Review of "The Help"

I went to the movie with high expectations since others told us how much they enjoyed it.  I should have known something was up when we arrived and there were 50 women waiting in line for tickets.  Okay, there were a couple of us brave males there as well, but women constituted 97 percent of the audience.  I learned something interesting from this experience, though.  That is that when women go to the movies with other women, they flood the concessions stand.  I am serious.  I have never seen anything like it.  I think they all bought drinks, popcorn, and candy.  With their husbands at home snacking and watching the Cowboys on MNF, they were making an evening out of it.  The movie was okay, above average.  I will give it 2 1/2 enchiladas.  The movie opens a window for the viewer to answer the question asked of Jesus, "and who is my neighbor?"    Since this is a food blog, I better comment on the food.  I thought the fried chicken looked delicious and the chocolate pie was well presented, but I am glad the recipe is not in our church cookbook.  I planted an Easter Egg here to give you a recommendation for a movie that I thought did a great job with the theme of race relations and friendship.

Addendum on September 29:   After persistent rejection of my opinion and threats to my person by my sister (Laura M.), teachers at St. Paul (Pam W.) and church ladies (especially Judy N.), I am revising my rating of this movie.  It was very good, worthy of 3 1/2 enchiladas on a 5-enchilada scale.  In fact, the movie was so good that if I did not have a sermon to write, or a Bible Study to prepare, or a Brewer playoff game to watch, or a Wisconsin football game to watch, and if the electricity happened to go out at my house and I could not find any candles to read by, I'd consider going to see it again on Saturday...............not.

"The Help" May Interfere With Monday Night Meal

This morning at St. Paul Lutheran School several people told Mary that we "have to" go see the movie "The Help."  The last time it will be showing in town is at 6:00 p.m. tonight.  However, this is Monday, the day of the week I normally chain Mary to the kitchen floor so she will make a meal for the Blog.  I  hate to do it, but I am afraid I am going to have to give in and go to the movie.  Thankfully, Betsy H. has stepped in to save the day and submitted a post about the feast she prepared for Logan and Gary Don.  I am so envious.  Since misery loves company, come join us tonight at the theater to eat popcorn instead of a feast from the cookbook.  By a strange coincidence, yesterday I almost bought the book, The Help, but instead wound up buying one on the Johnstown Flood.  Now if this turns out to be a chick flick in disguise, you will see me leaving the theater with red and teary eyes because of the great meal I will have missed.

Sending Food to College

Logan was home from college last weekend and it was time for me to renew my cooking skills. (One of the reasons Gary Don is always happy when Logan comes home!) I love the new cookbook and have decided that I will try to only use recipes from it for the next few months.

• I planned ahead and first cooked the Sloppy Joes from Katy H. on page 161. They are great. The recipe makes enough sauce that you can use 3 pounds of hamburger meat. Gary Don and I ate them for 1 meal then I froze the rest to send with Logan.




• Next I made the Cheeseburger Mini Muffins on page 160 by Pamela J. It is a recipe I am going to remember for parties. I think they would go great with pinto beans. To serve to my guys, I put them in the freezer until I have time to make the beans.




• So Gary Don would not feel cheated, I made Lana C's Barbeque Pork Chops on page 164. Wow, they are really good. I was not sure what time we would eat so I started cooking with the lid on the dish. It made them a bit soupy but gave me the idea of adding rice next time.




• I love Chicken Pot Pie and the recipe from Ashley K. on page 177 is excellent and easy to prepare. Gary Don is not a great chicken lover (or very high on vegetables). He is a beef man. I am kind of glad because the Chicken Pot Pie reheats great in the microwave and fed me for three days.




• When Logan arrived home, I fixed Katy H's King Ranch Chicken on page 183. It is excellent. Logan said his friends would like it which is always a compliment. Since the casserole can be frozen before baking, I think I will make it for the college rodeo next month because I always have a house full and never know how many I will be feeding. For this recipe, we ate it once and I froze the rest to send back to school with Logan.




• It is here I should probably note that because I was freezing everything, my guys only had doctored up bean dip nachos for supper when Logan's rodeo was rained out and we ended up back home.




• I also made Katy H's Banana Pudding Cupcakes on page 301. I was in a hurry so turned the recipe into a layer cake. The filling is mouth watering good. Logan said it was really good. I fed it to more company for Sunday lunch and sent the rest back to school with Logan. Next time I make this recipe, I am going to put it in a trifle bowl.



• Mike B's County Potatoes on page 122 were another addition to Sunday lunch. It was handy to make the day before. I was feeding mostly guys and they enjoyed the dish. She mentions that green chilies can be added which sounds like something my bunch would like. Some leftovers went to college and Gary Don used the rest when making soup.




• To add to Sunday lunch, I also made Meme's Jello on page 98. My mom created this recipe years ago and it is a favorite. I use it often because men like it and I can prepare ahead of time.

Thanks so much to the cookbook committee for organizing such a wonderful book. It is a great gift for family and friends. I already have a lot of my Christmas shopping completed. Whoo hoo!

Betsy

Gary's Famous Enchiladas: Page 200 Judy N.

We enjoyed this tasty meal, and Mary was happy that it was very easy to prepare.  That's a big plus when you are in a hurry.  And who is not in a hurry these days?  That is the great folly of our day.  All that hurrying robs us of so much joy.  I think you can find more enjoyment by leisurely eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich than in rushing through a meal from the best recipe in our cook book.  The Lutheran philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it."  If we slow down we will better enjoy the gifts of God, including food, and God himself.  Oops.  I forgot that this is a blog and not a sermon.  So, back to food.  We like hot sauce in our house and I poured Tostitos Chunky Salsa on my portion and found that to make it even better.  Jonathan said, "It tasted better than it looked.  It looked decent, but it tasted really good."  If I was preparing it (and it is my goal to make at least one recipe myself during this next year), I would have used just four tortillas instead of six.  Jonathan disagreed, saying it was just right the way it was.  Excellent choice when you have a small window of time to prepare.  Now it is time to see what Sheldon Cooper, my favorite theoretical physicist, is up to.  One last thing.  Here is a quote for those who cannot wait for our first write-up on oriental fare:  "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" (Lao Tzu).

Pork Chops 'N Potato Bake: Page 166 Lynn L.

This recipe inspires you to read Acts 11:7-11 to make sure it is okay to eat pork.  It is, so the next time United puts their pork chops on sale, run out there and get some.  Then prepare this recipe.  It is a winner.  As is often the case, we were up against the clock.  We got home from the college pool at 4:00 p.m. and we had the St. Paul School Open house at 6:30 p.m.  Mary also had to go back and set up 130 chairs during that time frame.  Was it time to try those burgers from Vernon Burger that we have heard are so good?  NO!  It is Monday, my day off, and it is Recipe and Blog Night at our house.  As soon as we arrived at home, Mary went right to the kitchen, and I went the other direction so she could get this done.  At 4:35 p.m., I heard the outside door close and she was gone!  That could mean only one thing:  She got it in the oven in time.  And indeed, it was true!  While she was off setting up chairs for anxious preschool parents, I was home taking in the sweet aroma wafting from the oven to the outer reaches of our home.  Yum.  It passed the smell test.  She made it home in time to take it out of the oven and "steam" some broccoli in the microwave.  We all thought it was delicious.  A meal like this is not meant to be rushed, but the clock was ticking and we barely made it back to St. Paul by 6:28 p.m.  We  plan on making this one again, on a night when we have more time to enjoy it!

Santa Fe Soup: Page 57 Jean G. [Prepared by Pastor Paul's sister Laura]

"From your sister Laura:
Thanks for the great cookbook! It is really attractive. This cookbook has the type of food I like to make and that my family will eat.
Tonight I made Santa Fe soup found on page 57. My family loved it. Due to family preferences, I left out the pinto beans and hominy and used shredded Mexican cheese instead of Velveeta which I put in right before serving. I served this with sour cream and tortilla chips. This was quick to make. I will definitely make this again."

Note from Pastor Paul to readers:  Laura is the sister on the left.  My other sister, Elaine, is on the right. Any stories that I tell about my family members in Bible Class are used simply to illustrate Biblical Truths.  These stories are not to be repeated on this blog to get me in trouble with my sisters or any sister-in-laws that may somehow come across this blog.:)

Have You Prepared a Recipe?

If you have prepared a recipe and would like to blog, please send me an e-mail and I will give you blogging rights.    I am waiting to hear from you.

Okra Patties by M. Baker

When okra is in season we are always looking for new ways to fix it so when I came across this recipe I decided to give it a try. I added a few fresh chopped jalapenos and they turned out great!

A Taste of St. Paul: Monday, November 7 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

You've asked for it.  We've done it.  Dozens of the best recipes from the cookbook will be featured on November 7.    Sample as many dishes as you like for lunch that day.   A limited number of tickets ($5.00) are available from Jeanene G., Linda C. and Judy N.   Is there any better way to show all your office mates that you are thankful for them than by treating all of them to this once in a life time smorgasbord for the taste buds?   Who will be the fortunate 250 that will live to tell about this meal?  I plan on being one of them.   I wonder which one of those women I can call this early in the morning to get my ticket.    

Lana C. on Katy's Cupcakes and Mike B's Chicken

Thank you Lana for the Following:

"Back in the spring I was typing in some of the recipes for the desserts.  Katy H. had submitted a recipe for Banana Pudding Cupcakes.  I was involved in a function where I wanted to bring something sweet to eat.  So I made these.  Everyone who ate them, loved them!  I still have people asking me about them.  So, I know this recipe is really good!
Also, last Friday evening I made Mike Baker’s Oven Fried Chicken Breasts.  Very tasty.  I think the fact that you pour a stick of melted butter over them before you bake the chicken has something to do with it!"

Chicken Pot Pie: Page 177 Ashley K.

These pictures speak for themselves.  The four of us absolutely loved it.   I even enjoyed the aftertaste.  Both boys described it as delicious and each ate half of a pie tin.  It should be noted that Mary doubled the recipe (making two pies) since she knew this was likely to happen and she wanted dinner too.  Michael said he loved the bottom crust that just melted in his mouth.   People say that the more colors an item has, the healthier it is.  As I look at the leftovers (which will be eaten at lunch tomorrow), I see orange, green, white, brown, and silver.  I think this recipe would also work very well  on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, using some leftover turkey.  Yum!

Cream Cheese and Sausage Dip: Page 4 Patti J

The ladies' Thursday night LWML group emailed me last night to let me know they had left some chips and dip in the church kitchen for my mid-morning snack.  Recalling words of Hebrews 13, "Do not forget to do good and to share," I brought the chips and dip to our school to share this treat with our teachers and get their culinary reviews.   Before I even opened up the container, one of them remarked, "what if they are trying to poison you, then we will all die too."  The teachers do not know the fine relationship I have with our Thursday night group.  They have never tried to poison me.  Back to the dip.  Most of them liked it.  Some of the responses were: "Delicious," "I like it," and "I can taste the sausage."   On my way back to the office, I spotted our DCE Dan and Joe A. working in Dan's office, and I shared some with them.  They also liked it.  I myself thought the dip tasted good, and it went better with tortilla chips than with regular potato chips.   This is a good dip for those who like sausage and don't like their dips too spicy.    Thank you, ladies, for the snack.

Roasted Asparagus: Page 105 Katy H.

Nothing disappoints more than mushy asparagus.   It is like getting a mouthful of slimy seaweed while swimming in the ocean.   This recipe, however, leaves the stalks slightly crispy and sweet, not mushy at all. All four of us enjoyed them immensely.  I give this top marks for taste and texture.   Before the Packers' explosive victory over the Saints, and during President Obama's speech, we enjoyed a  meal of asparagus, salmon patties, and baked potatoes.  I would also like to have this as a side dish with pork chops from the grill.

First Meal: Indian Corn Soup Page 51

We needed something quick this evening because I wanted to get to church early for the Elders' Meeting.   It took Mary about 70 minutes to prepare and cook this recipe.   Since I had to eat right away, she put some ice cubes in mine to cool it down.  

Right away, Michael said it was "good and healthy."   Jonathan stated that this would be excellent in winter, but hot soup in summer is not his favorite.   We all thought it smelled like Taco Soup.   We talked about the heat level (spiciness), and Jonathan stated that he had destroyed his taste buds this weekend at Pluckers in Austin by taking their hot wing challenge.  (He made it through 10 hot wings, but stopped there because he knew that he was never going to make it to 25.)  Anyway, he also liked the soup.  Mary and I also thought it was tasty.  Mary prepared this soup with organic, super-lean hamburger from the farm of Keith Kubitz, elevating this soup to an exceptional level on the health meter.   Once the bread was done, we all dipped the bread in the soup, and there were several "mmms" hummed by the four of us.  We all liked this meal.

Recommendations:  Make it during cold weather.  Bake bread with it.   Ideal for when you only have 90 minutes to prepare and eat.

The Beginning

The women of our church have put together an outstanding cookbook for the 100th anniversary of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Vernon, Texas.  Each week I'm having my wife prepare a recipe from the cookbook and, perhaps along the way, others will bring me one or two dishes from the book.  I will comment on these meals, and provide other random thoughts.

What qualifies me to undertake such a project?  I have been a regular at church pot lucks in three time zones, from Wisconsin to Michigan, Missouri, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas.   However, you will find no reviews of potato salad on this blog.  I consider that a plus.  Please add your comments on your favorites from the cookbook and tell us how much you liked it and why.  I look forward to your postings.

Shalom,
Paul