Mennonite Monday - Cinnamon Salad

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

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Here is a quick side recipe that is great for this time of year for a spin on your normal jello salad it is Cinnamon Salad (pg 116 Y).

Cinnamon Salad 

1 pkg cherry jello (I used black cherry because I had it on hand) 

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup red hots

1 1/2 cup boiling water

Dissolve candy in boiling water.  Add Jello, stirring until dissolved.  Chill until partially set.  Fold in applesauce.

 Boiling water 

 Adding the red hots.  I have been told that Brach's candy dissolves the best. 

 Adding the jello. 

 The jello was set after an hour and a half in the refrigerator. 

 Adding the applesauce. 

 All mixed up. 

Changes I will make next time: 1) I will stick with regular cherry jello.  The black cherry gave it a different color and you expect cinnamon food to be red not purple.  2) I will mix the applesauce in sooner. Letting it set created lumps of jello and I like it when it looks smooth.  

NEXT WEEK: Chocolate-Marshmallow Pie

  

Mennonite Monday - Spinach Dip

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

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Since football season is underway and tailgating goes hand in hand with football games, I thought it would be good to make a recipe that could be used at a tailgate this week.  I decided on Spinach Dip (pg 9W Evelyn Hunnell Bergen style).  Since this recipe came from Mikes family I figured he would like it and it was a simple throw together recipe.

Unfortunately, I made this recipe while I was doing several other things, so my pictures are kind of lacking.  On the other hand, this is a pretty simple dump and stir recipe, so I'm confident you will be successful in making it of you try.  

Spinach Dip

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 pkg Knorr vegetable soup mix

3 green onions, chopped or 1 to 2 tsp minced onion

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed

8 oz can water chestnuts, diced

Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate 3 hours to season.  Very attractive served in a hollowed out round loaf of whole wheat or rye bread with bread cubes and crackers for "dippers."

I put my water chestnuts in the food processor, because it was quicker than chopping them by hand. 

After they were chopped for 10-15 seconds. 

 I found Knorr vegetable recipe mix instead of the soup mix, but I think it is the same or a similar product.  On the back of this envelope a similar spinach dip recipe was printed, so I figured that it would work.

Just finish by adding the rest of the ingredients and stirring. I pressed all the liquid out of the spinach, so the dip didn't turn out runny.   I did not put my dip in a fancy bread bowl.  Instead I put it in a disposable container because Mike took the dip to a tailgate at the Husker game and I wasn't sure that it would make it back. 

 

Mennonite Monday - Cherry Cola Sald

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

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I know that Cherry Cola Salad did not win the vote this week, but I didn't have a reason to make Enchiladas, so that will be the recipe for next week.  I made Cherry Cola Salad (pg 190W) for a Sunday School potluck meal and was very impressed with it.  It was a quick recipe that went together in 15 minutes or so, and tasted very good.  I didn't think it tasted like cola at all, but others may have felt differently.  I will also say that I'm not a huge fan of cherries from pie filling because they are kind of mushing, but these plumped up with the other ingredients. 

Cherry Cola Salad

3/4 cup water

1 can cherry pie filling

1 6 oz box cherry gelatin

1 #2 can crushed pineapple with juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbl lemon juice

1 cup Pepsi

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I did not use the chopped nuts)

Combine water and sugar and bring to a boil.  Add pie filling and return to a boil.  Pour boiling mixture over gelatin, stirring to dissolve.  Add the pineapple and juice, lemon juice, Pepsi and nuts.  Pour into a 9x13"pan and chill.  

 Sugar and water boiling 

 Adding the pie filling. 

 I took the pan off the burner and mixed the jello into the same pan to save on dishes.

 Adding pineapple (with juice) and lemon juice.  I don't know what a #2 can of pineapple is, so I just picked one and it worked out fine. 

 My pan got too full, so I moved everything to the 9 x 13" pan and then mixed in the cola.  Since I didn't have any Pepsi, so I just used some off brand cola. 

 

Mennonite Monday - Dressing for Fresh Cucumbers

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

This week I am sharing one of my all time favorite summer recipes! It is so simple and perfect for meals right out of the garden. This weeks recipe is Dressing for Fresh Cucumbers (pg 185 W).  I will make this almost every week this summer because it is the best with cucumbers right out of the garden. 

Dressing for Fresh Cucumbers

2 Tbl mayonnaise

1 Tbl vinegar

dill fern (chopped up really fine)

2 Tbl oil

1 tsp salt

Blend and serve over sliced cucumbers. 

 I like my cucumbers peeled and sliced, but you can cut them anyway you like. 

 Mayonnaise. 

 Oil

 Vinegar

 Salt.  If you want to make the dressing really good, use Natures Seasoning, instead of salt.

 Dried Dill, I didn't have any fresh dill otherwise I would chopped it up and used that. 

 Mix it together.

 Pour over cucumbers. 

I like to add red onion, which is really good.

I could eat these cucumbers, watermelon and corn on the cob all summer and be happy.  If you want to share with your friends, it is easy to make a bigger batch. Just remember 1 part vinegar, 2 parts oil and mayonnaise with salt and dill to taste.The best part is that you only need to get one measuring spoon or cup dirty. 

Another bit of advice. If you mix this up ahead of time and expect to eat it later, your cucumbers will be flimsy and watery.  If you like them that way, good for you, but if you are like me and want crisp cucumbers, eat it right after mixing in the dressing.  

As you can tell I have only made this recipe a few times ;)