Work Hard, Pray Hard, and Play Hard 6/27/13

I just had a depressing thought.  Here we have used up half of our new year.  What have you accomplished that you planned to do with your new year?  I am just going to look at my very short list and mumble “I do not think I understood your question!”  I hereby write in ink that I will try to do better the next six months. Then I try to push out of my mind the list of things that I really was going to accomplish once I retired, but most of them I forgot to start. For instance I was going to really make a project of assembling my photographs in an impressive manner.  I did get started at that a month ago when we put a shoe box for each family on my dining room table, then tossed each snapshot into the box that we felt would appreciate it the most. It was a start, but then I found another box or two carefully placed out of sight that I forgot about. Oh, well, maybe next year. 

Last Saturday morning was a very uplifting experience for me.  Since I had a granddaughter, a great granddaughter, two daughters and a son that were included in the group of  over thirty high school kids and a number of adults going to Louisville, Kentucky to spend the week at a work camp  working for individuals or families who cannot physically accomplish the needed projects and cannot financially afford to hire the work done, I went to the church parking lot to send them off on their mission.  The work camp experience is very valuable in the maturing of character and the feeling of being blessed with the circumstances that they come from. It was gratifying to me to be part of the outer circle of participants as they joined in prayer, asking for God’s protection and blessings for a profitable week.    Their motto was they were going to   “WORK HARD, PRAY HARD, AND PLAY HARD”.    Sounds like a good combination to me. In my own small way I contributed to the effort by furnishing  at least 12 dozen homemade cookies. My sister-in-law helped also, with some family favorites of molasses cookies.  My family always says no one can make those like Aunt Mary does. We owe the adults that were responsible for organizing the details and providing vehicles, trailers and drivers a special vote of thanks. Also the ones who accepted the responsibility of chaperones and helping with the details of the week.  May it be a magic filled week for both the recipients of their labor and the self satisfaction found in doing for others.

Since I do not have my mind completely removed from cookies, I will use a recipe that impressed me that I noticed in a magazine at my hair salon.  So I swiped, with the owner’s permission, the Woman’s Day magazine that published the recipe.  I was going to make some of them for the work camp, but I did not have all of the ingredients on hand. It is different than any cookies that I have ever tried. Hope you try them. The recipe says it makes over 3 dozen, but I find I must make larger cookies because I usually come up short. No, I do not eat any of the batter!  I use a medium size scoop and then press them down partially with a fork dipped in water. That way they are all the same size.

         

BANANA OAT COOKIES

1 ½  cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon soda

½  teaspoon cinnamon

 ½  teaspoon salt

I ripe medium banana

1 large egg

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼  cups old fashioned oats

¼ cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecan pieces

Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. In a bowl mash the ripe banana, Add the egg, oil, sugars, applesauce and vanilla. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in the oats, cranberries, and nuts. Drop by tablespoon  onto cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool for five minutes before removing from sheets.

I will finish with a short and simple recipe for tomato soup.  I recently gave you a recipe that called for basil.  Since I do not use many herbs, I suggested any other seasoning.  A special friend of mine responded with ”Max, why do you not use basil?”  It was a family favorite at her house. So she knows that I heard her, I am using another basil recipe and I will use basil when I make it.

     

BASIL TOMATO SOUP

2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes

1 can (14 ½  oz.) chicken broth

18 to 20 fresh basil leaves, minced (I might use dried because that is what I have on hand).

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup whipping cream

½ cup butter

Bring tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low, stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted. 

In case you are not interested in tomato soup, I just noticed a new recipe for Chocolate Ice Cream Pie!  Now who wouldn’t like that? Will try to remember which book I saw it n for next week.