I used to hate separating eggs. I didn’t mind the separating. It was the question of what to do with the half left over. And it is usually the egg whites. They always seemed to be carefully preserved in a small container until I threw it out three weeks later.
This cookie recipe is a bit pricey as it uses almonds. Depending on the season, some of the warehouse stores carry large bags of them at not too bad a price. Take three cups of almonds and toast them in a 350 degree oven until they scent the air, about ten minutes. Grind them up with 2 cups granulated sugar. Stir the mixture with six egg whites, one teaspoon vanilla and one teaspoon almond extract. The resulting batter should be thick and workable. Refrigerate until ready to use but for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet. Vegetable sprays work well for this. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from the baking sheet. If they cool too much and stick, just warm them up in the oven and try removing them again. Makes approximately 3 dozen small, chewy cookies without too much fat.
If your budget and refrigerator tell you almonds are not available, walnuts will work although they will produce a moister cookie. And if nuts are totally and definitely out of line, save the egg whites and try to remember to use them to shine up your bread loaves before baking.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Fact or Parable?
Every day, a small ant arrives at work very early and starts work immediately. She produces a lot and she is happy.
The Chief, a lion, was surprised to see that the ant was working without supervision. He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn’t she produce even more if she had a supervisor! So he recruited a cockroach who had extensive experience as supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports.
The cockroach’s first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system. He also needed a secretary to help him write and type his reports and …and he recruited a spider, who managed the archives and monitored all phone calls.
The lion was delighted with the cockroach's reports and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and to analyze trends, so that he could use them for presentations at Board‘s meetings.
So the cockroach had to buy a new computer and a laser printer and ... recruited a fly to manage the IT department.
The ant, who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time…!
The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked. The position was given to the cicada, whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office. The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a computer and a personal assistant ,who he brought from his previous department, to help him prepare a Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimisation Plan …
The Department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset... It was at that time that the cicada convinced the boss , the lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment .
Having reviewed the charges for running the ant’s department , the lion found out that the production was much less than before. So he recruited the owl , a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions. The owl spent three months in the department and came up with an enormous report , in several volumes, that concluded : " The department is overstaffed ..."
Guess who the lion fires first? The ant , of course, because she "showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude".
Adapted from Portuguese by PR. Obrigado Mário.
The Chief, a lion, was surprised to see that the ant was working without supervision. He thought if the ant can produce so much without supervision, wouldn’t she produce even more if she had a supervisor! So he recruited a cockroach who had extensive experience as supervisor and who was famous for writing excellent reports.
The cockroach’s first decision was to set up a clocking in attendance system. He also needed a secretary to help him write and type his reports and …and he recruited a spider, who managed the archives and monitored all phone calls.
The lion was delighted with the cockroach's reports and asked him to produce graphs to describe production rates and to analyze trends, so that he could use them for presentations at Board‘s meetings.
So the cockroach had to buy a new computer and a laser printer and ... recruited a fly to manage the IT department.
The ant, who had once been so productive and relaxed, hated this new plethora of paperwork and meetings which used up most of her time…!
The lion came to the conclusion that it was high time to nominate a person in charge of the department where the ant worked. The position was given to the cicada, whose first decision was to buy a carpet and an ergonomic chair for his office. The new person in charge, the cicada, also needed a computer and a personal assistant ,who he brought from his previous department, to help him prepare a Work and Budget Control Strategic Optimisation Plan …
The Department where the ant works is now a sad place, where nobody laughs anymore and everybody has become upset... It was at that time that the cicada convinced the boss , the lion, of the absolute necessity to start a climatic study of the environment .
Having reviewed the charges for running the ant’s department , the lion found out that the production was much less than before. So he recruited the owl , a prestigious and renowned consultant to carry out an audit and suggest solutions. The owl spent three months in the department and came up with an enormous report , in several volumes, that concluded : " The department is overstaffed ..."
Guess who the lion fires first? The ant , of course, because she "showed lack of motivation and had a negative attitude".
Adapted from Portuguese by PR. Obrigado Mário.
The Grey-Haired Brigade - Thought Provoking . . .
Grey-Haired Brigade
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and
in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire.
Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these
days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience.
We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.
We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.
We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .
Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it , and now we are going to save it. It is our
country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.
You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom.
This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."
~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and
in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire.
Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these
days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience.
We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.
We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.
We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America .
Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it , and now we are going to save it. It is our
country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.
You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Cool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom.
This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."
~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member
Just a hint . . .
Although I do share a lot of recipes in this Blog, my other Blog, Philling Philosophy, is written solely for recipes. If you don't find what you need or want on Crazy Quilts, Catholics, and Cookies, you might check the other one.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Making every moment count . . .
"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important
that you do it."
-- Mahatma Gandhi
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Variety Cake!
I like a recipe that is open to my notions! This is such a cake.
Variety Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue until well combined. Beat the vanilla and sour cream into the mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in a 9x13 greased baking pan for approximately 30 minutes or until it bounces back when gently touched.
Variety Ideas . . .
Use another flavor of chocolate chips like dark, mint, peanutbutter, butterscotch.
Add a tablespoon of grated orange zest to the above recipe for a fresh citrus tang.
Substitute a cup of dried cranberries for the chocolate chips.
Use half chocolate chips and half dried cranberries.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the above recipe.
Add 1/2 cup toasted coconut and 1/2 cup dried pineapple, finely diced.
Variety Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue until well combined. Beat the vanilla and sour cream into the mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in a 9x13 greased baking pan for approximately 30 minutes or until it bounces back when gently touched.
Variety Ideas . . .
Use another flavor of chocolate chips like dark, mint, peanutbutter, butterscotch.
Add a tablespoon of grated orange zest to the above recipe for a fresh citrus tang.
Substitute a cup of dried cranberries for the chocolate chips.
Use half chocolate chips and half dried cranberries.
Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the above recipe.
Add 1/2 cup toasted coconut and 1/2 cup dried pineapple, finely diced.
What exactly is our job?
I've met some interesting stay-at-home mothers over the years and strange as it may seem, few of them were very interested in cooking meals for their family. They all had 'good' reasons but the bottom line was they were really not seeing to the health of their children and husband. I'm probably more devoted to my time in the kitchen each day because my mother was a working mother and our meals were either fast food on the run or sporadic because her work started around seven every morning and she didn't usually come home until eight at night. For school children, that is a long time to wait for a hot dinner. I didn't want to ever treat my children like that.
I worked until my first child was born and it seemed so natural to me to be the major caregiver for him and to do my best to see that he ate what was good for him rather than what he liked. My husband, early one, had a rule that everyone had to eat a bite of everything to leave the table. If they wanted dessert, they had to finish their vegetables. These rules inspired me to cook and bake healthy but pleasing meals so there would be happy children and a happy husband at mealtime. It took the edge off of any hectic days when we could all come together and share the meal. Sure, we had our arguments with stubborn children. No one liked everything all the time but I felt like I was keeping my commitment to my family and marriage.
I was an okay cook when I got married but I knew how to read and . . . you read cookbooks! It reminded me of when I started work in my single life. I didn't know everything about my job when I first started but I looked for ways to improve. Same with life in the kitchen! It is really depressing when you present someon with a box of homemade cookies or invite them to dinner and their compliment is, "Well, it comes easy tfor you."
Feeding your children is like helping them with their lessons. You feed their mind through books and you have to feed their bodies in a nutrionally valid way in order for them to progress in their learning.
Just my feelings . . . If you get married, part of love, honor, and cherish includes a decent home and proper meals. When the children come, the love, honor, and cherish should spill over into their care, too.
I worked until my first child was born and it seemed so natural to me to be the major caregiver for him and to do my best to see that he ate what was good for him rather than what he liked. My husband, early one, had a rule that everyone had to eat a bite of everything to leave the table. If they wanted dessert, they had to finish their vegetables. These rules inspired me to cook and bake healthy but pleasing meals so there would be happy children and a happy husband at mealtime. It took the edge off of any hectic days when we could all come together and share the meal. Sure, we had our arguments with stubborn children. No one liked everything all the time but I felt like I was keeping my commitment to my family and marriage.
I was an okay cook when I got married but I knew how to read and . . . you read cookbooks! It reminded me of when I started work in my single life. I didn't know everything about my job when I first started but I looked for ways to improve. Same with life in the kitchen! It is really depressing when you present someon with a box of homemade cookies or invite them to dinner and their compliment is, "Well, it comes easy tfor you."
Feeding your children is like helping them with their lessons. You feed their mind through books and you have to feed their bodies in a nutrionally valid way in order for them to progress in their learning.
Just my feelings . . . If you get married, part of love, honor, and cherish includes a decent home and proper meals. When the children come, the love, honor, and cherish should spill over into their care, too.
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