Almond Bars and Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Unbeknown to most Dutch descendants in West Michigan the Almond flavor they love so much isn't that big of a deal in the rest of the country.  Until I moved to Grand Rapids I had no idea how many desserts and pastries could be made with Almond flavoring or Almond paste.   It just wasn't something I was even all that aware of.  Now I'm hooked.

I have some good friends Marc and Ruthie who are the sweetest couple. Here they are pictured at a recent wedding we went to with them.  We enjoy their company and especially their cooking!  Marc is Sicilian and Ruthie is Dutch so the food is always a fun combination!  The last time we enjoyed dinner at their house we had Almond Bars for dessert.  These were made from a special family recipe passed down from Ruthie's ancestors, who owned a bakery in the Netherlands.  These bars are similar to "banket" but are topped with a melt-in-your-mouth meringue.  Ruthie graciously walked me through how to make the meringue a few times and Thursday night I tried my hand at making these bars.  Amazing!   Her family recipe is a secret so if you want a taste you'll have to have me make them for you sometime! 

I made the bars and the Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares for a ladies special Advent night at church. 
The second recipe is from a cookbook Marc and Ruthie's church made, it was one of her favorites so she passed it on to me!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares
1 box of yellow/white cake mix
1/2 c. Melted butter
29 oz. can of pumpkin
2/3 c. milk
1 c. sugar
2 eggs

Topping
4 tsp cin.
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
Preheat oven
Reserve 1 c. of cake mix.  Combine rest of mix, 1 egg and melted butter.
Press into bottom of greased 9x13 pan.
Prepare filling by beating pumpkin, 2 eggs, milk and sugar until smooth. Pour over crust.
Prepare topping by combining reserved cake mix and remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle over filling.
Bake for 50 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Black Forest Brownie Pecan Pie

The Cadet Dine and Sign fundraising dinner at church this month is a Western Themed Chili dinner with corn bread and salad.  The following recipe is the dessert I'm bringing!

Black Forest Brownie Pecan Pie sitting next to some of the decorations from the Western Dinner!

Black Forest Brownie Pecan Pie

Ingredients

3/4 cup	Corn Syrup
1/3 cup	sugar
1/8 teaspoon	salt
3 ounces	semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tablespoon	butter
3	eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon	vanilla extract
3/4 cup	coarsely chopped pecans
1	Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 can (21 ounces)	Cherry Pie Filling

Directions

Combine corn syrup, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Add chocolate and butter to syrup mixture, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Pour chocolate mixture slowly over eggs, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and pecans; mix well. Place pie crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan (for stability).  Pour mixture into crust.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until center of pie is slightly puffed; cool at least 1 hour.  To serve, top each slice of pie with about 1/4 cup cherry pie filling.

Scotch-a-roos

Made scotch-a-roos twice in two days!  I love these crispy peanut buttery chocolatey treats.  My first introduction to them was at my future in-law's house when Fig and I were dating.  Lydia and I made them Friday for a post-high event that later got postponed and today for Fig's trip to Lake City/Cadillac to visit with some of our former students.  The recipe says to refrigerate for 3 hours but the fridge was full of Thanksgiving leftovers so I stuck them in the garage!  The benefit to winters in Michigan is you have a really large walk in freezer :).  If you cut them right out of the fridge the chocolate will crack so let it sit out for  few minutes before breaking into them. . .I know it will be hard to wait but you can do it!


Scotch-a-roos
Ingredients

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (12 oz bag) butterscotch chips

Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment or wax paper.
Add sugar and corn syrup to sauce pan and stir over medium heat until it reaches a rolling boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
In a large bowl, add six cups of Rice Krispys. Pour on the peanut butter mixture and stir until all the cereal is coated. Spread in prepared pan.
In a microwave melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together. Spread on top of cereal and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

Thanksgiving leftovers

Sitting here eating leftover pie I realized I never recorded how they turned out! I didn't bake the Pumpkin pie long enough on Wednesday, I had skipped the first baking step.  Since it wasn't done I baked it in the oven for 25 minutes Thursday while we were eating the Turkey.  The perk?  We ate warm pumpkin pie. . . amazing.  Follow the directions (below for the baking temperatures) closely and you shouldn't have problems.  One of the best I've had.  The pecan pie was also wonderful you can't beat toasted pecans covered by carmalized sugar. . .oh wow!  Both recipes (including the tip about blind baking-see previous post) I took from the Grand Rapids Press, my fav!  Both crusts were delightfully light and flaky, which came from making the crust and putting them in the fridge to chill before rolling out and filling.

Shirley Bellmon's Pecan Pie
(Wife of the Oklahoma Govenor in the 1960s- she'd make a dozen or two and stick them in the pantry; her daughter didn't eat pecan pie for about 13 years afterward she couldn't take the smell!)

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
3 eggs
1 c. white corn syrup
1c. light brown sugar
1c. whole pecans

Directions
Make pie shell and chill or defrost if frozen.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, add corn syrup and sugar to the eggs and mix well. 
Pour mixture into pie shell and sprinkle the top with pecans.
Bake for an hour.

Pumpkin pie

Ingredients
3/4c. granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin- not premade filling
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie shell

Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and gradually stir in warm evaporated milk.
Pour room temperature mixture  into (chilled) pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. 
Reduce tempature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes until knife inserted near center comes out clean. 
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve soon or keep refrigerated.

Recipes for the STROnGboli breakfast

The teams eating breakfast.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup canola oil
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cut into 12 cubes

STREUSEL:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg; add milk, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full. Place a cream cheese cube in the center of each. Top with remaining batter.
For streusel, combine brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Failures and Successes (in that order)

Fourteen hours ago I started out to ambitiously make breakfast breads for about 25 people.  A Thanksgiving day tradition at our church is that the youth group plays football against the Elders and Deacons before the service (which starts at 9:30) in the church yard.  Then after the game they come inside grab a quick bite and then most head home to shower and return in time for church.  On the list were also two pies for Thanksgiving that needed to be made.

I started with a double batch of Pumpkin Streusel Muffins and substituted butter for oil (which I thought was at church but turns out was in the van).  While they were baking I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins once again using butter instead of oil.  I smelled some smoke but thought it was something spilled on the bottom of the oven.  After pulling out the pumpkin muffins I put in the banana muffins.  As the first batch was cooling on the wire racks I noticed half were burned on the bottom.  GRRR. . .I don't burn things, what was going on?  Then I REALLY smelled smoke and a few seconds later we discovered that our apartment does have a working smoke alarm!  The whole batch was burned. I think the butter (which I hadn't melted) went into the muffin cups in lumps, promptly melted, overflowed and ran to the bottom of the muffin tins.  I think the hot oil on the outside of the muffin papers just cooked them too much.  If anyone else has any theories I'd be glad to hear them!

I took a break and moved on to making two pie crusts and wrapping them in plastic to chill.  I rolled one out and started to "blind bake" it.  This is a technique to keep the crust from getting soggy because of the pumpkin pie.  Take the crust put foil in it and fill it with something heavy (I used a pound of dry beans).  Bake it for 25 min at 325 and then take the weight and foil out of the crust and continue to bake for 15 min.  While the crust finished baking I made the Pumpkin Pie mix and set it on top of the stove to warm and then filled the crust with the warm pie filling.  While that pie was baking I started the Pecan Pie, rolled out the crust, filled it then popped it in the oven.

I now had just a few muffins for breakfast and it was afternoon. . . Thankfully I had some Zuchinni in the freezer so pulled that out to thaw while I took a breather.  The pies both looked good (hallelujah!).

Made a batch of Paula Deen's Zucchini bread like I've made before.  Then I sat down and watched Peter Pan with Lydia while I peeled apples for a double batch of criss cross apple crowns (also from a previous post).  While they were baking I made a double batch of banana bread.  I pulled the ccac out of the oven and put in the banana bread to bake.  Fig walked in at 9:30 and said "It smells good in here! Oh! I like those can I have one?"  He said they tasted great! 

I'm a little worried about the banana bread.  It was the end of a long day and I had run out of all-purpose flour so I used whole wheat bread flour.  There wasn't anymore brown sugar so it's short a bit of sugar and I used baking powder instead of baking soda because I'd run out of that too!  I'll have to let you know how it all turns out. . .

Good night moon.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

It's Saturday!  This means we made cookies for Sunday School.  I taught Lydia what "Kisses" were this week so she kept asking for a kiss and I'd plant one on her. . .she laughed every time.  So i gave her the job of unwrapping kisses for our cookies.  She felt like a really big helper! Here's the recipe off the bag.

 

Ingredients

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Cookie Pops

Lydia and I decided to make cookie pops for Sunday School classes last week.  This was an easy project we could both do.  She loved dipping the sticks into the chocolate!

32 Servings
Prep: 25 min. + freezing

Ingredients

1 package (12 ounces) White Chocolate Chips or 12 oz White Chocolate Bark
2 tablespoons shortening, divided
1 package (16 ounces) double-stuffed Oreo cookies
32 wooden Popsicle or craft sticks
Optional Decorating ideas 1 cup (6 ounces)Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, crushed candy canes, crushed candy, chopped nuts

Directions

Appease crying child with Popsicle sticks. . . or two. . . nope not working!

In a microwave, melt vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon shortening.
Twist apart sandwich cookies. Dip the end of each Popsicle stick into melted chips; place on a cookie half and top with another half.

Place cookies on a waxed paper-lined baking sheets; freeze for 15 minutes.

Reheat white chocolate mixture again if necessary; dip frozen cookies into mixture until completely covered; allow excess to drip off.  Dip in crushed candy or nuts and return to the baking sheet; freeze 30 minutes longer or until set.

Lydia enjoying one of our finished treats!  Make sure to have milk, sippy cup optional!

You can also decorate white chocolate cookies by melt the chocolate chips and remaining shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container. 

Peanut Butter Pie

We have a leaders' meeting tonight and as I was thinking about what to serve I couldn't help but think of one of our leaders whose birthday it was a few days ago.  Lydia and I started making peanut butter pie and she kept calling it "Coty Pie" (cute because it sounded a bit like "cutie pie" which she wouldn't have said).  We're going to stick a candle in the pie and sing to him and if there is a piece left Lydia will get it (even though she got to lick the spoons).  Here it is:

Peanut Butter Pie                                                                                            Servings 8

Prep:15 min Chill 15 min- hours

1 (8 oz) cream cheese softened

½ c. smooth peanut butter

1 c sifted confectioners sugar

2 Tbs milk

4 oz thawed cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

1. Combine cream cheese and peanut butter with electric mixer till smooth.

2. Add sugar and milk.  Beat until smooth.

3.  Fold in whipped cream carefully.

4. Spoon into pie crust.

5. Cover and chill in freezer for 15 min.  If chilling longer pull out 15 min before you want to serve it.

Note: Nobody will object if you add chopped reese’s cups in or on it!

Credit: Marilyn Densmore from my church in VA.  She gave me this recipe for my wedding shower years ago!

Black Beans and Rice!

Last Wednesday night we had a fundraising dinner and it went great!  We chose a Mexican theme and had a blast decorating, cooking and serving.  I've had a few requests for the Black Beans and Rice recipe that I used.  Here it is from the website allrecipes.com submitted by Robyn Webb and adjusted a bit by me.

Black Beans and Rice

Prep Time: 5 min   Cook Time: 25 Min   Ready In: 30 Min

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 cups canned black beans, drained 

Directions
In a stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the spices and black beans. 

 

My variation: I added a small can of diced tomatoes (add with the broth) and used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.   After it cooked for 20 minutes I pulled it off and let it sit for 10 minutes and during that time I heated the beans a bit then mixed everything together.

Enjoy!

Over the Top Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Our Sunday School classes get cookies made by volunteers.  Since I love to bake and I love teens this volunteer opportunity is one I'm always eager to do.  I had too much Halloween candy leftover and so needed to get rid of it so it all didn't go to my hips.  Searching online produced an amazing recipe that I"ll credit to "Laura" on "Real Kitchen Mom."  Incentives to learn about God?  I'm all over it!

Over the Top Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 32 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, each cut into 4 pieces

1. Mix the ingredients down to the vanilla.  Add soda, salt, and flour.  Fold in chocolate chips.
2. Using and ice cream scoop, scoop dough (these are big cookies).  Place 6 scoops of dough on ungreased cookie sheet.  Use your hand and slightly flatten each scoop of dough.  Cook for 12 minutes at 350.
3. Remove cookies from oven and lightly press 8 cut up pieces of the Reese’s peanut butter cups over the top of each cookie.  Return to oven for 2 more minutes.  Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before placing on cooling rack.  I think these cookies are best eaten warm.  However, they still taste great the next day.  Are best if eaten no later than the day after baking.  Makes 18 cookies.

Variation: use mini or regular M&M pieces in place of the Reese’s pieces.

If you double the batch it might be too thick for your mixer.  Mine was struggling a bit.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin flavored everything.  I just love it!  My mom made Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread when I was in the house and it was divine (at 234 calories a piece though I can't eat too much).  This morning I made a batch (2 loaves).  One to take to Bible study tomorrow night (instead of bars or cookies) and one for game night on Friday.

This recipe was taken from Taste of Home website.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1-1/2 cups canola oil
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

A few years ago a dear couple from our church in Lake City had us over for dinner for Pastor Appreciation month (October- *hint hint*).  She made White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake for us and it was amazing!  The perfect dessert for fall.  A little classier than pumpkin pie and a little more suited for fall than plain cheesecake!  I made this for our leaders meeting tomorrow night, the one she made had a gingersnap crust instead of Oreo but we'll see how this tastes.  I'm excited and hoping that they feel the love!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake (from the Taste of Home website)

Ingredients 

1-1/4 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/4 cups vanilla or white chips, melted and cooled
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg
White chocolate curls, optional

Directions 

Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Press cookie crumbs onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in melted chips. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin and spices; gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
Garnish with white chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Communion bread continued. . .

Finished product, Fig and I ate the ones on the right!

Communion set up before the wedding.

"This is the body of Christ broken for you. . ."

Communion bread.

 Here are pictures of the bread making!

Ingredients for Oatmeal Bread.

Dough after first rising.

De-gassing and shaping. 

Shaped and waiting to rise again.

After second rising.  To be continued!

What would Jesus eat?

What would Jesus eat if he celebrated the Lord's Supper?  If we're trying to be like Jesus are we held to the little things like what he ate and wore?  Thankfully I'll not answer all those but there is a book by Ed Dobson entitled "The Year of Living Like Jesus" in which Dobson (a former pastor from Grand Rapids) tries to literally live as Jesus would.  Interesting book and a quick read.

I ask because I have the honor of making the bread for communion a friend's wedding in which they will celebrate communion so I have been thinking about communion bread.  The first Lord's Supper happened during the Passover (Matt 26:17-29).  What kind of bread would Jesus and his disciples have eaten?  Due to the celebration of Passover (also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread-Lev 23:4-11, 14) and the commands to rid the house of yeast the "bread" would have been more like a cracker.  This is also called Matzah and is still used today in Hebrew homes.  The very first Passover included the command to bake bread without yeast because they didn't have time for it to rise (a loaf of bread can take 2-3 hours to rise if it has yeast in it).  The people were to eat in haste so they could leave their former land of slavery quickly.

In the Old and New Testaments yeast (leaven) symbolized sin.  In the Beth Moore study on the Psalms of Ascents she draws attention to a book called The Feasts of the Lord which explains, "In Hebrew, leaven is known as chametz, which literally means 'sour'.  Leaven (usually yeast or baking powder) is used to produce fermentation."  The book goes on to say that "ancient rabbis also believed that leaven represents the evil impulses of the heart."  Beth points out that the fermentation implied a process of corruption but this feast lets God deal with sin as the focus is on removing sin (yeast) from our home and life (Ex 12:19).

Another interesting picture that Beth showed us in the Bible study is from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.  It says (as best they can tell) the leaven consisted of fermented dough that was kept over from a previous baking and then "hid" in the flour and kneaded into the new batch of dough.  Compare this with 1 Cor 5:7-8 "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth."  Beth said when you hold something back and you may think it is hidden well it will come to light.  You may think you have dealt with sin because it is not nearly as bad as it used to be but it is still hidden hypocrisy.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the symbol of the bread.  Jesus is the unleavened bread.  There was no corruption or decay that marred his body (Acts 2:31) and his body was not broken but was pierced (John 19:34) and striped.  Matzah bread prior to baking is pierced so the air can escape, while it is baking it forms dark spots on it that look like stripes. 

Jesus is also the fulfillment of many other passover symbols that we don't have time to talk about here (lamb, blood covered door, the wine etc.).  It amazes me how Jesus saved me from my slavery of sin.  How many times do I linger in it. . .the Israelites weren't going to wait around they were anxious to leave their slavery.  Jesus wants me to examine my house and life and get rid of the sin that so easily entangles me.  Is there sin that needs to be confessed over and over and over.  Yes.  I need to find it out and stop keeping, hiding and holding onto it.  Let it go!

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/passover.html is an interesting site with many more comparisons.

Saving a seat for Elijah part 2

Well, last night turned out differently than I thought it would!  God provided guests at a different time!  Instead of getting dinner guests we received dessert guests!  A bunch of people came over after the football game.  Pulled out cookies I had hidden in the freezer (white chocolate cranberry and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies). Thankfully I'd had some stocked away!  They both were soft even though they'd been frozen (sometimes I think they get dried out).  Great night playing Euchre, Hand and Foot and Sevens!

I had about 5 lbs of pork left over from dinner so I shredded about half and put it in the crock pot with BBQ sauce and a bit of water so it won't dry out.  Cooking it on low for about 3 hours.  Burger buns are rising right now for us to put the bbq on for dinner tonight!  The meat is smelling great already!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in chocolate chips.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 4 dozen.

Beautiful Burger Buns (King Arthur Flour Website)

• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

• 6 to 8 ounces lukewarm water
• 1 ounce butter
• 1 large egg
• 14 3/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 3/4 ounces sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Directions

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

4) If desired, brush buns with melted butter. Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.

Save a seat for Elijah. . .

Ironically this blog is mostly about baked goods containing flour and the title of this post is from the Jewish Passover a component of celebrating Passover is getting rid of all the leaven (yeast) in the house.  The Jews wait expectantly and save a seat for Elijah in the event that he appears (Mal 4:5 prophesies he will return).  They do not want to be surprised! 

As a youth director's wife, we've had many surprise guests and this used to stress me out but now I thrive off it.  Many were the times I was amazed by how God provided enough to feed everyone.  Now, cooking and baking are a huge part of my ministry to the teens and other church members as I try to be a blessing through food! 

Fig and I like to say that a place at our table will always be open "for Elijah."  I don't often make big meals as we're pretty simple people but the few times that I have and thought, "Why am I making a 6lb roast for 2 adults and a kid?" we've received guests and had just enough to feed everyone. 

So tonight I'm making a 6 lb pork roast smothered in onions, carrots and potatoes.  Homemade dinner rolls are accompanying it. . . who is "Elijah" going to be tonight?  Only God knows, may we be a blessing regardless.


 Soft Dinner Rolls

2 1/2 teaspoons regular instant yeast or active dry yeast*
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup potato flour OR dried potato flakes
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water (potato water, if you have any saved)
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons butter, softened or melted

*The recipe directions are written for instant yeast; to use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the water first. Also, be aware that your rising times will be longer.

To make dough by hand or mixer: In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, salt, flour and potato flour or potato flakes. Add the water, milk and butter, and mix until cohesive. Knead the dough on a lightly oiled surface till it's smooth and supple. Add flour if you must, but the dough will continue to absorb liquid as you knead, so try to knead for 5 minutes or so before adding any additional flour. Remember, the more flour in the dough, the heavier and dryer the rolls will be.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the dough aside to rise till doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

To make dough in a bread machine: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Assess the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle; add additional water or flour as necessary to produce a smooth, supple, somewhat soft dough.

To complete the rolls: Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans, or a 9 x 13-inch pan. Space the rolls in the pan(s), cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow them to rise for about 1 hour, till they're very puffy and are touching one another.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, set them on a wire rack to cool, and brush them with melted butter or margarine, if desired. This will give the rolls a soft crust. Serve the rolls warm, or store them in an airtight container. Yield: 16 rolls.

National White Chocolate Day

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

These were pretty good but a little dry.  Right out of the oven they were amazing!  I'd probably add more white chocolate because I like it:).

Crisscross Apple Crowns

Tuesday mornings mean breakfast for youth group!  I made this recipe to go with the eggs and stuff Fig is making.  They seemed "fallish" with the apples and cinnamon.  Fig had two and then asked if I could make them every day. . . good thing I tripled the batch!  Here's the recipe from the Taste of Home magazine (which is amazing).

Crisscross Apple Crowns

30 minutes to make 20 minutes to bake 5 minutes to cool in tins

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
Dash salt
1 package (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the apples, walnuts, raisins, 3 tablespoons sugar, flour, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until almost tender.
Flatten each biscuit into a 5-in. circle. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful of sugar mixture over each. Top each with 1/4 cup apple mixture. Bring up edges to enclose mixture; pinch edges to seal.
Place seam side down in ungreased muffin cups. Brush tops with butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. With a sharp knife, cut an “X” in the top of each.
Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

Monster Cookies with the Cookie Monster

So, it's the first day of school I mean youth group for me.  New youth group, new students, new ministries, new challenges. . . nervous? Me?  Yep!  Every year I get excited and nervous for what God is going to do and what is going to happen relationships built, lives changed, prayers answered, walks challenged. . .it's going to be great I know it is but it's tough to be here instead of Lake City where we spent the last 5 years and already knew the kids and ministries.  I'm looking forward to this year though.  Some of the students we've started to get to know are awesome, funny, talented and selfless. 

I'm making Monster Cookies with Lydia (my Cookie Monster) to take to youth group tonight.  No better way to win a teenager than by great snacks! 

Monster Cookies (by Paula Deen)
Takes about 10 minutes to mix up and yields about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The Proverbs 31 woman. . . enough to strike feelings of insecurity in all women.  She's got it together.  The phrase that struck me this morning was "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Part of my job as a wife and mother is to keep my family fed.  To do this I sometimes use short cuts. I'll bake or cook twice as much and then freeze it so on a busy day I can pull something out that is cheaper and more nutritious than you may get at restaurant.  The other benefit is you dirty the dishes once not twice:).  By planning ahead and being prepared (not being idle) I can save our family money and time.

Part of my calling is to also provide for those that have physical needs.  Volunteering to provide meals to people is also one of the ways that I can use my gifts and share the love of Christ.  My freezer is a tool I can use to make that job a little easier if it has been a busy week!  The following recipe makes 2 loaves so it is perfect, you can enjoy one now and put one in the freezer!

Zucchini Bread (thanks to Paula Deen)

Cook 1 hour takes about 10 minutes to make and makes 2 loaves.
Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Blow, Wind, Blow

Blow, wind, blow!
And go, mill, go!
That the miller may grind his corn;
That the baker may take it
And into bread make it
And bring us a loaf in the morn.

This was a poem in Lydia's Highlights High Five magazine!

I'm not using corn today, just flour. I'm making Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cream Cookies. Here's the recipe I got off a blog!

2 sticks softened butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
22 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in Oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

The Miller

In many cultures the miller was an important person.  Someone well connected socially (he met everyone) and essential (everyone needed bread), he was a vital part of the community.  He was also a social step above the farmers as his skill kept people fed but he wasn't a common laborer.  The mill was comprised of a large fixed stone and another smaller stone set on top of it that was powered by machinery of some kind.  This was powered by animals or water or wind (like the above painting from the Dutchman Mondrian) .  The miller would then grind the grain coming to him from the farmers/peasants and give them the now usable substance.  You can't make bread with a hunk of wheat it has to be ground into flour!

Made another loaf of bread yesterday to take to friends who have a new baby! I'm loving this I need to buy more flour though I'm all out! After two loaves of zucchini bread and two loaves of white bread I'm starting to just get warmed up.  I also have a bunch of bananas in the freezer that need to be made into bread too!  Food is my love language.

Signs of the Times

I'm a visual learner.  I think in pictures.  This I've found is especially true in my relationship with God.  I didn't realize this until I started dating my future husband.  It was amazing to have someone who was in love with me and wanted to be with me no matter what bad mood or life craziness was happening.  The picture of God wooing his people and desiring to be with them took on a deeper meaning.  Then we were married and the pictures of Jesus as a groom coming to take his bride the church home with him was awe inspiring.   As a sister I could picture Christ as a brother and even found ways to learn from our "slave" experience.  You won't believe how many references there are to slaves, slavery or freedom in the Bible until you feel like you're a slave!  Now as a parent I see God as my Father in my parenting role.  I try to relate this time of my life to my relationship with God, as I try to do in the other relationships around me. It's not that each stage ends it's that it deepens and becomes more layered.

As a parent you learn to read signs.  When Joanna starts rubbing her eye with one fist and fingering her blanket's fringe with her other hand you know you've got to get that one into bed or a meltdown is coming.  If you see a scrunched up face with concentration you know a "muddy" diaper (thank you Sally Fields- Steel Magnolias anyone?) is going to be your next project.  With Lydia boredom leads to destruction and with Joanna if she's tired you have to isolate her or she'll get stimulated by a noise or sister and take longer getting calmed down.  If Lydia hears another child within a mile radius you know she's going to run to the backdoor and yell, "My friends are here!" no matter whether she can go outside or not (i.e. no clothes on, meal time, about to head out the door etc.).  Once you learn to read the signs you can help the situation.

I wonder if God sees some of my signs and starts the intervention process.  He knows that when I watch that movie I'm heading down the path of disrespect toward my husband or if I look at those home decorating magazines my green eyed goblin is going to start hinting that bigger and more expensive is better.  He knows that the temptation to stay up late watching movies or reading is going to lead to a tired mama llama whose tendency is to be less than patient the next morning or that hanging out with certain friends will lead toward gossip. 

I've learned with the girls how to divert and distract when signs of an impending thunderstorm start to brew.  I wonder in what way God distracts me. . .but then I remember certain verses that come alive during quiet time or a friend's word of wisdom or a book/sermon/song that quickens my conscience and I return to the straight and narrow.

Run of the Mill

I'm late in the game of blogging I'll admit.  However, I liked the idea of a more in depth place than Facebook to share. . . share what I'm not sure to be honest because I can't imagine that many interested in the VanderMolen household. 

I like my blog name.  By way of explanation the expression "run of the mill" means ordinary and that's who we are an ordinary midwestern family (with a side of southern sass-that's from me).  We're trying to figure out how to love and live like Jesus would.  Our last name "VanderMolen" also means "from the mill" in Dutch.  As the "domestic engineer" I run this family from the mill!  I even made bread this afternoon from scratch and it turned out awesome!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2010/08/16/q-whats-our-most-popular-recipe-a-you-wont-believe-it/#comments
I also like my child.  Tonight I was sitting and talking with Lydia who was a bit on the difficult side today. . . she was slow to listen and quick to tears.  As I was readying her for bed I told her that in the morning I wanted her to listen with her ears (I touched them) and to obey with a happy heart (I traced a heart shape on her chest).  Then two minutes later she wasn't listening and so I said her name and then touched my ears and she said "and with a happy heart mom!" Hopefully that lesson will stick in the morning!

Off to read my book of O. Henry Short Stories.  I like them.  They are often set in urban places with interesting people and there is always a twist at the end!  The best part is they are a few pages long so I feel great reading just a few and then falling off to sleep!  Good night world!