Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Breakfast Ring

"Get them up and out of bed, Breakfast Ring"
Continuing on from my Grandma's Quick Bread recipe, I have come up with this tasty Breakfast Ring that takes less than 30 minutes to make!!!
I enjoyed my Grandma's Quick bread starter mix in my fridge. I was looking for something for dinner and really wasn't in the mood for cooking. The biggest problem was I hadn't been to the store for a while so cleaning the corners of the cabinets was the ingredient list for the meal.
I had eggs, some bacon, and a few potatoes. We all know that breakfast for dinner as some of our favorite meals!                                                                         
I started frying up my bacon.
I made one batch of Quick bread. Baked it in a ring shaped baking pan.                  
Beat together 6 eggs with salt and pepper and garlic seasoning 2T milk. Grease glass baking dish and add eggs. Put it in the oven with the bread to bake. set timer for 8 minutes.
Take bacon out of frying pan and drain. 
Chop up medium onion and sweat them in the frying pan in the bacon renderings.
Grate 4 Golden potatoes with skins left on. Put in the frying pan with onion.
Cover and let cook.
Check on bread and stir eggs in oven. Set timer for 6-8 more minutes.
Stir potatoes often too. I like mine a little like mush instead of fried crisp.
When bread starts to turn golden brown, take out of oven and let cool.
Eggs should be done as well. Take them out and fluff with a fork.
Place the bread ring on a large plate, add hash-browns in the middle well creating a well for the eggs.
Add eggs to the very middle and sprinkle with chopped bacon and shredded cheddar cheese over the whole thing. Add parsley to the top for color. 
I serve with options for my family to add either syrup or Salsa. So far, Syrup is what they chose to pour over their serving. I cut the ring up like a pie. 
What a way to start a morning! Like I said, we had it for dinner and that was very nice too! ENJOY!!!
Thank you Grandma! 

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Sweet Breads of Yester-Years!

Remember the days of Yeast?
As a young girl, I remember my mother having a Yellow colored large bowl with white floral prints marked on the sides neatly placed in the corner of our warm country kitchen. On top of the bowl rested a soft linen towel protecting the ever so temperamental batch of yeast. I was always intrigued with the smell of yeast throughout the house. I would make sure to stick around the kitchen checking on the bowl of yeast for that chance of getting to punch it down. My mother never had to watch it when I was around because I kept her up to date with the transformation of the dough.  

My mother took great pride in her rolls and cinnamon rolls. It was the most requested baked good by all family members and friends. Boy, did our house smell great for at least two days as she worked feverishly on those incredible rolls covered in a maple icing that would knock your socks off! 

I was on cloud nine when I finally was able to help her punch down the dough and prepare the fillings for the cinnamon rolls. I loved it! I was in charge of spreading the softened butter on the rolled out dough. I now understand why she handed me that job....softened butter on hands keeps little ones very busy. :)

 My Grandma Adams might have a lot of yeast bread recipes, but my mother was always in charge of the bread around my Grandma. How incredible to know going through all of these recipes of yeast breads, that my grandma preferred my mother's yeast breads the best.

I watched my mother's every move when she made those rolls. As, I grew older, I wanted to be more involved in making my mother's cinnamon rolls. She was happy with that until I wanted to change the filling up a bit. I was never good at following directions or orders from someone else. I loved being creative with food and always making a change and be adventurous with dishes.

Still, to this day, I cannot make my mother's cinnamon rolls or dinner rolls. Anytime I call her and complain about my failed attempts, she would simply state "Honey, the yeast must have been bad".

Now that I am a little wiser in the kitchen, I understand my mother keeping herself from being a "know it all" with me as I tried like the dickens to copy her rolls. Life lesson learned....'with my own daughter, try real hard to never say, "I told you so" and allow her to find things out on her own. Allow her to find her own greatness!'

 Which brings me to the saying typed on the top of the page on the right side of the book. It states :
"Love comes quietly...but you know when it is there, because suddenly...you are not alone anymore...and there is no sadness inside you."

I am not for sure who the audience was for this quote, but it seems so fitting to me about my Grandmas and my mother. 

Right underneath of this is written:
  On one of his recent broadcasts, news commentator Paul Harvey shared his favorite quotation: "If you don't live it, you don't believe it"
If there were any doubts how I truly believe that my grandmas and mother can get me grounded and centered in life...I hope it has started to make sense to you all now.
   

Next Blog Post.....

 I will be taking you all through the little booklet called Betty Crocker's Holiday Heritage from General Mills copyright in 1966. 

 In the meantime, I will leave you with the two quotes posted on the far left of the book....

"No one Stands so tall as when he stoops to give someone less fortunate a lift"

MOTHER IN LOVE
How harsh a word-mother-in-law
 For one whose heart and arms stretch wide
To welcome to her family
The new and inexperienced bride.

Mother-in -love rings far more true,
Red roses more appropriate
Than cold and legal phrase for one
With a heart so tender, Love so great.
                                        Alice MacKenzie Swaim.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bless Us this Day....Our Daily Bread....

 Three Generation Photo               

 This is a photo of my Grandma Adams holding me as a little girl, my mother sitting next to us with my sister, Sandy, next to my mom.
I treasure the photos I have of my family. Especially the older photos that allow me to reminisce about the "good 'ol days" with loved ones that have since passed.
Look how my Grandma has her arms fully embracing me. I can still feel her arms wrapping around me at certain times in my life. She always knew when I need her hugs!


I have found that you can click on the photos to enlarge to read what is said on the pages. WHEW!

You may notice there are a couple of "Bulletin" written on pages. This is my mother noting when she shared a certain section of this book with her church in the Sunday's Bulletin and on what date. I wonder if my Grandma ever knew the extent she would reach people even after she had left this earth?

I made the recipe of the Bread That Bake in a Hurry. The photo of the muffin is in the first picture. Very good recipe I may say. That recipe includes a starter kit that can keep in your fridge and makes making muffins very easy. You can use any extras to the muffins to create any taste you prefer. For an example, blueberries, bananas, chocolate chips, apples...the options are endless. You could also add a bit more milk or change the milk to Buttermilk and make pancakes. I know, RIGHT!!! Super simple! Let me know what you come up with.

The "In The Eyes Of A Child" is a great little Christmas Poem. I do hope you all are able to read it! If you all want me to type certain things out, let me know.


 Notice the "French Pastels" paper. I told you my Grandma loved to type at work and whatever scrap piece of paper that was being trashed, she used to type special notes on. She always said, "Use what you have and you will never be poor". I love the mark of time with her reuse of paper.

I really enjoyed the article that is posted throughout the next few pages. I am not for sure of the importance of this lady to my Grandma, but I love documentation of M. H. Roberts research on Homemade Starters. I am unsure of the year of the article as well. I just wish you all could smell and feel the pages as i flip through them.They complete the experience of embracing this book.

If anyone tries the recipes on these pages, please let me know how they turn out and your views on them.

I hope you have enjoyed these couple of pages.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Remember TANG and little jelly jar drink cups?

TANG!
Before I post the next page of my Grandma's recipe book, I had to share a memory of mine with her. The next page of her recipe book is a quick bread muffin mix. This recipe reminded me of breakfast at Grandmas! She was an avid Tang drinker. Every time we would go to visit Grandma Adams, there would be a picture of Tang on the breakfast table every morning. And right beside this Tang Picture would be those little jelly jars she would use as drinking cups. I remember clearly the controversy between my mother and Grandma Adams about giving us children a high sugar drink for breakfast. Grandma's answer was always "If it was good enough to go to the moon Ann, it is good enough for your kids" 
Us grand-kids LOVED our Grandma Adams! We would even sneak into the kitchen and do shots of Tang powder throughout the day just to keep up with the sugar high Grandma started us off strong with at breakfast! Remember that little plastic scoop that came inside the canister? It never failed by 2pm all of us would be snuggled up somewhere in grandma's house napping away. She knew what she was doing all along I do believe! She just didn't want to share her plan in fear that it somehow would backfire on her. My mother loved our visits to Grandma's house!   

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The start of a new adventure

My Grandma Adams
This is the original recipe book of my Grandma Adams. Grandma Adams is my mother's mother. She used to work in a library and loved using the typewriter as much as she could to type her items for her recipe book.
I recently took both of these books to Savannah and Paula Deen (Momma P) signed them for me. What a treasured memory. You guessed it...I bawled like a baby calf being weaned from her mother, as I stood and watch her fold her hands over my Grandmothers' cookbooks as if to absorb the love that flows from the fragile pages that were bound by a fragile binder.
This recipe book has all the stains from the dishes she had prepared and all the smells of the beloved "old". This book would never be replaced, but has been made to share among all that value the love from Grandma and her kitchen!


(Saying typed up on the front of the book)
"This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it ---or use it for good, but what I do today
is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving
in its place something that I traded for it.
I want it to be gain and not loss; good, and not evil;
success and not failure; in order what I shall not regret
 the price that I have paid for it."

I found this piece of paper floating inside of this recipe book and decided it should be on the very front.


First look inside my Grandma's second in command bible...

As you can see there as a lot that is packed into this book. Everything that is written in this book will be in red so it will be easier to understand what is being read.
--From left side of book, starting from top going to bottom--
EQUIVALENTS:
Dash or Speck...................Less than 1/8 tsp
3tsp.....................1 T.
4T....................1/4c.
5 1/3T.......................1/3c
8T...................................1/2c
10 2/3 T..........................................2/3c
12T...................................3/4c
16T.................................1c
2c...................................1 pint
4c............................1 quart
4 quarts.........................1 gallon
16oz. (dry measure)............................1 pound

Contents of Cans
Size                                       Average Contents
No. 1 1/2 flat........................1 cup
8oz.......................................1 cup
Picnic...................................1 1/4 cups
No. 300...............................1 3/4 cups
No. 1 tall..............................2 cups (1pint)
No. 303...............................2 cups (1 pint)
No. 2...................................2 1/2 cups
No. 2 1/2.............................3 1/2 cups
No. 3 cylinder......................5 3/4 cups
No. 10.................................12 cups (3 quarts)

THIS YEAR'S CREED:
I will talk health instead of sickness.
I will talk prosperity instead of failure.
I will carry Good News instead of bad news.
I will tell the cheerful tale instead of the sad
          tale.
I will mention my blessings instead of my burdens.
I will speak of the sunshine of yesterday and to-
         morrow instead of the clouds of today.
I will encourage instead of criticise.
I will be a friend to everyone.

Minimum Legal weight Per Dozen-- 
Large................24 ounces per dozen                         
 Medium............21 ounces per dozen                            
Small................18 ounces per dozen                            
 Once a little girl wrote:   
"Whenever I see a church 
   I stop to pay a visit. 
So when I am called up there                                                                                                                     The Lord won't say, "Who is it?"


Substituting Various Sizes of Eggs--
                                                  Small     Medium     Large
Number of whole eggs to fill a cup                          6             5            4
Number of egg whites to fill a cup                           9             8            7
Number of egg yolks to fill a cup                            19           17          14

The next page on the right of book:
 Live As You Pray:
I knelt to pray when day was done,
And Prayed, "O Lord bless every one:
Lift from each saddened heart the pain,
And let the sick be well again."
And then I woke another day
And carelessly went on my way.
The whole day long O did not try
To wipe a tear from any eye;
I did not try to share the load
Of any brother on my road;
I did not even go to see
The sick man just next door to me.
Yet once again when the day was done
I prayed, "O Lord bless every one."
But, as I prayed, into my ear
There came a voice that whispered clear,
"Pause, Hypocrite, before you pray:
Who have you tried to bless today?
God's sweetest blessing always go
By hands that serve Him here below."
And then I hid my face, and cried;
"forgive me, God, for I have lied;
Let me but see another day
And I will live the way I pray."






Saturday, July 9, 2011

Where it all began....

This is where it all begins....my grandma Keffer's kitchen. This is a three generation picture and on the far right is my grandma Keffer. Next to her is her mother and next to her mother is her daughter, Aunt Doris.
My grandma Keffer LOVED to make wedding cakes in her little kitchen in Ohio. People would travel all over Ohio to hope to have her make their wedding cake.
 We would not be able to travel to Ohio to visit grandma very often since we lived in Kansas or Texas and the drive with five children was quite the adventure. We always had to train like you would for a marathon before going to visit my grandma Keffer. She loved to cook for family and listen to them "ooh and awwe" over her cooking. If you did not have at least three helpings of her food she would have a fit! I am not talking about a simple "Hmmm" comment. I am talking a full blown drop the platter of food on the table, put one hand on her hip and the other hand with the little chubby finger pointed right your way saying "You don't like my cooking do you?" Four hours would pass and your craving for a snack would set in and if you think for one minute that she would just graciously offer something for you to eat....you had another thing coming! That kink in her heart that you made during dinner was still ever so fresh in her mind. "If you would have eaten more of my food at dinner, you wouldn't want a snack right now" I can very clearly recall her saying to me. Though it was a sad feeling at the time for a 12 year old little girl, I treasure her words more so today than I would have ever thought. 
My grandma has since passed and she has taken up residency in my heart and soul. What comfort! I have always been afraid to decorate a cake for fear of crumbling the cake as I did a simple coat of icing. I have always seen how prefect all these cakes were iced and defeated myself without even trying by saying "I could never do something like that" Well, I finally gained some "balls" and decided to just do it! With a lot of encouragement from my patient mother, I went above and beyond what I ever thought I could ever do! My love for cake decorating took off like a malfunctioning firework, flying out of control and not knowing what the outcome was going to be. 

 This is the third cake I have ever made and decorated. See....who knew right? I made this for my son and his other five senior friends at senior night. My son was the only senior that ran cross country so I sculpted a running shoe just like his. I represented not only the sports, but the pep band that made all the home games so much fun! One of the senior boys was an amazing drummer.
Personalizing cakes for people is very enjoyable for me. I love to see the reaction on their face as they see their own edible piece of art laid out before them. I always knew I loved to play with my food!

Hello and Welcome to my Kitchen!!

After being literally embraced by our Southern Cooking Queen herself, Paula Deen, I have decided to start a blog of my amazing 'Ups and Downs' that come from my country kitchen.
Throughout our journey together, you will find me refer to Paula Deen as my Momma P. I have told her that I was the daughter she never wanted to have. She graciously laughed that one off and came to understand that it was NOT a beginning line to a stalker invasion from myself. She felt the geniune love from me.

Cooking has been influenced by many people and situations in my life: Children, husband, grandmas, extended family members, friends, emotions....you name it...I can put it in a dish and serve it up. I am a true believer that food will bring people together and life will keep them close forever.