Week 89, 9-3-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: From A Bride's Cook Book published in 1909.

A FEW HINTS ON HOW TO START YOUR DAY

A lady's taste and nicety are very perceptible at the breakfast table. She should never allow a soiled tablecloth to appear on it. The linen should be fresh and snowy white, the tea, coffee, or cocoa, nicely made, and, if possible, fresh flowers and fruit should adorn the table. A nicely laid, pretty appetizing breakfast is a great promoter of good temper and harmony through the ensuing day. A soiled tablecloth, tough, cold toast, weak tea, bitter coffee, etc., are enough to derange both the temper and digestion of those who have to submit to such domestic inflictions. Let our homes be bright, sunny, and charming; and that such may be the case, open the day with a cheery and well arranged breakfast table.

You can view the book HERE. You'll find a recipe for Pan Doodles on page 14 and Boiled Bullock's Head on page 42.

Tip: I had some strawberry Jello powder left over from making a fresh strawberry pie. On a whim, I stirred some into my morning oatmeal, added some fruit salad, and yummy! dessert for breakfast. Bet you could get your kids or grandkids to eat their hot cereal this way. You could probably use it in Cream of Wheat or Cream of Rice also. I probably ate mine in front of the TV. Wonder what the 1909 bride would think of that?

Taking Care of Our Health: Speaking of salad, this week I had fruit salad

Tuna salad

Tossed salad

And Taco salad

Of course living alone, I ate each type more than once. Taco salad gets a litte boring the third time. And I started out my National Days on Monday by cheating. Here are my cherry turnovers.

I was introduced to Little Debbie years ago when I went to give blood. They always gave me juice and crackers or cookies after, and one day they gave me a little package with a sandwich cookie made with two oatmeal cookies and vanilla frosting. It was really good, so I asked what it was - Little Debbie. Her products always come individually wrapped, and they usually cost about 10% less than the price on the box. I'd seen the boxes in the market and assumed they would be all sugar and nothing else, but I've been pleasantly surprised with the product. You might give her a try if you haven't already. (Not on our eat right list).

And that's as far as I got on the National Days list. Do good intentions count?

The Pepper and Pals report: Midnight - Pepper's sister - has returned. I haven't seen her for weeks, but now she's back every day. I don't know why I was being boycotted, but I guess I've been forgiven.

She's the mother of BJ, who is the mother of the two white kittens. BJ and babies aren't coming for breakfast now, but show up regularly for dinner. When the sun is setting and the outdoor patio is getting shady, they jump up on the ledge around the indoor patio to catch the last rays - mama on one side and babies on the other.

Tardiness is inexcusable: I forgot about Labor Day and no mail that day, so just in case your card is late, Barbara, here it is.

Barbara has always been a fashionista, always impeccably dressed, and she collects paperdolls. I had no idea it was so popular. They even have paperdoll conventions. We met in grade school and she made the most wonderful clothes for her paperdolls. She showed me how to trace around the doll to get the shape for the clothes. Of course, I always copied hers. She made glamorous long-sleeved evening gowns, and the sleeves had cut-outs between the wrist and the elbow, so skin would show through. Very risque. Happy Birthday, Barbara. You wear them well.

Talented Youngsters: Every year, the Greene County Library has a bookmark contest for the younger set. The results are published in the library newletter Bookends. I'm amazed at the talent of our kids.

Thrifting: I found these cups and saucers on Craigslist, but they were in a flea market. As I told you, I've already started collecting items for the teas when we get our new library in Nixa. I paid $5 for eight sets. I hope I can find matching dessert plates - I know I've seen them in thrift stores. If not, I have the four white and black plates I showed you earlier, and I'm sure I can find something to work with the other four sets.

And this cute little Eiffel Tower for $1. Wish I'd found it before I did the Paris Couture tablescape. It's a salt shaker with no mate, but who will know? There's just a single hole in the top.

Taking Care of Our Health: Daily - eat apples in some form, a salad of your choice, and a food high in Magnesium (see Week 87 for the list). Now let's add a yellow or orange fruit or vegetable each day; cooked, raw, or juice. Some examples, carrots, bananas, oranges, yellow squash, peaches, mangoes, papayas, orange peppers, lemons, nectarines, yellow apples, pears, grapefruit, tangerines, sweet potatoes, pineapple, apricots, kumquats. Corn is actually a grain, but some use it as a vegetable, so we'll call it legal. Hey! It's our eating plan - we can do what we want.

Tasting: I went to Joey's today for a cookout. Her son-in-law cooked the hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and we had vanilla ice cream with apple compote and caramel sauce with coconut cookies for dessert. A feast, for sure.

The Nathan's weiners on the hot dogs they sell at Sam's are now available for take home. Best hot dog I've ever eaten. This is my plate, with a little sweet potato patty Terri brought. Do you think the lettuce leaf, tomato slice, and chopped red onion on my hot dog qualify as a salad for today? No? Really?! Guess I'll have a little salad for a midnight snack with a glass of apple juice. Then I'll have a perfect eating score this week.

The dining area overlooks the deck, and Robert keeps the flowers looking as if  a crew of gardeners just left. A wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Time for Others: Joey is already up to her elbows in Halloween cardmaking. She is so creative, and so precise. Each one is a masterpiece.

This one is like a window with shutters. You remove the band.

And the sides open out.

And these cards are called "swing" cards.

They're cut so that the card can swing open.

Theme Dining: A fall dinner called "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". When I made this dinner in the past, my camera was broken, and Brother Bill's phone just didn't do the trick. He has the California Raisins packed away, so I did a more glamorous table this time.

Out with the old (you can scarcely see the CA Raisins around the centerpiece)

And in with the new

The clear glass dishes on the old table have grapes on them; the clear glass dishes on the new table have grapes on them; I have clear glass snack sets with grapes on them. I just can't get enough grapes.

The Invitation

The Table

And I found this pitcher just a couple of weeks ago at Goodwill for $3.

The Menu

The Food

The Recipes

RAISIN SAUCE

(Southern Living’s Creole Cookbook)

This recipe was submitted by Deanna Brosten, McFarland, California, which proves that people all over the country love Southern Living, but how this qualifies as Creole cooking is a mystery to me. 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

2 Tbs cornstarch

1-1/2 tsps salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Dash of mace (note)

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cinnamon

1 tsp grated lemon rind (note)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup raisins

1-1/2 cups water

Mix the first eight ingredients in a saucepan.  Add the lemon zest, raisins, vinegar and water and cook to syrup stage.  Serve hot. 

I made this to go with ham, but I’m a purist when it comes to meat.  However, I think it would be fun to put it over poached pears or baked acorn squash.  Best raisin sauce recipe I’ve found.  Good old SL.

Note 1:  I don’t care for mace and omitted it.

Note 2:  I misread the recipe, which called for 1/4 tsp lemon zest, and put in one teaspoon and loved it.

GRAPENUTS BREAD

1 cup sour milk (see note)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup Grapenuts

1 egg

3/4 cup sugar

1-3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix with a spoon or whisk, the sour milk, baking soda, and Grapenuts. Let stand 10 minutes to 1 hour.

Add remaining ingredients and mix with whisk or spoon.

Pour into loaf pan and bake 45 minutes.

Wonderful warm with butter.

Note: To make sour milk, put 1 Tbs lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup. Add milk to make one cup. Let stand 5 minutes.

RAISIN-NUT SPICE CAKE

3/4 cup shortening

1-1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

2-3/4 cups sifted flour

1-1/2 tsps baking soda

1-1/2 tsps cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup chopped raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbs additional flour

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour a 13” X 9” baking dish.

Cream together the shortening and the brown and white sugars.

Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

Add these dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk to the shortening mixture.

Mix the raisins, pecans and 2 Tbs flour and fold into the cake batter.

Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool and then frost or dust with powdered sugar.

I used Caramel Pudding Frosting, which I found to be quite good; however, it's a new instand pudding flavor from Jello, and who knows if it will last.

Party Favors (Chocolate-covered Raisins)

Back to Tablescapes next week.

HAPPY LABOR DAY

MAKE A WISH ON THE FULL CORN MOON ON SEPTEMBER 6

SPLURGE ON AN EXPENSIVE DINNER AT A RESTAURANT WHERE YOU'D BE UNCOMFORTABLE IN A T-SHIRT

PLAN A COOK-OUT, FALL IS COMING

BUY YOUR PET A NEW TOY

EAT ONLY WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE