Thanksgiving, Baby Limas and Butter Croissants

As I was sitting at the table yesterday during our Thanksgiving dinner and watching my family, I had bittersweet memories of my mom and dad who celebrated their last Thanksgiving with us two years ago. I remember mom saying, "These are the best baby limas I've had in a long time."

By this time, dad wasn't eating much and he apologized for not eating more turkey and all the fixings. Somehow though he managed to eat a whole piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

There are some traditions in my family that started when I was a little girl and one of these was my mom would make her famous Butter Croissants and baby limas.

This year, 17 of my family members came to dinner and of course I had to fix the baby limas. Now I know most of you don't even know what baby limas are, but they are a smaller version of the butter bean and they are green, but they taste heavenly for those of us who grew up with them. I add a splash of cream, a pat of butter and pepper when I fix them. Since not everyone likes baby limas, I only made one package of them yesterday. What surprised me though was everyone was eating them and I only got a small spoon full when it came time for me to dish up. Even little Jonah ate them and he said, "mmmmm" which means he liked them too. Yay for baby limas!!!!

But back to my mom's Butter Croissants. I knew I was having a large crowd this year so I made a double batch at one time. I had never done this before and they turned out great. The recipe I'm sharing today as I look back on those fond memories of my parents is the Butter Croissants because they are easy and anyone can make them. Even those who don't know how to cook....you can't mess these up.

Mom - thanks for all the great recipes and especially these tasty morsals everyone has to have at Thanksgiving.

Butter Croissants

4 cups flour
1 cup cold Butter

Cut the butter into the flour until the flour looks like pie dough or the butter has been reduced into pea size morsals. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you make the "wet" ingredients.

In 1 cup warm water, mix 1 package and set aside to grow a bit or 5 minutes.
In another bowl, mix 3/4 cup evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup melted butter plus 1 egg. Add 1/3 cup sugar. Now add 1 cup flour and mix well. A few lumps are okay.

Add the yeast mixture to the other "wet" ingredients and use a knife to mix the butter/flour mixture into the "wet" until the butter/flour is just moisetened. Do not overmix.

Cover and refrigerate over night or you can let this sit in the fridge for up to 2 days. Cut the dough into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into an 8-10 inch circle and cut into 8 pie wedges. Roll each wedge from the large end to the small end and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Repeat with each dough ball. Let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.

Bake at 325 degrees until light golden. Remove from pan onto a cooling rack. Makes 36 rolls. Enjoy hot out of the oven or save until later. To reheat the rolls, heat the oven to 325 degrees and put the rolls into the oven to heat for 5 or so minutes.

Our family likes these even frozen. Go figure..... but enjoy.

Kids Table

When I was a small girl, family get-togethers was routine. My family celebrated everything together from birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or just eating together as a family. There were so many little cousins - of course there was the infamous "Kid's Table". Anyone under the age of 14 sat at the kids table.

If I count correctly, at one time there were about 10 of us sitting at the kid's table. We'd do more laughing than eating and there would never be enough food on the table so we'd have to go to the "Grown-up's Table" to refill our plates. I think we had more fun going to the grown-up table getting food than sitting at our own. Nothing changed though when it came to manners. We had to ask, "May I be excused?" when we wanted to get up from the table. Back in those days, we had to be polite and sit at the table and chat for awhile before getting excused. I never could understand that principle until I got older. It's called manners.

I was so excited when I graduated to the grown-up table, but in my mind's eye, I still secretely wanted to be seated at the kid's table having more fun than the grown-ups.

Fast forward 35 years and I hear my daughters talk about their fun times at their own "Kid's table". Some things don't change where kids' tables are concerned. When my daughters talk about their time spent at the infamous table, they relate they did so much laughing they couldn't eat. Sounds so familiar!!!

My advice to parents and kids alike - Parents, enjoy your adult time and Kids, enjoy the laughter and memories made during family dinners at the infamous "Kid's Table."

Sitting at the kid's table and not being excused until dessert felt like forever to me as a kid. When dessert was served, we'd all go to the grown up's table and ask to be excused. My recipe is for dessert and one I've simplified over the years. Even if you can't cook, you can still make this simple dessert and still get compliments for "Best Dessert Ever".

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 large box of chocolate cook and serve pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vamilla

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Purchase a pie crust and bake shell until lightly golden. Remove and cool. In the meantime, make pudding mix according to directions except for the ingredients. Let stand for 5 minutes stirring at least twice. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until cold.

Top with real whipped cream - 1 cup cream whipped until soft peaks. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon over pie and cut into wedges and serve. Make sure there is enough for those who are at the "Kid's table."

Marriage "check-up"

Recently my husband and I sat down to actually communicate about our relationship. He wanted to know if I knew anyone who had a "happy" marriage. So we talked about several couples we know whom we thought had a "real" marriage....happy with all the ups and downs a marriage poses plus stay committed and in love.

During this conversation my husband asked me, "Name a few things you think are important in a good marriage." My husband actually asked me my opinion on my thoughts. I thought was special because sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, we sometimes forget to communicate. Here's the list I came up with:

Faith
Commitment
Communication
Love
Communication
Quality Time
Respect
Laughter

Hearing my husband seek my opinion about the health of our marriage is one of the things I love about him. Twenty one years ago, I almost threw a relationship with this man away. In my opinion, I didn't think there were any good marriages and I saw so many friends who stayed married even though they were not happy.

My husband had the patience of Job back then and stuck with me until God made me see what good husband material he really was. I'm so thankful God destroyed the walls I had in place to protect myself. Not only did God tear down those protective walls but He allowed me to fall in love. Although we've had our ups and downs, the love God gave to us is stronger than it has ever been. I still get butterflies and smile when I see my husband or even think of him. Thanks God for allowing me to share my life with a Godly man who loves me for who I am.

The recipe is simple this time around. It's a recipe for a healthy marriage.

Two who share a commitment to our Savior, Jesus Christ
Two who share laughter
Two who communicate and are committed to each other
Two who pray together
Two who respect each other and don't put each other down in public or even in private
Two who find time to spend quality time together

When was the last time you had a "check-up" of your marriage or relationship with a significant other?

Proverbs 31

Anniversaries and Fall

The leaves are turning all the colors of fall and there is just something in the cool air indicating Fall has arrived. My husband and I are so thankful for our children and two children plus a grandson will now have anniversaries in the fall.

Each couple celebrated their own weddings uniquely. Jeanne and Mark got married at a summer camp and I remember being so cold in the early evening and wanted to stand in front of the big fireplace where the air was warm and cozy. Jeanne and Mark wanted their friends from back east to, "experience all that Oregon offers." The camp was rustic and damp from the fall rains and perfect for this couple who wanted to do something different and original for their day. Some friends and family even spent the night of the wedding in the cabins but not those who wanted the comfort of the nearby hotel.

Jeanne and Mark celebrate their 3rd anniversary this month and we found out recently they will be bringing the twins home for Christmas. We haven't seen the twins for quite some time and I'm looking forward to spoiling them and giving them hugs and kisses as much as possible. Having all of them home will be special and we will cherish their visit.

Sarah and Patrick had a classical and traditional wedding, with a different twist on candles. They had pillars lining the aisles and also on the front stage. The flowers they had were beautiful too showing Sarah and Patrick's originality and vision. The reception was held at a winery on a hill. The sun was setting during the first dance and I remember looking out over the hills wondering at the beautiful sight of all the fall leaves and colors. They have been married 8 years (I think) and have one son. One of the things I will never forget was driving into the church parking lot on their special day and seeing all the leaves on the trees brown, orange and red. Since these were the colors of the wedding, the trees became part of the color palet.

Speaking of this one grandson, I had the privilege of watching him from Tuesday while his mom got ready for a trip through Friday evening. He was a joy and I learned he liked Stroganoff so I'm going to give you my recipe for a fast and quick Straganoff everyone will love.

Happy Anniversary Jeanne and Mark, Sarah and Patrick and soon to be Justin and Crystal.

Stroganoff

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (if you have any other type of steak, or beef you want to use, this is fine)
1 teaspoon salt while the beef is browning

Brown the beef in a bit of vegetable oil and while the beef is browning, bring pasta water to boil, salted liberally (I usually use 1 tablespoon salt per large stock pot of boiling water).

Once the water is hot, add any type of pasta your family likes. (I like the Farefalle or flat type of pasta.) Use 1/2 box or 1/2 package, or if you use elbow noodles, 2 cups. Cook the pasta to al dente since the pasta will cook a bit more in the beef sauce.

Once the ground beef has browned, add two cups of beef stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add a slurry (a slurry is usually a thickener and for this recipe I use 1/2 cup COLD water and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch).

Add the slurry to the beef mixture and stir until thickened. Dont worry if the sauce is too thick as it will be thinned out by the sour cream. If you don't think the sauce is thick enough, use more slurry. At the end of the thickening, add 1 cup sour cream and stir until just blended. Cooking the sour cream will curddle the sauce and you want a creamy sauce.

Add the strained pasta to the beef mix and serve immediately. Feeds 4-6 people so if there are only two or three of you, put any leftover in the freezer for later use.

Variations:

You can always use any type of seasoning to "kick-up" the flavor like Onions, garlic, pepper flakes, basil or parsley.

Some people add 1 cup of frozen peas making this dish a one-pot meal.

Grandma's special visit with Sarah and Jonah

The last few days, I've had the priviledge of watching my newest grandson while his mother ran errands and got her hair done. Watching him brought so many menories to my mind of his mommy when she was young. I noticed a few similarities between the two. Jonah doesn't fight you when you change his diaper. He lays there to let you clean him up. My daughter did the same thing. He also helps to dress himself by putting his arms in the sleeves of his shirts. Then there is the subtle behavior between the two.

For instance, Jonah loves hot dogs and my daughter ate her share when she was growing up. I noticed too that Jonah does like to eat sweets and I had the opportunity to share some spice cake and whipped cream with him, of course when mom wasn't around. He ate it up like there was no tomorrow. Jonah also likes his blanket and reminds me of my daughter when she was little and trying to cuddle with her blanket. Plus Jonah loves to cuddle especially when its time for bed. How can you not love that? My daughter also loved to cuddle at the same times. In fact if you were to ask her if she still cuddles, she would tell you, "Yes".

Jonah's mommy is doing a great job and I loved watching Jonah plus watching my daughter be a mother in her own right. She's doing a wonderful job and you can see so much love in this family. When it came time to say goodbye, Jonah even cried because he wanted to be with his grandma. Aw......he loves me....His love means so much to me and especially this morning when he said Grandma for the first time.

There is nothing more simple than making a cake (which my daughter made while she was here) with whipped cream for the topping. So here's my take on whipped cream with a twist.

Make sure your beaters and bowl are cold when you whip cream. The process is much easier when your utensils are cold. Pour 1 cup cream into a deep bowl and whip at a high speed on your mixer until soft peaks form. Now I've whipped cream via a mixer plus by hand. If you want to mix the cream by hand, be prepared to whip with a wire whip for awhile.

When your cream is done, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. The twist for this whipped cream is to add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Fold all the ingredients together and you have a sweet tastey topping for any spiced baked good. This is also good on pumpkin pie, muffins and cheesecake.

As I was sitting cutting up chickens this morning, I remembered the chickens my grandparents raised. Of course, my grandmother and grandfather had a chicken house instead of a chicken coup and this meant we always had fresh eggs plus lots of chicken growing up.

Once or twice a year, the whole family, aunts, uncles, and cousins would gather at my grandparents house and spend one to two days working on chickens, killing, cleaning and of course freezing them. I know it sounds gross, but the men would cut off the chicken's head and let it flop around on the ground. Then, the young cousins would take the chicken over to a bonfire and singe the feathers and pluck all the feathers. We would then take the chickens into the house where the women folk would clean the chickens, cut them up and place them in butcher paper or bags to freeze. Then in the evening, we would all sit around and eat chicken with all the fixings.

We've come a long way from having to kill our own chickens to just going to the grocery store and pick them up already for us. All we have to do is clean them up again and fix them the way we want. You can purchase chicken whole, cut up, special pieces like the breast, thighs, legs or whatever part you like best.

So, since I've been working on chickens now for two days, I'm going to give you my secret for great chicken. I use a sugar-cure rub and marinate the chicken for one day and then I bake them at 400 degrees until they are golden brown and done. This takes 1-2 hours depending on the size of the chicken. No salt or pepper, just the sugar cure rub.

Pat's secret to perfect chicken every time.

1 whole chicken.
Remove the neck, back bones and cut the chicken in half. Rub with a sugar cure mix and place in a baggie over night. Place the chicken skin side up on a foil lined cookie sheet and place in the oven for 1-2 hours at 400 degrees. The skin crisps up and has the most wonderful flavor. Serve hot or cold. I usually like to serve it hot with salads, and fresh bread. Enjoy. Each person gets 1/4 of the chicken so it will serve 4 people.

Back to school in style....(I think)

Okay, so its back to school next week for Oregon residents even though some schools actually started this week. What types of memories do you have of going back to school or what have you done to make going back to school memorable for your kids?

With 6 children in school, my mother had enough trouble just getting everyone ready and out the door for school let alone having time to make any memories.

As a single parent, going back to school for my one daughter was an important ritual I started when she was only 5 years old. To prepare for the big day, I'd always take her shopping a few weeks before school started getting those precious styles "just right". My daughter back then even at 5 years old knew what her style would be and the deal was that if she didn't wear her new clothes within 2 weeks, they would go back to the store. Of course after the first week of school, she knew exactly what styles were in or out. This one daughter remains my fashionista expert to date and helps me decide what's in or out when we go shopping. We laugh a lot and have a system of trying on clothes that would make most people laugh!

After shopping, we would go on one last camping trip together, go to the beach and Mo's, go up to Silver Creek Falls one more time and of course go visit Grandma and Grandpa on the farm. The first day of school would be spent getting ready and then standing outside in front of the door getting her "first school day picture". This was a ritual that happened every year until High School and even then, I would make anyone who was going back to school get their picture taken. I know the kids got tired or it, but I still made them do it.

One more memory I would try to make for my daughter was to take her out for breakfast where she and I would share a large cinnamon roll and slices of bacon with milk and orange juice. During those breakfasts, we would talk about life, boys, and expectations of school. I smile remembering all those first days of school and special breakfasts together.

If you want to treat your family to some "quick" cinnamon rolls that are easy and simple, follow this recipe. Take time to make some memories with your children as they go back to school.

Simple quick cinnamon rolls

1 box of puff pastry
1/2 cup brown sugar per sheet of pastry.
2 tablespoons of softened butter for each sheet of pastry.
1 teaspoon cinnamon for each sheet of pastry.

Follow the directions on the puff pastry box making sure to keep the pastry cold as you work. Roll out the dough just a bit and spread with the butter, brown sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Roll the long end of the sheet and cut the roll into 6 cinnamon rolls. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet and back again according to the box of pastry sheets until the tops are golden brown.

Each sheet of pastry will equal 6 cinnamon rolls. Frost with your favorite buttercream of eat them without. These rolls are light and airy and so full of good layers of buttery goodness.