Diva's Rhubarb Jam

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

⬗⬗   Rhubarb Jam  ⬖⬖

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Inspiration from: Grandma Margaret always had a bowl of this mixed in the fridge.  Grandad Dale always grew huge rows of rhubarb he perfected over the years from his horticulture knowledge. 

Ingredients
4 cups rhubarb 2 cups white sugar 1 TB water	1/2 tsp lemon juice 1-1 1/2 oz box of strawberry jello

Directions

Cut rhubarb into 1 inch cuts.  Bring water and rhubarb to a boil. Add sugar and let boil til rhubarb is stringy and tender.  (about 15 mins)  Remove from heat and add lemon juice and jello.

Variations

The jello adds color to the rhubarb if it is green and also helps it to gel.

Yields:  2 cups

Diva's Grandma Z's Rhubarb Cake or any Fruit

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Grandma Z's Rhubarb Cake
Inspiration: We made this on the farm all the time.  You can use any fruit for a variety.  I even use it to make carrot cake.  The cinnamon & sugar on the top makes it require no icing.
Ingredients: 1~1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup melted butter 1 egg 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups chopped rhubarb 1 cup sour milk (if you don't have sour milk, add 1 TB vinegar to milk) 1/2 cup sugar 1~1/2 tsp cinnamon	Instructions: Cream brown sugar and butter slightly, add egg and vanilla and beat.  Sift together soda and flour and add to cream mixture. Stir in rhubarb and sour milk til creamy.  Put in a 9x13 greased baking dish and Bake @ 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
Variation: refrigerate and can be topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Diva's Grandma Sarah's Blackberry dumplings

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Grandma's little helper, I would help her pick the berries.  One day I ate them all and brought her a bucket full of kittens instead:) Good thing she loved me Grandma Sarah's Blackberry dumplings
Inspiration: My German Grandma Sarah Rutz always had wild blackberries growing in her yard near Scottsbluff, NE.  It was an awesome treat for her to make her dumplings.
Ingredients: 1 quart Blackberries 2 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 2 TB butter ________ Dumplings: 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 1~1/2 baking powder 1/2 cup milk 3 TB sugar 2 TB oil or melted butter	Instructions: Wash and cook berries until tender in a large heavy kettle.  May need to adjust sugar if not sweet enough. Cover and bring to a boil. Drop tsp's of dumplings into boiling mixture.  Cook 10 minutes without lifting the lid.
Variation:  Serve warm with cream me and Grandma Sarah at her house on E in Scottsbluff, NE in the 70's.  Right through that backdoor was where she did her magical cooking and teaching. her kitchen was 6x6, but the most awesome cooking came from her little space in the world.  Grandma has been gone since 1996, but every now and then when I cook her recipes, I smile and say hi Grandma:)

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

⬗⬗   ButterBalls ⬖⬖

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Inspiration from: This is a Volga German tradition in our family, Both the Rutz and Zemanek families enjoyed this in our soups.  Grandma Margaret always used the fresh cream from the milk cows and fresh eggs from the hen house...YUM! The allspice makes it a wonderful divine taste.  Wonderful for that left over Turkey!

Ingredients
6 cups fine bread crumbs (almost 2-15 oz plain crumb pkg) 2/3 cups sweet cream  (can use cream or half and half + 1/2 c sugar) 3-4 large eggs	1 cup butter, melted 1 tsp salt 1 tb allspice, i like more for taste and usually use 2-3 tablespoons.

Directions

Put bread crumbs, salt and allspice in a large bowl; make a well.  Heat cream in a small saucepan and pour into well of bread crumbs.  Mix well with hands; pour in melted butter and mix again.  Add eggs 1 at a time; if it is dry, add another egg.  (Testing: make a ball and cook 10 minutes in boiling water, if the ball does not separate, it is ok.  If it falls apart, add another egg)  Roll into balls about the size of a walnut.  This is the diva test:  when making the balls, if the butter squishes and the ball is firm; it's perfect!

Variations

boil 10 minutes in Home made Turkey or Chicken and noodles.  You can find my noodle recipe on an earlier post.


The butter balls freeze nicely for later use.  Warning:  the are very rich and most people can only eat a couple at a time.  


Yields: 50 butter balls

Diva's Cabbage Burger's

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

  

Cabbage Burger's

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Inspiration from: This recipe was created by German immigrants. It is one of our favorite family recipes and found in the Nebraska region, where I was born and raised.  My Grandma's taught me how to make these before I could walk. lol The cabbage mixture is encased in a nice little bread package and was easy for the guys to carry them into the sugar beet and corn fields for the day.

	Ingredients
3 lbs of ground beef 1 head of cabbage, cut into bite sizes 1 extra large onions 2 cups of water Bread dough, enough for 2 loaves Cheese slices are optional  Recipe for dough is below	salt to taste pepper (lots of pepper) PEPPER is the key

Directions

Crumble the ground beef into an extra large pot over medium heat. Cook with onion and stir until evenly browned. Drain off grease. Add cabbage and cook over medium-low heat, stirring as needed, until the cabbage is soft and wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste while cooking. I like to use more pepper than salt. Us German/Czech woman love pepper, lots of it. Drain off any excess liquids, and set aside.

While you cook the cabbage mixture, make the bread dough.  Some people thaw 2 frozen loafs of bread dough or Frozen dinner rolls.  I and Grandma always used Potato Bread dough recipe.

For this recipe, you can use leftover mashed potatoes or mix up a cup’s worth of instant mashed potatoes. This easy potato bread recipe makes 2 loaves.  Grandma grew up in the depreciation and nothing went to waste.

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed potatoes

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2-1/4 tsp (1 pkg) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

5 cups bread flour, about

Preparation:

In large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, eggs, and butter.  Stir in sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water.  Mix in enough flour to make a dough that can be kneaded by hand.  Turn dough out onto floured board and knead it until smooth and elastic.  Put dough in a greased bowl. Flip dough over inside bowl so that the dough top is also lightly greased. Cover and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, until double in bulk. Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board and briefly knead out bubbles. 

Assembly:

Method 1:  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into 5 inch (approximate) squares. Place about 3/4 cup of the cabbage burger into the center, fold the dough over, and pinch to seal. Place on a greased cookie baking sheet with the seam side down. Let rise 1 hour. 

Method 2:  Thaw freezer dinner rolls and let rise for 1 hour.  Roll out 2 on a floured surface to desired shape and size.  Place a heap of filling on bottom roll, then add other rolled out roll on top.  Seal shut and place on greased cookie sheet.  Let rise 1 hour.

*A trick for method 1, when you roll out the dough, put it a cereal bowl.  Add filling and fold.  Can make folding easier.

Variations

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated 375 degrees oven, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and brush with melted butter. Serve hot.

My kids love them with ketchup...

Yields: apprx 18 cabbage burgers

I also wrap them individually in foil and freeze any left overs to enjoy at a later time.  You can unwrap them from the foil and nuke them for 3 mins.

YUMMY!

Diva's Grandma Sarah's Viennese Kipfel rolls and a loving memory of her

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Viennese Kipfel rolls
Inspiration:  This recipe was tucked into one of my Grandma Sarah's cookbooks.  They are like croissants rolls and yummy.  I love when you reach for her cookbooks and little memories of her fall out.  It's like she is saying hello my little darling, I Love you and miss you.  I touch it and smile and say I Love you and miss you too Grandma:)  I would bake with her when I would visit, which was often and she would let me make shapes.  When I was 7, I made a shape of a kitten.  The day after she passed I walked into her house and sitting on the kitchen table was that little kitten on one of her pretty plates, wrapped with cellophane.  She passed when I was 36 and she had kept that little kitten all those years.  It is still a mystery to me why she had it sitting on her kitchen table that day.  I had not seen it for years.  it Was one of those goose bump moments.  I looked at my mom and smiled... She had no idea what it was or what it was doing there either.  Grandma reached out... i know she did, just like she always had to comfort & love me.  I did her eulogy at the service and I made a lot of the family smile, just as she would have wanted.  I love you Grandma.
Ingredients: 1 pkg active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F) 1/2 cup warm milk 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter or margarine 3 TB sugar 3 egg yolks 2~1/2 cups flour (approx)	Instructions: Sprinkle yeast over warm water.  Let stand 5 mins.  Stir until dissolved.  Add to warm milk in a large bowl.  Add salt.  Cream butter to consistency of mayonnaise.  Add sugar slowly, continuing to cream.  Add egg yolks, one at a time.  Add flour alternately with yeast mixture; using enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn out on to a floured board.  Knead until smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a greased bowl.  Turn to bring greased side up.  Cover and let stand in a warm place (80 degrees F) until dough has doubled.  Punch down.    Divide dough in half and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut into 6 inch squares, then cut those into two triangles.  Roll up each triangle; beginning with broad side and folding tip over.  Curve into crescent shape.  Repeat with other half of dough.  Place on well-greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.  Brush with 1 egg white beaten slightly with 2 TB milk.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
Variation:  Yields 24 rolls

Diva's Pork Chili

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

⬗⬗   Pork Chili  ⬖⬖

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Inspiration from:  This was a favorite of my kids.  El Charrito's in Scottsbluff, NE, where we were born, was a popular place we use to eat at.  They had something similar on the menu and this is as close to their pork chili as I could get.  Never as good as the real thing...but divine!

Ingredients
3 lb pork roast 28 oz can of tomatoes with jalepeno's (undrained) 64 oz picante sauce, medium Flour tortilla's 16 oz of Monterey Jack Cheese	salt pepper cumin 2 TB flour + 1/2 water for paste

Directions

Put pork roast and tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cook til tender.  Let cool so you can pull it a part into fine pieces and remove the pork fat.  In a large stock pan, put salsa, pork mixture, salt, pepper and cumin.  Simmer over low heat for a couple hours.  To thicken mixture, add the flour paste.

Variations

Serve Hot in a bowl and sprinkle with Cheese with a tortilla on the side. You can also smother a burrito or enchilada with it.

Will Serve 8 people

Diva's Mexican Casserole

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

 Mexican Casserole 

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Inspiration from:  Made by my mother when I was a kid.  We all have perfected it  and I passed it on to my children.  This is my variation.

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 16 oz jar of picante sauce 1/4 cup jalepeno's from a jar, drained 3 cups ground cheddar cheese of your choice	salt pepper 2 pinches of ground cumin small pkg corn tortilla's 8 large flour tortilla's

Directions

Brown ground ground beef in large skillet (salt and pepper to taste). Drain.  On medium heat, add ground beef soups, picante sauce, jalepeno's and cumin and cook to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer 5 mins.  In a 9x13 pan, Layer 6 corn tortilla's, 1/3 rd of meat sauce, and 1 cup cheese.  Make 3 layers of each.  


Bake 350 degrees 45 mins.
Let cool 5 mins and add a scoop to a flour tortillas and roll up.
Enjoy!

Variations

Will Serve 4 people

Diva's Egg Noodles

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

⬗⬗   Egg Noodles  ⬖⬖

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Inspiration from:  My kids love home made noodles in the soups. My Grandma Sarah taught me how to make these.

Directions

Homemade Noodles 3 1/2 cup flour, 6 beaten eggs, 'Stir with fork till doughy, Knead in flour 1 minute.  Cut in 3rd's and make a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 mins.  Cut each ball in half and  roll out till very thin and let air-dry 1/2 hour. Sprinkle a little flour over noodles so they don't stick.  (You can also use the dough hook on a mixer)

 ( Great with German Butterballs.)  

NOTE: you don't want to add salt as it will make the noodles tough and take longer to dry.)

Variations

Once all the noodles are made, Boil in soup for 8 mins.  If you want to make other recipes, you can boil in water for the same amount of time and drain.

Will Serve 6 people

Diva's Six - Layer Taco Dip

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

Six - Layer Taco Dip

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Inspiration from:  I found this recipe in a magazine when I was working 3rd shift at Delphi in Kokomo, IN.  It was a great hit for our carry in dinner's. 

Ingredients
4 oz cream cheese, room temp 1/2 Cup sour cream 1 15oz jar salsa 1 TB cilantro 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper	1 15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed 1 6oz can pitted black olives, drained & sliced 1 4.5oz diced green chilies, drained 1 Cup shredded Cheddar Cheese Tortilla chips

Directions

On medium speed, beat cream cheese and sour cream til smooth.  Stir in 2 TB salsa, cumin, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.  Spread mixture in the bottom of a 5 Cup glass bowl.  Top with beans, remaining salsa and black olives.  Finish the layer's with the olives, cheese and cilantro.

Variations

Serve with tortilla chips, I prefer Tostitios Scoops

Yields 5 Cups.

Diva's Nacho's

Diva’s Memories of Recipes

⬗⬗   Nacho's  ⬖⬖

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Inspiration from:  Everyone loves a good Nacho's, this is what I came up for my family to enjoy:) Great for parties

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef 1 can chili with beans 8 oz Velvetta cheese	1 1/2 cups Picante Sauce 1/4 Cup Jalapeno's dash of ground cumin

Directions

Brown ground beef in large skillet. Drain grease off.  Add all ingredients to a crock pot and let cook on low for 2 hours.  Stir every 30 mins.

Variations

You may also melt ingredients with cooked ground beef in the micro for 3 mins, stirring every min.  Just not as good.  The longer it cooks, the warmer the jalapeno's get and I love HOT!

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.  We love Scoopes!!!

Diva's Football Stew

Diva’s Memories of Recipes Football Stew
Inspiration:  Gotta love a great Stew recipe.  Football tailgater favorite for sure.   Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening!
Ingredients: 3 lbs lean stew meat or stripped sirloin 6 potatoes, quartered 6 carrots, chunked 1 onion, chopped 4 stalks celery, chopped 2 TB minute tapioca 2 TB sugar 1 large can tomato juice 1 tsp basil 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp parley salt and pepper to taste	Instructions: Season and brown meat in oil.  Place in roaster pan and add other ingredients.  Cover roaster and simmer 5 hours at 325 degrees F.
Variation: You can add other veggies if you like.  But these are my favorite.