A La Carte

Each year around St. Patrick’s day, I think of my great-grandma Holland, who has been described as a child of immigrants, with a strong Irish temper. Born Margaret MacElroy on Valentine’s Day at the beginning of the 20th century, she loved to crochet but only learned to knit a few years before her death in 1986. My grandpa, her son, says she canned everything from peaches to beef, and even worked at a local canning factory in Central Lake, Mich.

In Grandma’s box of recipes were newspaper ads for Dingman’s Food and Smallegan, Smith and Company from June 20, 1962.  Prices for a tall can of Campbell’s tomato soup was 10 cents, tuna was three cans for 89 cents, six ounce cans of Shurfine frozen orange juice were seven for $1, smoked ham was 39 cents per pound, and watermelons were 89 cents each.
After she passed, a book of her signature recipes was made for each of her children and grandchildren. Not all of her favorite dishes were Irish, but they bring back memories to those who knew her best.

Irish Soda Bread
3 cups sifted flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups currants or dark raisins
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted shortening or oil
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt together into large bowl.  Stir in currants.  Blend eggs, buttermilk and shortening.  Add liquid all at once until flour is moistened.  Turn into greased loaf pan.  Bake in 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on rack.

Stuffed Green Peppers
4 large green peppers
1/2 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons chopped onion
4 teaspoons shortening
1 tablespoon Worcestershire or A1
1 cup boiled rice
1 1/4 cups diced tomatoes
1/3 cup browned bread crumbs
Seed green pepper by removing top and parboil them for 5 minutes; drain.  Brown beef with salt, pepper and onion in shortening; add meat sauce, rice and tomatoes.  Stuff green peppers with mixture.  Arrange upright in a greased baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Oatmeal Cake
1 1/4 cups boiling water, poured over 1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and white sugar.  Add remaining ingredients and mix the two together.  Take at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Icing
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup nuts
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup milk or cream
2 egg whites
Mix ingredients together and spread on cake while it is still hot.  Place under the broiler for a short time, until the topping becomes bubbly and brown.

Irish Fruit Cake
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 cups mixed fruit (raisins and currants)
1/4 cup chopped citrus fruit
2 teaspoons mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bottle beer, divided
Cook shortening, sugar, fruit, spices and ale for 10 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously.  Set aside to cool.  Then add beaten eggs, very slowly.  Sift flour in gradually, stirring well.  Then add soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of ale.  Pour into lined loaf pan and bake in 350 oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Heather Holland, a Weekend Scene Opinion columnist, is a junior majoring in public relations and fashion merchandising and can be reached via e-mail at heather.l.holland@wmich.edu.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=4720

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Mar 11 2009. Filed under Recipe, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com