050504GoodThingsandRecipes

The Welcome Home

Good Things and Recipes for May 5, 2004

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Titus 2.3

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness,

not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

From time to time we are asked for some recipes that are “favourites” with most everyone. A couple I’m sending you this week might be fun to prepare on Mother’s Day. As I shared with you a few days ago, Mother’s Day is a real neat day of celebration here. I am looking forward to preparing French Toast Puff for breakfast and Garlic Chicken Pizza for dinner. Maybe you’d like to prepare one of these dishes.

You prepare this recipe the night before and put in the fridge

French Toast Puff

1 Dozen eggs
4 Cups 1/2 & 1/2

Or 2 Cups 1/2 & 1/2 and 2 cups whipping cream
2 tsp. Vanilla
A dash of salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 loaves French bread
Maple Syrup

1/2 cup soft butter - melted
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons Corn syrup

11" x 14" x 3” baking pan. [I usually make this with 18 eggs and adjust the ingredients accordingly and bake in a buffet pan] Spray the pan with pan spray, and cover bottom with bread two or three slices high (depending on the thickness of the slices). Drizzle some maple syrup over the dry bread. (I put a thin drizzle between each layer). Sprinkle the dry bread with cinnamon and nutmeg. Combine eggs, cream, vanilla, and salt. Then pour egg mixture over the bread; cover and refrigerate over night. The next morning or noon, remove from fridge, preheat oven to 350*. Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup---whip until blended; sprinkle bread with walnuts and then pour glaze evenly over the whole surface. Bake for 40 minutes till all puffed and golden light brown. The cooked dish really retains heat---so be careful serving the little ones---it’ll be hot for them! Serves 12+

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Kathryn’s Family Night
Garlic Chicken Pizza

Crust:
1 pkg. (¼ oz.) (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T. vegetable oil ~1 tsp. salt ~ 1 tsp. sugar

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water… Add flour, vegetable oil, salt and sugar. Beat by hand 20 strokes. Cover and let rest about 15 minutes. Divide dough in half; Press each portion into a greased 12-in. pizza pan. Prick dough several times with a fork. Bake at 425º for 8-10 minutes.

Topping:
1/2 Cup Ranch Dressing
2 Tblsp. Minced Garlic
2 Cups Cooked Cubed Chicken
2-3 Cups Mozzarella Cheese

After the crust has been baked 8-10 minutes,

1. Brush with melted butter
2. Spread on a thin layer of ranch dressing,
3. Sprinkle on a little minced garlic
4. Sprinkle 1 cup or so of Chicken
5. Generously sprinkle with the cheese
Bake at 425º for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

Pizza can be made with pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese sprinkled over the top of one or all the following: pepperoni, olives, cooked ground sausage, chopped green onion, chopped bell peppers,
~or~
Canadian Bacon & Pineapple with mozzarella cheese sprinkled over the top... or just plain sauce and cheese for children who just remove everything from the pizza anyway!

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Next time I’ll send you a recipe for baking chicken breasts that can be used for this and for a delicious Chicken Caesar Salad. I’ll also be sharing some things I just found in old files I haven’t seen in years! This was one of the blessings of having this new computer! A very old hard-drive was accessed and some neat files were on it! So… I’ll be looking them over and sharing some things with you!

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

If you haven’t planted your garden yet, there’s still plenty of time to do so! It’s a real treat to watch things grow and to be able to eat salads fresh from the garden. The thing we always need to be careful to do is to plant veggies we truly do want to eat and preserve! Some things grow really well, but they might not be our favourites! I’m thinking of radishes, here! Also… try to think of things that will freeze or can well. We don’t can our vegetables, so I always think of what will taste best in December & January from the freezer. Stores are having some pretty good sales on seeds and starts, so, happy planting!

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Hannah has a particular fondness for the Amish. She loves to read about them, their culture and their ways. She has really been influenced by their order, their simplicity and neatness. It’s a dream of hers to one day visit “Amish country” and to spend time with the people.

Hannah just pulled two beautiful loaves of bread from the oven! The recipe is from a book called The Amish Cook by Elizabeth Coblentz with Kevin Williams. The book is a treasure with woven with recipes and stories of her Amish life and family.

The Amish Cook ~ Homemade Bread
1 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup plus 2 cups warm water or milk
1 heaping tablespoon lard or shortening

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

7-8 cups all purpose flour

“In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the ½ cup warm water. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lard, sugar, salt and the remaining 2 cups water [or milk]. Into the mixing bowl, stir the yeast and enough of the flour to make a soft elastic dough that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough with a loose piece of cheeseclo0th or plastic wrap and let rise till double (about 1 ¼ hours) in a warm, draft-free place, such as a table close to the stove or a sunny window sill. Punch the dough down, and divide it into 2 balls. Form2 loaves with your hands. Put the loaves in greased loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until double (45-60 minutes). Bake in a 325° oven for about 45 minutes. The bread will sound hollow when it’s done. After removing the bread from the oven, brush the top with butter or margarine. This will make for a softer crust.”

p. 80 The Amish Cook

[yum! It’s delicious!]

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

I received this list from my sweet friend Sandy ~smile~ several years ago… and just found it! :-)

Mix with baking soda for a great scratch-free cleaning scrub around your home.
Mix with vinegar and water and pour into a spray bottle for a fantastic all-purpose cleaner
Sprinkle lavender oil on bed pillows, sheets and comforter for a clean, relaxing bedtime scent. (Don't use too much here, a little will do you)
Drops in a toilet and/or down drains to kill odors and give off a pleasant scent. Favorites for this are peppermint, lemon or rosemary.
Mix in with mop water for motivation to keep mopping: (thanks to Laine for this one): peppermint, rosemary, lemon or bergamot orange all work great for this.
Sprinkle in clothing drawers for nice smelling clothes (my favorite for this is lavender or cedar oil).
Clean the refrigerator with some lemon oil on a dampened cloth.
Mix with fragrance free bath gel for aromatherapy bath/shower wash.
Mix with fragrance free bath bubbles
Mix rosemary in shampoo/conditioner for those with dark hair or chamomile in shampoo/conditioner for those with blonde.
Make up powder to give away as gifts by mixing into cornstarch.
Make up gifts of bath/massage oils by mixing in with ultra light olive oil, almond oil, or some other skin nourishing oil.

»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Well, there are your good things and recipes for today. Many blessings and Happy Mother’s Day,

“see you” next week!

With love, pamela