Small Bites…Adventures in Downsizing

By Jan Kinzel

“I said that I’ve been thinking about downsizing.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“You must be smokin’ somethin’ funny. Just sayin’.”

“We should start looking into this.”

“Whatever.”

“Life would be much simpler.”

“Whatever!”

“We could move to the retirement community where lots of our friends live now.”

“And your point is???”

“I think it would be an exciting adventure.”

“Hmmmm…”

“Without all of the expense of the house we could travel.”

“True that.”

“Shut the front door!”

Above was a little sample of modern phraseology! I think it’s fun! (Just sayin’.) Now, to counteract all of that, here are some ‘blast from the past’ recipes.

Fried Corn Meal Mush
Make the night before and chill overnight.

Slowly stir 1 cup cornmeal mixed with a teaspoon of salt into a quart of boiling water.

Bring back to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for I hour, stirring occasionally. Pour into a loaf pan lined with waxed paper. Chill overnight.

Remove chilled loaf from pan and discard waxed paper. Cut into ½ inch thick slices. Fry in a large skillet (I use electric skillet) in a little vegetable or peanut oil until crispy browned on each side. Serve with warmed maple syrup and a sausage patty.

Delicious!

Modern Twist: Creamy Polenta with lots of added savory ingredients, such as, fresh thyme, sun dried tomato, sautéed mushrooms, crispy shallots. Serve as a main dish or a side dish with meats and stews.

Chicken and Bisquick Dumplings
1 Whole Chicken
6 Cups Water
3 Carrots and 6 stalks of celery cut to 1 inch pieces
1 Yellow Onion, chopped about the same size as the carrots and celery
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Bay Leaf

In a large pot with wide surface (Dutch oven if you have one) place the chicken, water, seasonings and vegetables and bring to a gentle boil. Cook until meat easily comes off the bones. Remove from heat. Take chicken from pot and cool. Remove meat from the bones and shred or cut meat into bite-size pieces. Remove the bay leaf – it’s lived out its purpose!qa

While chicken is cooking and then cooling, mix the dumplings accordint to recipe on the Bisquick box and set aside until ready to use.

Return chicken to pot with broth and veggies. Bring to a gentle boil and drop tablespoons of dumpling dough onto the surface. Make a single layer of dumplings and don’t crowd. Put a lid on the pot and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through. Remove the cooked dumplings and repeat until all of the dough is used. Return all of the dumplings to the pot and serve in large soup bowls! Fabulous!

(My husband was teaching a Seniors Sunday School class and we had the group over for Sunday lunch. When these chicken and dumplings were served, one of the men, eighty-year-old Paul, had tears in his eyes because his mother made these every Sunday when he was a child.)

Even Older Twist: Chicken Pot Pies with old-fashioned pie dough made with lard.

Modern Twist: Add fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, tarragon or dill to batter.

Chicken Fried Steak

Cut 4 cube steaks into half-inch strips. Dredge in seasoned flour (use plenty of salt and pepper in flour). Fry in vegetable oil in hot skillet until browned on each side. Serve with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. Yummm.

Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze

Poke holes in my cake? Yes.

Bake a lemon cake, mix or homemade, in an 8 ½ x 11 inch pan. While that is baking, make the glaze that goes in the holes. Glaze is 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 cups powdered sugar sifted, and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk together until smooth and glossy.

When cake is finished baking, remove from oven. Allow to set for a couple of minutes. With a regular fork, carefully poke holes into the warm cake. Pour all of the glaze over the top of the cake and chill for a couple of hours. A sweet treat. Indeed!

Modern Twist: Lemon Curd Bars baked and served in half-pint wide-mouthed Mason jars.

He has make everything beautiful in its time… Ecclesiastes 3:11
Tip: Be a blend of contemporary and traditional. It’s all good!