Zastrow Family Cookbook

About the Cookbook

This cookbook begin May 24, 1980 when Earl and Peg married. All the "wives" contributed and we had 25 recipes. After that, each time one of the "cousins" married more contributions were made until the book got too large to copy and make for everyone. It was then published in 1996 as "Our Family Favorites", and copies were distributed throughout the family.

The family has really grown and unfortunately those copies are now distributed. In 2011, fifteen years after printing and 31 years after this collection began, I have created the "Zastrow Family Cookbook" website and put the book online. I hope this can be a way of sharing the book with the "4th Generation" of Zastrow's.

A poem was written for the original cookbook and subsequent editions.

"There's Nothin' Like Family Favorites"

The book is dedicated,
To the ones we love so much,
Our family, who appreciate our extra special touch.
And as each new addition joins on our family tree,
She'll get a copy of this book
And that same old reaction you will see.

Her husband to please, the family book she will seize,
And breathlessly serve an old family feast.
A taste of the food, a moment to savor,
A blink of his eye and with joy he will say,
"My goodness, my dear, who taught you to cook in this way?"

With a sight of relief, a kiss he will steal,
And you'll say with pride, "It's a family secret, I cannot reveal!"
And as years go by, some new things you'll try,
But to no avail, for all shall wail,
"Mom, serve us that good food we used to enjoy!"

And again you will sigh and think to yourself,
"Thank-you Mom's, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Brothers and Sisters,
Who shared so much wealth!"

Rebecca Lynn Dibble
May 24, 1980

Household Hints and Ideas

Kitchen

Hamburger Shortcuts-Lorraine
Instead of greasing skillet, sprinkle pan lightly with salt, then hamburgers will fry in their own juices.
Add 1 grated raw potato to each pound of hamburger for luscious juicy hamburgers.
When making meat balls, dip fingers in water before rolling--prevents stickiness.

Keep Weevils At Bay-Lorraine
If you put a bay leaf in your flour, cornmeal, staples and around on your cupboards you will not have a weevil.

One Step Pan Grease-Becky
2 cups shortening
1 1/2 cups flour
Mix thoroughly with electric mixer. Store covered. Use within 3 months. Whenever you have to grease and flour a pan, do it in 1 step.

Picnic Tablecloth-Beth
Use an old twin fitted sheet. It stays secure and is easy to wash up for next use!

Cleaning

Aluminum Cleaner-Kathy
2 or 3 halved lemons or 1 grapefruit cut 4 ways
Water
Put citrus and water in the tarnished pan and stew on low heat for an hour.
***
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Vinegar (enough to make a paste)
Mix ingredients to make a stiff paste. Run on metal and let dry. Wash paste off with hot water and dry with a cloth.

Aroma of Christmas-Becky
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
2 lemon slices
2 pieces orange peel
Simmer over low heat in 1 quart of water. Mixture can simme all day. Add water as needed. Enjoy Christmas any day of the year.

Brass and Copper Cleaner-Kathy
Flour (enough to make a paste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vinegar
Mix ingredients to form a paste. Rub onto the brass and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with water and dry with a cloth dampened with a little vegetable oil.
***
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
Mix salt, juice, and vinegar in small bowl. Rub with sponge and let dry. Rinse with hot water.

Chrome Cleaner-Kathy
3 tablespoons baking soda
Water
Mix the baking soda and water to make a paste. Apply. Rinse.
***
1/8 cup cider vinegar
Saturate sponge with vinegar. Rub and rinse.

Crystal Clear Windows-Kathy
Here's a great homestyle window cleaner. Mix 1/4 cup nonsudsing ammonia to 1 gallon water. Wash away the grime in no time and save money.

Drain Cleaner-Kathy
1/2 cup baking soda
3 cups boiling water
Pour baking soda down the drain. Add boiling water. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse. Repeat this process every month or so.
***
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice
Pour baking soda down the drain. Add vinegar or lemon juice. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with hot water.

Helpful Hint-Lorraine
Use toothpaste if you don't have silver polish. Especially good for jewelry.

Pot and Pan Cleaner-Kathy
3 tablespoons baking soda
Salt
Water
Mix ingredients in a small bowl to form a paste. Dip a sponge into paste and rub on the metal. Let dry. Rinse with hot water.

Silver Cleaner-Kathy
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
A few sheets aluminum foil
Water
Put foil in bottom of a big pan. Add 2 to 3 inches of water (enough to cover the silver), baking soda and salt. Bring to a boil. Add silver pieces and boil 2 and 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Rinse well and dry.
***
Baking soda
Water (enough to make a paste)
Mix ingredients to form a paste. Use a soft, wet sponge to apply the mixture to the silver. Rinse in hot water and dry with soft cloth.
***
Toothpaste
To clean off tarnish, coat sliver with toothpaste. Run under warm water and work into into a foam. Rinse.

Stainless Steel Cleaner-Kathy
3 tablespoons baking soda
Water
Mix ingredients to make a past. Apply with green scouring pad. Rinse well to remove all residue.
***
Vinegar
Saturate sponge with vinegar. Run the metal. Rinse and polish dry with soft cloth.
***
Olive oil or club soda
Rub with a sponge dampened in olive oil or club soda to remove streaks or stains.

Stains-Lorraine
1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach
2 gallons water
1/2 cup automatic dishwasher detergent
Soak in solution 3 to 4 hours. Also cream of tartar is good for whitening fabrics on which you don't want to use strong chemicals.

Beauty

Oatmeal Bath and Shower Bag-Becky
This really softens your skin. Grate a small bar of baby soap on a cheese grater. Whirl 7/8 cup rolled oats and 2 tablespoons blanched almonds in a blender or food processor until powdered. Combine well with soap. Put the mixture into a double cheesecloth bag and tie securely. Use in place of soap and washcloth.

Sunburn-Lorraine
1. Stay out of sun...or
2. Put 2 cups oatmeal or cornstarch in a tub of lukewarm water and soak in it for 15 minutes. Don't put grease or cream on it.
3. If it burns blisters and oozes fluid, you have second degree burns and should see a doctor.

Fun and Games

Bubble Blowing-Lorraine
Dawn detergent
Mix with water. The best mix for blowing bubbles.

Childhood Memory Quilt-Becky
To create a lasting memory that will be a useful family treasure, save those important shirts or other important clothes and when your child graduates, make a memory quilt for his or her room by cutting the designs and making a quilt. A nice way to remember that first year of baseball, soccer, trip to Disney World, an important vacation, etc. Nice for their bed at home when they are at college and as a keepsake later.

Face Paints-Becky
2 teaspoons Crisco
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon flour
4 drops glycerin
Food coloring
In small bowl, combine Crisco, cornstarch and flour. Add glycerin. Stir until creamy. Divide and add small amount of food coloring to each portion.

Finger Paints-Becky
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
Food coloring
Detergent
Mix the first 2 ingredients; add water. Cook over low heat until well blended. Divide mixture into 4 or 5 portions. Add food coloring and a pinch of detergent for easy clean up. (Not adding detergent makes it edible for little ones whose fingers go in the mouth)

Giant Bubbles-Becky
2 cups Joy or Dawn dishwashing detergent
6 cups water
3/4 cup white corn syrup
Combine, shake and let settle 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator to extend suds shelf life. Allow to warm to room temperature before using. This makes big long lasting bubbles, especially with the giant bubble wands.

Play Dough-Wendy
3 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon alum
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups boiling water
Mix flour, salt, alum and oil in bowl. Add water. Mix with spoon until it begins to stick together. Remove to flat surface and knead like bread until it is smooth. Keep in an airtight container. Add food coloring of your choice to the water if desired.

Stuff It-Becky
(Game for Children's Parties)
Bag of balloons
1-piece outfit (I use my clown suit)
Have children divide into 2 or 3 teams. One child is chosen to wear outfit. The others on the team try to stuff as many blown up balloons into suit as possible. The team with the most balloons stuffed is the winner. Great for pictures and fun for children. A red 1-piece men's pajama is cute around Christmas.

4th Generation Favorites

Kool Aid-Dylan age 3
Stir the blue Kool Aid and put some water in it cause it likes getting water in it with the squirt gun on the sink. then you put some sugar in it. Stir it some more. Then you are done! You are not done yet, you gotta drink it first.

Eggs Please-Alexandra age 2
Stir eggs. You like some, Grandma? Yum! Yum!

Pudding Pops-Michael R. age 11
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup milk
2 cups vanilla or chocolate ice cream, softened
First you have to mix the pudding using 1 cup of milk. Beat with your beater until well blended. Then stir the softened ice cream into pudding. Pour the "stuff" inot paper cups about 2/3 full. (You're getting there so don't give up quite yet.) Insert popsicle sticks and freeze completely. Tear the paper cup off your treat. Now you have yourself a wonderful summer snack.

Macaroni-Kelsey age 6
Get the box out of the cupboard. Cook 'em. When they are ready, put 'em in a dish and water them. Then put it back in the pan. Add cheese and milk. Stir it. Then you eat it.

Kelsey's Favorite Samwich-Kelsey age 6
First you get the bread. And then you get the mayonnaise out and the salami out. Then you get the knife out. Put the mayonnaise on first. Take the salami and put it on the mayonnaise. Then fold the samwich. Then you eat it.

Snack Mix-Holly age 5
First you get your bowl out. Take a scoop of fruit loops and Cheerios and put them in the bowl. Then get a couple chocolate chips and marshmallows for your bowl. Fish crackers too if you have them. That's all. Then you eat it.

Peanut Butter Samwich-Holly age 5
First you get it out. Open the jar. Then take a scoop and put it on your samwich and eat it.

French Fries-Kelsey age 6
Take potatoes. Put 'em in the oven. When they are ready, take them out. And eat them with ketchup.

Grill Cheese-Sam age 4
You take 2 pieces of bread and 2 pieces of cheese. Put it on a pan and then when the bread turns into brown and yellow spots, then it's done and you eat it.

Tuna Casserole-Gordy IV age 12
3 cans tuna, drained
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms drained
Cook egg noodles by the directions on the package. When done, drain the noodles. Add a can of milk. Mix all together in a big casserole dish. Put crumbled chips on top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

Soup- Erika age 3
Cut up little pieces of paper. Put it in a bowl. Scoop it up. Give some to Daddy to eat.

Toast- Nathan age 5
Put bred in the toaster. Pop it up then it's done. Put butter on it. Cut it up in pieces. Eat it.

Andrew's Dinner Call- age 1 month
Start whining....Gain volume...Turn whine into full fledged cry. Mom comes...Ah...Contentment.

Charcoal Grilled Hamburger- Joshua age 11
Take 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger. Make into patties and then you grill on a charcoal fire. Serve with a hardroll, pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard. Very good.

Peanut Butter Cookie-Darin age 7
Mix dough up and put peanut butter in it. Then roll in into balls and flatten it with a fork and then bake it for 1 hour at 30 degrees.

Ants on the Log-Sara age 6
Have a piece of celery, put some peanut butter on and then some raisens on and eat it up.

Weiner Winks-Jacob age 7
You take a hotdog and wrap cheese around it. You take a package of crescent rolls and wrap around it. Bake like it says on the package.

Abby's Cinnamon Strudel-Abby age 6
Take a loaf of frozen bread and thaw it. Then smash it with your hands. roll it big with the "roller". Put butter all over top of dough. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle it on dough with a spoon. Roll dough and pinch ends. Bake it.

Grilled Cheese- Luke age 8
You get 2 pieces of bread. Then you get 4 pieces of cheese. Then you put the cheese on the bread. Then you put the bread and cheese in the oven and then your done.

A Salad-Luke age 8
You put the salad in the bowl. They you put the salad dressing on the salad and then your done.

Purple Cake-Julia age 2 1/2
Put stuff in bowl; cake, 2 waters, candels. Star it with a spoon. Put green top on. Cook it in the oven. A little hot. We let it cool off. We eat it.

Kady's Cheesy Eggs-Kady age 8
Take a dozen eggs. Crack'em. Put 'em in the fry pan and scramble 'em. Put sliced Cheddar cheese on eggs until "melty". Take out the eggs and enjoy a delicious meal.

Coconut Milk-Brendan age 4
Take a hammer and smack it! Take a fing and scoop it out and squeeze it into a big bowl. Put it in a big milk jug and then drink it out of the milk jug.

Brittney's Favorite Recipe-Brittney age 8
McDonalds hamburger (ketchup only)
Fries
Small diet Coke

Chicken Fingers-Mike age 11
1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast
Potato chips
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Have a grown up cut the chicken into finger size pieces. Fill a large Ziploc bag with potato chips. Seal it shut. Crush the chips by banging them with the back of a wooden spoon. In a small bowl, mix the egg and milk. Dip the chicken in the egg, then put them into the bag. Shake the bag to cover the chicken. Place chicken on a cookie sheet. Put into the oven. Bake 10 minutes, turn over the pieces. Bake another 10 minutes. Dip in your favorite sauce or salsa and eat.

Salsa-Mike age 11
Chop 4 tomatoes
Chop 1 onion
1/4 cup chopped salsa
Pepper and salt
1/4 cup canned chili pepper chopped
Mix all together and put in fridge a few hours.

Karly's Peanut Butter Sandwich-Karly age 3
Take out a sandwich. Put some peanut butter on it. Put some jelly on it. Then put cheese puffs on my plate. Cut it in half. Get juice. Eat like a big girl.

Ryan's Favorite Recipe-Ryan age 12
Pizza
Call Dominos and pick up a movie.

Zac's Crispy Bacon-Zachary age 10
Get pack of bacon. Take it out and put in pan. Check every 4 minutes until bacon is crisp and brown. Do not burn like mom.

Macaroni and Cheese-Jillian age 4
Bake it. Put butter in the water. Put cheese in. Put noodles in the pot. Then you put it in a bowl. They you eat it.

Pizza-Jillian age 4
First you bake it in the oven. Put pepperoni on it and cut it. Then you serve it to the people. Then you eat it.

Vegetable Soup-Melissa age 6

First get all the vegetables ready. Then you put them in a big pot. Then you put boiling hot water. Then you stir it for 30 minutes. Then you serve it to the people.

Macaroni and Cheese-Melissa age 6

Get the macaroni and cheese in a box at the store. Then you bring it home to your house. And then you put it in a big pot. And then you stir it in the big pot. Then you take it out of the big pot and put it in the sink. Then you put it back in the pot after it cools a little bit. And then you let is sit for 2 minutes. Then you put the cheese in. then you put butter and milk. Then you're done.

Our Family Genealogy

Both the Zastrow and Peik families have been traced back to the early to mid 1800's when they came over here from Germany. On the Peik side of the family, two of our grandfathers fought in the Civil War. On the Zastrow side we even have a picture of the original "Grandma Zastrow" who came over in 1865! Did you know that all but 3 children of the original Zastrow family moved out to Wyoming?

Here is an online version of our genealogy including pictures, stories, newspaper articles and more.

Zastrow Family Genealogy Online