Creamy Strawberry Pie 1/15/15

Gee whiz! Looks as if we have used up half of January! Don’t know where it went so quickly, but that means we are that much closer to spring. After being house bound for a week except a short trip to keep a doctor’s appointment, my mind has little resource to dwell upon for a column this week. So I will have to resort to a left over magic moments from last week. 

One of my grandsons has finished his studies for a doctorate degree in theology from Notre Dame, but has not finished his thesis, (still has 18 months to do that). The only job he could find that would support his family is in North Carolina where he is working in his field in a very large parish. He and his wife are both from Kendallville and were on a week’s vacation.  I knew they had come home for their family Christmas celebrations on the 26^th. They have five children, whom I get to see seldom and the newest one, Toby who is four months old, I had never met.  I was thrilled to get a phone call last Friday asking if I were going to be home on Saturday. They were coming through Edgerton to visit an uncle. Praise the Lord, that put me on their list of important people and created a very magic hour for me. I was prepared for a short, but precious visit and was pleasantly surprised when he asked me if they could use my oven.  I quickly responded “Certainly, but there will be a small fee!”  Their family is on a very strict diet and they had prepared a large casserole that was on their acceptable menu. They all took off their coats, the kids found my toy box and we settled in the living room.  I got to hold Toby, who quickly gave me a wide smile, then slowly just accepted being on my lap.  Evie, who is four drew me a picture with a red colored pencil of a girl with a triangle dress and stick arms and legs with her  name printed across the top of the small heart shaped note paper. I still have it on my entertainment center with some family pictures. What a great day for a great grandmother to be important enough for a family to include me in their busy schedule. Thanks, Aaron and Lindsey.

After a wicked week of weather, and being out for a couple of hours on Saturday with the wind chill an unbelievable below zero reading, I decided I would just stay home from church on Sunday. I haven’t had my car out for a couple of weeks. When I got up this morning too late to get to church, I notice a very agreeable temperature and decided I should have made different plans. I don’t remember missing Sunday Liturgy since I have lived in Edgerton (32 years). After I ate my oatmeal and cinnamon, I turned to EWTN and noticed a priest talking.  I later realized it was a homily at a Mass. So I sat in my chair and reverently followed the rest of the liturgy.

I was so comfortable in my lounge chair cuddled up in my favorite throw that I received for Christmas from my son and bonus daughter. The next thing I knew I had had quite a lengthy nap. By the time I decided I would get around and put away my Christmas decorations I realized that Pope Frances was celebrating the Mass at the Sistine Chapel in Rome and was baptizing 33 babies! Sunday was the Feast of the Baptism of Christ and was a significant day for the baptisms. Until he had included all of the individual attention due each child it was a 2 ½ hour celebration. The time passed quickly like the first half of January. That made over three hours of very special liturgy that I would have missed if I had gone to church at 8:30 because I would not have turned my TV on. Hopefully I will be forgiven, but I possibly used up some of my penance that I thought I had over stocked!!

Are you still interested in food after so much good stuff during the holidays? I found that I still need my three meals a day. I am trying to cut down on calories, even if my stomach says it is time for some food. I found a soup recipe that will fill that requirement and it says it is very easy and quick to make. Also, soup is a very nice comfort food when the weather is nasty as it is supposed to be later in the week.

              

HAM AND BEAN SOUP

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, chopped

½ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

4 cans (15 ½ oz. each) great northern beans

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cubed, fully cooked  ham

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

In a large pan, sauté the carrots, celery and onion in butter. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook for 15 minutes or until well heated.  Discard bay leaf before serving.

There is never a time that desserts are not needed, or at least, not appreciated.

           

CREAMY STRAWBERRY PIE

1 package (10 oz.) frozen sliced, strawberries

1 package (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 ( 9 inch) baked pastry shell

Thaw and drain strawberries into  a I cup measuring cup. Reserve juice. Add enough water to the juice to measure 1 cup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add ice cream, stir until blended. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or just until thickened. Fold in strawberries. Pour into baked pastry shell. Refrigerate until firm. Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.

Wishing all of you a great year with only good things and many magic moments where you least expect them.

Making Magical Memories 1/8/15

Great Grandma Max and Everleigh

As the Christmas season draws to a close, may the spirit of Christmas remain in your hearts forever. Hopefully your Christmas was as special as you had hoped. Also, hope you missed us last week as all factions of THE EARTH were on a planned vacation.

As usual, my Christmas was very special, filled with many magic moments!  I received more gifts than I deserved, but do not tell anyone and maybe it will happen again next year! I really do not know which special moment I want to pass on to you today. I have changed my mind several times, but that privilege is now past. Let’s start with the usual gathering of all of my family for their annual gathering at Mike an Becky’s. This year there was a smaller crowd, due to conflicts with schedules, illness and distance. But it was still a very special day for those of us who were there. (Seventy some. I didn’t count, but that is a figure I heard mentioned.) The day after Christmas my nephew and his wife picked up the tradition of a family breakfast started by my sister and her husband.  Since my sister’s failing health she could do it no longer so Mark and Cindy graciously decided to do it at their home which was once my family’s home for 20 years. That makes it more special as it seems like going home to us. Thanks again, Mark and Cindy.

That same day another very special magic experience came to fruition.  Many months ago I asked one of my grandsons if there were anything of mine that he would like to have. His answer was that he was not a keeper of “things” but he liked to create memories. When he was in the fourth grade at school they had a lesson baking bread with the recipe simplified for a child to do it.  He had asked me to bake bread with him. I said “Oh, Dana, let’s wait until I retire.”  So, on the Friday night that I retired I got a call from him asking me if we were going to bake bread on Saturday! Nothing was any further from my plans, but I decided that a child’s wishes were more important. So the next day we made a fabulous loaf of whole wheat bread, but more important we created long lasting memories. That was 24 years ago.  His wishes were that I would let him bring his daughter, who is three, to my home and bake bread with her!  We have been too long in making it happen but it came to fruition the day after Christmas.  If possible it was more magic filled than the first experience. Perhaps because of my age and the interest of perpetuating the experience to another generation. Thanks, Dana and Everleigh for making it such a great day. Maybe we should think more about making memories than buying presents.

Saturday created a dilemma in my day. I was searching in my pantry cupboard for an idea for lunch. I came across an envelope of gravy mix which was a mite past the expiration date.  I quickly prepared it only to wonder what I was going to serve it on.  My mind turned to biscuits, but I had failed to replenish my supply of biscuit mix. I did not want to peel potatoes. If I were going to throw it away, I should have done it before I added the milk and cooked it! So I turned to my favorite cook book and looked for a biscuit recipe from scratch. I found one that is different than most I have seen so the next thing I knew I was mixing the ingredients. I was favorably impressed with the outcome enough to make up for the bother of rolling and cutting, then washing the extra equipment. Hope you are tempted to try it.  It beats prepared mixes! After a meal of two biscuits smothered in gravy, I had a warm biscuit with butter, crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam for dessert! (the jam was sugar free!)

       

CLOUD BISCUITS

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)

1 beaten egg

2/3 cup milk

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening. Combine beaten egg and milk. Add to flour mixture. Stir with meat fork until dough follows fork around the bowl. Place on floured surface and roll or pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake  12 to 14 minutes at 400 degrees.  Makes 9 biscuits.

The next recipe caught my eye because it has no sugar substitute. I did not make it but it has possibilities, even for those of you who are not watching your sugar.

          

DIABETIC BANANA BARS

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed bananas

1 egg

¼ cup peanut butter

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup diced dates or dried apricots

1 cup raisins

Mix flour, soda and baking powder. Mix together bananas, egg, peanut butter, milk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture. Add dates and raisins. Put in a 9 x 12 inch baking pan, bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until desired doneness.

Remember next year to substitute some memories for some presents!

Merry Magic Christmas 12/25/14

Christmas Days seem to be getting closer and closer together! Think my advanced age might have something to do with the problem? The weeks seem to run together. And with that, making the demands on my fragile mentality to come up with something to write about. After giving it some serious thought, I decided to keep the season in mind and just wish each and every one of you the merriest of merry Christmases and a fantastic new year of all good things.

Let’s keep the recipe department in the Christmas realm. I have the following recipe for a happy family framed and on my dining room wall. Hope you can try it.

            

A HAPPY FAMILY

Combine a family of loving hearts, melt together.

Add a lot of love; mix well with respect and trust.

Add gentleness, laughter, faith, hope and joy.

Pour in much understanding. (Don’t forget patience.)

Sprinkle with kisses and a dash of hugs. Bake for a  lifetime.

YIELD:  ONE HAPPY FAMILY

As parents, we sometimes wonder if our kids are even listening when we try to give them advice and training of Life issues.  It is rewarding to hear them reiterate something that you told them as teenagers that you do not remember that clearly. Here is one that came back to me with some recollection.

      

MAXINE’S MUTTERINGS FOR A MAGNIFICENT MARRIAGE

Keep God and His teachings the center of your home and your spouse a close second.

Then come the kids and that puts YOU last,

If your spouse puts you in your rightful place that moves you way up on the list!

Again a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years  to each of you.  See you in 2015.

Magical Visits 12/18/14

With the temperature forecast in mid 50’s for Monday it is hard to believe it is Christmas, but the weather man half promised a white Christmas for next week. We shall see.

It is hard to break old habits. If you heard me say I was not going to do much decorating this year because I do not have any festivities at my home any more, just forget about it.  As I was going through my Christmas “stuff” I thought, “I have to put that out, it is part of Christmas!" So I did manage to cut back considerably, but I can tell that the season is upon us. I am working feverishly to get birthday “thank  you” notes out before Christmas cards. May have to double up on a few.

The magic moments of each day seem to still be coming to the surface.  Two weeks ago at coffee and rolls after church services, I called to a special friend’s attention the fact that he failed to appear at my birthday celebration. His excuse was that he was not invited. My rebuttal was that everyone was invited and with over 240 people being there my kids said “Mom, I do not believe that Jeff was not here!!" To help balance things he said that he would buy me a roll the next week. My social obligations interfered and I was not able to go to the basement for the usual socializing. During the week my back door bell rang and there was Jeff, looking very apologetic barely able to conceal a grin, with a roll in hand with a birthday candle blazing merrily in it. A magic moment? Indeed. We are now friends again.

Last week a similar instance happened at my front door. There stood a special friend dating back to the years I volunteered at the elementary school after my retirement holding a container that looked suspiciously like one of mine. In it were a number of coconut covered date balls. She acknowledged that the container was mine that I had given her sugar cookies in for her birthday in October when we were at the hairdresser at the same time on her birthday. She needlessly apologized for the way they turned out because I had devoured three of them before she was a block away! See kindness begets kindness and so does magic.

Be sure to create some Christmas magic for someone who needs it and cannot pay you back. That is a sure recipe for Christmas magic.

And that brings us to Christmas recipes. My daughter gave me the recipe for Mexican wedding Cakes that we made for her husband’s mother’s ninetieth birthday celebration. They were quite simple to make because all that I did was roll them in powdered sugar after they were baked!  I am sure you will like them.

        

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

I cup butter

½ cup powdered sugar

1 ¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients together. Roll in balls. Bake on an ungreased or silicone sheet lined tray. Cool and roll in powdered sugar. Store in airtight container. They freeze nicely.

A favorite and simple treat that I like especially at Christmas time are mini pretzel and Rolo treats.

      

MINI PRETZEL AND ROLO PECAN BITS

Line a tray with mini pretzels., I have one that holds 34.  Be sure to use “mini” ones. Unwrap Rolo Caramel candies and place one on top of each pretzel. Place in oven at about 250 to 300 degrees for a few minutes.  Place a pecan half on top of the candy and press down on it.  Cool on tray and remove. Store in airtight container.

Remember to be generous to someone this Christmas who cannot return your kindness.

Santa Cookie Magic 12/11/14

Christmas is coming fast. I have my Christmas tree in place and plan to have a few more decorations in place by the weekend. That is not a promise, just a plan!  Should possibly start my card list before too long, but do not want to scare anyone by getting mine there too early.

Last week was a magic filled one, but kept me on the run.  It started with my daughter who was preparing a reception for her husband’s mother. They wanted to surprise her and have her famous Santa Claus cookies as part of her celebration. Judy mentioned me helping her bake them but did not want to ask me to drive to her house.  That was a simple problem to solve. Why didn’t she come to my house and we would bake them here? One of her high school friends lives in Edgerton, so she asked me if I cared if she ask her to come so they could spend the day together. All was going well until she suddenly remembered that she had a one o’clock appointment in Butler that she had to keep. We had the cookies baked but that left two less-than-expert decorators in charge.

They were quite complicated with rosy cheeks, a white beard, stocking hat with white ball on the end, miniature chocolate chips for eyes, a white beard made with coconut, etc.  Now if I have to draw a moon, I say it looks like a six pointed star! Add that to my old, arthritic fingers and I almost gave up the project. My helper was determined to not let a cookie get the best of her so she was diligently working her heart out when Judy got back. She did not register any disappointment, but I am certain that she noticed the lack of perfection that would have been acquired if Grandma Susie had made them.  But when she saw the plate of Santa Clause cookies, the look of surprise and joy on her face made our less than perfection product well worth while and a very magic moment for her.

Thursday was another magic one.  It was another daughter’s birthday and she always wants to spend part of the day with her Mom.  She managed a half day’s vacation, made soup from leftover turkey, invited her Aunt Mary and me to go to her Aunt Kork’s house for lunch, since we cannot manage her in her wheel chair and we wanted her to be part of our celebration.  I baked an angel food birthday cake, Aunt Mary brought a fruit and cheese plate. We originally planned to play cards after lunch, but when her daughter stopped by after four we were still sitting at the table with no mention of playing cards. It indeed was a magic day full of laughter and just enjoying each other’s company. See, you do not have to travel far and spend a lot of money to have a Magic Day!! I finally got home about 6:00 P.M.

I intended to ask Judy for a cookie recipe to give to you that were especially good and easy to make. We, mostly Judy, made a batch of them for the party, too.  so I had to scratch deep for something to pass on today. I spotted the cookbook that my aunt had given us for our 25^th wedding anniversary in 1972. The recipe I am giving you was from my Aunt Doris who lived at Beaver Dam, near Akron, Indiana.  She was one of my favorite people so her recipes should be good too.

COCKTAIL DELIGHT

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 well beaten egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

Chopped walnuts

1 can (Size #2) fruit cocktail, partially drained

Combine sugar, flour, salt, baking powder. Add well beaten egg, vanilla and fruit cocktail. Mix well. Put in buttered 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cut in squares. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

            

ROSY CINNAMON APPLES

Boil together : 1/3 cup red hot candies

                              1 ½ cups water

                              ½ cup sugar

Add 6 peeled and cored apples. Simmer until tender. Chill. Centers may be filled with cream cheese.

It has been said that a man 60 years old will have spent 3 years eating.  A more interesting fact to me would be how many years did his wife spend cooking that food???

Dilly Mashed Potatoes and Family Magic 12/4/14

The date for today brings a multitude of thoughts to the surface.  Perhaps the most important is my number 4 daughter was born on that day 57 years ago! If I dare to let my mind wonder, that makes all but two of my kids as old or older than my husband was when God called him to eternity. This makes me very aware of how young he was.  When you are approaching 60 you can feel the advancement of aging symptoms and notice your hair is much more silvery than you wished, looking back it is really the prime of life. I think I got off my original subject, so back to the thoughts of the day. That date means we have only 21 more days to Christmas, so I had better get in the mood to get out my stored away decorations. I know I can easily bring in my pre-decorated, pre- lit miniature tree and put it in my east window of the living room. That will make people think I am on target with my decorations! I have my first Christmas party on Monday evening, so guess I better get in the Christmas spirit soon.

Another thought which I choose to not dwell on is the fact that we are getting deeper into the heart of winter and that means snow, snow, snow. I am trying to obliterate all of the memories of last winter’s snowfall. When we get to December, all of those plans that we intended to accomplish in the new year are about to be out of time. I think you can handle all of these negative thoughts by concentrating on the coming Christmas season. Be sure you do not let the fussing and flurry of gifts, food and decorations consume your time and heart and not prepare spiritually. Remember that we are now in the season of Advent which means “to come”. Make it a spiritual renewal as well as tending to all of the extra things that have taken first thoughts and efforts in our celebration.

Hope your Thanksgiving celebration was a preamble to a great Christmas. Mine was a very special day with 29 for dinner and another 20 stopping in in the latter part of the day. Hey wait!  I count, don’t I ? That makes a total of 50. That is about all I can squeeze into my home, but it was a great day. The food was above average, maybe because it was prepared with love in anticipation of a family day. After the main meal people were snacking all afternoon, playing board games around the cleared dining room table and making it an almost perfect day. The families that had other plans were missed but I am certain that their day was special, also. A special ending to the day was the first time that the next generation assumed the responsibility of final cleanup. Two of my granddaughters did all of the dishes, finished trash removal and did a great job while a couple of adults were playing a game with a broken hearted great grandson who felt left out because he did not get to play a game. Frosting on the cake was that  he won!! Thanks so much, Chrissie and Lindsey!

Today I spent a very pleasant visit at my daughter and bonus son’s home with another full course meal celebrating their immediate family’s Thanksgiving with a bonus birthday party for their oldest son,  Happy birthday, Clayton. (Your card is still on the table. Maybe next year?)

With all of this food the past week and leftovers still in my refrigerator, I feel I will have to find something extra delicious, or at least quite different and simple to create any interest. So while resting in my lounge chair making believe I was looking for an interesting recipe, two popped up and caught my attention. Hope they do the same for you. Once again I went to one of my old, old, (not as old as I am) Taste of Home annual cookbooks and found what I was looking for. 

      

DILLY MASHED POTATOES

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups milk

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh minced dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

¾ teaspoon seasoned salt

Cover potatoes with water. Cook until very tender. Drain, mash with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serves six.

SWEET ONION MUFFINS

1 ½  cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup finely chopped onion

½ cup butter, melted

1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat eggs, onion and butter until blended. Stir into dry  ingredients just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Fill greased or paper lined miniature muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for five minutes before removing from pans. You may use regular size muffin tins but bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Large tins make one dozen. Small make 36.

Since both recipes take finely chopped onions, It reminds me of something that I just started doing. Why did I get so old before I heard of it or tried it? So often I let an onion spoil if I use only part of it.  Now I chop it all at the same time, use what I need for what I am making, then place what I have left in a zip lock plastic bag and freeze it.  Then if I want only a bit in an omelet for one person, I used my already chopped onion in the freezer. If need more than I have in the freezer, I do another one then just add what I do not need of that one to my bag of frozen onions. I am so impressed with having them already done, someday when I am bored with nothing to do but clean the house, do the laundry, make my bed, etc., I am going to  chop several onions and put them in the freezer! (That will be after I get my house decorated for Christmas!)

Magic Belated Birthday Phone Call 11/27/14

May each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with plenty of good food and more important family sharing and caring. As usual I am hosting a dinner for all who can make it with open house the rest of the day (where you look after yourself at the abundantly supplied table of leftovers).  Expecting 35 to 40 people at 1:00!! Hope they bring a lot as I am not able to do what I usually do. I will make my usual traditional cranberry salad. Whatever happens it will be a magical day.

Talk about magic, I was amazed and delighted last week.  The phone rang and the caller ID read “Clarence” as I quickly answered. I have a niece whose husband is named Clarence and I was expecting it to be her. Imagine my excitement when I realized it was a voice from my past, but the Clarence was correct. During the 1950’s for 8 years we lived on a farm southwest of Melbern, which we rented , sharing the income from crops. The man who owned the land was an OLD, OLD man (he was  about 80!!) but he was at the farm several times a week.  He had a daughter who lived in Defiance and we saw her a number of times.  Years later, she and her husband built a home on some of the acreage. She still lives there alone and is now 104, with 105 quickly approaching!  We sent her an invitation to my 90^th birthday celebration. She was unable to attend and wanted to call me. What a thrill to hear her voice.  We had over a half hour chat catching up on her great state of health and both of our families. You made my day a very magic one, Margaret Bohn!

Today I had a food experience that perhaps I should not mention. It will spoil my image of those of you who think I know more about cooking than I do. Today I did not use what I really know. Last week’s recipe for the Frito meat balls intrigued me, but I did not want meat balls. I am not fond of corn chips but when I was at the local store I saw some small bags at 2 for $1.00. It would be worth it to try something so when I got home I found them in my grocery bag! First of all I had to crush them. I did not want to make a whole recipe and I had just enough chips to make a half recipe.

From then on it got dangerous. I thought I knew what the recipe stated so I put the soup in the meat. (It was supposed to be poured over the top.) That was not enough to stop me. I prepared my cast iron skillet on the small burner, then made three small burgers, I thought. With the soup in the meat they sprawled all over the skillet. So okay, I will have one big Frito burger. Remember me telling my daughters that you do not put something on the stove and then go into the living room.  I forgot to mention that you do not go to check something on the computer in your bedroom. My almost original concoction was well past the well done stage on the bottom. I quickly turned it over and watched it brown on the other side, trying not to look at the nearly burnt top edge. I know, I will cover it with the rest of the mushroom soup, so I can’t see it. Out of sight, out of mind.  Wrong.  Sometimes I say to myself, “I do not have to eat that”. But with hamburger costing $3.99 a pound, plus my dollar for chips, those thoughts helped me eat the whole thing. I offered it up as penance, but I think I am way ahead of the game with penance.

Now have I scared you out of using any recipe I might offer? In the case that I have not spoiled my reputation I will include a recipe for beets that I found in an Aro cookbook that was a Christmas present to me in 1989 from my daughter’s kids. (It was submitted by Doyle Wines.)  It will probably be a second cousin to Harvard beets.

           

SAUCY ORANGE BEETS

1 can of beets, 303

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

6 tablespoons orange juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Mix flour and sugar together. Add orange juice a little at a time. Add butter and salt. Drain beets and add to the sauce. Heat on low heat until thickened.

                        

CLUB  CHICKEN

1 cup Club or Town House Crackers

1 package Italian salad dressing mix

2 to 3 pounds frying chicken

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine crackers and salad dressing mix in a large plastic bag. Shake 2 pieces of chicken at a time in the crumb mixture. Place chicken skin side up in a casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

After Thanksgiving Day you have my permission to proceed with your Christmas decorations, Christmas carols and lights. As for me I will get it done early in December. Each year I do less as I no longer have Christmas festivities at my home, but I want the house to look as if I know it is Christmas.