George often consults his relatives' recipe boxes for great dinner ideas. Homegrown butternut squashes are one of his favorite ingredients. "The biggest last summer was 10 pounds, 9 ounces," he says. See the Harvest 2020 catalog for George's Cinnamon Squash Bread recipe.
George Frederick has deep roots in Nebraska. "My great-great-great grandfather James Adams Bell arrived in Nebraska shortly after the territory was opened in 1854," he says. James helped settle the fertile farming town of Arlington, originally named Bell Creek.
"The story is that James or one of his children fell in the small creek on the way to the land they settled, hence the creek's name," explains George.
"When I was young we lived with Great-Grandfather Bell on his farm in Papillion. We would have a steer butchered and frozen to store in our space in a locker downtown. Some of our processed chickens and garden produce were also stored there. As a child, I got a kick out of going into that frigid locker and picking up frozen meat and fruit and sweet corn.
"I picked up my love of cooking by spending time in the kitchen with my mother. The recipes were German, Hungarian, Czech, Scandinavian, Irish, Scottish, English and more, a melting pot of recipes coming together in Nebraska, becoming richer with time. Over the years my wife Cheryl and I have added African,
George worked for 34 years at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications recording, mixing and editing television productions. "The one that had the most influence on me was a production we did for PBS. We traveled around the United States, working with American landscape artists. One of them was Thomas Hart Benton (best known for painting murals of Midwestern landscapes and laborers). We did one of the last interviews with him at his home studio.
"Many of the artists took us on location to see the views they had painted. What a great way to see America! We visited with Keith Jacobshagen, who paints Nebraska landscapes and captures the big sky. We also visited the German-born American painter Wolf Kahn in Vermont and spent the night in his old farmhouse. I had a bit of claustrophobia in Vermont because I could not see that big Nebraska sky."
These days George and Cheryl make their home in Lincoln, where he harks back to his farming roots just a bit, harvesting heirloom tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash from his garden. Much of his homegrown bounty ends up in delicious dishes he makes for Cheryl and his extended family. "We have a family get-together most Mondays. Grandma Madge's Simple Cucumber Salad (scroll down for the recipe) is an old favorite we have often when the cukes are ready in the garden."
George also restores old radios, including several he and Cheryl had as kids. "It is fun to bring them back to life and tune in to an old-time station playing '50s and '60s rock 'n' roll, the kind of music we listened to growing up."
Along with radios, George collects recipe boxes. "I managed to acquire a number of old recipe boxes from now-departed relatives. The recipes were not all just meat and potatoes. Many were quite dessert heavy."
One of his favorite desserts is Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie, a well-loved treat from Cheryl's recipe box.
George shares, "Grandma Madge made a very simple '1/2/3 dressing' for cucumbers and onions. The amount can be easily varied depending on the quantity of cucumbers and onions used."
Place the cucumbers and onion in a serving bowl. Add the FINES HERBES and WHITE PEPPER and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together the cider vinegar, sugar, and cream and stir to combine. Add to the serving bowl and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, mixing occasionally to mingle the flavors.
Prep. time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes chilling time
Cooking time: none
Serves: 4-6
Nutritional Information: Servings 6;
Serving Size 3/4 cup (186g); Calories 140; Calories from fat 100; Total fat 11g; Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 15mg; Carbohydrate 8g; Dietary Fiber 1g.
This wonderful pie recipe from George should be at the top of your Thanksgiving menu.
Preheat the oven to 425°. In large bowl, combine the sugar, PUMPKIN PIE SPICE, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and salt. Beat until well blended. Pour into the pie crust. In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients. Sprinkle the streusel over the pumpkin mixture. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Pie Crust: To prepare the crust, cut the butter into small pieces; it doesn't have to be cold, but it should not be warm to the point of melting. Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the butter and beat or mix by hand to combine. Add the milk in a thin stream, mixing until thoroughly blended. Form into a ball and chill until it can be easily handled. Sprinkle the table and the dough ball with flour, and using short strokes, roll it from the center to the edges until it is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Turn the dough over and re-dust with flour halfway through. Roll until the crust is about an inch larger than your 9-inch pie pan when inverted. Ease it in the ungreased pie pan. Roll the edges of the overhanging crust under so that you have a nice rim around the pie plate. Prick the crust all over with a fork.
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8
Nutritional Information: Servings 8;
Serving Size 1 piece (180g); Calories 400; Calories from fat 190; Total fat 21g; Cholesterol 85mg; Sodium 280mg; Carbohydrate 47g; Dietary Fiber 4g.
