned out great.  Since the dressing had orange juice and orange peel, I made a salad of mixed lettuce, fresh raspberries and diced apple and it was yummy.  Be warned: I cut the dressing recipe in half and still ended up with too much dressing so feel free to cut it down even more.

All of this talk of college has certainly brought up a ton of memories and I could certainly bore you with hours and hours of stories but I won't.  I will say though, that college life then was pretty tame and uneventful.  The Vietnam War had ended and with it the protests on college campuses all across the U.S. We were still living with dial phones, TV antennas (with the requisite tin foil) and vinyl records (which, of course, are back in popularity now that I've given all mine away.)  The other day, a Facebook page that I belong to posted an old ad for Boone's Farm wine and almost every posting, including mine, talked about how horrible that stuff was and how the hangovers were unbelievable.  Also included in the conversation was Annie Green Spring swill...I mean wine, and MD (Mad Dog) 20/20. The very thought of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill and any flavor of Annie Green Springs makes me ill.  But it was cheap stuff and so we drank it.  Our off-campus dining choices were pizza, more pizza, sub sandwiches and our choice of McDonalds, Burger Chef or Sandy's (local chain).  Our favorite winter activity was to steal trays from the cafeteria and go "traying" (sliding) on local hills.  At the end of the year, our university held an "Amnesty Week" during which students could return all items kleptoed from the cafeteria  like silverware, dishware, and trays, no questions asked. 

And since it was the age of disco, I'll mention that our number one activity was to go dancing at the Alibi Rock Theater.  To this day, I can picture the entire layout – the bar, the disco floor that lit up in different colors, the pinball games, the disco ball, and how everyone lined up along the walls until asked to dance.  The place is still there and it cracks me up to no end to think about how going there was the highlight of our week.  Well, when you're in school in the middle of no where and today's technology is still decades away, you do what you have to do.  "Do bi do bi do. " (A joke about Frank Sinatra for all you youngsters out there).

Now, trust me when I say that the meatloaf is really good, the spinach is something you should acquaint yourself with and you can't beat a good salad dressing.  And most importantly, best of luck, students!

Super Meat Loaf – serves 5-6.  Involvement:  8 min; non-involved:  1 hour

1 ½ lbs ground meat (2 parts beef to 1 part veal and 1 part pork is best)

3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

½ c. Flavored Bread Crumbs (Ann's Note;  I used Progresso's Italian bread crumbs)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. catsup

¼ c. milk

Salt, pepper

1 egg

1 white onion, grated

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients with your hands.  (It's the easiest way).  Thorough mixing is essential to make the loaf firm enough to slice; overhandling it makes it too hard.

Shape and place into a shallow 1 qt baking dish.  Bake 1 hour at 350.  Baste once, after 40 minutes, with its own juices.  This will give it a nice crust.

Spinach Pudding – serves: 6

2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons butter

 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Cook spinach as directed on package but without adding water.  Drain thoroughly.  Melt butter in a heavy pan; add flour, stirring constantly.  Stir in milk gradually; add seasonings and spinach.  Stir in beaten egg.  Spinach should be well-mixed and well-coated with everything.  Turn into a greased 1 ½ quart casserole.  Place in pan of hot water and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve right from casserole or unmold and serve on warm plate with hot heavy cream (optional).

Orange Balsamic Dressing (serving size not given but likely 2 cups)

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Zest of 1 orange

½ cup fresh orange juice

2 T. Dijon mustard

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Combine the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, and mustard in a food processor.  Drizzle in the olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Labor Day Repast! "The Summertime Cookbook" (BBQ Beef); "The Coastal Living Cookbook" (Chopped Salad) & "Can You Take the Heat - the WWF is cooking" (The Rock's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Date I made these recipes:  Monday, September 2, 2013 – Labor Day

The Summertime Cookbook – Elegant but easy dining indoors and out by Marian Burros and Lois Levine

Published by:  The MacMillan Company

© 1972

Recipe:  Barbecued Beef Roast - p. 64-65

The Coastal Living Cookbook by the editors of Coastal Living magazine

Published by:  Oxmoor House

ISBN:  13: 978-0-8487-2828-1

Recipe:  Chop Salad with Corn, Snap Peas, and Bacon – p. 128

Can you Take the Heat? – the WWF® is Cooking! by Jim “J.R.” Ross & the WWF® Superstars

Published by: Regan Books/HarperCollins

ISBN:  0-06-039378-5

Recipe:  The Rock’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies – p. 195

Folks, I don’t know how it happened, but here we are at Labor Day already and as we know, Labor Day traditionally starts that “F” word season – “Fall.”  It isn’t fall, mind you, it’s still summer, but trying to change the collective verbiage is like trying to herd cats.  But for the record, summer ends and fall begins on September 22^nd and so I have plenty of time to squeeze in summer recipes.

And for once, let me tell you all, Nature is cooperating by giving us outstanding September temperatures in the high 80’s and 90’s.  Woot! And so for once, I didn’t go kicking and screaming into Labor Day, reluctantly finding BBQ recipes to signal the end of the year, but instead embraced it and gleefully looked for summertime recipes.  Take that, Nature!

So of course, the first order of business was looking through summer cookbooks and I found recipe hits in both the Coastal Living Cookbook and the aptly named The Summertime Cookbook. And then my eye went to a new acquisition, Can you Take the Heat?, written by the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and I’m here to tell you I cackled – can I take the heat of summer?  Oh yeah!  Bring.it.on. In fact, make that “turn it on” as in “I’m going to turn on my oven and bake some cookies during this heat wave and na na boo boo to you!”

And with that, I set about slicing and dicing and mixing and when I got done, I realized I hit the trifecta:  every single recipe I made this time around was fabulous and I especially loved (and am still munching) The Rock’s cookies.  Although some people like to eat dessert first, I am not one of them, preferring to save my sweets for the end of the meal and so Andy and I thoroughly enjoyed our Barbecued Beef roast and Chop Salad first before hitting the sweets.

Fans of the sloppy, laden-with-sauce barbecue should know that this is not that kind of recipe but it was darned good and the use of molasses instead of brown sugar was inspired.  Flavors here are subtle but rich and yummy.  Add to that the crisp and fresh vegetable medley that makes up the Chop Salad and you have the perfect summer meal—in September!  And chocolate (chip cookies) never disappoint and these won’t, either.  There may have been some “labor” involved in this Labor Day meal but it is worth every single morsel (Toll House or otherwise).

As to the books, you cannot go wrong with any book written by Marian Burros.  I’ve met her and not only is she a really nice person who knows her stuff but she’s got the street cred to prove it, having written for both The Washington Post and (currently) The New York Times.  Her recipes are pretty much no fuss, no muss concoctions that I love and I’m rapidly working my way toward acquiring a decent Marian Burros cookbook library.  And this is how it should be.

As to the Coastal Living Cookbook, I am a Coastal Living Magazine subscriber and have been for many years; this book is a compilation of their best recipes.  I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior and family vacations were spent back east visiting my grandmother in New Jersey with side trips to the Jersey Shore (not THAT Jersey Shore made famous/infamous by Snooki and her friends but the “original” Jersey Shore).  We used to get up early, drive to Island Beach State Park, spend most of the day there, head over to Seaside Heights for some fun on the boardwalk as well as fabulous food (Italian sausage and peppers, custard and salt water taffy) and then stop for dinner at Nick the Greek’s on the way back to grandma’s.  It was always the perfect summer trip.  When I was a kid, I longed to have a cottage (operative word:  “cottage”) on the Jersey Shore but alas, most of them are now long gone having been replaced by ugly condos and there is just no fun in that at all.  But I am a water baby at heart and so when I can, I head to a beach and when I can’t, I read the magazine and it’s all good.

And then there’s the WWF cookbook which is just hilarious and insightful as I must confess I knew next to nothing about the WWF except for the fact that it always seemed to be on late night when I was growing up (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we had three TV channels from which to choose our viewing enjoyment).  I must also confess that I was “this close” to making wrestling promoter Vince McMahon’s “Millionaire Pie” (how apt is that title?) until I turned the page and found The Rock’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe in which case it was all over but the crying.  I love The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). Love him.  He is damned funny and if you have not seen him in the movie, Be Cool (a sequel of Get Shorty) then you need to order it up right now as the man is laugh-out-loud funny. And his cookies are really good so there’s that.  In fact, get the movie, make the meal (and the cookies, naturally) and enjoy what’s left of your summer.

Barbecued Beef Roast – Serves 10 (I made half the recipe)

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light molasses

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon celery salt

¼ teaspoon dried savory (If you cannot find this spice, use thyme, marjoram or sage)

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 (4-pound) eye-of-the-round roast

Combine all ingredients except the roast in a large bowl for the marinade.  Place the beef into the marinade mixture and marinate for several hours (or up to 2 days).

There are several ways of cooking this meat.  In the oven at home, you place it in a shallow roasting pan for 1 ½ to 2 hours at 325, basting frequently.  On a spit out of doors, it will take 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours, basting frequently with the marinade.  In a covered kettle cooker out of doors, it will take 1 hour.  You may serve this hot or cold, sliced.

Chop Salad with Corn, Snap Peas, and Bacon – 8 servings for the salad; ¾ cup for the mustard vinaigrette that you’ll make to serve with this

1 ½ cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half diagonally

1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels (2 to 3 ears)

½ head romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

½ red bell pepper, diced

5 radishes, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup basil leaves, cut into thin strips

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

For mustard vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced garlic

9 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

18 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

To make the salad:

Cook peas in boiling water to cover for 1 to 2 minutes; immediately plunge peas into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Cook corn in boiling water 2 minutes; immediately plunge corn into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain peas and corn.

Chop lettuce into small pieces; place in a large bowl.  Add peas, corn, cucumber, and next six ingredients; toss with Mustard Vinaigrette.  Add cheese, salt and pepper; toss gently.  Mound salad on a large platter, and sprinkle with bacon.

To make the Mustard Vinaigrette:

Combine first 4 ingredients (red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic).  Whisk in oil; stir in salt and pepper. (Author’s note:  the vinaigrette recipe is from Tom’s Big Dinners by Tom Douglas.  © 2003 by Tom Douglas.  Reprinted in the Coastal Living Cookbook by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Inc.)

Ann’s Notes:  I’m not fond of romaine lettuce so I skipped that and just loaded on the veggies to suit my own taste.  As to the vinaigrette, it made slightly more than ¾ cup and it almost, but not quite made the salad too soggy (especially without the lettuce) so add as you go until you achieve your own comfort zone.

The Rock’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies – makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies

(Ann’s Note:  I halved this recipe, something that is often hard to do with baked goods, but they came out perfectly.)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 ½ cups quick oatmeal, blended to a fine powder in a food processor or blender

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

12 ounces chocolate chips

½ 8-ounce Hershey bar, grated (Ann’s Note:  freeze this bar before attempting to grate!)

1 ½ cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or mixture).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.  Blend in the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts.

Roll the dough into ¾ - to 1-inch wide balls and place them 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet (or Silpat).

Bake 10 minutes (I went with 12 and they were perfect), or until browned to suit.

"Lemonade for the Lawnboy - The Executives' Wives' Cookbook Committee" & "Corn - Meals & More" & "The Picnic Gourmet" - lemonade, chicken enchiladas and peaches with sweet cream cheese

Still Life: Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger with martini glass

Date I made these recipes:  September 3, 2012 (Labor Day)

Lemonade for the Lawnboy – The Executives’ Wives’ Cookbook Committee by David W. Cook and Janet Letnes Martin

Published by:  Martin House Publications

ISBN:  978-1-886627-14-7

Recipe:  Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger’s Thirst-Quenching Recipe for the Lawnboy –p. 5

CORN – Meals & More by Tastemaker-Award Winning Author Olwen Woodier

Published by:  A Garden Way Publishing Book Published by Storey Communications, Inc.

ISBN:  0-88266-456-5

Recipe:  Chicken Enchiladas – p. 78-79

The Picnic Gourmet by Joan Hemingway and Connie Maricich

Published by:  Vintage Books

© 1975, 1977; First Vintage Books Edition , June 1978

Recipe:  Peaches Stuffed with Sweet Almond Cream Cheese - 279

I don’t care if Labor Day typically signals the end of summer as we know it - when it’s time to make “Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger’s Thirst-Quenching Recipe for the Lawnboy,” it’s time to make Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger’s Thist-Quenching Recipe for the Lawnboy!

My friend, Lolo, gave me this hilarious cookbook, Lemonade for the Lawnboy – The Executives’ Wives’ Cookbook Committee, a while ago and I truly meant to make the lemonade recipe this summer but things got away from me.  So what if the temperature dipped down a bit by the time I made it?  When you’re thirsty, you’re thirsty and nobody appreciated it more than my own “lawnboy,” Andy.

This book is a total send-up of the classic society cookbook and by “society” I am referring to the Junior League cookbooks that have dotted the cookbook landscape for years now.  From Mrs. Biff Johnson to the fake Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger, these ladies have submitted enough recipes to paper many a beach-front condo in Boca and then some while raising money for a good cause.  Good causes are a good thing.

Out of all the society ladies featured in this book, none drew my attention more than Mrs. J.H. who was, appropriately, pictured with her martini glass.  Aside from the fact that her green outfit would not look good against my skin tone, Mrs. J. H. and I could be twins as I do so love my martini.  I also think that the look on Mrs. J.H.’s face is quite similar to the look I wear when I am not amused, and lately people, I have not been amused.  (And this is why gin typically fixes everything.)  Lucky for me, Mrs. J.H’s lemonade saved the day.  It was simple, yet elegant and quite refreshing - quite.

By the way, here is my favorite description of Mrs. J.H –and funny how it describes me to a “t!” (This is from page 5 of Lemonade for the Lawnboy – The Executives’ Wives’ Cookbook Committee by David W. Cook II and Janet Letnes Martin.)

“…If that was not enough, the same week she threw a grand and most elegant birthday party for her dear friend, Mrs. Charles Chatterton.  Her devotion to details was unsurpassed, down to party favors of French crystal martini glasses etched with Mrs. Charles Chatterton’s favorite martini recipe.  Her brilliance and creativity is quite amazing.  It is no wonder she was chosen President of The Executives’ Wives’ Cookbook Committee.”

This lemonade paired quite well with my main course, Chicken Enchiladas.  Now people, I don’t know about you, but I expected this recipe to contain some corn seeing as how it came from a corn cookbook, but alas, no.  I re-read the recipe several times and even contemplated using frozen corn in the enchilada mixture but decided against it and instead opted for corn tortillas.  The book said I could make my own cornmeal pancakes but I had enough going on without having to pull another recipe together. 

While most of us are probably used to the “goopy” cheese-laden enchiladas served in most Mexican restaurants these days, this recipe didn’t call for cheese at all and that’s why I liked it, corn or no corn.  But the inclusion of this recipe in the (corn) cookbok, even if it was under “Ethnic Specialties,” still boggles the mind.

Last, but not least, was a (fresh) peaches dessert recipe taken from The Picnic Gourmet written by Joan Hemingway and Connie Maricich.  Joan Hemmingway is celebrated author Earnest Hemingway’s granddaughter.  (On my list of books to read is A Moveable Feast, written by “Papa” Hemingway in 1961 that recounts his days in Paris in the 1920’s and includes names and addresses of all his watering holes. (Somehow, this was one of the few Hemmingway books this English major did not read in high school or college.)

This book is divided into two parts.  Part one lists picnics by theme and contains menus for a Sunday Ski Picnic, a Boating Picnic (Oh darn, I forgot my boat-bummer) and an Italian Beach Picnic just to name a few.  The second half of the book contains recipe by category – soups, salads, fruit, etc.  As the title Picnic Gourmet suggests, this book does not contain your average Labor Day cook-out recipes of beans and weenies although many people would consider that “high end” picnic food if the beans were a mix of heirloom beans and the weenies were fancy stuffed sausages.  But although the recipes sound high end, many of them are pretty easy, like the recipe for Peaches Stuffed with Sweet Almond Cream Cheese.  Whew. 

All in all, this was a great meal to make on Labor Day and that’s a good thing as neither Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger nor I like fuss or muss when it comes to holiday entertaining.

Mrs. Jonathan Hurlinger’s Thirst-Quenching Recipe for the Lawnboy – serving size not listed

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

5 ounces of reconstituted lemon juice

1 ¾ cups ice water

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Chill for 3 to 4 hours.  Pour the mixture and the ice water into a tall pitcher and add the lemon juice.  Cut the lemon into thin wedges and put them in a pitcher.  Stir the mixture and pour it into chilled glasses.  Add ice to each glass.

Chicken Enchiladas – yield:  4 servings

1 pound boneless chicken breasts

¼ cup chicken stock, tomato juice, or water

6 tablespoons cream cheese

2 tablespoons chunky Mexican sauce (salsa) (mild or hot)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (3 cups)

1 3 ½ -ounce can green chili peppers, chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ vegetable oil

8 6-inch tortillas

1 ½ cups sour cream (optional)

¼ cup chopped chives or scallion greens (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Put the chicken breasts in a skillet, pour in the stock, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Reserve 1/3 cup of the liquid.  Thinly slice the chicken breast.  Blend the cream cheese, reserved liquid, and Mexican sauce together.  Stir in the chicken strips.

While the chicken is poaching, heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, and coriander.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Heat the ¼ cup oil in a skillet and drop each tortilla into the hot fat for about 10 seconds.  This is not to cook them but to make them pliable.  (Note:  this did not work well at all for the corn tortillas as they were too soft.  My guess is that this method would work well for flour tortillas.)

Remove immediately to a baking dish measuring approximately 12” x 9” x 2” and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture along the center of each tortilla.  Roll up and place seam-side down in the dish.  Repeat until all tortillas and the filling have been used up.

Spoon the tomato sauce over the top and bake for 15 minutes.

Mix the sour cream and chives and spoon over each cooked tortilla.

Peaches Stuffed with Sweet Almond Cream Cheese – serves 6

3 large peaches

½ pound cream cheese

3 good macaroons, crumbled in a blender (or three biscotti or other “hard” cookie)

1 teaspoon ground almonds (grind in blender)

Peach pulp from seed cavities

Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Choose large ripe peaches, and scrub the outside skin.  Cut each peach in half, take out the seed, and enlarge the seed cavity with a spoon.  Reserve the peach pulp taken out.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.  [If going on a picnic] Pack the peaches and filling separately.  To serve, place a teaspoonful of filling on each peach center.  Garnish and decorate the plate of filled peach halves with fresh mint leaves. 

Ann’s Note:  this last line just makes me hoot:  [mint leaves] “These can usually be picked on the trail or at the picnic site.”  Hahahahaha……Hardly.

**Both Corn and The Picnic Gourmet were purchased at the Bloomington Crime Prevention Association Sale held in June.