SOUPS/ CABBAGE SOUP - MOM'S VERSION OF WEIGHT WATCHERS CABBAGE SOUP

BY MARGARET LOUISE RICKETTS

Ingredients:

One med/large head of cabbage, chopped

1 small/medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

One large can of V-8 juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. sugar substitute

2 tbsp. lemon juice

In a large soup pot, place all prepped
veggies.Add the V-8 juice and seasonings.
Cook on high heat until mixture begins
to boil,  stir and turn heat down to low
and continue to cook for two hours.

Serve piping hot with your favorite bread

(great with corn bread, but if you are being

calorie conscious, try with toasted pita bread)

Momma at home in Forestville

Momma made this recipe when she was a 

Weight Watchers Member in the 1960's.

Turns out most of her family enjoyed this

hearty bowl of soup.  

We still make it today and for those who

don't enjoy the actual juice, they just 

scoop it out like a side dish of seasoned

cabbage!  Today, Weight Watchers have 

added to this recipe using green beans, 

sliced zucchini, celery, etc.  You can also

add Italian seasonings and Sweet Italian 

Sausages for a spicy version.

SOUP/ BEAN SOUP

                  BY W.T. RICKETTS

 

Dad and Bud fixing the well on a chilly day.
Bean Soup would be a "warming" choice
for lunch.
 

Joan remembers Dad's rhyme... "Beans, beans are good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you..."  well you get the picture.   Dad is quite a character and so was Momma.  Rosie, Joan and Terry sang in the church choir and had choir practice every Wednesday evening.  It seemed without doubt, in the wintertime, Momma would make a big pot of bean soup and go figure...it was usually on a Wednesday.  Sitting at the dinner table before choir practice, Dad would recite his little rhyme...beans, beans are good for your heart.  While sitting at choir practice my stomach would get to rumbling and of course Dad's rhyme would be the first thing that would come to my mind.  I don't know how much singing I did.  I sure did a lot of fretting through that very long hour of choir practice, hoping not to complete Dad's rhyme in front of the whole choir!  Bet I wasn't alone though...Rosie and Terry had eaten bean soup too!

Bubbling hot bean soup will warm you right up!

Momma did make some delicious bean soup.  This is how Dad likes it...

Ingredients:

3/4 bag of dried navy beans

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1/2 cup carrots (finely chopped)

1 hunk of country ham for seasoning

1 tsp. celery salt
 

Some brands of dried beans don't require that you go through the next few steps...just check your package and follow their directions for prepping beans.

Here's what we do:

Wash and rinse beans in cold water.  Go through the beans really well as sometimes in the picking and processing of dried beans, a little pebble or stone might slip in the bag.  Rinse beans again.
Put beans in cold water and soak for two hours.  Rinse one more time.

In a large pot, place soaked beans, four cups of water, onion, carrot, salt and pepper to taste and the hunk of country ham.

Cook slowly, until the beans are soft, for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Check the pot for sticking and stir occasionally.

Serve with hot corn bread, biscuits or your favorite bread.

Special Note:  Joan likes to add dried Lima beans or the Great Northern Beans along with the Navy Beans.

SALADS

What comes next???   

SOUP!!

In our printed cookbook, we only had two recipes submitted.  Since then,

several requests have been made to enter a few more recipes which our family 

has enjoyed for many years.  

GRANDMA RICKETTS ' FRESH LETTUCE SALAD AND SALAD DRESSING

BY W.T. RICKETTS (TOMMY)

Joan says: "Last year, 2011, I grew butter lettuce for the first time.  Dad asked if I made his mother's Cream Salad Dressing for my lettuce.  This is the first he had spoke of this dressing to me.    I looked all through Momma's cookbooks and notes, no cream salad dressing by Grandma Ricketts.  This summer, 2012,  Dad grew some lettuce and began asking for his mother's salad dressing.  Brother Billy spent some time looking through the cookbooks again, and found a recipe in one of the books titled, Grandma's Salad Dressing.  We made this recipe, tweeked it somewhat to follow Dad's memory of what his Mom put in her dressing, and after several trials and errors...Success!   In asking Dad what else was in the salad, he said: ""nothing...tomatoes were sliced and served on the side.""   Hope you enjoy what Dad remembers as his Mother's...Fresh Lettuce Salad and Salad Dressing!!"

Fresh picked lettuce with Grandma's Dressing
"Dad ate two bowls!"

Ingredients:

1 bowl of fresh picked lettuce

1 to 2 fresh picked tomatoes

1 cup cream

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

couple shakes of pepper

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. celery seed

Directions:

Go to your garden and gather some fresh lettuce (or your local market will do) While you're in the garden, pick one or two ripe tomatoes.  Wash, rinse and drain the lettuce.  Place in a glass bowl.

Wash, peel and slice the tomato, place on small serving platter.

In a pint sized canning jar, place cream, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and celery seed. 

Shake, shake, shake until well blended.  When you shake the mixture it begins to thicken up.  

If you want a thicker dressing,  keep on shaking!

Refrigerate both lettuce and dressing until ready to use.  Before serving, shake the dressing 

once more and pour on lettuce.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This was a real treat for Dad's memory, and all of our tastebuds!!  

Delicious!!!

Joan has used this dressing several times sometimes adding

cucumbers, tomatoes, blue cheese, crumbled bacon, and

most recently to make coleslaw.

Dad requested that this recipe be added to the cookbook

this summer, 2012.

SALADS/ THREE BEAN SALAD

       BY MARGARET LOUISE RICKETTS


 



Dad requested this recipe be added to the

Family Cookbook.  It is one of his favorite

salads that Momma made.

 

Ingredients:

1 can of green beans

1 can of waxed yellow beans

1 can of kidney beans

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

 (you can also add chopped

 red pepper)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Rinse and drain all three cans of beans

and put into a glass bowl.

Add remaining ingredients and stir.

Chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

This will store well in refrigerator for 

two weeks.
 

Update to Mom's recipe: For a new taste treat, try the addition of:
1 cup drained white kernel corn
1 cup rinsed and drained black beans
 

Dad and his Grandkids!

(missing from photo is Christina)

Special Note:  

Since Dad was diagnosed with Diabetes, we have attempted to lower the sugar in all the recipes without changing the quality of the final product.  In this recipe, we use 1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute.

SALAD/ SEVEN LAYER MEXICAN SALAD

                  BY JOAN RICKETTS LOCKE

Ingredients:

Seven Layer Mexican Salad
Great as a side salad, makes a great dinner!

Salad:

One head of lettuce, chopped

One to two tomatoes, diced

Two avocados, peeled and mashed

  (Mix One tbsp. lemon juice with

  avocado to keep from turning brown)

One 16 oz. canned white corn, drained

One 16 oz. canned black beans, drained

1/2 cup chopped red onions

Dressing:

One cup sour cream

One cup miracle whip salad dressing

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

shake of salt and pepper to taste

Two cups Monterrey Jack/Colby shredded

 cheese

One cup crushed Lime Tortilla Chips

In a large glass salad bowl (glass trifle bowl works well),

begin layering:  lettuce, spread avocado, black beans,

tomatoes, white corn, red onion

After mixing dressing ingredients, spread on top

of salad layers.  Top with cheese, then add the

crushed tortilla chips.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Joan says: " Some folks in the family can't eat onions, so I add a layer of unpeeled, thinly sliced cucumbers.  Onions can be served on the side.  I also serve additional crushed tortilla chips on the side.  Another option is chopped green or red peppers."

Enjoy!!

SALAD/ SHRIMP MACARONI SALAD

                        BY APREL MENCER GREENE

Ingredients:

1 bag of small frozen cooked shrimp

A huge YUM for this recipe!
You can use any type of macaroni  noodles!

1 bag of medium frozen cooked shrimp

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 box shell macaroni

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup cubed cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni and drain.  Let 

cool.  Place macaroni in large bowl

and add: Onion, Pepper, Celery, 

Cucumber, Cheddar Cheese Cubes

and thawed, rinsed Shrimp.

Add Mayo and mix (more or less 

mayo may be needed, you be the 

judge).

Add Old Bay Seasoning to taste.

Mix, refrigerate and then serve!

Aprel and daughter, Rose

SALAD/POTATO SALAD

   BY MOMMA AND JOAN

     Don't get too fussy or fancy with this...
it will taste better if you keep it simple!  Prepare it a day in advance for flavors to 

blend in.  If making for a crowd, just 
double this recipe.

Ingredients:

10 to 12 Russet baking potatoes

1/2 cup of chopped fine celery

1/2 cup white onion chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped gherkin pickles

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing

salt and pepper to taste

In large pan, boil potatoes with salt

and skin on potatoes.

Are they done? Stick a knife in potato to check.

if the knife goes in easy..they're done, don't overcook.

When potatoes are cooled to touch,

peel and cube potatoes (bite sized pieces)

Add celery, onion, pickles and mix together.

Mix in mayonnaise and salad 

dressing.  Add a little, a tablespoon or two, 

of the sweet pickle juice. Mix.  

Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

Put in a glass serving bowl, pottery bowl, 

or your favorite serving dish. If you'd like

add some sliced hard boiled eggs and

sprinkle on some Paprika.

Momma used regular cooking potatoes, and

she mixed her potato salad when the potatoes

were still warm.  Joan likes the Russet potatoes,

 purple onions and sprinkles on chopped (or dried)
 parsley.

Though many of us try to duplicate or create a potato salad as tasty as Momma,

Dad said most recently, "No one tops your mother's potato salad, absolutely no one!"

A Proud Dad sitting on his newly renovated tractor, October 2010.

This was a lot of work for an 81 year old man!

Everyone has their own favorite potato salad recipe.  Instead of the sweeter version, as Momma's is,  Try chopped dill pickles, crumbled bacon on the top, mustard, fresh chopped dill, green pepper, red pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, etc.  For a change though...try Momma's!

SALAD/ PEA SALAD

                                     BY ROSIE RICKETTS MENCER

Ingredients:

Pea Salad
(Joan says: "The omission of tomatoes as my son, Andrew is not a
tomato fan and I added a layer of cucumbers.")

1 head shredded lettuce 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

3 large carrots chopped

1 large tomato chopped

1 small package frozen peas

Layer above items, one at a time,

in a large glass bowl.

Sprinkle with two tsp. sugar.

Ice with a mixture of:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

Sprinkle on top of salad:

1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar 

 cheese

1 cup of crisp bacon crumbled

 (or bacon bits)

4 tsp. sugar

Rosie first brought this salad to a 

Ricketts Family Easter dinner and 

it soon became a "family favorite."

Buddy requested this recipe be 

added to the cookbook!

Rosie, her last Christmas with us, opening her Angel Music Box...
A gift from Joanie

SALAD/ ANGELA'S AMISH MACARONI SALAD

                BY ANGELA 

Ingredients:

2 cups Elbow Macaroni

3 hard boiled eggs

Angela's Amish Macaroni Salad

1 small onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tbsp. dill pickle relish

2 cups Miracle Whip Salad Dressing

3 tbsp. yellow mustard

3/4 cup white sugar  (I use 1/3 cup)

2 1/4 tsp. Apple Cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt   (I use celery salt)

3/4 tsp. celery seed

Boil macaroni until done, drain and cool.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, onion, celery, 

red pepper and relish.

In a small bowl, stir together Miracle Whip,

mustard, white sugar, vinegar, salt and 

celery.  Pour over vegetables and mix.

Stir in macaroni until well blended.

Cover and chill at least one hour before serving.

This dish is great to take to gatherings, picnics or

at home for a cookout!

Angela and son, Ethan

C

SALAD/ APRICOT SALAD

                                              BY SALLY LOWRY ROBERTS

Ingredients:

Two (2) small packages apricot jello

2/3 cup of sugar

2/3 cup water

Put above ingredients in a saucepan

and bring to a boil.  Remove from

heat and add one 8 oz. package of

cream cheese.  Stir to dissolve.

Add two jars of apricot baby food

and one can crushed pineapple. 

Set aside to cool.

Add whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Cover salad with chopped pecans,

if desired.

Sally says, "Whenever my granddaughter, 

Stacey, comes to dinner, she hopes I have made this."

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ WRAPPING IT UP!

                    BY JOAN RICKETTS LOCKE

We hope you have enjoyed the Main Course Dishes section.  

Years ago, Home Economics was a required course young women took in Junior and Senior High School.  We learned the artful crafts of cooking, sewing and taking care of a home.  Each time we would cook a recipe in class, I would come home and recreate the recipe at home for our family.  Thank goodness Momma was always peeking over my shoulder. I thought I had mastered at school the recipe but real soon I was in "way too far over my head" at home.  Momma encouraged me to keep trying that same recipe, like the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect."  That was so true for me with most everything except pie crusts. Definitely not going to get a blue ribbon on pie crusts.  

Today I continue the love of cooking, but most especially, the tried and true recipes of our family.  It is fun to try different seasonings, different oils and also to adjust the sugar levels in recipes to accommodate special diets.  

One thing is for certain today, almost every member of the 

family loves to cook.  Cooking, it seems, has become a national "hobby."  Our one brother, Buddy, loves to experiment
 with grilling.  He did not submit his recipe for 

"ribs on the grill," but he sure should have.  I must say, 

Bud's method of cooking on the grill, with in-direct heat, is definitely the key to success.

Brother Billy is a definite contender in the kitchen cooking fish, venison, and he enjoys grilling as well.  Our sister, Terry, has a cooking blog offering up some tasty recipes and weaves a story to 

go along with each dish.  Then there are the many grandchildren of Momma and Daddy who have picked up the torch and carried 

it on cooking old and new recipes.

Our Dad cooks, he may not admit it, but I've seen him at the stove several times over the years.  He proudly holds the title of "family judge" though.  Truly I think he should have become a "food critic" in his retiring years.  Listen, if you bring something home to The Farm and ask his opinion, well be prepared...he's gonna lay it out honest for you.  If you ever meet Dad, just ask him, 

he'll be happy to tell you he is the reason 

Momma became a master of the stove top!  

He was always her best critic!

Time to move on to SALADS!


In the next Salad Section, additional recipes have been added to the "online" version.

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ BUD AND BILL'S CATCH OF THE DAY...PERCH

                  BY BUDDY AND BILLY RICKETTS

What could be the best Father's Day gift... one might say, fresh Perch!

Caught, cleaned and cooked the same day...that's how Buddy and Billy do it!

A cooler full of fresh perch.

Back from a 5:00 a.m. catch.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

 Filleting is a learned technique.

Practice makes perfect and
Bud is a master at it!

Billy gives cleaning and filleting

a try!

Once fish are cleaned and washed, let's head in to the kitchen and fry them up.

Place 1/3 cup of cooking oil in cast iron fry pan.  (use whatever you like, Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, butter)

Heat up oil in pan to medium/high heat.

Get three bowls, one with some milk, one with a beaten egg  and one with fish coating.  Now when we say fish coating this means either, breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, cornmeal, flour, whichever you prefer.  There are several fish fry batter mixes you can purchase at your local store.  This time, Billy used Ritz Crackers crushed up real fine.  Billy can fry up some excellent fish!

Next dip your fish in the milk, then the egg and roll the piece of fish in cracker crumbs.  Fry in med/high hot pan til golden brown, then flip over and fry the other side.  3 minutes on each side should do it! 

Get ready to sit down and enjoy one great meal, especially if someone made up some coleslaw and tartar sauce!

Special note:  This recipe was not in the original printed version of the cookbook, but a recipe and story this good, well we just had to add it in!   Hope you enjoy a fish fry as much as these brothers!
Father's Day weekend - 2012

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ WORLD'S BEST HOT DOG

           BY BUDDY RICKETTS

Here's what you do to create the
 "World's Best Hot Dog!"

Uncle Buddy and Angela at
"The Ricketts Family Farm" 1984.

Start a fire in the fireplace.

Go outside and get a stick about three feet long.

Sharpen one end of the stick.

Spread hot coals out in the fireplace.

Put hot dog on the stick.

Turn hot dog slowly, until all sides are

cooked the way you like it.

Remove hot dog from stick.

Enjoy the Hot Dog!

Now...start all over again cooking                                           

your next hot dog!

Granddaddy Buddy and Granddaughter, Lauren
in Florida, Spring 2012

Bud, relaxing at home
Spring 2012

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ VENISON TENDERLOIN OR CHOPS

      By Andrew Locke

 

Venison Tenderloin

 

Directions:



Take 1 lb. venison tenderloin or chops

Brown in fry pan with 2 tbsp of butter

Season with: 3 tbsp. Worcestershire

Sauce, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp.

Lawrys Seasoning Salt, 1 tsp. salt,

1 tsp. pepper

Simmer in pan until thoroughly cooked.

About 20 minutes.

Slice and serve over brown rice.

Andrew says: "You see a lot of deer when you're out in the field working every day!"

Continuing on the Ricketts' Family Tradition of

farming...Andrew and son, Aaron  on the combine.



Aaron and Dad at School
Thanksgiving Day Dinner

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ SPAGHETTI PIE

                            BY JOAN RICKETTS LOCKE

This recipe was shared with me by
my friend, Linda Scarborough in 1989!

Ingredients:

2 cups spaghetti sauce

Spaghetti Pie...A family favorite!

1 small pkg. cooked spaghetti,

 or angel hair pasta

1 large container of cottage 

 cheese or ricotta cheese

1 small pkg. shredded

 Parmesan cheese

1 small pkg. shredded Asiago

 cheese

1 small pkg. Mozzarella cheese

Directions:  Preheat oven to 

350 degrees.

Spray PAM cooking spray.

into rectangular baking dish. You

can use a pie pan, or any baking

dish...any shape will do!

Coat dish with 1 cup of spaghetti

sauce.

Mix 1 beaten egg, black pepper,

chopped oregano leaves and 

shredded Parmesan cheese in

with spaghetti.

Pour and spread over spaghetti

sauce.

Mix 1 beaten egg, black pepper,

chopped oregano leaves and 1/2

Asiago cheese with container of

Cottage cheese.  Spread evenly over

spaghetti in dish.

Top with 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.

Top with remaining 1/2 Asiago cheese, 

and Mozzarella cheese.

A family celebration for Madelyn's Christening
Angela, Maddy, Grandma Joanie and Aunt Terry

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let pie set for 15 minutes after removing

from oven.  Now it will be easier to

serve.  

Joan says, "I usually make spaghetti

pie a few nights after we've had spaghetti,

using the leftover sauce and cooked

noodles.  This is a great dish to take to 

a potluck supper or a family event.

You can make it the night you have 

spaghetti and wrap well with aluminum

foil, freeze and you'll be ready to pop

in the oven on a busy night!  ENJOY!"

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ SMOTHERED BEEF

                       BY JOAN RICKETTS LOCKE

Ingredients:

One 3 to 4 lb. Chuck Steak or Roast

One large onion, sliced

One large green bell pepper, sliced

One large red bell pepper, sliced

One bottle Kraft Roasted Red

 Pepper Dressing

In a large crock pot, place two tsp. of 

Olive Oil, beef, onion and peppers.  

Cover with dressing and turn pot to 

high temperature.  Cook one hour

and then turn the pot to low 

temperature.  Continue slow cooking

for two to three more hours.  Check

beef tenderness by pulling apart with

a fork.  If it pulls apart easy, it's done!

Remove beef from pot.  Turn pot on

high heat to make a gravy.  Make

your favorite gravy recipe with beef

stock in the crock pot.  I use Momma's

flour and water method, by placing 

two tbsp. flour in a pint jar with very 

hot water (about half the pint of water).  

Shake jar until the water/flour mixture has

 thickened.  Pour into stock and stir constantly, 

Joan and son, Andrew's, Show and Sale Steer, 2005

continue stirring until smooth
 (no lumps). 

Serve with your favorite rice, mashed

potatoes or wide egg noodles.

TIP:  If you do have lumps in your 
gravy,a trick Momma taught me
 was to pourthe gravy through a
 wired strainer and

"no lumps!"

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ ROSIE'S CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

BY TERRY RICKETTS REDELL

This is a great way to use up leftover chicken!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Approximately two cups chopped chicken

1 package of frozen chopped broccoli

1 can cream of mushroom (or cream of

 chicken) soup mixed with 1 can milk

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Spray casserole with PAM.  Make layers

in order given above.  Melt one stick of

butter in fry pan.  Break up stale bread 

and fry in butter (about one cup).  Mash

it down to soak up the butter.  Sprinkle

this on top of your casserole.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 

minutes to an hour.  Make sure the casserole

is all bubbly and the topping is crunchy.

You can make this a day or so ahead so 

when you get home from work, it's ready

for the oven.  Make a salad, and it's a meal.

Sisters,  Terry, Rosie and Joan
at home in Forestville, Md.

MAIN COURSE DISHES/ ROSIE AND APREL'S CHRISTMAS MORNING QUICHE

BY APREL MENCER GREENE

Quiche is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

The following quiche recipe may be used to make

sausage, shrimp or crab quiche.  Aprel and her

Mom would make all three for Christmas morning!

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage (or 1 bag of frozen shrimp,

 or 1 lb. of crab meat)

12 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

4 cups of cheddar cheese

2 frozen pie crust shells

Cook and drain sausage.  Mix together,

sausage, eggs, milk and cheese.  Divide

mix between the two pie crusts.  Put the

pie crust on a cookie sheet which has 

been lined with foil.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for

30 to 45 minutes.  Quiche is done when a 

knife inserted in center of pie comes out 

clean.