The one thing I try to never run out of is a box of the dry biscuit mix. Even as a little girl, I remember seeing my mother go to it when she wanted to get a fast dinner on the table or even to make a quick treat. Just using the recipes on the side and back of the box will set you up for success for several days. It is good for breakfast pancakes, biscuit sandwich lunches, or a golden-crusted casserole. The reason it came to mind today? I was musing over what to cook for dinner and my son begged for spicy spaghetti which meant I only had to defrost a jar of my homemade sauce and boil pasta. I said he was making life too easy for me as it gave me an extra thirty minutes to sew this afternoon. He joked, "In that case, bake something for dessert."
Even as I type, there is a gooey coffee cake of sorts baking in the oven. Thought I'd share it with you so you can impress your family some evening unexpectedly. I call it "Sloppy Cake"! Why? Because I usually am in a hurry which I decide to bake this and make a mess.
Sloppy Cake
2 cups dry biscuit mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Enough milk to make a sort of thick batter
Mix the first four ingredient in a bowl. Gradually add the milk until you have a thick but pourable batter. Spread it in a greased 8x8-inch baking pan.
Topping
1 cup dry biscuit mix
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Mix these ingredients together to form a lumpy, crumbly mixture.
Scatter the topping over the batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes until the batter rises up and turns golden. The topping will be swirled in and a bit gooey. Cool for a few minutes before serving. It is also very good cold the next day with a cup of coffee!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Christian Hospitality . . .
Our pastor blessed us with a series of classes regarding our Faith over the Wednesdays in July. We were happy to learn he is, again, offering some more classes during the month of September. Our pastor said he loves to teach and you can feel this in the way he presents the subject matter and gets excited over the fact that he is able to share the subject matter.
Although he covered a multitude of important facts and lessons in the last set of classes, the one that sticks with me the most was Christian Hospitality. He said the Church has a lot of rules, traditions, etc. but hospitility trumps them all. You do not hurt and embarrass another person in the name of Faith but welcome them with your show of Faith and Christian Hospitality leads the way.
The subject got started when several of our class remarked about an usher who insists on shaking each and every hand of the people processing up to Communion. This is not a time to meet and greet as we should be focusing on our folded hands as they lead us to the altar. Much to everyone's surprise, Father said, "You have to return the greeting." He went on to say that he was working at teaching the ushers the correct way of doing their job but, as Christian people, we cannot hurt a kindly usher who doesn't know any better. I know of a few people in the group who will continue snubbing the gentlemen which shows they have missed the whole point Father was trying to make.
Over the years, I have had seemingly nice people suddenly decide my family wasn't worthy of the friendship. No matter how you drape yourself in lace chapel veils and kneel on the stone floor in front of the congregation, kindness and Christian Hospitality weren't there.
The older I get, the more interesting I find people's perception or reactions to matters of Faith. One person refused to let me know when the funeral would take place for a relative of hers. She later said she felt embarrassed as the relative wasn't a nice person. Talk about putting misplaced feelings ahead of the welfare of a newly deceased soul. Christian Hospitality can extend beyond the grave!
Anyway, just thought I'd share that concept with you. I'm not a reformed person but do catch myself more often and try to be kind before I walk away from a person. And, you never know what a person is going through and what a kind word might mean to them.
Father said his next class is on exorcism, Satan, evil, sin, and confession! Seems like a good follow up. Let's just hope he doesn't randomly pick five out of the class and see what he can 'scare' out of them with a blessing!
Although he covered a multitude of important facts and lessons in the last set of classes, the one that sticks with me the most was Christian Hospitality. He said the Church has a lot of rules, traditions, etc. but hospitility trumps them all. You do not hurt and embarrass another person in the name of Faith but welcome them with your show of Faith and Christian Hospitality leads the way.
The subject got started when several of our class remarked about an usher who insists on shaking each and every hand of the people processing up to Communion. This is not a time to meet and greet as we should be focusing on our folded hands as they lead us to the altar. Much to everyone's surprise, Father said, "You have to return the greeting." He went on to say that he was working at teaching the ushers the correct way of doing their job but, as Christian people, we cannot hurt a kindly usher who doesn't know any better. I know of a few people in the group who will continue snubbing the gentlemen which shows they have missed the whole point Father was trying to make.
Over the years, I have had seemingly nice people suddenly decide my family wasn't worthy of the friendship. No matter how you drape yourself in lace chapel veils and kneel on the stone floor in front of the congregation, kindness and Christian Hospitality weren't there.
The older I get, the more interesting I find people's perception or reactions to matters of Faith. One person refused to let me know when the funeral would take place for a relative of hers. She later said she felt embarrassed as the relative wasn't a nice person. Talk about putting misplaced feelings ahead of the welfare of a newly deceased soul. Christian Hospitality can extend beyond the grave!
Anyway, just thought I'd share that concept with you. I'm not a reformed person but do catch myself more often and try to be kind before I walk away from a person. And, you never know what a person is going through and what a kind word might mean to them.
Father said his next class is on exorcism, Satan, evil, sin, and confession! Seems like a good follow up. Let's just hope he doesn't randomly pick five out of the class and see what he can 'scare' out of them with a blessing!
And then came the Internet . . .
"Television is for appearing on - not for looking at."
-- Noel Coward
-- Noel Coward
"The great thing about television is that if something important happens anywhere in the world, day or night, you can always change the channel."
-- From "Taxi"
-- From "Taxi"
Never fabric shop on a budget . . .
I'm learning that you can shop with a budget in mind for food and clothing, however, never look for fabric on a budget. I made that mistake, yesterday, of going to the fabric warehouse because I needed backing material for several quilt projects. I have the tops pieced and ready to go but they have been sitting on top of my cupboard in complete for lack of a backing. My thoughts on this sort of thing is to put off completing such projects until the budge will allow for both the needed fabric and the possibility of wanted fabric. Unfortunately, I didn't fight for my viewpoint and found myself at the warehouse and stuck in the bargain, flat fold fabric stacks.
Now, the fabric in the flat fold stacks is premium stuff. It is just the ends of bolts. Sometimes, you can find six yards of designer fabric for under three dollars a yard. Other times, it is only a yard of two but when you are a quilter, you will grab these smaller units because you get inspired when you see them. I didn't want to put myself through this yet there I was in the flat fold stacks wishing I could be out among the bolts of fabric. Naturally, I found three, fantastic lengths of fabric that positively made my heart sing (probably off key!) and my creative juices flow. I had to leave them as they weren't enough for the quilt backing. The fabrics that had at least six yards, were okay fabrics but not something I'd ordinarily want or buy. Out of the six lengths I found that I could live with, only two were really close to my usual tastes. When we got to the cutting table, it turned out the two I liked were only three yards and I needed six yards for backing so they didn't make it to my shopping bag. I was rather sad to walk out of there with a bag of fabric I didn't much like for the sake of finishing some quilts.
Learned my lesson, however. I will never, never, never shop for fabric when I have to stick to needs and ignore the moments of love at first sight. The new fabric? It is now residing in the far reaches of my closet and instead of quilting today, I am more inclinded towards cleaning house and doing bills!
Now, the fabric in the flat fold stacks is premium stuff. It is just the ends of bolts. Sometimes, you can find six yards of designer fabric for under three dollars a yard. Other times, it is only a yard of two but when you are a quilter, you will grab these smaller units because you get inspired when you see them. I didn't want to put myself through this yet there I was in the flat fold stacks wishing I could be out among the bolts of fabric. Naturally, I found three, fantastic lengths of fabric that positively made my heart sing (probably off key!) and my creative juices flow. I had to leave them as they weren't enough for the quilt backing. The fabrics that had at least six yards, were okay fabrics but not something I'd ordinarily want or buy. Out of the six lengths I found that I could live with, only two were really close to my usual tastes. When we got to the cutting table, it turned out the two I liked were only three yards and I needed six yards for backing so they didn't make it to my shopping bag. I was rather sad to walk out of there with a bag of fabric I didn't much like for the sake of finishing some quilts.
Learned my lesson, however. I will never, never, never shop for fabric when I have to stick to needs and ignore the moments of love at first sight. The new fabric? It is now residing in the far reaches of my closet and instead of quilting today, I am more inclinded towards cleaning house and doing bills!
Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Croutons
I've been sorting through my recipes. This sounds so efficient until you see my recipes are stuck in a binder or on the refrigerator according to how often I use them. I love magnets! Anway, cauliflower is a favorite of mine and I espeically like it in soups with an extra 'attitude' like this one. I am blessed to have most of my family willing to try something different for dinner. If you don't have fresh thyme, a pinch or two (to taste) of dried thyme will be fine. No rye bread? Sour dough bread croutons are excellent done the same way. I'm hoping that thinking about cold-weather food will bring on the lower temperatures!
Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Rye Croutons
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Two 2-pound heads of cauliflower, cored and cut into 2-inch florets
½ cup of tiny florets reserved for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
5 thyme springs
1 slice crust less rye bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice (a cup)
½ cup pecan pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the large cauliflower florets and the apple and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme springs and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
Spread the diced rye bread, pecan pieces and tiny cauliflower florets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper and bake, stirring once, for about 10 minutes or until the rye bread croutons are crisp.
Discard the thyme springs from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, scatter the croutons, pecans and cauliflower on top and serve.
The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving. Add more chicken broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, if needed.
Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Rye Croutons
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Two 2-pound heads of cauliflower, cored and cut into 2-inch florets
½ cup of tiny florets reserved for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
5 thyme springs
1 slice crust less rye bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice (a cup)
½ cup pecan pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the large cauliflower florets and the apple and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme springs and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
Spread the diced rye bread, pecan pieces and tiny cauliflower florets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper and bake, stirring once, for about 10 minutes or until the rye bread croutons are crisp.
Discard the thyme springs from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, scatter the croutons, pecans and cauliflower on top and serve.
The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving. Add more chicken broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, if needed.
The Link Between Nutrition and Learning: 20 Critical Facts
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