Friday, May 27, 2011

Some entertaining recipes

I wrote the following article for the Recipe Corner article in our weekly newspaper, The Preston Citizen for the week of June 1, 2011.

"Jean Carter, our regular recipe columnist, is taking a medical leave of absence. She was very organized and submitted four columns before she headed south to the hospital. However, one of the columns was misplaced.

Last Wednesday night I attended my book group with a growly tummy. My husband and I had run to Pocatello and arrived home in the late afternoon. There was time for me to attend book group or eat, not both.

Reading is as necessary to me as breathing. Discussing books with a group of other serious readers is something I enjoy.

I recently read an article from families.com online titled “Protect Your Friendships After Marriage.”

This piece of advice should be given to all newlyweds, “When you become Mister and Missus, it should not be at the expense of whom the two of you were before you were married.”

People live longer if they have hobbies. It’s nice to do things together as a couple, but … it’s healthy to have your own hobbies.

Back to the book group. The book we were discussing that evening was “The House at Riverton” by Australian author Kate Morton. For a book that wasn’t very well liked, a lively discussion was held.

I walked into the home where we were holding the meeting to the most tantalizing smell. I thought the discussion would never end. Luckily my chair wasn’t too close to anyone to hear my tummy.

The refreshments were worth waiting for. I asked if I could use the recipe for the Recipe Corner this week. Yes, under cover of anonymity. I gleaned another recipe that evening also. These recipes truly are from real people.

The Let’s Talk About It program held at the Larsen-Sant Library has also yielded some amazing refreshments.

These recipes can be served at your next club meeting or just because.

GRAHAM-CRACKER BARS

1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 1/3 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in 9x13-inch pan in the oven. When the butter is melted, sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter. Pour milk evenly over crumbs. Top with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down gently and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
DUMP CAKE

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can pie filling (any kind)
1 pkg. Yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter
1 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts, any kind

Pour pineapple and pie filling into a 9x13-inch pan. Crumble cake mix over the top of the fruit mixture. Melt butter and drizzle over the top of the cake mix. Sprinkle coconut and chopped nuts over the top. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Check it at 45 minutes so it doesn’t get too brown.

This is also really good in a Dutch oven.
SPARKLING GREEN TEA LEMONADE

2 C very hot water
3 (2 g) bags green tea
3 Tbsp. white sugar
2 C chilled seltzer water
2 tsp. lime juice
1 lime, sliced (optional)

Pour the hot water into a glass pitcher. Submerge the green tea bags in the hot water and allow to steep for 5 minutes; remove and discard the tea bags. Stir the sugar  into the tea until completely dissolved. Chill in refrigerator for 35 minutes.

Pour the seltzer water and lime  juice into the tea. Float the lime slices atop the mixture.
Now, the rest of the story is the "misplaced" article was deleted from the email. The editor said we couldn't use the recipes because they were from copyrighted cookbooks & put the blame on the publisher. When I confronted the publisher he said it was the first he'd heard of it. But he agreed with the editor. I said the recipes for last week's article was not from a copyrighted cookbook. So, I won round one.

Then I did this week's cookbook Recipe Corner & am working on recipes for the next 2 weeks based on Jean's subject matter.

Friday, May 13, 2011

A small update

  • By the end of March I had read 8 books
    • Which includes the King James Version of the Old Testament
  • By the end of April I had read 4 books
  • And by the middle of May, well, almost the middle of May, I have read 3 books
    • Which includes The Book of Mormon and Institute of Religion's Old Testament: 1 Kings - Malachi Student Manual (Religion 302)
  • Total year-to-date: 23