Ham and Cheese Casserole-from Grandma Cole

3 cups French bread cubes or crust from regular bread
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cheese (Velveeta) diced
1 T.dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs,beaten
3 cups milk
Dash of hot pepper sauce
10 oz. Ham,cubed(you can cube them yourself if you want)

Arrange bread, ham, and cheese in layers in 3 quart baking dish.Combine eggs, milk,pepper sauce, mustard, and salt.Beat well.Refrigerate overnight (covered) Bake for 50 minutes @ 350.Serves 6.


We generally make this recipe around Holidays. I remember having it at Christmas and it is a family favorite.I also remember having this and it was so hot that I burnt my tongue!!Just to tell you, this is Jed. Mom said I could start posting now and then:-)

A Few Snapshots

Here are a few snapshots from a very full weekend. The first picture is of our beloved Laura LaRock, followed by one of her brother John. The next picture is of Joseph and Lucy. Take notice of Lucy drooling on Joseph's head.:) The last picture is of yours truly with her darling friend.

Wedding Preparation

My Aunt Sheryle is the greatest! She orchestrated the making of many mints for Julie's wedding. They're beautiful, and quite tasty. Here's a sneak peek:

Judy and Jeff seem quite pleased with their progress.

And, the following are pictures of Julie and Peter's wedding cakes! Kudos to my Aunt Sheryle and to Joanna for how wonderful they look.

We do have pictures of Julie in her wedding dress. But, those are off limits until after the wedding. If you want to see all of Jeanette's hard work, then you'll just have to come to the wedding.

I'm not promising any more updates before the wedding, but I'll try. Can't wait for their big day.

An Adventurous Lunch

Joanna has now decided that steak seasoning, teriyaki sauce, and salad don't mix well. Judy was on lunch duty, and put what she thought was the balsamic vinegar on the table. It was in actuality, the teriyaki sauce (We're thrifty people around here. We use the old balsamic vinegar jar to hold the teriyaki sauce since it's much easier to handle than the gallon jug) I wish you could have seen Joanna's face. She absolutely LOVES balsamic vinegar and steak seasoning (who knows why!) on her salad. It's one of her favorite things. She took her first bite, and her face began to contort and scrunch up with absolute horror and disgust. Various adjectives followed in hot pursuit. (Believe me, this isn't an exaggeration) Unfortunately, I couldn't contain my laughter. I probably should have, because I then proceeded to spill all of the salt in the salt shaker onto the table. Thankfully there weren't any guests around. They would have thought us the most clumsy, disorganized (I mean really, who keeps the teriyaki sauce in the balsamic vinegar jar?) family they had ever seen.

I'm really proud of Joanna. She finished her salad, although it was done with much grimacing and irritation.

Judy's Turn

This batch of bread certainly turned out better than last time. Judy's favorite part of making bread is throwing it on the table. (which reduces the air bubbles) She actually made me jump the first time she did it. I guess I wasn't expecting her to throw it that hard.

Anniversary Meal Pictures

A Kitchen Disaster

I would really, really, like to do.....something. I'm quite at a loss for words. Mom asked Judy and I to make a batch of bread so we could give some of our beautiful loaves to their swimming teachers. After cooking supper, I taught Judy how to do so. The loaves were beautiful before they went in the oven. About halfway through the baking process, the power flickered. Just long enough to turn the oven off whilst my bread was baking. I didn't think about it, ( I was thinking of my bed!) and I went to check it and I proceeded to open the oven. Horror of horrors, the bread was flat, and was only half cooked because the oven had turned off fifteen minutes ago! ( I hadn't opened the oven until then because that messes up the loaves ability to rise properly) It had continued to rise in the oven. So much so that bread dough was on the bottom of the oven. Ugh! The kitchen smells smoky and burnt, and the bread is...well...there is no right way to describe it. Jeanette delicately described it as flat bread.

I'm going to go take it out of the oven. There is really nothing that can describe what I feel towards those six loaves of bread right now. (Can you become bitter over bread?)
I'm now going to go to bed and I'm thinking of Julie and Peter's visit. A much more encouraging topic to sleep on. And no, I don't think I'll be posting any pictures.:)

Mom and Dad's 33rd anniversary meal

Menu

The Main Course
The Main Course:
Layered Lettuce Salad
Chicken Breasts
Scalloped Potatoes

Beverages:
Water
Punch

Dessert:
Rhubarb pie
Ice cream

Last night we had a big meal for marmee and dad. Needless to say I was in the kitchen almost all day, but it was fun! I made two batches of bread in the morning, and then the boys helped me most of the afternoon. We made two rhubarb pies, mixed up the punch, and we worked on the scalloped potatoes. Jeffrey did get a little bit tired of it. I could tell when he asked "Can I please go play now?" Jed was quite handy in the kitchen. He was a great help with the food processor. (I'm still trying to figure out how to work it exactly.)

As far as the recipes, the punch is very easy. It's equal amounts of white grape juice, pineapple juice, and ginger ale. Simple!
The chicken breasts were so good! Jeanette told me how to do it. Pour on a liberal amount of chili powder, cover with foil and cook for about 3o min. After that, take off the foil and let it continue cooking until it's crisp on the outside. For those of you who haven't tried chili powder on your chicken, you really should. It's delicious!
Layered Lettuce Salad:

1 head lettuce
1 C. diced celery
1/2 C. diced green bell pepper
1 sweet onion, diced
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
10 slices bacon, fried, drained and crumbled
1 C. cooked or raw peas (optional)
2 C. Hellman's mayonnaise
2 T. sugar
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Break lettuce into 9x13" or larger dish. Layer next 6 ingredients on top of lettuce. Mix mayonnaise and sugar together. Spread over top of layered ingredients, sealing to edge of dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top. Cover and refrigerate. 12-15 servings.
I did abridge this recipe. I didn't add celery (simply because we didn't have any!:), and I did do the cooked peas as opposed to raw. In the end, it looked very pretty.

I'll try to post pictures soon!

French cooking terms

AU-BLEU.-Fish dressed in such a manner as to have a bluish appearance.

BOUILLI._ Beef or other meat boiled; but, generally speaking, boiled beef is understood by the term.

CROQUETTE.-Ball of fried rice or potatoes.

DESOSSER.-To bone, or take out the bones from poultry, game, or fish. This is an operation requiring considerable experience.

FONCER.-To put in the bottom of a saucepan slices of ham, veal, or thin broad slices of bacon.

GALETTE.-A broad thin cake.

MAIGRE.-Broth, soup, or gravy, made without meat.

RISSOLES.-Pastry, made of light puff-paste, and cut into various forms, and fried. They made be filled with fish, meat, or sweets.

SAUCE PIQUANTE.-A sharp sauce, in which somewhat of a vinegar flavour predominates.

I found all of these most interesting terms in the book "Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management." It was written in the Victorian era, and has information on everything from the dairy-maid and her duties, to remedies for thin hair.
Now, I'm curious, how many of these terms has my dear Jeanette heard of before?

Mothers Day and Trifles

This year for Mother's Day, I made what is becoming one of my favorite show-stopping desserts. (and it tastes good too!) This recipe comes from Paula Deen, that butter-loving southern belle on the Food Network. I love her show...she reminds me of my great aunts from Kentucky. Thankfully, this recipe only uses one stick of butter....though it uses heavy cream too. Oh well - it's totally worth it. :)



Raspberry Sherry Trifle

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Gold)
1 1/2 cups dry sherry
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 (12-ounce) packages frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
Whipped cream, for garnish - optional
Fresh raspberries, for garnish - optional
Mint leaves, for garnish, optional

Butter and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare the cake according to package directions, but use 1/2 cup of the sherry in place of 1/2 cup water. When baked, let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cake into large chunks, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 cup sherry into the top of a double boiler. Whisk until completely combined. Place the top pan over simmering water (do not let water touch the bottom of the top pan). With a wooden spoon, stir over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the custard is quite thick, about the consistency of mayonnaise. Let cool. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar. Take half of the whipped cream and add it to the cooled custard, stirring well. To assemble: In the bottom of a trifle bowl or a 13 by 9-inch disposable aluminum foil pan, layer 1/3 of the cake cubes, 1/3 of the raspberries, and 1/3 of the custard. Continue layering, ending with custard. Take the remaining whipped cream and completely cover the top of the custard. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with additional whipped cream, fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint, if desired.

The Making of 6 Cherry Pies

So, we made our pie crusts and we baked 6 cherry pies to take to the Home School Legislative Day at the Capitol tomorrow. I had much help from Jed, Jeff and Judy with the crust, and thankfully, as you will see, Janessa put most of the pies together. Had I done them all, it probably would have turned out quite sad.


Jed has developed quite an interest in cooking. Here he is using my new food processor to make the pie dough. I think he's going to be a great cook. I just got him his first cookbook....I'm looking forward to cooking more with him!


Here Judy is putting ingredients into the processor. Not sure why she's smiling....probably because she didn't want me to take her picture.



And here is Jeffrey.....he was having entirely too much fun pushing the buttons.

Today I attempted to put the pies together. I say attempted, because although the crusts were flakey, well, you can see here that perhaps Jeanette needs to brush up on her pastry skills. It's obviously been a little too long......


Yes, you're seeing this correctly. I think the pastry was a bit too dry so it didn't stick together when it started baking which resulted in the eruption of Mt. Cherry Pie. Good thing I put the baking sheet under them........(Jeanette smiles sheepishly.)



At the end of the day, it was clear who the prize-winner really was. These are Janessa's pies. As usual, she has a much better feel for pastries, and in this case (well, generally in most cases), far more patience than me!


And that ends our story of the Making of 6 Cherry Pies.

A Post From Judy

Jeanette is coming……….Home!

By: Miss V. Judith Cole

Jeanette my sis,

Oh! The bliss,

Of seeing her here,

So close, so near,

She is err so sweet,

As a birds sweet tweet,

Oh girls! Oh boys!

She will be here…in Illinois!

I cannot bear,

To wait anymore…

So see you soon Jeanette

And don’t mind the rain oh so wet.

Just for Peter

Below is the recipe you requested. :)

1 pkg oreos *
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
Two kinds of dipping chocolate **

Mash oreos until fine. I usually put them in a ziploc and use a rolling pin to mash them. A food processor would probably work as well.

Thoroughly blend in cream cheese (fingers are usually the best option on this one). Roll into small balls. If the mixture is too sticky to work with put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and dip each ball and place on wax paper on a cookie sheet. The best way I have found to dip them it to place them on a toothpick and set it in the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to cover the ball with chocolate and then remove it with both the spoon and toothpick. If you just use a spoon, you will end up with huge globs of chocolate at the base of each bonbon, but if you use a toothpick the ball generally falls apart. The two together seem to work well. :)

Drizzle each bonbon with the opposite color of chocolate. This is easiest if you put the melted chocolate in a small ziploc and cut off a corner then drizzle. Thanks to Jeanette for this tip. :)

Place the cookie sheets in the freezer until chocolate is hard.

Now for more of my personal notes:

* Any kind of oreo is fine. I usually just use the regular but most recently I tried mint and they were really good as well.

**Almond Bark dark and white chocolate work really well for the dipping. :)

Enjoy!

One Year Ago Today

But there's nothing half so sweet in life

As love's young dream.

-Thomas Moore

Hungry for Homemade Bread??

Jeffrey and I made twelve loaves of bread yesterday! We purchased a new grain grinder, and have already put it to good use. They turned out nicely. I think I've been out of practice as some of them weren't as "pretty" as my previous ones. Most people wouldn't care as they taste pretty good. But girls are always looking for beautiful things, eh? Jeffrey thought the entire experience was quite fascinating. Someday I'll let him do the bread by himself. Now that should be interesting.

Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad, but bread is king.”
Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956)

The Kitchen

I love the sunshine in the kitchen,
The glory of the light awakens
All the familiar textures of pot and china.
This is the home of the house,
The center of its warmth,
The articulation of its love,
In the rise of bread, the crust of pie,
And the richness of gravy.
It is the place of your caring,
Fleshed out in the daily details,
Too small to be noted one by one,
But each constructing the heart of the house.

Your delight in us is incarnated here,
And this is the place of our true receiving.
Here we come hungry, thirsty and in our need,
To meet the kindness of your hands.
And your friends came,
Finding a warmth they sought and a love they craved.
Not a pretentious place,
A good cause or a moral crusade.
If you will, another Nazareth,
Hidden in the wilderness of the world,
Where kindness feeds a poor Christ and his friends,
And bids them come in from the dark.

-Tim Marks

Of Ladles and Poetry

We were privileged to go and spend Sunday evening with the Harrison family. In the midst of the socializing somebody left the Harrison's ladle in our soup. We discovered it in our bowl upon returning home. Joanna used her creativity to alert Mrs. Harrison:

Walking into your house was such a pleasure

To see your smiling faces it was joy beyond measure

We talked, we sang, and we prayed

We ate food that we brought and some that you made.

And then to my surprise out you came with lighted candles

It was so kind and thoughtful that when we left we took a handle

What I am really trying to say…

Is that we took your ladle and hope to return it long before May.

Mrs. Harrison caught on quickly and responded with this:

Oh, what a joy your message was to read,

To delight in the fun of your fine poetic deed.

To remember the sweetness of being in His presence,

To share both in song and prayer filled with reverence,

To eat at the table spread with food and with love,

To laugh and to talk of things below and above,

We hope your return is far sooner than May.

A pleasure it would be to have you any day.

Just bring your smiling faces, each one a gem to us,

But, now, about the ladle, please don't make a fuss!

Add it to your kitchen, this would be our plea,

To have our ladle serving, a privilege it would be.

We have other ladles for serving up the soup,

So may it join the ranks of the Cole family troop.

We can't close this little ditty, before our thanks we share,

For Love's Abiding Joy, your friendship, and your prayer.

Apparently I didn't realize what wonderful poets surround me. We all thought these poems were neat. Now, how do we respond to her last poem with a poem of our own?

Beefy Mushroom Meatballs

2 slices bread, torn
2 T. milk
1 egg, beaten
3 T. finely chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 T. butter or margarine
2 T. flour
1 can (10-12 oz.) beef consomme
2 cans (4 oz. each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. beef bouillon granules
1/2 C. sour cream
Hot cooked noodles, optional
Minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine bread and milk. Add the egg, onion, salt and pepper; mix well. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown meatballs in small batches over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add consomme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add the mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and bouillon. Add meatballs; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles (or rice, in our case:) if desired. Garnish with parsley.
Yield: 6-8 servings

We (Joanna and I) made this several weeks ago. It was very well received, much to our relief.
In other news, I have been reading a very non-interesting book. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne is (so far at least) as dry at paste. I've been dubbed in our house as the person that loves slow books. I'm not sure I can handle this one. It doesn't seem to have something I can take away from it and apply to my personal life. I mean, I don't live in a creepy house, and really, my name isn't Hephziba or Phoebe! If you want a good book to read, try these out. I just finished reading most of these in the last couple of weeks.
William Wilberforce: Hero for Humanity by Kevin Belmonte-probably my favorite read thus far in this year. Wilberforce has really inspired me.
The Dogs May Bark, but the Caravan Moves On by Helen Morse-an excellent read about a family dedicated to missionary service over in Asia.
Statesmen and Saint by David Vaughn-another book about William Wilberforce. Please, don't ask me which one I liked better because they're both running neck and neck with each other!
Ishmael Worth by Eden Southworth-this book is one of the best I have ever read on what it means to really be a Christian. No matter how low you are, you never compromise your beliefs. The character Ishmael is the essence of Christian manhood. Don't get me wrong, he's very human. But the book shows his struggles and how he overcomes them-by prayer and the study of Scripture. A truly inspirational book.
The Eyes of the World by Harold Bell Wright-I'm currently reading this one. So far it's very good. HBW is one of my favorites.
So, I can't wait until I am done with Hawthorne's book. Another book you don't want to read is this: The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I wanted to cry at the end because these people have no hope. The Crucible takes place around the Salem Witch Trials. I had to read it for school. This book is worse than The House of the Seven Gables or the Scarlet Letter. It also probably ranks as "most depressing book of the year for Jane Cole."
I'm off to practice music. I'll probably play Tarantella by W.H. Squire, or Impromptu in Ab major by Schubert, or mom might ask me to play the Swan by that French composer. Oh joy!

BTW, thanks for commenting Kathy! You should do that more often. *wink wink* Soli Deo Gloria!

Valentine's Day...and I've Got Someone On My Mind

Well..yesterday was special. I spent the day with my sweetheart. Yes, there we are. Happy birthday sis!
In honor of her birthday, I made special homemade pitas. We're going to eat them tonight for her birthday meal. Here's the recipe.
2 packages dry yeast
2 C. warm water
1/2 t. honey
1/4 C. olive oil
1 T. salt
5 to 6 C. whole wheat flour
cornmeal

Now, I altered the recipe. With our bosch machine I mix the water, honey, olive oil, salt and half of the flour. After that is mixed I add the yeast and the rest of the flour. Then I followed their directions.:)
Shape dough into 8 to 10 balls. Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.
Using a floured rolling pin, flatten each ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and about 1/8 in. thick. Dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal, place 2 of the circles on each sheet, cover, and let rest for about 30 minutes.
The oven is set for 500 F.-very hot for these little breads, and therein lies the secret. Place 1 sheet on the lowest rack for 5 minutes. Do not open the oven during this first baking. After 5 minutes, transfer the sheet to a higher shelf and let it bake for 3 to 5 more minutes. The breads will puff up and be lightly browned when they're ready.

My first couple of pitas were interesting. One was completely flat, the other was quite puffy. I did figure it out and the rest of the pitas were more promising in the end result. We're all looking forward to celebrating Joanna's birthday this evening. (yes, her birthday was yesterday, but we waited a day because of scheduling difficulties:)

It's almost Valentine's Day!

O tell her, brief is life but love is long.
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Latest Sewing Projects

I actually made these awhile back. I'm just now getting to post the photos! It's been so very cold lately, that mom has actually worn Jeff's nightcap more than Jeffrey has himself. The nightcaps do keep your head warm.
I posted these photos to help everyone feel cozy in their pajamas in this freeeeeeeeeeezing weather. I can't wait for spring!

Texas Beef and Beans

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C. diced onion
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz. Can pinto beans, drained (reserve 3 T. liquid)
1 14.5 oz can sliced tomatoes (drained)
1 small can of sliced black olives (drained)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef and onion. Drain. Add taco seasoning packet and mix according to package directions. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Mash pinto beans with a fork or potato masher adding the 3 T. saved liquid. Carefully spread mashed beans on ground beef. Add drained tomatoes and olives. Spread cheese over all. Bake 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese melted.

Janessa made this for supper tonight. Yum! It was quite tasty. Our family thoroughly enjoyed it. (there weren't any leftovers...evidence of a good meal:)
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in...well...a long time. We've had our share of adventures lately. There was the mishap with the van (it almost flipped over...slick ice), Janessa jammed her toe going up the stairs (which has resulted in various limping and hobbling), and Jeremy fell through a ceiling at one of his job sites. Somehow he grabbed two beams and escaped any injury. We have been keeping our heavenly angels very busy. The rest of us are just holding our breath.
On another subject, our pastor preached a very moving sermon on Sunday. He preached for over an hour on the conscience. He explained how we as Christians become immune to certain sins because we allow our conscience to become seared. Needless to say, his sermon was really quite phenomenal. I will leave you all with a quote on this subject that I am seeking to memorize. One of Susanna Wesley's children asked her how to define sin. This was her answer: "Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself."