Mary Newman - And A Pinch of Love

Mary Newman

And A Pinch of Love:

Recipes from my family

Mary Newman

And a Pinch of Love

Recipes from my family

Copyright 2017 by Mary Newman

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced without the authors written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Dedication:

I would like to dedicate this book to the ones whose influence has most encouraged me to become the person I am today; my former mother-in-law and grandmother to my two eldest children, Lois Wilson who was a true example of patience and love, and someone I will always think of us Mom. Also my children, who made my life worth living and full of love.

Introduction

W hen I first left home and began my life as a 17-year-old adult I could barely boil water. My cooking abilities were an exercise in experimentation with my first husband, Scott, as the guinea pig. My first memory of cooking for him was actually around Christmas 1977, when I was 16. I had gone with him to his home town of Big Pine, CA. His mother, Lois, needed to run some errands and asked me to finishing cooking pancakes for Scott and his younger brother, Kirk. Bless their hearts; they really tried to eat the gooey, doughy mistakes. There were many other attempts, including an apple pie with no sugar, which Scott actually ate several pieces of so he wouldnt hurt my feelings.

I tried to begin my cooking education on my honeymoon, when my paternal grandmother, Anna Irene Summerlin, asked me to help her fix dinner and learned I had no idea what to do in a kitchen. She showed me how to fry chicken, mash potatoes, and then tried, very hard, to get me to understand the workings of biscuits. Something I still have a hit and miss reputation with. Upon returning home to Casper, Wyoming, Scott purchased my first cookbook, the 1978 version of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook .

Over the years, with the input of some loving relatives and friends, Ive slowly developed a repertoire of recipes that Ive decided to compile into a collection. I will try to give credit on recipes that Ive received from others, as well as I can remember. The origins of many of these recipes have been lost to time, though, and some Ive put my own twist on to make them more palatable for my children. The results are family recipes that I wish to pass down to the next generations.

Breads

Biscuits

cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powders

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter or shortening

1/2 cup milk

Melt 2 tablespoons butter or shortening in 9 inch square pan. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add milk, a little at a time, and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface. With floured rolling pin, roll out to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with floured cutter. Place in pan, turning once to coat top side. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Makes about 9 biscuits.

(This started out as the biscuit recipe my mother gave me, to which I added the directions given to me by my paternal grandmother. It has been adjusted and played with until it became what it is today, and is the recipe Ive given to various nieces and daughters.)

Plain Muffins

cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powders

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Grease muffin tin or use muffin cup liners. Mix dry ingredients, add liquid ingredients and mix well. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Variation: Increase sugar to 1/4 cup and add 1/2 cup blueberries, cranberries or other diced fruit, folded in after adding the liquid ingredients.

(I honestly have no idea what the origins of the recipe are. My mother used to make these instead of biscuits as a quick dinner bread. Ive added various fruits to make a breakfast muffin that wasnt as sweet as those found in bakeries.)

Flour Tortillas

cup flour (not self -rising)

Pinch salt

1/2 cup lard

Water

Combine flour and salt. Mix in lard with fingers. Add enough water until dough forms. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Form dough into several 2 inch balls. Roll out on floured surface until very thin. Bake on hot griddle a few minutes on each side.