FARMINGTON – Tom Taylor enjoys gardening and cooking with his harvest. “It is great to see and taste what you have created, whether it’s a meal or jars of canned goods,” says Taylor. “I love to go down in the basement and see rows of canned goods that were created from my own garden.”
Taylor says he has always enjoyed cooking. “As a teenager, I used to make cakes and pies for my mother.” He also worked his way through college as a short-order cook in local restaurants. “As an adult, I have always helped out with meal preparation at home,” Taylor said. “I am usually the designated cook at all large family outings. I love cooking any chance I get.”
Taylor admits that learning how to cook some things can take some practice. “When I first started grilling pork chops and ribs, it took some getting used to the proper heat and time,” he said. “I nearly burned them on several occasions.”
Taylor enjoys making many things. Main dishes, biscuits, casseroles and soups are among his favorites. “One of the reasons I love to make soups is that you can deviate from the recipe and use the ingredients you might have on hand,” says Taylor.
For newer cooks, he offers this advice: “Be flexible; recipes are a guide. If you want to change something, give it a try. I do attempt to stick to the recipe if it’s the first time I have used it. After that, I will alter things to fit my taste buds. You need to experiment, relax and have a good time.”
Taylor and his wife, Pam, have four children: Jim, Kate, Matt and Sara. After 38 years in education, with the last 29 as an elementary principal in SAD 9 in Farmington, he is retired. Taylor is currently working as the executive director of the Franklin County Children’s Task Force, also in Farmington. When he isn’t cooking, Taylor enjoys walking and carpentry.
Raw blueberry pie
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 baked pie shell (9 inch)
Method:
Line the baked pie shell with 3 cups blueberries. In a saucepan, combine the remaining cup of berries with all the other ingredients.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Pour this sauce over the blueberries in the pie shell. Refrigerate overnight before cutting.
Baked spaghetti
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 2¼-ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained, optional (lean ground turkey may also be used)
16 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 10¾-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (preferably reduced sodium and fat)
1/3 cup water
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
In a large skillet, sauté onion, green pepper and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, olives (reserve some olives for the top of the casserole) and oregano. Add browned ground beef (or turkey), if desired.
Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour over casserole.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining olives. The baking dish will be very full. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Makes 12 servings.
Refrigerator pickles
Ingredients:
25 small to medium cucumbers, washed and wiped dry
3 medium onions, peeled
½ cup pickling salt
4 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1½ teaspoons celery seed
1½ teaspoons mustard seed
Method:
Slice cucumbers and onions, as for table use.
In a large saucepan, mix pickling salt, cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed. Heat mixture slightly while stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
When mixture is dissolved, put cucumbers and onions into gallon-size reclosable plastic storage bags. Pour liquid mixture over slices. Leave overnight in refrigerator. Turn bags occasionally to “stir” the mixture. Pour into canning jars and proceed with canning process.
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