Woke up (ha, yeah right, didn't sleep much) on the day of the flight. All the luggage was put in the trunk the night before and all we had to do was get dressed (and me take yet another Imodium). Night before I get a message from the youngest grandson........he had packed a bag and tried to 'go to Gwamma's' and when his mommy said I was going away on a trip he yells 'Gwammma!!! Get offa da pwane'...so of course we thought we were jinxed. Thank goodness, it was only a cry for 'bring me goodies, lots of goodies' and not a curse.
Our train was to leave Cornwells Heights train station at 5:59 a.m. We got to Joe's dad's at 5:25. We had made arrangements for us to leave the car at his house and he would drop us at the train station in time for the train and then pick us up when we got back....saved us from either parking and leaving the car at the Lansdale train station near us or, heaven forbid, paying the astronomical fees at the Philly Airport to park for three days. We got there in time to buy a ticket from the agent soon were chugging down the rails towards Philly. We planned to go to Market East station, but the consensus of the commuters on the train with us said we would get to the airport sooner if we got off at 30th Street (Amtrak Station) instead, so we did. They were right. According the original schedule, we would get to the airport at 7:58 a.m. and we were to be at the airport two hours before flight time (10 a.m.). Instead, we got to 30th Street at 7:04 and had enough time to buy our tickets and for me to attempt to defrost (I was C-O-L-D, cold) and Joe to have one of his multiple cups of coffee that he needs to survive. I go up to Dunkin Donuts in the train terminal and the poor girl behind the counter was having a 'really, really bad day'. She had just dropped sugar on the floor and then dropped a 'shit' right in front of her supervisor, so she was frazzled. She asked what I wanted....I told her my husband wanted a cup of coffee and she asked how I wanted it....I told her 'he likes his coffee the way he likes his women, hot, sweet and black, but all he got was white and cold, so could I get a medium cup'....she dropped her mouth, then started to laugh. Glad I made her day. The $2 for a medium cup of coffee didn't do much for mine.
We catch the train from 30th Street and get to airport at least 20 minutes early. We get our tickets, check our bags and zip thru security all before the 7:58 the original train was scheduled to arrive. We were ahead of schedule....whooo hooo.
While we were waiting, we were going to get something to eat...I know, I know, airport food is expensive, but you can't take ANYTHING past security and I didn't want to piss them off and get tossed before we even got to the airplane. Went by a couple of food stands........now our mamas didn't raise no fools, we were not gonna pay $10 for a breakfast sandwich so we ended up at McDonalds (it's been a good year since I ate fast food - Thank YOU Jesus for Imodium) and Joe got a cup of coffee with his sandwich so all was good.
We flew Southwest and they have a system of seating that places you in groups, then you sit where you want. We were in the second group, #35 and #36. We were able to sit in a three-group seat and he had the aisle and I had the window (no one in between). Now, I am not a 'flying virgin'...but almost. I have only flown two other times, once in 1982 to Orlando and back, and then to Chicago in 2002 for Joey's boot camp graduation. I have no pictures from our take off since I was ripping Joe's hand off praying to Jesus not to let me die when the plane banked on take-off and I felt like I was gonna fall out the window (Insert Mitt Romney airplane joke of choice here). Then when we hit the 'bump' when we went thru the clouds and lost sight of the ground I changed my prayer to 'oh lord, let the Imodium work'.......fortunately for us, it did. AND we got a tail wind and made Chicago in record time, arriving 30 minutes early.
Thank goodness, we just had to go from one end of the terminal to the other in Chicago (no security checkpoints) and they did have moving walkways, so we just found our gate and waited. Our gate was right near the bathrooms (yeah, God truly WAS my co-pilot that day)and the plane arrived early. We were able to board and get situated and soon were on our way to Omaha!!!
We were scheduled to arrive at 1:55 in Omaha. Yet again, we had a tail wind and made it about 15 minutes ahead of time. Not only was our baggage waiting for us (no loses, no missed flights) but our 'chauffeur' was waiting for us by the baggage carousel. Jonathan (remember him from the Prelude - he's the Contract Manager) was 'supposed' to pick us up, but he had a meeting to attend, so 'his' boss, Joe's original Contract Manager from when he first started, Bill Halloran, was there to pick us up. Now Bill is nice man, and a good choice to send to meet someone in a crowd. Tall dude, real tall with a big smile. Soon we were on our way out of the airport and off to Aureus's offices. Interesting bit of useless information.....we visited two states at this time. The Omaha, NEBRASKA airport is actually in Council Bluffs, IOWA!!! So in 15 minutes, we went from Iowa to Omaha and then to C&A Industries (Aureus' parent company). Jonathan met us at the doors and was taken short when he realized that when Joe told him earlier that he would be at the airport with 'bells on' he actually meant it, as I have a necklace made of sleigh bells from Christmas that Joe had on and jangled at him when he came out the door. After regaining his composure he took us on the grand tour of the offices that all of Joe's contracts are sent from (when he remembers to hit the button and send it on as an attachment)......I had a flash back to when I worked for Prudential....all the cubicles, or gopher farm as it is often called, filled with people on their phones doing what it is that they do. Joe got to meet all the people to whom he has talked with over the years and finally got to torment them in person. In fact, he had been receiving emails from a young lady named Melissa regarding the updating of his training...the last piece of this puzzle was his CPR card. To the joy of all surrounding her, he goes up to her and whips out his wallet and pulls out the CPR card, hands it over and said 'here, I HAD to hand deliver this, flew out to Omaha JUST TO GIVE THIS TO YOU!!!'
After laughing and joking around a bit, it was decided that those who weren't 'lucky enough' to be the manager of the EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR had to get back to work plotting the overthrow, or at least revenge of the Nerf dart kind, of the manager of the current one (aka Jonathan). It was up to Jonathan to get us to the hotel and see that we were checked in. Now we knew that we weren't going to be put up in the Motel 6, but we were not expecting what we got. We were put up in in the Embassy Suites adjacent to the convention center that the banquet was to be held in. Let me describe this for you.....On one side is the Embassy Suites, on the opposite side is the Courtyard by Marriot and in the middle was the La Vista Conference Center ( http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/nebraska/embassy-suites-omaha-la-vista-hotel-and-conference-center-OMAESES/index.html) all I could say is OH.......MY....GOD!!! A two room suite, with a king sized bed and a bathroom that I instantly fell in love with. Now those of you who know me, KNOW how important the bathroom is to me. Not only was it huge, but it had two doors, I could go from the living area OR the bedroom area, no detours!!!! So, what does one do when one gets in a room like this? Joe, of course, as an homage to his mother, went looking for the Weather Channel. That was the 'only' disappointment. The channel was listed, but it had home shopping on it....oh well, Mom, we tried. Me, on the other hand, made a bee line for the shower. Marbled shower big enough for two (no, this was my shower time, not sharing my warm water time, nope, not happening) and enough hot water to steam all the 'airport grime' off my hide and hair. Everything cleaned and primed we went downstairs to the lobby and waited to be picked up for dinner.
The hotel had a 'manager's cocktail hour' between 5 and 7 every night, but we didn't bother with that, as we were to be taken to one of the best steak houses in Omaha. When the plans were made for us to go out to Omaha, Jonathan asked Joe what he wanted to do. He told him 'eat meat'. Since Omaha was known for it's steaks, Joe wanted the biggest steak in Omaha. We ended up at The Drover (http://droverrestaurant.com/) and both of the guys ordered a 22 oz. whiskey marinaded steak and a potato...I ordered a 'petite'.....that was *only* 10 oz. We enjoyed a nice, leisurely meal, good conversation and made plans for the next day. I told Jonathan that the *only* thing I was concerned with was meeting his two little kids.......having heard so much about them, and what his wife went thru having the last little one, I HAD to love on those babies. The grandbabies by birth were back in Pennsylvania, but the Gramma was on the prowl, so of course I needed some 'honorary' grandbabies to cuddle. With plans made, we were returned to the hotel and I got up close and personal with that king sized bed. I was chilly and when I got under that fluffy comforter, I *think* the television was on....can't tell you for sure. It was a Wednesday, so I put on SyFy, figuring I would watch some mindless TV (Ghost Hunters), but a haunting was not in store... unless you call Morpheus calling a 'haunting'.
Thus closes the first day of Joe and Ginny's Excellent Adventure. It began early in Coopersburg/Philadelphia and ended in LaVista, Nebraska.....Good night, peeps, Day 2, THE Award ceremony is coming up.
Monday, October 1, 2012
(drum roll please) THE Trip - the Prelude
Way back when, say the end of July-middle of August, the Hubster, as he is known on Facebook, otherwise known as Joe Tadrzynski, was talking to his Contract Manager who handles his employment with Aureus Medical. This is not unusual as this transpires usually two to three times a week for an average of 45 minutes at a shot and covers many topics relating to and often having absolute jack to do with his work. During this one conversation the topic of awards came up. Jonathan, his manager, say 'oh, by the way, you were put up for our employee of the year'. Joe, being Joe, said, 'yeah right, pull the other one'. They laughed, they joked and left it at that.
About a week later, when they are shooting the bull yet again, the topic comes up again. This time, Joe is told, 'by the way, you won employee of the year for the therapy division'. Now both Joe and Jonathan have a give and take relationship and so Joe, again, tells him to pull the other one'....Jonathan says 'no, I'm serious'......and get's an 'okay, buddy' in response. In our email account the next day, we find a letter from the CFO, Scott Thompson congratulating Joe on being named Aureus Medical (Therapy Division) Employee of the Year. This shit just got real.
Next telephone conversations entails 'now what'. It is determined that not only has he been named Employee of the Year, but they will fly him and a plus one (ME! ME! ME!) to the company headquarters in Omaha, NE and will put us up in a hotel and entertain us the day before, the day of and the day after the awards banquet. (September 26-28, 2012)
Saddled with this information, we take a good hard look at each other. The last suit Joe bought and had fitted to his frame was in 1977, when, in the Navy and in England, he gets a suit on Saville Row. Lord knows what happened to that poor little sailor, but if we could find that suit a 30" waist line is long gone. So, being the conscientious shopper, Joe reads all the ads and finds that Joseph A Banks has a sale on suits. Buy one, get three free (note, he only needs ONE suit, but oh well, off to JAB we go). We get said suits......fine looking suits....fitted to his frame. Me, I whack my ankle on a clothing rack and rip it open (I'll be fine - NOT).
In the interim, we send our eldest daughter teach in Arizona with AmeriCorps (whole 'nuther story for a whole 'nuther blog). While sending her off, the aforementioned whacked ankle swells to massive proportions and I get a nice raging fever. Going to the doctor, I find I have a staph infection, oh, and when it doesn't respond to antibiotics, they say 'oh, yeah, it is now MRSA'.....sob. I go thru the gyrations that now that I have a months worth of antibiotics, mega-antibiotics, vitamins and pills to make my normally screwed up tummy even less screwed up, I may not get medically cleared to go with him. This kills me. I suggest amputation. The doctor laughs, I'm serious.
To make a long story short. The MRSA abates and now I need a dress. I don't do dress up. Used to. Used to wear a suit and carry a briefcase when I worked in insurance in the '80's. But it's not the 80's any more and like Joe and his English suit, if I HAD any of my fancy-schmancy clothes from the 80's they not only would be sadly out of style but breathing in them might prove difficult. I look and find nothing. NOTHING. Joe says, 'let's go look at dresses'. First freakin' dress he looks at on me, he says 'buy it'. I'm like, no, let's look, and he's like 'no, buy it'......so, since it was 50% off, we figure if we find something different, I can always take it back. We didn't. So it was the long black dress with silver trim, and then three pairs of shoes later (two to go back, one I wore) here it was the week before, and we hit the ground running to get the rest of the stuff ready. This is starting to look like it is actually going to happen. Starting to feel blessed.
The week before, Joe goes and gets a shave and a hair cut. Now, to most guys, this is a natural thing, but for him, well, it's always an adventure. The hair cut is no big deal, shorten the hair to controllable range (if left to it's own devices and humid weather, he would look like a poodle), but the beard always intimidates hairdressers/barbers. With a lot of oversight (by me) and a few well placed snips by the young lady at Holiday Hair .....'Whoa, lookin' good, dude'..........while there, I ask what can be done to my skunk hair....you know, the kind with a white/gray streak in it. She tells me there is a new color process of blending....makes the gray sort of blend in and not look so, so, so 'old'. So next in line is me......Monday I get the hair dyed and cut.....the unibrow tamed and shaped down to two and then......on Tuesday, I do the unthinkable. I get my nails done.
Now, I have had my nails 'done' before. Usually just a shape and paint deal. This time it's for real...this time.....I get NAILS put on. I have these big plasticine nails on the tips of my fingers and painted and decorated and smoothed and filed and......well, you get the picture. At least Joe likes the fact that they are hard and stiff and I can really scratch his back where he can't reach....like that's a plus for me (can ya scratch over here, yaaaaa, right there).
Tuesday is D-day....we gotta finish all the packing, and making lists and re-checking them before leaving on Wednesday. I go to Target to pick up prescriptions and other odds and ends we need (panty hose, travel sized toiletries, etc.) and to check on one other thing.
That other thing? Well, Target has been advertising these new Oreos for Halloween. Seems they are the 'exclusive' point of sale for Candy Corn Oreos. The eldest daughter (remember her from four paragraphs up) 'LOVES" candy corn. Darling Daddy, when told Target has these, tells his 'baby girl' ....."if you want them, WE'LL get them and mail them to you", so for the past week or two I attempted to find them in at least three different Targets. While preparing to go to Omaha, I am also now on the elusive hunt for Candy Corn Oreos......no luck. I send not one, but two scathing emails to Target telling them of my disdain that they do not have said Oreos that I wanted to buy and send to not only Darling Daughter but Darling 'Niece-type Person' (college roommate's daughter, stationed in the military in Korea) - lay on the guilt- but I probably won't shop there again since they practiced false advertising!!! Why am I digressing? Just keep this point in mind.....it will come in handy later.
Back home, packed and showered. We are finally ready to go. Go to bed? Fugeddaboutit! Joe sleeps like a log, a snoring log, since his CPAP is packaged and ready to go....Me? Well, can someone get me another Immodium? 3:30 a.m. comes pretty early.
About a week later, when they are shooting the bull yet again, the topic comes up again. This time, Joe is told, 'by the way, you won employee of the year for the therapy division'. Now both Joe and Jonathan have a give and take relationship and so Joe, again, tells him to pull the other one'....Jonathan says 'no, I'm serious'......and get's an 'okay, buddy' in response. In our email account the next day, we find a letter from the CFO, Scott Thompson congratulating Joe on being named Aureus Medical (Therapy Division) Employee of the Year. This shit just got real.
Next telephone conversations entails 'now what'. It is determined that not only has he been named Employee of the Year, but they will fly him and a plus one (ME! ME! ME!) to the company headquarters in Omaha, NE and will put us up in a hotel and entertain us the day before, the day of and the day after the awards banquet. (September 26-28, 2012)
Saddled with this information, we take a good hard look at each other. The last suit Joe bought and had fitted to his frame was in 1977, when, in the Navy and in England, he gets a suit on Saville Row. Lord knows what happened to that poor little sailor, but if we could find that suit a 30" waist line is long gone. So, being the conscientious shopper, Joe reads all the ads and finds that Joseph A Banks has a sale on suits. Buy one, get three free (note, he only needs ONE suit, but oh well, off to JAB we go). We get said suits......fine looking suits....fitted to his frame. Me, I whack my ankle on a clothing rack and rip it open (I'll be fine - NOT).
In the interim, we send our eldest daughter teach in Arizona with AmeriCorps (whole 'nuther story for a whole 'nuther blog). While sending her off, the aforementioned whacked ankle swells to massive proportions and I get a nice raging fever. Going to the doctor, I find I have a staph infection, oh, and when it doesn't respond to antibiotics, they say 'oh, yeah, it is now MRSA'.....sob. I go thru the gyrations that now that I have a months worth of antibiotics, mega-antibiotics, vitamins and pills to make my normally screwed up tummy even less screwed up, I may not get medically cleared to go with him. This kills me. I suggest amputation. The doctor laughs, I'm serious.
To make a long story short. The MRSA abates and now I need a dress. I don't do dress up. Used to. Used to wear a suit and carry a briefcase when I worked in insurance in the '80's. But it's not the 80's any more and like Joe and his English suit, if I HAD any of my fancy-schmancy clothes from the 80's they not only would be sadly out of style but breathing in them might prove difficult. I look and find nothing. NOTHING. Joe says, 'let's go look at dresses'. First freakin' dress he looks at on me, he says 'buy it'. I'm like, no, let's look, and he's like 'no, buy it'......so, since it was 50% off, we figure if we find something different, I can always take it back. We didn't. So it was the long black dress with silver trim, and then three pairs of shoes later (two to go back, one I wore) here it was the week before, and we hit the ground running to get the rest of the stuff ready. This is starting to look like it is actually going to happen. Starting to feel blessed.
The week before, Joe goes and gets a shave and a hair cut. Now, to most guys, this is a natural thing, but for him, well, it's always an adventure. The hair cut is no big deal, shorten the hair to controllable range (if left to it's own devices and humid weather, he would look like a poodle), but the beard always intimidates hairdressers/barbers. With a lot of oversight (by me) and a few well placed snips by the young lady at Holiday Hair .....'Whoa, lookin' good, dude'..........while there, I ask what can be done to my skunk hair....you know, the kind with a white/gray streak in it. She tells me there is a new color process of blending....makes the gray sort of blend in and not look so, so, so 'old'. So next in line is me......Monday I get the hair dyed and cut.....the unibrow tamed and shaped down to two and then......on Tuesday, I do the unthinkable. I get my nails done.
Now, I have had my nails 'done' before. Usually just a shape and paint deal. This time it's for real...this time.....I get NAILS put on. I have these big plasticine nails on the tips of my fingers and painted and decorated and smoothed and filed and......well, you get the picture. At least Joe likes the fact that they are hard and stiff and I can really scratch his back where he can't reach....like that's a plus for me (can ya scratch over here, yaaaaa, right there).
Tuesday is D-day....we gotta finish all the packing, and making lists and re-checking them before leaving on Wednesday. I go to Target to pick up prescriptions and other odds and ends we need (panty hose, travel sized toiletries, etc.) and to check on one other thing.
That other thing? Well, Target has been advertising these new Oreos for Halloween. Seems they are the 'exclusive' point of sale for Candy Corn Oreos. The eldest daughter (remember her from four paragraphs up) 'LOVES" candy corn. Darling Daddy, when told Target has these, tells his 'baby girl' ....."if you want them, WE'LL get them and mail them to you", so for the past week or two I attempted to find them in at least three different Targets. While preparing to go to Omaha, I am also now on the elusive hunt for Candy Corn Oreos......no luck. I send not one, but two scathing emails to Target telling them of my disdain that they do not have said Oreos that I wanted to buy and send to not only Darling Daughter but Darling 'Niece-type Person' (college roommate's daughter, stationed in the military in Korea) - lay on the guilt- but I probably won't shop there again since they practiced false advertising!!! Why am I digressing? Just keep this point in mind.....it will come in handy later.
Back home, packed and showered. We are finally ready to go. Go to bed? Fugeddaboutit! Joe sleeps like a log, a snoring log, since his CPAP is packaged and ready to go....Me? Well, can someone get me another Immodium? 3:30 a.m. comes pretty early.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
On to Tamar Myers
I know, it's been a couple of weeks, but things here have been hectic.......Eldest daughter is getting ready to graduate from college......three degrees, multiple honors and Magna Cum Laude!!!! But more of that later.....Today it's back to the my new resolve....to post recipes taken from books that AREN'T cookbooks (see Chris Dabney, I DO read other things than cookbooks).
Today I am taking the recipes from one of Tamar Myers' Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries. The premise of this series of books (I think there are 14) is that of Magdalena Yoder, a spinster who runs the Penn Dutch Inn in Hernia, PA. Like Jessica Fletcher in 'Murder She Wrote'...this quiet little down in Nowherespecial, PA draws people who come to get killed and somehow Magdalena is always in the middle. Although she is a hobby sleuth, she never turns down a good meal, and this is where the inserted recipes come in. In the book I just read, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime'....a movie production crew comes to Penn Dutch Inn to serialize a couple of murders that happened in Hernia earlier. As expected, murder and mayhem ensue, but Magdalena gets her feed bag on, you can count on it. Here are the recipes included in this books (with thanks to Tamar Myers and her Pennsylvania Dutch relatives that provided them):
Freni Hostetler's Recipe for Shoo fly Pie (Freni is Magdalena's sixth(?) cousin and housekeeper/cook)
1 9" unbaked pie cruse
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup unsulphered molasses
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cut the butter into pats and add it to the flour mixture. Using a form, mash the butter into the flour mixture until you get a texture like coarse crumbs. Combine the water, molasses, and baking soda. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Then spoon the crumb mixture onto the liquid. Bake at 375 degrees for thirty-five to forty minutes. Best if served at room temperature.
Grandma Yoder's Secret Corn Chowder
1 lb. bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint half and half
2 cans creamed corn
salt and pepper to taste
Start by cooking up the bacon. Grandma fried her bacon in a cast iron skillet. Crumble the cooked bacon and set it aside, saving two or three tablespoons of the grease. In a large pot, saute the onion in the bacon grease until it softens and begins to brown. Stir in the cream of chicken soup and the half and half. Dump in the creamed corn and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the crumbled bacon sprinkled on top. The soup tastes even better when made the day before and allowed to sit in the refrigerator over night. Just remember to heat it up very slowly the next day so it doesn't scorch, as it is rather thick.
Doc Shafer's Recipe for Green-tomato Pie (Doc Shafer is an 80-something vet, who the people of Hernia ask for free medical advice for themselves, a rather handsy old goat, something Magdalena deals with in order to get to eat his cooking)
6 or 7 medium sized green tomatoes without blemishes (without wrinkles if you want to peel them), approximately 3 cups when chopped.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon cornstarch
Top and bottom pie crust (use pre-made if you want)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Wash the tomatoes. Peel them if you want, but it's a lot of trouble and not really necessary. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Combine the tomato bits with the next three ingredients in a saucepan. Cook for about 15 minutes. Mix the sugar and the cornstarch together and slowly stir it into the tomato mixture. Cook for a few minutes, until the sugar and the cornstarch become clear. Add margarine and allow to cool slightly. Line a 9" pine pan with the bottom crust and pour in the tomato mixture. Put on top crust and seal the edges. Crimp narrow strips of aluminum foil around the edge to prevent it from getting too brown. Poke numerous holes with a fork across the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 425 degrees. Some people like to eat the pie warm, but Doc much prefers it cold.
Freni Hostetler's Version of Beef Yum Yai (Thai cold beef salad)
1 lb. of thinly sliced roast beef
2 medium cucumbers
3 bunches of green onions
juice of three limes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Lettuce leaves
Cut the roast beef into 1/2" wide strips. Peel and slice the cucumbers, then cut cucumber slices in half. Chop the green onions. Assemble the first even ingredients and mix well just before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.
Freni Hostetler's Rendition of Tom Yam Goonk
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
Juice of two limes
1 bunch of scallions
1 stalk of lemon grass, sliced, or zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon of galanga powder (if available)
1 hot green chili pepper, chopped
3/4 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
Bring all the ingredients but the shrimp to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook at reduced heat for another three minutes, or until the shrimp are done. Serve piping hot in bowls, with white rice on the side.
Freni's Super-Duper Company Meat Loaf
1 lb. ultra lean ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry quick oats
2 raw eggs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon group black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except the boiled eggs. In a 9"x13" glass baking dish, form an inch-high strip of mixture, approximately three inches wide and eleven inches long. Space the three boiled eggs along this strip and cover with the remaining meat. Pat and smooth to seal in the eggs and to give a uniform appearance. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. When slightly cooled, slice with a sharp knife. Many of the resulting pieces will display a slice of hard boiled egg for a colorful and attractive presentation.
My Own (Magdalena Yoder's) Peanut Butter Apple Cake
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup chunk style applesauce
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Beat in the egg. Stir in the applesauce. Sift the remaining dry ingredients together and slowly stir them into the batter. Mix well. Liberally grease and flour and 8" square pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees until done. (about 40-45 minutes) The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before attempting to remove from the pan.
There are more of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery books and my daughter has a few more. I will, however, attempt to mix this up, as too much of one this may be a bit boring for you, my single digit in number readers. My next book is called Meshugganary a dictionary/encyclopedia of Yiddish culture and language. It includes sayings about food and a few kosher recipes knows in the Yiddish communities around the country. So, until next time..........Enjoy....I look forward to any comments you may have (so far, you guys have been unusually silent)...and again, if you have any suggestions of books that include recipes, let me know.
'Til the egg rolls,
Ginny
Today I am taking the recipes from one of Tamar Myers' Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries. The premise of this series of books (I think there are 14) is that of Magdalena Yoder, a spinster who runs the Penn Dutch Inn in Hernia, PA. Like Jessica Fletcher in 'Murder She Wrote'...this quiet little down in Nowherespecial, PA draws people who come to get killed and somehow Magdalena is always in the middle. Although she is a hobby sleuth, she never turns down a good meal, and this is where the inserted recipes come in. In the book I just read, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime'....a movie production crew comes to Penn Dutch Inn to serialize a couple of murders that happened in Hernia earlier. As expected, murder and mayhem ensue, but Magdalena gets her feed bag on, you can count on it. Here are the recipes included in this books (with thanks to Tamar Myers and her Pennsylvania Dutch relatives that provided them):
Freni Hostetler's Recipe for Shoo fly Pie (Freni is Magdalena's sixth(?) cousin and housekeeper/cook)
1 9" unbaked pie cruse
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup unsulphered molasses
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cut the butter into pats and add it to the flour mixture. Using a form, mash the butter into the flour mixture until you get a texture like coarse crumbs. Combine the water, molasses, and baking soda. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Then spoon the crumb mixture onto the liquid. Bake at 375 degrees for thirty-five to forty minutes. Best if served at room temperature.
Grandma Yoder's Secret Corn Chowder
1 lb. bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint half and half
2 cans creamed corn
salt and pepper to taste
Start by cooking up the bacon. Grandma fried her bacon in a cast iron skillet. Crumble the cooked bacon and set it aside, saving two or three tablespoons of the grease. In a large pot, saute the onion in the bacon grease until it softens and begins to brown. Stir in the cream of chicken soup and the half and half. Dump in the creamed corn and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the crumbled bacon sprinkled on top. The soup tastes even better when made the day before and allowed to sit in the refrigerator over night. Just remember to heat it up very slowly the next day so it doesn't scorch, as it is rather thick.
Doc Shafer's Recipe for Green-tomato Pie (Doc Shafer is an 80-something vet, who the people of Hernia ask for free medical advice for themselves, a rather handsy old goat, something Magdalena deals with in order to get to eat his cooking)
6 or 7 medium sized green tomatoes without blemishes (without wrinkles if you want to peel them), approximately 3 cups when chopped.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon cornstarch
Top and bottom pie crust (use pre-made if you want)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Wash the tomatoes. Peel them if you want, but it's a lot of trouble and not really necessary. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Combine the tomato bits with the next three ingredients in a saucepan. Cook for about 15 minutes. Mix the sugar and the cornstarch together and slowly stir it into the tomato mixture. Cook for a few minutes, until the sugar and the cornstarch become clear. Add margarine and allow to cool slightly. Line a 9" pine pan with the bottom crust and pour in the tomato mixture. Put on top crust and seal the edges. Crimp narrow strips of aluminum foil around the edge to prevent it from getting too brown. Poke numerous holes with a fork across the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 425 degrees. Some people like to eat the pie warm, but Doc much prefers it cold.
Freni Hostetler's Version of Beef Yum Yai (Thai cold beef salad)
1 lb. of thinly sliced roast beef
2 medium cucumbers
3 bunches of green onions
juice of three limes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Lettuce leaves
Cut the roast beef into 1/2" wide strips. Peel and slice the cucumbers, then cut cucumber slices in half. Chop the green onions. Assemble the first even ingredients and mix well just before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.
Freni Hostetler's Rendition of Tom Yam Goonk
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
Juice of two limes
1 bunch of scallions
1 stalk of lemon grass, sliced, or zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon of galanga powder (if available)
1 hot green chili pepper, chopped
3/4 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
Bring all the ingredients but the shrimp to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook at reduced heat for another three minutes, or until the shrimp are done. Serve piping hot in bowls, with white rice on the side.
Freni's Super-Duper Company Meat Loaf
1 lb. ultra lean ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry quick oats
2 raw eggs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon group black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except the boiled eggs. In a 9"x13" glass baking dish, form an inch-high strip of mixture, approximately three inches wide and eleven inches long. Space the three boiled eggs along this strip and cover with the remaining meat. Pat and smooth to seal in the eggs and to give a uniform appearance. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. When slightly cooled, slice with a sharp knife. Many of the resulting pieces will display a slice of hard boiled egg for a colorful and attractive presentation.
My Own (Magdalena Yoder's) Peanut Butter Apple Cake
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup chunk style applesauce
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Beat in the egg. Stir in the applesauce. Sift the remaining dry ingredients together and slowly stir them into the batter. Mix well. Liberally grease and flour and 8" square pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees until done. (about 40-45 minutes) The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before attempting to remove from the pan.
There are more of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery books and my daughter has a few more. I will, however, attempt to mix this up, as too much of one this may be a bit boring for you, my single digit in number readers. My next book is called Meshugganary a dictionary/encyclopedia of Yiddish culture and language. It includes sayings about food and a few kosher recipes knows in the Yiddish communities around the country. So, until next time..........Enjoy....I look forward to any comments you may have (so far, you guys have been unusually silent)...and again, if you have any suggestions of books that include recipes, let me know.
'Til the egg rolls,
Ginny
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Hardscrabble Recipes Revisited
Earlier I stated what I intended to do with this blog and started with a book by Laurie Bogart Morrow called 'The Hardscrabble Chronicles'. I was able to include two recipes before Morpheus claimed me. I am now back to complete the recipes from this book. Again, you comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
Miss Frannie's Sherried Beef
3 lbs. stew beef, cut in 1"cubes
1 can sliced or button mushrooms
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup of sherry
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Brown the stew beef in a little olive oil in a hot (but not spitting hot) frying pan. Set aside. In a casserole, combine mushrooms in liquor, sherry and the only soup. Stir well and add the two cans of cream of mushroom soup. Add beef, turn with a wooden spoon until it is well-coated. Bake 3 hours in 325 degree oven. Serve over egg noodles. (may be made in crock pot and cook on low 3 1/2 to 4 hours).
Tutti-Fruitti Fruit Punch
1 box or small bag of frozen strawberries
1 large can of frozen orange juice
1 large can of pineapple juice, undiluted
1 jar maraschino cherries
1 liter of ginger ale.
The day before, arrange the strawberries in a decorative metal jello mold or ring. Fill 3/4 of the way with water.
Shortly before the company arrives, in a punch bowl, combine the orange juice with the pineapple juice, pouring a little of the pineapple juice at a time until the frozen orange juice is fully defrosted. Add the liquor from the jar of cherries. Just as your company begins to arrive, add the ginger ale slowly. Stir gently so that the punch does not froth. Add cherries, remove strawberry ice from the mold by topping it with a plate, turning it upside down and running it under hot water in the kitchen sink until the ice mold give. Float it on top of the punch for a festive holiday or summertime drink that is popular the whole year long.
Venison Mincemeat for Pie
9 cups of ground venison
18 cups of apples, cored, and ground with the peel
4 1/2 cups of molasses
9 cups of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons of cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons of nutmeg
4 1/2 cups of cider vinegar
1 cup white raisins
In a large pot, brown venison thoroughly and drain fat. Add apples and rest of the ingredients, and turn with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Cook until apples are tender but not too soft. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little water. Cool. Prepare pie crust and bake, as usual. If you are not using the mixture immediately, store in airtight containers for up to two days or freeze in freezer bags, bring certain to collapse the bags of all air.
Hardscrabble Dinner Rolls
1 cup warm milk
2 pkgs. or 2 tablespoons yeast, dissolved in the milk with 2 tablespoons sugar sprinkled on top to activate the yeast. Allow to proof in a warm, draft-free place, about 10 minutes. (Don't leave too long or the yeast will crust. If this happens, mix gently with a for to be sure it will proof again)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter
2 1/2 cups of flour
Preheat the oven to 350. After the yeast proofs, add salt, butter and slowly add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon until it becomes stiff. Then, knead until the dough is smooth and firm. Put in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes or until it doubles in bulk. Pull apart dough, about the size of a ping pong ball, and twist into the shape of a Parker House roll. Set 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, allow to rise again, about 15 minutes. Bake 10 minutes. For a golden crust, brush a little butter on the top of the rolls when they're done, turn off the oven and let them sit for another minute making sure they do not over brown. Or, separate a yolk from the white of an egg and beat a little water into the yolk until smooth. Use this to brush on the top of the roll. Brush the batter in layers of thin coatings, allowing a little time between each layer so that the batter doesn't puddle and soften the top of the roll. Serve immediately.
Hardscrabble Corn Pudding Bread
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can creamed corn
2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 425. Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, creamed corn, and melted butter until the mixture is creamy. Slowly pour this into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wire whisk or on low speed in a Mixmaster until the batter again is smooth. Pour slowly into a large buttered Pyrex baking pan. Reduce the oven to 350. Bring the pan to the oven, very slowly, pour the cup of milk right down the middle of the pan. DO NOT MIX. Carefully put the pan in the oven. Bake approximately 35 minutes or until done. Done is when the milk forms a pudding and the bread is moist. This must be served hot.
New England Boiled Dinner the Hardscrabble Way
1/2 lb. salt pork, cut into cubes
1 3 lb. piece of corned beef
1 pkg. dry onion soup
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dry English mustard
8 medium sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions, quartered and separated
1 head green cabbage, quartered
3-4 parsnips, peeled and diced coarse
1 turnip, peeled and cubed
4-6 carrots, peeled and diced coarse
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Cut vegetables as suggested. On medium high heat, brown the cubed salt pork in the pot and turn frequently with a wooden spoon until the fat is transparent. Add corned beef, turn and brown the outside. Then add the dry onion soup and continue to turn with the wooden spoon, coating the meat. Add vinegar, stir, and then add the mustard. Stir again. Gradually add the vegetables, turning them so that everything is well mixed. Fill the pot with water, covering the stew right up to the top, add the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer at least four hours at a gently rolling boil. Once the water has boiled down to half, add only enough to maintain this level. Turn the stew every so often so that all the vegetables cook thoroughly.
Pies
The author's take on pies is that it is 'okay' to buy pre-made pies of pumpkin, mincemeat, blueberry and cherry, but apple MUST be made yourself. She has a recipe included for 'Grandma Bogart's Apple Pie' and it is a serviceable recipe. She also indicates that most households have their own recipe for apple pie that should be used.
Soup
Again, the author indicates that there are hundreds of recipes for soup, but indicates that the most delicious is Hardscrabble Soup, called by the Old Timers as 'Whatchagot Soup'. As the name implies, its ingredients include whatever can be found in the pantry or refrigerator and made by cleaning out the aforementioned.
These are the recipes found at the end of this book, and are ones mentioned throughout the narrative. Try them as you will, I would love to hear what you think of them. Often one reads a story and an item is mentioned and we say to ourselves 'I wonder what this would taste like'...With the books I intend to feature, we can. Next up: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime.
Miss Frannie's Sherried Beef
3 lbs. stew beef, cut in 1"cubes
1 can sliced or button mushrooms
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup of sherry
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Brown the stew beef in a little olive oil in a hot (but not spitting hot) frying pan. Set aside. In a casserole, combine mushrooms in liquor, sherry and the only soup. Stir well and add the two cans of cream of mushroom soup. Add beef, turn with a wooden spoon until it is well-coated. Bake 3 hours in 325 degree oven. Serve over egg noodles. (may be made in crock pot and cook on low 3 1/2 to 4 hours).
Tutti-Fruitti Fruit Punch
1 box or small bag of frozen strawberries
1 large can of frozen orange juice
1 large can of pineapple juice, undiluted
1 jar maraschino cherries
1 liter of ginger ale.
The day before, arrange the strawberries in a decorative metal jello mold or ring. Fill 3/4 of the way with water.
Shortly before the company arrives, in a punch bowl, combine the orange juice with the pineapple juice, pouring a little of the pineapple juice at a time until the frozen orange juice is fully defrosted. Add the liquor from the jar of cherries. Just as your company begins to arrive, add the ginger ale slowly. Stir gently so that the punch does not froth. Add cherries, remove strawberry ice from the mold by topping it with a plate, turning it upside down and running it under hot water in the kitchen sink until the ice mold give. Float it on top of the punch for a festive holiday or summertime drink that is popular the whole year long.
Venison Mincemeat for Pie
9 cups of ground venison
18 cups of apples, cored, and ground with the peel
4 1/2 cups of molasses
9 cups of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons of cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons of nutmeg
4 1/2 cups of cider vinegar
1 cup white raisins
In a large pot, brown venison thoroughly and drain fat. Add apples and rest of the ingredients, and turn with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Cook until apples are tender but not too soft. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little water. Cool. Prepare pie crust and bake, as usual. If you are not using the mixture immediately, store in airtight containers for up to two days or freeze in freezer bags, bring certain to collapse the bags of all air.
Hardscrabble Dinner Rolls
1 cup warm milk
2 pkgs. or 2 tablespoons yeast, dissolved in the milk with 2 tablespoons sugar sprinkled on top to activate the yeast. Allow to proof in a warm, draft-free place, about 10 minutes. (Don't leave too long or the yeast will crust. If this happens, mix gently with a for to be sure it will proof again)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter
2 1/2 cups of flour
Preheat the oven to 350. After the yeast proofs, add salt, butter and slowly add the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon until it becomes stiff. Then, knead until the dough is smooth and firm. Put in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes or until it doubles in bulk. Pull apart dough, about the size of a ping pong ball, and twist into the shape of a Parker House roll. Set 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, allow to rise again, about 15 minutes. Bake 10 minutes. For a golden crust, brush a little butter on the top of the rolls when they're done, turn off the oven and let them sit for another minute making sure they do not over brown. Or, separate a yolk from the white of an egg and beat a little water into the yolk until smooth. Use this to brush on the top of the roll. Brush the batter in layers of thin coatings, allowing a little time between each layer so that the batter doesn't puddle and soften the top of the roll. Serve immediately.
Hardscrabble Corn Pudding Bread
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can creamed corn
2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 425. Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, creamed corn, and melted butter until the mixture is creamy. Slowly pour this into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wire whisk or on low speed in a Mixmaster until the batter again is smooth. Pour slowly into a large buttered Pyrex baking pan. Reduce the oven to 350. Bring the pan to the oven, very slowly, pour the cup of milk right down the middle of the pan. DO NOT MIX. Carefully put the pan in the oven. Bake approximately 35 minutes or until done. Done is when the milk forms a pudding and the bread is moist. This must be served hot.
New England Boiled Dinner the Hardscrabble Way
1/2 lb. salt pork, cut into cubes
1 3 lb. piece of corned beef
1 pkg. dry onion soup
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dry English mustard
8 medium sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions, quartered and separated
1 head green cabbage, quartered
3-4 parsnips, peeled and diced coarse
1 turnip, peeled and cubed
4-6 carrots, peeled and diced coarse
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Cut vegetables as suggested. On medium high heat, brown the cubed salt pork in the pot and turn frequently with a wooden spoon until the fat is transparent. Add corned beef, turn and brown the outside. Then add the dry onion soup and continue to turn with the wooden spoon, coating the meat. Add vinegar, stir, and then add the mustard. Stir again. Gradually add the vegetables, turning them so that everything is well mixed. Fill the pot with water, covering the stew right up to the top, add the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer at least four hours at a gently rolling boil. Once the water has boiled down to half, add only enough to maintain this level. Turn the stew every so often so that all the vegetables cook thoroughly.
Pies
The author's take on pies is that it is 'okay' to buy pre-made pies of pumpkin, mincemeat, blueberry and cherry, but apple MUST be made yourself. She has a recipe included for 'Grandma Bogart's Apple Pie' and it is a serviceable recipe. She also indicates that most households have their own recipe for apple pie that should be used.
Soup
Again, the author indicates that there are hundreds of recipes for soup, but indicates that the most delicious is Hardscrabble Soup, called by the Old Timers as 'Whatchagot Soup'. As the name implies, its ingredients include whatever can be found in the pantry or refrigerator and made by cleaning out the aforementioned.
These are the recipes found at the end of this book, and are ones mentioned throughout the narrative. Try them as you will, I would love to hear what you think of them. Often one reads a story and an item is mentioned and we say to ourselves 'I wonder what this would taste like'...With the books I intend to feature, we can. Next up: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Thought I died dincha?
Okay, I know, I've put this off again and again. Finally, I had a discussion with some wonderful ladies at a 'fan page' on Facebook for cookbooks (yeah, that's right, we're cookbook groupies, got a problem with it?)....There was some really deep stuff I put on in my blog and I really didn't know how to follow up after all of that. I disgorged my psyche on what I perceived as slights by my local congregation, and whether my perceptions were right (I still believe they are) or wrong, I needed to purge myself and walk away. Now, after a cooling off period of say, six month...like Jack Nicholson from one incarnation of the Shining.....I'm Baaaaack.
Now, back to my friends/fellow groupies. We discuss cookbooks. The need to have and obtain more of them, usually. I raised a topic of novels, short stories, biographies, etc. that don't fit the category of cookbook, but have recipes inserted in the either the story line, or in conjunction with the story at hand. I asked if anyone had 'collected' these recipes. I was told, like in the instance of Frances Mays 'Under the Tuscan Sun', she went back after writing a number of books and wrote a cookbook that included all the recipes earlier referenced, but that was the only one anyone could think of....then came the inevitable. The gauntlet was thrown down. Someone said...'Why don't YOU compile them in your blog? As long as you give proper reference, there should be no accusations of stealing them'....So, the more I thought about it, the more I mulled it over, the more I thought of my poor little blog, sitting here, devoid of my brain cheese (see the description of the blog) for the past six months, I said 'why the heck not!'....so here I am. But it wasn't so easy...it took me 3 hours, yep, 3 hours going back and forth with Google to even get back in...I know I have the user name, but the password was changed, did I write down...Noooooooooo, I'd remember it....NOT. So finally, here goes nothing.
I am going to start with two books I have recently read. The first is 'The Hardscrabble Chronicles' written by Laurie Bogart Morrow. It pretty much is the trials and tribulations of a young married couple moving from 'the big city' to an inherited fixer-upper in a small New England town known as Hardscrabble. A good read in that it intersperses the writer's life in present time, with the life of another writer who also lived in Hardscrabble approximately 25 years earlier and what they had in common. At the end of the book, she included a few recipes in a chapter called 'From the Hardscrabble Cookery Book'. Here they are:
Carol Mayhofer's Calico Beans
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in 1-2" pieces
1 large onion, chopped coarse
1/2 lb. hamburger
1 can butter beans, drained
1 can kidney beans (do not drain) - or, one cup of dry kidney beans, soaked overnight, and parboiled until soft but firm
1 can pork and beans (do not drain)
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or 8-quart pot, saute bacon and onion until onion is translucent, then add hamburger. Brown lightly. Drain any excess fat. Add beans and stir with a wooden spoon. Set aside. In a bowl, combine ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and the sugars. Fold these with a wire wisk until the mixture is smooth. Add to the meat and beans. Pour in an oven proof casserole, and bake for 45 minutes. Delicious served with Boston brown bread warm from the oven and a crock of fresh herb butter.
Sweet Potato Casserole (this one has no measurements - so I will copy straight from the book, as it is written) You can substitute winter squash for sweet potatoes in this deliciously simple recipe. However, squash has more water content than sweet potatoes, and you should drain and reserve the vegetable liquor to add, as needed, during the cooking process. This is an excellent accompaniment to pork dishes and is a special favorite at the Thanksgiving feast, on the sideboard alongside the turkey. This dish neither keeps nor freezes well, but it is so delicious that it's doubtful you'll have any left over. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pare the sweet potatoes and cube. In a covered saucepan, boil the cubed potatoes in 2" of water plus one tablespoon of butter on high heat, being careful to turn the potatoes frequently so as they do not stick and burn to the bottom of the pot. Add water if necessary until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat, and drain, reserving the excess liquor. Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste, a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon, and a little heavy cream (not whipping) cream until the mixture is smooth, being careful to add just enough so that the mixture is neither too watery or too firm. You may want to use a food processor so that the potatoes are velvety smooth. Pour into an ovenproof casserole. Top with seasoned breadcrumbs that you have tossed with a little melted butter and, on top of this, sift a thin layer of brown sugar. Bake until the casserole starts to bubble and lightly brown, about 20-30 minutes. If the casserole bubbles but does not brown, put under a broiler, watching very carefully that the bread crumbs do not burn.
Okay, what do you think so far? These are only two of the recipes in this book...I will continue it at another time (I completely wore myself out trying to figure out 'how' to get back on here). Let me know what you think. If you have a book you want me to include, let me know, and I'll try to do what I can.
Now, back to my friends/fellow groupies. We discuss cookbooks. The need to have and obtain more of them, usually. I raised a topic of novels, short stories, biographies, etc. that don't fit the category of cookbook, but have recipes inserted in the either the story line, or in conjunction with the story at hand. I asked if anyone had 'collected' these recipes. I was told, like in the instance of Frances Mays 'Under the Tuscan Sun', she went back after writing a number of books and wrote a cookbook that included all the recipes earlier referenced, but that was the only one anyone could think of....then came the inevitable. The gauntlet was thrown down. Someone said...'Why don't YOU compile them in your blog? As long as you give proper reference, there should be no accusations of stealing them'....So, the more I thought about it, the more I mulled it over, the more I thought of my poor little blog, sitting here, devoid of my brain cheese (see the description of the blog) for the past six months, I said 'why the heck not!'....so here I am. But it wasn't so easy...it took me 3 hours, yep, 3 hours going back and forth with Google to even get back in...I know I have the user name, but the password was changed, did I write down...Noooooooooo, I'd remember it....NOT. So finally, here goes nothing.
I am going to start with two books I have recently read. The first is 'The Hardscrabble Chronicles' written by Laurie Bogart Morrow. It pretty much is the trials and tribulations of a young married couple moving from 'the big city' to an inherited fixer-upper in a small New England town known as Hardscrabble. A good read in that it intersperses the writer's life in present time, with the life of another writer who also lived in Hardscrabble approximately 25 years earlier and what they had in common. At the end of the book, she included a few recipes in a chapter called 'From the Hardscrabble Cookery Book'. Here they are:
Carol Mayhofer's Calico Beans
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in 1-2" pieces
1 large onion, chopped coarse
1/2 lb. hamburger
1 can butter beans, drained
1 can kidney beans (do not drain) - or, one cup of dry kidney beans, soaked overnight, and parboiled until soft but firm
1 can pork and beans (do not drain)
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or 8-quart pot, saute bacon and onion until onion is translucent, then add hamburger. Brown lightly. Drain any excess fat. Add beans and stir with a wooden spoon. Set aside. In a bowl, combine ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and the sugars. Fold these with a wire wisk until the mixture is smooth. Add to the meat and beans. Pour in an oven proof casserole, and bake for 45 minutes. Delicious served with Boston brown bread warm from the oven and a crock of fresh herb butter.
Sweet Potato Casserole (this one has no measurements - so I will copy straight from the book, as it is written) You can substitute winter squash for sweet potatoes in this deliciously simple recipe. However, squash has more water content than sweet potatoes, and you should drain and reserve the vegetable liquor to add, as needed, during the cooking process. This is an excellent accompaniment to pork dishes and is a special favorite at the Thanksgiving feast, on the sideboard alongside the turkey. This dish neither keeps nor freezes well, but it is so delicious that it's doubtful you'll have any left over. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pare the sweet potatoes and cube. In a covered saucepan, boil the cubed potatoes in 2" of water plus one tablespoon of butter on high heat, being careful to turn the potatoes frequently so as they do not stick and burn to the bottom of the pot. Add water if necessary until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat, and drain, reserving the excess liquor. Add butter, salt, and pepper to taste, a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon, and a little heavy cream (not whipping) cream until the mixture is smooth, being careful to add just enough so that the mixture is neither too watery or too firm. You may want to use a food processor so that the potatoes are velvety smooth. Pour into an ovenproof casserole. Top with seasoned breadcrumbs that you have tossed with a little melted butter and, on top of this, sift a thin layer of brown sugar. Bake until the casserole starts to bubble and lightly brown, about 20-30 minutes. If the casserole bubbles but does not brown, put under a broiler, watching very carefully that the bread crumbs do not burn.
Okay, what do you think so far? These are only two of the recipes in this book...I will continue it at another time (I completely wore myself out trying to figure out 'how' to get back on here). Let me know what you think. If you have a book you want me to include, let me know, and I'll try to do what I can.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Drama Continues
Back in June I posted about Divorce. Not of the marital type, but of a distancing yourself from something you held near and dear. I have been struggling for a while with my decision to stay away from the church we attended, I agonize over the fact that we should be in church on Sunday morning worshipping God. We disagree over 'where' we should attempt to attend, having visited a number of churches in this immediate area we have found that the 'political' atmosphere is almost the same and palpable....something I feel has no place in a house of worship. Maybe if I delineate my concerns, something will ring out, show me what should be done.....or maybe someone reading this will contact me and give me some form of idea just what is going on. I really wish I knew.
Here are my 'grievances' with the church we attended. Some may seem petty, and I'll grant that, but when coupled with the others, it snowballs and make me uncomfortable to sit in the pew on Sunday knowing what I know, and what I'm expected to do, and somehow I can't quite wrap my head around how what they want is related to what Jesus wants me to do.
Let's start with the obvious: Politics
1. A member of the denomination decided to run for county-wide political office. This person was employed by the denominational camp and at the main headquarters. Now this unto itself is not the problem, but what I have a problem with is that each 'visit' to different churches was used as a campaign stump and fundraising. He lived in denomination-owned property, was receiving a denominational paycheck which was funded from church coffers. If this person wanted to run for office, he should have been self-supporting, not having the monies I put in the plate on Sunday funding his political ambitions.
2. A member of the local congregation ran for a state office. No experience, but 'God told him'. The church newsletter 'encouraged' support and votes for him. The assistant pastor took him thru the polling place (a no-no if you're on the ticket and are not casting your vote)and had him shaking hands with those waiting for the voting booth. When questioned, the pastor in question said that 'he was member of the church and could go where he wanted in the building' Also this candidate was white, his opponent black. Comments made regarding this even tho the opponent was an experienced and learned man....this wasn't even touched on.
3. Sunday school classes are used to push a political agenda. Middle school and high school kids are told to question their parents if they aren't registered in 'God's Own Party'. The adult classes definitely lean towards 'you are out of the will of God if you don't vote for a particular party'. Also, extreme views of other parties taught, in that if I am a registered Democrat, don't let me around pregnant women as I will FORCE them to undergo abortions......when not all support it nor encourage it. Questioning this will get you 'rebuked'. Most kids are espousing political viewpoints and when asked 'why they believe this' they say 'Because God said so'.
4. A relative of one of the local congregation ran for local office. Facebook was used to drum up a write in candidacy for him. It was used to encourage non-registered voters to fudge information and write in a provisional vote. Also, it was encouraged that if you lived outside the voting district to 'use an address' of a congregant that DID live in the area affected, and again write in a provisional vote. It wasn't 'supported' by the church to do this, but the Facebook page was manned and updated by congregants and it wasn't 'dissuaded'. Isn't this voter fraud?
Next Point: Feelings of Not Being Wanted/Only Needed for Certain Things
1. Do you ever feel that 'you' are not wanted, but your certifications are? I attened a Bible College for four years, my husband was a Boy Scout Chaplain for 20 years. In both our work and volunteer activities, we both had child abuse and federal abuse clearances done. We have been asked to be 'non-teachers' in classes, to be removed when others can be certified. Realize that some of these 'teachers' we have to be the 'designated clearance' for are middle school kids. Also, when we volunteered for something we knew we could do, we never got so much as a 'thanks, but no thanks.' We would, however, get calls at the last minute for grunt work....'we need the flower bed cleaned for tomorrow' 'can you paint a room' 'we need the kitchen cleaned' at the last minute. Gee, make us feel like the hired help and less than someone else. A sore spot also was seeing people 'come to Jesus, join the church and in less time than it takes to shake a stick, they are given positions of authority. Not saying these people may not have special gifts, but it made being passed over more evident.
Next Point: I make a point of referencing the choir, but I know it is endemic in other areas as well, but an undercurrent of disjunction or power-plays, etc.
1. When I participated in the choir we had a leader who had the voice of an angel, she sang from her heart and she genuinely cared for you and the music she wanted you to sing. She was a consumate professional who taught music. Unfortunately for us, God decided the heavenly choir needed her more and took her home way too soon for us. I think the beginning of the end of my love for this church came with her memorial.....in this predominately white church the comment was made at the end of the memorial 'well at least we won't have to sing anymore n*gger music anymore'. Our director was an African American woman who didn't look at your color but at the heart...the comment was made by an elder in the church. HOW.....COULD....HE. This broke my heart.
2. Everything suggested by the next director was questioned, from the type of music to why we had to stand up and sing. Machinations about 'who should do this' and 'I could do it better' was made. None stepped up when the position was open, but tried everything in their power to undercut the leader. Decimated one, stressing her to a breaking point. When I left, the same was attempted to be done to the next.
These were the most prevalent...here are a numerical listing of other issues I ran into:
1. Young men's Bible Study led by very, very ultra-conservative men. Main emphasis seems to be anti-homosexual. Prayed for the family of an overdose and went to great pains over 'how it could happen, and what a great guy he had been' but when a 13 year old killed himself after being labelled 'gay' and bullied, it was remarked, 'good, one less of THEM to deal with'. James Dobson's take on homosexuality as being deserving of capital punishment is an 'okay' theme in these meetings.
2. Fundraising. When a youth group or number of kids want to do something and raise funds to do it, it is said that 'we can't ask the community to support church activities'. That's fine if it's equally handled. When a wife of a church official wanted to do the same thing, not only was it 'okay' but the congregation, including those who were told no in the past were expected to hop on the bandwagon.
3. Participation in outside activities discouraged. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, etc. Told that energies should be directed toward the church only.
4. Prayer List. The church has a running prayer list. Call or email to have people listed for prayer. I contacted them with a request for the daughter of a dear friend's neighbor. I had known of this girl for a number of years and knew of her struggle with cancer. I had personally asked for prayer for her on numerous occassions in the past in group settings. When the end was near, I asked for prayer for her to have a peaceful 'homegoing'. I get a terse note from an assistant pastor telling me that 'we pray for our own'. Now this is the same person who will put out an email asking for prayer for his neighbor's son's co-worker's kid's classmate's uncle's co-worker's ex-wife's ingrown toenail. What gives? Shouldn't we lift ALL who ask for prayer up to the throne of God?
5. We have not darkened that doorway on Sunday morning since the Novemeber elections that put our current president in office. Has anyone called asking 'hey, what's up?' 'How are you?' But I can get emails and calls telling so and so is sick and needs a meal (I was on the hospitality/shut in list) but no one even bothered to ask how we were, were we sick, injured, etc. The last straw for me was January 2011. FBD is Type 1 Diabetic, and she had a really bad incident. To say really bad is an understatement...she spent 4 days in ICU and could have died....I got a call to feed a family of four whose dad had just had 'outpatient surgery' on his foot. Gee, mom and the two teenaged kids were JUST FINE, but I needed to cook for them, let's see, I'll fit it in that two hours I left the hospital to shower. My daughter is judged because she goes to a Catholic college (more on that later) but it was a Friar and members of her college who came and prayed for her...the church she grew up in didn't want to know from her.
6. Mission Trips: Labelled as service projects, but the service is often lacking, due to people wandering off to 'evangelize'. Evangelization is good, but if you don't follow thru with what you promised to do, how effective is the message you try to deliver. Also, the trips seem 'racially' charged....do we really want to help 'those people' in Haiti and NOLA? Need is need, people! Also, it seems that more and more people who go on missions trips come back complaining how 'un-american' the people were....well, duh, we are supposed to bring the message of Christ, not how to be American.
7. Last but not least, we were told basically 'we were the only ones who saw these things as a problem'. I know of others who left this church as well, only one who I spoke to. This person voiced similar concerns.
What do you think people? Am I over-reacting? Is this something I should overlook and return to fellowshipping here? Should I shake off the doldrums and actively look for other venues of worship? How far would you travel for fellowship? Inquiring minds ya know.
There are other issues with this church that stem around my eldest daughter that poisoned my views. They are too intense and personal to go into at this time, realize that the hospital incident is only the tip of the iceberg. Seriously, though, input is welcome.
Here are my 'grievances' with the church we attended. Some may seem petty, and I'll grant that, but when coupled with the others, it snowballs and make me uncomfortable to sit in the pew on Sunday knowing what I know, and what I'm expected to do, and somehow I can't quite wrap my head around how what they want is related to what Jesus wants me to do.
Let's start with the obvious: Politics
1. A member of the denomination decided to run for county-wide political office. This person was employed by the denominational camp and at the main headquarters. Now this unto itself is not the problem, but what I have a problem with is that each 'visit' to different churches was used as a campaign stump and fundraising. He lived in denomination-owned property, was receiving a denominational paycheck which was funded from church coffers. If this person wanted to run for office, he should have been self-supporting, not having the monies I put in the plate on Sunday funding his political ambitions.
2. A member of the local congregation ran for a state office. No experience, but 'God told him'. The church newsletter 'encouraged' support and votes for him. The assistant pastor took him thru the polling place (a no-no if you're on the ticket and are not casting your vote)and had him shaking hands with those waiting for the voting booth. When questioned, the pastor in question said that 'he was member of the church and could go where he wanted in the building' Also this candidate was white, his opponent black. Comments made regarding this even tho the opponent was an experienced and learned man....this wasn't even touched on.
3. Sunday school classes are used to push a political agenda. Middle school and high school kids are told to question their parents if they aren't registered in 'God's Own Party'. The adult classes definitely lean towards 'you are out of the will of God if you don't vote for a particular party'. Also, extreme views of other parties taught, in that if I am a registered Democrat, don't let me around pregnant women as I will FORCE them to undergo abortions......when not all support it nor encourage it. Questioning this will get you 'rebuked'. Most kids are espousing political viewpoints and when asked 'why they believe this' they say 'Because God said so'.
4. A relative of one of the local congregation ran for local office. Facebook was used to drum up a write in candidacy for him. It was used to encourage non-registered voters to fudge information and write in a provisional vote. Also, it was encouraged that if you lived outside the voting district to 'use an address' of a congregant that DID live in the area affected, and again write in a provisional vote. It wasn't 'supported' by the church to do this, but the Facebook page was manned and updated by congregants and it wasn't 'dissuaded'. Isn't this voter fraud?
Next Point: Feelings of Not Being Wanted/Only Needed for Certain Things
1. Do you ever feel that 'you' are not wanted, but your certifications are? I attened a Bible College for four years, my husband was a Boy Scout Chaplain for 20 years. In both our work and volunteer activities, we both had child abuse and federal abuse clearances done. We have been asked to be 'non-teachers' in classes, to be removed when others can be certified. Realize that some of these 'teachers' we have to be the 'designated clearance' for are middle school kids. Also, when we volunteered for something we knew we could do, we never got so much as a 'thanks, but no thanks.' We would, however, get calls at the last minute for grunt work....'we need the flower bed cleaned for tomorrow' 'can you paint a room' 'we need the kitchen cleaned' at the last minute. Gee, make us feel like the hired help and less than someone else. A sore spot also was seeing people 'come to Jesus, join the church and in less time than it takes to shake a stick, they are given positions of authority. Not saying these people may not have special gifts, but it made being passed over more evident.
Next Point: I make a point of referencing the choir, but I know it is endemic in other areas as well, but an undercurrent of disjunction or power-plays, etc.
1. When I participated in the choir we had a leader who had the voice of an angel, she sang from her heart and she genuinely cared for you and the music she wanted you to sing. She was a consumate professional who taught music. Unfortunately for us, God decided the heavenly choir needed her more and took her home way too soon for us. I think the beginning of the end of my love for this church came with her memorial.....in this predominately white church the comment was made at the end of the memorial 'well at least we won't have to sing anymore n*gger music anymore'. Our director was an African American woman who didn't look at your color but at the heart...the comment was made by an elder in the church. HOW.....COULD....HE. This broke my heart.
2. Everything suggested by the next director was questioned, from the type of music to why we had to stand up and sing. Machinations about 'who should do this' and 'I could do it better' was made. None stepped up when the position was open, but tried everything in their power to undercut the leader. Decimated one, stressing her to a breaking point. When I left, the same was attempted to be done to the next.
These were the most prevalent...here are a numerical listing of other issues I ran into:
1. Young men's Bible Study led by very, very ultra-conservative men. Main emphasis seems to be anti-homosexual. Prayed for the family of an overdose and went to great pains over 'how it could happen, and what a great guy he had been' but when a 13 year old killed himself after being labelled 'gay' and bullied, it was remarked, 'good, one less of THEM to deal with'. James Dobson's take on homosexuality as being deserving of capital punishment is an 'okay' theme in these meetings.
2. Fundraising. When a youth group or number of kids want to do something and raise funds to do it, it is said that 'we can't ask the community to support church activities'. That's fine if it's equally handled. When a wife of a church official wanted to do the same thing, not only was it 'okay' but the congregation, including those who were told no in the past were expected to hop on the bandwagon.
3. Participation in outside activities discouraged. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, etc. Told that energies should be directed toward the church only.
4. Prayer List. The church has a running prayer list. Call or email to have people listed for prayer. I contacted them with a request for the daughter of a dear friend's neighbor. I had known of this girl for a number of years and knew of her struggle with cancer. I had personally asked for prayer for her on numerous occassions in the past in group settings. When the end was near, I asked for prayer for her to have a peaceful 'homegoing'. I get a terse note from an assistant pastor telling me that 'we pray for our own'. Now this is the same person who will put out an email asking for prayer for his neighbor's son's co-worker's kid's classmate's uncle's co-worker's ex-wife's ingrown toenail. What gives? Shouldn't we lift ALL who ask for prayer up to the throne of God?
5. We have not darkened that doorway on Sunday morning since the Novemeber elections that put our current president in office. Has anyone called asking 'hey, what's up?' 'How are you?' But I can get emails and calls telling so and so is sick and needs a meal (I was on the hospitality/shut in list) but no one even bothered to ask how we were, were we sick, injured, etc. The last straw for me was January 2011. FBD is Type 1 Diabetic, and she had a really bad incident. To say really bad is an understatement...she spent 4 days in ICU and could have died....I got a call to feed a family of four whose dad had just had 'outpatient surgery' on his foot. Gee, mom and the two teenaged kids were JUST FINE, but I needed to cook for them, let's see, I'll fit it in that two hours I left the hospital to shower. My daughter is judged because she goes to a Catholic college (more on that later) but it was a Friar and members of her college who came and prayed for her...the church she grew up in didn't want to know from her.
6. Mission Trips: Labelled as service projects, but the service is often lacking, due to people wandering off to 'evangelize'. Evangelization is good, but if you don't follow thru with what you promised to do, how effective is the message you try to deliver. Also, the trips seem 'racially' charged....do we really want to help 'those people' in Haiti and NOLA? Need is need, people! Also, it seems that more and more people who go on missions trips come back complaining how 'un-american' the people were....well, duh, we are supposed to bring the message of Christ, not how to be American.
7. Last but not least, we were told basically 'we were the only ones who saw these things as a problem'. I know of others who left this church as well, only one who I spoke to. This person voiced similar concerns.
What do you think people? Am I over-reacting? Is this something I should overlook and return to fellowshipping here? Should I shake off the doldrums and actively look for other venues of worship? How far would you travel for fellowship? Inquiring minds ya know.
There are other issues with this church that stem around my eldest daughter that poisoned my views. They are too intense and personal to go into at this time, realize that the hospital incident is only the tip of the iceberg. Seriously, though, input is welcome.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Divorce
Divorce. It's an ugly word and before anyone gets the wrong idea, I am NOT talking about my marriage. Divorce is a separation, a permanent separation between oneself and another entity, whether it be a person or an organization. In my case, it's an organization....what makes it even harder, is this organization is a church. It's something that has been brewing since before the last major November election and something happened that pushed us over the edge.
I've mulled *how* to explain what is going on, or should I even explain it, is a blog where I should? Should I keep it in and speak not of what happened and just move on, or do I speak up, vent my feelings and let the chips fall where they may? What would be the consequences of either action?
I have been involved in churches where there have been divisions and factions that have split the church, but in those instances, the lines were drawn by others and it was simply 'who's side are you on'. In this case, it took a lot of time, consideration and study to be the line draw-er. I want to write more, but at this time, I'm stymied. I know what went on, went down, etc. but I don't know if blogging it would be cathartic or inflammatory. Pray for me my friends.
I've mulled *how* to explain what is going on, or should I even explain it, is a blog where I should? Should I keep it in and speak not of what happened and just move on, or do I speak up, vent my feelings and let the chips fall where they may? What would be the consequences of either action?
I have been involved in churches where there have been divisions and factions that have split the church, but in those instances, the lines were drawn by others and it was simply 'who's side are you on'. In this case, it took a lot of time, consideration and study to be the line draw-er. I want to write more, but at this time, I'm stymied. I know what went on, went down, etc. but I don't know if blogging it would be cathartic or inflammatory. Pray for me my friends.
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