My Friend Has Graduated

Do you think of your death as a graduation? Will you be graduated to Heaven? My spiritual mother has just done so, and she is celebrating in the presence of Jesus even now. She has been my friend for nearly 3 decades and has walked through many of life's highs and lows with me. She taught two of my children in kindergarten, led my 3rd child to Christ, and loved on my 4th child whenever the opportunity was before her. She comforted me when I had difficulties in family relationships, and she rejoiced with me when each of my children graduated from school as well as when the grandchildren began to come along. May Drummond and her beloved husband, Don, danced at my children's weddings as well as at my own birthday party when we had a band in the back yard on 06/06/06. They could do the greatest dance... I think she called in some South Carolina swing. It was waaayyyy too many steps for me. Everyone would stand in amazement of them. May was passionate about Jesus and wanted everyone to know Him. She taught me how to live and now she has taught me how to die. In the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, when Sipsy is comforting Iggy as Ruth is dying, Sipsy says, "You know Miss Ruth is a lady, and a lady always knows when to leave." May was that kind of a lady.  I will miss her so much, but she is rejoicing and worshipping with the King of all Kings tonight... on a Sunday... how fitting. As we sang in church this morning, it is well with my soul... and hers.

Pantry Procedure

Organizing a pantry is not that easy, and keeping one stocked is even more challenging. My husband built this pantry for me 26 years ago, and for the first time I have done a complete cleanout. Emptied it, shelves washed, all surfaces painted, items consolidated where possible, and voila! Happy me. A few suggestions that help me:

1. If an item is taken out of the pantry, immediately the item is put on the grocery list and replaced next visit to grocery.

2. Utilize Rubbermaid turntables. These have been in existence for decades. I had several but have added several more. Best price I found was at Lowe's. Also, run those oldies through the dishwasher. You will be amazed.

3. Arrange canned goods with a bit of order. This time I arranged my cans left to right like this: tomatoes; twin turntable of canned soup/rotel & pimientoes & tomato paste & sauce; 2nd twin turntable with tuna & water chestnuts/mandarin oranges (stock item for a particular grandchild); peanut butter; beans and anything else. My hope is that by arranging this way, perhaps my brain can remember if I am low or out of something when I am at the store and have a sudden inspiration to cook an item not on my list.
4. Pegboard: If you have an area that cannot accomodate shelves, using pegboard is another way to organize your stuff. This time I did a little shopping to see if there were any improvements in hooks in 26 years. For sure: Walmart had a BULKPACK assortment. Rusty could even do some organizing in his shop. ( He is not excited). My favorite new hooks are the 4" ones which have taken care of 5-6 rolls of various types of tape, cord, and string. This tape rearrangement has freed up a substantial amount of room in my utility drawer by hanging tape on the pegboard.

4. Line shelves with "DUCK" brand shelf liner. It will keep your surfaces looking nicer longer. I did not do this the first time, so my shelves were rather disgusting.

5. Recycled plastic peach baskets are helpful to keep those pesky but necessary little packages of things tidy AND together: Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Crystal Light, Jello, Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix, Knorr Spinach Dip, yeast. More baskets used for chocolate chips/baking chocolate/ grandchildren chocolate/HONEY's chocolate. More baskets used for cocktail napkins.

I actually have some WHITE space on several shelves now. That makes me very happy. I wonder how long I can keep it this way.

Triple P's

When my son was playing football at Auburn, we tailgated on a grand scale like I had never seen in my life. We were guests of friends we had met, and one of them introduced me to this delicious beverage called a Pink Panty Pulldown. She always made it in the 5 gallon ORANGE drum, of course. The recipe has been a favorite among my guests ever since. I have served it at birthday parties, bridal events, and even a baby shower "Sip and See." Annually, we attend a Wild Game Cookoff with other great Auburn friends, and I am tasked with bringing the party as the PPP girl. It is definitely a conversation piece, so get busy squeezing the lemons. That is the secret ingredient.

Pink Panty Pulldowns

to make a 2 gallon jug:                                  to make 1 gallon:

1¼ cups pink Country Time dry lemonade         3/4 cup dry pink  lemonade or more

1 ltr. water                                                    2 ltr. Sprite

3 ltr. Sprite (or Gingerale)                              1/3 to ½ ltr. vodka

¾ of a 2 ltr. vodka                                          water to taste

juice of several lemons                                    juice of several lemons

ice

Combine powdered lemonade with vodka until dissolved. In 2 gallon jug, pour lemonade solution, sprite, water to taste, and lemon juice and mix well. Fill the rest of the container with ice. Stir well. Serve over lots more ice.

To make 5 gallons:

1-19 oz. can Country Time Pink Lemonade      2 ltrs. water

2-2 ltrs. Vodka                                              juice of several lemons

2-3 ltrs. Sprite

The Faithful Crockpot: Part 4

Last week was a big week for my freezers having restocked on a half steer from a local farmer... organic, grass-fed. The last half steer lasted 18 months. Why do I tell you this... only to assure you that the final rump roast from the 2010 steer was as good as the first one. The following recipe is great for a rump cut or an eye of round. A friend shared this recipe with me at least 2 decades ago, and I am still loving it.

EYE OF ROUND

eye of round or rump roast       2 Tbsp. sesame seed                  1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp. white vinegar              1/2 cup leftover black coffee

                       

Place meat in crockpot (cut meat in half, if necessary, to fit in your crockpot or freeze one half for another time). Pour other ingredients over. Cook high 1 hour, then low 4-5 hours. (OR cook low 8 hours). Slice with electric knife & serve with juice. I like to thicken the juice a bit by mixing 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Ladle juice into saucepan and stir in cornstarch mixture. Heat for 4-5 min. As good as French Dip at O’Charley’s! Great leftover— meat slices heated in gravy. Serve over large rolls, rice, or noodles.

The Faithful Crockpot: Part 3

Can you beat this? Feed your family for .79 a pound for your main dish. Currently Kroger has whole chickens for this price. Yes, I sometimes buy the already roasted chickens at the store, but for $3.50 you can have your entire home smell like someone has been there cooking all day when you get home from work. That is often more appealing than an additonal stop at the grocery on your way home. You can expect to get about 4 cups of cooked chicken from 1 whole chicken. A time saver I used for many years while working full time and raising a family was to buy several chickens at a time, wash them all as soon as I got home, rebag them in clean gallon zip bags, and freeze them CLEAN. This way whenever you are fumbling around at 5 a.m. in the morning trying to dress for work and think about dinner simultaneously, you can take out one of your FROZEN chickens and plop it right in the crockpot with some water, white wine if you have it, celery & onion, seasonings, and let it rip. You may not even know early in the morning how you want to use the chicken, but you will be motivated to finish well after a tiring day because your dinner is already started. These days saving here and there can be difference makers. 

Chicken In A Pot

Also, Chicken ‘N’ Gravy,  Chicken ‘N’ Dumplins, or Chicken Casserole*

1 large onion, thinly sliced                                                          ½ cup water, white wine or chicken broth

2 carrots, sliced                                                                           1 tsp. salt                       

2 ribs celery, cut into 1” pieces                                                    ½ tsp. pepper           

1 whole chicken, rinsed & giblets removed                                    ½ tsp. tarragon, opt.

1.     Place carrots, onion & celery in slow cooker. Add whole chicken. Top with salt, pepper, & liquid. Sprinkle tarragon on top.

2.     Cover & cook on low 8-10 hrs. If cooking on high, add 1 cup water & cook for 4-5 hrs.

3.     Remove chicken & vegetables. Save broth, defat, freeze in quart bags for use in soups later.

4.     *Options: Pour defatted broth into saucepan & bring to boil over the stove. Then:

1)     Combine well ¾ cup water & ¼ cup flour. Stir into boiling broth & simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Add chicken & veggies to gravy & serve over cornbread, rice or noodles, OR…

 2) To boiling broth, add: 1 can of refrigerator canned biscuits which have been separated into individual biscuits, rolled out thin, sliced into strips, then drop in boiling broth for 7-10 minutes, until done, OR...

 3) Use chopped chicken in your favorite casserole or soup. Just don't throw out defatted broth. Great to have in freezer. 

The Faithful Crockpot: Part 2

If different cuts of meat intimidate you, this recipe is for you. A pork loin is relatively low in fat and yields a large amount of meat per pound for the price. Done in the crockpot, this Apple Dijon Pork Loin is a success every time. Watch for this cut to go on sale, and Sam's and Costco always have them priced competitively. Leftovers make great BBQ sandwiches or Chow Mein with additional celery, onion, and bell pepper. Enjoy!

Apple Dijon Pork Roast

Boneless pork loin            1 cup apple juice

            1-14 oz. can chicken broth            ½ cup Dijon mustard            ¼ cup cornstarch

Trim visible fat & cut roast in half if necessary to fit in crockpot. Place halves side by side in 5 qt. or larger crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients except cornstarch & cook low 8-10 hrs. Remove loin from crockpot. Using two forks, shred meat. Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water in small jar w/lid. Shake to combine well with no lumps. Defat the sauce from crockpot and pour into saucepan. Slowly pour in some of the cornstarch mixture. Over medium heat, stir until slightly thickened for a few minutes (may not need all of cornstarch mixture). Ladle sauce over meat & serve.

The Faithful Crockpot

If you are new to my blog, you may have missed an August article I wrote entitiled, "God Gave Angels Wings and Humans Chocolate." In that article, I mentioned a brilliant cookbook author and Nashville native, Anne Byrn, who wrote The Cake Mix Doctor. Since I have been collecting good recipes for many years, I thought you crockpot lovers might be interested in information that Anne Byrn printed in the Nashville Tennessean many years ago. I was a follower of hers before a contributor to her cookbooks! She listed a number of helpful tips on successful crockpot cooking, and since many of us lean on our faithful crockpots in January, please enjoy!

Crockpot Suggestions

To get the most flavor from your slow cooker:

1.     Try bone-in, skinless chicken breasts for more flavor than boneless.

2.     As a rule, forgo most cheese and dairy products because they separate. Processed cheeses hold up better than regular cheeses. IF dairy products are called for, add at the last hour of cooking time. For example, if you’re making soup that calls for milk, add water at the beginning of the recipe, then add some milk s the recipe nears doneness.

3.     Go easy on salt & seasonings. You can always add more at the table, but it is difficult to erase too much salt. Use dried herbs because they hold up to long simmering.

4.     Also go easy on the liquid. Because you are steaming food in its own juices, and there is no way for excess liquid to evaporate, begin with only the liquid you’ll need.

5.     Vegetables need to be thinly sliced and placed near the sides or bottom of the slow cooker.

6.     Hearty root vegetables—potatoes, carrots, & parsnips—cook up well. Be sure to chop them before adding. Avoid delicate vegetables—like snow peas—which will wither in a slow cooker.

7.     The general order of ingredients is: veggies first, then meat, then liquid & seasonings.

8.     Don’t sneak a peek! Every time you raise the lid, you add 20 minutes to your cooking time. If the recipe calls for lifting the lid, do it quickly.

Make applesauce when fresh apples come into season. Place 8-10 large cooking apples, peeled, cored & sliced in pot along with ½ cup water, 1 tsp. cinnamon & ½ to 1 cup sugar. Cover & cook on low for 3 hours. Serve warm.                                                                                                                                                                             - From Anne Byrn, Tennessean Food Editor 9/98

A Surprise From Publix

This fall a friend brought the most incredible hors d'oeuvres to a gathering, and I tried my hand at it during Christmas.This Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza would also work as your main dish, though four of us had no problem devouring it before a meal of filets and potatoes. Ugh, my waistband. Oh well. This combination of flavors will keep you coming back for more. The pizza crust is a critical ingredient, and I was new to this item available at Publix near the bakery. They have a min-frig. full of baggied fresh pizza dough with simple instructions for use. Oh, baby. You will want to go back for this item over and over. I use my pizza stone to ensure top quality on the baking of the crust. This recipe is a keeper. If you have any leftovers (you won't), microwave to reheat and enjoy all over again. Thank you, Jane!

Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza

    Fresh pizza crust dough from Publix

    1-2 Bosc pears

    1/2c Gorgonzola cheese

    1/2c Fontina cheese, grated

    1 c   Mozzarella cheese, grated

    1 onion, sliced and caramelized (see step #4 below)

    Hazelnuts or Pecans

    good honey

1. The pizza dough will need to sit on counter for an hour before you roll it out. Follow the directions on packaging. When you set out the dough to begin this process, turn on oven 450 and put pizza stone in oven to heat it for an hour while dough is sitting on counter.

2. Roll out pizza dough onto hot stone to whatever thickness you like.  The Pampered Chef Baker's Roller is helpful here with its dual-size rollers.

3. Spread  mozzarella cheese and fontina cheese on top.

4. Place caramelized onion on top of cheese (to caramelize, slowly brown onion in 4 Tbsp butter for about 15 min. while dough is rising).

5. Slice pear very thin and lay on top of onions and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of pears, optional.

6. Sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese and nuts.

7. Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is done. Remove from oven and drizzle honey over the top.