Merry Christmas

Blog Vacation

After a year and a half (almost) of updating this blog at least weekly, I have decided to take a little bit of a blog vacation. 

See you December 20!

Mennonite Monday - Chocolate - Marshmallow Pie

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

This week I needed to make a pie for the Noodle Soup Supper and since I have never made a fruit pie before, I decided to not do my test run for that type of a pie for such a large event.  As a result I opted for a simpler Chocolate-Marshmallow Pie (pg 117 W).  I was excited to see that my grandma had submitted the recipe, which also made me want to try it. 

Chocolate - Marshmallow Pie

8 oz Hershey Bar with nuts

22 large marshmallows

1/2 cup milk

2 cups Cool Whip

1 baked graham cracker crust

In saucepan melt Hershey bar, marshmallows and milk.  Cool.  Stir in Cool Whip.  Pour into pie shell.  Refrigerate overnight.  

I added the chocolate and milk before the marshmallows so they could melt and mix.  I used Hersheys bar with almonds and was a little confused about the size.  My king size bars were 2.4 oz, so I used two of them.  I'm still not sure if I used to much or too little chocolate, but it turned out fine.  I will have to looking into 8oz chocolate bar a little bit more. 

Before I added the marshmallows. 

Mixing in the marshmallows.  

According to the instructions with my graham cracker crust, in order to bake it you need to brush it with butter.  

I did a pretty light coat, and then put it in the oven at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. 

Once the milk, chocolate and marshmallows were melted and mixed, I transferred them into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator.  

When the crust came out of the oven.  I think baking the crust is important, because I made a pie without baking the crust and it was much harder to work with. 

Mixing in the Cool Whip.  

Pouring it into the curst. 

Mike really liked this pie and said I should make it again.  However, he does not like nuts, so he requested that I use a plain Hershey bar next time.  

I Love Living in a Small Town...

 because I can leave my car unlocked and running when I stop at the grocery store, so it is warm when I am done shopping.

Mennonite Monday - Cinnamon Salad

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

Here is a quick side recipe that is great for this time of year for a spin on your normal jello salad it is Cinnamon Salad (pg 116 Y).

Cinnamon Salad 

1 pkg cherry jello (I used black cherry because I had it on hand) 

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup red hots

1 1/2 cup boiling water

Dissolve candy in boiling water.  Add Jello, stirring until dissolved.  Chill until partially set.  Fold in applesauce.

 Boiling water 

 Adding the red hots.  I have been told that Brach's candy dissolves the best. 

 Adding the jello. 

 The jello was set after an hour and a half in the refrigerator. 

 Adding the applesauce. 

 All mixed up. 

Changes I will make next time: 1) I will stick with regular cherry jello.  The black cherry gave it a different color and you expect cinnamon food to be red not purple.  2) I will mix the applesauce in sooner. Letting it set created lumps of jello and I like it when it looks smooth.  

NEXT WEEK: Chocolate-Marshmallow Pie

  

October Faves

1. Halloween Candy

Every year I have to have some candy corn and candy pumpkins.  You can't have too many because they get really sweet, but they are definitely a fall must.  I love to eat candy corn mixed with salted peanuts and M&Ms.

2. Harvest

While harvest causes a lot of stress at our house, I have to say it is a time of year that I generally enjoy because of the tractor rides, meals in the field and seeing what can be produced after a year of hard work.

3. Carrie Underwood

While going to the Carrie Underwood concert was a gift for Mike, I have to say that I had just as much fun as he did and really enjoyed her singing abilities.

4. Leaf Scoops

I picked this up on a whim this fall and they came in very handy when I was cleaning up leaves around my house and cleaning up my garden.  It is amazing how much you can pick up with these scoops.  I would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to make their outdoor work a little easier.

5. Crazy Cupcakes 

I made these cupcakes for Fall Festival at our church and I thought they were so fun and kind of weird.  I understand why gel food coloring has a better color than the watery-drop kind.  

Crazy Week

Last week was one of the busiest weeks of my life.  I want to document what happened last week so someday when I feel like I am busier or when I feel like I have a boring life with nothing going on, I can look back for a little bit of a reality check.

MONDAY

Checked out my calendar when I got to work and had a mini freak out.  Schedule for the day included:
12Noon - Directors Meeting
6:30 - Fire Department Appreciation Meal (Mikes the fire fighter, not me but spouses were invited)
7pm - Lead a Community Center Meeting
8 pm - Lead a Resident Attract and Retain Committee Meeting

A little twist for Monday was the fact that we didn't make it to the appreciation meal. When I arrived home after work at 5 Mike was sleeping and felt like he was freezing.  Later we find out he had a 101.3 temp.

TUESDAY

Business as usual during the day. As I pulled into my yard after work my parents and grandparents were right behind me, ready to pick us up for a trip to Kearney for a Nebraska Corn Board dinner where we were recognized.

So far we have been spotted in Lincoln on the side of a delivery truck. My only request is, if you see us, please don't draw a mustache on my face because I wouldn't look good with facial hair.

The twist for Tuesday:

Creating a presentation for the next morning on the way home that night.

WEDNESDAY:
Started my day in McCool giving a 45 minute presentation about Economic Development in Henderson to the Leadership York group.  I can't believe I talked for 40 minutes straight.  I never thought I had that much to say.

Wednesday evening I lead small group at church.  Since we were working on our banner, I took my group of girls to Walmart, where they had $5 to by materials for the banner, then we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and to finish the banner.

Then it was back to the church for chancel choir.

Wednesdays twist, I went with Mike to the doctor at 1pm to find out Mike had walking pneumonia.

THURSDAY:
Thursday was the easiest day of the week all I had besides work was a jewelry party in the evening.  At this point some retail therapy and good conversation was needed.

Thursdays twist, my nose started running and it felt like a cold was starting.

FRIDAY:
Headed to Kearney 7:30am for the NCIP Conference during the day and stayed for the Governors Banquet that evening.

At the banquet I received three awards from Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy for various projects in Henderson.

No twists on Friday. Thank goodness.

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to make anyone feel sorry for me by posting my schedule from last week.  Most of the events of last week were things I choose to do and brought on myself.  I also realize that there are many people out there who are much busier than me and you may think this week was a breeze.

Mennonite Tuesday - Orange Julius

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

After a crazy week last week, see next post, I opted to host Mennonite Monday on Tuesday.  To be honest, I do think I cooked anything last week.  I'm pretty sure I ate, but I was so busy I couldn't really tell up from down and I was not organized enough to plan ahead. I decided to whip up a Orange Julius (pg 2W) for something refreshing and it definitely hit the spot.  My mom actually put this recipe in the cookbook and when I asked her about it she said "Oh I put that in there, I made those when we were first married," which is why I never remember having them growing up.  Now I'm kind of wishing we would have had them more because they are really good.  

Orange Julius
1 6 oz can orange juice
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 ice cubes
Blend all ingredients in a blender.

It was as simple as that! No explanation needed.  

Mennonite Monday - Caramel Twists

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

 This week I went out on a limb and made Caramel Twists (pg 16Y).  To be honest, I was nervous that they would be a flop, but they surprisingly turned out very well and the dough was very easy to work with.  It is not hard to understand why they are so good with all the butter and sugar in them.  

Caramel Twists

Mix together: 

9 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

Dissolve: 

2 pkgs of yeast in 1/2 cup water

Add to flour mixture together with:

6 egg yolks beaten and 2 cups warm milk

Mix together until smooth, Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Caramel coating: 

2 cups margarine

1 cup light corn syrup

3 cups brown sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

When ready to bake Caramel Twists, prepare Caramel coating by melting butter, and sugar and syrup.  Spread in roll pans.  Sprinkle with nuts.  Cut dough into equal parts for easy handling.  Roll each third of dough into rectangle 1/4 inch thick.  Brush center third with soft butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Fold one third of rectangle over center third and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Fold remaining third over 2 layers.  Cut crosswise into strips 1 inch wide. Grasp ends of strips firmly and twist in opposite directions.  Place in pan about 1 inch apart.  Repeat procedure with rest of dough.  Allow to rise 30 minutes.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees about 25 minutes.  Invert pans immediately on large sheets of foil.  

I always let my yeast soak in the container I measure the water in, so I don't have to make more things dirty. 

Butter for the dough. 

I did choose to cut the butter into the flour by hand, but i'm sure you could use your mixer to do the work. 

Adding the egg yokes. 

The dough is pretty dense when it goes into the refrigerator. 

I made the dough in the morning, so that evening I started my caramel topping. 

This is what the dough looked like after setting in the refrigerator.  Since there was a lot of dough, I decided to experiment a little bit, so I made half that night and I let the other half set in the refrigerator for a few days to see if I could still use the dough if it sat in the refrigerator longer than overnight.  Both sets of dough worked the same, so you can let you dough set as long or as little as you want.  

This dough was the easiest to roll out, of all of the doughs I have worked with so far.  It required very little flour and did not stick to the rolling pan. 

Adding butter to the middle third. 

Adding brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Folding one third over the middle. 

Adding more brown sugar and cinnamon. 

I folded the final third over and cut 1 inch strips with a large knife.  

Twisting the dough. 

The twists in the caramel topping. 

When they came out of the oven. 

The final product.  Keep in mind that this was only half the dough, so you would have twice as many twists if you made the entire recipe at once.