By Cheryl Radkiewicz
Recently I was visiting with my cousin, Agnes Lukasik Smith, in Bethlehem (actually, my late father’s first cousin), who is in her late 80’s and no longer able to cook her meals.
However, she was always a good cook and loved trying new recipes. At this point in her life, she said she is “cleaning house” and asked me if I would like her favorite recipes. Of course, I jumped at the chance having a “Cookbook Library” in my house. I cherish going through her recipes, used time and again, with anecdotal notes such as “great, also easy”, “tried first in 1993”, “handed down from Mary R.”, etc.
So this month, I thought I would share some of Agnes’ favorites with my readers. Enjoy!
Sauerkraut Soup:
1 Tbsp. fat
2 lbs. beef flank steak, sliced
1 1/2 cups minced onion
Beef bones
1 lb. sauerkraut (preferably from a bag)
2 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
Heat fat in saucepan. Brown meat and onions in it. Add bones, sauerkraut, water, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook over low heat 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add potatoes and cook 20 minutes longer. Serves 8-10.
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Three Bean Salad:
1 can green string beans, drained and rinsed
1 can yellow string beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup oil
Small onion, diced
Red pepper, diced
In small bowl, mix sugar, salt, vinegar and oil. Add to drained beans. Add diced onion and pepper. Stir well. Let sit a few hours or overnight in refrigerator.
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Bourbon Steak:
1- 1 1/2 lbs. round steak
Marinade:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger (optional)
2 Tbsp. freshly ground pepper
Combine marinade ingredients in a Ziploc plastic bag. Add steak, seal and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight. Remove steak from marinade and discard marinade. Grill steak over medium heat about 25-28 minutes or to desired done-ness, turning halfway through cooking time. For medium rare, transfer steak to cutting board when a meat thermometer registers 135 degrees F. and let rest 10 minutes. Cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve.
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Cherry Loaf Cake:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1-8 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained and sliced
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the drained cherries to dry ingredients and add this alternately with vinegar then with milk to the creamed mixture. Pour the thoroughly mixed batter into a buttered and floured loan pan (9×5″). Bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pan. Makes 1 loaf.
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Happy Punch:
1 large can pineapple juice
1 large bottle club soda
1/2 bottle Vodka
1 small can Mandarin oranges
1 small can pineapple chunks
1 small jar Maraschino cherries
1 pint orange sherbet
Place fruit in punch bowl with Vodka and let stand. Pour other liquids and mix well. Float sherbet on top.
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Punch Alexander:
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
2 quarts milk
1 pint brandy (any flavor)
Place ice cream in punch bowl and allow to soften, about 20 minutes. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth. Add brandy.