Several summers ago, our family was in Colorado for a nephew's wedding and stopped by a couple of Physical Therapy schools for our son. At one restaurant on 16th Street Mall in Denver, our son ordered fish tacos, something I had thought just sounded kind of weird. For all of my foodie-ness over the past 10 or 12 years, I still had a few areas where my brain and taste buds needed to be stretched.
The colors of cooking fresh...
Angel Food cake with strawberries and spaghetti was my go-to birthday meal for many years when I was young...my mom knew what I wanted and I knew she would make it for me on my special day. Grape juice & ginger ale drinks with homemade Chex Mix hors d'oeuvres were a staple for the kids at Grandma & Grandpa Smith's home during "cocktail hour"..laughing and enjoying the snacks with my brothers in the den of their beautiful log home in the mountains of Wyoming will be forever cemented in my mind. Many memories in life are connected with certain foods, meals, recipes that are passed down, cultural celebrations with traditional foods and methods, time spent cooking or baking together, and learning how to cook from a family member or friend. These memories and times can be important foundational building blocks in our lives.
In the Scriptures, many specials days of remembrance or celebration were marked by specific meals and feasts. Family meals spent sharing good food and conversations are irreplaceable times needed to build strong family ties. While I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, several years ago, the Lord used a new-found interest in really learning the fine techniques of more refined cooking and baking as a healing time for me. Investing in a few good cooking magazines (Cuisine at Home, Cooks Illustrated, and the Food Network Magazine), some cooking tools, and watching certain chefs on the Food Network Channel and America's Test Kitchen helped me to broaden my horizons in recipes and abilities in preparing food for my family. Along the way, I've collected some recipes, entertaining ideas, and catering techniques that may be of interest. Keep checking back to see new recipes, ideas for group meals, graduation open houses, wedding rehearsal dinners, as well as stories of how food and the making of food has been woven into our family's story and strengthened our relationships.
Christmas Morning Recipes
Baked Eggs
Baked Eggs Serves: 10-12
(From the Grundy Center United Methodist Cookbook, Brad’s home town in Iowa.)
16 eggs
¾ C. dairy sour cream
1 C. half & half
1 ½ C. grated Cheddar Cheese (I use a mix of cheddar and Colby Jack, like the Mexican bags at Costco)
2 C. diced ham
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
2 Tbs. butter, melted
Salt and Pepper (the recipe says “to taste”, but you can’t taste raw eggs, so I go easy on the salt, due to the salty ham and go pretty heavy on the pepper. Use to your own liking.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9x13 inch pan, preferably Pyrex (glass).
Beat the eggs in a large bowl; add the sour cream and half&half, beat well; add remaining ingredients. Mix well; pour into greased 9x13. Bake at 350 until mixture is set and top is golden, about 45 minutes. Serves 10-12. Great for a breakfast crowd!
Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls or Sticky Buns
Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls or Sticky Buns
(From Brad's mom, Maxine...with a few adjustments)
Place Rhodes' Frozen Dough rolls in a greased Pyrex(glass) pan: 24 rolls in a 9"x13" pan; 36 rolls in a 10"x15"pan
Sprinkle one 3.5 ounce package of Jello Cook-n-Serve Butterscotch Pudding (do not use instant!) over the rolls and then sprinkle a little bit of ground cinnamon over the rolls.
Heat ½ Cup of Brown Sugar and ½ Cup butter until melted…stir together until brown sugar is incorporated well into the butter making a caramel sauce. Pour caramel sauce over the rolls. Cover with and let rise until at least doubled in size.
Bake at 350⁰ (degrees) for 25-30 minutes, checking at 20 minutes to see if light brown on top and sounds hollow to the thump with your fingers on the top of the center rolls.
Once pulled out, carefully invert/turn over onto a cookie sheet/flat baking pan and let sit for 5 minutes, covered in foil to keep warm.
