We're delighted to share our Aunt Nettie with you. Since 2009 Aunt Nettie has known people were struggling to stretch their dollars during the recession. So she focused her tasty recipes on low-cost ingredients that would still offer delicious, healthy, stick-to-the-ribs foods, yet were affordable. With the economy improving and more people back at work, Aunt Nettie felt the time was right to ease up a bit on strict bargain-bin shopping and gussy up the menu with a few small splurges. Aunt Nettie is still happy to answer questions that come her way, but what she loves most is offering seasonal fixin's that inspire her while shopping at the farm stand.
Howdy there darlin's,
Well, wouldn't ya know, a brand new year jes come along an' it come on with some mighty chilly weather. Whew! I done nearly froze my l'il ole toes off goin' outside ta git the mail.
Soon's I came back inter the house, I decided it was the perfect weather fer cookin' up a hearty stew that warms up ever'thin' from the top o' yer head down to them sweet l'il toes.
Now, I had a great big white punkin' a-settin' on my countertop jes a-waitin' fer the purfect time ta cook it up. An' that punkin' just set my mind to thinkin' it would be mighty deeelicius ta add it right inter a nice winter stew.
First thing I did was put some foil on a great big bakin' pan an' start warmin' up the oven. An' when I put the punkin' on the pan, the oven was ready fer cookin'!
So out came the carrots an' yams an' 'taters, an' all sorts o' veggies in the fridge that was a'callin' me. An' by the time I was finished, why I had a stew fit fer a king an' half the kingdom, too. This stew makes a whoppin' big pot, so better invite some friends or family over fer the best darmed stew they ever et!
I surely hopes ya likes love it like I do.
Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie
Ghost pumpkins, also called white pumpkins, stand apart from the familiar orange jack-o-lanterns in many ways. Their flesh is considerably thicker and shows off a gorgeous hue of brilliant golden orange. The texture is pleasantly firm and delightfully moist.
The white pumpkin's best-kept secret is its pleasantly sweet flavor, though not as sweet as butternut or kabocha, the Japanese pumpkin. White pumpkins are still less common than the jack-o-lanterns but are becoming more available at chain groceries and farm stands.
A perfect marriage, the white pumpkin is the ideal mate to enhance this celebratory ragout that needs little else to bring pleasure and satiety to a holiday meal. Serve the stew with plenty of hearty whole-grain bread to mop up any bits of delicious sauce that remains in the bowl.
Yield: 12 to 14 hearty servings
5 cups (1.25 liters) water
4 medium carrots, angle sliced
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
Note #1:
Note #2 Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them. Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.
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