About the only change I made to the recipe was to use Italian Seasoning instead of the individual herbs. I do think you could cut back a bit on the butter and they would still be very good.

I have used this recipe for French Bread dough from Mennonite Girls Can Cook several times. It makes very tasty loaf bread and the dough can also be used for Stromboli, Pizza Crusts, Cheeseburger Buns, etc. I've been making it with half white whole wheat flour and half bread flour. The French Bread loaves can be sliced, buttered, and then frozen so you can just remove the number of slices required for a meal and then toast. These are nice with a casserole meal.

Another experiment was a loaf of whole wheat bread using this recipe from King Arthur Flour. I prepared the dough in the bread machine and baked it in the oven. The bread was nice and light and not a bit dense or crumbly even without the addition of dough enhancers.

I try to get my baking pretty well done in the mornings before Ryan arrives so I can keep my eye on him. He is now walking more than he is crawling. He definitely toddles and still takes a few tumbles each day. This past week one of his favorite places to play was under the exersaucer. He thought it was lots of fun to roll a ball around in there.

I hope all of you are having a lovely weekend.

Becka

This week Aldi has a lot of good deals on produce, such as cucumbers for 29 cents, mushrooms for 59 cents, baby carrots for 49 cents, and others I can't remember at the moment. So you might want to check it out. Our sales at Aldi run from Wednesday until the following Tuesday. Another item I have been buying at Aldi is bananas. Since there are just two of us eating bananas at our house, very often some would get over ripe. This is not always a problem since the over ripe ones are good for baking. But, recently DelMonte has come up with these special bags which help slow down the ripening. They really do work. I have kept bananas for over a week before they even start to freckle. I'm sure other stores carry bananas in these bags too, but I have found them at Aldi and wanted to share the fact that they really do work.

Another thing I want to share is this recipe for Ranch Dressing. I have found several recipes similar to this on-line and it really is good. It is DH's favorite salad dressing. It would also be good for a quick potato salad dressing.

Good Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsps. dried parsley (or a small handful of fresh, chopped)
1 tsp. dried dill (or a small handful of fresh, chopped)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Store in refrigerator.

I have lots of fresh dill and parsley in the garden right now, so this is what I have been using. I have tried making this with lowfat mayonnaise but it was a little too thick. You can thin it by adding a bit more buttermilk or even some regular milk.

Have a blessed weekend!

Becka

I love reading cookbooks with stories about the recipes. A modern cookbook of this type is Southern Plate by Christy Jordan. Christy tells delightful stories about her southern family and their food traditions. Another such cookbook that comes to mind is Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan. I have checked this book out of the library several times and am always facinated by the stories of how these precious recipes were treasured and preserved throughout the years.

I have several recipes which I received from my aunt Nana (this recipe), my grandmother, and one from my great-grandmother. My great-grandmother, Margaret Alice Copeland, lived with my grandmother and passed away when I was a young elementary school-age child. The recipe passed along from her is called Mrs. Monday's Soup. It received that name because Great Grandma overheard the recipe being narrated while she was listening in on the party-line! From what I understand that was a rather common pass time back in the day. This recipe isn't outstanding, but it is something that goes together quickly and that can be made from ingredients that many people keep on hand. It is written as it was narrated to me, with my changes at the end.

Mrs. Monday's Soup

Take three or four large potatoes and dice them in fairly large pieces. Put just enough water on to cover them and cook. Meanwhile take about two Tablespoons of butter in a skillet and cut up an onion in the butter and cook these until you think they're done. Then add this to the cooked potatoes. (You may have to drain some water off of them) Then add about one cup tomato juice and stir up. Remember this is soup so it should be soupy. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note: I often add a stalk or two of chopped celery including the leaves with the onion. I don't usually keep tomato juice on hand so I use half tomato sauce and half water to replace the tomato juice.

Here is a picture of Grandma Copeland:

Do you have any family recipes that have been handed down from your ancestors or any "story" cookbooks that you enjoy?

Becka

Have you ever heard of Cornell Bread, or its developer, Clive McCay?

Dr. McCay was a nutrition researcher at Cornell University in the 1930's who developed recipes for this bread (and the flour mixture it's made from) as an inexpensive way to improve the health of the general population. He felt that since bread was something that most people ate and enjoyed that by formulating bread which was high in vitamins, minerals, and protein he could improve the diets of many people. You can find quite a bit of information about him on the internet.

He advocated adding wheat germ, soy flour, and nonfat dry milk to a basic recipe for white bread to enrich it. He worked on enriching white bread since this is what the general population preferred at the time. You can also enrich the flour for use in many other baked goods by adding 1 Tablespoon soy flour, 1 Tablespoon nonfat dry milk, and 1 teaspoon wheat germ for each cup of flour.

I have a small Dover publication from 1980 called The Cornell Bread Book which contains a variety of recipes for enriched bread products--54 to be exact. It has pictures illustrating many bread baking techniques, including kneading, bread rising, shaping, etc. The book was written by Mrs. McCay after the death of her husband to encourage more people to try these recipes and it is still available. It also includes large scale formulas for schools and bakeries.

I found this recipe for making Cornell Bread in the bread machine and made a loaf of it this week:

(The proportions are a bit different from the original formula and this loaf does contain a little whole wheat flour. Mrs. McCay did encourage people to experiment with the recipe. )

Cornell Bread for Bread Machine

1 1/4 cup water
1 egg
2 Tbsps. honey
2 Tbsps. butter
1 1/2 tsps. salt
6 Tbsps. wheat germ
6 Tbsps. non-fat dry milk
6 Tbsps. soy flour
1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 tsps. yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine in order given. Bake on white bread cycle. (I mixed mine on the dough cycle and then shaped it into a loaf and let it rise about a half hour. I slashed it and then baked it at 350 degrees for 50 mins. It was a little dark (which I later read is because of the soy flour), so next time I will bake it at 325 degrees. It rose very well and made a nicely shaped loaf.)

Becka

This is what the wrapped fabric boards look like:

The smaller scraps are being cut into strips and blocks following Bonnie Hunter's tips for organizing found here on her website. She has lots of good tips for organizing and utilizing scraps. I try to press a few scraps each day and then cut them into strips throughout the day as I have free time. Slowly but surely I'm working through the stash.

Several years ago I purchased a knit top that was from a Coldwater Creek store at a thrift store. I really like the style and the way it fits so I decided to trace it and make a pattern from it. I was inspired by this blog post to give it a try. My shirt was pretty easy since it had few details to copy.

As always I am grateful for my faithful assistant, Adelaide who is such a help with all my sewing and crafting projects:

Becka

Here's one of the little kids:

Here's Ryan investigating the baby goat:

Here's Ryan looking at the chickens:

He decided he liked them.

Here are Grandpa and Ryan having fun together:

Do you have any special places you enjoy visiting in the spring?

Becka

In the span of just over a week we have two anniversaries and a birthday in the family. Last Saturday evening we helped Ryan celebrate his first birthday and his first taste of cake. He wasn't too sure about what to do with it to begin with but after a couple of tastes (with accompanying "mmmm's") he decided it was pretty good stuff. He also took a few steps that day and since then has gotten another tooth.

He wasn't too happy about wearing the birthday hat:

Rob and I had a little anniversary celebration of our own and went to the Charlotte area for an afternoon of shopping and a dinner out. One of the main purposes of our trip was to get this little table and chairs for on our front porch:

Earlier this week I did a little baking and made these buns:

and tried a new bread recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture. It tasted very good and I hope to make it again. I did share one of the little loaves with our neighbor, Mary.

Years ago I was given a Wilton Lamb cake pan but it had no directions. I tried making it once but was not pleased with the results. Recently I read this post in a newsletter from Lehman's store up in Ohio and decided to give it a try for our Easter dinner. This lamb turned out much better. I frosted it with the coconut flavored icing recipe that we used on Nora and Topher's wedding cake last year.

We also had a very nice visit for lunch today with friends who were here visiting from France. It had been several years since their last furlough since we had seen them and it was wonderful to catch up and see how the Lord has been directing them.

We are looking forward to special services at church tomorrow and then spending the afternoon with Nora and Topher. I hope you will have a truly blessed Easter.

Becka

DD Nora reminded me earlier this week that this time last year we were very busy preparing for a wedding (and, unbeknownst to us, the birth of our second grandson on the very same day!) This week and actually the last several have been much less frenetic. We have been keeping busy with various and sundry household chores such as defrosting the chest freezer, washing and storing winter coats, changing out winter clothes for summer clothes, planting things in the garden, etc. I don't have any completed projects or new recipes to share, so I thought I'd post a few fairly recent pictures of the grandchildren.

Ryan will be turning one early next week. He is not walking yet but manages to get around quite well by crawling or more often by walking on his hands and feet somewhat like a spider.

He can now hold his bottle and likes to do this even though we still hold him while he is drinking from it:

He loves to play under the kitchen table and will often take his toys there:

It appears that he is considering a future in the military since he spends a great deal of time on the obstacle course:

His latest obsession is with the ceiling fans and we often find him gazing up at them and waving his arm in a circle:

I don't have nearly as many pictures of the other two grandchildren since I don't see them as often. Megan gave me permission to post some photos from her blog.

Drew turned five earlier this month. He also had his first real sickness with a bout of the flu which lasted for over a week. He is much better now and loves his little sister. She doesn't look too comfy in this photo:

Little Maddie is six weeks old already and weighs over ten pounds. When Megan took the two children to the doctor last week the doctor said to Maddie, "You're a lot bigger than your brother." Drew replied, "No she's not!"

All three of them have been a great blessing to us and we thank the Lord for each of them and their parents who are seeking to raise them for Him.

Becka

We all have days and weeks when we are especially busy and it's good to have a few recipes that go together quickly and don't need much attention. This is one such recipe which was given to me years ago by my sister-in-law, Deb. Whenever I make it, both Rob and I comment on how good it is and that I should make it more often.

Busy Day Dinner

For two people:
a little olive oil
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 of an onion, thinly sliced
2 potatoes
3 carrots
salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/4 cup water
about a cup of frozen peas (optional)

With the olive oil coat the bottom of a heavy skillet or Dutch oven with a lid. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet. Top with the sliced onion. Slice the potatoes thinly (no need to peel) and then season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Peel and slice the carrots thinly and then add a layer of those. Pour the water over the top, add the lid, and then cook on very low heat for about 35 mins. (Deb's original recipe said not to peek, but I usually check on this a couple of times to see if I need to adjust the heat.) Add the peas if you are using them and cook for about 10 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serve with fruit or a simple salad and you have a delicious dinner without a lot of work. It's easy to adjust the amounts for a larger group.

What is your favorite busy day meal? (Take-out doesn't count!)

Becka

While I was up in Michigan last month Rob was busy here at home painting Mark's old bedroom. We had picked out the color earlier but he surprised me by painting it while I was gone. He and Mark put up the bunk beds too. Over the weekend we hung the curtains and a little bunting I made for over the window. There are still several other projects we plan for in that room, but little by little they will be accomplished. Our goal is to implement some storage for craft materials, books and toys into the room as well as a place for the littles to sleep when they are here visiting. Here's a picture showing the new wall color and the black-out curtains (for promoting good napping conditions!) and the plaid bunting I made:

Shortly before Christmas I went to a nearby store where I often purchase thread and fabrics. Judy has a beautiful selection of fabrics and also offers some classes and does long-arm quilting. I was intrigued by a Christmas table topper on display. I purchased the pattern and the kit of fabrics to make it and promised myself that I would begin working on it after I finished the quilt for Maddie. The table topper was fun to make and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I tried to be extremely careful in cutting it out since the yardage was from the kit and I knew it would be very hard to find more of the fabrics if I made a mess of it. They had some samples of the various steps of making the quilt and I took pictures of those to help me remember how to place the fabrics. It's all pieced and basted and just needs a few simple rows of machine stitching through all the layers and it will be ready for the dining room table next Christmas.

Here is the nearly completed table topper:

What kind of projects have you been working on lately?

Becka

I don't know where this first recipe originated, but my friend Sandy kept telling me that she had made "my" lemon cake and that her family was quite fond of it. I finally asked her for a copy of the recipe for "My" lemon cake and honestly didn't remember making it. I did make it recently and it is a good cake.

Lemon Streusel Cake

For cake and streusel topping:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 pkg. lemon or yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Lemon)
1 pkg. (3-4 oz.) instant lemon pudding mix
1 stick cold butter
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs

For the lemon cream cheese topping:

1 small lemon
1 pkg. (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsps. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While it heats toast the pecans for 3-4 minutes.

Grease and flour 9" x 13" pan.

Combine cake mix and pudding mix with wire whisk. Cut the butter into small chunks and work into mixes with a pastry blender until crumbly. Take 1 cup of this mixture and combine with the pecans. Set this aside for the struesel topping.

Add 3/4 cup milk and the eggs to the rest of the cake mixture and beat with electric mixer. Batter will be thick. Spread into prepared pan.

Make cream cheese layer by zesting lemon to get 1 teaspoon zest and juice lemon to get 1 Tbsp. juice. Add to cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Dollop this over top of lemon cake batter. Spread small dollops together to form a thin layer over cake batter.

Sprinkle streusel topping over cream cheese layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 mins. until cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and top springs back when lightly touched. Cool to room temperature and drizzle with glaze.

I still had a little of the lemon juice left and made this lemon tart over the weekend.

The filling is very tart and delicious. My crust was not as tender as I would have liked but I did enjoy the almonds in the crust. I made the crust in the food processor as the recipe directs and so far I have never been able to make pie crust in the food processor which is as tender as when it is made by hand. Have any of you readers had success making pie crust in the food processor?

Becka

Years ago I attended a rehearsal dinner where the mother of the groom had made meatballs made of ham and cooked in a tangy sweet sauce. They were delicious and I have searched for a similar recipe ever since. I recently discovered this one and it's a keeper.

Ham Balls in Barbecue Sauce

2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs (mine were dried)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsps. milk
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
dash pepper
about 2 cups ground ham
about 1 lb. ground pork or ground beef (I used pork)

Sauce:
1/2 cup catsup
2 Tbsps. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, bread crumbs, onion, milk, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, pepper, ham, and ground meat. Mix well and form into about 12 meatballs. Place in a greased baking dish.

In a bowl combine the catsup, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. dry mustard. Pour over the ham balls. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 mins. or until a temperature of 160 degrees.

These can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to one day or frozen for about a month. If frozen thaw overnight in refrigerator. I had frozen mine ahead of time and added the sauce right before baking. I served them with these potatoes. This blog has some great recipes and many wonderful ideas for preparing food for large groups.

Megan and Maddie are continuing to do well. She returns to the doctor tomorrow and hopes he will lower her blood pressure medication even more. She has posted a couple more blog posts this week here and here if you are interested in following the saga.

Becka

Meanwhile Megan had some really high blood pressure readings. The doctors did a lot of tests and tried a number of medication combinations before her blood pressure started coming down into a more normal range. She was finally discharged from the hospital a week after Maddie was born. Since returning home she has actually been able to lower her dosages of medication a bit and is regaining strength and energy. We are praising the Lord for a safe delivery, a healthy baby girl, and a mommy who is doing much better.

Drew is a very proud big brother who loves to hold his sweet little sister and to put the dirty diapers in the diaper genie. He is very helpful about telling his mom when the baby is starting to cry. I can remember his mom telling me that when her little brother was a baby.

Megan is doing a series of posts on her blog about the new baby. If you would like more details you can check out this post.

Thanks to all who commented after Maddie's birth and those who prayed for her and Megan. We were encouraged and blessed by your prayers and concern.

Becka

Becka

In the meantime I've been cleaning and cooking up some things for Rob to eat while I'm away. Today I made some breads for the freezer. I made some of these delicious Herbed Oatmeal Pan Rolls. They go together quickly and are quite tasty. I also tried this new recipe for English Muffins. This version contains buttermilk and is cooked on the stove top and then finished off in the oven. I liked this method a little better than trying to cook them all the way through in the skillet.

Homemade English Muffins
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4-2 1/4 cups bread flour
4 tsps. yeast
2 Tbsps. sugar
3/4 tsps. salt
2 Tbsps. honey
1 Tbsp. soft butter or margarine
cornmeal for dusting

Warm the buttermilk to 115-120 degrees. Set aside. In mixer bowl combine the whole wheat flour and 1 3/4 cups bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add buttermilk, honey, and butter and mix to form a dough that clears the side of the bowl adding the additional flour as necessary. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and dust with cornmeal.
Roll or pat out dough 3/4 inch thick on surface dusted with cornmeal. (I used another piece of parchment.) Cut into rounds with biscuit cutter or a glass or tin can. Transfer rounds to baking sheet. Cover loosely and let rise 45 mins.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat heavy skillet or griddle medium hot and then lightly butter skillet and brown both sides of muffins (about 3 mins. per side.) Place on the prepared baking sheet and then bake 15-20 mins. Cool and then split with a fork.

I'll close with a recent picture of Ryan. He's ten months old and has four teeth now and enjoys cruising around the furniture and chasing one of our cats. I've tried to get a picture of the two of them but they are both just too quick for me to get a good shot.

Becka

Sunflower cookies

1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped or snipped
3 Tbsps. water or apple juice
1/2 cup margarine or butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (dry) (I used old fashioned oats)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, divided

Combine raisins, apricots, and water or juice and microwave on high for one minute. Set aside to cool for about 10 mins. Meanwhile cream margarine or butter and sugars. Add egg. Add baking powder, flour, and oats. Blend. Drain fruit and add to dough along with about half of the sunflower seeds. Shape the dough into 1" balls. Place on cookie sheets and flatten slightly. Press on a few more sunflower seeds. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen delicious cookies.

This shows the raw cookies flattened slightly and topped with a few sunflower seeds:

Becka

1. Start with a very simple, small project--nothing larger than a baby quilt.

2. Try to choose a pattern with just a few fabrics. If you choose something too complicated it can be overwhelming.
This book by Ursula Reikes is my favorite book for baby quilts:

3. Choose the right batting. I love the needle punched batting that's available just about everywhere now. (Hobby Lobby and Walmart carry it in my area.) This batting is thinner than some I first used and it's so much easier to stitch through with a regular sewing machine.

4. If you are going to quilt your project yourself be sure to purchase a walking foot for your sewing machine. I tried to quilt things in the past when I did not have a walking foot and was disappointed by the puckering on the back of the project. The walking foot has feed dogs on the foot which enables all the layers to go through the machine at the same rate and really helps to eliminate wrinkling and puckering. These feet are rather expensive (about $100 for my machine) but they are worth every penny. Some of the newer machines come with a walking foot.

5. Choose a very simple design for your quilting too. You can stitch in the ditch, use tape to make lines, use clear thread, etc.

6. Don't expect perfection from your first project. Look upon each quilted item as a learning experience. Try a new technique, tip, or tool with each new project. There are many books, classes, and websites which contain a wealth of information to help you learn. I learned a new tip recently about using a post it note as a seam guide:

7. Have fun! Quilting is a wonderful way to express your creativity and to get to play with color, pattern, and fabric.

I surprised myself by already finishing the quilt for my new little grand-daughter. It's not really a baby quilt but it does match the colors in her room. Because of the size I didn't think I would finish quilting it before her arrival this month. I made it from a kit and I used spray adhesive to "baste" the layers together before machine quilting. I followed the directions in the kit and quilted it in rows of straight stitching about 1 1/4" apart. Some rows were horizontal and some were vertical. The quilting went very smoothly and I will definitely try the spray adhesive again.

Here's a picture of little Miss M's quilt:

Would any of you readers who quilt like to add some advice that you think would be helpful for a new quilter?

Becka

Don't you love it when you find a recipe that utilizes things that you normally keep on hand and it turns out tasting really good? I ran across a recipe like that recently and it's going into the permanent file. I found this recipe on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook website. It uses cabbage, chicken, onions, and noodles. I used Ramen Noodles since that was what I had on hand. My kids always give me a hard time for changing recipes but I tried to stick pretty close to the original when making this. I cut down the proportions since it was just the two of us and added a dash of sesame oil at the end of the cooking time for a little burst of flavor.

Here's the post with the original recipe. I used one large chicken breast, about 4 cups of cabbage, and two packages of ramen noodles. I cooked the noodles and then added them on top of the other ingredients as the recipe details. It was really good and I will be making this one again.

I forgot to mention in my most recent post that Sonia J. was the person who was the first to identify the "mystery ingredient." I'm sorry to have neglected that important information about one of my astute readers. I do appreciate all of you who participated.

Becka

The mystery ingredient pictured above is cardamom pods. You can also purchase ground cardamom. This spice is used in Chai tea, some sweet breads, and in Indian cooking. I have a Christmas bread recipe that instructs you to put the pods in the milk used in the recipe and then warm it and let them steep for a bit to infuse the milk with flavor.

I have never tried authentic Indian food. I discovered recipes for Garlic Naan and Kheema a couple of weeks ago and since I had all the ingredients on hand decided to make them. We had purchased some frozen garlic naan at Trader Joe's a while back and both of us really liked it. This recipe was good, but I think I made it a little too thick.

Rob liked the Kheema right away. I was skeptical at first but it's the kind of dish that grows on you. I will make this again, especially now that I have a little jar of garam masala in my cupboard. To make the spice blend from the cardamom pods you have to open the pods and then grind the little black seeds (similar to large black poppy seeds). I used a mortar and pestle but you could use a spice grinder if you have one. The directions for the Garam Masala follow the recipe for the Kheema. The advantage of making your own blend is that you can control the heat and leave out any spices that you do not care for. You might want to look around Heather's recipe blog. She has many frugal recipes and some great organizing tips.

So, if you are looking for something new and different for dinner you might want to try this simple dish.

Becka