Still trying....

Good Wednesday morning to you! 

I am still trying to think of myself as a person with a camera.:-)  Although I had the camera with me on Tuesday when I was at church with the adult day care, it just didn't occur to me to take it out and take that picture of the plate as served!  Thankfully, there were leftovers, and I recreated the plate when I arrived home.

Ready to eat!

Today's recipe is TEENY'S HEN AND DRESSING.  The recipe comes from the December 2007 issue of the magazine Cottage Living

1 (3-pound) hen or whole fryer chicken
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
8 cups Cornbread (recipe follows), crumbled
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 1 to 2 Tablespoons dried sage
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (I omitted these).
- Rinse hen under running water; remove giblets and place hen in a Dutch oven with enough water to cover.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.  Remove hen from pot, and keep liquid warm.  Pull meat from bone once hen cools, and discard carcass.  Tear meat into small pieces (about 3 cups).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Crumble Cornbread into a large bowl.  Add onion and celery, sage, remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper.  Bring reserved cooking liquid to a boil, and stir 4 cups into mixture, 1 cup at a time.  Dressing should be loose but not gummy.  Add more cooking liquid as needed.  Lightly stir in chicken and egg.
- Spoon dressing into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes or until heated through and slightly browned on top.  To make ahead, cover dressing and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking.
CORNBREAD
1 slice bacon
2 cups white self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place bacon in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place in hot oven 5 to 10 minutes or until fat is rendered.
- Mix cornmeal and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Remove skillet from oven, reserve bacon strip for another use, and stir 1 Tablespoon grease into cornmeal mixture.  Pour batter into hot skillet, and bake 20 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

Now, I made some adjustments to this recipe and directions when I was preparing this dish.  I purchased rotisserie chickens rather than cooking my own.  Also, I have made my own recipe for cornbread when I have prepared this for the family before.  I need to add as well that I didn't use bacon in the iron skillet, but substituted healthier canola oil.  I used organic, low-sodium chicken btoth.

The participants - and staff - at the adult day care were very appreciative of the lunch.  The next date for me to provide lunch is Tuesday, December 4. 

There are other recipes that I will be sharing.  Hopefully you will return!

Thank you for your visit.  I appreciate  your comments.

This is the day....

....for that lunch at the adult day care at our church!  I worked on Monday putting everything together.  It is ready to go!

On the menu this time:  Teeny's Hen and Dressing
                                       Sweet Potato Casserole
                                       Peas and Pearl Onions
                                       Cranberry Relish
                                       Pumpkin Cake

Earlier in October, I posted the recipe for the Pumpkin Cake, along with a picture, if I remember correctly.  I mentioned that it was going to the freezer and would be featured again as I finished it.

So - here it is!

Recipes for some of the other foods on the menu will be posted during this week, and a picture of the plate as served will be coming up on Wednesday!  Hopefully I will remember my camera!

This is also the day we, as citizens of the United States, may exercise our right to vote.  I hope you will find time in this day to vote - if you haven't already. 

Thank you for reading.  I appreciate  your comments.

It's a LEGO!

Happy Monday to everyone!  I hope you have had a good week-end. 

I believe I failed to mention earlier that Boy Munchkin's ninth birthday was on November 2.  That was last Friday, and we of course had to help him celebrate.   He had requested a LEGO party, so the pictures below illustrate some of the arrangements Munchomom made.

Giant LEGO cake!

Card and display.

Cute LEGO banner!

Munchomom used giant marshmallows which she frosted to create the effect on top of the cake.  Boy Munchkin had requested a blue LEGO cake, and that is what he had! 

The first sets of LEGOs feature the primary colors of blue, red, green, and yellow, and the cute little Lego people in the banner looked just like the ones in the play sets!  Of course, now Boy Munchkin has "graduated" to those sets that have a jillion tiny pieces.  He received a few gifts that should keep him busy quite sometime with assembly.

The Husband helped by inflating balloons and hanging crepe paper streamers.  I wanted to show a picture, but couldn't find the right angle to show off his handiwork.:-)  I "helped" by counting the Legos in the jar for the guessing game! 

Do you see the jar on the table?

There were 216 LEGO pieces in that jar!  The goldfish crackers were multi-colored, and the M&Ms were brightly colored, carrying out the primary colors of LEGOs.

I send wishes for a good Monday to everyone!  Mine will be busy as I will be assembling the lunch for the adult day care at our church.  I provide lunch for 20 on the first Tuesday of the month.  That will be the subject of the next post - hopefully!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

Words of wisdom....

                       A smile costs nothing but gives much.

                                  It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.

                       It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes last forever.

                                                                                      - Source Unknown

May this be a day filled with smiles for you!

I extend a welcome to the new follower! 

Thank you for reading.  I appreciate your comments. 

Let them eat pie!

In the fall in several locations around our area, there are gatherings for "old-fashioned apple butter making."  One of the activities of the youth from our church on their fall retreat involves making apple butter to sell to earn money for youth missions.  We think apple butter is best atop a good biscuit.:-)

Cooking.com, however, has paired apple butter with that other fall favorite - pumpkin - and come up with an Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie.  There may be those of you who receive these recipes regularly, so you may have noticed it during October.

The "after" picture.

The copy, as I printed it off, indicates a source to be Cooking at a Glance - Pies & Pumpkins, and as I mentioned earlier, Cooking.com reprinted it by permission of Weldon Owen.

APPLE BUTTER-PUMPKIN PIE
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup apple butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs
One 5-ounce can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
1/2 cup milk
Pastry for Single-Crust or Double-Crust Pie
Whipped cream (optional)

- In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin, apple butter, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.  Add eggs;  beat lightly with a rotary beater or wire whisk till combined.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk and milk; mix well.

Prepare and roll out pastry as directed.  Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 45-50 minutes, or till a knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 1 hour.  Chill 3-6 hours before serving.  Store in the refrigerator.  If desired, store with whipped cream.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who are recovering  from the effects of Sandy.

Wishes for a good week-end to everyone!

Thank you for reading.  I appreciate your comments.

On the table....

I see many blogs with really lovely table settings!  My table settings seem to be less elaborate than some. 

For the season.

I purchased the Vineyard china (Noritake) before we married, so most of the pieces have been around at least 44 years!  I like them especially in the fall, and I set the table with them in September.

Please keep me away from Williams-Sonoma!  The little pumpkin soup servers were on display in the store in the local mall several  years ago, and I just couldn't resist!  Their employees certainly know how to arrange merchandise to tempt shoppers!:-) 

The tablecloth was a surprise gift from The Husband last year!  It is the perfect size for the dining room table!  The stainless flatware is Chateau by Oneida.  I leave pumpkin decor out until after Thanksgiving.  Foods with pumpkin are always popular around here, too!

Still working on that menu!  More to come later!

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

More favorite books....

I have always loved books, and one of my favorite things to do was to introduce my students to new ones.  These are books that I really enjoyed during this time of year - or any time during the year!

Bill Martin, Jr., now deceased, wrote some wonderful books for children.  I was thrilled one year when he made a visit to a local bookstore. 

An autograph is there!

It was a particular pleasure to be able to have him autograph my books! 

Easier to see.

These books would be excellent gifts for children, in case you need an idea or two.:-)

Guess what!  It is time for that lunch at the adult day care center at our church!  I need to work on the menu.  That means a recipe or two.:-)

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.