REFLECTIONS OF THE WEEK PAST!

Good evening!  Well - I was definitely ready for a new week when this Sunday morning rolled around!  Of course --last week was a wonderful week and I am thankful for it and for all it represented --- but I need a week of rest!  That is probably a joke!!  Michelle had a wonderful birthday - complete with beautiful and delicious cake from Chez Bazan to all kinds of special foods her Mom tried out on her friends!  One of the favorite dishes was a dip that I had received at Sweet Gourmet when I purchased some of the ingredients!   Everyone that tried it - really enjoyed it!   It is called Sweet Pepper Glaze and I will only share the recipe because I altered it a tad - and if you want to make it - you will need to go to SWEET GOURMET AND BUY THE PEPPER GLAZE!

SWEET PEPPER GLAZED CHEESE SPREAD

1/2 Cup Mayo
8 oz. package of Cream cheese
2 Cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped with green ends
8 slices of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 bottle of Heritage Sweet Pepper Glaze

Combine Mayo (try Dukes - also can be bought at Sweet Gourmet), cream cheese, grated cheese and green onions.  Spread into small baking dish and top with Panko Bread Crumbs.  Bake 15 to 20 minutres at 325 degrees.  Take out of oven, top with crumbled crumbled bacon and half a bottle of Sweet Pepper Glaze.  Put back into over for 5 minutes.  Sherve hot and bubbly with crackers!

I did a lot of Paula Deen cooking this past week -- never have before but her recipes in her new Christmas book inspired me!  They all turned out great!  Most especially - the beef tenderloin I bought and cooked for Thanksgiving.  I googled "How to cook a tenderloin" and watch a short video by Paula Deen.  I didn't rub mine with bacon fat - but I did do as her Aunt Peggy said, I wrapped it with bacon slices and put on the salt, pepper, and garlic.  If it had been any better, I am afraid my nephew would have killed himself on it!  IT was a rewarding dish!!!

My nephew wanted my Mom's Chicken and Dressing recipe (the same as I make) and I told him it was posted in my blog on January 4, 2010.  Lol - it was not there.  It seems the first 7 days of the blog have been wiped out!  Thankfully I have copies of those posts and will recycle them -- maybe beginning January1, 2012!  However, since the dressing is so delicious - I am going to give you that recipe tonight!

Mark's lesson today was so great - it was about Jesus' example of a servant's heart and how that is what God wants from us!  The story, of course, was about Jesus washing the disciples feet and how forgiving Jesus was of Judus -- even knowing that he would betray him.  He gave him a place of honor to sit - and gave him every chance to repent of the deed he planned to do.  My goodness, if Jesus could forgive Judus - how can we have the audacity to not forgive our enemies?  Sure makes you think, doesn't it??  So our question is -- how can we make sure we not only have the heart to serve others, but that we do?
 I am also going to give you my Thanksgiving/Christmas Sweet Potato recipe.  A sweet friend of ours said today, "Those potatoes had a more taste - the more you eat, the more you want!" 

So here are the two promised recipes for the evening!

Mom’s Chicken and Dressing

                                                                         Jon Carole Gilbreath
Take one cut up chicken and boil in water until tender.  Save the liver, gizzard and back for later for giblet gravy.  Allow to cool until you can work with it and remove from bone.    Use two pans (9 inch round) of cornbread (I use Jiffy but Mom likes her homemade – she says Jiffy is too sweet!)

Crumble the cornbread into small pieces; add 6 to 8 slices of white bread torn into small pieces.  If you have any left over biscuits – break a couple of those in it too. 

 Cook 1 cup chopped celery and 1 cup onion, and several (3 or 3) fresh green onions in the broth from the chicken until translucent.  Remove from stove and pour over bread – stirring until moistened.  Add more broth (You will want to have on hand 1 large container of bought broth in order to have plenty) until thinned.  Add about 8 eggs and stir until they are broken in and mixed well.  Add black pepper and salt to taste (probably 1 tablespoon salt, and black pepper until you can taste it.  Pour about 1 to 2 cups 1% milk into mixture – mixture should be juicy – but not very soupy.  (The milk and the thinness will give you a tender dressing.  Stir in the chicken you removed from bone.  Taste again to make sure flavor is good with right amount of salt and peppers.  Pour into greased pan(s), and Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour – or until set.

GIBLET GRAVY FOR DRESSING:  Take the parts that were saved for gravy (liver, back, gizzard) and up into 2 cups chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to about 1-1/2 cups. 

Boil 2 eggs and when boiled – peel.  Slice into gravy mixture.  Continue to slowly cook and when dressing is partially set, dip out about 2 to 3 tablespoons and put into gravy.  Let cook and if too thin – add a little more dressing or make a thickening by adding 2 to 3 tablespoons corn starch to ½ cup very cold water and stir well and slowly add to gravy!  Serve over dressing.   (Now don’t go adding Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken soup or sage to this dressing or giblet gravy – OR YOU WON’T HAVE MY MOM’S CHICKEN AND DRESSING!!!  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS TO BUY:

1 WHOLE OR CUT UP CHICKEN (If cut up, you might not get giblets so you might want to buy some livers or something.)

Corn bread mix
White bread
Celery
1 yellow onion
1 pkg. fresh green onions
1 large container of chicken broth
1 Dozen eggs
Milk 

SWEET POTATO RECIPE

Jon Carole Gilbreath

TO SERVE 12 to 15.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 6 TO 8 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped into chunks

1 stick butter + 1/2 stick
¾ cup brown sugar + ½ cup
1 scant teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup pecan halves
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boiling stage.  Add chopped up potatoes into boiling water and boil until very tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain well and add salt, baking powder and butter.  Mash the potatoes until there are no chunks.  Add brown sugar and vanilla flavoring.  Mix well with mixer – until creamy and smooth.    Taste to make sure you have enough salt, sugar, etc.  Pour into large casserole dish. 

Combine ½ stick butter, ½ cup brown sugar and pecans into an electric chopper and chop and blend until all ingredients are blended together and pecans are in small pieces.  Then spoon this over the potato casserole.  Bake for about 15 minutes and then remove from oven and spread the pecan topping over the entire casserole.  Bake another 15 minutes and then remove and add enough marshmallows to cover top of casserole dish.  Return to oven and allow marshmallows to brown.   Remove from oven and enjoy!!!

Well - that is it for the evening!  Hope you try the recipes and enjoy them!   

Now let's all - get up in the morning, pray for God's guidance on how we can serve someone else this week - and then get busy doing it!

Good night and God Bless each of you!