Helpful Hints from an Old Mennonite Cookbook

I have read my grandma's cookbook cover to cover numerous times. One of my favorite discoveries was the  hints at the back of the book designed to help a young housewife. Some are really quite helpful!!!

I thought I'd share the Hints: 

Batter - To avoid lumps, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.

Boiling over (I really liked this tip! It works!!) - To prevent vegetables, rice, etc. from boiling over, rub a little butter around the edge of the pot.

Cereals, Vegetables, burned - To eliminate burnt taste place pan in cold water for a few minutes before pouring contents into another pan.

Crisp Salad - To keep a vegetable salad fresh while standing, place inverted saucer in the bottom of the bowl before filling with salad.

Flavour Extracts - Always add flavoring extract to mixture when cold, otherwise much goodness is lost in steam.

Potato Slicing - Potatoes or cheese will slice much more easily if knife is warm.

Lemon Juice - Heat lemons well before using. They will give twice as much juice.

Orange Peel - Soak oranges in boiling water for five minutes before peeling. Peel and all white pulp will come off perfectly.

Pecans - Kernels can be removed whole by pouring boiling water over nuts. When cold, hammer on small end of nut.

Cabbage Odor - To avoid cabbage odors, drop a whole walnut in boiling water or place an open dish of vinegar on stove.

Onion on Hands - To remove onion odor from hands, rub each finger vigorously with celery salt before washing.

Onion Tears - A partly burned match - burnt end out - or a crust of bread, held between teeth, prevents tears. Or peel underwater.

Leftover Onion -  A leftover onion will keep much longer when the root is left intact - use the top part first.

Walnuts - That have an "old" taste can be improved in flavor by pouring boiling water over them, then spreading in a shallow pan and heating in the oven, stirring quite often to prevent burning.

Custard Pies - Heat milk for custard pies, this requires less baking time, and the crust is not apt to be soggy.

Tenderize Meat - By adding 2 or 3 teaspoons of vinegar to the water the meat is cooked in.

Leftover Vegetables - When stored in jars, can be warmed in the same jar, by placing in deep saucepan, filled with cold water and slowly bring to boil.

Jams and Jellies - Will not mold if sprinkled with acid salicylic powder, which can be obtained from the drugstore.

Appetizers - Dill pickles cut into two-inch slices, hollow centres and fill with cottage cheese mixed with minced parsley, onion and green pepper.

Muffin Batter - should be lumpy. Stir with fork just enough to dampen flour. If over-mixed, they will be tough, poorly shaped with tunnels inside.

Less Dishes - melt butter in pie pan when mixing graham cracker crust. Add crumbs and mix. You save butter and washing an extra dish.

Soften Butter - without melting it, fill a bowl boiling water. Empty the bowl and place it upside down over the butter dish. (It's funny how much we take microwaves for granted now!)

Steamed Pudding - can be steamed in pint sealers, stored in them and when you are ready to use the pudding, it can be heated in the same container.

Old Cooks - know and new ones must learn, that anything with molasses in it will burn very quickly, so do not leave the kitchen while baking or you'll regret it.

To Serve Cheese - at best, it should be at room temperature. Remove from refrigerator an hour before eating.

Medium Orange - will give from 1/3 to 1/2 cup of juice and from 1 to 2 tbsp. grated rind.

Cracked Eggs - when boiling, add 1 teaspoon salt to the water which will close the cracks.

Bread Rolls, etc.  - thawed at room temperature and heated from 5 to 10 minutes at 300 degrees just before serving, will give freshness to your baked goods.

Cut Cheese - will not dry out if you spread the surface with a thin coat of butter.

Remove lumps from brown sugar - by placing in shallow pan, put in slow oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes for immediate use. For later use store in airtight container, with half large unpared apple, skin side down on top of sugar. Store in cool place.

Meringues - to prevent beading or watering, 2 tablespoons of sugar per egg white works best. A little salt, cream of tartar or lemon juice may be added. Let egg whites warm to room temperature for better volume. Beat the whites until stiff but not dry, then begin to add the sugar. 1 teaspoon at a time; beat until stiff peaks form. This is very important to successful, tender meringues. Meringues should be spread over lukewarm filling and MUST completely cover the surface of the pie until it touches the pastry. This sealing to the pastry is one trick against watering. Bake the meringue-topped pie at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, and then let pie cool at room temperature. Never put pie in the refrigerator until after it has cooled.

To divide an angel food or chiffon cake - Measure cake height. Put row of wooden picks one-third from the bottom. Another row one-third from the top. Cut cake into three layers, using wood picks as guides.

To Whip Cream - add a teaspoon of instant pudding to one cup of whipping, and you can whip the cream well in advance, store in the refrigerator  until ready to use. It will not be thin and milky at the bottom.

Coffee or Tea Stains - easily removed from your porcelain or china, try baking soda as a paste. It will do the best job, quickly.

To Clean Thermos Bottle - fill with warm water, add 1 teaspoon baking soda. Let stand overnight.

To Sweeten and Clean Refrigerator - ice trays, meat-keeper, crisper and shelves, wash them with a baking soda solution.

Your Coffee Maker = will reward you if you wash it periodically with a quart of water plus 3 tbsp. soda.

Also Use - dry baking soda on damp cloth to clean the bugs off windshield of the car.

Mix it - with a little salt and brush your teeth with it too.

Starch Stuck to - bottom of iron, can be removed by rubbing a damp cloth sprinkled with dry baking soda, over the bottom plate of the iron.

When Recovering your ironing board, place a sheet of aluminum foil under the cover. It will hold the heat.

Scissors Dull? Sharpen them by cutting through light sandpaper.

When a pair of drinking glasses  become attached each other, pour cold water into the inside glass and place the outer one in a warm water.

Painting the exterior of your house this summer? To keep insects off add a little insect repellent to the paint before you begin.

For Young Mothers - if your baby vomits on your dress, put dry baking soda on a damp cloth and rub on the spot. Eliminates the odor.

Ice for Picnic - Fill hot water bottle partially with clean water, let freeze in the freezer, and when you are going for a picnic, put it in the picnic basket. Will keep food fresh, yet no dripping.

Removing grease and dirt spots - put corn starch on grease spots and rub in. Brush the starch off with a brush.

Shower curtains - Put shower curtains in a washing machine. Fill with hot water. Add two bath towels. add 1/3 cup each of detergent, bleach and ammonia. Run through entire cycle. Rinse in plain hot water to which add at least 1 cup vinegar. Do not rinse out vinegar. Won't work without bath towels.

To prevent burning of milk - Sprinkle a tsp. of sugar on top and do not stir.

Odors - To eliminate odors of cabbage, brussel sprouts or broccoli, place the heal of bread - the whole last crust of a loaf) on the top of vegetables while cooking.

Grease Splatters - A sprinkle of salt in the frying pan, while frying foods, will help from splattering range and wall.

Picture hanging - Hanging pictures on plaster walls and using nails, put small piece of adhesive tape where nail is to go in, drive nail through tape. Helps prevent plaster from cracking.

Bathroom fixtures - Glycerine or olive oil on the your cleaning rag takes rust off fixtures very easily. It stays polished a long time too.

Save Egg Whites for Angel Cakes - They keep in the fridge for 3 weeks. Instead of using whole eggs in hamburger, cookies, scrambled eggs, griddle cakes, etc., use 2 yolks in place of 1 egg, thus saving two whites of each recipe for the cake.

Glaze for Pie - Dissolve 1 tsp. sugar in 2 tbsp. light cream or rich milk. Brush on crust with pastry brush, thus sealing in air bubbles and help to make top crust extra flaky. 

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Some helpful hints and words of wisdom from some Mennonite grossmutters! I love this!

Pumpkin Pie!

While there is nothing specifically Mennonite about a pumpkin pie, I decided to make my grandma's pumpkin pie today. One thing I've noticed about Mennonite recipes is the simplicity of the ingredients. Mennonites seem to use ingredients on hand and keep it as simple as possible to allow those ingredients to be the stars! So, here goes! My Grossmutter's pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Yields 2  9" deep dish pies

2 eggs (slightly beaten)
2 cups cooked pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 2/3 cup evaporated milk

Mix ingredients in order and pour into pie shells. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees for another 45 minutes or until set (when a butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean).

This recipe is so easy that my 4 year old and my 2 year old were able to help me!

Beat 2 eggs

Add pumpkin - fresh cooked pumpkin tastes best but it is still amazing with canned pumpkin. Just be sure that it is ONLY canned pumpkin - no added ingredients or spices

Stir in sugar

Cinnamon

Evaporated milk

Pour into 2  9" pie pans lined with pastry dough

The end result! Delicious! Let cool and serve with whipped cream if desired! Yummy!

My First Attempt at Making Perogies!

So, I consulted the cookbook my mother-in-law wrote for the family, my sister-in-law and several other Ukrainian cookbooks in an attempt to find a recipe for perogies. I wanted a recipe that was authentic. I wanted it to be the kind of recipe that would have been handed down through the generations from "the old country". Most of the recipes I found contained potato flakes. I was talking to my mom one night and she told me that when my grandma (who was Ukrainian - on my dad's side of the family) came to visit, she would always make perogies. I remembered this. She told me that she watched her make perogies one time and wrote down everything she did so she could repeat it herself. Apparently, my grandma was really excited about this as she told my mom that no one had ever written the recipe down before. It was just something taught to daughters by their mothers. So, I had a recipe to use that was authentic, that had no potato flakes and the best part is that it was truly part of my family history! The tricky part to this is that making perogies is an art that is usually taught through the generations and I didn't have someone to teach me. I knew what the end the product was supposed to look like and taste like and had to figure out how to get there. So, here is the adventure I went on!

Potatoe Cheese Mixture Recipe
8 or 9 large potatoes
water and salt for boiling potatoes
2-3 tbsp of butter to saute onions
1/2 medium sweet onion very finely chopped
approximately 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

I started by peeling and chopping up about 5 large potatoes. On hind sight, this was not quite enough. I would probably do more like 8 or 9 large potatoes next time. I salted the water and here is a tip from my grandma (Grossmutter)'s cookbook: take a small amount of butter or margarine and run it along the rim of the pot. It will keep your potatoes from boiling over!






Perogy Dough Recipe
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (I used potato water based on tips I received from family)

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle.










In a separate bowl beat egg and oil together (see picture). Add warm water to egg/oil mixture. I used water from cooking the potatoes based on a tip I got from family members.

I sauteed half a sweet medium onion in butter to add to the potato cheese mixture for the filling.










Next, I mashed the potatoes well and added the sauteed onions. After that was combined, I added about a cup of grated medium cheddar cheese (my sister-in-law recommended I try aged next time), a little salt and pepper and mixed it. I tasted it to be sure I had enough cheese, salt and pepper.




I added the water, oil egg mixture to the flour mixture for the dough and combined with a spoon. I then turned it out on the clean counter top and needed it with my hands to combine well and make the dough smooth. Once finished, I put it in a large Ziploc bag and sealed (the dough will dry out quickly). I let it rest for about 10 minutes. I opened the Ziploc, cut off a small portion of the dough (about the size of a medium orange), resealed the bag, rolled it out on a lightly floured counter top. The dough should be rolled out to about 1/8". I selected a drinking glass with a diameter of approximately 2" to cut the perogy dough. We like small perogies in our family. If you prefer them larger, you can use something that is 3-3 1/2". I rubbed the edges of the glass in the flour on the counter top and then cut my dough into circles. I peeled away the remaining dough and sealed it in a Ziploc bag.

I took 1/2 tbsp of potato cheese mixture and rolled it into a ball and put it on the center of the circle of perogy dough.









I carefully stretched and folded the centers up to wrap around the ball of potato and cheese mixture and pinched it to seal. Then carefully stretch the sides to meet and seal. Be sure there are no gaps or that no potato mixture gets in the way of the seal or they will open up when you cook them. If you have trouble sealing them, dab your finger in water and lightly moisten the edge and it should stick.

Place parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet and lightly dust with flour. Place finished perogies on cookie sheet while you work on the remaining dough. Continue the steps above until you are finished.





Once you are finished, you can place the cookie sheets in the freezer to freeze. Once frozen, seal in small Ziploc bags in quantities of a dozen. Be sure to suck out the air to avoid freezer burn.

When it comes time to prepare the perogies, boil water in a pot. Then add perogies. Stir gently so they don't stick together. Once they float, cook for a couple more minutes. Approximately 5 minutes total. Serve with melted butter and if desired, sauteed onions or bacon and sour cream for dipping.


My grandma always told me that you have to have Coke with your perogies. So, I treated myself to a Coke with dinner! ;-) Enjoy!

Finding Connections to My Heritage Through Food

Finding Connections to My Heritage Through Food

My heritage is both Ukrainian and Mennonite. I grew up with little influence from my Ukrainian side of the family and a lot of influence from the Mennonite side. The Mennonites in my family often referred to themselves as Germans and I was affectionately a Geranium - both German (Mennonite) and Ukrainian. I was never really interested in learning about the food that was cooked in our family for special occasions or even the daily meals until I had kids of my own and my grandma (Grossmutter) passed away. It was then that I realized that an important part of our culture would be lost if I didn't learn how to make the dishes that are unique to the culture.

When my grandma passed away, I inherited her cookbook. This cookbook is incredibly old. It is one of those compilation cookbooks. It was produced by a Mennonite council in Manitoba. The cover and beginning pages are missing so I don't have much more information about the book but it is filled with stories, household tips, recipes and the names of women from a much earlier generation. Many of the women are referred to by their husband's name (that's how old this book is!!!). For example, Mrs. Robert Nesimiuk would be my name. Some of the recipes don't refer to actual measurements but rather say things like "enough" or "a little". Temperatures for some recipes refer to "moderate" or "hot" ovens. It is just how my grandma cooked. The recipes come from generations of mothers teaching daughters the meals that came from the areas they lived. Having learned about my Mennonite family history, I know that they migrated to Canada after living in Ukraine for quite some time. Many of the Ukrainian recipes I know and the Mennonite recipes are similar, have similar names or similar flavors. Clearly both cultures were influenced by each other and the area and land where they lived. When I flip through the worn, tattered, dogeared pages of the cookbook, I see the splatters from my grandma's cooking, her notes and annotations and it makes me feel like I have her in the kitchen with me as I cook. This cookbook is my most prized possession because of all the memories represented in the dishes listed, the splatters on the pages and because I remember being in the kitchen when my grandma pulled out the cookbook to make some new memories in her kitchen.

I wish my grandma was still here today to be able to teach me about the food of our heritage. I often wish I could pick up the phone and ask her a question but she is gone. So, I talk to her while I carry on in the kitchen trying to explore these recipes. My grandma learned to cook for her husband and family through this cookbook. So, I am attempting to do the same thing!

It so happened that I grew up and married a Ukrainian! I learned a lot through his family and was lucky to be the recipient of my mother-in-law's cookbooks when she passed away. 

So, I am exploring and learning about the Ukrainians and Mennonites I descended from through the food that they cooked. I hope I can teach this history to my sons through the flavors and through the recipes as boys are often my kitchen assistants. 

This is my exploration and my discovery of the connections I have to generations past through food and cooking!