It's Kansas Day!

I've probably been in the state of Kansas on three different days in my life. However, I have several wonderful friends; Angela, Ashlee, Jeana, Joy, Peninnah each a native Kansan and a great ambassador of their home state. Each year on January 29, Kansans celebrate the day they were admitted to the Union in 1861. (If you are doing the math, you realize that the US has been blessed with Kansas as a part of the country for 150 years now!) So, just how does Kansas celebrate their day? Well, I've heard there are special t-shirts and a commemorative stamp for today, but I don't have any plane tickets to make the celebrations, so I decided to share some of the goodness of the Sunflower State by making special treats from a recipe I found on the internet for the class I am adjunct teaching called Sunbutter Scothaceroos.

I liked that the recipe involved Sunflower Seed Butter, a food product that has become a favorite of mine in recent years. Without a doubt, I prefer it over peanut butter. The recipe also called for chocolate and I was able to incorporate my commitments to support fair trade chocolate growers who practice sustainable farming methods and therefore fits into the theme of Environmental Science which is the course I am teaching at Somerset. (Some time next month, I hope to blog more about fair trade farming and my commitments to specific chocolate products.)

Bring 1 C corn syrup and 1 C sugar to just a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 C sunflower butter till smooth and then add 6 C rice crispy treats. Press the mixture into a greased 9x11 pan and let cool.

Empty the bag of butterscotch morsels into a microwave proof bowl.

I melt mine in 1 minute intervals on 80%

Stir it till smooth

I added a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder

And suspected that it was a little thick to spread evenly, so I hedged bets and added a little bit of Crisco and heated it again, this time for 20 seconds on 80%.

Good call

It spread very nicely on the rice crispy surface

If I could make this a scratch and sniff photo, you'd be running to the store for your ingredients!

I let them sit on the counter overnight and got up this morning to cut and wrap them in wax paper for class this afternoon. I made one fatal error: instead of cutting them into 24 bars in the pan, I cut 18! My class has 20 enrolled students and I know one person will be missing today due to a funeral. Either two students will earn gold stars for sharing or I'll find out I have a diabetic who will pass on the snack I've prepared or I'll have another student who won't be able to make class for some reason or another and things will work out perfectly! Regardless, I managed to cut off a sliver and sample - I think I better leave now for class and buy a couple gallons of milk!

A sick girl's best friends....

They've pretty much been my companions since the late hours of Sunday. Nothing else has gotten along with me in the meantime. Glad I am the last family member hosting this vicious virus and here's hoping we see nothing more of it as I begin to feel more like myself again.

In Royal Company

This evening I enjoyed the lovely company of my brother's mother-in-law for dinner and a movie. First we had dinner at the Edison Diner where she feasted on a chicken salad sandwich with chips and I had a gyro with fries followed by our own piece of cheesecake for desert. Then we went to see Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech". We are both huge fans of British television, films and Masterpiece Theater, so we weren't missing out on one of the finest British ensemble casts in a riveting story about King George VI during a pivotal moment in England's history. We weren't disappointed in a single thing! Everything from the chicken noodle soup at the diner to the closing credits in the theater was wonderful. And we both said we enjoyed the company. But it is possible we both might have been referring to Colin Firth......

Soup's On!

Tomorrow night is the last night for the Advent Hymn study and I need to get a pot of soup ready. I am planning my favorite bean and sausage soup. Earlier in the day I soaked a bag of navy beans in boiling water for 5 minutes and then let them cool to room temperature. This evening I transferred them to a crock pot with a large box of chicken soup stock. And I added a bunch of carrots slices.

Then I added a minced onion, 2 cloves of garlic and a healthy amount of kielbasa till I decided I had enough that could feed 8-10 people for class tomorrow night. At that point it looked like I needed more stock.

So I added another box.

A few sprinkles of oregano and a dash of basil before stirring, putting the lid on the crock pot and setting the whole operation into cook down mode on the lowest setting overnight. Tomorrow I'll puree a 2 cups of the chunky stuff and stir it back into the soup. A loaf of pumpernickel bread from the local bakery and things should be ready for a hearty meal to feed the body while we examine "Hark the Herald Angel Sings" to feed our spirit and soul.

Tis the Season

for eggnog ice cream! The only way it could be better than this is to live in Ohio and have Graeter's egg nog ice cream freshly churned in the french pot paddle cream process done 2 gallons at a time. But that option is not feasible right now (and if you know anything about current events in Kentucky, you know that Graeter's ice cream parlors closed statewide about two weeks ago). I've never been forced to ship Graeter's to my locale here on the East Coast - I prefer to go to a parlor with friends when I visit the western edge of the time zone. So, when in Jersey in the month of December, I am happy with the option Turkey Hill provides. It's creamy and tastes better than the liquid variety - homemade or even some commercial varieties available in the diary section. It's not Graeter's - but then, nothing else really is.

Last minute thought

Squash casserole made from the summer garden and frozen in blocks is what goes with dinner tonight. Trust me, it tastes a lot better than it looks. Otherwise, we wouldn't spend hours in the summer making what takes minutes to take out freezer to defrost and then heat up in the microwave or the oven when the garden can't produce. It's the best side dish we have all winter long - unfortunately when it is a last minute thought it just doesn't look its best.

TGIF!

It's Friday night and I got to go to dinner with three of my favorite people in all the world! It's a near perfect ending to a very long week in front of a computer screen. The evening promises to only get better when my sister-in-law and I inaugurate the Christmas movie viewing season watching the only version of "A Christmas Carol" I ever watched in its entirety. Lorraine hasn't ever seen a version she didn't like, though her preferential favorite is the 1951 version with Alastair Sim. She's put up with having to watch her favorite Christmas ghost story on her own since she married my brother - because he's as big a fan of Charles Dickens as I am. And if you read my post yesterday, you already know how I feel about that author. But, last year, things changed, when in a moment of weakness, I agreed to go see the Disney animated version with Jim Carrey and I actually enjoyed the whole production. So, this year, she purchased it on DVD and we are going to enjoy watching it this evening - maybe we'll manage to get my brother to watch us with it too.....

Last of the leftovers

This is it. No more stuffing, cream sauce, cauliflowers or onions.

Down to the last scoop of sweet potatoes, turnip, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy. But there might be one or two more turkey samwiches for lunch in my future.

Looking to fill your pie hole?

We have a few choices for you...pumpkin, pecan, mince and apple.
I think the pumpkin has my number.

Taking a breather

Pumpkin, mincemeat and apple pies made. Preparing dinner for 14 people. Two last minute trips to the grocery store. One done by me, other done by Dad. Mom is sick in bed with a bad cold and horrible cough. Table set. Silver polished. Serving dishes and serving utensils prepped. Cider purchased and iced. Stuffing ingredients ready to rock and roll in the morning. Busy day. All the more reason to take a moment and find a quiet moment to say "Thank you, God, for the incredible world you've created. How blessed we are, indeed."

Making Spaetzle

It's Sunday. The weather is chilly. Glad we planned spaetzle to go with dinner tonight. If you have any knowledge of German food, you know what this means. For the rest of you - it's a fresh German pasta dish that is made minutes before dinner. It is a little labor intensive, but with planning and foresight, I managed to get all the steps recorded and explained.

Beat eggs and milk till frothy

Stir in sifted flour mixture a bit at a time

When all flour has been mixed in, it will resemble thick gooey paste.

Having a spaetzle maker helps the process along. If not, you better have a good German Tante or Oma visiting (that's German for Aunt or Grandmother). And since both my Aunt Carlyn and Karin's (a childhood friend) Omi couldn't be here - I am glad to have this tool!

Water needs to be at a high boil

Dough in the basket

Bits of dumplings fall through the spaetzle holes as basket moves back and forth.
(I removed my hand from the basket to take this picture - the process is NOT automatic!)

Boil for 2-3 minutes

Retrieve with strainer and set in colander

Towards end of batter, heat butter in frying pan

Heat up in pan one last time before serving

Goes great with last night's roasted squash casserole, and braised bratwursts and sausages.

Recipe makes for 6-8...but we've cut the recipe down by thirds. Those reductions are in parenthesis.

3 (1,2) eggs
3 (1,2) C flour
1 (1/3, 2/3) C milk
1/4 t nutmeg (few scant shakes)

Beat eggs till foamy and combine with milk. Mix together dry ingredients. Add to eggs and milk a little at a time until stiff and elastic. Fill basket with dough and place over boiling water. As basket slides back and forth, tiny dumplings or noodles will drop into boiling water. Let cook 2-3 minutes. Use large slotted spoon to remove from water and place in large covered bowl. Repeat process till all dough is used up. If spaetzle has become cool, place in microwave for a bit or heat in pan. Lightly butter and salt to taste and serve in place of noodles, rice or potatoes.

Quick and tasty rice and beans

I know I should have used dried beans and rehydrate them, but I really wasn't up for an all afternoon affair in the kitchen. So, with a little garlic, onion and half a jalapeno pepper sauteed in olive oil and simmering in chicken stock, I warmed up the beans.

Add rice (I use a Texamati blend) with a little more olive oil and the rest of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly (I forgot to take that picture) reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir after most of liquid has been absorbed and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. A little cheese and its a complete meal in itself. Yum.

The blame game begins

This morning I made my mother a plum cake she enjoys this time of year. Since it was made for her, she appropriately cut her self a piece after lunch (rather tiny I might add). Soon afterward, Dad cut himself a piece, slightly bigger, and instigated the "blame game". The blame game here at the Homestead goes like this: different people cut themselves successive slivers of cake until there is little choice but to cut off a piece and "finish the row". Then the next person who goes to cut a piece of cake complains that a whole row is gone and the rest of the people say "Well, I didn't have any!" or "I just had a small piece!" when in fact we all know that everyone's been nibbling on the cake throughout the afternoon.

If you want to make your own plum cake - it isn't hard, you just need those about a dozen of those little Italian plums that are in season this time of year:

Plum Cake

1 stick of butter (slightly softened)
1 C of sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 C flour
plums - pitted and cut into slices
1 tsp. cinnamon


Cream butter and 1/2 C sugar, reserving other 1/2 C of sugar for topping. Beat in eggs till fluffy . Add flour and blend well. Pour batter into small greased pan. Top with plum pieces skin side down sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake in hot oven at 400 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.
If your household can resist not eating it before hand, serve with cold heavy cream.

mmmm Chinese take out

A girl's gotta eat when the day gets busy and she teaches an evening class. Good thing there's a Chinese take out place close to campus. There will even be enough to have for a snack after class.

Sweets and Eats

I went to dinner this evening with Grandma and Aunt Nancy. True to form, Grandma ordered a root beer float when the waitress took drink orders - and she was very happy with it as an appetizer, a side dish with her shrimp and fries, and even as a desert.....

right down to the very last sip!

After dropping them back home to the Farm, as I drove down the lane, a very obstinate bunny sat in the gravel. She wouldn't move for love nor money. So I got out out of the car and photographed her. When I tried getting more of a profile shot, she finally hopped off into the fields to join her friends.

Several bunnies were getting their greens.

This rabbit enjoyed the front meadow that had just been cut

while the bunny in the drive took refuge in a pathway that had not seen a mower in awhile.

For many years, Grandma and Grandpop trained beagle dogs for field trials, so having bunnies on the Farm was very important. Whenever you drove down the lane and walked into the house, one of the first questions Grandpop would have asked was "How many rabbits did you see?" He never saw a rabbit he didn't like, and he especially loved the chocolate variety that arrived at Easter time. Funny thing is, he didn't share them with the beagles he kenneled and trained. He also would have been very proud of Grandma's selection of dinner beverage - the two of them enjoyed going to Sweets and Eats to enjoy a rootbeer float.