Country kitchen: here's a tasty, healthful, inexpensive snack.

Becky Tahara

6170 Oak St.

Omaha NE 68106

A while back, a mother wrote in requesting snack foods. But, due to a recent move from the sunny island of Guam, I haven't had much time to dabble with a response. It's a little late, but nevertheless, here's my idea for a very inexpensive and healthy snack that tastes pretty darned good. I pack it in my husband's lunch every day and it seems to be the one thing he always eats but never tires of.

Black bean dip

2 cups cooked drained black beans
1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin
seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or
cilantro)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 lemon or lime
something hot -- jalapeno, serano
chilies, Thai peppers, whatever. I
like to use the dried pacific
peppers that we grew when we
lived on Guam
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
(optional)
2 tablespoons minced Spanish olive
(optional)

Puree the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. My cookbook says you can mash the beans by hand but I haven't tried that. I'm sure it would turn out chunkier that way, and maybe some people would prefer that.

Once this is made, we use it as a dip with the following recipe for an Armenian flat bread. It is sort of a replacement for tortilla chips. It very easy to make and is also a great source of fiber.

Lavash crisp bread

2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 pkg. dry yeast (this is more for
flavoring and texture than for
rising)
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds and/or
poppy seeds.

In a mixing bowl place 1 cup each of the 2 flours and add the yeast and salt. Stir well to blend. Pour in the hot water and beat with a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix for 3 minutes. Add the remaining cup whole wheat flour and stir vigorously to blend. Add the remaining white flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Don't overload the dough with flour. It should be soft and elastic but not sticky.

Knead dough and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down dough and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Prepare a lightly floured work area. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll out each ball until it is very thin but still fits on half of a cookie sheet. Place two crisps per baking sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

While the first batch is in the oven, roll out the second batch, and so on. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown. Be careful that you don't overcook, there seems to be a fine line between raw and very brown.

Put the baked lavash on racks to cool. Store those not eaten immediately in a dry place. Stored in a sealed carton or bag, the pieces of cracker-like bread will keep indefinitely.

Related Article: This cheesy soup is fun to make

Kathy Fite

27321 Wolfe Cemetery Rd.

McArthur OH 45651

Cheesy homestead soup

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 pints home-canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2-3/4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
2 pints frozen or canned corn

Melt margarine in large sauce pan over low heat. Add flour and stir until it's mixed well. Turn burner up to medium high and add milk, stirring constantly until mixture boil. Keep stirring and let it boil for just a minute or so to let it thicken. Then turn heat down to low and add Worcestershire, broth, cheese and the corn last.

This soup is very tasty and filling and also fun to make. After I made it a few times I quit measuring out each ingredient and just started dumping whatever felt right. You can substitute another vegetable for the corn or add more than one vegetable. Brown rice is good to add if you want to stretch it a little further.

Order zucchini seeds now

and file these recipes!)

Late last summer you probably swore you'd never plant another zucchini. But by now, the memories of bushels of squash you couldn't even give away are starting to fade, and you find yourself drawn, even if reluctantly, to the zucchini descriptions in the seed catalogs. After all, it doesn't make any sense to not plant something just because it grows too well!

Go ahead, order those seeds. Just be sure to file these recipes where you'll be able to find them next summer.

Kimberly Thimming

W3544 County Highway PP

Sheboygan Falls WI 53085

I have spent quite a few years growing quite a few varieties of zucchini. My favorites are Sunburst (also called Butter Scallop) and Black Beauty.

Some people say they can't sell or even give away their extra zucchini. Here's an idea that worked well for me. Make copies of a few recipes and set them out next to your basket of zucchini or include it with each bag you give away. You might be surprised to find return customers.

My best idea is to use them small, substituting them for cucumbers in dill pickles recipes. Use your same dill recipe -- delicious! And, you use up a lot of them.

I have 29 zucchini recipes, but these are my favorites:

Chocolate zucchini cake

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup corn oil
1-3/4 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk (add 1 tablespoon
vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups grated zucchini (I leave the
peel on but remove the seeds from
the large ones)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream oil, butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and milk. Add dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini. Nuts and chocolate chips can be mixed in or sprinkled on top. Bake at 325[degrees] for 45 minutes.

Zucchini patties

2-1/2 cups grated zucchini
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup flour or instant mashed
potato flakes
1 egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt, pepper, oregano and parsley

Mix together, form patties and fry until brown on both sides. I enlarge this recipe for my family by grating potatoes with this. Or, peel the zucchini and use some potatoes with it, and you might be able to fool the "non-veggie" eaters in your family.

Zucchini casserole I

6 cups diced zucchini
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound cheese of your choice
1 can cream of mushroom or celery
soup
Topping of buttered crumbs or
French fried onion rings optional

Parboil zucchini until almost tender. Brown ground beef with onion. Layer meat, zucchini and cheese into casserole dish. Top with soup and crumbs. Bake at 350[degrees] for 45 minutes.

Zucchini casserole II

2-3 zucchini, sliced and sauteed in
butter until tender
3 medium carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups seasoned croutons

Mix vegetables with soup and sour cream. Put half of croutons on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Pour vegetable mixture over. Top with rest of croutons. Bake 350[degrees] for 25 minutes.

Mock apple cake

4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix until crumbly. Measure out and reserve 1/2 cup for filling. Press half of remaining crumb mixture into a jelly roll pan pushing up the sides. Bake at 375[degrees] for 10 minutes.

Filling:
8 cups zucchini, peeled & thinly sliced
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Place in pot and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup reserved crumbs. Stir well and cool.

Put cooled filling onto prepared crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 375[degrees] for 30-35 minutes.

"Tastes like apple"

zucchini pie

Mrs. Cathy Harrell

Bronte, Texas

2 or 3 medium zucchini (6 cups)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small
pieces
I unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 unbaked 9-inch top crust

Preheat oven to 400[degrees]F. Peel zucchini and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half in half lengthwise again, then remove the seeds and cut crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Cut enough zucchini to total 6 cups sliced.

In medium saucepan bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the zucchini, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until tender but still crisp (about 3-4 minutes). Drain in a colander.

In a medium bowl toss together the drained zucchini, lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cream of tartar, flour and cornstarch and mix well. Add to the zucchini and mix well. The mixture will be rather runny and loose.

Spoon the mixture into the unbaked pie shell and dot with half the butter pieces. Add the top crust, pinch together the edges to seal and dot the crust with the remaining butter pieces. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

They'll love the name of this cookie

Mildred Stout

17090 Highway Z

Falcon MO 65470

Bacon grease molasses cookies

1-1/2 cup bacon grease
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons sorghum
molasses -- not blackstrap
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together and form into small balls. Place on cookie sheet. Mash with glass bottom that is dipped in sugar. Bake at 350[degrees] for 10-12 minutes.

A few variations on lemon cheese

Chris Gallo

RR 1 Box 220

Lampass, TX 76550

A few variations on Marcy Wilson-Coles "lemon cheese" in issue 81/4:77, also in the book Your Goats... A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing by Gail Damerow (Gardenway Publishing) page 112.

First, I should tell you we don't use fresh milk. We use the one gallon glass jars to keep milk extra cold in the fridge. When the milk level gets below the spigot (mostly cream) we dump it in a 5-quart plastic bucket that we keep, covered, in the freezer, until it's full. Then we thaw out the milk, sometimes in the fridge, sometimes on the counter, just until we can get it into a cooking pot.

We follow the recipe -- well, pretty much. Heat the milk between 165[degrees] and 200[degrees]F.

If you don't have lemons, the concentrate works fine. Add a little at a time, until you get the consistency you want. We use about one cup concentrate to one gallon of whole, raw goat milk.

If you don't have or like lemon, or lemon concentrate, apple cider vinegar works nicely too. Use the same quantity as concentrate. Vinegar will give you a little different texture and flavor, but not much different.

I let the curd set in the whey 15 to 60 minutes. The whey pours off more easily if you can give it a longer setting time.

If you don't have real cheese cloth (or an old ham bag) you can use a laundered nylon stocking, runners and all. Strain the curds and whey in the stocking (we retain the whey for the chickens) then hang for an hour or so. It doesn't hurt to leave it for 3-4 hours, although the longer you drain it the drier the curds will be.

Turn the stocking inside-out to release the curds, crumble the chunk of curd with your fingers and add salt (again we use about 1 teaspoon pickling salt per pound of cheese) and spice if you'd like. Mrs. Dash's Herb and Garlic or Extra Spicy are nice blends to try, if you don't grow your own (1 teaspoon is great plenty).

Or you can halve the salt and add crushed fruit and sweetener for a nice summer treat on crackers or unleavened bread. Last week we tried this with 1/3 pound curd, 5 large crushed strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar.

If you'd prefer a slicing cheese, drain the curds from the whey, no longer than two hours, crumble, add salt (herbs optional) pack back into the stocking and press, increasing pressure every hour until you don't see whey come out when you add more pressure.

We started pressing cheese with two pieces of countertop covered boards and bricks for weight. As you can imagine, these were some odd-looking cheese wheels. I finally popped for a real cheese press from Caprine Supply (PO Box Y, Desoto, KS 66018) last year. (You'll find other sources among the advertisers in this issue. It sure is a lot easier to sleep when you're not listening for the crashing sound of bricks. And if I'm not too heavy handed with the crank on top the cheese actually looks wheel-shaped.

What everyone should know about Camellia sinensis

Debi Blazei

My Store

25203 Malchine Rd

Waterford WI 53185

414-895-2127

Next to water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. On any given day about half the population is drinking it. Nowadays tea sipping cannot only delight the senses, but it just might be good for your health as well. New research shows that regular consumption of tea has been linked to lower risk of both heart disease and cancer. You can drink it hot or iced and with sugar or lemon. It's flexible enough to suit every taste, plus it's cheap and easy to make.

When we talk about tea, we mean one of three kinds: green, oolong or black. All three come from the leaves of one plant -- the tea bush Camellia sinensis. All three teas boast rich amounts of naturally occurring compounds called flavonoids. Scientists believe it may be these compounds that could account for the lower risk of cancer and heart disease among tea drinkers.

Tea is made by harvesting and drying the leaves of the tea bush. Depending on how quickly you dry the leaves after picking them, you end up with green, oolong or black tea. Green tea is not heated, but steamed, rolled and crushed. The leaves are steamed and packaged immediately after being harvested. Black tea comes from leaves that are air-dried and crushed to release their juices. The juices and leaves are then oxidized (allowed to react with oxygen). Firing stops the oxidation and seals in the delicious flavor. Oolong tea falls between green and black, being only partially oxidized.

Don't waste time worrying over which tea varieties might have the greatest health benefits. The tea that's best is the tea that you drink. So find a flavor that suits you. Whether you enjoy it first thing in the morning, at the end of your exercise routine or before going to bed, tea-time may soon come to mean anytime.

How to read a tea box label? If it's tea you want, read a list of ingredients and make sure you see the words "tea," "black tea" or Camellia sinensis. There should be no mention of herb or herbal on the box. Herbal teas come from leaves, flowers, roots, bark, seeds or stems of herb or spice plants. Common herbal ingredients include fruit pieces or flavorings, spices, mint leaves, rose hips, hibiscus flowers, carob, ginseng -- but no tea.

Yogurt making is a simple process

Mackie Allgood

PO Box 137

Wayside TX 79094-0137

Why should making yogurt be so difficult? Desert nomads for centuries managed with fewer conveniences than most of us. It is an easy method of preserving milk where refrigeration is limited.

The science is simple: grow "good' bacteria in fresh milk before the "bad" bacteria get a chance while making the environment wrong for others to grow. Yogurt making bacteria, lactobacilli, grow at 105[degrees] to 112[degrees]F. Their preferred food is milk. They multiply rapidly in milk while producing acid that slows down even its own growth.

1. Use freshly scalded containers and whisk. Milk from a healthy goat or cow has only the bacteria you introduce.

2. Strain fresh (new) milk into a clean container.

3. Mix in 1/4-1/2 cup active yogurt.

4. Keep it in a warm place (105[degrees]-112[degrees]F) for about 5 hours. I use an insulated box heated with a 15 watt bulb.

5. Set some aside as starter for the next batch.

Powdered milk can be mixed in warm water and substituted. Follow instructions above from step 3.

The lactobacillus that makes buttermilk grows at a different temperature: 70[degrees]-75[degrees]F. Use fresh buttermilk starter and proceed the same except for temperatures and time-overnight.

Can this homemade tomato soup

Teresa Turner

RR 1 Box 292-S

Hawkins TX 75765

I canned about ten dozen quarts of tomatoes this year, everything from spaghetti sauce to hot sauce and so on. (We love grilled cheese and tomato soup for a winter lunch.) I found this recipe in Tastes From The Country cookbook which can be ordered from Dodd Farms Country Store, Highway 80 E, Terrel, TX.

Easy tomato soup -- to can

1/2 bushel tomatoes
2 bunches celery
6 onions
4 bell peppers
1 cup flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup salt
1-1/2 cup sugar

Wash vegetables carefully. Place in large soup pot and cook until soft. Force through small hole colander or use food processor. (I use a Victorio Strainer and it works great.) Return to pot. Make a paste of flour, butter, salt and sugar. Add to puree and boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Fill hot, sterilized jars leaving one-half inch head space. Seal. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Yields 10 pints.

Have any of you bread bakers ever baked in a clay or terra cotta loaf pan? I was wondering if it made that much of a difference in the bread.

I am also in the market for a taper candle mold. I found one in a catalog for thirty-some dollars but thought somebody might know of a less expensive one or how we can make one.