THE THREE SISTERS (Common to many nations) Contributed by ^Sammy

I first heard the story of THE THREE SISTERS over 30 years ago. My father-in-law planted the family garden each year and we were all to go and regularly admire the progress. About six weeks after planting, I was duly impressed with it’s progress, but automatically bent down to pull "a couple of weeds." I saw what did not appear to be normal vegetation around the bean plants. They sure looked like weeds to me. Grampie explained to me what was growing. He told me the story of the Three Sisters…the corn stalk, the bean vine and the squash. He then took me to his sister’s house where another garden was growing. There I saw mounds of earth where the same type of vegetation was growing. She planted those three vegetables every year in the traditional way.

Margaret hoed up mounds of earth, and planted three seeds in each mound….corn, two varieties of beans, and a squash seed. She told me the corn stalk provided a sturdy stem for the beans to ‘twine’ up on. The beans in return took nitrogen from the air and put it in the ground for nutrients for healthy plants. The squash, on the other hand, laid on the ground to prevent weeds and to preserve moisture for all three.

Margaret is 92 years of age today, and is still planting her garden. She is one of the most incredible ladies I have ever met. Margaret is the geneologist of our family, and is fascinated by the computer and the printoffs I provide her.

She also educated me in the nutrient value of the bean, corn and squash combination. Three Sister Soup is a perfect food. Frozen in cup increments, it’s a wonderful tonic, and a wonderful taste.

 THREE SISTER SOUP

6 cups of liquid. (water, homemade chicken broth, or vegetable broth)

2 cups of fresh corn off the cob

1 cup of fresh green/yellow beans

1 cup of fresh peas

1 cup of light yellow pinto beans

1 ½ cups of butternut/buttercup squash (or pumpkin)

2 bay leafs

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer all the veggies for about an hour and a half. (The simmering for that amount of time blends the flavour to an incredible flavour).

The blend of spices/herbs is your taste. I like a southwestern blend….chilies, cumin, etc. Or a nice mild flavour blend of parsley, basil, savory, oregano is wonderful.   Place in blender and puree.

Serve with bisquits, bannock or scones.

SINGLE MANS SURVIVAL DISH # 1 - Contributed by MWolf

Start with 1 can of Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup

Add 1 cup of water

Add 2 cups of rice

 

 

Boil 'til it boils over on the stove, then remove from heat. Allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Then add 1 can of boneless white chicken. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Serving one. Dawg licks the plate.

SINGLE MANS SURVIVAL DISH #2 (Cherokee) Contributed by MWolf

-Take burgers

-Cook till all grease is in pan

-Let soak in grease for 5 minutes

-Pour off grease

-Serve between two pieces of bread with mustard

 

(^sammy’s advice…see doctor regular once a year….. for artery clog test!!!)

MOM’S BANNOCK (Mi’kmaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

4 cups of flour

1/3 cup of sugar (optional and approx.)

5 tsps of baking powder (rounded)

1 tsp of salt

2/3 cup lard

Approx. 1 ½ cups of milk (or add an egg or two to liquid to make the 1 ½ cups)

Combine dry ingredients, cut in fat, and add liquid until the dough is soft but not too sticky. Form into an oval loaf. With a sharp knife, make a slash down the middle length ways, and two more cross ways. Bake in a hot oven (375 degrees) for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

NOTE: This is my version of what I had seen my mother in law do years ago. First time I had bannock, it was cooked in a frypan on top of a grate on an outdoor rock fireplace. In front of the fire, on a hardwood plank, was a salmon "planking". (Recipe to follow). I can’t ever remember a tastier meal before, or since. She also served fresh peas, corn, and potatoe salad.

Mom uses whatever fat she has handy. She uses lard, bacon grease, butter, margarine, or shortening. Liquid can include eggs or not, water or milk. Sometimes she combines half and half cornmeal (the gritty kind) and flour, but in that case will add more fat because the cornmeal can be dryer. She sometimes does it on top of the stove in a heavy frypan.

PLANKED SALMON (Mi’kmaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

Preparing the salmon:

One whole salmon, cleaned, scaled, and cut down the back as opposed to the belly. A hardwood plank, approx. two feet by four, and soaked well in the river or lake for a couple of hours. Cover it with foil wrap. Splay the cleaned salmon flat on the board and nail it in place. Take fine wire, and criss cross it from nail to nail to secure the salmon to the plank.

Preparing the fire:

About an hour before cooking the salmon, bring some hardwood to glowing coals. There should be sufficient coals to last about an hour and a half, depending on the size of the salmon. Place the planked salmon upright in front of the hot coals. Brush it with oil. (I like to mix the oil with a bit of lemon and worchestershire sauce). Keep basting it with the oil periodically. The last few times, include the salt and pepper to taste. When the salmon flakes at the meatiest parts, it’s done. Lay the plank and salmon on an outdoor picnic table, and let everyone help themselves.

HODGEPODGE (Mi’kmaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

-All fresh new vegetables in season. For example, fresh green and yellow beans. Fresh peas. New potatoes. New onions. Broad beans. New zuccini and new carrots.

Fry three to four slices of bacon ‘til crisp. Remove bacon, cool and crumble. Sautee the onions and garlic in the bacon grease, remove. Boil the veggies in order until tender. Drain and add salt, pepper, whole milk just to "wet", but not soupy, and a dollop of butter. Replace the bacon bits, onions and garlic. Let stand several minutes until flavours blend. I tend to cook hodgepodge vegetables in homemade chicken stock. With either bisquits or bannock, it’s a meal that doesn’t have to include a meat portion.

VENISON MINCEMEAT (Mi’kmaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

Boil deer or moose meat in salted water until tender. Grind.

Grind twice the quantity of apples as you have meat.

The rest of this recipe is to taste. I add molasses and brown sugar, raisons (ground if you don’t like the texture of raisons), ground suet for a binder, either vinegar or tart apple juice ( I like the latter, Mom likes the former) and spices. Salt and pepper, of course. Cinnamon, nutmeg , all spice and vanilla are my choices. Mom adds some instant coffee for color and taste. If you like, a liquour can be added. Brandy or rum are a nice flavouring. The alchohol evaporates if that’s a worry. The consistency is also a matter of choice. If it appears to be dry, then more apple juice, vinegar, or coffee can be added. (Think tarts and pies!!)

VENISON STEAKS, ROASTS, ETC. (Mi’kmaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

Venison is a "taste thing". If you like the wild taste, then it’s cooked according to it’s beef/lamb/pork equivalent. If you like a milder taste, then you marinade it in fruit and vegetables first. For example, if you are BBQ’ing steaks, then marinade them in apple juice, olive oil, onions, celery, garlic, a couple of dashes of worchestershire sauce, some thyme, parsley , bayleaves, and diced fresh tomatoes for at least two hours before cooking. (over night in the fridge is best). Stew is similar to Irish stew….difference is the added corn and fresh peas and diced tomato in the final ten minutes of stewing. A roast of deer loin should have suet spread on top…or bacon It’s very lean and needs some fat. A generous rub of savory or sage is very nice. Sliced apples in the final half hour makes a nice flavor. Cold sliced deer roast is wonderful in sandwiches and tacos! Ground suet and deer meat makes great burgers, too. Mix the ground meat with an egg, a dash of mustard, and some green relish, salt and pepper….and BBQ!

When dressing a deer or moose, don’t forget the bones. They make great barely soup. Boiled for several hours in water to cover, two or three carrots, celery, onion halves, garlic cloves and herbs of choice, this makes great stock bases for most soups and stews.

SISTER IN LAW’S MINCEMEAT AND VENISON HINTS (Mi'qMaq) Contributed by ^Sammy

(I told her I was posting her Mom’s recipes on a native channel, and she sent me this email.)

Brenda. You know Mom doesn’t measure. This is how I interpreted her recipe. First is the "real" one. Second is how she does it. ^sammy’s note: The second version is the one I followed.

5 C. chopped cooked venison

2 1/2 C. chopped suet

7 1/2 C. chopped apples

3 C. apple cider or juice

1/2 C. vinegar

3/4 lb. citron

1 C. molasses

5 C. white sugar

2 1/2 C. raisins cut up fine

1 1/2 C. raisins whole

1 1/2 Tbsp. salt

Juice of 2 lemons & 2 oranges

1 Tbsp. mace

2 scant Tbsp. each of : cinnamon

Cloves

Allspice

2 nutmegs grated

1 tsp. almond

2 Tbsp. lemon extract

1 1/2 C. brandy

3 C. liquid in which meat was cooked

 

Mix ingredients in order given. Let simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add brandy and shavings from lemons & oranges. Bottle or put in a large earthen crock. This is the recipe I got out of mom years ago. It wasn 't easy since she never really measured to much. Any way using your culinary expertise I thought you might be able to use both recipes to make your own.

5 C. ground deermeat

8 C. ground apples

1 C. vinegar

1 C. water

1 C. brown sugar

1 C. molasses

3/4 lb. suet

1T. nutmeg

1T.cinnamon

1T.cloves

1T.instant coffee

1T.vanilla

Salt to taste

 

Mix together bring to a boil then decrease heat until simmering ( 2 1/2 hours). Extra ingredients may need to be added according to taste. Frequent tasting is an important part of the process.

Saute vegetables in butter add vinegar & seasonings, pour hot over meat. Turn meat every 2 hours for 8 hours.

3 or 4 slices of bacon cooked until crisp, cooled and crumbled (sautee veggies in the drippings)

2 cups of diced potatoes

1 cup of diced green, yellow, red peppers (sauteed)

1/2 cup diced onion (sauteed)

Chopped garlic to taste (sauteed)

1 cup of kernal corn

1/2 cup of cream corn

Salt and pepper

Cook until tender the potatoes, add sauteed veggies and corn. NOTE: Cook in homemade chicken stalk and with bisquits or bannock this can be a complete meal.

1 lb Cracked Corn (Cracked Hominy)

1 lb Fresh Lean Pork (Meaty Backbone)

2 Qts. Water (Add more if needed)

Wash and clean corn. Bring water to boil and add corn. Cook slowly, stirring often. When corn is about half done, add the fresh pork, cook until the meat and corn are tender and soft. The mixture should be thick and soupy. Cooking 5time about 4 hours. Add no salt while cooking. Each individual salts to his own taste. (If meaty back bone is not available, use fresh chopped pork. (Small pieces). Pork chops are good to use.

BREAD - Banaha (CHOCTAW) Contributed by Mornin_

2 cups of cornmeal

1 ½ cups hot water

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

Corn shucks ( boil bout 10 minutes before using)

Mix dry ingredients. Add water till mixture is stiff enough to handle easily. Form small oblong balls the size of a tennis ball and wrap in corn shucks. Tie in middle with corn shuck string, or use oblong white rags 8x10 inches, cut from an old sheet. They are much better boiled in shucks, tho. Drop covered balls into a deep pot of boiling water. Cover and cook 40 minutes. Serve. Indians used to heat hog lard and pour over bread as gravy. Leftovers may be stored in refrigerator. To serve, slice each ball into ½ inch slices and fry in hot fat. Variation: Add ½ cup cooked black-eye peas or red beans to recipe.

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup warm water or milk

Sift first three ingredients together and stir in beaten egg. Add water or milk to make soft dough. Round up on lightly floured cloth or bread board. Knead lightly. Roll or pat out ½ inch thick. Cut into strips about 2X3 inches and slit center. Drop into deep fat. Brown on both sides. Serve hot. Good with pinto beans, stew or syrup.

1/2 cup shortening

1 ½ cup cooked pumpkin

2 ½ cup of flour, less 2 tsp

4 tsp baking powder

1cup of raisins or dates

1 cup of chopped nuts

1 tsp lemon extract

1 1/4cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin and spices. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Blend until smooth. Stir in raisins, nuts and flavoring. Drop by tsps onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Yield approx. 3 dozen.

Pour ½ cup boiling water over ½ cup shortening. Add ½ cup molasses, 1 beaten egg and 1 ½ cup flour, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp soda, ½ tsp. soda, ½ tsp. ginger and a scant tsp. cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Bake in oblong pan at 350 degrees. Cool in pan.

Use Possum grapes when ripe in the fall. They grow in the woods and along creek banks. Cook ½ gallon wild possum grapes til they are boiling, using just enough water to cover. Strain through a clean sack. Make dumplings out of 12 cup grape juice, 2 cups flour, 2 tsps. baking powder and 1 tsp shortening. Stir grape juice into dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Add a tbsp or two of grape juice if needed. Sweeten the boiling grape juiceleft and boil in juice.

NOTE: In Texas, we generally call the wild grapes "Mustang Grapes". They usually ripen in early summer and are very plentiful. I always gather plenty for grape juice to drink and to use in jelly making. This dessert is credited to the Seminoles, but the Chickasaws Choctaw, Comanches, and Cherokees in Texas and Oklahoma make equal use of this recipe and the wild grapes that grow so abundantly.

1) Put 3 to 4 cups of floor add into a big bowl.

2) Add 1/2 tsp of salt.

3) Add 3 tablespoons of baking powder to the bowl of flour.

4) Mix that up with your hands.

5) Make a circle in the middle of the floor like a whole.

6) Add luke warm water about 3 cups.

7) Add 2 tbsp of criso oil to the water, then start to mix it up and kneed the dough until its a round ball.

8) Put flour on the counter.

9) Place dough on counter and use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough to a round size.

10) Place dough into a pan and take a spoon and poke wholes all around it. Then place in the oven.

11) Set the oven on 400 C and cook for about 25 minutes or until cooked in the middle and goldren brown.

12) When the bannock is complete take some lard or margarine and spread it all around it to soften the outer edges.

13) Let it sit for a little while before serving.

 

My grandmother taught me this but never used measuring cups.

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One can of Spam

4 eggs

Ketchup

Oil

Slice the canned Spam (Canadians use Klick) in four. With a bisquit cutter, cut a hole in middle of each slice. In a frypan, heat oil. Place Spam/Klick in hot fat. Fry on one side and turn over. Break egg and slip in the hole in each frying slice. Fry for two minutes, and turn. Don’t waste the hole!! Fry that too for a side dish. Pass the ketchup!!

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Catch a Loon Duck. (Black Lake Loon’s are best). Pluck and clean. Boil well. With sharp knife, split duck down the belly. Splay it on a well soaked hardwood plank. Nail it good and wire it securely. Place upright on plank in front of hot coals on outdoor fireplace. Cook well for about two hours. When done, throw that fishy duck away, and eat the plank!!!

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2 1/2 pounds of venison

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

A dash of pepper

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup green pepper,chopped

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 1/2 cup water

1 small can tomato paste

1 tablespoon bead molasses

 

Trim all fat from venison Roll meat in salt,pepper,and flour. Brown meat in margarine or butter in fry pan. Add water, tomato paste, bead molasses, green peppers, and onion. Bring to a simmer, stir frequently. Lower temp. and let simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionaly. Serve piping hot with boiled parsley potatoes.

 

This is one of my favorites. Enjoy. (Ldyhorse)

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Pastry for a 9 inch pie shell

¾ lean ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, crushed

½ tsp of powdered mustard

1 can tomatoes

2 cup chopped fresh spinach

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

½ crushed chilies

Combine all filling ingredients in frying pan and bring to a boil. Stir to break up meat, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Chill for 2 hours.

1 ½ lb. Of moose meat (or steak) cubed.

4 tsp soya sauce

1 onion, chopped

3 tbsp of oil

½ cup uncooked rice

1 cup of water (or stock of your choice)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of sliced mushrooms

1 cup of peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Derwin’s quote: This Ojibway Girl don’t use any measuring. Just by fluke do I get it right. J

submitted by Thundrose

 submitted by: arapahomaiden!!

10  slices of bacon
3    medium green zucchini(diced)
3    medium yellow squash(diced)
1    can corn

1. Cut slices of bacon into squares, fry in large pan until crisp.
(do not drain grease: adds flavor)
2. Add zucchini, squash and corn to frying pan.  Lower temp.
Stir mixture and cover.
3. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies
      are tender to your desire.  Remove from heat and serve.