Friday, July 15, 2011
Was he absent for that class?
I was rather startled this morning after Mass. We have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday after the regular morning Mass. It is a nice moment as we sing a hymn while Father reposes the Blessed Sacrament on the altar and extra candles are lit in honor of our Lord. Before he leaves the altar, Father and the altar boys take a moment to kneel in prayer before the altar. We have a new deacon helping out and I was rather surprised when he plunked himself down on a chair while the rest knelt. Was he tired? He didn't look ill. Did he wonder why the others were kneeling and should he wonder given how soon he will be coming to his ordination? Fortunately, we have an extremely good pastor and I'm sure he will notice and give counsel to the young man but one does have to wonder about the education provided for in our seminaries. Even as a very small child, I knew my knees had better hit the floor when Jesus graced us with His physical presence like that. Someone to add to my prayer list!
Playing it fast and easy with dessert . . .
I've seen a lot of versions of this quick dessert around and it does lend itself to everyone's original ideas. This version uses pumpkin.
Butter Pumpkin Cake
15 ounces of canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar (the cake is very sweet so I have cut this down to 1/2 without any problems.)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped nuts, your choice
1 cup melted butter (not margarine)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first eight ingredients. Stop at the cak mix! Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin mixture, sprinkle with the chopped nuts, and drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately an hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand to set before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream wouldn't go amiss, I'm thinking!
Ideas . . .
I'm thinking of trying this with applesauce instead of the pumpkin and using a spice cake mix (omitting the pumpkin cake's spices, of course)
I am also thinking about a chocolate cake mix and using pureed fruit such as raspberries in stead of the pumpkin and, again, adjusting the spices.
Butter Pumpkin Cake
15 ounces of canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar (the cake is very sweet so I have cut this down to 1/2 without any problems.)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped nuts, your choice
1 cup melted butter (not margarine)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first eight ingredients. Stop at the cak mix! Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin mixture, sprinkle with the chopped nuts, and drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately an hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand to set before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream wouldn't go amiss, I'm thinking!
Ideas . . .
I'm thinking of trying this with applesauce instead of the pumpkin and using a spice cake mix (omitting the pumpkin cake's spices, of course)
I am also thinking about a chocolate cake mix and using pureed fruit such as raspberries in stead of the pumpkin and, again, adjusting the spices.
No quilting today . . .
Every day is different and no day always goes as planned. No quilting in my past, present, or immediate future today. I did complete the two tote bags ordered by my daughter and her roommate. They find them handy running around campus at college and their first ones were showing some wear. There is always tomorrow, God Willing!
I am sharing one of my favorite quilts. I made it for a friend who is discerning a vocation. She is only 16 right now so still has some time and deliberations ahead of her. She does, however, enjoy having her own 'convent' in her room re. the quilt. There are a total of twelve nun appliques on the quilt and she has actually named them all. Now that is an appreciated gift!
Easy but elegant . . .
Lately, pork seems to be the meat on sale the most. I like pork but get tired of making it the usual ways - fried pork chops, baked pork roast, etc. Sure, they all taste great but . . .
Today, I ran across an idea that sounds promising. It is simple, too, which is always a plus on a busy day. My husband understands when my day is busy but he still works hard and I want to have a good, tasty meal on hand for when he comes home in the evening.
This idea called for boneless pork chops and a bottle of teriyaki sauce. Well, just a browse through the sauce section at the store will show you there is a wide variety of such sauces, more than enough to please most any taste.
Basically, you pour your sauce of choice into a sealable plastic bag or a shallow dish. Add the pork chops and marinate them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Preheat the broiler and fire up the barbecue grill. Remove the chops from the marinade and dispose of the marinade. Cook the chops until they are no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear. Seems to me they would be a perfect foil for some cole slaw.
Want to fuss over this simple meal a bit and be more impressive?
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil (or your favorite oil)
1 tablespoon peeled and freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and braised* until soft in a bit of oil
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until used.
*Braising just means to gently cook the garlic until slightly golden and softened a bit. You can use raw garlic for the recipe, too, but the taste is harsher.
Today, I ran across an idea that sounds promising. It is simple, too, which is always a plus on a busy day. My husband understands when my day is busy but he still works hard and I want to have a good, tasty meal on hand for when he comes home in the evening.
This idea called for boneless pork chops and a bottle of teriyaki sauce. Well, just a browse through the sauce section at the store will show you there is a wide variety of such sauces, more than enough to please most any taste.
Basically, you pour your sauce of choice into a sealable plastic bag or a shallow dish. Add the pork chops and marinate them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Preheat the broiler and fire up the barbecue grill. Remove the chops from the marinade and dispose of the marinade. Cook the chops until they are no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear. Seems to me they would be a perfect foil for some cole slaw.
Want to fuss over this simple meal a bit and be more impressive?
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil (or your favorite oil)
1 tablespoon peeled and freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and braised* until soft in a bit of oil
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until used.
*Braising just means to gently cook the garlic until slightly golden and softened a bit. You can use raw garlic for the recipe, too, but the taste is harsher.
Morning has broken . . . and I didn't do it!
Another cool, overcast day and it is also Friday. We've made it through another week but I have to be a bit taken aback at how fast the weeks are going by these days. Please don't tell me I have to age a bit every quickly passing day!
A successful trip to the fabric store although I avoided temptation and only got one length of fabric but for 50% off - my kind of deal. My daughter chose fabrics for new tote bags for her roommate and herself. College starts up in August - her last semester before she graduates with her BA degree. We haven't been entirely happy with the college but that's a story for another day . . . after she has her diploma in hand and has shaken the dust of the place off her feet!
The tote bags got cut out and designed yesterday. Depending on the schedule for today, they may get completed before the day is out.
Major clean up left from our Dirt Day celebrations. We kept mopping and mopping the kitchen floor only to have it come up dusty within hours. Turns out the dirt left a fine film of dust all over the garage floor and every time we went out to do the laundry or something, back in the house we were tracking it. My husband gets to 'mop' the garage today in hopes of cutting out that problem.
Every Friday, we have Adoration beginning after morning Mass until evening. I try and get a few minutes in after Mass. I ran across a qote this morning that reminds me of why some extra knee time is good for our spiritual health.
A successful trip to the fabric store although I avoided temptation and only got one length of fabric but for 50% off - my kind of deal. My daughter chose fabrics for new tote bags for her roommate and herself. College starts up in August - her last semester before she graduates with her BA degree. We haven't been entirely happy with the college but that's a story for another day . . . after she has her diploma in hand and has shaken the dust of the place off her feet!
The tote bags got cut out and designed yesterday. Depending on the schedule for today, they may get completed before the day is out.
Major clean up left from our Dirt Day celebrations. We kept mopping and mopping the kitchen floor only to have it come up dusty within hours. Turns out the dirt left a fine film of dust all over the garage floor and every time we went out to do the laundry or something, back in the house we were tracking it. My husband gets to 'mop' the garage today in hopes of cutting out that problem.
Every Friday, we have Adoration beginning after morning Mass until evening. I try and get a few minutes in after Mass. I ran across a qote this morning that reminds me of why some extra knee time is good for our spiritual health.
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.” ~St. Alphonsus Liguori
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Coupons in hand . . .
With coupons in hand, I'm heading to the local fabric store to see what I shall see! I'm always on the lookout for something unusual in fabric patterns or a really good bargain. I have a 50% off one length of fabric as well as 15% off the entire purchase including sale items. It would be wasteful to NOT go, right? Sigh . . . Since I manage the finances, my husband isn't worried as he knows I'm tighter with a dollar than he is at times.
I finished a quilt, yesterday. I started it way before I went on vacation in May and just got around to putting in the last stitches. I think I kept putting it off as the fabric is very good with a solid weave which made fine stitching a bit of a challenge. This quilt should wear very well! I have the needle holes in my fingers to prove it.
Tea Scones
Tea Scones sounds so classy when they are actually an easy recipe and basically, a very, very good biscuit. They do look great on the snack plate with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold, milk. It is an unusually cool day for July so that kind of weather always makes me think of baking!
Tea Scones
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced into bits and thoroughly chilled - Important!
1 whole egg
1 egg yoke
1/2 cup milk (no lower that 2% milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
Sugar for sprinkling.
Oven should be preheated to 400 degrees.
Grease a large cookie or baking sheet with the tablespoon of butter. Cutting calories? Use vegetable spray.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the bits of butter and mix with a fork or even your fingers to form a crumbly mixtures. Don't overdo it or let it get melted. Beat the egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Beat the milk and vanilla into the eggs. Pour it over the flour mixtures. With a spoon (I like those wooden mixing spoons that don't get warm.) gentlly combine the ingredients until the dough gathers together.
On a lightly dusted working surface, roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or a handy glass!) cut out rounds of dough and place them about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Reroll dough and repeat.
Beat the egg white until it is frothy and use it to lightly brush the tops of the scones. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. They should be light brown. Serve at once or at room temperature.
Ideas . . .
Sprinkle the tops with a cinnamon/sugar mix
Add grated lemon or orange zest to the dough.
Drizzle a citrus icing on the warm scones.
Add 1/4 cup of finely chopped nuts to the dough.
Add 1/4 cup of tiny chocolate chips to the dough.
Grind up 1/4 cup of raisins and mix them into the dough.
Tea Scones
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced into bits and thoroughly chilled - Important!
1 whole egg
1 egg yoke
1/2 cup milk (no lower that 2% milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
Sugar for sprinkling.
Oven should be preheated to 400 degrees.
Grease a large cookie or baking sheet with the tablespoon of butter. Cutting calories? Use vegetable spray.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the bits of butter and mix with a fork or even your fingers to form a crumbly mixtures. Don't overdo it or let it get melted. Beat the egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Beat the milk and vanilla into the eggs. Pour it over the flour mixtures. With a spoon (I like those wooden mixing spoons that don't get warm.) gentlly combine the ingredients until the dough gathers together.
On a lightly dusted working surface, roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or a handy glass!) cut out rounds of dough and place them about 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Reroll dough and repeat.
Beat the egg white until it is frothy and use it to lightly brush the tops of the scones. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. They should be light brown. Serve at once or at room temperature.
Ideas . . .
Sprinkle the tops with a cinnamon/sugar mix
Add grated lemon or orange zest to the dough.
Drizzle a citrus icing on the warm scones.
Add 1/4 cup of finely chopped nuts to the dough.
Add 1/4 cup of tiny chocolate chips to the dough.
Grind up 1/4 cup of raisins and mix them into the dough.
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