Magic Cookies 5/23/13

Have you ever decided to do something for someone else, only to find yourself receiving more enjoyment  from your actions than you had anticipated giving to others?  I had two such experiences this past week.  At least two years ago on Easter Sunday my daughter asked if she could bring a friend to our family dinner whom I did not know, but she was elderly and needed the association with others and the experience of being with a large family as they celebrated the holiday.  She seemed to enjoy the day and we enjoyed her so I calmly put it in the book of pleasant past memories.  Much later my daughter told me that this lady remembered me and asked about me whenever she saw her.  She also seemed concerned this past month when I injured my knee, and wanted to send me a get well card.  In it she said she would like to come back to my house for a meal.  I agreed to her request and plans were made for an evening meal at my home. 

We planned a full meal, entre, salad and dessert.  She was very receptive to everything that I had prepared and seemed so glad to be here that her appreciation and enjoyment of being here made me on the receiving end rather than the giving. Thanks for wanting to come to my home, Sue Ellen, and for the get well card and your thoughtfulness.

That is the way it turns out when I try to do something special for a lovely lady who is a nursing home resident where one of my sisters spent two years before her death and another sister is now a resident. My new friend is nearly 102 years old . Her mind is clearer than mine and she is such a delight to visit that I enjoy taking her cookies, broccoli noodle soup, homemade apple sauce and spending time with her.  She is so appreciative of what I do and most of all just stopping in and spending time with her that I think she has done more for me by building my ego than I have done for her.  Thanks again to you, Janice, for being such a great friend to me.

We had a visiting missionary priest at Mass on Sunday who has been serving the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. He reminded us of our obligation to do for others. God demands  more than attending church on Sunday and putting a few dollars in the collection.  Let’s look around us and be kind to those needing maybe just a smile from us as we pass them on the street. A returned smile can be the occasion of a magic moment.

Mentioning taking cookies to my friend reminded me of a simple recipe for cookies that even the busiest homemaker can manage. I think I wrote it down from something on my computer because it was in my handwriting and taped to the front of my refrigerator. The short list of ingredients and the fact that I had everything on hand really tempted me to try it.  I think you will enjoy them.

            

MAGIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 yellow cake mix

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup peanut butter, (I used chunky)

Put all ingredients in a bowl. Blend with a mixer. The batter will be stiff.  Make balls the size of a walnut and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork moistened with water. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Were you taking an unplanned nap and forgot to start your evening meal when you had planned?  Here is a meat suggestion that is ready in 10 minutes!

      

DILLY PORK CHOPS

6 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick) 

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 to 1 ½  teaspoons dill weed

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Prick pork chops with a fork. Combine remaining ingredients, spoon over both sides of meat. Place on a broiler pan.  Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 4 minutes on each side. While meat is cooking prepare a quick tossed salad, cook a frozen vegetable in the microwave, open a can of fruit for dessert and no one will know you didn’t spend hours preparing a great meal.

Stone Soup 5/16/13

Apparently last week I missed the boat and didn’t wish all of you Mother’s a wonderful Mother’s Day. This week the wishes are as sincere and well intentioned as if they were sent to you on time.

Might we charge it up to my white hair?  Last week my daughter stopped in to borrow a roaster she needed for our weekend festivities.  My first remark to her was that I was afraid that my memory was in worse condition than I thought.  After her concerned “now what did you do?”, I calmly informed her that I cooked my breakfast and forgot to eat it!!  Really, I cooked my regular serving of oatmeal in the microwave and a great deal later I rescued it, but it was stone cold!  I retrieved myself by telling her exactly where the roaster pan was in the basement. After she found it immediately, I got a reprieve of some more time to live alone. In the future, I will keep little incidents like that to myself.

We celebrated the weekend a little differently this year. At a daughter’s suggestion, for Mother’s Day we planned a gathering of all who could make it on that day to have a “work” day for me to do things that I can no longer do myself. For lunch we planned stone soup.  Have you ever heard of stone soup?  The idea originated in a poverty stricken area where people were going hungry, with some people in the village hoarding food.  A visitor told them he was going to make stone soup, so he put a stone in some boiling water, tasted it and remarked how delicious it was, but it would be so much better if he had some cabbage. A wealthy man in the group hesitantly admitted he had more cabbage than he needed and he would donate a head. The visitor proceeded the same way with other vegetables and they ended up with enough soup to feed the whole group.  It was really a message In sharing what God has given us rather than selfishly hoarding it all for ourselves.  So from this parable we had stone soup.  I started the pot with boiling water and a fresh stone from the landscaping in front of my house. Each volunteer to work brought oxtail and beef roast, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, etc.  It was an interesting experience, a lot of fun and solved the dilemma of what are we going to eat. I do not cook for Mothers’ Day, but I did manage to produce some Ranger and Sugar Cookies.

We spent too much time sorting photographs, placing them in individual shoe boxes for each family directly involved in the photo. As time was fleeting we discarded that project and did some landscape improving and emptied a room upstairs where I put things I didn’t use but did not want to throw away. It was a very successful venture.  I have two garbage bags ready for next Friday’s pickup, a carful that went to Goodwill and a small pile that I am allowed to keep.  Really we found two nice bedspreads that I had forgotten about and were  better than the one I had on my bed. So now I am sleeping cozily under a “new” one and my faithful one that I purchased years ago at a garage sale went by the wayside. A daughter who could not make it on Saturday, came today and wondered if God would mind if she washed the windows on the front porch even if it were Sunday.  Now what could I do but convince her that she was performing a corporal work of mercy and would certainly be forgiven?  During all of this I recalled my youngest sister’s comment after she became a widow that she could handle all of the things she had to do, but what was difficult was the things that needed done that she could not physically handle anymore.  Maybe those of you who have elderly parents, or even neighbors,  can take a good look and have some serious thoughts about what you can do in this situation.

One task that I can no longer do is maintain the landscaping beside my garage, mostly because I cannot walk on the stones. A daughter spent time and a lot of energy getting it to look much, much better and now I can see that there is a bit of rhubarb left, where there used to be a lot.  So that reminded me that I had saved this rhubarb recipe, but do not remember, here I go  again, to whom I should give credit.  Can’t recognize the handwriting and it is not signed, but that won’t affect the taste.

         

RHUBARB DELIGHT

2 cups chopped fine rhubarb

½ cup sugar

1 package (3 oz.) sugar free Jello

1 tablespoon Sweet and Low 

8 oz. whipped topping

4 tablespoons water

Simmer rhubarb, water, sugar and sweetener until tender. (15 minutes). Add Jello. Let cool until starts to thicken. Add whipped topping, Chill.  Can be placed in a baked pie shell or served alone.

For you who live alone or do not like leftovers, here is an unusual recipe for  meatloaf for two servings.

            

SWISS CHEESE MEAT LOAF

1 bacon strip cut into thirds

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup crushed butter flavored crackers

5 tablespoons shredded Swiss cheese

4 ½ teaspoons chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon salt and rubbed sage, each

½ pound lean ground beef

Cook bacon over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side, but not crisp. Drain on paper towel. Combine egg, crackers cheese, onion, garlic and salt. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into a loaf and place in a 6 x 3 x 2 inch pan. Place bacon strips over top. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with 1 tablespoon Swiss cheese, bake 4 minutes longer. Yields two servings.

One of God’s greatest gifts is the privilege being a mother. Respond to it’s blessings and responsibilities to the best of your ability, thus creating many magic moments for both you and your child.

Number One: Family, Close Second: Food 5/9/13

The weeks keep rolling by faster and faster.  The only explanation I ever heard of time seeming to pass so quickly is that each year any space of time represents a smaller percentage of our lifetime. Makes sense to me. When I was in elementary school the summer vacation was forever and Christmas took forever to come back again.  Now before I get the tree down and all of the decorations put safely out of sight it is time to get them out again. Summer vacation for the school kids seems like it just started and it is time to readjust our schedules for school events. If I stop to calculate the portion of my lifetime that makes up summer vacation it is indeed getting smaller and smaller.

Sunday was a very special day for a number of us who consider family a very vital part of our existence.  It was the anniversary of the death of my husband’s brother.  Mass was celebrated in his honor and  as many of us that could work it into our schedules attended the 8:30 liturgy. Following that a few more came for the weekly ritual of coffee and rolls in the church basement. Long after the usual appointed time for the “lights out” we were allowed to perform that weekly duty ourselves.  At each change of location for the celebration we lost a few people.  Since nothing helps a celebration as much as food, eight of us found our way to Rita’s for a brunch meal as the guests of Aunt Mary. (After that announcement, I changed my order from a cheese sandwich to Surf and Turf !!) A few hours later, with a few more dropping out, the party finalized at Mary’s home with the enticement of her home made rhubarb pie for dessert. By that time I think the attendance was down to about five.  I was one of the early dropouts, partially since pie is a forbidden fruit on my diet and I felt a nap coming on. Like my family, God is calling names one by one and there are so few of the original list still here that makes family that much more important. Special guests were Tony from Maumee, Renate from both Chicago and Southern Pines, North Carolina, Jim from Wauseon and Judy from Waterloo.  All of the others were local.

I had the idea of passing on this bit of interesting treatment of fresh berries, I had it on my mental list of things to include.  By the time I was putting it on paper, my mental list was beyond the wide blue yonder. It is still early enough in the season for you to adapt it to your preparation of strawberries, raspberries, etc.  The suggestion is to wash them in a solution of water and vinegar which will prevent them from molding and will last in the refrigerator longer. The proportion to use is suggested ten parts water to one part vinegar. I cut that down to a box of strawberries and came up with ¼ cup of vinegar to 2 ½ cups of water.  I was a good math student a number of years ago and think that is correct. If you think it is necessary recalculate it yourself to be certain. One thing I like to do with strawberries is dice them as fine as you prefer then cover them with prepared glaze. This will make them keep for several more days. Then I like to add banana slices and whipped topping for a quick dessert or just the bananas and add to my morning ritual of oatmeal and cinnamon. Mighty good on ice cream, too.

Years ago, almost too many when I was a teen ager, a friend of my mother made Ranger Cookies which I thought were really special. Over the years I lost track of the recipe. One day when I was visiting my sister near Butler, she had a cookbook from the Extension Homemakers Club that my mother attended.  I quickly wrote down the recipe and a few others from people that I knew, or wished to try.  Wouldn’t you know that old lady that messes up my filing system misplaced them.  Recently as I am donating to posterity some of the things that I have gathered over the years, I noticed that slip of paper.  I was delighted and immediately made a batch of Ranger cookies. I was equally pleased with the results which were better than I remembered. Hope you like them too. 

             

RANGER COOKIES

1 cup shortening (I use Buttered Flavored Crisco In all cookies.)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

I teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups corn flakes

1 cup each coconut, chocolate bits, nuts if desired

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs. Add other ingredients in order given. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork dipped in water. Bake at 350 12 to 15 minutes. Do not over bake.  This is a very stiff cookie mixture.  (I combined shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Then combined flour, soda, baking powder, soda oatmeal, coconut and cornflakes. After adding this to the mixture, add the chocolate and nuts.  You can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk to  make the batter easier to handle. I used a medium sized scoop to measure batter, made it into a ball, then flattened it.)

PEANUT DESSERT

1 ½ cups brown sugar

2 cups milk

2 eggs, well beaten

4 tablespoons flour

Butter size of a walnut

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 bananas

2 cups chopped peanuts

Combine ingredients. Bring to boil until thickened. Chop peanuts and slice bananas. Put in 8 x 8 inch dish in layers alternately with cooked pudding, peanuts and bananas. Chill.  

This was my youngest sister’s recipe, saying as to who liked it. “I do !! “  (A good memory of the past creating another magic moment.)

Magic is where you find it! 5/2/13

I can barely believe that I had to enter a new month with today’s date.  Where did April go to so quickly?  I doubt if those of you who wanted your garden planted in April  made it this year.  My attempts the last couple of years were such a dramatic failure the idea is not real exciting to me now.  There are several things that I was really going to accomplish this month, but it looks as if I forgot to start them. Oh well, there is always another month coming up.

I was going to say I had a real dry day today, but then the memory of the rain shower that was hard to ignore when I was on my way to church erased that idea. I had no social obligations, only one fifteen minute visit, a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich , lime Jello and pears with cottage cheese for lunch.  Now I am struggling to find any magic hiding in that. The most exciting event of the past week was a dentist appointment!!  There turned out to be some magic in that, but it is privileged doctor patient information,  so I will just go on to my usual escape and go to food.

This might disappoint a reader who complimented me last week on my ability to look and find magic in the everyday things of each day.  But really, magic in a dentist appointment?  You bet.

Not only am I short of magic, I have had a shortage of ambition these past few weeks.  Although my injured leg is improving, I find my favorite spot is my easy chair with my leg elevated. So this simple and quick dessert really grasped my attention. Less than ten minutes preparation and ready to eat in 30 minutes.  Think I will keep it handy for many days in the future.

BLUEBERRY PEAR COBBLER

2 cans (15 ¼ oz. each) sliced pears

1 package (7oz.) blueberry muffin mix

3 tablespoons butter, cubed

Drain pears, reserving ¾ cup of juice. Drink the remaining juice or save it for another use. Pour pears and reserved juice into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with blueberry muffin mix. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

For those of you who have a yen for much sweeter delicacies, here is a guide line for sugar laden bar cookies, moistened with sweetened condensed milk and  decorated with M&M’s .

I am not even allowed to read the recipe, but I can almost taste how good they will be.

FUDGE-FILLED BARS

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup (6 oz.)  semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

1 cup plain M&M’s

Combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar and salt. Add butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Set aside 1½ cups of mixture for topping. Press remaining crumbs into a 9 x 13 baking pan.  In a saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate chips and shortening. Cook and stir over  low heat until chips are melted. Spread over crust and sprinkle with M & M’s. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool and cut into bars.  Eat two for me.

May your life continue to be filled with many magic moments.

Everyday Magic 4/25/13

After such a fantastic experience last weekend and a nearly 90% homebound week just finished, the horrible news of the past week, including the Texas explosion, Boston Marathon bombing, floods, etc.,  it is hard to know where to look for magic in my life..  Many times the magic is found in the small everyday experiences and interactions with your family members, sometimes with people you know only slightly.

I had two very special encounters with fairly recently formed friendships this past week. One happened in church this morning with the response at the sign of peace from a new acquaintance. It pleased me immensely and a short conversation after prayer time reinforced the fact that it was spontaneous and brightened both of our attitudes for the day.  Again, it was magic  where I least expected it, in the ordinary moments of life, making a great impression on my life and my day.

I have previously told you that it was almost magic that I have a continuing correspondence with my new Oslo, Norway friend.  Last Tuesday, I sent her a copy of my column which she responded to so quickly that it shocked me. In less than three hours, we had four emails going back and forth. Unbelievable to me with my small understanding of modern technology. She brightened my day and I apparently brightened hers from her gratefulness that “with all of my large family and lots of friends, I still included her in my life.”   So here is proof that you can be the magic in  someone’s life, by just reaching out with kindness to those  you are near each moment of every day.

It was almost magic when I had no food choices planned for this week. I randomly pulled out an old magazine that I had saved for some unknown reason. Wouldn’t you know, there were a number of short, easy to make recipes? The problem now is that I would like to include them all.  Since I do like Reuben sandwiches, here is a short cut that I hope you might like.

          

REUBEN APPETIZERS

1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, and chopped

1 tablespoon Thousand Island dressing

4 slices of processed Swiss cheese, cut into ½ inch strips

8 thin slices deli corned beef

Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Combine kraut and salad dressing. Place two cheese slices across the short side of the triangle. Fold beef slices in half; place over cheese. Top with kraut mixture. Roll up each crescent and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add a salad and dessert for a quick meal.

Since I am always looking for new ways to do vegetables, I will include this idea for cooking carrots. My oldest brother turned green just mentioning cooked carrots, but I have them on my list of good things to eat. During my days of feeding a multitude on a mini budget, we ate lots of baked potatoes, dressed up with lots of butter and creamed carrots. Really not too bad, but he was grateful that he no longer lived where I was doing the cooking.

            

MAPLE RAISIN CARROTS

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 cups sliced carrots

¼ cup golden raisins

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in sugar and syrup. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in carrots and raisins. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer  or until carrots are tender. If you have no maple syrup, use more sugar and add maple flavoring.

A suggestion for preparing vegetables of any kind was to  steam or microwave them, drain, add butter and sprinkle with dry Italian salad dressing mix, stir and serve.

Remember to look for magic in your life everyday as close as your elbow. Also, reach out to supply it for those you meet each day.

Wedding Magic! 4/18/13

Magic. Magic. Magic.  That is the best word that I can think of to describe the past weekend.  On Saturday, one of my grandsons, presently working for American Airlines in Dallas, Texas, became a married man. The wedding was in the St. Francis of Assisi church in Columbus Ohio. All of my kids and their spouses, a number of grandkids, nieces and nephews, etc. attended.

Since I was invited to the rehearsal dinner, we left home early Friday afternoon.  A number of the relatives were at the hotel on Friday night, where we gathered in the Hospitality Room until the wee hours of the morning.  Those that came Saturday morning stayed overnight and we repeated the same agenda. The wedding was at a small church but was completely filled for a beautiful ceremony, followed by an evening reception.  Best wishes to Matt and Wendy for a long, happy life together filled with an everlasting love for each other.

Other than having all of my kids and their spouses present was the renewing of the friendships of my son’s Delta co-workers of the past and his Vietnam friends who have remained in contact, some very closely, from California,  Arizona, Pittsburg, etc. All of them were very kind to me.   To me the love and friendship of the weekend was indescribable. A number of us met again on Sunday morning for breakfast for one more sharing of joy for the newlyweds and renewing long term friendships. It was an awesome weekend, climaxed with attendance at Mass at the St. Brigid Church which was a great contrast, since St. Frances Church held only a few hundred, this one had a capacity of 1500 serving 3000 families.  Both were beautiful churches and it was a special blessing to attend both.

The only drawback to a perfect celebration was the fact that last Sunday I had the misfortune of injuring my left knee as I was getting into my car to leave the Senior Saints luncheon at our local church.  Since then I have been wearing a what I call a “Velcro Cast” and walking with a walker. This morning I have an appointment with my family doctor to see if it is healing as we hope.  Like I think it was Lincoln said about being poor, “It is no disgrace, but it is darned inconvenient.”  It has certainly slowed me down. On the positive side has been the assistance with meals, transportation, and general concern and attention from my family.

After being gone for three days, I need to get back to the reality of demands of the normal day and planning meals.  I found several recipes that I think you should try. So I will draw two out of the possible choices and hopefully still remember where the rest are next week.  Guess I will start with one that was suggested as a substitute or variation of our usual mashed potatoes.

  

MUSHROOM POTATO BAKE

2 ½  to 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ pound fresh mushrooms, chopped

4 tablespoons butter, divided

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cover potatoes with water, add salt, and boil for 15 minutes, or until tender. Saute onions and in butter for3 minutes, just until tender. Drain and mash. Do not add  butter nor milk. Stir into potatoes, along with sour cream, pepper and salt. Spoon into  a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and butter. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

Here is an apple salad recipe that is quite different from the one I make most of the time, but sounds just as tasty and different.

               

HONEY APPLE SALAD

3 ½ cups diced red apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups green grapes

1 cup thinly sliced celery

½ cup chopped dates

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons sour cream

½ cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

Toss apples with lemon juice. Add grapes, celery and dates. Combine mayonnaise, honey, sour cream and salt. Pour over apples and toss to coat. Add walnuts.

May your week be filled with magic moments.