Amish Cole Slaw

Believe it or not, we are still eating out of our freezer. It looks like about ten more dinners and I'll have to rethink our fall menu. Looking forward to trying some new soups/stews and stocking the freezer with some turkeys.

My family is not a fan of slaw with mayonnaise so I'm always on the lookout for an alternative way to use cabbage. Recently I ran across this recipe for slaw and found it to be just the right balance of sweet and sour. It's not something to make right before dinner. The flavors are best if the slaw is refrigerated for at least twelve hours. (We learned this the hard way.) I think next time I'll make a double batch and have it as a side several times during the week.

Amish Cole Slaw

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Cost: Approx. $2.00

1 medium head cabbage shredded ($1.50)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onion, and 1 cup sugar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, celery seed, 1 teaspoon white sugar, mustard and oil. Bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Cool completely, then pour over cabbage mixture, and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 12 hours for best flavor.

Preserving: Pumpkin

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I purchase 2 organic pie pumpkins at the local Farmer's Market for just under $7 with the hopes of preparing some fresh pumpkin pulp. I love pumpkin flavored everything and heard a wild rumor that it's going to be hard to find this fall. So as not to be left empty handed and to hopefully save some money, I tried my hand at it.

Here's what I did:

Cut the pumpkins in half, removing pulp and seeds.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges.
Place the wedges face down in my roaster oven with about 1 cup of water
Cooked them for 3 hours at 350.
When cooled, removed the skin.
Mashed the pulp with a potato masher (my blender suddenly broke)
Measured out 15 ounce (same as a small can of pumpkin) bags to store in the freezer.

I ended up getting 6 15 oz servings- about equivalent to $1 a can. From what I've researched a can of organic pumpkin sells for between $2-3. Not bad.

Two things that surprised me were how utterly hard it was to cut a pumpkin and how much lighter in color the pulp was than what I envisioned.
Any thoughts?

I have yet to use it, but have plans on making a Pumpkin Meringue Pie someday soon.

Preserving: Corn

I will likely never have a big garden to harvest. I'll be happy if my few tomato plants bless us with some fruit this summer. But I am determined this summer to take advantage of the great sales on fresh produce and store some away for winter. My plan is to preserve through freezing rather than canning since I lack the necessary supplies, but have a ton of freezer space. The next few months I'll be sharing with you our stockpile as it grows. Enjoy!

Corn On the Cob

I read about this on a blog last week and it definitely lived up to its claims. This corn far surpasses any that I've boiled or grilled. It has a perfect crunchiness and sweetness. The best part? There is no required desilking. The husk just falls away.

Place ears of corn directly on baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel back husks, cut corn off the cob and freeze.

Ears of sweet corn were $.15 a piece this week. I picked up 40 to start and it yielded 7 pounds of corn for the freezer. That works out to be $6.00 total or $.85 a bag. Comparable quality would cost $1.39-$2.39 frozen or $.89 canned.

Thai Noodles in Peanut Sauce

When I'm having a craving for some Thai food this meal usually does the trick. This one dish supper is easy and fast and it can be made mild or hot according to your personal taste.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time:10 minutes
Ready in: 15 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Cost: approx. $4.75 (without meat)


1 package Thai/Rice Noodles ($2.99)

1 small bag frozen stir fry veggies ($1.25)

1/3 milk (coconut milk would be better)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust for flavor)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup cilantro (optional)


A pound of lean ground beef or chicken could easily be added to this dish.


1. Prepare noodles per package directions while steaming vegetables.

2. Mix all ingredients for peanut sauce well and toss with hot Thai noodles. Top with steamed stir fry vegetables.


The results are in....

This recipe always gets 9 thumbs up in our house!