Monday, July 13, 2015

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze & Low Country Boil Recipe


JAMAICAN BANANA BREAD
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or pina colada flavored!!)
3 tablespoons dark rum OR apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.


Low Country Boil
Ingredients:
1/4 cup seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®), or to taste
5 pounds new potatoes
3 (16 ounce) packages cooked kielbasa sausage ( or similar), cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
4 pounds fresh shrimp *Optional....peeled and deveined
1 Beer (optional)
Preparation:
Heat a large pot of water (+beer if using) over an outdoor cooker, or medium-high heat indoors. Add Old Bay Seasoning to taste, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and sausage, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the corn; cook for another 5 minutes, then add the shrimp when everything else is almost done, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. **Note...here in SC we DO NOT peel the shrimp.
Drain off the water and pour the contents out onto a picnic table covered with newspaper. Grab a paper plate and a beer and enjoy!

Friday, June 5, 2015

Recipe from Tanya's Soup Kitchen


Tomato Soup from Tanya's Soup Kitchen
  • 2 small cans of tomato paste
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
  • 3-6 tablespoons of sugar (start with three and add more to taste if desired)
  • 1 tsp dried herb of your choice (basil, dill, tarragon) OR 2 tsp minced fresh herb
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients except salt and pepper in a medium sized soup pot, using a whisk. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding more sugar if you like. Cook on simmer for 15 -20 minutes, whisking. Serve hot. I garnish with grated parmesan cheese. At TSK, we like this soup on the sweet side. Serves 4-6.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Quote by Frank Lloyd Wright

"The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes."
                                                                        ~Frank Lloyd Wright

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Shakespeare's Birthday~(1564-1616)


Chloe celebrated in a big way by making a paper dress for an art project.  She wore it in 2 runway shows--one at WSU and one at Maize High where they were celebrating Shakespeare's birthday.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

A Charlotte Russe for the Crawley Family


[The cooks at Downton Abbey prepared a Charlotte Russe for dinner when the Crawleys came for a visit. I did not know what a "Charlotte Russe" was, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.  I realized that one of my favorite holiday desserts to stir up is a Charlotte Russe and all I had ever called it was "Ladyfinger Dessert".  It sounds so much fancier and more delicious to call it by its real name!  From now on, we shall be eating "Charlotte Russe"!]


Charlotte Russe

Ladyfingers (light, sweet sponge cakes)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. brandy
1/2 c. sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 t. vanilla

Brush ladyfingers with rum.
Line side of an 8" springform pan with half of the ladyfingers.

Beat cream cheese, brandy, and sugar.  In large bowl, whip cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.  Layer ladyfingers, then cream cheese mixture, ladyfingers, and then add the rest of the cream cheese mixture.  Chill.  Remove side of springform pan.
Top with cherry pie filling or strawberries in glaze.  I usually tie a Christmas grosgrain ribbon around the dessert before serving it--makes it look even prettier.


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

An Old Celtic Blessing of Light~2015


May the blessing of Light be on you, Light without and Light within.
May the blessed Sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart till it glows, like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, as well as the friend.
And may the Light shine out of the eyes of you, like a candle set in the windows of a house, bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you – the soft sweet rain. May it fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up, and shed their sweetness on the air.
And may the blessing of the great rains be on you, that they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there many a shining pool, and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you – the great round earth. May you ever have a kindly greeting for people you pass as you are going along the roads.
And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.


                                                        ~for all my friends and family~

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

New Year's Day~2015

Time for New Year's Cookies!

Eck sach den Shornsteen Roacke.
Eck visst voll vaut ye moacke.
Ye backte Niejoash Koake.
Yave ye me eane
Dann bliev eck stoane
Yave ye me twea
Dann fang eck aun to goane
Yave ye me drea, fea, feef toaglick
Donn vensch eck you daut gaunse Himmelrick.

English Translation:
I saw your chimney smoking.
I knew what you were making.
You were baking New Year's Cookies.
Give me one -- I stand still.
Give me two -- I start walking.
Give me three, four, five at once,
Then I wish you the Kingdom of Heaven.


Monday, December 8, 2014

Tea Party for Miss Lili--7 years old



 Such sweet little girls!






Dolly fashion show:
My tea set that I got for Christmas when I was Lili's age:

My Mom's tea set from when she was little:

Dessert shooters
Peppernuts



Monday, November 10, 2014

"The March of the Elephants"

https://vimeo.com/111410413  March of the Elephants by their teacher, Mrs. DeKalb

This video does not showcase the girls' talent.  I uploaded it so you could see how lovely they looked in their dresses I gave them.  As you can see the girls were little show stoppers today!  I love hearing them play their solos.  KT got a good one of Sophie so I will upload it and add it here soon.

I think you will need the password to watch it:  Psalm23

Here is the video of Sophie--same password. (Hunter's Chorus, C.M. von Weber)

https://vimeo.com/111416423

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Annual Fall Parade~Maize

 Little Girl trying to whistle:
 Mason in the middle school band~next year he will be in the high school band!
 Waiting for candy


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Lili's legs


This girl ran her little legs off playing soccer tonight!  She scored 2 goals!  What a delightful child~so blessed to have her in our family.
"May God bless you and keep you in love."

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Danish Pastry Apple Bars from Loretta Wiebe

Pastry:
2 1/2 c. sifted flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter
1 egg yolk
(milk)

8-10 apples, peeled & sliced
1 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

1 egg white, beaten until frothy

Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
3-4 t. milk

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening & butter. Beat egg yolk in measuring cup and add milk to make 2/3 c. liquid. Mix well and stir into flour mixture. Roll half the dough into a 7"x12" rectangle. Fit into 1"x15 1/2"x10 1/2" baking pan. Sprinkle 1/3 c. sugar on dough. Top with apples. Combine remaining 2/3 c. sugar and cinnamon and cover apples.
Roll out remaining dough and place over top. Seal edges and cut slits in dough.
Beat egg white until frothy, brush on top of crust.
Bake at 375* for 50 minutes.
Make frosting and drizzle it on top of the pie.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Lilian's Baptism~Easter 2014






Lili was so excited to receive her first communion!

Love that look on her face


Sophie & Lili in the dresses I made them
Beautiful Sophie

Monday, April 14, 2014

"At God's Table" by Cheryl Lawrie


it would not have been god's table

On their own, the bread and wine are nothing.
To become a foretaste and a promise
of love made real and a world made whole,
they need a story and a blessing
and a people who believe…

It would not have been God’s table
if they hadn’t all been gathered around it:
the betrayer and the friend
the power-hungry and the justice seeker
the faithful and the fickle.

When Jesus poured the wine, and the bread was broken;
when everyone could eat -
the outcast and the beloved
the arrogant and the gracious
the wrong-doer and the wrongly done by -
the table became a foretaste
of love made real
and of a world made whole.

Your company at the table
will include the betrayer and the beloved
the wrong-doer and the wrongly done by.
It would not be God’s table without them.

And the promise is
that when you are together,
when you tell the story and give the blessing
when you break the bread and pour the wine
you will discover a foretaste
of love made real
and of a world made whole.


Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Bible Story That I Have Always Hated


Those of you who have ever been in a Bible study with me, gone to church with me, and those of you who know me well, know that I have always had a problem with the story of Abraham and Isaac.  I know, I know that Old Testament days were different than New Testament times.  I have had numerous people try to explain this story to me.  I even refused to teach the story in a pre-school Bible School one time, so I was fired from that volunteer position.

Yesterday I read Rob Bell's post on this story.  Finally someone who said it:
Thank you, Rob Bell!

"What kind of God would ask a man to sacrifice his son?
Now, an answer: Not this one.
The other gods may demand your firstborn, but not this God."
Read the rest here:
http://tmblr.co/Z8QMAt_DADp7

Friday, March 14, 2014

Scholastic Art Awards~Chloe receives scholarship, gold key, silver keys, etc.




(I like how she kept turning around to smile at all of us--what a sweet girl--I can still picture her at 3 years old--looking just like this!)

(Chloe with her gold key)
(Chloe & Brandon)