Manang M used to do our laundry when I was in between stay-in helpers. It had been sometime since I last saw her. Although she had her idiosyncrasies—some funny and some not so funny, I put up with them then because she readily came when I called for her help.
She had just come from doing laundry work at one of the neighbor’s and was looking for work to fill up her time.
And as luck would have it, I told her to see a neighbor who had just returned from a long absence from the subdivision. This neighbor was in need of help with putting her house in order.
With a happy wave of the hand, she bid me good-bye as she proceeded on her way to a possible job.
People come and go. Some more memorable than others. Some better forgotten. Some you happily welcome back.
-x-o-x-o-x-o-x- o-x-o-x-o-x- o-x-o-x-o-x- o-x-o-x-o-x- o-x-o-x-o-x- o-x-o-x-o-x-
So it is with the next two appliances I recently took out of their hiding places. These are definitely worth using again and again.
Bread Machine
I got my first bread machine maybe ten years ago during a visit to the States.
For awhile there was the sweet smell of baking bread in my house. But with my kids not at home anymore, it was easier to buy a small loaf than to put out the machine.
A craving for walnut bread got the better of me and out came my bread machine. Unfortunately, such an appliance is not available locally so if there was one thing you could bring back from your trip from the States—make it a bread machine.
What follows is a recipe for Honey Walnut Oatmeal Bread. I am sure you can make this by the old fashion way of kneading and proofing. You will be able to work out your stresses from all that kneading but you’ll have to contend with sticky hands and the clean-up of your work surface.
Honey Walnut Oatmeal Bread
(By Donna Rathmell German)
Place in the order indicated, the following ingredients into the bread pan to make a 1 ½ pound bread. When done, insert the pan into the machine and push the necessary button settings and that’s that.
Water - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
Honey - 2 tablespoons
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Oats - 1 cup
Flour - 2 cups
Yeast - 1 ½ teaspoon
At the beep, add ½ c chopped walnuts.
Slow Cooker
My mother introduced me to the marvels of a slow cooker.
It comes in handy when you don’t have time to stand over a hot stove to come up with a delicious and tender meat stew. Like the bread machine, you just put everything in the pot and let it do the work.
This appliance is a boon for home makers like me who need to watch the budget. Cheap meat cuts come out splendidly flavorful and at a savings on energy—gas or electric.
Below is my mother’s recipe for Pepper Steak. I am sure you can do this the traditional way, but you will have to watch your pot to make sure it does not go dry on you. Or put out the old reliable pressure cooker to soften the meat up in no time but I can’t guarantee that the meat will be as flavorful.
Pepper Steak
(best seller-- learned by my mom while working as a cook in a Care Facility for old folks)
2 kilos beef (Kalitiran, Chuck, Neck, ) cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
Marinate overnight with:
1/4 c lemon juice (1 lemon)
pepper
powdered garlic
Next day, fry in olive oil after drenching pieces in flour. Place beef inside a crock pot.
Other Ingredients:
Meanwhile, sauté:
1 big chopped onion, 2 to 3 stakes of chopped celery (less if you do not care for celery), 1 big chopped bell pepper.
Pour into the veggies:
- a can of Cambell Cream of Mushroom soup;
-1 beef bouillion cube to 1 cup of water;
- a tablespoon of Perrins.
Stir well and pour contents over the beef inside the slow cooker.
Set on High for 1 hour and Low until tender (about 5-6 hours). Walk away and come back to a delicious meal. Have some potato salad on the side for contrast.
To make the dish more visually appealing, you could stir into the finished dish some sauted sliced onions, mushrooms and bell pepper.
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