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The season of treasure hunting has begun! And I am wise to their hiding places, excluding the woodsy ground floor focus for the coveted morels. First you have to hunt them, then you have to find them, and then you get to toss them in flour; pan frying in butter. A light salt and peppered crisp is perfection; I can taste them now. So I better get into the woods and keep my eyes low. A close to home treasure hunt for a springtime taste bud treat; it could lead to the mother load of morels; oh how we wish!
Yard sales and garage sales are great treasure hunting opportunities, and if you’ve ever had one, I may have stopped by. I am quite focused on the items on my personal treasure list. Sometimes all it takes is a quick scan, and on occasion a drive-by is all I need to determine whether it’s worth my time. (If you advertise a basement sale, you can be certain the wisest yard sale shopper will not come into your home, not ever alone and never with children.)
For me the best yard sales (a generic term which includes garage sales as well) are the ones that are first time sales, multi-family sales, sales in more established neighborhoods, groups coming together to hold a fundraising sale, off the beaten path sales, and sales that offer “first chance” shopping hours on Thursdays or Fridays. Continuous yard sales are boring. Folks that pack away all their leftovers for another sale, be it next week, next month, sometimes next year still have an attachment to their unsold stuff and have difficulty parting with their unwanted treasures.
If your items offered for sale, over flow your garage, spilling into your driveway and into your lawn as well, I will stop at your sale, and so will many others. When pricing your stuff, junk or whatever you may call it, price it to sell. Making money from your cast-offs is awesome, you’re not going to get rich, but your wallet will be a little fatter, and that is always good. (Just keep an eye on that wallet or it could be someone else’s found treasure!)
My mother and I have a garage sale every-other-year and this is our year! Once our sale date has been determined we begin the weed out process of our individual households (and other outlets). We are prepared to haggle, so please don’t be shy. As our sale day moves on, our FREEBIE pile gets mountainous, so if you make our sale your first stop of the day, it should also be your last treasure hunting spot of the day. For the most part, we don’t pack away unsold items “for the next time” we box it up and donate it to local charities; then it becomes their treasure.
If the weeds come in, the weeds need pulled; the same goes for treasures, out with old in with the new, but in my case old treasures are always the best! Happy treasure hunting!
Send your recipes to: thewritecook@sssnet.com
Confetti Caramel Corn
7 cups Trix cereal
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Place cereal in a large bowl. In a saucepan, combine the butte, sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Transfer to greased baking sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Break apart while warm. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. 10 cups.
Whole Wheat Biscuits (Edna Hoffman)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
1/4 cup buttermilk
In a bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Turn onto a floured board; knead 6 to 8 times. Pat into 1 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 4 biscuits.
Hamburger Hobos (D. Schrock, Orrville)
1 pound hamburger
2 to 3 carrots, diced
1 to 2 stalks celery, diced
1 sliced potato with each patty in packet
1 pound hamburger will make 5 to 6 patties; flatten. In foil place hamburger patty. Top with 2 slices of onion then top with diced carrots and celery. Fold and wrap like packet up using “release” style foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Apple Graham Dessert (Rita Ferro)
6 cinnamon graham crackers (4 3/4 inches x 2 1/2 inches)
1 cup applesauce
1 cup whipped topping Chopped walnuts, optional
Place on graham cracker on a serving plate. Spread with 2 heaping tablespoons of applesauce. Repeat layers five more times, ending with applesauce. Spread whipped topping over top and sides. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Refrigerate 2 hours before slicing.
Potato-Pork Chop Dish (D. Schrock, Orrville)
3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 cup cracker crumbs
2 cups milk
4 pork chops
4 cheese slices
In a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, place layer of sliced potatoes; use 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs over, then another layer of potatoes; another layer crumbs, then strips of cheese. Place pork chops on top of cheese. Pour 2 cups of milk over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Chocolate Snack Cake (Debi Peschka)
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioner’s sugar
In a mixing bowl, beat water and butter until butter is melted. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. 9 servings
Deep Dish Blackberry Pie (Dorothy Lilliquist)
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed and drained
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
3/4 cup flour
3 teaspoons sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
1 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, beaten
Place blackberries in a bowl. Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over berries. Add lemon juice and cinnamon; toss to coat. Spoon into greased 1 quart baking dish. In a bowl, combine flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and salt. Cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water; toss with a fork until a ball forms. Roll out pastry; make a lattice crust over filling. Crimp edges. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Two-Bean Turkey Salad
12 cups torn fresh spinach
2 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) black-eyed peas or navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 large unpeeled red apple, cubed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
3/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup apricot preserves or jam
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
In a large salad bowl, toss the first 8 ingredients. IN a small bowl, combine the salad dressing; preserves, mustard and ginger until blended. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Apricot Burritos (Charl Sanchez)
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 flour tortillas
Oil for frying
Cinnamon-sugar
In a saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thickened. Place 1 tablespoon on each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling; roll up. IN an electric skillet, heat in 1inch of oil to 375 degrees. Fry burritos, in batches, for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. 8 burritos.
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