Anna

Who Was I?

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I was preparing an activity for the young women, ages 16-18, at my church last week.  I got the idea on line somewhere–probably Pinterest.  You share a short biography of a woman that has led an exemplary, abundant life.  The girls then pretend that they are 80 years old looking back at their life  and write about it.  I chose to highlight Marjorie Pay Hinckley, wife of Gordon B. Hinckley.  I have read several of her little books, books by her daughter Virginia H. Pearce, articles about her, and I have read Pres. Hinckley’s biography and learned a lot about her there.  Included in the biographical sketch that I shared were several of her favorite quotes.  The following has now become one of mine, as well.  It certainly speaks to my soul on what kind of woman I would like to be.  I hope you feel Marjorie’s spirit as you read and ponder this.  Have a wonderful Sunday!
 
 
 

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.  I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to Scout Camp.  I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children.  I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden.  I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.  I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”–Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Potato Soup

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So,  I needed a slow cooker meal to have tonight so that I wouldn’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen after work because my daughter and her family might be coming over for supper and Family Night.  I also had a sack of spuds to use, leftover from a beach retreat with my sisters.  Enter my Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook.  I love my slow cooker–really need to use it more often.  Anyway, Potato Soup sounded like a good idea and I just picked one of many recipes in the book.  SCORE!!  This was delicious!  And not as fattening as my normal stove-top recipe, because I usually add bacon drippings for flavor.  This recipe did not even need it.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 leeks, chopped (I didn’t have any so I just added some minced garlic)
2 onions chopped (…….used dehydrated)
1 rib celery (actually had that!)
4 chicken bouillon cubes (I used chicken bouillon powder and added it to the water below)
1 T. dried parsley flakes
5 cups water
1 T. salt (I did that, but in retrospect, it was a little much)
pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp.)
1/3 cup butter
13-oz can evaporated milk (that is not in the picture, because I was debating about using it.  I did    end up using it.)
chopped chives


1.  Combine all ingredients except milk and chives in slow cooker.
2.  Cover.  Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or High 3-4 hours (mine was more like 5 or 6 hours because I was at work for 5 hours).  Stir in milk during last hour.
3.  If desired, mash potatoes before serving.
4.  Garnish with chives.  Fresh would be better but I only had dried.
Source:  Jeanne Hertzog, Marcia S. Myer, Rhonda Lee Schmidt, Mitzi McGlynchey, Vera Schmucker, Kaye Schnell and Elizabeth Yoder in FIX-IT AND FORGET-IT, 2000 ed., p. 61. 

“Boiled” Eggs

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Oh, y’all…you have got to try this technique when you need to boil a large number of eggs.  Like a dozen or two.  So quick and easy!  I saw this on….wait for it…PINTEREST.  Yes and it was a success.  I did it quickly while I was preparing Veggie Shooters for a board meeting–which was my 9/27 post.

Ingredients:
Eggs (can’t get any simpler than that)

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2.  Place eggs in muffin pan.
3.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Perfection and easier to peel than boiled.

Source: Pinterest. 

Veggie Shooters

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These are so cute and good for you as well. Plus it was a good way for me to use up some homemade Ranch dressing–which made a ton, or a half gallon at least.  Really, it filled a half gallon pitcher.  You can get that recipe HERE.  Tasty.  I could not really tell you a source for the shooters as I have had them in several different venues–our blog launch party (made by Julie), at an ice cream social (yes, we needed the contrast.  Opposition in all things, right?) and most recently at an Arts Council board meeting (made by me).  See how versatile these are?  And I had enough left over (because I forgot where to turn on the way to the host’s home and almost everyone had “helped their plate” by the time I got there) to serve to some of the Young Women at church after a yoga class!  Awesome.  Love to get more bang for my buck.  Who doesn’t these days?

Ingredients:
Celery, cut into 3-4 inch sticks
Baby Carrots, cut in half, lengthwise
Ranch Dressing
1.  You will need to purchase plastic “shot” glasses.  I got mine locally at Party City . These glasses are so versatile and come in several colors but you will want to use clear.
2.  Squirt about a tablespoon of Ranch dressing into the bottom of each glass.  Next, stand the celery and carrots into the dressing.  I used 5 celery sticks and the two carrot halves, but play with it and see what you like. It’s also really good with zucchini, yellow squash, red or green bell peppers, etc.
3. Serve these in a fun way or just on a tray.  I used my chips/salsa basket.  Looks really festive, don’t you think?

Summer Corn Cakes

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Yes.  Another Pinterest Repin.  This one is my SAVORY board cover so I just had to try it.  It’s so pretty.  It’s so yummy.  I will now post the original ingredients, but know that I was able to pull things from food storage and, by rehydrating the freeze-dried corn, I had perfect kernels for this recipe, and my buttermilk was from a mix.  Also, I didn’t have a scallion but I did have a leek, so I substituted that and took out the minced garlic.  Now, there are two different recipes here, one for the corn cakes and one for the Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa.  Pay attention and be sure to get all of your ingredients for both recipes.  Pay ATTENTION…I emphasize this because I put the red onion in the salsa instead of the corn cakes because I was trying to watch the Republican National Convention at the same time. 

Corn Cakes Ingredients:
3 ears of corn, shucked
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons well-shaken (not stirred) buttermilk (sorry, just had to use that James Bond reference)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Canola oil, for frying
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
2.  Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl.  Scrape the stripped cobs with the back of the knife or spoon to release the juices into the bowl.
3. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor. Pulse several times until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky.  Scrape into the bowl with remaining kernels.
4.  Add flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pepper to the corn.  Stir to mix.
5.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine–do not overmix.
6.  Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough canola oil to cover the bottom, and heat until sizzling hot.
7.  Scoop the batter onto the skillet, one heaping tablespoon at a time.  To avoid overcrowding, do in batches of 4 or 5 at a time.  Fry the cakes 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

8.  Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the rest of the cakes.  Serve warm with LARGE spoonful of the Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa.
Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa Ingredients: 
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1 scallion, trimmed and minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1.  Place all ingredients, except avocado, in a bowl and stir to mix.  Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve (for up to 2 days).
2.  Just before serving, add the avocado and mix gently.

Source:  Ezra Pound Cake

Lime Pepper Grilled Chicken

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Today I am going to share with you a quick, easy, healthy, tasty chicken recipe.  Not only that, I am going to give you the whole meal so that you will have a yummy addition to your 30-Minute Meal Arsenal.  And you know why?  ‘Cuz that’s how I roll….

The chicken part of this recipe is original, the other components of the meal are straight out of the can, already seasoned, tried and tested in the Jenkins Family Test Kitchen–two thumbs up!!


Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Lime Pepper seasoning
1 can Margaret Holmes Southern Style Seasoned Mixed Greens
1 can La Costena Frijoles Charros



1.  Place chicken breasts in a gallon-size zippered freezer bag.  Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and about a teaspoon of Lime Pepper seasoning (to taste). Close the bag and kind of “moosh” things around until the chicken is evenly coated with oil and seasoning.

2.  Grill chicken on a counter-top nonstick grill (I used my George Foreman grill) for approximately 8 minutes, checking for done-ness.

3.  Meanwhile, open the cans of beans and greens and heat each over medium heat until ready to serve.

4.  That’s it.  Really.

Wet Pants

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I want to share a story with you that I received in one of those forwarded emails that I don’t always read, but this one was really good.  I don’t know the origin of the story, but all credit goes to whoever they are!!

“Come with me to a third grade classroom….. There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It’s never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they’ll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

 

 
 
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, ‘Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat.’

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap..

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, ‘Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!’

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else – Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. ‘You’ve done enough, you klutz!’

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, ‘You did that on purpose, didn’t you?’ Susie whispers back, ‘I wet my pants once, too.’ “

 

This is one of the best illustrations that I have seen to show how so many times in our crazy lives God answers our prayers through someone else.  I hope you will think of this story the next time you are praying desperately for something, but don’t quite know where the answer is going to come from.

Images courtesy of Free Digital Photos –Photographers: David Castillo Dominici, digitalart and Microsoft Office Images.

Moni’s Quinoa Mac and Cheese

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Let it be known to all that I have finally tried Quinoa.  Yes it is true.  I tried this recipe that I found on Pinterest and I must say it is quite tasty.



Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium leek white and green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup diced tomato or red/green pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
pinch of salt
a few grinds of seasoning salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water (or stock)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping
Panko Bread Crumbs for topping, optional

1.  Heat oil in medium pan over medium heat.  Add leek and tomatoes; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes, or until grains start to turn opaque (they will not be fully cooked at this point).

2.  Add 3 cups chicken stock and season with the salt and Seasoning Salt.  Cover and reduce to medium-low and simmer 15-20 minutes or more,  or until most liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Coat 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray.  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl.  Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (add more cheese here if you need it).  Stir well and let some of the cheese melt.  It will be a little “soupy” but that’s okay,  It will firm up.

4. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with Panko Crumbs.  Bake 25-35 minutes, or until browned around the edges.

TIPS:  The original author of this recipe suggests using salsa, scallions, sour cream or hot sauce as toppings.

SOURCE:  A Pinterest Re-Pin from Monica Nelson



Cynthia’s Fried Okra

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Does anyone else out there just love the Mitford Series of books by Jan Karon?  I have enjoyed every one of the books that I have read and they are so uplifting, funny, clean–just really good reads.  Anyway, one Christmas my sister gave me the Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader–bunches of recipes contributed by the “characters” in Ms. Karon’s books.  What a fun concept.  So, we had some fresh okra that needed to be cooked and I wasn’t about to boil the slimy things so I decided to fry them up.  I have never really fried a good batch of okra, so I thought if anyone has a good recipe for southern fried okra it would be somebody in Mitford.  So here you go…




Ingredients:
1 pound fresh okra
2-3 cups milk
2 1/2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Cornmeal
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
      Vegetable oil for frying


1.  Cut off tips and stems of okra.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices and place in a large bowl.  Pour milk over the okra and let them soak for at least 10 minutes, or longer up to 30 minutes.

2.  In a separate large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.  I didn’t have any, so I found this recipe by Emeril Lagasse on line.  Use a slotted spoon to lift the okra out of the milk, allowing  the okra to drain.  Place small batches of okra in the cornmeal mixture, tossing to coat.
3.  Heat the oil in a deep cast iron skillet.  Lift the okra from the bowl in batches, allowing the excess cornmeal to fall back in bowl.  Fry okra in the hot oil until browned.  Don’t overcrowd the skillet.  Remove the okra from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
4.  You can adjust the salt and pepper to taste while it is still hot.


Source: Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader



Kickin’ Collard Greens

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Okay, this recipe is from allrecipes.com.  I thought it would be a good idea to find a healthier alternative to typical southern-prepared collards, since they really are good for you.  It’s a pretty good recipe, but next time I will add more red pepper and give it a little more zing, like they suggest.  If you are used to the usual fatback-laden, way-cooked collard, be prepared for a different experience!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used extra virgin)
3 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped ( I used yellow)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces (as you can see below, I opted for the bagged fresh collards.  These definitely need to be cut smaller and I would also remove any large ribs.)

1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat (I used a dutch oven).  Add bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pot, crumble it and return to the pot.  Add onion, and cook until tender, approx. 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until just fragrant.

2.   Add collards and fry until they start to wilt.

3.  Pour in chicken broth and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (next time I will use a little more seasoning).  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes–I would go a little longer–until greens are tender.

Source:  Ken Adams, allrecipes.com