Happy Reformation Day!

When it comes to trick-or-treating, our neighborhood is by far the most heavily trafficked in town.  Since we spent most of our evening answering the doorbell, Mary didn't have time to cook tonight.  Paul's Halloween antics scared off some of the more timid candy scavengers, but he estimates we had about 173 who were brave enough to stay to get their candy once the door opened (see video).

Chicken Potato Casserole: Page 179 Katy H.

When I served myself, my first thought was, "Wow, that's a lot of potatoes."   Jonathan said that it needed more cheese.   Mary said that if she were to make it again, she would be fine with adding more cheese to the meat mixture if that would make Jonathan happy, but that she would also use shredded hash browns instead of diced hash browns.  On the whole, this was not one of our favorites.  However, as the conversation kept returning to the overabundance of potatoes, we delved deeper into that issue until it was discovered that Mary had accidentally used almost twice the amount of hash browns than the recipe called for.  She was in a hurry and, instead of measuring, she just dumped in what she thought was about the right amount going by the serving size/number of servings per package from the nutrition label on the hash brown package.   In the words of Hamlet, "Ay, there's the rub."  If you try this recipe, please measure the potatoes.     

I apologize for neglecting my blog for the past two weeks.  We were out of town the first week, and a late trip to Wichita Falls kept us from trying a recipe the following week.  Tonight was good.  I got back to my blog and I learned something new - that Skittles really likes potatoes.


Paul

Another Country

We have added our fifth country to those who have come to this blog.  We welcome Denmark.

Banana Pudding Cupcakes: Page 301 Katy H.

We are just one month away from the Tasting Tea for the St. Paul cookbook.  To celebrate, Mary made these delicious pudding cupcakes.  Michael liked them a lot and wished we had not given so many way.  Both boys said they were better the next day, after they had been refrigerated.  With the heaping frosting, they were a bit messy, but I was the only one who seemed to be bothered at all by that.  These were some of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted.  Mary brought some to church to share with Judy S. and the staff at the school.  Everyone liked them, and J. G. said they were wonderful.  All the rest of them thought they were very good, even the one who withheld her opinion on the cupcakes from me because of my review of "The Help."  (She told Mary they were very good.)

Country Music and Canton Cafe Egg Rolls: Page 240 Karen G.

This past Saturday night, a time when I am usually huddled in my quiet corner typing up my sermon, found me sliding down a wet country road on my way to give ear to not one, but two Country bands.  Mark W. had his band together, and his brother's band also came to town for a barn jam session.  We were fortunate enough to be guests at this event and to hear them singing and strumming away to the beautiful rhythm of raindrops falling on the metal roof and a drummer who played for both bands.  I enjoyed both of the bands, and I always like listening to Mark sing.  While his brother's band was playing, Mark brought out two large trays of egg rolls.  I had three and a half, and tried three different types of sauce.  My favorite sauce was the orange sauce, and it brought out all the flavors of the egg roll perfectly.  Each bite was followed by a taste explosion.  They had a full and rich taste and I could have eaten many more, but the rain kept coming down out there, and I knew I had to drive through the muddy road and needed all my wits about me.  So, after enjoying my egg rolls, a hot dog, some other food, three cookies, and a piece of cake, and after enjoying another set of country music, with both of my wits fully engaged I rolled out of the barn.  Just as I left they started playing old rock, and it sounded great, but I knew if I stayed later I would probably slide off into a ditch and become so overwrought that I would only be able to write an 1,100-word sermon.  As we pulled out into the road, I noticed that water had filled up the tracks from earlier tires.  But, armed with knowledge that my GM Savana is built Ford tough, I drove down the muddy road and almost slid off only once.  Back on solid pavement, I savored the memory of the egg rolls I had eaten, and was inspired to write a sermon about a feast (from Isaiah 25).  God describes heaven as a great feast, for there is rejoicing and fellowship, and as there was at our evening with the Woolleys, there will be music in heaven as well.  But you better eat your egg rolls here.

Mummu's Pasty: Page 159 Irene Harma

Long ago, in mining towns in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, wives would wrap the leftover meat and vegetables from the evening meal in pie crusts and then in foil and send that to work with their husbands the next day for their lunch.  When the men got to work they would put those packets on the tops of the hot mining machines as they dug out the ore.  By lunchtime, the pasties were cooked and ready to eat.  Our dear friend, Irene, who is now 90, grew up in one of those towns and passed this recipe onto us.   While they were cooking in the oven tonight, I could almost imagine I was one of those miners, anxiously waiting for the noon bell so I could dig into the delight I was smelling.  To reduce the calories of my portions, I give chunks of the crust to Skittles.  She loves it, especially if she gets a piece that is covered with the ketchup I use liberally with this.  Jonathan does the same and tonight made the comment, "This is my favorite thing to eat ketchup with."  I heartily agree.  Ketchup adds just the right spice to zest up this dish.  Mary eats it without ketchup, but you will never see her eating anything with any kind of condiment - no mayo,  no mustard, no tartar sauce, no Arby's sauce, no BBQ sauce, etc. - so her opinion doesn't count.  This food was much better than last Monday's dinner which, as you may recall, was nothing because we went to see "The Help" instead of helping ourselves to dinner.  One last interesting note:  The pasty shows up in Shakespeare's  "Merry Wives of Windsor" (1600),  and even earlier in some Robin Hood ballads of the 1300's.  Eat a pasty; enjoy some literary history.