From the Kitchen...

We enjoyed a turkey dinner for Easter this year.  It's not normally what we have on Easter, but we had a turkey, we didn't use at Christmas time, so decided it would be a good.

We had lots of salads and things that made it seem a bit more "springy"... BUT, I can't imagine having turkey without "stuffing" or "dressing".  

It is often at these times, that I miss being able to go to the grocery store and just get a bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix. :)  Since that isn't possible I drag out my old family cook book, and find my grandmother's recipe.  Once it's made and I taste it, I'm really thankful that I couldn't go and pick up a bag of stuffing mix!!

So in case you live where you can't grab a box or bag of stuffing mix in your grocery store, OR maybe you just want to try you hand at some "homemade", here's a recipe for you!

Ma Coleman's Thanksgiving Dressing

12 slices of white or whole wheat bread cubed and dried out
     (I use crustless bread, and toast it once I get it cut up)
1 recipe of Corn Bread for stuffing, (recipe to follow)
4 to 6 ribs of celery chopped, (about 2 cups)
1 large onion finely chopped, (about 1 cup)
1/2 Cup of fresh parsley or the equivalent of dried.
1 Tablespoon of poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 large eggs beaten
1/2 cup of butter melted
1/2 cup of warm water (can add chicken or turkey broth instead)

Sauté celery and onion in butter, until tender.  Mix everything together, and stuff bird, or spread in a covered casserole or form into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake casserole covered for 30 minutes at 325F.  Uncover and continue baking for 15 min.  If forming balls on a cookie sheet, bake for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Optional:  can add 1 pound of bulk sausage.  Brown it with the onions and celery and omit the butter.  I have also used bacon grease to sauté the veggies.

Cornbread for Stuffing

(this recipe came from a library book years ago)
1 Cup of cornmeal
1 Cup of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Cup of Buttermilk, (or plain yogurt, thinned with milk if very thick)
1 large egg
1/3 Cup of oil

Pre-heat oven to 425F.  Grease an 8 or 9 inch square pan.

Combine dry ingredientes.  Stir in buttermilk, egg and oil, just until mixed.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake about 20 min.  Cool and crumble for stuffing.

******************************************************
side note:  My grandmother did not buy or make bread specifically for her dressing.  I remember her having a big "roasting pan" on top of her fridge, and she would throw any "left over" bread... biscuits, cornbread, heels from a loaf of bread, in that pan, and it would dry out and that is what she used for her dressing.

From the Kitchen...

Here are 2 Family favorites for the Holidays

Peanut Butter Chocolate Easter Eggs

My mom got this recipe out of the Knoxville News-Sentinel when I was a very little girl.  She made them every Easter.  I started making them for my girls when they were little and there haven't been many years that we didn't make them for ourselves and to give away to all our friends.  The original recipe, had variations from coconut, and vanilla fondant, but the peanut butter were our favorites, so that is all we make anymore. :)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups of sweetened condensed milk
4 cups of powdered sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together peanut butter, vanilla and salt.  Stir in the sweetened condensed milk.

Gradually add sugar.  Blend well after each addition, until the mixture becomes very stiff.  Turn mixture from bowl onto a clean board, (I just use a large bowl, and do the next step in the bowl).  Carefully knead in remaining sugar.  Continue to knead until all the sugar has been incorporated.  The mixture should be smooth and not sticky.

Divide the mixture into 4 parts.   Roll each part into a log and cut into the desired number of pieces. (we have sometimes made larger eggs and put names on them)  With palms of hands, mold each piece into an egg shape.  Place egg-shapes on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.

Dip eggs in dipping chocolate.  Let chocolate coating harden before adding additional decorations.  Decorate with Butter Cream Frosting or your own ornamental frosting.

Texas Trash

This recipe came from Tony's Grandmother.  It is similar to "Chex Mix" but we think it's way better! :)

1 box of Cherrios
1 box  of rice Chex
1 box of corn Chex
1 box of Crispix
1 bag of pretzels
peanuts

Mix together in large roaster pans.

Then mix together,
1 pint of oil
1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon Savory salt

pour oil mixture over cereal and bake uncovered at least 1 1/2 hours at 200F to 250F, stirring every 30 minutes.

This makes A LOT!  So we usually half it.  Even halving it makes a couple large pans.  Also in Ecuador it's not always easy to find the right kind of cereal.  This year, we were able to find an off brand of  "Corn Chex" so we just used 2 boxes of that cereal, to make it.  Still tasted great!! Also sometimes play with the seasoning because again, here we don't have "Savory salt".

ENJOY and Happy Easter!!

Do you ever feel like your life is flying by?

I know that I haven't been very good about keeping this blog updated.  I have great ideas and plans for it, but it seems that there just isn't enough hours in the day.

Our summer break was very nice, but very busy!  We had the first 2 weeks for some "down time".... I really didn't accomplish a lot, but it was nice to just slow everything down and enjoy the lighter schedule.  Then the first of July we hosted a missions team from TN.   They were wonderful.  I will admit that having teams come to visit is both wonderful and challenging.   We love the fellowship and encouragement they give us yet at the same time it is very hectic and busy.

Right after the first group left, we had wonderful young man from another supporting church, come and visit for 2 weeks.  Andrew was great.  We tried to give him some ministry experiences and an opportunity to see some of the sights, but at the same time, he was very laid back, and willing to hang out with Teddy and play video games and that was good.  :)

We enjoyed a nice week, (Monday-Friday) at a beach house down the coast.  It was a little cane house, and the weather was much cooler than we anticipated, BUT, the scenery was beautiful and the change of pace wonderful.  There is just something about lying in a hammock with a good book, and listening to the ocean that chases away all the stress. :)

After our beach vacation, we enjoyed having my father-in-law come down for a visit.  The kids loved having time with Grandpa and it was just a great visit.

Tony, Teddy and Jonathan then went to youth camp for a week.  Teddy throughly enjoyed that.  I was so glad that he was able to get to do that.

We started school the last week in August.  WOW!  We had an extra long summer break, but it still seemed to just buzz by! ;)

School is out!!

Today was the first day of our Summer Break!!  For the most part it was a lazy day.  That's good.  We need "lazy days" every now and then. :)

I really need to sit down and figure out what it is I would like to accomplish during the next 2 months.  We have set the date to go back to school the end of August.   We usually start back earlier than that, but this summer, we have 3 weeks in July taken up with groups/visitors.  Also we have company coming in August for a week, and we don't want to be doing school then, plus Tony will be speaking at a youth camp the 3rd week in August... So all in all it just seems like a good idea, to put the start of school off until the last week in August. :)

That being said, my kids thrive on structure, so we are trying to keep some structure in our days without going over the top.   These first few days, though, we are going to enjoy not having school. We'll stay up a little later, and sleep in a little.  :)

So that's what's happening here... Nothing super exciting, but it's good to have a little down time, now and then. :)