Happy St. Patrick's Day!

                                                                  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I love this holiday, everyone is Irish on St. Patty's Day! There are many Irish folks in our area and we boast of some of the largest St. Patty's Day Parades in the east. In a little coal town called Girardville, is a great parade and fun! And it's a couple hours long, so be ready! http://pahomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=129844

But, if you can't go and still want to join in the fun, a staple here is corned beef and cabbage and is a great easy dish to make if you have company as I do it in the slow cooker.

                                                                Corned Beef and Cabbage
INGREDIENTS

4 Lg carrots peeled and quartered
10 baby red potatoes with skins on
1 onion peeled and 1 inch size
1 4-5lb corned beef brisket with seasoning packet (if no seasoning packet, use 1-2 tb of McCormick's  pickling spice)
1/2 can of Yuengling Lager Beer
1/2 medium size head of cabbage shredded
4-5 C water

DIRECTIONS

Place all the vegetables except cabbage and water in the bottom of the slow cooker.
 Place brisket on top.
Pour beer over top.
Sprinkle spices/pickling mix over top.
Cover and cook on HI 8 hrs. At hour 7, put shredded cabbage in and cook final hour.

Lenten Season--- Tuna Artichoke Casserole

So, Lenten season also usually means no eating meat on Ash Wednesday or Fridays. So seafood and pizzas are very popular here those days!

I am sick to death of the typical tuna noodle casserole, so went looking for ideas on noodleless ones. I found some ideas but none really hit the mark so this is my own concoction. I am pleased to say it turned out pretty darn well!

Tuna artichoke casserole

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup green onions

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic herb seasoning, or similar seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black ground pepper

1 jar or can (12 to 15 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained, sliced or chopped

2 C peas

1 jar (4 to 6 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1 large can (12 to 14 ounces) tuna, drained and flaked (or use 2 standard cans)

2 cups panko bread crumbs

parsley

Heat oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 2-quart baking dish.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add green onions and saute for 1 


minute. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring, until


 thickened. Add seasonings, artichoke hearts, peas, mushrooms, and 1/2 cup Parmesan 


cheese and cheddar cheese. Cook stirring, until cheese is melted. Add flaked tuna; taste and 


add salt, as needed. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and top with about 1/4 cup of 


Parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs and then parsley sprinkled over top. Bake for 20


 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Snack Attack

 Mini sausage and cheese stuffed peppers. Great snack, game food or appetizer for a party


 for picky food.

Mini Stuffed Peppers

1 12oz bag of sweeties mini peppers, washed, topped and sliced length wise.

stuffing:

1 package of softened cream cheese

1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c monteray jack cheese

6 oz hot cooked and crumbled pork sausage with a dash of hot sauce cooked in

dash salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 c panko bread crumbs

Mix stuffing up and stuff misture in sliced peppers. Roll in pank bread crumbs and place on


 a greased baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

FAT TUESDAY!

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!


  While Fat Tuesday or the advent of Mardi Gras is originally associated with New Orleans, the truth is that Fat or Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the Lenton season, is observed by many people all over, of both the Catholic and some Protestant denominations. This day encourages everyone to eat all the goodies they can because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, a day of atonement for Christians. Then the Lenten season starts where Christians try to give up worldly goods or bad behaviors. (too bad this isn't observed every day all year round!)


OK, enough of the history lesson! In my area of northeastern PA, there are a lot of Catholics and Protestants that observe this. So today around here is also known as Donut Day, with many churches doing homemade potato donuts as a fundraiser. They are awesome, although I make my own and they are a good way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.


PA DUTCH POTATO DONUTS

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups mashed potatoes or riced potatoes 
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• lard for deep-fat frying  (you can use oil or fat, but lard gives the best flavor)
• 2 cups sugar mixed with 1 tbs cinnamon ( after the donuts are out and cooled a little, roll in this mix)

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, milk, eggs and butter. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 2 cups flour; stir into potato mixture. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Divide dough in half.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll each half to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-3/4-in. doughnut cutter.
• In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat lard to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

                              
                             HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


So today is the day universally accepted to show you love someone. I think it has gone overboard commercially. After all, if you love someone, you should do that through your actions every day, as we all know actions speak louder than words. That being said, if you want to do a nice dessert, here's old fashioned red velvet cake with cooked icing. This is My other half's favorite cake and since his birthday is day after tomorrow, this cake kills two birds with one stone, so to speak.

RED VELVET CAKE

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for the pans
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
• Crushed pecans, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smoothbatter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. 

COOKED ICING

1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour

In small saucepan cook until thick and smooth: milk, flour. Stir with wooden spoon constantly. Set aside to cool. In a bowl cream butter and shortening together using electric mixer. Add sugar gradually. Beat well until no longer grainy. Add cooked flour mixture. Beat until consistency of whipped cream. Add vanilla and stir. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

1 Cor. 13:4

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  John 3:16

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Pieces of Time

New years come and new years go,

Pieces of time all in a row.

As we live our life, each second and minute,

We know we’re privileged to have you in it.

Our appreciation never ends

For our greatest blessings: our family and friends.

Happy New Year!

~By Joanna Fuchs 

  This has been such a challenging year. 2011 was a year of loss for many around here. The floods were of biblical  and record proportions, changing the lives of many and affecting everyone, whether directly or indirectly. Crops and gardens and animals all suffered right along with their human counterparts. As I write this, we still have not had hard winter freezing yet, and the ground is still wet and mushy. 

So for 2012, I ask for just normal rain amounts, good gardens  and crops with high yields, healthy animals, and for nature to take pity on us and give us all a rest. I gain new hope daily as my favorite seed catalogs have started arriving, and I and others start eagerly planning gardens and hoping for a far better year. I have really enjoyed starting to explore heirloom seeds and am getting away from commercial seed. Lots of good outlets and nice to know I am not contributing to further GMO problems.

The new year also brings it's own rituals. Tonight, our family will have surf and turf at home, with new york strips, lobster and scallops, goopy potatoes (very cheesy yummy mashed taters) and a variety of salads and veggies. We usually also have a clam dip that I make that i will share here.

New year's day brings another tradition here, pork and sauerkraut. The reason we all eat pork on new year's day is because pigs root ahead, and we want good luck in "rooting ahead" into the New Year! The dinner is usually accompanied by mashed taters, corn, pepper cabbage, and dumplings. We always look forward to pigging out before being good in the New Year!

CLAM DIP

This is pretty common, but yummy!

• 2 small packages (6 ounces total) cream cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed and finely minced
• 1 can (7 oz) minced clams, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• dash ground cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Clam dip directions
Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic together until smooth. Add minced clams and blend in with remaining seasonings. Chill clam dip thoroughly. Serve clam dip with chips, crackers, or vegetable dippers.

PORK and SAUERKRAUT DINNER--Crockpot Version

4 lbs pork roast, browned first with a little chicken montreal seasoning in butter

Put the roast in the crockpot and cover with roughly 2 lbs. of sauerkraut and then cover in chicken broth. Use silver floss brand for the kraut.

cook on low for roughly 10 hrs or until tender

For the dumplings, mix  two cups of bisquick with 3/4 cup of milk until there's a soft dough. Spoon the dough onto the pork and sauerkraut when it's done. Let it cook for about 15 minutes, and then put the crock pot (minus the heating unit, of course) in the oven at 450 for five minutes, until the tops get crusty and lightly brown. Make mashed taters and corn as sides, and further in my blog is the recipe for pepper cabbage.

ENJOY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Christkindl Market

 This past weekend, Mifflinburg PA, hosted the annual Christkindl German Christmas Market. A few block of a couple of streets are turned into the traditional Christmas market with vendors, folk dancers, food, carolers, crafters etc. it is a fun time indeed. So here are few pictures from the day.

 This is the Tinsel Angel and her story is posted in another picture below.

Here are some antique and restored bells.

One of the pretty wreaths.

This is a German Pyramid. They have a neat history all their own and you can read about them at
http://www.christkindl-markt.com/german-tradition-german-pyramids-a-43.html

I love folk art and loved these hand painted game boards.

The top picture and this are from the same Church in Mifflinburg.

Some German folk dancing!

Can't have a festival without food. I was eating brats with saukraut and Spätzle and Stollen and, well, you get the idea! Good sharp cheese and garlic balogna courtesy of RISHEL'S MEATSAddress: 701 Walnut ST, Mifflinburg, PA 17844

Another pretty wreath....and game board......

My best friend and I with Old World St. Nicholas. I was unable to get pictures of the beautiful nutcrackers, though.

  

Live nativity......

Great pickles, extra hot garlic! Courtesy of Peter Piper's Pickles, they ship!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Pipers-PA-Pickles/114801461944205

Sign of Mifflinburg.

                                                            The story of the Tinsel Angel.

                                                         One of the many pretty trees......

                                         One of the pretty houses and decorations....................

                                                                     Last wreath..................