If you have been impatiently waiting for Christmas to get here, you are one lucky person. When I was a kid the space between Christmases was forever and a day. Now I barely get all of the Christmas decorations down, packed away and forgotten about and it’s time to resurrect them again. In one aspect that is not bad, because the Christmas season is one of my favorite ones but also the most overwhelming.
I solved a great deal of the drama a few years ago when I quit buying, wrapping and transporting gifts. I know the original thought was in remembrance of the Magi bringing gifts to the Christ Child and God’s gift of, and sacrificing him for our benefit, but don’t you think that perhaps we have overdone it? Let’s try to return to the original meaning of Christmas.
There will be no suggestion for Christmas delicacies this week. Why not concentrate on food for our souls? You know better than I what your thoughts and needs are, so everyone is responsible for his own action. Each year I receive fewer Christmas cards, but I do enjoy them. Each year it seems that I get mine done later. Almost overdid it this year but hope the last few arrive before the weekend. I was looking at mine again this evening and I am going to pass on to you some thoughts that are not original but were quite meaningful to me. Hope you agree.
May you always have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of Christ’s love at Christmas.
May Christmas surround you with beauty, touch you with warmth and fill you with joy.
May peace, blessings, good health and happiness be yours this Christmas and throughout the New Year.
A very Merry Christmas to each of you and your families.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
12/15/11
I am wondering if it is worth my while to put up some outdoor Christmas lights. The date tells me to forget it, but the weather report gives such a positive outlook for the day that I just might get myself motivated. I do enjoy it after it is accomplished, but I didn’t get it done last year and the world continued to turn on its axis.
Let’s all extend our heartfelt concern to the three area teens and their families who were critically wounded in a recent tragic car-truck accident. Although they were residents of a neighboring town they all had Edgerton connections. When you live in a small town community everyone becomes important to you. As in my family, we laugh together in good times and cry together when adverse circumstances unexpectedly appear. May God bring peace and send a healing hand to each of the injured girls and to their families.
There aren’t many days left to accomplish all of the Christmas ideas that I had in November. I find myself eliminating a few and already my first resolution has been broken. I was really going to address my Christmas cards early. If you do not get one from me, just think that you were on my list but I didn’t get it accomplished.
I spent Sunday afternoon making my usual 5 pounds of fudge that has been part of my families Christmas for about 50 years, and the annual microwave peanut brittle that is a family favorite. They both turned out well, in spite of my laboring with them on Sunday!
I spent too much time trying to decide on recipes for today, so I will start with one that is very simple that you might use when your family is expecting a filling entrée , and you have fiddled too long with Christmas delicacies.
QUICK HAMBURGER-CHEESE CASSEROLE
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 cups, cooked macaroni
2/3 cup milk
1 can fried onion rings
Mix all ingredients together, except onion rings.Pour into buttered casserole. Top with onion rings. Bake at 325degrees until heated through and onion rings are browned (about 15 minutes).
Maybe lemon bars are not a Christmas favorite of your family, but someone recently told me that she always bakes them every year for a Christmas treat. Maybe this will be the year that you try it. Save the recipe for an everyday specialty.
FRESH LEMON BARS
2 old fashioned or quick oatmeal (not instant)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ cup fresh lemon juice
Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large bowl combine
oats, flour, sugar and salt. Add butter. Stir until
blended. Remove one scant cup of the mixture and set aside. Firmly press the balance of the dough evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Combine condensed milk with the lemon peel. Gradually add lemon juice. Pour over dough. Crumble reserved dough and sprinkle over lemon mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
I just read a hint about softening butter which I should have known last week when I was baking a lot of cookies. Fill a small bowl with hot water. Let set a few minutes. Empty and turn upside down over the butter and let set a few minutes. It should soften the butter to working consistency.
Let’s all extend our heartfelt concern to the three area teens and their families who were critically wounded in a recent tragic car-truck accident. Although they were residents of a neighboring town they all had Edgerton connections. When you live in a small town community everyone becomes important to you. As in my family, we laugh together in good times and cry together when adverse circumstances unexpectedly appear. May God bring peace and send a healing hand to each of the injured girls and to their families.
There aren’t many days left to accomplish all of the Christmas ideas that I had in November. I find myself eliminating a few and already my first resolution has been broken. I was really going to address my Christmas cards early. If you do not get one from me, just think that you were on my list but I didn’t get it accomplished.
I spent Sunday afternoon making my usual 5 pounds of fudge that has been part of my families Christmas for about 50 years, and the annual microwave peanut brittle that is a family favorite. They both turned out well, in spite of my laboring with them on Sunday!
I spent too much time trying to decide on recipes for today, so I will start with one that is very simple that you might use when your family is expecting a filling entrée , and you have fiddled too long with Christmas delicacies.
QUICK HAMBURGER-CHEESE CASSEROLE
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 cups, cooked macaroni
2/3 cup milk
1 can fried onion rings
Mix all ingredients together, except onion rings.Pour into buttered casserole. Top with onion rings. Bake at 325degrees until heated through and onion rings are browned (about 15 minutes).
Maybe lemon bars are not a Christmas favorite of your family, but someone recently told me that she always bakes them every year for a Christmas treat. Maybe this will be the year that you try it. Save the recipe for an everyday specialty.
FRESH LEMON BARS
2 old fashioned or quick oatmeal (not instant)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ cup fresh lemon juice
Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large bowl combine
oats, flour, sugar and salt. Add butter. Stir until
blended. Remove one scant cup of the mixture and set aside. Firmly press the balance of the dough evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Combine condensed milk with the lemon peel. Gradually add lemon juice. Pour over dough. Crumble reserved dough and sprinkle over lemon mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
I just read a hint about softening butter which I should have known last week when I was baking a lot of cookies. Fill a small bowl with hot water. Let set a few minutes. Empty and turn upside down over the butter and let set a few minutes. It should soften the butter to working consistency.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
12/6/11
With the complications of another dreary, rainy Monday morning and a computer that is giving me fits, I certainly hope that all of my “magic moments” have not escaped my frazzled mind. My computer is on the same page with my car—if it works when I turn on the ignition and shift the gears, I am ready to go. Otherwise, I find myself way out in left field. A new problem surfaced this morning when I turned on my computer. After starting and stopping it several times, I think I am in the “go” status. Hope it lasts until I get this on its way to you.
This last week was a busy one for me, with several opportunities to discover magic moments. Will try to concentrate on two, after getting my inner self quieted down from my frustrations this morning, which should make me change from my habit of procrastination. But at my age, is change possible?
Yesterday furnished a double pleasure making it a magic day. I spent it with three daughters and a great granddaughter and attended the Bethlehem Walk at Fairview Missionary Church near Angola. It was a fantastic production, produced by the members of the church, taking you back to the day after Christ’s birth in the city of Bethlehem. It is hard to describe the costumes and sense of reality that it portrayed. It was a great experience. An added blessing was when we stopped at a department store, we were overwhelmed when we saw a son and daughter-in-law from Wauseon shopping in Angola! Just goes to show you that magic moments are where we least expect to find them.
Last Saturday I attended the funeral of a long, long time friend. She was the sister-in-law of a classmate and friend of mine with whom I lived with in Ft. Wayne during our working days after high school. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. Our married lives scattered us to different parts of the country. Really, I just stayed here and she ended up in Massachusetts. We rarely see each other anymore, but I do have email contact with her. When I asked if she were coming back for the funeral she told me that she has had a back injury and was not able to travel, but that a son and his wife and a daughter would be at the funeral. It took some micromanaging but I did it and saw them after the funeral. They were very gracious and even took a picture of me with them to show their mother! This made me late for a previous luncheon appointment, but it was a very pleasant experience.
When I look at today’s date, it reminds me how close Christmas really is. So if I can find the 1992 magazine that I have been saving for Christmas recipes, I will get this to the editor in time to make the paper.
CHOCOLATE PECAN TREATS
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute milk chocolate if you prefer)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
16 vanilla wafers
Over hot water, not boiling, combine chocolate
morsels and shortening. Stir until melted and
smooth. Remove from heat. Let stand over hot water
for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine coconut, pecans
sweetened milk. Stir until well blended. Spoon one rounded
measuring spoonful of coconut mixture on each vanilla wafer.
Place on wire rack over waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Pour
scant tablespoonful of melted chocolate over each cookie.
Chill until chocolate is set.
PECAN PUMPKIN PIE
Pumpkin layer: 1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
Pecan layer: 2 eggs
2/3 cup light corn syrup
½ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg, pumpkin, sugar and. spice. Spread over bottom of pie shell.
In same bowl beat eggs, stir in syrup, sugar butter and vanilla. Stir in nuts.
Spoon over pumpkin mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.
May you all find peace, joy and many Magic Moments. in your lives this Christmas season.
This last week was a busy one for me, with several opportunities to discover magic moments. Will try to concentrate on two, after getting my inner self quieted down from my frustrations this morning, which should make me change from my habit of procrastination. But at my age, is change possible?
Yesterday furnished a double pleasure making it a magic day. I spent it with three daughters and a great granddaughter and attended the Bethlehem Walk at Fairview Missionary Church near Angola. It was a fantastic production, produced by the members of the church, taking you back to the day after Christ’s birth in the city of Bethlehem. It is hard to describe the costumes and sense of reality that it portrayed. It was a great experience. An added blessing was when we stopped at a department store, we were overwhelmed when we saw a son and daughter-in-law from Wauseon shopping in Angola! Just goes to show you that magic moments are where we least expect to find them.
Last Saturday I attended the funeral of a long, long time friend. She was the sister-in-law of a classmate and friend of mine with whom I lived with in Ft. Wayne during our working days after high school. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. Our married lives scattered us to different parts of the country. Really, I just stayed here and she ended up in Massachusetts. We rarely see each other anymore, but I do have email contact with her. When I asked if she were coming back for the funeral she told me that she has had a back injury and was not able to travel, but that a son and his wife and a daughter would be at the funeral. It took some micromanaging but I did it and saw them after the funeral. They were very gracious and even took a picture of me with them to show their mother! This made me late for a previous luncheon appointment, but it was a very pleasant experience.
When I look at today’s date, it reminds me how close Christmas really is. So if I can find the 1992 magazine that I have been saving for Christmas recipes, I will get this to the editor in time to make the paper.
CHOCOLATE PECAN TREATS
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute milk chocolate if you prefer)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
16 vanilla wafers
Over hot water, not boiling, combine chocolate
morsels and shortening. Stir until melted and
smooth. Remove from heat. Let stand over hot water
for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine coconut, pecans
sweetened milk. Stir until well blended. Spoon one rounded
measuring spoonful of coconut mixture on each vanilla wafer.
Place on wire rack over waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Pour
scant tablespoonful of melted chocolate over each cookie.
Chill until chocolate is set.
PECAN PUMPKIN PIE
Pumpkin layer: 1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
Pecan layer: 2 eggs
2/3 cup light corn syrup
½ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg, pumpkin, sugar and. spice. Spread over bottom of pie shell.
In same bowl beat eggs, stir in syrup, sugar butter and vanilla. Stir in nuts.
Spoon over pumpkin mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.
May you all find peace, joy and many Magic Moments. in your lives this Christmas season.
11/29/11
With Thanksgiving Day barely in the past it is hard to believe that the Christmas season has begun with today being the first Sunday of Advent. The church was beautifully decorated this morning for the Advent season, which was a sharp reminder that Christmas is just around the corner. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, decorating our homes and preparing our usual Christmas treats overshadow the literal meaning of Advent which means “to come”. Let a spiritual preparation for the real meaning of Christmas be an important part of your Christmas planning.
I had a bad start to advent this morning when I became ill before Mass began. I was too uncomfortable to try to stay for the whole service, so when the entrance hymn was announced and the congregation stood, I used the circumstances to slip out as unnoticed as possible. I diagnosed my malady as a low sugar complication which has occurred only once before, but is quite distracting. I made it home safely, ate some candy corn and two slices of toast and peanut butter which restored me to a normal status. I had eaten some breakfast, but was informed that if my sugar count were low to begin with, it was not enough sustain me until lunch time. Will try to make up my worship time this week.
My mind was really off track and I forgot to go to my daughter’s for their family Thanksgiving celebration! I did not miss out completely because after their guests went home, she and her husband stopped in to see me and brought a sample of the dessert. She also brought the recipe with her, so you can benefit from my good fortune. I ate half of it and am now certain that my sugar count is not too low.
I haven’t been eating out much lately, but it seems that my dessert was a sample of some of the mini desserts offered in restaurants called “shooter desserts” The recipe is quite general with the amounts being dictated by the size of the glass that you choose.
CARAMEL APPLE PIE SHOOTER
Crushed Nutter Butters
Finely chopped red and green apples
Caramel topping
White chocolate pudding
Additional apples, caramel topping and crushed cookies
Chill until serving. Garnish with whipped topping, caramel
topping and apples slices. You could be creative and try other ingredients.
Since this was a simple creation, I guess I will go back to my Four Ingredient Cook Books and not make this week’s cooking too complicated. Maybe we should try something that is not a dessert.
HAWAIIAN BAKED PORK CHOPS
4 pork chops , ½ inch thick
2 cups crushed pineapple
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Place pineapple in a greased baking dish. Place sliced
sweet potatoes over pineapple and sprinkle with brown
sugar. Place pork chops on top of sweet potatoes. Bake
covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered at 450
degrees for ten minutes.
Wishing all of you a very special Christmas season .
I had a bad start to advent this morning when I became ill before Mass began. I was too uncomfortable to try to stay for the whole service, so when the entrance hymn was announced and the congregation stood, I used the circumstances to slip out as unnoticed as possible. I diagnosed my malady as a low sugar complication which has occurred only once before, but is quite distracting. I made it home safely, ate some candy corn and two slices of toast and peanut butter which restored me to a normal status. I had eaten some breakfast, but was informed that if my sugar count were low to begin with, it was not enough sustain me until lunch time. Will try to make up my worship time this week.
My mind was really off track and I forgot to go to my daughter’s for their family Thanksgiving celebration! I did not miss out completely because after their guests went home, she and her husband stopped in to see me and brought a sample of the dessert. She also brought the recipe with her, so you can benefit from my good fortune. I ate half of it and am now certain that my sugar count is not too low.
I haven’t been eating out much lately, but it seems that my dessert was a sample of some of the mini desserts offered in restaurants called “shooter desserts” The recipe is quite general with the amounts being dictated by the size of the glass that you choose.
CARAMEL APPLE PIE SHOOTER
Crushed Nutter Butters
Finely chopped red and green apples
Caramel topping
White chocolate pudding
Additional apples, caramel topping and crushed cookies
Chill until serving. Garnish with whipped topping, caramel
topping and apples slices. You could be creative and try other ingredients.
Since this was a simple creation, I guess I will go back to my Four Ingredient Cook Books and not make this week’s cooking too complicated. Maybe we should try something that is not a dessert.
HAWAIIAN BAKED PORK CHOPS
4 pork chops , ½ inch thick
2 cups crushed pineapple
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Place pineapple in a greased baking dish. Place sliced
sweet potatoes over pineapple and sprinkle with brown
sugar. Place pork chops on top of sweet potatoes. Bake
covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered at 450
degrees for ten minutes.
Wishing all of you a very special Christmas season .
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
11/22/11
Nearly all merchants start displaying Christmas items and creating a campaign to get your money even before Halloween. It seems that Thanksgiving in pushed into the background and not even mentioned. I hope this has not become a pattern in your heart. No matter how many things did not turn out as you had planned or asked for, you can always find many things which for which you can be very thankful. Consider your cup half full rather than half empty! A good attitude is essential for a happy, contented way of life and a happy home. Remember on Thursday to give special thanks for your many blessings, then keep the practice of being thankful each day to make it a primary part of your life.
For once, I had an idea prior to deadline time, but now I do not think I should mix it with serious thoughts of being grateful for the good things that have come our way. If I write it down, I will use it in the future. Otherwise it will be out of reach by the time I want to use it. Old age does have its drawbacks, but my cup is half full because there are many blessings to retirement.
I am certain that you have your Thanksgiving meal all planned, but I found a couple of ideas that you might use in case you want to be original with a new way to dress up your vegetable or in case you are just serving snacks later in the day.
BACON WRAPPED GREEN BEANS
¾ pound fresh green beans
4 strips of bacon
3 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon soy sauce
Place beans in a saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes or until crisp
tender. Meanwhile cook bacon over medium heat
until cooked but not crisp. (about 3 minutes.) Remove
to paper towels. Drain beans. Place about 12 beans on
each bacon strip. Wrap bacon around beans and secure
with a toothpick. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce.
Brush over the bundles. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15
minutes until the bacon is crisp. This makes only four
servings, so adjust to your amount of guests or family.
CARAMEL APPLE DIP
1 package,( 14 oz.) caramels
20 large marshmallows (2 cups miniature)
½ cup butter, melted
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Apple slices
Place caramels in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave,
uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Add marshmallows;
microwave for 1 minute or until marshmallows are
melted, stirring occasionally. Whisk in melted butter
and cream until combined. Serve with apple slices. This
recipe was tested on a 1100 watt recipe.
Wishing you all a very happy and grateful holiday with plenty of good food, fellowship and all family members present.
For once, I had an idea prior to deadline time, but now I do not think I should mix it with serious thoughts of being grateful for the good things that have come our way. If I write it down, I will use it in the future. Otherwise it will be out of reach by the time I want to use it. Old age does have its drawbacks, but my cup is half full because there are many blessings to retirement.
I am certain that you have your Thanksgiving meal all planned, but I found a couple of ideas that you might use in case you want to be original with a new way to dress up your vegetable or in case you are just serving snacks later in the day.
BACON WRAPPED GREEN BEANS
¾ pound fresh green beans
4 strips of bacon
3 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon soy sauce
Place beans in a saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes or until crisp
tender. Meanwhile cook bacon over medium heat
until cooked but not crisp. (about 3 minutes.) Remove
to paper towels. Drain beans. Place about 12 beans on
each bacon strip. Wrap bacon around beans and secure
with a toothpick. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce.
Brush over the bundles. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15
minutes until the bacon is crisp. This makes only four
servings, so adjust to your amount of guests or family.
CARAMEL APPLE DIP
1 package,( 14 oz.) caramels
20 large marshmallows (2 cups miniature)
½ cup butter, melted
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Apple slices
Place caramels in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave,
uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Add marshmallows;
microwave for 1 minute or until marshmallows are
melted, stirring occasionally. Whisk in melted butter
and cream until combined. Serve with apple slices. This
recipe was tested on a 1100 watt recipe.
Wishing you all a very happy and grateful holiday with plenty of good food, fellowship and all family members present.
Monday, November 21, 2011
11/17/11
Once again, I find myself a week short of where I should be. Last week should have included my thanks to all of you veterans, especially, my two brothers, now deceased, two sons, a good number of cousins and now a grandson who devoted a part of their life to serving our great country, protecting the liberties we all enjoy and take so much for granted. Why can’t we live in a world where greed for money and power, dishonesty and corruption do not exist. Or on a lesser scale, why as human beings can’t we resolve our differences without going to war with all of its bloodshed and devastation? Am I asking too much? Thanks again for those of you who gave so much.
I have been thinking, which might be dangerous, about what we have done to our world since I was a child. I am grateful that I was privileged to live in the times that I was growing up. This would be unimaginable for our youth of today. We had no money, no telephone, remember it was during a severe depression when a phone was something you could do without, not even any electricity. Just think what would be gone if you had no electronic doo-dads, not even any electricity in your home. But they were great years where we knew and enjoyed each other, even my six siblings without too much jangling, our neighbors for miles around us, were taught respect for our parents, grandparents, teachers, all persons in authority, went to church weekly, made do with mostly hand me down clothes (I got my first new winter coat when I was in the eighth grade and thought I was a princess.) Back then we seldom locked the doors to our home, the “wild” kids drank beer and smoked cigarettes! Drug addiction was almost unheard of. All of this seems an impossibility, but to those of us who lived it, we credit all of that to making us what we are today.
In both scenarios we needed food as nourishment. That has not changed. Yesterday, at a local church that was sponsoring a soup and salad luncheon, I talked to and acknowledged a number of my “farmer friends” from the years that I worked at the elevator. One remarked something about my recipes. His wife told me how they liked the recent one with apples, covered with batter. It was good besides being very simple. I told her that I was going through my cookbooks and found two that have only four ingredients. She said that those would be what she would like. So today, Donna, these are for you!
BARBEQUE CUPS
1 pound lean (85% lean or better)
½ cup barbeque sauce
1 can refrigerated biscuits
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese.
Brown meat, drain fat. Add barbeque sauce
and set aside. Place biscuits in ungreased muffin
tins, pressing dough up the sides to edge of cup.
Spoon meat mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
BEEF PATTIES
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons butter
Mix beef, potatoes and onion. Shape into patties.
Brown slowly in butter until desired doneness.
Hope these simple to do entrees capture your interest, and maybe save your reputation and happy home if you shop too long or get involved in a long telephone conversation with a friend!
Incidentally, I do have some reprints of my cook book, which includes the first 90 columns that were published way back in 1990. If interested give me a call.
I have been thinking, which might be dangerous, about what we have done to our world since I was a child. I am grateful that I was privileged to live in the times that I was growing up. This would be unimaginable for our youth of today. We had no money, no telephone, remember it was during a severe depression when a phone was something you could do without, not even any electricity. Just think what would be gone if you had no electronic doo-dads, not even any electricity in your home. But they were great years where we knew and enjoyed each other, even my six siblings without too much jangling, our neighbors for miles around us, were taught respect for our parents, grandparents, teachers, all persons in authority, went to church weekly, made do with mostly hand me down clothes (I got my first new winter coat when I was in the eighth grade and thought I was a princess.) Back then we seldom locked the doors to our home, the “wild” kids drank beer and smoked cigarettes! Drug addiction was almost unheard of. All of this seems an impossibility, but to those of us who lived it, we credit all of that to making us what we are today.
In both scenarios we needed food as nourishment. That has not changed. Yesterday, at a local church that was sponsoring a soup and salad luncheon, I talked to and acknowledged a number of my “farmer friends” from the years that I worked at the elevator. One remarked something about my recipes. His wife told me how they liked the recent one with apples, covered with batter. It was good besides being very simple. I told her that I was going through my cookbooks and found two that have only four ingredients. She said that those would be what she would like. So today, Donna, these are for you!
BARBEQUE CUPS
1 pound lean (85% lean or better)
½ cup barbeque sauce
1 can refrigerated biscuits
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese.
Brown meat, drain fat. Add barbeque sauce
and set aside. Place biscuits in ungreased muffin
tins, pressing dough up the sides to edge of cup.
Spoon meat mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
BEEF PATTIES
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons butter
Mix beef, potatoes and onion. Shape into patties.
Brown slowly in butter until desired doneness.
Hope these simple to do entrees capture your interest, and maybe save your reputation and happy home if you shop too long or get involved in a long telephone conversation with a friend!
Incidentally, I do have some reprints of my cook book, which includes the first 90 columns that were published way back in 1990. If interested give me a call.
11/10/11
I do not like to mention the word snow, but I am also aware of the fact that when it gets to November anything can happen. We had enough last year to last for two years! I love it when I do not have to go outside to drive anywhere or scoop my side walk. If it would only snow everywhere but on the roads, sidewalks, and my driveway I would be very content with winter! Know anywhere that I can submit an order with those qualifications? I did not think so!
My whole week seemed to be involved with food. My nephew and his son are putting a new roof on my neighbor’s house. Now wouldn’t you think that I should cook lunch for them? The first day I learned that my nephew was not feeling well and went home. No one should be on a complicated roof if you are not fully aware. So I told his son and another employee that I had never met that they could come for lunch. My cooking, however god or bad, sounded superior to their peanut butter sandwiches. I had baked an apple pie with crumb topping and had scalloped potatoes , meatloaf, hot rolls and fresh frozen corn from my freezer. They were very appreciative, especially of the pie. Besides that, the unknown employee cleared the table while I was finishing my pie! He was possibly feeling guilty about eating two pieces of pie. The next day Mark was back (maybe he heard about the pie.) I noticed they were all working so I baked another pie and went over to tell them that they could come for lunch again. They told me they were planning on leaving early, because of threatening rain and they could not tear any more roof off if it were going to rain. Now what is a diabetic going to do with a pie with sugar in the filling and the crumb topping. So I told them to come over when they finished and eat the pie. I did not have to twist their arms. The next day they were back. I told them to come for lunch but no more pie! We had mashed potatoes, gravy, minute steaks, beef and noodles, garlic toast and more corn. For dessert they had to be happy with left over sugar cut out cookies, shaped and decorated like pumpkins. My daughter had asked for 4 dozen for a church celebration at her church. She got the choice ones but my roofers were very content with the left overs. It was a pleasure to do it because they were so appreciative of the food and ate like threshers used to. It was a magic occasion for me.
Another place where food is the prime subject was at my grandfather’s descendants family reunion. There was a small crowd, with only one outside of my dad’s kids and grandkids present. A cousin’s wife from Akron , Indiana came and brought two delicious and different desserts. I mentioned that if she would send the recipes to me I would use them. I should be more like her, because in about three days I had the recipes. What is more outstanding, neither me nor my nosy old friend lost track of them. Now while I still have them in sight, we better stop and get them on the way to you. I think you will like them both.
TANGY FRUIT SALAD
2 tablespoons orange Tang
1 box INSTANT lemon pudding
1 large can fruit cocktail, drained, reserve juice
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained Reserve I cup fruit juice.
Stir Tang into juice. Add Lemon pudding. Mix and stir well. Add fruits and stir until blended. Refrigerate. If you want to be more elaborate you can add cut up bananas, dipped in pine- apple juice and drained maraschino cherries.
JUDY’S 3-LAYER KEEBLER BARS
1st layer: Keebler Club Crackers
2nd layer:
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup crushed graham crackers
¾ cup coconut (optional)
Line a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan with club crackers. Boil ingredients for layer 2 for five minutes. Do not stir too much or it will crystallize. Remove from heat and add coconut. Pour over crackers, spreading evenly. Add another layer of club crackers.
3rd layer:
2/3 cup peanut butter
½ cup chocolate bits
½ cut butterscotch chips
Melt together ingredients for layer three and spread over second layer of crackers. Cool. DO NOT BAKE. Cut into bars.
Thanks to Judy Haney, an in-law, but a very special person in her own right, much like her mother-in-law who was a favorite aunt of mine.
My whole week seemed to be involved with food. My nephew and his son are putting a new roof on my neighbor’s house. Now wouldn’t you think that I should cook lunch for them? The first day I learned that my nephew was not feeling well and went home. No one should be on a complicated roof if you are not fully aware. So I told his son and another employee that I had never met that they could come for lunch. My cooking, however god or bad, sounded superior to their peanut butter sandwiches. I had baked an apple pie with crumb topping and had scalloped potatoes , meatloaf, hot rolls and fresh frozen corn from my freezer. They were very appreciative, especially of the pie. Besides that, the unknown employee cleared the table while I was finishing my pie! He was possibly feeling guilty about eating two pieces of pie. The next day Mark was back (maybe he heard about the pie.) I noticed they were all working so I baked another pie and went over to tell them that they could come for lunch again. They told me they were planning on leaving early, because of threatening rain and they could not tear any more roof off if it were going to rain. Now what is a diabetic going to do with a pie with sugar in the filling and the crumb topping. So I told them to come over when they finished and eat the pie. I did not have to twist their arms. The next day they were back. I told them to come for lunch but no more pie! We had mashed potatoes, gravy, minute steaks, beef and noodles, garlic toast and more corn. For dessert they had to be happy with left over sugar cut out cookies, shaped and decorated like pumpkins. My daughter had asked for 4 dozen for a church celebration at her church. She got the choice ones but my roofers were very content with the left overs. It was a pleasure to do it because they were so appreciative of the food and ate like threshers used to. It was a magic occasion for me.
Another place where food is the prime subject was at my grandfather’s descendants family reunion. There was a small crowd, with only one outside of my dad’s kids and grandkids present. A cousin’s wife from Akron , Indiana came and brought two delicious and different desserts. I mentioned that if she would send the recipes to me I would use them. I should be more like her, because in about three days I had the recipes. What is more outstanding, neither me nor my nosy old friend lost track of them. Now while I still have them in sight, we better stop and get them on the way to you. I think you will like them both.
TANGY FRUIT SALAD
2 tablespoons orange Tang
1 box INSTANT lemon pudding
1 large can fruit cocktail, drained, reserve juice
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained Reserve I cup fruit juice.
Stir Tang into juice. Add Lemon pudding. Mix and stir well. Add fruits and stir until blended. Refrigerate. If you want to be more elaborate you can add cut up bananas, dipped in pine- apple juice and drained maraschino cherries.
JUDY’S 3-LAYER KEEBLER BARS
1st layer: Keebler Club Crackers
2nd layer:
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup crushed graham crackers
¾ cup coconut (optional)
Line a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan with club crackers. Boil ingredients for layer 2 for five minutes. Do not stir too much or it will crystallize. Remove from heat and add coconut. Pour over crackers, spreading evenly. Add another layer of club crackers.
3rd layer:
2/3 cup peanut butter
½ cup chocolate bits
½ cut butterscotch chips
Melt together ingredients for layer three and spread over second layer of crackers. Cool. DO NOT BAKE. Cut into bars.
Thanks to Judy Haney, an in-law, but a very special person in her own right, much like her mother-in-law who was a favorite aunt of mine.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
11/3/11
I guess I was remiss last week for grumbling about having a birthday on Monday. It turned out to be a fantastic day. I received about 50 Face Book and E-mail greetings and a nice amount of cards. After spending an anticipated day at home, about 3:15 a daughter called and asked what I was doing for the day. She had planned to come on her lunch hour and that didn’t happen. She was concerned about my birthday being uneventful and suggested that she come after work and take my sister, sister-in-law and me out for supper here in town. A few minutes later another daughter called and said she would bring another sister-in-law for whom she is a caretaker and take me out for supper. So we agreed to combine the two invitations. When they picked me up at 5:30 the plans had changed and there were 15 relatives who helped me finish a great day, even if it were a Monday.
Another bit of magic occurred on Saturday as a final birthday celebration. My kids were planning a “work day for Mom” to do a number of things that I cannot accomplish myself. The day resulted in many complications and only a few were here but they accomplished much! My poor excuse of a garden completely disappeared. If you remember the rabbits ate off my green beans, my 40 gladiola bulbs produced plants but not one bloom, My ten tomato plants refused to grow, stayed a nice deep green until time to ripen then developed blight, my only tomatoes were first cousins to golf balls. I think that is enough to discourage me from even trying next year. A granddaughter dug my few onions, saved the flower bulbs, and cleared the patch of all debris. It looks nice enough to tempt me to try to plant a few things next summer. Another granddaughter rearranged my pantry cupboard and threw out a few older than recommended items, I am going to try to keep it in fairly good order at least until she comes back at Christmas time! Together two daughters washed my front porch windows and painted the front porch floor. The rest gathered some of the leaves, cleaned eaves and are working on a major product of camouflaging the area where the swimming pool used to be. They accomplished much, but also enjoyed the company of each other accented by plenty of good food at lunch time. Indeed it was a magic day.
As I searched for recipes, I noticed a cookbook that my aunt gave us for a 25th wedding anniversary present. That would date it back to at least 1975. It included a couple of unique apple recipes. Since apples are abundant now maybe you will be looking for some new ideas for preparing them.
APPLE CRUNCH
Dice fine enough apples to cover the bottom of an 8 x 10
inch baking dish to a depth of at least one inch. Dot with butter.
Mix together the following until you have a course crumb mixture.
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
Cover the apples with the crumbs. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350
degrees until apples are done. No time was mentioned but I would suggest
about 30 minutes.
HEAVENLY APPLE SALAD
2 packages lemon Jello
1 cup hot water
16 marshmallows, diced (I would suggest miniatures)
1 cup cold water
1 can (9 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 large apples, diced
½ cup chopped nuts
Dissolve Jello in hot water. Add marshmallows and stir until dissolved. Stir
In cold water and chill until partially set. Add remaining ingredients and
chill until firm.
TOPPING:
¾ cup sugar
Juice of I lemon
2 eggs, beaten
8 ounces whipped topping
Beat sugar, eggs, lemon juice together. Cook until thick in double boiler.
Cool. Fold in whipped topping and spread over top of chilled Jello.
Have you noticed the demolishing of the school house that was built three years before I moved to Edgerton in 1940 and attended high school there? As he was looking at the debris, my son remarked, “That building was built to last and last!” So goes progress.
Another bit of magic occurred on Saturday as a final birthday celebration. My kids were planning a “work day for Mom” to do a number of things that I cannot accomplish myself. The day resulted in many complications and only a few were here but they accomplished much! My poor excuse of a garden completely disappeared. If you remember the rabbits ate off my green beans, my 40 gladiola bulbs produced plants but not one bloom, My ten tomato plants refused to grow, stayed a nice deep green until time to ripen then developed blight, my only tomatoes were first cousins to golf balls. I think that is enough to discourage me from even trying next year. A granddaughter dug my few onions, saved the flower bulbs, and cleared the patch of all debris. It looks nice enough to tempt me to try to plant a few things next summer. Another granddaughter rearranged my pantry cupboard and threw out a few older than recommended items, I am going to try to keep it in fairly good order at least until she comes back at Christmas time! Together two daughters washed my front porch windows and painted the front porch floor. The rest gathered some of the leaves, cleaned eaves and are working on a major product of camouflaging the area where the swimming pool used to be. They accomplished much, but also enjoyed the company of each other accented by plenty of good food at lunch time. Indeed it was a magic day.
As I searched for recipes, I noticed a cookbook that my aunt gave us for a 25th wedding anniversary present. That would date it back to at least 1975. It included a couple of unique apple recipes. Since apples are abundant now maybe you will be looking for some new ideas for preparing them.
APPLE CRUNCH
Dice fine enough apples to cover the bottom of an 8 x 10
inch baking dish to a depth of at least one inch. Dot with butter.
Mix together the following until you have a course crumb mixture.
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
Cover the apples with the crumbs. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350
degrees until apples are done. No time was mentioned but I would suggest
about 30 minutes.
HEAVENLY APPLE SALAD
2 packages lemon Jello
1 cup hot water
16 marshmallows, diced (I would suggest miniatures)
1 cup cold water
1 can (9 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 large apples, diced
½ cup chopped nuts
Dissolve Jello in hot water. Add marshmallows and stir until dissolved. Stir
In cold water and chill until partially set. Add remaining ingredients and
chill until firm.
TOPPING:
¾ cup sugar
Juice of I lemon
2 eggs, beaten
8 ounces whipped topping
Beat sugar, eggs, lemon juice together. Cook until thick in double boiler.
Cool. Fold in whipped topping and spread over top of chilled Jello.
Have you noticed the demolishing of the school house that was built three years before I moved to Edgerton in 1940 and attended high school there? As he was looking at the debris, my son remarked, “That building was built to last and last!” So goes progress.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
10/27/11
I am 98% recovered from a nasty case of shingles. I should have been smarter when dealing with unexplained pain. At first I thought it was my stomach and applied a treatment of my own, warm milk and cinnamon graham crackers, before going to bed. The next day it was in my back, so I decided it wasn’t my original diagnosis, but I can handle this. After several days of persistent pain and my high pain tolerance, I broke out in a nasty rash across my back and around in front on my right side. Wouldn’t you know, a poor old lady living alone and it was Sunday evening. And where was that nosey old lady who is always messing up my household , hiding things that I have just had when I needed her? Why couldn’t she have told me there was trouble on my back? I went across the street to my daughter’s home where I saw her working on her fall outside decorations. Her husband came home and we had a three way discussion and decided that a trip to the emergency room was needed because of the need for sooner rather than later medication that is needed for this nasty dilemma. The emergency room doctor agreed with our diagnosis gave me medicine on the spot and sent me home with prescriptions enough to kill a horse. One medicine I had to take 5 times a day, another three times a day and pain medication. All of this in addition to the regular ones that I was already taking for blood pressure, sugar, etc. All I got done was wonder if it were time to take a pill or if I had already taken it. My rash is nearly gone, but I still have pain. One article that I read states that pain can linger for possibly months. Hope I am not that unlucky.
Another area where I showed very poor judgment is that you should never have a birthday on a Monday when 99% of your family is either working or in school. Sunday was a good substitute when my kids that live the farthest away from me (Decatur, Fayette, Wauseon, Kendallville, one from Edgerton, who is very occupied on Monday) stopped by with good wishes and most stayed for an “order in” supper of Subway sandwiches.(I do not cook on my birthday and Mother’s Day.) This morning there were 15 greetings on Facebook so I think I will survive the poor choosing of a day to have my birthday.
I picked out a few recipes last night. Should have stayed up and typed this then because lingering persistent pain which I thought I could handle without medication kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning. Now hope I can find the book from which I chose them. It was suggested that all three could make a meal which could be serve in 30 minutes. I don’t do anything that swiftly, but hope you can.
MAPLE-PECAN PORK CHOPS
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup maple syrup, divided
4 bone-in pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup pecan halves
Combine mustard, pepper and 2 teaspoons syrup. Brush over both sides of the pork chops. In a non-stick skillet, brown pork in butter over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add apple juice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chops and keep warm. Add pecans and remaining syrup to the skillet. Cook and stir for one or two minutes. Serve over the pork chops.
HASHBROWN APPLE PANCAKE
1 ¼ cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
½ cup finely chopped apple
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
Combine hash browns, apple, onion, chives, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Spread one half of the potato mixture in an even layer in the skillet. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with the remaining hash browns. Press mixture gently into skillet. Cook for five minutes or until bottom is browned. Invert pancake onto a plate. Heat remaining butter and oil. Slide the pancake browned side up, into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes until bottom is browned. Slide onto a plate and cut into wedges.
Complete your meal with a frozen vegetable medley, cooked according to package directions.
Another area where I showed very poor judgment is that you should never have a birthday on a Monday when 99% of your family is either working or in school. Sunday was a good substitute when my kids that live the farthest away from me (Decatur, Fayette, Wauseon, Kendallville, one from Edgerton, who is very occupied on Monday) stopped by with good wishes and most stayed for an “order in” supper of Subway sandwiches.(I do not cook on my birthday and Mother’s Day.) This morning there were 15 greetings on Facebook so I think I will survive the poor choosing of a day to have my birthday.
I picked out a few recipes last night. Should have stayed up and typed this then because lingering persistent pain which I thought I could handle without medication kept me awake until the wee hours of the morning. Now hope I can find the book from which I chose them. It was suggested that all three could make a meal which could be serve in 30 minutes. I don’t do anything that swiftly, but hope you can.
MAPLE-PECAN PORK CHOPS
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup maple syrup, divided
4 bone-in pork chops (3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup pecan halves
Combine mustard, pepper and 2 teaspoons syrup. Brush over both sides of the pork chops. In a non-stick skillet, brown pork in butter over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add apple juice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chops and keep warm. Add pecans and remaining syrup to the skillet. Cook and stir for one or two minutes. Serve over the pork chops.
HASHBROWN APPLE PANCAKE
1 ¼ cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
½ cup finely chopped apple
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
Combine hash browns, apple, onion, chives, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Spread one half of the potato mixture in an even layer in the skillet. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with the remaining hash browns. Press mixture gently into skillet. Cook for five minutes or until bottom is browned. Invert pancake onto a plate. Heat remaining butter and oil. Slide the pancake browned side up, into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes until bottom is browned. Slide onto a plate and cut into wedges.
Complete your meal with a frozen vegetable medley, cooked according to package directions.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
10/20/11
Do you hate garage sales? Well, I am here to champion their cause. I have to admit that my age has diminished my need for “things”. Also, I had my garage laden with things that I knew others would be interested in for two years. It really is a lot of work to get ready for a sale. I eventually told my family to take anything they wanted and I toted the rest to give away stations. I also had the help of a son who was quick to react when I asked him if I should keep a certain item. It immediately went into his trailer in two piles. One labeled “dump”, the other for a charity of his choosing in his home town. Know what, I haven’t even missed any of my treasures nor do I remember what we sent on to posterity.
To tout my pleasure of garage sales, I have more respectable clothes that were purchased at one than I can find in the stores when I go shopping. Recently I was in a popular department store shopping for a house ware item and walked through the clothing department. There were items priced up to $100 which I would not have carried home nor worn if they were free. So I will continue to shop at garage sales and in my closet where there are some items that I have had for years and years. Guess I will recycle them.
I have purchased some very nice items at garage sales. A few years ago, maybe more than it seems to me, I saw a set of china dishes and decided that I did not need them. On Saturday, I told my aunt whom I had taken to the hair dresser that I was going back to a garage sale. If the dishes were still there, I would know that God wanted me to have them. If they were $20.00 for a set of 8, I was going to buy them, but if it were twenty dollars for each set of four, I would leave them. They were still setting in their original place and at my price. I felt that it was destiny yelling at me, and I took them home with me. I asked a local collector who told me each plate was worth $6.00 and each cup and saucer set worth 7 to 8 dollars. I had no interest in selling them and used them often with a powder blue table cloth and milk glass condiment dishes and candle holders. Since I am at the age I entertain very seldom, I am giving my things to my kids and grandkids. A granddaughter is now the proud owner of my great garage sale deal. Try it and discover the magic created in the pleasure of giving things away and seeing their enjoyment in ownership of something that was mine. The pleasure of the fact that I gave it to them is greater than if they had just grabbed it from my estate. Still have a few that have not taken anything but maybe it is not important to them.
Food is always important all of us. I recently went with a friend to an all day Homemaker’s Day at the Fair where several interesting programs were presented. On the way home we stopped at a Kroger Store. I told my friend I was willing to stop, but I didn’t need anything. But you know how it is with a kid in a candy store, several items ended up in my cart. As we were shopping we passed a lady who was passing out samples of food. I wasn’t interested as it looked like a cold salad of perhaps pasta base. When she interrupted my uninterested demeanor, I had to be polite and took a sample. I was pleasantly surprised because it was a hot main dish. I ashamedly asked if I could use it in a column I write for our local weekly newspaper. She gave me her permission, saying that it was a recipe that she experimented with herself and that it was sponsored by Kroger. Every item is suggested that you use the Kroger brand. Remember that when you shop for groceries.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups instant rice, uncooked
20 oz. package fully cooked, diced, grilled chicken breast, thawed
4 ½ oz. package Deli thin sliced smoked ham, cubed
6 oz. package sliced, aged Swiss Cheese, cubed
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup Corn Flakes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, broth, mustard and pepper until smooth. Add rice, chicken, ham, cheese, and peas. Pour mixture into 9 x 13 baking dish and spread evenly. Mix together crushed corn flakes, Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
Another magic moment that should be mentioned is the arrival of my 23rd great grandchild. Everleigh Rae Miller made a traumatic entrance into our family, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces. After some scary moments, she and her mother are doing fine. Welcome, Everleigh. There is always room for one more.
To tout my pleasure of garage sales, I have more respectable clothes that were purchased at one than I can find in the stores when I go shopping. Recently I was in a popular department store shopping for a house ware item and walked through the clothing department. There were items priced up to $100 which I would not have carried home nor worn if they were free. So I will continue to shop at garage sales and in my closet where there are some items that I have had for years and years. Guess I will recycle them.
I have purchased some very nice items at garage sales. A few years ago, maybe more than it seems to me, I saw a set of china dishes and decided that I did not need them. On Saturday, I told my aunt whom I had taken to the hair dresser that I was going back to a garage sale. If the dishes were still there, I would know that God wanted me to have them. If they were $20.00 for a set of 8, I was going to buy them, but if it were twenty dollars for each set of four, I would leave them. They were still setting in their original place and at my price. I felt that it was destiny yelling at me, and I took them home with me. I asked a local collector who told me each plate was worth $6.00 and each cup and saucer set worth 7 to 8 dollars. I had no interest in selling them and used them often with a powder blue table cloth and milk glass condiment dishes and candle holders. Since I am at the age I entertain very seldom, I am giving my things to my kids and grandkids. A granddaughter is now the proud owner of my great garage sale deal. Try it and discover the magic created in the pleasure of giving things away and seeing their enjoyment in ownership of something that was mine. The pleasure of the fact that I gave it to them is greater than if they had just grabbed it from my estate. Still have a few that have not taken anything but maybe it is not important to them.
Food is always important all of us. I recently went with a friend to an all day Homemaker’s Day at the Fair where several interesting programs were presented. On the way home we stopped at a Kroger Store. I told my friend I was willing to stop, but I didn’t need anything. But you know how it is with a kid in a candy store, several items ended up in my cart. As we were shopping we passed a lady who was passing out samples of food. I wasn’t interested as it looked like a cold salad of perhaps pasta base. When she interrupted my uninterested demeanor, I had to be polite and took a sample. I was pleasantly surprised because it was a hot main dish. I ashamedly asked if I could use it in a column I write for our local weekly newspaper. She gave me her permission, saying that it was a recipe that she experimented with herself and that it was sponsored by Kroger. Every item is suggested that you use the Kroger brand. Remember that when you shop for groceries.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups instant rice, uncooked
20 oz. package fully cooked, diced, grilled chicken breast, thawed
4 ½ oz. package Deli thin sliced smoked ham, cubed
6 oz. package sliced, aged Swiss Cheese, cubed
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup Corn Flakes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, broth, mustard and pepper until smooth. Add rice, chicken, ham, cheese, and peas. Pour mixture into 9 x 13 baking dish and spread evenly. Mix together crushed corn flakes, Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
Another magic moment that should be mentioned is the arrival of my 23rd great grandchild. Everleigh Rae Miller made a traumatic entrance into our family, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces. After some scary moments, she and her mother are doing fine. Welcome, Everleigh. There is always room for one more.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
10/13/11
I am certain that you have heard the adage “Too many cooks spoil the broth”. Last week’s Magic Moments had a similar catastrophe. A friend’s son left a copy of one of his Mother’s recipes on my back door. There was one ingredient that was unfamiliar to me. I had two ideas as to what it might be, but at the same time I decided it was probably an herb that I have never heard of, since I use herbs very sparingly. Consequently I carefully typed it as it was written. After the paper was printed I got a phone call from the original cook stating that one ingredient was wrong. So here I am trying to make amends. If you have or are planning to make the Sweet and Sour Meat Balls, change the margarine to “marjoram”. I am certain that the margarine won’t hurt them, but the herb will improve them. So apologies are from three too many cooks, her son, myself and my faithful proof readers.
I was pleasantly included in a surprise birthday party at her son’s home on Saturday evening. She was so completely overwhelmed and pleased. I gave her one of my antique cup and saucer sets which was graciously received so I think I am still on her list of friends. Actually she is a friend of my daughter but she is very gracious to me. I met two of her “older” friends whom I thoroughly enjoyed and have made some tentative plans to have some future contacts. There are really a lot of very nice, charismatic, intelligent people that we come in contact with but don’t make the effort to really interact with them.
Now I am back to two of my favorite foods – potatoes and apples. Since am on a short schedule this morning, I am going to use two recipes that I saved that came from weekend ads in the daily paper. Two things captivated my attention. They were apples and potatoes and the pictures were so fascinating they will have to taste fantastic. Hope you like them.
GARLIC AND HERB POTATOES
1 ½ pounds of small red potatoes, scrubbed
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Cut each potato into quarters. Place in an
ungreased 8 inch square baking dish. Combine
the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour over
the potatoes and stir. Bake at 400 degrees for
20 to 25 minutes. A suggestion was made to
substitute herbs, like chives and oregano.
APPLE CRUMBLE
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick butter
Filling: 4 large apples
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel, core and slice apples. Layer the apples
In a two quart baking dish. Sprinkle the brown
sugar and cinnamon over the apple slices. Combine
the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of
the apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes
until the apples have softened and the topping is
slightly browned. Serve warm.
I was pleasantly included in a surprise birthday party at her son’s home on Saturday evening. She was so completely overwhelmed and pleased. I gave her one of my antique cup and saucer sets which was graciously received so I think I am still on her list of friends. Actually she is a friend of my daughter but she is very gracious to me. I met two of her “older” friends whom I thoroughly enjoyed and have made some tentative plans to have some future contacts. There are really a lot of very nice, charismatic, intelligent people that we come in contact with but don’t make the effort to really interact with them.
Now I am back to two of my favorite foods – potatoes and apples. Since am on a short schedule this morning, I am going to use two recipes that I saved that came from weekend ads in the daily paper. Two things captivated my attention. They were apples and potatoes and the pictures were so fascinating they will have to taste fantastic. Hope you like them.
GARLIC AND HERB POTATOES
1 ½ pounds of small red potatoes, scrubbed
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Cut each potato into quarters. Place in an
ungreased 8 inch square baking dish. Combine
the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour over
the potatoes and stir. Bake at 400 degrees for
20 to 25 minutes. A suggestion was made to
substitute herbs, like chives and oregano.
APPLE CRUMBLE
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick butter
Filling: 4 large apples
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel, core and slice apples. Layer the apples
In a two quart baking dish. Sprinkle the brown
sugar and cinnamon over the apple slices. Combine
the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of
the apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes
until the apples have softened and the topping is
slightly browned. Serve warm.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
10/6/11
OOPS! After having a several hour break in my sleep time in the wee hours of this morning, I fear I will have to combine breakfast and lunch. Also, I will have to type fast or miss my deadline. All of this happened after I had plans to tell you how good I felt about myself, after losing for two weeks a special copy of a “reader donated” recipe. Just goes to confirm my mother’s favorite phrase, “Pride goeth before a fall!”
I really did not lose the recipe, I merely put it in such a safe place that I could not locate it myself! When I went to pay a quite large bill, there nestled comfortably among my “things to pay” papers was this recipe card. Now doesn’t everyone avoid as much as possible this area of their household? I was grateful to see the card, stretching my imagination for a way to admit that I put it there myself, but also grateful that I did not have to admit to my faithful reader that I lost it. I surely hope that you did not tell her! I have it safely in front of me and I do not intend to move until it is time to copy it.
I experienced a very heartwarming evening last week. We had to find a way to get my niece to Toledo early Wednesday morning to catch a Mega Bus back to Harrisburg. My sister said she would not drive to Toledo and I played “change a letter” and stated that I could not make the drive. So we enlisted a nephew to drive the three of us to Wauseon to my son’s home. We went out to eat at a restaurant that is new since the fire in downtown Wauseon, then Marty stayed all night with them and had only a short drive to catch her bus. The time we spent around the table was memorable. Both the renewing of past experiences of the times that the three cousins were growing up as relatives, schoolmates, neighbors and most of all, friends, and the added experiences of these youngsters (in my mind) of their retirement were startling to a little old lady who keeps forgetting what her own age is.
Now before someone moves that recipe card, I better get to the point at hand. First of all I did try the peanut butter coating on popcorn. It was a good idea but the next time, I am going to add more peanut butter. Guess I should not complain about the original idea, because I ate the whole bagful by myself.
SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
(from the kitchen of Sherrie Allomong)
MEATBALLS:
3 pounds ground beef
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoonsmargerna marjoram
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 large onion, diced
SAUCE:
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
½ cup onion
1 cup relish
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
½ cup sugar
Combine ingredients for meatballs and shape into balls the size of your preference.
Combine sauce ingredients and cook. Add meatballs to sauce. Place in crock pot
until ready to serve, 2 to 3 hours.
As I turned on my computer this morning, there was an interesting, and perhaps valuable suggestion. It recommended using egg whites for first aid for burns. Use the traditional method of cold water first then applying the egg white. One incident used the egg white in its natural state, the other beat the egg whites and then applied the foam to the burn. Dramatic results were reported giving the credit to the natural collagen in the egg whites. A more serious burn was treated every hour until the pain stopped.
I really did not lose the recipe, I merely put it in such a safe place that I could not locate it myself! When I went to pay a quite large bill, there nestled comfortably among my “things to pay” papers was this recipe card. Now doesn’t everyone avoid as much as possible this area of their household? I was grateful to see the card, stretching my imagination for a way to admit that I put it there myself, but also grateful that I did not have to admit to my faithful reader that I lost it. I surely hope that you did not tell her! I have it safely in front of me and I do not intend to move until it is time to copy it.
I experienced a very heartwarming evening last week. We had to find a way to get my niece to Toledo early Wednesday morning to catch a Mega Bus back to Harrisburg. My sister said she would not drive to Toledo and I played “change a letter” and stated that I could not make the drive. So we enlisted a nephew to drive the three of us to Wauseon to my son’s home. We went out to eat at a restaurant that is new since the fire in downtown Wauseon, then Marty stayed all night with them and had only a short drive to catch her bus. The time we spent around the table was memorable. Both the renewing of past experiences of the times that the three cousins were growing up as relatives, schoolmates, neighbors and most of all, friends, and the added experiences of these youngsters (in my mind) of their retirement were startling to a little old lady who keeps forgetting what her own age is.
Now before someone moves that recipe card, I better get to the point at hand. First of all I did try the peanut butter coating on popcorn. It was a good idea but the next time, I am going to add more peanut butter. Guess I should not complain about the original idea, because I ate the whole bagful by myself.
SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
(from the kitchen of Sherrie Allomong)
MEATBALLS:
3 pounds ground beef
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 large onion, diced
SAUCE:
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
½ cup onion
1 cup relish
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
½ cup sugar
Combine ingredients for meatballs and shape into balls the size of your preference.
Combine sauce ingredients and cook. Add meatballs to sauce. Place in crock pot
until ready to serve, 2 to 3 hours.
As I turned on my computer this morning, there was an interesting, and perhaps valuable suggestion. It recommended using egg whites for first aid for burns. Use the traditional method of cold water first then applying the egg white. One incident used the egg white in its natural state, the other beat the egg whites and then applied the foam to the burn. Dramatic results were reported giving the credit to the natural collagen in the egg whites. A more serious burn was treated every hour until the pain stopped.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
9/29/11
It is a damp, chilly, and dreary Monday morning. My intellectual being is responding accordingly. However last week did offer several bright spots. Her family helped my husband’s sister celebrate her 80th birthday. Doesn’t seem as if that many years could have passed already. I remember her way back when we moved to Edgerton. She rode on the same school bus as a little blond girl with pig tails in the lower grades, never dreaming at that time she would become such an important part of my life. We honored her wishes with a family dinner at The Barn in Archbold, followed by a gathering in another sister-in-law’s home for those who could not make the dinner celebration. We had a lot of conflicts with a number of niece’s and nephew’s schedules but it was a great celebration. Let’s try for 85, Mary.
On Friday, a tremendous surprise made my day. I had overscheduled too many things for my tired old body to accomplish. In the middle of the afternoon, I decided I needed a short break. As I leaned back in my easy chair with my feet on the foot stool, I breathed a deep sigh of contentment. In my subconscious being, I thought I heard something, but didn’t respond. I finally realized that it was my back door bell. Since I am no longer youthful, it took me a short while to get out of my recliner, stabilize my upright position and get to the back door. This youthful lady, to me anyone under 65 is youthful, was just going back to her car. She had been here earlier in the day and I was not at home. By this time I am was certain that she was thinking, “Why did I bother with her?” She had brought me a piece of fresh grape pie! She is very gracious to me, but we do not have a really close friendship. I knew her dad from my childhood. She responds to my recipes and has brought me a few to pass on to you. I never bake grape pie because the preparation is too lengthy and tedious. There were two very important results of her kindness. First, why should she think of me and want to share her labor? Secondly, it brought back memories of my childhood and my mother. It was another combination of many magic moments recaptured. All of this brought to mind the importance of doing random acts of kindness to those who do not expect them. I call that “God nudges.” I remember in my youthful days when my mother made grape pie. It was my oldest brother’s favorite. He could talk me out of my piece with a nickel, occasionally on my luckier days I would get a dime. As I look back now I wonder why our parents allowed such dealings. I do understand how tempting even a nickel was to me when money was such a scarce item in our household. Thanks, Kay. You made my day a magic one.
I have almost given up finding the lost recipe I found on my back door. I thought by now that it would surface, but now I am looking for two things that I put in a “special place” where I would know where they are. Guess I will have to admit defeat and contact the source of the recipe.
I am still weeding out unnecessary clutter and things that I have saved and not used. I came upon a collection of recipes in a weekend mailing. I will use two and then pass the rest on to posterity. I am certain that my kids will appreciate the disappearance of some of my gatherings. The picture of the cookies was quite unique, although I will admit I have not tried to make them. The chicken recipe intrigued me as I look for new ways to prepare chicken and this seemed really simple. Hope they both appeal to most of you.
CHOCOLATE INSERT COOKIES
¾ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
25 solid chocolate candies
1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon powdered cocoa
Combine butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla. Add flour to butter mixture. Shape dough
into 25 one inch balls. Flatten each ball into a flat 2 inch
round. Place the rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased
cookie sheet. Place a chocolate candy in the center of each
round. Enclose the candy with the dough, making sure the
candy is completely sealed in the dough. Bake at 375 degrees
12 to 15 minutes. Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa.
Sprinkle over the hot cookies. Cool cookies for a few minutes
on the cookie sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool.( I
checked several times to be certain that I did not miss listing
soda nor baking powder!) It was suggested to put the cocoa
and powdered sugar in a shaker. The cookies will absorb the
mixture, so you may want to sprinkle again .
BAKED DRUMSTICKS
1 cup cooking oil
½ cup Bisquick
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon pepper
10 drumsticks
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour oil into 10 by 15 inch baking
pan. Combine baking mix and seasonings and place in a paper
bag. Add the drumsticks, a few at a time and shake to coat.
Arrange on the prepared baking pan. Bake chicken, turning once,
About 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve immediately.
On Friday, a tremendous surprise made my day. I had overscheduled too many things for my tired old body to accomplish. In the middle of the afternoon, I decided I needed a short break. As I leaned back in my easy chair with my feet on the foot stool, I breathed a deep sigh of contentment. In my subconscious being, I thought I heard something, but didn’t respond. I finally realized that it was my back door bell. Since I am no longer youthful, it took me a short while to get out of my recliner, stabilize my upright position and get to the back door. This youthful lady, to me anyone under 65 is youthful, was just going back to her car. She had been here earlier in the day and I was not at home. By this time I am was certain that she was thinking, “Why did I bother with her?” She had brought me a piece of fresh grape pie! She is very gracious to me, but we do not have a really close friendship. I knew her dad from my childhood. She responds to my recipes and has brought me a few to pass on to you. I never bake grape pie because the preparation is too lengthy and tedious. There were two very important results of her kindness. First, why should she think of me and want to share her labor? Secondly, it brought back memories of my childhood and my mother. It was another combination of many magic moments recaptured. All of this brought to mind the importance of doing random acts of kindness to those who do not expect them. I call that “God nudges.” I remember in my youthful days when my mother made grape pie. It was my oldest brother’s favorite. He could talk me out of my piece with a nickel, occasionally on my luckier days I would get a dime. As I look back now I wonder why our parents allowed such dealings. I do understand how tempting even a nickel was to me when money was such a scarce item in our household. Thanks, Kay. You made my day a magic one.
I have almost given up finding the lost recipe I found on my back door. I thought by now that it would surface, but now I am looking for two things that I put in a “special place” where I would know where they are. Guess I will have to admit defeat and contact the source of the recipe.
I am still weeding out unnecessary clutter and things that I have saved and not used. I came upon a collection of recipes in a weekend mailing. I will use two and then pass the rest on to posterity. I am certain that my kids will appreciate the disappearance of some of my gatherings. The picture of the cookies was quite unique, although I will admit I have not tried to make them. The chicken recipe intrigued me as I look for new ways to prepare chicken and this seemed really simple. Hope they both appeal to most of you.
CHOCOLATE INSERT COOKIES
¾ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
25 solid chocolate candies
1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon powdered cocoa
Combine butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla. Add flour to butter mixture. Shape dough
into 25 one inch balls. Flatten each ball into a flat 2 inch
round. Place the rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased
cookie sheet. Place a chocolate candy in the center of each
round. Enclose the candy with the dough, making sure the
candy is completely sealed in the dough. Bake at 375 degrees
12 to 15 minutes. Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa.
Sprinkle over the hot cookies. Cool cookies for a few minutes
on the cookie sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool.( I
checked several times to be certain that I did not miss listing
soda nor baking powder!) It was suggested to put the cocoa
and powdered sugar in a shaker. The cookies will absorb the
mixture, so you may want to sprinkle again .
BAKED DRUMSTICKS
1 cup cooking oil
½ cup Bisquick
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon pepper
10 drumsticks
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour oil into 10 by 15 inch baking
pan. Combine baking mix and seasonings and place in a paper
bag. Add the drumsticks, a few at a time and shake to coat.
Arrange on the prepared baking pan. Bake chicken, turning once,
About 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve immediately.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
9/22/11
The weeks certainly do roll past quickly. Last evening I was working on a project that I had put off conquering. That left my mind in a completely different direction. There is not enough of it left to spread in more than one place. So I quickly chose two recipes and a thought flashed through my extended mind which I quickly grasped and calmly went to bed thinking that I had everything under control. I awakened in the wee hours this morning with my subconscious nudging me that I still had this job to do. I was tempted to just pull the covers up tightly and pretend that I had a free day. That did not happen and I also could not recall what I had decided to focus on this week. That was scary enough to really wake me up. As I pondered deeply and discarded a few substituted ideas, my original idea floated past. So I scrambled (only to me it was a “scramble” - to those of you who already have your day well on its way it was more like slow motion) out of bed and here I am much earlier than I ever planned before my thoughts vanish again.
The past couple of months my family has been interacting on a project that has brought much magic into focus. We walked to California to visit my niece who lives in a San Diego suburb! Now you all know we did not actually physically accomplish this. We had a Healthy Heart walking program. Those of us who wanted to participate wore pedometers and each week reported our steps to headquarters which were tallied into miles and mapped out across the good old USA. This created special interest to those participating and inspired us to walk more than we otherwise would. Each week one of us was granted a Healthy Heart award for major distance accomplishments. You can imagine that my contribution was the bottom of the list every week, but I got two awards! One for participating, that was easy. The other one was for valor above and beyond the call of duty. My numbers were so insignificant that I walked to Dollar General and back when I didn’t even want nor buy anything! My best week was a total of 14 miles. My daughter who was the headmaster each week made an itinerary of the area we covered with pictures of that area which we could download. I appreciated her efforts of an interesting account of each week’s journey. The imaginary antics of each of those participating and the interaction between us was full of magic. Now we are in California so how do we get home? One is going to try for a buddy pass on Delta from his brother. As for me I stated “I am tired, I am going to hitchhike home.” We have one problem. Kay enjoyed our fantasy journey and visit, but has double dared us to make it a reality.
After all of that walking I am certain that we need some nourishment. So I have suggested a quickly prepared snack to munch on while you prepare something more lasting. It is also time for pumpkin to appear on our menus, so I am offering one that is easier to do than make a pie, but will fulfill that pumpkin urge.
PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN
2 quarts popped popcorn
1 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
2 tablespoons butter
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and peanut butter
until smooth. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Add a bit
of salt if desired.
PUMPKIN DELIGHT
½ stick of butter, melted
Graham crackers
12 ounces whipped topping
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large can pumpkin (not pie mix)
½ cup milk
2 packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
Line bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with graham
crackers. Melt butter and brush over crackers.( I’m tempted
to make a graham cracker crust).Beat cream cheese, add spices
to pumpkin and add to cream cheese. Add sugar, milk and sprinkle
in dry pudding mix. Mix in the pumpkin and cheese mixture.
Blend well. Fold in whipped topping. Pour over crackers, cover
with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
This is great. It is all finished and ordinarily I would just be crawling, not scrambling out of bed!
The past couple of months my family has been interacting on a project that has brought much magic into focus. We walked to California to visit my niece who lives in a San Diego suburb! Now you all know we did not actually physically accomplish this. We had a Healthy Heart walking program. Those of us who wanted to participate wore pedometers and each week reported our steps to headquarters which were tallied into miles and mapped out across the good old USA. This created special interest to those participating and inspired us to walk more than we otherwise would. Each week one of us was granted a Healthy Heart award for major distance accomplishments. You can imagine that my contribution was the bottom of the list every week, but I got two awards! One for participating, that was easy. The other one was for valor above and beyond the call of duty. My numbers were so insignificant that I walked to Dollar General and back when I didn’t even want nor buy anything! My best week was a total of 14 miles. My daughter who was the headmaster each week made an itinerary of the area we covered with pictures of that area which we could download. I appreciated her efforts of an interesting account of each week’s journey. The imaginary antics of each of those participating and the interaction between us was full of magic. Now we are in California so how do we get home? One is going to try for a buddy pass on Delta from his brother. As for me I stated “I am tired, I am going to hitchhike home.” We have one problem. Kay enjoyed our fantasy journey and visit, but has double dared us to make it a reality.
After all of that walking I am certain that we need some nourishment. So I have suggested a quickly prepared snack to munch on while you prepare something more lasting. It is also time for pumpkin to appear on our menus, so I am offering one that is easier to do than make a pie, but will fulfill that pumpkin urge.
PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN
2 quarts popped popcorn
1 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
2 tablespoons butter
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and peanut butter
until smooth. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Add a bit
of salt if desired.
PUMPKIN DELIGHT
½ stick of butter, melted
Graham crackers
12 ounces whipped topping
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large can pumpkin (not pie mix)
½ cup milk
2 packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
Line bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with graham
crackers. Melt butter and brush over crackers.( I’m tempted
to make a graham cracker crust).Beat cream cheese, add spices
to pumpkin and add to cream cheese. Add sugar, milk and sprinkle
in dry pudding mix. Mix in the pumpkin and cheese mixture.
Blend well. Fold in whipped topping. Pour over crackers, cover
with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
This is great. It is all finished and ordinarily I would just be crawling, not scrambling out of bed!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
9/15/11
As I notice the date, two startling facts penetrate my mind. First of all, it can’t possibly be that we have placed into our past half of another month. That brings to mind the rapid approaching of winter and the memories of last year’s snow, snow, snow.
On a more pleasant plane, this week MAGIC MOMENTS became an adult. Would you believe that on the 13th it reached its 21st birthday? We celebrated by proposing a special toast with a strong drink of decaffeinated tea minus any sugar! My sincere thanks go to the patience and understanding of four editors, and the unbelievable support of all of you readers. (I am certain that my style of writing and thoughts are not favorites with everyone, but those of you who enjoy it have my eternal thanks.) Shall we try for another year?
I was performing a corporal work of mercy last week, (visiting the sick). When I returned home, I found taped to my back door a recipe from a faithful reader. I “put it where I would know where it was” but all I can find this morning is the cover sheet. The only thing that I can think of after quickly scanning my favorite spots is that the old lady that keeps messing up my things has been here again. Since I have already used up all of the time I dare spend searching, I will go to my reserve source of recipes and give you something to stifle the hunger pains. We will hope that my “lost” recipe will come to the surface for next week. My theory is that you can’t spoil potatoes, no matter what you do to them. So I have one that is simple to prepare and ready in half of an hour. It should be an answer for a quick meal when you spent more time shopping than you planned, or just wanted to finish that interesting novel that you had only a chapter to finish. We will hope that my “lost” recipe will come to the surface for next week.
SAUSAGE SKILLET DINNER
1 pound Italian sweet sausage (or your favorite choice of meat)
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup diagonally sliced celery
4 baking potatoes, pared and diced
1 can (1 lb.) tomatoes
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Brown sausage in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook
until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 20 to 25
minutes or until potatoes are tender.
I can’t pass by a simple idea for a quick sweet tooth antidote. If I make these I will have to have someone in mind to give 98% of them, or I would eat the whole thing myself.
PEANUT BUTTER ROCKY ROAD
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
¾ cup chopped peanuts or walnuts
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Combine chocolate and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl.
Heat on high 2 minutes. (Adjust to your own microwave.) Stir once
halfway through cooking time. Stir until chocolate is melted and
smooth. Stir in peanuts and marshmallows. Immediately spread in
foil lined 11 x 7 baking pan. Refrigerate 1 to2 hours. Cut into pieces
the size of your choice. Keep refrigerated.
On a more pleasant plane, this week MAGIC MOMENTS became an adult. Would you believe that on the 13th it reached its 21st birthday? We celebrated by proposing a special toast with a strong drink of decaffeinated tea minus any sugar! My sincere thanks go to the patience and understanding of four editors, and the unbelievable support of all of you readers. (I am certain that my style of writing and thoughts are not favorites with everyone, but those of you who enjoy it have my eternal thanks.) Shall we try for another year?
I was performing a corporal work of mercy last week, (visiting the sick). When I returned home, I found taped to my back door a recipe from a faithful reader. I “put it where I would know where it was” but all I can find this morning is the cover sheet. The only thing that I can think of after quickly scanning my favorite spots is that the old lady that keeps messing up my things has been here again. Since I have already used up all of the time I dare spend searching, I will go to my reserve source of recipes and give you something to stifle the hunger pains. We will hope that my “lost” recipe will come to the surface for next week. My theory is that you can’t spoil potatoes, no matter what you do to them. So I have one that is simple to prepare and ready in half of an hour. It should be an answer for a quick meal when you spent more time shopping than you planned, or just wanted to finish that interesting novel that you had only a chapter to finish. We will hope that my “lost” recipe will come to the surface for next week.
SAUSAGE SKILLET DINNER
1 pound Italian sweet sausage (or your favorite choice of meat)
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup diagonally sliced celery
4 baking potatoes, pared and diced
1 can (1 lb.) tomatoes
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Brown sausage in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook
until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 20 to 25
minutes or until potatoes are tender.
I can’t pass by a simple idea for a quick sweet tooth antidote. If I make these I will have to have someone in mind to give 98% of them, or I would eat the whole thing myself.
PEANUT BUTTER ROCKY ROAD
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
¾ cup chopped peanuts or walnuts
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Combine chocolate and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl.
Heat on high 2 minutes. (Adjust to your own microwave.) Stir once
halfway through cooking time. Stir until chocolate is melted and
smooth. Stir in peanuts and marshmallows. Immediately spread in
foil lined 11 x 7 baking pan. Refrigerate 1 to2 hours. Cut into pieces
the size of your choice. Keep refrigerated.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
9/8/11
Some days we do not have to look far nor hard to find much magic in our life. This past week was such an experience. I received word from my youngest son that he had been promoted to manager of the Bunge facility, formerly Central Soya, in Decatur! He graduated from Tri State with a mechanical engineering degree after serving 8 years in the army, three of them in Germany, where I had the privilege of visiting him. Just before graduation they purchased a home in Decatur. We wanted to question the advisability of this because it would limit his choices of employment. Fortunately our theory of keeping our noses out of our kids lives was the right one. We were available for advice and support but not control. He accepted a position at this facility that was about three blocks from their new home! It is a fantastic feeling when as Sam Levinson, an author who had his own television show years ago, said, ”It is great when others say nice things about your kids.” Success is usually the combination of the co-operation and support of family members. So here is my thanks to Mari, his wife and his four kids.
Following this news his two youngest daughters, one a sophomore at Dayton University, the other a junior in high school, sent me a message asking if they could come on Saturday and have me teach them how to bake pies! This was a great compliment because just about a month before they had been here and we baked cut out sugar cookies. It must have been a successful day because they wanted to come back again. For years, after a number of years of struggling with pie crust, I thought I could make good pie crust. Then I experienced several times some that was served by a long time friend that I decided was better than mine. I asked her for her recipe and have used it for several years. (Thanks, Treeva.)
After accepting the girls request for a Saturday pie baking lesson, I wondered if they could manage the difficulty of rolling this particular crust. My theory is that the more difficult it is to roll and handle the better the finished product will be. Why did I even question this? They were so adaptable to the project. I wanted to show them how to bake a pie shell for cream pies. After a few suggestions, Aubrie ,the youngest one, produced a perfect pie shell, better than most that I have made. A great granddaughter joined us later in the afternoon. We made pumpkin, apple, fresh peach and banana cream with Hershey Bars in the bottom. We made three small individual pies with the left over filling from each variety, which we shared after a spaghetti supper. It was a great day of interaction between the three generations, good pie and I sent them merrily on their way with three of the pies for proof to their parents that they were where they said they were going. We ate the chocolate- banana cream pie along with our three small samples. Grandmothers, if you want a day of magic, initiate a cooking school with your granddaughters for a super day of interaction as well as passing along your experiences of being a good cook.
Today I do not have to work hard to get to the idea of food. I did not have recipes selected so I turned to my old Taste of Home Annual Cookbook of QUICK COOKING. I think my guardian angel opened the book because there on that page were two simple to make complementary suggestions. Try them together and impress your family.
SAUSAGE BREAKFAST LOAF
1 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, julienned
1 ½ cups, (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons minced parsley
½ teaspoon onion salt
1 tube (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough
Saute the sausage. Cool. Combine the sausage, cheese,
one egg, parsley, onion salt and garlic salt. Mix well. Unroll
pizza dough. Roll into a rectangle 8 inches x 12 inches. Spread
sausage mixture down the center of dough. Bring dough over
filling. Pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a greased
baking sheet. Tuck ends under. Beat remaining egg, brush over
top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden
brown. Let stand for five minutes before slicing.
STRAWBERRY PEACH CUP
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons orange juice
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
½ cup whipped topping
Divide strawberries and peaches among four small dishes.
Beat the creamed cheese, orange juice and orange peel. Fold
In whipped topping. Dollop over top of fruit. Can serve orange
cream as a dip with other fruit.
Congratulations to Ruth Kimpel for her 85th birthday. We are nearly lifelong friends as we are not related but shared the same aunt and uncle, through marriage. When my parents moved to Edgerton in 1940 from Butler, we found that that her parents had moved here from Waterloo. We rode the same school bus and continued our friendship throughout our lives.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
9/1/11
Look what happened when I wasn’t looking. Where did the summer go? Seems as if it were just a short time ago that I was so tired of snow, snow, snow. Here already it is time to put my white shoes and white slacks, back into storage. At least we can give many thanks for the diminished amount of damage from what was forecast from the hurricane that hit the East coast. No matter how our lives are disrupted there are always things to be thankful for.
My busy schedule for the weekend included 2 funerals, a baby shower, my weekly visit to the nursing home, and we won’t mention a couple of garage sales. I am always comforted by my visits to see my sister at the nursing home by her uncomplaining acceptance of her controlled existence brought on by her extended illness. In her “other life” she was always going somewhere and doing something. When I went in her room she smiled from ear to ear and said, ”I was just thinking about you”. Even though I went to cheer her, she sent good feelings my way, thanking me for coming and making a good spot in her day. I have added her name to the list of people I want to be like when I get old. We always find something to laugh about. My visit was indeed a magic moment for both of us.
I was searching for recipes last evening and then closed the book without marking the ones I wanted to use. By now I should realize that it was a dangerous thing to do,. I did remember what book I had used. So today we will venture into a couple that I have not tried to make nor heard about before. I use the theory that if you put good ingredients into a project you should get a good product. Let’s see if that works this week. They both sound good to me.
SCALLOPED EGGS, HAM AND MUSHROOMS
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (Think we could substitute crackers?)
¼ cup butter
6 hard cooked eggs, sliced crosswise1 cup cubed, cooked ham
½ cup sliced mushrooms
Make a white sauce of 3 tablespoons butter flour, salt and milk. In a
casserole dish alternate 1 cup of the dry crumbs moistened with the butter, hard
cooked eggs, ham and mushrooms. Over this pour the white sauce.
Top with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
EAGLE BRAND COOKIES
30 graham crackers, crushed
1 cup English walnuts, chopped
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Mix ingredients well and drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. These freeze well.
I forgot to mention that we old cooks can learn from the younger generation. I was a supper guest at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. She made a creamed chicken mixture over biscuits. I tried to copy the idea. It is a long story, so we will save it for next week.
My busy schedule for the weekend included 2 funerals, a baby shower, my weekly visit to the nursing home, and we won’t mention a couple of garage sales. I am always comforted by my visits to see my sister at the nursing home by her uncomplaining acceptance of her controlled existence brought on by her extended illness. In her “other life” she was always going somewhere and doing something. When I went in her room she smiled from ear to ear and said, ”I was just thinking about you”. Even though I went to cheer her, she sent good feelings my way, thanking me for coming and making a good spot in her day. I have added her name to the list of people I want to be like when I get old. We always find something to laugh about. My visit was indeed a magic moment for both of us.
I was searching for recipes last evening and then closed the book without marking the ones I wanted to use. By now I should realize that it was a dangerous thing to do,. I did remember what book I had used. So today we will venture into a couple that I have not tried to make nor heard about before. I use the theory that if you put good ingredients into a project you should get a good product. Let’s see if that works this week. They both sound good to me.
SCALLOPED EGGS, HAM AND MUSHROOMS
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (Think we could substitute crackers?)
¼ cup butter
6 hard cooked eggs, sliced crosswise1 cup cubed, cooked ham
½ cup sliced mushrooms
Make a white sauce of 3 tablespoons butter flour, salt and milk. In a
casserole dish alternate 1 cup of the dry crumbs moistened with the butter, hard
cooked eggs, ham and mushrooms. Over this pour the white sauce.
Top with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
EAGLE BRAND COOKIES
30 graham crackers, crushed
1 cup English walnuts, chopped
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Mix ingredients well and drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. These freeze well.
I forgot to mention that we old cooks can learn from the younger generation. I was a supper guest at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. She made a creamed chicken mixture over biscuits. I tried to copy the idea. It is a long story, so we will save it for next week.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
8/25/11
After a very quiet weekend, 8 hours of sleep last night and a nice nap yesterday afternoon, I should be as bright as a dollar. The only trouble is I am having difficulty ringing in at 50 cents! Other than a fantastic fun day with my sister on Friday, which consisted of shopping, lunch and visiting our baby sister (82) and our aunt at Laurels of DeKalb in Butler, I had no social contacts.
There was a magic moment in my shopping venture. My youngest sister said that I could not cook if they ever took cheese off the market. Here I noticed my favorite brand (Velveeta) was on an unbelievable sale. I turned around from my selection to realize a lady was talking to me. I was so engrossed in my purchase that I was not aware of anyone around me. She was telling me how much she enjoyed my ramblings and we had a brief pleasant chat. I hadn’t seen her for a long, long time but she is the daughter-in-law of a very special friend of my past. It was indeed a magic moment of my day.
Another pleasant activity was a response of a request to donate cookies for a local political rally. I responded with the offer of 4 dozen sugar cookies with white frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles.
This should have been a simple request, but my frail mind did not schedule it properly with my other obligations and I nearly forgot that I was waiting until the last evening so they would be as fresh as possible. So at eleven p.m. I was still frosting cookies. It didn’t help that I so generously offered 4 dozen because that is what I thought one batch made. Imagine my chagrin when I could come up with only three dozen. I hurriedly did a small recipe of chocolate chip cookies, only to find my supply of chocolate chips was diminished. Being raised to make do with what you have, I rummaged through my “goodies jar” and found a package of Heath Toffee Bits. They turned out exceptionally well. You should try it.
Back to the political rally. I did not attend but I find myself already tired of the finger pointing, character assassinations and "just say No" antics. If I were one of the Special 12 committee, I would start with repealing the lifetime pensions of congressmen who almost all are very wealthy in their own right. Let’s get down to what is good for our country, not just trying to get re-elected and promoting a particular party. Remember to be an informed voter, not a prejudiced one. NO party has all of the best candidates.
I am still trying to eliminate a lot of unnecessary accumulated items in my household. I contributed one bag to the garbage collection, and made one visit to Good Will. That is a good start. Going through a recipe box, I saved a couple that I thought you might be interested in. They are from clippings I saved from a flier in the weekend newspaper. They also meet my standard of simple preparation and down to earth ingredients. They both make servings for six people so I am experimenting with only a half recipe of one. I think I cam manage a whole recipe that fits into a 9-inch pie pan!
BREAKFAST PIZZA
2 cans (7 ½ oz.) buttermilk biscuits, separated
1 pound bulk pork sausage
2 cans (4 oz. each) mushroom pieces, drained
1 large onion , diced
4 ½ teaspoons butter
12 eggs
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Separate and cover bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside
Crumble sausage into a skillet. Cook over medium heat until no
longer pink. Place sausage in a bowl and set aside. In the same
skillet, sauté mushrooms and onion 3 to five minutes. Add to the
sausage. Whisk the eggs, cook and stir over medium heat until
nearly set. Add sausage and vegetable mixture, Spread egg mixture
over biscuits. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees
for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake10 to 12 minutes longer.
PEPPERONI CHEESE BAKE
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup diced pepperoni
5 eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon dried basil
In a greased 9 inch pie plate, layer the mozzarella cheese and
pepperoni. Whisk the eggs, milk and basil. Pour over the cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes
before cutting.
There was a magic moment in my shopping venture. My youngest sister said that I could not cook if they ever took cheese off the market. Here I noticed my favorite brand (Velveeta) was on an unbelievable sale. I turned around from my selection to realize a lady was talking to me. I was so engrossed in my purchase that I was not aware of anyone around me. She was telling me how much she enjoyed my ramblings and we had a brief pleasant chat. I hadn’t seen her for a long, long time but she is the daughter-in-law of a very special friend of my past. It was indeed a magic moment of my day.
Another pleasant activity was a response of a request to donate cookies for a local political rally. I responded with the offer of 4 dozen sugar cookies with white frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles.
This should have been a simple request, but my frail mind did not schedule it properly with my other obligations and I nearly forgot that I was waiting until the last evening so they would be as fresh as possible. So at eleven p.m. I was still frosting cookies. It didn’t help that I so generously offered 4 dozen because that is what I thought one batch made. Imagine my chagrin when I could come up with only three dozen. I hurriedly did a small recipe of chocolate chip cookies, only to find my supply of chocolate chips was diminished. Being raised to make do with what you have, I rummaged through my “goodies jar” and found a package of Heath Toffee Bits. They turned out exceptionally well. You should try it.
Back to the political rally. I did not attend but I find myself already tired of the finger pointing, character assassinations and "just say No" antics. If I were one of the Special 12 committee, I would start with repealing the lifetime pensions of congressmen who almost all are very wealthy in their own right. Let’s get down to what is good for our country, not just trying to get re-elected and promoting a particular party. Remember to be an informed voter, not a prejudiced one. NO party has all of the best candidates.
I am still trying to eliminate a lot of unnecessary accumulated items in my household. I contributed one bag to the garbage collection, and made one visit to Good Will. That is a good start. Going through a recipe box, I saved a couple that I thought you might be interested in. They are from clippings I saved from a flier in the weekend newspaper. They also meet my standard of simple preparation and down to earth ingredients. They both make servings for six people so I am experimenting with only a half recipe of one. I think I cam manage a whole recipe that fits into a 9-inch pie pan!
BREAKFAST PIZZA
2 cans (7 ½ oz.) buttermilk biscuits, separated
1 pound bulk pork sausage
2 cans (4 oz. each) mushroom pieces, drained
1 large onion , diced
4 ½ teaspoons butter
12 eggs
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
Separate and cover bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside
Crumble sausage into a skillet. Cook over medium heat until no
longer pink. Place sausage in a bowl and set aside. In the same
skillet, sauté mushrooms and onion 3 to five minutes. Add to the
sausage. Whisk the eggs, cook and stir over medium heat until
nearly set. Add sausage and vegetable mixture, Spread egg mixture
over biscuits. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees
for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake10 to 12 minutes longer.
PEPPERONI CHEESE BAKE
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup diced pepperoni
5 eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon dried basil
In a greased 9 inch pie plate, layer the mozzarella cheese and
pepperoni. Whisk the eggs, milk and basil. Pour over the cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes
before cutting.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
8/18/11
To fulfill a reader’s need to have me share a few “dumb things that I do” so she feels better about herself, I will share one of my latest ones. Please don’t tell anyone! I have this pair of slip on shoes that I especially like. In fact, I like them so well that I ordered another pair just like them because the original pair was looking a little shabby. I hadn’t worn either pair for a few weeks and decided to wear the older pair for my daily walk to the post office. I noticed a bit of discomfort in my left foot, but decided it was just my imagination and besides I really liked these shoes. I wore them most of the day wondering why they caused discomfort when they were so thoroughly broken in. I decided to let them rest for a few days. They looked so innocent sitting on my shoe rack, I decided to investigate the inner part before putting them on again. To my dismay, there was a knee high stocking crunched down in the toe of the left shoe. My favorite shoes are now back in circulation, and I do not limp anymore.
I experienced a really magic moment yesterday. I was chatting with a nearly 98 year old friend and reader. She told me that she had tried and shared my recipe for hamburger stew. She doesn’t want to get so old that she can’t try new recipes and then share them. Opal, I’m glad that I could be a part of your activities and I do so admire your spirit to enjoy life to its fullest even at an advanced age.
I am slowly getting rid of some of my “stuff” that will end up in the dumpster eventually. Last week I parted with a few things that were hidden in my spare bedroom. There was a box of magazines, some over ten years old. I sorted through them, bidding them a fond farewell. At the bottom of the box I found all but one of a by-monthly subscription to a recipe magazine. I realize now why I saved them because they are full of recipes calling for every day, ordinary ingredients that I am partial to. I sent all of the others on their way, but will pass on several recipes from one of them for you today.
BASQUE SKILLET DINNER
1 pound Italian sweet sausage
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced celery
4 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook
Until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 20
Minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
To the above entrée add a green salad and the following dessert to make a tasty and different meal for your family. The dessert should be great for any time the urge for a treat captivates your mind.
CREAMY BANANA PUDDING
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups cold water
1 package (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 pint cream whipped (I would use whipped topping)
36 vanilla wafers
3 bananas, sliced, dipped in lemon juice and drained
Maraschino cherries
Beat sweetened condensed milk, water, and pudding mix. Chill
five minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon pudding into bottom of
a trifle dish or individual sherbet dishes. Layer with wafers and bananas.
Repeat layers. Cover and chill. Top with whipped topping and garnish
with cherries.
Somewhere recently I read a suggestion, not a real recipe, to add carrots when you are cooking potatoes to mash. Just prepare them as you do your favorite mashed potatoes. I am going to do some today. My only suggestion is an unhealthy one for some, but I like plenty of butter and whole milk! Start with your own intuition about what proportion of carrots.
I experienced a really magic moment yesterday. I was chatting with a nearly 98 year old friend and reader. She told me that she had tried and shared my recipe for hamburger stew. She doesn’t want to get so old that she can’t try new recipes and then share them. Opal, I’m glad that I could be a part of your activities and I do so admire your spirit to enjoy life to its fullest even at an advanced age.
I am slowly getting rid of some of my “stuff” that will end up in the dumpster eventually. Last week I parted with a few things that were hidden in my spare bedroom. There was a box of magazines, some over ten years old. I sorted through them, bidding them a fond farewell. At the bottom of the box I found all but one of a by-monthly subscription to a recipe magazine. I realize now why I saved them because they are full of recipes calling for every day, ordinary ingredients that I am partial to. I sent all of the others on their way, but will pass on several recipes from one of them for you today.
BASQUE SKILLET DINNER
1 pound Italian sweet sausage
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced celery
4 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook
Until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 20
Minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
To the above entrée add a green salad and the following dessert to make a tasty and different meal for your family. The dessert should be great for any time the urge for a treat captivates your mind.
CREAMY BANANA PUDDING
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups cold water
1 package (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 pint cream whipped (I would use whipped topping)
36 vanilla wafers
3 bananas, sliced, dipped in lemon juice and drained
Maraschino cherries
Beat sweetened condensed milk, water, and pudding mix. Chill
five minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon pudding into bottom of
a trifle dish or individual sherbet dishes. Layer with wafers and bananas.
Repeat layers. Cover and chill. Top with whipped topping and garnish
with cherries.
Somewhere recently I read a suggestion, not a real recipe, to add carrots when you are cooking potatoes to mash. Just prepare them as you do your favorite mashed potatoes. I am going to do some today. My only suggestion is an unhealthy one for some, but I like plenty of butter and whole milk! Start with your own intuition about what proportion of carrots.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
8/11/11
How could 18 years pass so quickly? It seems such a short time ago that he came into our lives. Yesterday we experienced a mixture of emotions as we sent my youngest grandson out into the world where he is entering his years long desire to enter the military forces. There was joy in seeing him accomplishing his dreams and a heaviness in our hearts, both from separation of his presence and the unknown factors of his decision. When I asked him if he were going to miss us, he looked at me with his special smile and held his thumb and index finger a nice small space apart and said, “Just enough!” I got a smile from him as I told him I just came over to inquire about the sign in his parents front window “Room for Rent!” There was a question in his mind how I would acclimate myself to his bunk beds.
Yesterday brought back so many vivid memories of the time approximately 45 years ago when we sent our oldest son, at the same age, out into the world to a transportation school in Minnesota, then to O’Hare field in Chicago. We took him to Baer Field to catch a plane. At that time we had to walk outside the terminal to the plane and the passengers ascended a metal ramp into the plane. As we stood on the ground with heavy hearts and tears falling on my shoulders, his face appeared in a plane window with a mile wide grin and his hand waving us a cheery good bye!
I have been talking to myself the past 24 hours and have convinced, ( I think) myself that I will have to adapt the scripture and the homily from Sunday’s services about our need to plug in our faith, as Christ taught Peter when he tried to walk across the water to him and he reprimanded him with “Oh, ye of little faith”. We have been given our kids for only a few years to love, teach, mold, guide and prepare them for their independence, similar to the wildlife birds who eventually shove their young from the nest. Then we have to be supportive from a distance with much love and many prayers. May God keep him in His hands and lead him to a great future, with all of his family cheering him on with love close by on the sidelines.
It is too difficult to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, as I had originally planned. So I will save those thoughts for next week, if I can remember where I put them.
I had picked two recipes before I decided what I would base this column around. They are both a little different from my usual choices, but I think they might complement each other to give you a change in your meal planning. I resorted to an old Taste of Home annual cookbook. Maybe some of you have already tried them.
DIJON GFREEN BEANS
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion ,sliced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cover beans with water. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered,
for 10 minutes or until crisp tender. For dressing, whisk
the vinegar, oil, mustard salt and pepper. Drain beans. Add
tomatoes and onion. Drizzle beans with dressing and toss to
coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
ALMOND CHICKEN CASSEROLE
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 can( 10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 hard cooked eggs
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup crushed cornflakes
2 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup sliced almonds
Combine all ingredients except cornflakes, butter and almonds.
Spread into 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Toss cornflakes
with butter, sprinkle over cheese. Top with almonds. Bake uncovered
at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Yesterday brought back so many vivid memories of the time approximately 45 years ago when we sent our oldest son, at the same age, out into the world to a transportation school in Minnesota, then to O’Hare field in Chicago. We took him to Baer Field to catch a plane. At that time we had to walk outside the terminal to the plane and the passengers ascended a metal ramp into the plane. As we stood on the ground with heavy hearts and tears falling on my shoulders, his face appeared in a plane window with a mile wide grin and his hand waving us a cheery good bye!
I have been talking to myself the past 24 hours and have convinced, ( I think) myself that I will have to adapt the scripture and the homily from Sunday’s services about our need to plug in our faith, as Christ taught Peter when he tried to walk across the water to him and he reprimanded him with “Oh, ye of little faith”. We have been given our kids for only a few years to love, teach, mold, guide and prepare them for their independence, similar to the wildlife birds who eventually shove their young from the nest. Then we have to be supportive from a distance with much love and many prayers. May God keep him in His hands and lead him to a great future, with all of his family cheering him on with love close by on the sidelines.
It is too difficult to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, as I had originally planned. So I will save those thoughts for next week, if I can remember where I put them.
I had picked two recipes before I decided what I would base this column around. They are both a little different from my usual choices, but I think they might complement each other to give you a change in your meal planning. I resorted to an old Taste of Home annual cookbook. Maybe some of you have already tried them.
DIJON GFREEN BEANS
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion ,sliced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cover beans with water. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered,
for 10 minutes or until crisp tender. For dressing, whisk
the vinegar, oil, mustard salt and pepper. Drain beans. Add
tomatoes and onion. Drizzle beans with dressing and toss to
coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
ALMOND CHICKEN CASSEROLE
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 can( 10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 hard cooked eggs
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup crushed cornflakes
2 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup sliced almonds
Combine all ingredients except cornflakes, butter and almonds.
Spread into 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Toss cornflakes
with butter, sprinkle over cheese. Top with almonds. Bake uncovered
at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
8/4/11
First of all, let me admit to a grave error last week. Ordinarily, I carefully check the ingredients of each recipe. My only excuse is that the little old lady that is always messing up my ordinarily highly rated percentage of perfection messed with my computer and deleted a very important word. Hopefully you were interested in the turkey meatballs. I pray that you did not do your shopping and purchase a whole turkey and have it ground! The recipe should read “ 1 pound of ground turkey”! A former editor (I have now worked for four of them) told me not to rehash mistakes, because it made it look as if you did not know what you are doing, but what does issuing a recipe calling for “1 ground turkey” do for your creditability?
Last week, from Thursday until Sunday evening, was so full of magic I know I cannot do it all justice in one issue. I had to make some difficult choices because I missed most of the Festival of Flags. For the first time since before I moved into Edgerton 28 years ago, I missed the parade. I did go Friday evening to the program at the park. Besides brief visits with several special people, it was inspiring to see the “older” ladies given special attention, congratulations to our new “Citizen of the year” and the great performance of the community choir. Thanks to Kevin Riehle who came from Texas to honor his dad for his dream of forming the choir and conducting it for many years. Great job, Kevin. Also, thanks go to the choir members. You are very necessary with your time and talents to make it a successful venture.
Friday morning three of my kids , a sister-in-law and a son-in-law and I went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to a nephew’s wedding. We stayed overnight, met a niece and her husband from near Harrisburg, the groom’s parents from Toledo for breakfast at the hotel. Three hours later we were on our way back to Edgerton! It was a great experience, since it is a Sanders’ idiosyncrasy to be the last to leave most all social events and we do enjoy each other’s company. Thanks for your presence and congeniality, Marty and Rich. Also congratulations and best wishes for a happy marriage To Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Sanders.
When I arrived home Saturday, I had a phone message from my two youngest granddaughters asking if they could come to my house to bake the traditional Grandma Max’s sugar cookies. Most of you know that for years and years I hosted a Christmas cookie bake for all grandkids. These girls were young enough that by the time they could participate, the tradition had fallen away. They came Sunday afternoon and I help them make a single batch. Then I said, “O.K, girls, let’s see if you were paying attention. Now you do a batch without my help.” By this time a great granddaughter had arrived to participate. Either they are really smart kids or I am an excellent teacher, because we could not tell the difference between the two. They frosted and decorated at least six dozen. Their creative talents gave me some ideas in decorating. I was behind the door when artistic talents were passed out. Brittany, Aubrie and Hannah, here is a great big “Thank you” for creating a very magic day for me! Incidentally I insisted that they take ALL of the cookies home with them.
This week to help you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, I found a couple of different ways to prepare them. Hope they intrigue you. I purchased some fantastic nectarines at the tent at CVS in Bryan. I purchase only eight since I was going away. They were on the counter when I got home and were at the perfect stage, so I immediately ate three of them. I am the same way with cookies, so I just get rid of them very quickly.
SESAME BROCCOLI
1 cup water
1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into spears
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Bring water to a boil. Add broccoli. Reduce heat, cover and simmer
for 5-7 minutes., or until crisp tender. Meanwhile, sauté sesame seeds
in 1 teaspoon oil until lightly browned. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice,
soy sauce and remaining oil. Drain broccoli. Toss with sesame seed mixture.
VEGETABLE MEDLEY
2 cups quartered small red potatoes
1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup fresh baby carrots
1tablespoon butter, melted
½ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups fresh asparagus (2 “ pieces)
¼ teaspoon salt
Bring potatoes, carrots, water and bouillon to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer
for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus and zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine
mustard, butter, thyme and salt. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.
Last week, from Thursday until Sunday evening, was so full of magic I know I cannot do it all justice in one issue. I had to make some difficult choices because I missed most of the Festival of Flags. For the first time since before I moved into Edgerton 28 years ago, I missed the parade. I did go Friday evening to the program at the park. Besides brief visits with several special people, it was inspiring to see the “older” ladies given special attention, congratulations to our new “Citizen of the year” and the great performance of the community choir. Thanks to Kevin Riehle who came from Texas to honor his dad for his dream of forming the choir and conducting it for many years. Great job, Kevin. Also, thanks go to the choir members. You are very necessary with your time and talents to make it a successful venture.
Friday morning three of my kids , a sister-in-law and a son-in-law and I went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to a nephew’s wedding. We stayed overnight, met a niece and her husband from near Harrisburg, the groom’s parents from Toledo for breakfast at the hotel. Three hours later we were on our way back to Edgerton! It was a great experience, since it is a Sanders’ idiosyncrasy to be the last to leave most all social events and we do enjoy each other’s company. Thanks for your presence and congeniality, Marty and Rich. Also congratulations and best wishes for a happy marriage To Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Sanders.
When I arrived home Saturday, I had a phone message from my two youngest granddaughters asking if they could come to my house to bake the traditional Grandma Max’s sugar cookies. Most of you know that for years and years I hosted a Christmas cookie bake for all grandkids. These girls were young enough that by the time they could participate, the tradition had fallen away. They came Sunday afternoon and I help them make a single batch. Then I said, “O.K, girls, let’s see if you were paying attention. Now you do a batch without my help.” By this time a great granddaughter had arrived to participate. Either they are really smart kids or I am an excellent teacher, because we could not tell the difference between the two. They frosted and decorated at least six dozen. Their creative talents gave me some ideas in decorating. I was behind the door when artistic talents were passed out. Brittany, Aubrie and Hannah, here is a great big “Thank you” for creating a very magic day for me! Incidentally I insisted that they take ALL of the cookies home with them.
This week to help you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, I found a couple of different ways to prepare them. Hope they intrigue you. I purchased some fantastic nectarines at the tent at CVS in Bryan. I purchase only eight since I was going away. They were on the counter when I got home and were at the perfect stage, so I immediately ate three of them. I am the same way with cookies, so I just get rid of them very quickly.
SESAME BROCCOLI
1 cup water
1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into spears
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Bring water to a boil. Add broccoli. Reduce heat, cover and simmer
for 5-7 minutes., or until crisp tender. Meanwhile, sauté sesame seeds
in 1 teaspoon oil until lightly browned. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice,
soy sauce and remaining oil. Drain broccoli. Toss with sesame seed mixture.
VEGETABLE MEDLEY
2 cups quartered small red potatoes
1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup fresh baby carrots
1tablespoon butter, melted
½ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups fresh asparagus (2 “ pieces)
¼ teaspoon salt
Bring potatoes, carrots, water and bouillon to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer
for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus and zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine
mustard, butter, thyme and salt. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
7/21/11
A week of above ninety degree temperature can certainly played havoc with a much needed shower last Monday evening. The only lasting benefit I have noticed is the perky stature of the weeds that have survived in the cracks in my driveway. It is beginning to show the ravages of time like we humans do. What I cannot understand is how weeds that were not planted nor cultivated can survive better in those cracks than my tenderly cared for vegetables in my garden.
We were more than blessed with rainfall without wind damage. My daughter and son-in-law lost 10 trees in their small acreage surrounding their home. One landed on their pole barn and one was on the garage. The rest were where they did no damage other than the loss of the trees. They live north of Waterloo near where the semis were toppled on Interstate 69. On Tuesday, I knew that I could be no help with cleaning up the mess by ranking wood and sawing tree limbs. In a case like that, you just offer what you can do. I baked two batches of cookies and made a pan of scalloped potatoes and ham. My sister went with me and we got there after 4 o’clock and seven of their Amish friends had been there, also a cousin, brother and neighbor. They had all of the trees cut up, a lot of the wood ranked, a pile of tree tops and branches as large as my living room a short distance down a small hill behind the house. Three men were using a log splitter to cut the pieces of tree trunks into slabs. My sister and I sat on chairs beside the garage in the shade where there was a lovely breeze and just marveled at the ingenuity and the lack of wasted movements of the men who were working. At times like this the response of family and friends make devastation bearable.
Since today was a warm, lazy day I chose easy to prepare recipes using ground beef and potatoes that are already prepared into hash browns. Both are easy solutions for a quick meal and a change in your menu.
EASY SALISBURY STEAK
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup quick oats
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) mushroom soup, undiluted
½ cup each diced,celery, onions, peppers
¾ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Combine eggs, oats, green peppers, celery, onions and salt. Crumble meat over the mixture and blend well. Shape into eight patties. Brown patties on both sides in a skillet. Place patties in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.. Combine soup, water and pepper. Pour over patties. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for30 to 35 minutes.
CREAM CHEESE POTATO SOUP
6 cups water
1 ½ cups fully cooked, chopped ham
6 tsps. chicken bouillon granules
½ cup chopped onion
2 pkgs. (8 oz.each) cream cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pkg. (30 oz.) cubed hash browns
1 teaspoon dill weed
Combine water and bouillon granules. Add cream cheese, Cook and stir until cheese melts. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Hope your home is air conditioned. If not, go visit a friend or two because the projected heat index is mighty cruel for the coming week.
We were more than blessed with rainfall without wind damage. My daughter and son-in-law lost 10 trees in their small acreage surrounding their home. One landed on their pole barn and one was on the garage. The rest were where they did no damage other than the loss of the trees. They live north of Waterloo near where the semis were toppled on Interstate 69. On Tuesday, I knew that I could be no help with cleaning up the mess by ranking wood and sawing tree limbs. In a case like that, you just offer what you can do. I baked two batches of cookies and made a pan of scalloped potatoes and ham. My sister went with me and we got there after 4 o’clock and seven of their Amish friends had been there, also a cousin, brother and neighbor. They had all of the trees cut up, a lot of the wood ranked, a pile of tree tops and branches as large as my living room a short distance down a small hill behind the house. Three men were using a log splitter to cut the pieces of tree trunks into slabs. My sister and I sat on chairs beside the garage in the shade where there was a lovely breeze and just marveled at the ingenuity and the lack of wasted movements of the men who were working. At times like this the response of family and friends make devastation bearable.
Since today was a warm, lazy day I chose easy to prepare recipes using ground beef and potatoes that are already prepared into hash browns. Both are easy solutions for a quick meal and a change in your menu.
EASY SALISBURY STEAK
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup quick oats
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) mushroom soup, undiluted
½ cup each diced,celery, onions, peppers
¾ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Combine eggs, oats, green peppers, celery, onions and salt. Crumble meat over the mixture and blend well. Shape into eight patties. Brown patties on both sides in a skillet. Place patties in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.. Combine soup, water and pepper. Pour over patties. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for30 to 35 minutes.
CREAM CHEESE POTATO SOUP
6 cups water
1 ½ cups fully cooked, chopped ham
6 tsps. chicken bouillon granules
½ cup chopped onion
2 pkgs. (8 oz.each) cream cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pkg. (30 oz.) cubed hash browns
1 teaspoon dill weed
Combine water and bouillon granules. Add cream cheese, Cook and stir until cheese melts. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Hope your home is air conditioned. If not, go visit a friend or two because the projected heat index is mighty cruel for the coming week.
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