I do not remember ever having biscuits and gravy growing up. However, my parents would make us “Shmooey on Toast”. It is the same idea as creamed chipped beef on toast–S.O.S. as soldiers called it according to my dad– but without the chipped beef. A little research and I learned if you use a chopped hard boiled egg, it is called Eggs à la Goldenrod.
I asked Dad where the name “Shmooey” came from. He said that shmooey sounded a lot better than “S.O.S”. With a little more research, I discovered why my parents swapped names for us kids. I agree… shmooey is a lot more kid friendly!
Following is the recipe we always followed for Shmooey, along with some variations.
While overseas, we often could not get some of our favorite foods. Most of the time it did not matter, but occasionally we wanted comfort food from home. Not only are English muffins easy to make, but use ingredients that were found easily while we traveled.
They are good plain, but English muffins are much better toasted. They are good eaten in so many ways; with eggs and cheese, as hamburger rolls, smothered in butter, or as a base for peanut butter and jelly.
Our friend Mike is from New Mexico. He thought this would be a good cookie to add to the girls’ baking portfolio. They are super easy to make and great with tea.
I was looking for a good biscotti recipe and my friend, Cheri, had the perfect one for me. This is super easy to make with many variations. The cookies store well for a few weeks too.
If desired, these cookies are firm enough to dunk in chocolate.
Many years ago, Andrea discovered “creamy puffs”. After her first taste she insisted that she wanted to learn how to make them. So, at the age of 9, Andrea learned how to make “French Profiteroles“.
Years later, Andrea still loves cream puffs and insisted that we make them to celebrate National Cream Puff Day (2 Jan).
Fill the puffs with vanilla ice cream for french profiteroles. Filling with whipped cream makes them cream puffs. Either way is wonderful!
Gluten Free Cream Puff
If you want to make these gluten free, substitute the flour with your favorite gluten free flour*. They do not puff up as nicely, and they did not brown the same, but they taste great!
Pasties are popular in Calument where Daddy spent a lot of time growing up. He said that Petila’s taxi in Calumet would often take his family to McLain park and then come back at a prearranged time to take them home. His grandmother made them also. There are many recipes for pasties, but all are similar.
Feel free to experiment with the basic recipe. We often make the pasties with cubed meat instead of ground. Be careful not to over stuff the crust, it is much better to have leftover filling! If you can find it, replace part–or all– of the carrots with rutabaga for a more traditional taste.
When serving, I like them best with a little extra butter. Some people serve them with gravy. My mom eats them with ketchup.
My girl friend Heather and I would often make these at her house. We almost always doubled the crust and would eat one batch of it as the second batch baked.
Now Adrian loves lemon desserts and this is one of his favorites.
Growing up, I can only remember eating strawberry rhubarb pie. I was happy to learn that plain rhubarb pie is so much better than strawberry rhubarb!
Allan and I were given this recipe many years ago when we were first married. This is the pie we make most often and will eat it often while the rhubarb lasts. We also try to freeze some rhubarb for a special treat later.
My Great Grandma Zetsell shared the “recipe” for these dumplings, though my father thinks the recipe was brought from England with my great great Grandma Heighes. He said that they were a very inexpensive way to fill up hungry tummies when times were tight.
Dumplings are wonderful in chicken broth, with veggies, or with sausage, fried onions, mushrooms, garlic and butter. My favorite way though, is warm with some good butter and salt and garlic.
They do not reheat very well, so only make enough for one night.
(What fun, I learned that they are also called Kluski Kładzione and they are a polish drop noodle. Some recipes use milk in place of the water!)
Grandma Bea would make pizzelles and store them in tin coffee containers. After she died, my parents bought a pizzelle maker and passed the recipe on to Andrea.
