Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Got Some Extra Onions...?


With cold and flu season rapidly approaching, I thought it would be a good time to go over some old time recipes for helping to prevent them.

Certainly these are no guarantee that you won't get sick, even with these tips, but who knows? It may just help! These tips come to you straight from the pages of my favorite...the Old Farmer's Almanac!

In 1852, the Almanac advised, “To avoid fall fevers, eat moderately, drink sparingly, lie not down on the damp earth, nor overheat yourself; but keep your temper, and change your clothes as the weather changes.”

Historically, the layers of the onion were believed to draw contagious diseases from the patient; onions were often hung in sickrooms.

Today, we know that onions have antibacterial qualities.

Onion Pie

Quiche-like, with added tang and color from the tomatoes. Lovely for lunch or Sunday night supper.

Yield: Serves 6.

3 tablespoons chicken fat or butter
4 onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
9-inch pie shell, unbaked and chilled
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 large beefsteak tomato, cut in thin slices
3/4 cup mild Swiss cheese, shredded


Melt chicken fat or butter and cook onions with thyme over very low heat until transparent (about 20 minutes). Beat eggs, and add milk and seasonings. Brush pie crust with egg white. Fill crust with onions, tomato, and cheese, and spread the egg mixture over the top. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes; lower heat and bake an additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve warm.

This would certainly be a way of using some of those extra onions from the garden, and I'll bet that if you don't tell the kids it's made from onions...they'll never know!

I don't know if this recipe will be of any help, but now days, we can use all the help we can get...right?

Good luck with this. Just trying to do my part to keep you all healthy and out of the sick room! My joints tell me that this Winter may just be a bad one so let's just be prepared!

Now, let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside for a bit! Oh, and how about a breath mint...just in case!

25 comments:

tffnguy said...

Don't know how much good it would do in preventing colds and flu, but it sounds mighty good to eat.

Ken said...

...simple,smell like onions,people stay away,no/minimal contact,no/minimal chance of catchin'the virus...

...hey,come back,it's not that bad...Jim,i need the mint...lol

HermitJim said...

Hey TFFN Guy...
Pretty much anything with onion is good to me!

Guess it all comes from being from Texas, ya know?

Hey, thanks for coming by today!

HermitJim said...

Hey Ken...
Works at parties, works at the office (or used to) and worked for keeping the ex-wives away! So I don't know why it shouldn't work for keeping the sickies away!

Guess being a hermit can be a good thing, huh?

I appreciate the visit, buddy!

Fred said...

You can't beat a well made onion pizza and this sounds better than that!

Anonymous said...

How about Onion butter? Great way to use it if you get a whole bunch of it in one go around. Pretty tasty too.

That recipe above looks good - thanks HermitJim!

Ben in Texas said...

Thanks, but I'll take my onion as a whole big slice laid across my Cheese Burger!!

Or fresh hot onion rings laying beside said cheese burger!!

HermitJim said...

Hey Fred...
Onion pizza does sound pretty good to me! I love me a good pizza!

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Anon 7:39...
I've never had onion butter! Bet it would be pretty good at that!

I appreciate you coming by today!


Hey Ben...
Now my mouth is watering for sure! I do like some onion rings!

For years What-A-Burger here made some of the best onion rings around, but I haven't had any for a long time!

Guess I know what I'm having for lunch!

2 Tramps said...

H.J.,
Thanks for the great recipe - we will certainly try it out here. We eat a lot of onions - wish I knew how many pounds we devour in a year. We eat probably four of them a week or more. And if we don't eat them, we simply don't feel as well - maybe mental, maybe not... Either way, we keep a good supply of them tucked away in the cool and dark.

Kelle at The Never Done Farm said...

Hermit,
We absolutley love onions and garlic at our house and wouldn't you know it this year our onion crop didn't fair so good:o( but our neighbor, who stores their root crops in our cellar has plenty of them and graciously offered for us to use as many as we'd like.

Speaking of onions as remedies, my Grandma always took an onion cut it in half, placed it on a baking sheet and drizzled it with raw honey, letting it soak in and the reopaeating a couple of times, then she'd place in a slow oven( 250-275F) until soft and juicy. She'd then cool them and squeeze the juices from the onions into a jar( covered with cheesecloth to catch any onion bits)This was stored in the frig and used whenever someone came down with a cough or sore throat and it really isn't bad and we can atest to the fact that it works too*wink* Your breath may not be the best but....LOL!!!

You commented about your joints telling of winter, have your tired Ginger? I works great for acky joints and even for arthritis. You can purchase it in a capsule and take one twice daily. I have to take the evening one right after supper, otherwise it gives me heartburn, but otherwise my joints feel GREAT! It's also supposed to aid in digestion, which is why I'm scratching my head aboutt he heartburn*Hmmmmmm*
Blessings for your day Hermit :o)
Kelle

HermitJim said...

Hey 2 Tramp...
Certainly nothing wrong with that! It's good for ya, and besides...they taste good!

I should know better than to post about food early in the day, because now I'm hungry as a horse!

Fried 'taters and onions sounds pretty good right now!

Thanks for coming by today!

Kelle at The Never Done Farm said...

Sorry for all the typos, that's what I get for hurrying *sigh*
Kelle

HermitJim said...

Hey Kelly...
No, I haven't tried ginger, but I'll have to give it a try! Wonder if eating ginger bread or ginger snaps counts?

I wonder why folks don't make as much gingerbread as they used to? I sure do like it!

Thanks for the ideas and for coming by today!

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One,
Now that does sound good. I love carmalized onions and to put it all together like that sounds yummy. I dont much like to cook for just me but this might have to get made. I can always invite someone to join in for lunch.

HermitJim said...

Hey JoJo...
I'd come join ya, but it's a pretty long drive from my house to yours!

Oh well, guess it's the thought that counts, right?

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!

Kelle at The Never Done Farm said...

Hermit,
I suppose if you ate enough gingerbread or snaps it would work, can't say what it would do for your waistline though, LOL!!!

We make both quite alot here,but I think people have forgotten how to taste good foods, hence my most recent post on shattering the myth about cooking from scratch. Sadly we've become a society of Fast Foods. If it doesn't come in a box, whee you just add water and maybe an egg or forzen ready to pop into the oven or microwave, people just don't eat traditional foods*sigh* Sadly they don't know what they are missing either*wink*

Mechanic in Illinois said...

Another great recipe for the file. Thanks for the great lesson.

HermitJim said...

Hey Kelle...
I'm afraid that my waistline is beyond help already! So I'm good to go there!

Home cooked food is always the best! I agree with you for sure on that!

Thanks so much for coming by today!


Hey Mechanic...
I'm glad you liked the recipe! Always some good ones at the Almanac!

Thanks for the visit today!

Selous Scout said...

Add a little garlic to that pie and there is no doubt everyone will keep their distance, but it will taste so good!

HermitJim said...

Hey Scout...
Now that's an idea I can certainly agree with!

Thanks for coming over today!

Unknown said...

HJ help John Wells with some respies for his dandelions that he intends to grow . One I can think of is dandelion wine.I guess what struck my funny bone was someone buying Dandelion seed with the intention of growing it.

Bob Mc said...

But will they keep vampires away? Oh, that's garlic; sorry.

HermitJim said...

Hey Ted...
I can probably send him some from my yard! Guess they should work!

Thanks for the visit!


Hey Bob...
That's a pretty good one! Guess the onion breath might do the trick!

I appreciate you coming by today!

Marjie said...

My joints are issuing the same kind of winter warning. Fire up those onions!

HermitJim said...

Hey Marjie...
I don't know if that's a good thing or bad, that we've got to that age where our joints can tell the weather!

Since it sure beats the alternative, guess it's a good thing!

Thanks so much for dropping in today!