Madeline opened her lunch box to find a thick slice of leftover lasagna, a side helping of buttery zucchini, an exotic kiwi cut into quarters, five pearly round cherry tomatoes, a tiny Morton salt shaker,… More
New Year, New Direction, New Recipe
The original inspiration for this blog was to share recipes from the impressive collections amassed over many years by Beulah and Jane. However, as my original idea has morphed into a slightly new direction, as my ideas so often do, in the future I’ll be sharing tried and true recipes from my own extensive collection plus new favorites that I’ve developed or discovered. I often am asked to share recipes with friends and former students (I taught Culinary Arts for 32 years!). If there are any recipes that anyone would like to see added to this blog, just comment below and I will be happy to share them here.
Now a word about the Long Shot Beef Stew recipe. Dusty and I are charter members of the Read Between the Vines book club, which meets at the original Feather Hills Tasting Room at 410 Thorn Lane, Makanda. Formerly known as Orlandini’s Winery, it’s one of the oldest wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine trail. January is my month to select a book for the group to read and I chose The Trackers by Charles Frazier. I selected this book because it’s set in Depression Era America, a very challenging time in our history and similar in many ways to the post-pandemic period in which we’re living now. I’m hoping that the novel will inspire some good discussion at our next book club meeting on February 8. All book and or wine lovers are welcome to attend, BTW!
There are many food references throughout the text of The Trackers and the quote below inspired this recipe for Long Shot Beef Stew. This recipe is my adapted version of Julia Child’s classic Beef Bourguignon, which is alluded to in the text of The Trackers. I also took bits and pieces of other similar beef stew recipes to come up with surprisingly delicious dish.
Julia, who is identified in the quote from The Trackers, isn’t the famous Julia Child, but rather the Long Shot Ranch cook who often appears in the novel. However, the recipe described is likely Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. This recipe is my adaptation of the culinary classic. Cooking the stew slowly at a low temperature in the oven, produces tender meat and vegetables simmering in a decadently savory sauce. I should also mention that Dusty is the best sous chef ever! We worked on developing this recipe together and we hope that you will give it a try!
“A torn corner of paper marked a page and when I turned to it, a recipe for beef stew with wine and onions and mushrooms. A sentence was underlined in pencil–However, for the best results, make use of every trick. I held up the open book and said, Good advice?– Your bet, Julia said. And not just in cooking.”
The Trackers
Long Shot Beef Stew
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 ounce) condensed beef broth
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups dry red wine, like Feather Hills Merlot
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon marjoram
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 carrots, pared and cut into 1-inch segments
1 pound fresh white mushrooms, quartered
12 small red potatoes (1 ½ pound), quartered
1 bay leaf
Directions:
- In a frying pan, sauté beef in hot oil until lightly browned and no pink remains. Add onion and garlic. Sauté just until onions are translucent. Remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a 4-quart ovenproof Dutch oven or casserole.
- Stir in tomatoes, beef broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine.
- In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, marjoram, bay leaf and pepper. Add to beef mixture and stir to combine.
- Cover and bake 2 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender, stirring once.
Yield: 8 servings
To learn more about the Read Between the Vines book club and to browse the other titles we’ve read, visit the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/591292862029567
Welcome to Beulah Jane!
We’ve been toying with the idea of creating this cooking blog for some time and we’re very excited that it’s finally happening! We are so blessed to have inherited two huge recipe collections, one from each of our mothers! We thought that sharing the best of those recipe collections with people who appreciate preparing and savoring good food would be a fitting tribute to these two amazing women! Thus our Beulah Jane blog was born and our culinary journey begun! We’re so pleased that you’ve chosen to join us!
Meet our Moms, Beulah and Jane
Beulah Watts Marlow 
Jane Smith Hatch Krueger
Before we jump into sharing our first recipes, it seems appropriate that we give you some background on our blog’s namesakes. Beulah (my mom) and Jane (Dusty’s mom) lived, worked and raised their families at opposite ends of our home state of Illinois. Though they spent their lives hundreds of miles apart geographically, they shared many traits, interests and even work experience.
Moms who worked outside the home were not nearly as commonplace when Dusty and I were growing up, yet both of our moms went to work when we were pretty young. Interestingly enough, both Beulah and Jane worked as cooks in the elementary school cafeterias where their children attended. They also shared an appreciation for Blue Willow china. We’ve incorporated that traditional dinnerware pattern as part of the theme for Beulah Jane, for that reason.
Both Beulah and Jane were very adventurous cooks, collecting countless recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts. Because the recipes were gleaned from a myriad of sources–newspapers, magazines, cookbooks, friends, family–the process of merging and organizing the two recipe collections was like stepping back in time. Because most of the recipes are handwritten, the experience was deeply personal and emotional.
As we categorized and grouped the recipes, it was easy to identify the most treasured and trusted recipes. They’re the recipes that bear the food spatters and splotches of frequent use, testifying to their popularity with both cook and diners. Those are the recipes that you can expect to see shared on this blog.
Soup’s On!
There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup from a can.
Laurie Colwin
In my opinion, soup is the ultimate winter comfort food, so this seems like the perfect time to share a series of my favorite soup recipes. Initially, I must confess that today’s recipe is not from either Beulah or Jane’s extensive recipe collections. However, like everything prepared in our kitchen, the dish was inspired by similar dishes prepared by our sweet mothers.
I’d like to begin this soup series with a recipe that is a twist on Beulah’s Potato Soup. Her original version was a Marlow family favorite and is very similar to my Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder recipe. Mom’s potato soup called for fewer aromatics and I’ve substituted ham for bacon, otherwise the two recipes are both creamy, flavorful and hearty. Also, as a nod to convenience, my recipe is cooked in the Instant Pot. Hope you enjoy it!
Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 slices thick-cut fully cooked ham
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup Half -and-half
1 tablespoon corn starch
Preparation:
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook and stir one minute.
- Add the broth, ham, potatoes and corn to the Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on the cooker, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 10 minutes. Note: It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.
- When the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes, then open the valve to release remaining pressure.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté, whisk together cream and corn starch, and stir into soup to thicken slightly.
- Serve with shredded cheese and green onions, as desired.
Marilyn Sue’s Easy Cheese Ball
I make this cheese ball recipe for New Year’s Eve every year without fail. I got the recipe from my sister Marilyn Sue Marlow Gerlach and it always brings back very fond memories of the very first New Year’s Eve party I ever attended. I was staying with my sister and her husband Willis, as I often did when I was a kid. I was so excited when I learned that they would be hosting a couples party for New Year’s Eve. Before that time, the only NYE events I had ever attended had been rather somber events at our church. Nice, but not exactly festive! My memories of that NYE party are a little hazy, but I definitely recall a Christmas tree, music on the record player and a pretty buffet table, featuring this cheese ball and chips and dip. By the way, that was my first experience with chip dip! It was love at first bite, starting an affair that continues to this day.
This cheese ball recipe is very adaptable, blending well with a variety of stir-ins. I like to add finely chopped red and green pepper, but you can also add finely chopped ham, onion or any other ingredients you like.
Easy Cheese Ball
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- Finely chopped pecans
Blend butter, cream cheese and garlic salt until thoroughly combined. Roll in chopped pecans to coat. Garnish with paprika or chopped parsley. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for easier spreading.
Beulah’s Secret Recipe
When I was growing up, one thing I could always count on was that there would be a large mixing bowl in the refrigerator that contained the batter for these light-as-air dinner rolls. These rolls were my Mom’s secret weapon! Knowing that rolls hot from the oven would elevate even the most ordinary menu to memorable, she always kept the batter on hand. She would stir the batter down occasionally and the cool temps in the refrigerator kept the dough in a sort of state of suspended animation, ready to spring to life with the warmth of the oven. The recipe is virtually foolproof and nothing smells any more divine than the aroma of these beauties as they bake.
Now here’s the thing: I feel a little guilty sharing this recipe because, to my knowledge this was the only recipe my Mom ever refused to share outside the family. When I was in high school, our Future Homemakers of America club (You had to know I’d be a member of that organization, right?) gathered recipes to make a cookbook, which we sold as a club fundraiser. I selected several of my Mom’s recipes that I wanted to submit, one of which was the Batterway Rolls recipe. Before giving the recipes to my teacher, I shared my selections with my Mom. She was fine with all of my choices, except the Batterway Rolls. That one, she said, was not to be included. She didn’t make a big deal about it, but I clearly understood that that recipe was special. With this backstory, I hope you all appreciate just how good these rolls are. Give them a try! I know they’ll become a favorite at your house, too. They might even become your personal culinary secret!
Batterway Rolls
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup soft shortening (Mom never used anything but Crisco!)
- 1 egg at room temperature
Pour warm water into large mixing bowl. Add yeast; let stand 3 to 5 minutes then stir. Add 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, shortening and egg. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes until batter is smooth and shiny. Beating in this recipe takes the place of kneading. Stop mixer and add remaining 2 cups flour. Stir by hand until flour is fully incorporated. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled. Stir batter down. Place batter in greased muffin cups, filling half full; let rise until double. Bake in a 375 to 400 degree oven or until golden brown.
Makes about 18 dinner rolls
Now you know the secret of Beulah’s heavenly rolls! There’s a lot at risk here! I’ve broken my Mother’s trust in sharing this recipe with all of you. Use your knowledge wisely and tastefully. Your family and friends will thank you!
Savory Side Dishes
There’s nothing like a church potluck to inspire me to thumb through my collection of favorite recipes, many of which were specialties of my Mom Beulah and my Mother-in-law Jane. When the date for our 2019 church Thanksgiving dinner was announced, I immediately went to these two tried-and-true potluck favorites. The Corn Casserole came from Jane’s recipe collection. The Sweet and Sour Carrots are from my Mom Beulah by way of my cousin Barb Valier. Barb attends the church where I grew up, Nine Mile Baptist Church in Tamaroa, Illinois, and this was a very popular dish at all the many church potlucks there in the 1970s. Guess that makes it a true recipe classic. Both recipes are equally yummy and I hope you’ll give them a try.
Sweet and Sour Carrots
- 1 pound carrots, sliced
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 8-ounce can chunk pineapple, drained
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Cook carrots until fork tender; add green pepper and cook three minutes. Cook 1/2 cup pineapple juice, sugar, and salt. Add vinegar and cornstarch and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Drain carrots and green pepper. Pour sauce over vegetables and stir to coat.
Jane’s Corn Pudding
- 16-ounce can cream style corn
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine cream style corn and beaten eggs. Stir in milk and salt. Melt butter in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch casserole dish; tilt to coat bottom and sides of dish well. Add corn mixture to casserole. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Thanksgiving Preview
Family Favorite Side Dishes
Each year in November, our church hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for our church family and guests. The talented members of our Recreation Committee roast five turkeys; peel, cook and mash lots and lots of potatoes; and make enough dressing and graving to feed a small army. It really is quite a feast, an event we all look forward to each year. Members are asked to share desserts, salads or side dishes to complete the meal.
This year Dusty and I chose to prepare one recipe from each of our mother’s recipe file to share at the FBCP Thanksgiving meal. The recipes we chose were Sweet and Sour Carrots and Baked Corn Pudding. You might consider adding one or both of these delicious side dishes to your own Thanksgiving feast!
Sweet and Sour Carrots
1 pound carrots
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
8-ounce can chuck pineapple, drained (reserve juice)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Cook carrots until tender, drain. Add green pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes. Cook 1/2 cup pineapple juice, sugar, salt; add vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch. Drain vegetables and pour sauce over; stir to coat. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Baked Corn Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14 3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Whisk in eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Stir in the corn and cream-style corn. Pour into a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degree for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 10 servings.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Family Favorite With a Rich History
Miracle Cheesecake was one of Beulah’s signature dishes! This no-bake dessert popped up on the Marlow Sunday dinner table and at countless Nine Mile Baptist church potlucks.
In doing a little research for this blog post, I was surprised to learn that my Mom’s Miracle Cheesecake has a fascinating culinary history. This no-bake cheesecake was apparently the signature dish at Woolworths lunch counters all over the country! These lunch counters have an important connection to the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. The lunch counters were the site of nonviolent sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina which led to Woolworths removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. Interesting, right?
The Miracle Cheesecake is a light-as-air lemon confection. This iconic dessert is comprised of two parts: the graham cracker crust/topping and the delicious cheesecake filling. A major component of the filling is Milnot Evaporated Milk, an old-fashioned product not commonly used but still available on supermarket shelves. Important note about this step-the Milnot will whip up much fluffier and the dessert will be much lighter when its at room temperature. Do not refrigerate before whipping! I hope you’ll give this recipe for Miracle Cheesecake a try!
Miracle Cheese Cake
1 package (3-ounce) lemon flavored Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (13-ounce) can Milnot, whipped
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Chill until slightly thickened, Cream together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice; add gelatin and blend well. Fold in stiffly whipped Milnot. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together; press 2/3 of mixture on bottom and sides of 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Spread filling over graham cracker crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill several hours or overnight. Cut in squares and serve plain or garnished with fruit.
Yield: 12 – 16 servings
Mediterranean On The Menu
Grecian Chicken
As Dusty and I sorted through Jane’s recipe collection, we were very surprised to find four recipe cards for this flavorful chicken dish! Since all the recipes were virtually exactly the same, we assumed that this must have been one of her favorites! Even though neither Dusty or I remember Jane preparing and serving this recipe, we felt compelled to give it a try and we’re really glad that we did! The grilled chicken is moist, tender, and juicy! Delicious!
Grecian Chicken
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 (2 ½ to 4 pound) cut-up chicken
Juice of 2 lemons (About 2 tablespoons)
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
- Combine oregano, pepper, garlic powder and salt.
- Rinse chicken pieces under running cold water; pat dry.
- Rub oregano mixture into chicken.
- Mix lemon juice and oils in large shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to coat.
- Refrigerate, covered, 12 to 24 hours.
- Grill about 45 minutes in covered grill, turning and basting with marinade every 5 to 10 minutes. Note: The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees F.
Yield: 4 servings
To receive a notification each time a new recipe is added to Beulah Jane, click on the Follow button in the sidebar. To print a copy of this recipe, right click in the body of the recipe to bring up the dialog box for your printer.
We welcome your comments on the recipes and other content posted to this blog! Thanks for visiting!
Saturday Nite Special
This simple casserole recipe was very popular in the Marlow household when I was growing up! It’s actually little more than baked beans with ground beef added, but the combination makes a delicious main dish that’s both savory and oh so slightly sweet. I’m sure the fact that the ingredients in Saturday Nite Special are also inexpensive pantry staples made it appealing to a mom on a budget. The brown sugar added to the bacon that tops the casserole give the dish a very modern twist!
Being the rule breakers that we are, Dusty and I prepared Saturday Nite Special for dinner on Sunday evening. LOL We followed the recipe as it appears on Beulah’s recipe card pictured above with one deviation. We replaced the pork and beans with a can of Bush’s Best Original Baked Beans, which added some extra flavor to the dish. I think my mom would approve. Served with some crusty bread and a fresh vegetable salad, Saturday Nite Special was just as tasty and satisfying as I remembered!
Saturday Nite Special
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (28 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (20 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Bacon
¼ cup brown sugar
Directions:
Brown ground beef in hot skillet without added fat. Stir often. Add pork and beans. Drain ¾ cup tomato juice from tomatoes and save for future use. Add remaining tomatoes and salt to browned ground beef mixture. Pour half of mixture into greased 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish; cover with sliced onions. Pour remaining beef mixture over onions. Top with strips of bacon and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in 350̊ for one hour.
Note: To print this recipe, simply right click on the post to bring up the print dialogue box.
Potato Chip Cookies
This recipe may sound a little weird, but I guarantee you’ll love it! The potato chips add just enough saltiness to balance the sweetness of the butterscotch chips! Beulah, my mom, created a cookie tradition when she introduced this recipe into her cookie archive! It’s a childhood favorite of her granddaughter, Angela as well as the rest of the family!
Potato Chip Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips
1 package (12 ounces) butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together butter and brown sugar until thoroughly blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in crushed potato chips and butterscotch chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonsful onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool on wire rack.
Yield: 5 1/2 dozen cookies
Beulah Jane 