The Family Vault: A Collection of Recipes from the Kitchen of Carol Ruth Watson

By Carol Ruth Watson

This is a wonderful collection of recipes, both old and new, plus a section of helpful hints and kitchen equivalents and emergency substitutions no kitchen should be without.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Dec 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781489719621

Carol Ruth Watson

The author began her cooking adventure when she was 10 and living in Ft. Worth, Texas. Since that time she has lived in various parts of Texas and traveled some, but always stayed in the States. She married at 17, continued her senior year and graduated from Leon ISD. With her husband working away from home as a Merchant Marine, she reared their children to school age, then at the urging of her mother-in-law, attended nursing school and graduated in ’74. She worked two jobs while juggling home and family and managed to save enough money for a down payment on a house in Corpus Christ, TX, where her husband worked. The family moved the day after Christmas, 1974, and she began working on January 3, 1975. On the Monday after Thanksgiving in 1979, she became paralyzed from the waist down and went through an extensive hospital and rehab stay to return home and begin a new chapter in her life as a single mother of two. The following year she enrolled in college and was blessed to graduate with both an AA and an AAS as a Laboratory Tech. It was four years before the hospital community decided that she could actually do the work she had been trained for, as no disabled person had ever actually been employed in the medical field there. In 1998, she retired and moved back to her grandmother’s hometown and settled down on a little patch of heaven. In 2011, she knew just how she needed her kitchen, so she approached her brother who found his hammer and saw, and got crackin’. She now has a lovely and accessible kitchen, just like she always knew she wanted, and loves living in the country, sitting on the front porch drinking iced tea and watching the world pass by.

Book preview

A Well-Stocked Kitchen

The following list is only a suggestion for some of the tools and ingredients you might find useful in the kitchen as you go about preparing the dishes that WOW your family and friends. I remember my Grandmother Watson, sitting in a rope-bottomed chair on the back porch, whipping egg whites for meringue with a dining fork. She did not have a fancy schmancy mix-master. She made ice cream with Rennet tablets and an old ice cube tray, scraping the delicious scented concoction with a fork as it froze. She cracked ice cubes with the handle of a knife so we could have colder tea.

We are so fortunate to be able to just reach up in the cabinet and bring down whatever we need. We have no need to add it to the list, and then wait until Saturday, when everyone went to town to buy for the following week, or month!

*Just as an aside, I keep all my coffee, tea, flour, grains, pastas, breads, crackers, most spices, and dried beans and peas in the freezer to keep little bugs from ruining them.

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Staples

Baking powder

Baking soda

Breadcrumbs

Buttermilk baking mix

Coffee

Cornmeal (plain)

Cornmeal mix

Cornstarch

Flour (all-purpose and self-rising)

Knox© gelatin, or equivalent

Graham crackers/crumbs

Herbed croutons

Non-stick cooking spray

Olive oil (light and extra-virgin)

Powdered buttermilk

Rice (instant, regular)

Salad oil

Salad dressings

Shortening

Spaghetti, macaroni and noodles

Sugar (granulated, brown, confectioner’s)

Tea

Vegetable oil

Vinegar (white and apple cider)

Yeast

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Seasonings

Allspice

Basil leaves

Bay Leaf

Balsamic Vinegar

Bouillon: beef, chicken and vegetable

Cardamom (whole and ground)

Catsup

Chili powder

Cinnamon

Cloves (whole and ground)

Cumin

Curry powder

Dill weed

Extracts of Vanilla, Lemon, Almond, Butter, Walnut, etc.

Garlic powder

Ginger

Lemon, Lime juice concentrate

Marjoram

Minced onion (dried)

Mustard (prepared and dry)

Nutmeg

Oregano

Paprika

Parsley flakes

Pepper (whole, ground, black and white)

Salt

Savory

Seasoned salt

Thyme

Turmeric

Worcestershire Sauce

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In the Cupboard (canned)

Assortment of canned fruits and vegetables

Assortment of canned and creamed soups

Black olives (whole, sliced and chopped)

Chopped green peppers

Meats: tuna, salmon, luncheon meat, ham

Mushrooms, whole and sliced

Peanut butter

Pie fillings (cherry, apple and blueberry)

Ready-to-serve frostings

Ready-to-serve puddings

Ready-to-serve sauces

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In the Cupboard (packaged)

Cake mixes (several flavors)

Casserole mixes (scalloped potatoes, rice and noodle mixes)

Dessert mixes and toppings, muffin mixes

Flavored gelatins (several flavors)

Graham Crackers

Grated Parmesan cheese

Milk (instant, condensed and evaporated)

Instant potatoes

Piecrust mix

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In the Freezer

Assortment of fruits and vegetables

Cake, waffles, ice cream, sherbet

Fruit juices

Meats: beef, fish, pork, poultry

Whipped topping

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In the Refrigerator

Bell peppers (assorted colors)

Butter or margarine

Carrots

Cheese (assorted types)

Eggs

Lettuce

Milk

Onions

Potatoes

Spinach

Tomatoes

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Food Preparation

Bottle and jar openers

Can opener (I prefer a wall-hung Swing-a-way©)

Cheesecloth

Cheese grater

Colander

Cutlery set

Cutting board

Dough cutters (biscuit, cookie, doughnut)

Fork (long and short-handled)

Garlic press

Grease separator (I’m partial to Oxo©)

Kitchen shears

Ladles

Measuring cups (dry and liquid)

Measuring spoons

Mixing bowls (various sizes)

Pastry blender

Pastry cloth

Refrigerator and freezer containers

Rolling pin

Rotary beater

Rubber scraper

Scales

Sifter

Slotted spoons

Spatula (long and short-handled)

Strainer, several sizes

Toaster

Tongs (long and short-handled)

Vegetable brush

Vegetable peeler

Whisks (assorted sizes)

Wooden spoons

Zester

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For Top-of-the-Range Cooking

Saucepans with covers

Skillets with covers

Stockpot with lid

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For Baking

Baking pan (13x9x2-inch)

Baking/cookie sheet

Bundt pan

Cake pans (8 and 9-inch)

Casseroles with covers

Custard cups

Loaf pan (9x5x3-inch)

Muffin pan (6 or 12 cup)

Oven mitts

Pie pans (8 and 9-inch)

Square pans (8 and 9-inch)

Tube pan (10x4-inch)

Wire cooling racks

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Nice to Have

Apple corer

Blender

Cake slicer/server

Canisters with airtight lids for storing staples (pasta, coffee, tea, sugar, etc.)

Cheese slicer

Covered cake stand

Crock Pot

Dutch oven

Electric skillet

Food chopper or grinder

Food processor

Griddle

Gelatin molds

Jelly roll pan (15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1-inch)

Juicer

Kitchen timer

Knife sharpener

Melon baller

Mixer

Pressure cooker or the newer instant pot

Roasting pan with lid

Thermometers (oven, meat, candy, deep fat)

Emergency Substitutions and Measurements

Buttermilk

1 TBSP lemon juice or vinegar with milk added to equal 1 cup

Baking Powder

2 parts cream of tartar to 1 part baking soda (Arm and Hammer© or equivalent)

Can sizes

8 oz. = 1 cup

Picnic = 1 ¼ cups or 10 ½ to 12 oz.

12- oz. vacuum = 1 ½ cups

No. 300 = 1 ¾ cup or 14 to 16 oz.

No. 303 = 2 cups or 16 to 17 oz.

No. 2 = 2 ½ cups or 20 oz.

No. 2 ½ = 3 ½ cups or 29 oz.

No. 3 cylinder = 5 ¾ cups or 46 oz.

No. 10 = 12 to 13 cups or 6 ½ to 7 lbs., 5 oz. (equals 7 No. 303 cans or 5 No. 2 cans)

Cereal/Pasta

4 oz. macaroni (1 to 1 ¼ cup) = 2 ¼ cups cooked

4 oz. noodles (1 ½ to 2 cups) = 2 ¼ cups cooked

4 oz. spaghetti (1 to 1 ¼ cups) = 2 ½ cups cooked

1 cup uncooked rice (6 ½ to 7 oz.) = 3 to 3 ½ cups cooked

1 cup precooked rice = 2 cups cooked

Cheese and eggs

1 lb. process cheese, shredded = 4 cups

¼ lb. blue cheese, crumbled = ¾ to 1 cup

12 to 14 egg yolks = 1 cup

8 to 10 egg whites = 1 cup

Chocolate

1 square (1 oz.) = 3 TBSP cocoa plus 1 TBSP. butter

Cinnamon sugar

¼ cup sugar + 1 TBSP cinnamon

Cornstarch

1 TBSP = 2 TBSP flour

Cream

1 cup heavy cream = 2 cups whipped

Crumbs

20 saltines = 1 cup fine crumbs

12 graham crackers = 1 cup fine crumbs

22 vanilla wafers= 1 cup fine crumbs

8 to 9 slices zwieback = 1 cup fine crumbs

1 slice bread = ½ cup soft crumbs

For buttered crumbs = 1 to 2 TBSP butter for 1 cup soft crumbs and 2 to 4 TBSP butter for 1 cup dry crumbs.

Egg (whole)

One whole egg = 2 egg yolks

Equivalent measurements

3 tsp. (teaspoons) = 1 TBSP (tablespoon)

4 TBSP = ¼ cup

5 ⅓ TBSP= ⅓ cup

16 TBSP = 1 cup

2 cup = 1 pt. (pint)

4 cups = 1 qt. (quart)

2 qt. = ½ gal. (gallon)

4 qt. = 1 gallon

Fruits and vegetables

Juice of 1 lemon = 3 to 4 TBSP

Grated peel of 1 lemon = 1 tsp.

Juice of 1 orange = 6 to 7 TBSP

Grated peel of 1 orange = 2 tsp.

1 medium apple, chopped = 1 cup

1 medium onion, chopped = ½ cup

2 stalks celery (¼ lb.) chopped = 1 cup

Nuts

1 lb. walnuts in shell = 2 cups shelled

¼ lb. walnuts, chopped = 1 cup

1 lb. almonds in shell = 1 cup shelled

Household Hints and Helps

Store grain products, such as flour, corn meal, baking mixes, pastas, and the like, in the freezer to prevent weevils from appearing.

Store scouring pads such as Brill-O© or SOS© pads in a zip-lock freezer bag in the freezer to prevent rust. To use simply remove from bag. Replace in bag and refreeze if still useable.

Clean pots and pans:

To remove soot and cooking buildup, and brighten bottoms of copper-bottomed pans, wet with vinegar and sprinkle salt lightly over pan bottom. (You can actually watch the copper brighten around each salt granule!) Rub lightly with your fingertips or damp sponge and copper returns to brilliance.

Use baking soda and a non-scratch pad to remove cooking greasy, sooty build-up from bottom and sides of pans. Wet pan, sprinkle soda over and rub with non-scratch pad until pan is clean.

Re-seasoning and care of cast iron cook ware:

— Wash and rinse cast iron well. Dry. Rub with cooking oil and place in 300° F. oven for 2 hours. Turn off oven and allow to cool. Wipe off any remaining oil. Remove cast iron from oven and store.

— To clean, use a stiff brush or plastic scrubber under running water while the cast iron is still warm but cool enough to handle with ease. Kosher salt is also a good scrubbing agent for baked-on stains. The most important tip is never use soap!

— Before cooking, apply vegetable oil to the cooking surface, and preheat the pan on low heat, increasing the temperature slowly.

— Never marinate in cast iron. Acidic mixtures will damage the seasoning. Re-season if food particles start to stick, rust appears or you experience a metallic taste.

General cleaning solution:

½ cup ammonia

⅓ cup vinegar

Squeeze of Dawn© dishwashing liquid

2 TBSP baking soda

— Mix ammonia and vinegar together in spray bottle. Add healthy squeeze of dishwashing liquid and swirl to mix. Add baking soda last. Mixture will foam briefly, and then subside. Using a funnel fill with water to neck of bottle.

Excellent for cleaning grime and grease from doorways, counters, stovetops, sinks, bathrooms, floors.

Stain remover:

1 cup Oxy-Clean©

1 cup Clorox II©

5 gallons hottest tap water

— Soak article overnight, launder as usual.

Ballpoint pen ink: (Kudos to Mrs. Lily Bomer for this one)

— Soak in bowl of sweet milk overnight. Launder as usual.

I saved a bedspread that was a wedding gift using this method. When she told what to do, I thought, What? I was speechless the next morning. All the red ink was gone from a pale blue bedspread!

Kitchen Helps and Fix-Its

Beverages:

Bitter tasting brewed coffee

— Add a pinch of salt to coffee that has brewed too long.

Weak brewed coffee

— Add a little instant coffee to the pot. It will strengthen it without changing the fresh taste.

Weak brewed tea

— Add a pinch of baking soda to the teapot.

Breads:

Slightly stale

— Sprinkle bread with water or milk, wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350° F. for about 8 minutes. If hard-crusted, open foil for 3-5 minutes longer.

Dry coffeecake

— Put 2 TBSP water or milk in large skillet, place un-frosted cake on trivet. Cover with lid and leave over low heat about 8 minutes. Do not use a cake that has been frosted or iced.

Left over bread heels and rolls

— Store any leftover bread, heels or rolls and freeze in freezer bags for use in dressings or bread puddings.

Cakes:

Crack in the middle of a cake

— Oven too hot or temperature was uneven during baking. Fill crack with frosting.

Cake has shiny, sticky streak

— Poor mixing, too slow baking or irregular heating of pan in oven.

Cake rises in oven, caves in when cooling

— Pan was over-filled; egg whites were beaten when recipe did not call for it. Hide unevenness when frosting.

Cake rises too much, overflows in pan

— Too much baking powder, too little flour or pan was filled more than ⅔ full.

Cheeses:

Dried out leftover cheese

— Store dried out cheese (unprocessed) in freezer: frozen it crumbles easily; slice it thin without thawing, to use in recipes calling for grated cheese.

Moldy cheese

— Wipe off mold with paper towels soaked in vinegar; scrape off heavy mold with knife. Cheese flavor is not affected. Recover tightly with plastic wrap.

Eggs:

Shell cracks while egg is boiling

— Add a few drops of vinegar to the water before boiling.

— Use eggs at room temperature.

One egg short for recipe

— Substitute one teaspoon of cornstarch.

Tough, rubbery omelet

— Add one scant teaspoon of water, or milk, per egg to mixture to keep omelet from being tough.

Fats and oils:

Frying fat has strong flavor or odor

— After frying strong-flavored foods, cool, then add a raw potato, reheat slowly. Discard potato and strain fat.

Left over frying fat or oil

— Cool and strain through cheesecloth and store in refrigerator.

Olive oils

— When purchasing olive oil, purchase enough for one month and no more. Olive oil oxidizes rapidly after opening so a large quantity will go rancid and will need to be discarded.

Fish:

Fish has a strong fishy odor

— Rub fish with lemon juice and salt to prevent the odor from being absorbed by other food.

Fruit:

Stewed fruit is turning sour

— Add a pinch of baking soda and re-boil for 5 minutes.

When stewing very sour fruit

— Add a pinch of salt to reduce the amount of sugar.

Stored coconut is dry and hard

— Place over a pot of steaming water for a few minutes.

Sauces:

Curdled or separated mayonnaise

— Into a warmed bowl, put 1 teaspoon mustard and 1 tablespoon curdled mayonnaise. Beat with whisk until creamy. Add mayonnaise slowly until blended.

Lumpy sauce or gravy

— Pour gravy or sauce through strainer and mash out lumps with a wooden spoon. Reheat very slowly.

Too much fat in gravy

— Cool the gravy and then skim off the fat from the surface or pour through ice cubes into a bowl; the fat will solidify making removal easy.

Sugar:

To keep sugar soft and moist

— Place a slice of bread in the container and cover tightly.

Brown sugar caked and hard

— Place in 200° F. oven until the sugar is dry and crumbly.

— Powder in a blender or use a mortar and pestle.

To keep granulated sugar from lumping

— Place a couple of saltine crackers in the container and cover tightly.

To keep brown sugar from drying out and lumping

— If needed right now, cover with damp paper towel and microwave 15-20 seconds. Check. Break up any lumps, remoisten paper towel and microwave another 10-15 seconds. Check often to keep from scorching sugar.

— If needed later, place a slice of bread, a few slices of apple, or a couple of marshmallows in the sack. Cover tightly.

Too much sugar

— Add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar.

Vegetables:

— A little lemon juice in the cooking water of green vegetables helps them retain a fresh green color.

— Fresh fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, apples, pears, potatoes etc. should be washed in a sink-full of cool water into which 1 capful of Clorox© bleach has been added. Place vegetables and fruits in water and swirl to wash dirt, bugs and pesticides off. Remove, rinse in clear, cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Keep stored in a refrigerator crisper.

— Loose leaf lettuce such as bib, red-tip or green-tip should have the bottom of the plant cut away and, while holding together with both hands, submerged and washed in the bleach solution by dunking up and down until all the dirt is washed from the stems. Rinse well in clear, cold water and shake off all the excess. Place in a bowl large enough to hold the lettuce and cover with a plastic covering. Keep stored in a refrigerator crisper.

Basic Tips for Cooks

Thoroughly read the recipe to familiarize yourself with it. Assemble all the ingredients and equipment you are going to need prior to beginning.

Place cans of fruit and vegetables for salads in refrigerator ahead of time for chilling, or, if a quick chill is necessary, put cans in the freezer while you are preparing the meal.

Use kitchen scissors to snip parsley or to cut marshmallows and dried fruit, as well as other ingredients that take time to chop.

When heating water for noodles or frozen vegetables, start with hot tap water.

Use cookware that goes from oven-to-freezer-to-oven-to-table. An alternate way would be to freeze in a casserole, then remove contents and wrap in foil so casserole is available for use. When you are ready to heat, just pop the frozen block back into the same casserole.

Use ice cube trays to freeze bouillon, chicken broth, etc., then store cubes in a moisture-vapor-proof plastic bag.

Bake double batches of cookies or cakes and pies and freeze one batch for later. Roll out pastry dough, cut into squares and freeze to use for tart shells.

Frost cupcakes in half the time by dipping the top of each cupcake into soft frosting, twirling slightly, and quickly turning right side up.

Freeze chopped onion and chopped green pepper for quick use later on or substitute instant onion and dehydrated pepper flakes.

Fish and seafood: Insist upon freshness. Fresh fish has a firm and elastic flesh, scales that cling to the skin (in most species), red-pink gills, bright bulging eyes and a pleasant deep-sea fragrance.

— Avoid overcooking. Fish has cooked when it loses its transparent look, turns white and the flesh flakes easily when lifted with a toothpick or fork.

— Sprinkle fish with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a generous amount of lemon, lime or grapefruit juice before cooking. The longer the marinade is used before cooking, the better the fish will be. Drain off any surplus and cook by almost any recipe, including frying.

— Dry fish thoroughly before frying in order to prevent the fat from spattering when fish is placed in it. Place fish with the flesh side down to prevent curling. Have the fat hot, but never smoking. Turn to brown on other side. When broiling, do just the opposite, place in pan with skin side down. If fillets are thin, no turning is necessary.

— Do not overcook shellfish. Shrimp turn pink with cooking. Cook only until tender. Give them the old taste-test.

— Oysters and clams curl around the edges when cooked enough. Unusually large clams are very hard to cook tender. It is best to grind them and use in recipes including other foods.

For stuffing, trussing and roasting: Sew up the neck before stuffing, or fasten skin over breast with small metal skewers or polished toothpicks. Fill the cavity lightly with desired dressing and sew up or fasten as at the neck. Bend wings under and back securely, tie legs together with string, and bring string around tail before tying close to body. Dusting the outer surface of the stuffed bird with seasoned flour, just before placing it in the roasting pan, helps to form a crisp, evenly browned roast. If roasting poultry breast-side down, a V-shaped wire rack that fits into the roasting pan will produce juicier breast meat.

For a quick garnish that makes meals more attractive and fun, keep on hand items such as maraschino cherries, parsley, olives and chopped nuts.

Whenever a recipe calls for both chopped onions and celery, work with the onion first, then the celery. Celery removes onion smells from the hands. True!

Pour the last cupful of filling into the shell AFTER the pie is in the oven and before you close the door. No more oven cleanups from pie mishaps.

Whenever possible, clean up as you work, washing cooking equipment as you go, or placing it in water.

Prevent bubble over from deep-dish pies by turning a custard cup upside down in center of dish. Pour in fruit, top with crust. Cup also lifts pastry so it won’t get soggy.

Baking soda sprinkled on the bottom of pans will scrub off cooked-on soot caused by gas ranges.

Burned on food in stainless steel pans will be easier to remove when soaked overnight in soapy water.

Stain Removal: grease, coffee, tea, lipstick or set-in stains from table linens and napkins, pour hot water into a large stockpot,