Sunday, May 1, 2011

GOURMET IS WONDERFUL - BUT TAKES EXTRA EFFORT!!!

You know - I am about ready to find a new medium to send you my thoughts and recipes -- I have just typed for the last thirty minutes and it all just disappeared - so here is my second try! I have spent more hours in the kitchen the last 4 days and nights than in quite a while -- but there has been lots of things I have tried to do. On Thursday night and Friday morning - I cooked for the wonderful employees that I work with. Jack and I decided to honor each one there with a meal to thank them for all they do to help us. Yes - I did a little something for the two wonderful ladies that help me -- but everyone else helps me too -- so I didn't want to leave them out. We fed them Wild Wings, my potato salad - made at 4 am on Friday, rolls, brownies and peach cobbler with ice cream!

I had made up Sour Dough starter last week - so on Saturday I made the Sour Dough Bread. Hate to brag - but I personally thought it was delicious!! Then I made my sister a baker's dozen of dessert crepes ready to fill. Saturday night I made more basic crepes and then made up a Spinach / Mushroom filling that proved to be a lot of worthwhile work and rolled it up in the fresh crepe. IT included a great homemade Mornay Sauce. I waited and baked it this morning. I also tried out a new recipe for Swiss Red Chard - I had never cooked it before but everyone gave it an A. The Crepes got an A+. The Corn Pudding also received a raved A+. I really pulled out all of my culinary skills for this meal. All of this was served with baked ham, Mango Salad - that my sister made, rolls, Chocolate Pie and Angel Food Cake with Strawberries that my 93 year old Mom made. A pretty good Easter Meal -even if it was a week late!!!

My back is letting me know that I need the second shot -- had to get off Celebrax and all other pain relievers until after the shot on Tuesday!

The Corn Pudding was taken from a recipe in a great cookbook - but after tasting it -- I knew I wanted to make it mine with my own tastes. Here is the recipe and then I will tell you what I did to make it my recipe - with my own flavor!!

CORN PUDDING

1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup flour
3 Tsp. Salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1-3/4 cup milk
3 Cups Frozen Whole Kernel corn
3 Eggs

Melt butter in saucepan. Sitr in flour, salt and sugar. Cook until bubbly, add milk and cook until thick. Stir in corn. Stir in Eggs that have been beaten until frothy. Pour into well buttered casserole dish and bake in hot water bath at 350 degress from about 45 minutes.

(For hot water bath, fill large pan with 1 to 2 inches of water, place casserole dish in pan and bake as directed.

Ok - here is what I added: 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2 tsp. more salt, several shakes of black pepper, used half milk and half - Half and Half, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, and one small can of chopped green chiles. It took about 55 minutes to cook almost firm. Really well recived and delicious!!! TIP:I cooked it before church, put it in my casserole carrier, with heated bag, zipped it up - and lo - it was still warm!

Don't ever be afraid to add to a recipe - Make it yours!!!

I am not going to scare you away from a challenge and give you the Sour Dough bread starter recipe and -- WELL RIGHT HERE ALL I SAID DISAPPEARED AGAIN! THIS IS SO CRAZY!! What I was saying is the bread was so wonderful - and yes - I say so myself! If you want the recipes - I will be happy to share!!

You know the more I think about it - the more I want to publish my cookbook - sure won't do it any younger!

Next Sunday is Mother's Day and my sister's husband and son asked her what we were going to do for Mother's Day and just keep bugging her about it -- and Travis even asked me and I just said "I have no idea!" But after that I offered to cook steaks and potatoes but my sister refused saying she was not going to have me cook for two days and then the guys lay around dozing - especially when I am a mom 24/7 - so we decided to ease their minds and picked a place. Mom doesn't like fancy - always finds something wrong so hope what we picked for OUR PAMPERED MEAL will suit everyone!!

Mark's sermon this morning was about repentence and it was an excellent message. Just as he was getting started, a man appeared from somewhere at the front and started toward Mark. He met him and then asked Ron to come help him and to take the man and see if he could help him. Ron put his arms around the guy and led him toward the bastism area. Mark sniffed and said a new set of clothes would make the guy feel much better. I was amazed that no other men went to help Ron and make sure he was safe but near the end of the service - Mark finally said "I think I had better check on Ron." He went to the door and Ron and the man was at the door." THe guy was clean and dressed in dress pants and jacket. Ron started to take the clothes away to the dump and the guy said "Hey - I want those clothes!" Ron left with them. The catch was the "bum" was a well respected member of the church - playing a roll! I did not recognize him until he came out dressed in a suit. The point of the lesson was that when we repent from sin and then go right back committing the same sin - it is the same as someone that is cleaned up and gets their old smelly, dirty clothes and putting them back on! Makes it pretty clear that is not what God wants of us!!! Great lesson!! Thanks Mark, David and Ron! Well - what plans do you have for tomorrow? There are lots of "real" needy people out there right now - what would you do if someone like the dirty, sticky man came to your church? Would someone willingly reach out, put their arm around them and help them feel better about themselves?? Let's be on the lookout for our chance to reach out to others. God Bless your efforts!!!

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