I used to wish that I had a vacation home, better known in Minnesota as a “cabin up North.” That was before I spent all of my time cooking, cleaning and maintaining a big old Victorian home that operates as a bed and breakfast. Now, what I really want is to visit other people’s vacation homes wherever they are.
My parents had such a place when I was young and when my children were young and we all loved it. Of course, my mother and father did most of the work while we were there and all of the work before we came and after we left. My memories are of fishing, berry picking, water skiing, swimming, eating wonderful barbeques and freshly caught fish (which somebody else, usually my Dad, cleaned and filleted.)
Carefree Cooking by Jacquelyn Reinach, written 40 years ago, is a cookbook for the people who want to own a cabin and actually enjoy it. She opens her book with this description: “Owning or renting a second house seems so luxurious, doesn’t it, as you lie in your apartment bathtub, envisioning that get-away-from-it-all place where you can turn off the world, gaze at clouds and have your family snug and secure. Unfortunately, by the time you pack, get the car loaded, drive to where you’re going (on I94, ugh), stop on the way or market after you get there, put away groceries, unpack, scrub bathrooms, make beds, arrange flowers, cook breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by dinner, followed by breakfast, and so forth, do dishes, wind the eight day antique clock, sweep, clean, throw out flowers, take out garbage…” Parentheses mine.
And yet…it really is fun! While reading the above-mentioned book, I realized that we new millennium folk have adopted the more casual and care-free style which 40 years ago was being suggested for cabin cooking. We are making progress.
Here are some of the suggestions posed by Ms. Reinach for coping with guests and family at your summer home.
Breakfast: If you’re not an early riser, leave the makings for simple breakfasts out or prepared in the refrigerator such as dry cereals (those individual boxes are nice), with bowls, sugar and bananas and sweet rolls or coffee cake, covered with foil; perhaps a bowl of fresh fruit. In the fridge you can have pancake batter or the makings of French toast. Something like the motel breakfasts of today.
If you’re an early riser and a breakfast lover—as I am—it’s not difficult to come up with crowd-pleasing but simple breakfasts. Scrambled eggs are always a winner and there are so many variations. Or you can bake a large number of eggs—here’s how:
Baked Eggs for a Crowd
8-10 commercial shells for baking or any individual ramekins or baking dishes
16-20 eggs (allow 2 per dish)
Per shell: 1 tsp. melted butter, 2 tsp. heavy cream, 1 tsp. grated parmesan cheese, Salt and Pepper, Kosher coarse salt to hold shells steady in large baking pan
Swirl the melted butter around the bottom of each seashell to coat it. Set the shells on a bed of coarse salt in a large baking pan. Add 1 tsp. cream, cheese and salt and pepper. Break in two eggs, gently. Spoon the other teaspoon of cream over the top, salt and pepper again. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, depending on how set you like your eggs. If you prefer a runnier yolk, cover the entire baking pan with foil.
You could serve cantaloupe wedges, and brioche (store-bought) with butter and jam and lots of coffee to round this out.
Here’s a different dinner menu that caught my eye:
Italian Roast Beef
Angel hair pasta with butter and cheese
Zucchini and Mushroom salad
Orange Oranges
The roast can be done ahead and frozen. Bring to room temperature before reheating for about half an hour. Angel hair pasta can be made just before dinner. Zucchini and mushroom salad is made from marinated zucchini and mushrooms (which have been lightly sautéed) in an Italian dressing for several hours, then drained and served on crisp romaine. The oranges can be made ahead any time and kept frozen.
Italian Roast Beef
½ stick butter
4-pound eye of the round roast
1 onion, peeled and sliced
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese
1 cup dry vermouth
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped lemon rind
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)
Melt half of the butter in a shallow, flame-proof casserole and brown the meat and onion. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle grated cheese over all. Roast uncovered at 350 about 40 minutes for rare. Baste now and then with half the vermouth. Just before serving, add a mixture of parsley, lemon rind, garlic, anchovy paste, rest of the butter and vermouth to the juices in the pan. Serve separately as sauce. Serves 6 to 8
Orange oranges
Cut a lid from the tops of oranges. Scoop out the fruit. Pack the orange shells with orange sherbet. Put the lids back on. Wrap each orange in foil and freeze until serving time.
My parents had such a place when I was young and when my children were young and we all loved it. Of course, my mother and father did most of the work while we were there and all of the work before we came and after we left. My memories are of fishing, berry picking, water skiing, swimming, eating wonderful barbeques and freshly caught fish (which somebody else, usually my Dad, cleaned and filleted.)
Carefree Cooking by Jacquelyn Reinach, written 40 years ago, is a cookbook for the people who want to own a cabin and actually enjoy it. She opens her book with this description: “Owning or renting a second house seems so luxurious, doesn’t it, as you lie in your apartment bathtub, envisioning that get-away-from-it-all place where you can turn off the world, gaze at clouds and have your family snug and secure. Unfortunately, by the time you pack, get the car loaded, drive to where you’re going (on I94, ugh), stop on the way or market after you get there, put away groceries, unpack, scrub bathrooms, make beds, arrange flowers, cook breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by dinner, followed by breakfast, and so forth, do dishes, wind the eight day antique clock, sweep, clean, throw out flowers, take out garbage…” Parentheses mine.
And yet…it really is fun! While reading the above-mentioned book, I realized that we new millennium folk have adopted the more casual and care-free style which 40 years ago was being suggested for cabin cooking. We are making progress.
Here are some of the suggestions posed by Ms. Reinach for coping with guests and family at your summer home.
Breakfast: If you’re not an early riser, leave the makings for simple breakfasts out or prepared in the refrigerator such as dry cereals (those individual boxes are nice), with bowls, sugar and bananas and sweet rolls or coffee cake, covered with foil; perhaps a bowl of fresh fruit. In the fridge you can have pancake batter or the makings of French toast. Something like the motel breakfasts of today.
If you’re an early riser and a breakfast lover—as I am—it’s not difficult to come up with crowd-pleasing but simple breakfasts. Scrambled eggs are always a winner and there are so many variations. Or you can bake a large number of eggs—here’s how:
Baked Eggs for a Crowd
8-10 commercial shells for baking or any individual ramekins or baking dishes
16-20 eggs (allow 2 per dish)
Per shell: 1 tsp. melted butter, 2 tsp. heavy cream, 1 tsp. grated parmesan cheese, Salt and Pepper, Kosher coarse salt to hold shells steady in large baking pan
Swirl the melted butter around the bottom of each seashell to coat it. Set the shells on a bed of coarse salt in a large baking pan. Add 1 tsp. cream, cheese and salt and pepper. Break in two eggs, gently. Spoon the other teaspoon of cream over the top, salt and pepper again. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, depending on how set you like your eggs. If you prefer a runnier yolk, cover the entire baking pan with foil.
You could serve cantaloupe wedges, and brioche (store-bought) with butter and jam and lots of coffee to round this out.
Here’s a different dinner menu that caught my eye:
Italian Roast Beef
Angel hair pasta with butter and cheese
Zucchini and Mushroom salad
Orange Oranges
The roast can be done ahead and frozen. Bring to room temperature before reheating for about half an hour. Angel hair pasta can be made just before dinner. Zucchini and mushroom salad is made from marinated zucchini and mushrooms (which have been lightly sautéed) in an Italian dressing for several hours, then drained and served on crisp romaine. The oranges can be made ahead any time and kept frozen.
Italian Roast Beef
½ stick butter
4-pound eye of the round roast
1 onion, peeled and sliced
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese
1 cup dry vermouth
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped lemon rind
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)
Melt half of the butter in a shallow, flame-proof casserole and brown the meat and onion. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sprinkle grated cheese over all. Roast uncovered at 350 about 40 minutes for rare. Baste now and then with half the vermouth. Just before serving, add a mixture of parsley, lemon rind, garlic, anchovy paste, rest of the butter and vermouth to the juices in the pan. Serve separately as sauce. Serves 6 to 8
Orange oranges
Cut a lid from the tops of oranges. Scoop out the fruit. Pack the orange shells with orange sherbet. Put the lids back on. Wrap each orange in foil and freeze until serving time.
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