My name is Bob Snyder and I used to live in the small town of Wray, Colorado. We are just a few miles from the Colorado/Nebraska boarder known as the plains where there are many farms and ranches. I now live in Woods Cross, Utah.
I enjoy cooking and I have posted a few of my recipes. Some are original, others a modification of interesting found delights. (I almost always seem to make changes. Never being satisfied with what is listed.) Others may even be plagiarized. (I try to give credit where I can.)
I am what you might call an 'old school' cook. Now I have not attended cooking classes (well not many anyway) and don't claim to be a chef. I suppose you might call me a do-it-yourself kind of old school home cook. What I mean by old school cook is that I try very hard to use good and pure ingredients and never use pre-made preparations. I try to cook 'from scratch' so to speak. This allows me to get the tastes and textures of the food I cook and share with others. Yes, it's more work and sometimes requires several steps and sometimes days in advance to succeed. But if you like to cook AND share what you cook with others, I feel it's worth the time and effort. I have been my families cook for well over 50 years as my two wives never really wanted to cook. They had more than enough of it and were both happy to let me cook and just help with the dishes when necessary. (Sadly, they are both no longer in this world. No, it wasn't my cooking that caused their demise.) I am also a true fan of cast iron to cook with for many of my needs when they are appropriate. More on that later.
Healthy fresh foods go hand in hand with good taste and texture (yes there is always presentation too). I try to use local grown meats and produce and often have a garden of my own using heirloom seed stock. I cook with fat! Yes, it's not all bad for you, at least if you make and use your own. (The store bought stuff is hydrogenated which is especially unhealthy.) I also use LOTs of spices. My collection of spices keeps growing all the time. I keep discovering new and wonderful tastes with each new spice. Organic is OK, but not a necessity. You have to consider the tradeoffs between costs, availability and all the other factors. To me someone who is super set in their ways about organic, vegan, no fat, etc. is just a little over the top. Try to be the best you think you should, but don't become obsessed about it. A sin now and then won't hurt. Besides, is it really going to make you live a little longer? What a couple of weeks? Just think what you may have missed for years in exchange for that couple of weeks. (Now it's another thing if it's a religious decision. Jews and others are not allowed pork. Catholics are not allowed meat on Fridays, etc. That's OK and a reason of your faith.)
Now to get to the Frim Fram Sauce! What is Frim Fram Sauce anyway? It's used to top ussenfay and goes well with shafafa on the side. So, I'll tell you and I won't tell you here. You will have to check out my recipe below. If you do a search for 'Frim Fram Sauce Recipes', you will actually get a few, but I'll tell you they are NOT AUTHENTIC. I have included the actual recipe below in my list.
Be sure to check out my recipes below. You might find something you like!
Note: I don't generally change a recipe because of a suggestion by someone else. However, I do expect you to change my recipes to match your own needs, requirements and product availability. I'm not saying my recipes are perfect. Like any recipe I look at, I expect to check it out and modify it to my needs and my liking. So those listed here are for my particular wishes at the time. Yes, I do use cook books and other found recipes. I currently have over two full book cases of cookbooks along with cooking and canning related books. I must tell you I read many of them like a novel then later as a 'guide' on what I wish to prepare. The whole point in all this is to enjoy the process and especially the eating. It's fun. It's a game. It's not drudgery. If it becomes a drudgery for you, then someone else should do the cooking. The entire process of preparing a meal no mater what it takes or how long it takes, is: The Eating and Enjoyment of the food shared with friends, family, good conversation, and an after dinner drink (I don't smoke, so the cigars are out). A starter then some wine with dinner is not a bad idea either.
A side note: Some if not many of my recipes may seem complicated and/or the long way around. I generally don't use shortcuts but use the old fashioned methods. I feel this gives a better result to the enjoyment of cooking and eating. I also use fats. Not store bought fats, except olive oil and real butter (salted and unsalted), but fats that I render myself. Check out my diatribe on fats listed below along with the fat types. Remember, stay away from hydrogenated products especially in the fats (oils) that you buy at the store. Why not render your own? It's so much more healthy for you.
I'll post more as time goes by so check back every now and then.
Get Ready - Get Set - COOK!
Is that a picture of me? I don't think
so, my butt's not that cute
(and I'm no angel even though his wings are small).
For The Beginning
Frim Fram Sauce with Ussenfay & Shifafa on the side
Starters (Hors d'oeuvres)
Black Beans and Corn Salsa (mild) great as a dip with chips
Dolma - Stuffed Vine Leaves (using leftover BWASTs stuffing)
Lebneh & Za'atar dip with fresh Vegetables and Pita Bread or Crackers
Main Courses
BWASTs - Bacon Wrapped And Stuffed Thighs (Menu Suggestion)
Chicken Curry over Yellow Rice also Shrimp Curry (Menu Suggestion)
Shrimp Parmesan (Menu Suggestion)
Walnut Crusted Pork Tenderloin (Menu Suggestion)
Sweet & Sour Flanken (Menu Suggestion)
New England Boiled Dinner also includes Corned Beef and Cabbage (Menu Suggestion)
Mother's Meatloaf Dinner (one pot dinner) (Menu Suggestion)
Chicken and Dumplings (Menu Suggestion)
Shepherd's Pie (Menu Suggestion)
Brined Rock Cornish Game Hens (Menu Suggestion)
Za'atar Crusted Halibut over Vegetables and Couscous (Menu Suggestion)
Milanesa Napolitana (Menu Suggestion)
Side Dishes & Salads
Aspargus and Green Bean Bundles
Green Bean Bulgur & Barley Salad
Sautéed - Caramelized - Smothered Onions
Buckwheat & Bowties (Kasha Varnishkes)
Stuffed Zucchini and Potatoes (Stuffed Courgetes)
Eggplant Za'atar Salad with Tahini
Desserts
Drinks
Grenadine (Home Made much better than bottled corn syrup version)
Condiments
Spices
Canning
Breads
Others
Home Made Cheeses (Cottage, Farmer's, Pot, Hoop & Ricotta)
Chicken Sausage (Yum)
Poetry
Why poetry? Well, you see, I've begun including some poetry readings occasionally with dinner evenings I serve at home. Besides it's food for the mind, right? A full evening should include food and drink for the palate, tongue and nose not just the stomach and a little entertainment for the mind which can include a respite from local gossip. Sorry guys, cigars not allowed.
The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service (1907)
The story of the Creation of the world from the Polynesian perspective
Reincarnation by Ellen Bass (2015)
To Be Completed
Sour Dough Starter
Sour Dough Bread
Flank Steak Roulade
Jewish Corn Bread? (Sourdough Rye - Old Recipe)
Fats Diatribe!
Lard
Tallow
Schmaltz
© Bob
Snyder
Last Updated: April 7, 2023