Lehman’s Country Life

In our busy lives today we try to fit so many things into each day; tending family, keeping a home, working. It is no wonder Time has become another factor to consider in our lives. So where do we start to have fun with the holidays, use our time well and not be expensive?

I always seem to start in my kitchen.  Simple baked items can be very decorative and lots of fun!  I have always depended on a basic Sugar Cookie Dough - it can be easily made at home or affordably purchased ready-made at the market.  Turn a group of youngsters (or just the young at heart) loose with sprinkles and frosting and you are bound to get some fun results.
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Recently I was going through my cupboard of cookbooks looking for a certain recipe when I came across an old recipe booklet. This booklet was dated 1975 and was actually done on a mimeograph machine (remember those? -really makes you appreciate your computer, huh?) Well, I found a recipe with my cousin’s name on it but I’m sure it is from her mother, my Auntie Flo.

My Auntie Flo was a good cook and she was known for it in the community where I grew up. She actually was like a grandma to me, because my grandmothers both died when I was young and I really don’t remember them - plus, Auntie Flo lived right next door to us.  Her door was always open to my four brothers and me. If my aunt and uncle were eating when we decided to “pop in,” we were always offered a taste of their meal. We loved our Auntie Flo and Uncle Merl and the feeling was mutual.
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Don’t be caught with way too much, or (heaven forbid) not enough pumpkin pie this year. Plan for your holiday gathering by buying and preparing the right amount of food for the number attending.

Please note: These quantities are for 24-25 people. Multiply or divide as needed.

Beverages

• Coffee Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3/4 cup Amount Needed: 1/2 to 3/4 pound, ground
• Milk Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 1 1/2 gallons
• Soft Drinks Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: three 2-liter bottles
• Tea, hot Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3/4 cup Amount needed: 5 quarts (20-25 tea bags)
• Tea, iced Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 1 1/2 gallons (24-30 tea bags)
• Orange Juice Servings: 32 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 1 gallon
• Lemonade Servings: 32 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 2 gallons
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We’ve gotten some recent requests for the following recipe, a holiday tradition in my house since I found it several years ago. For cheesecake novices: this is a very easy and truly mah-velous one to make. Rich, creamy white chocolate cheesecake is studded with crunchy bits of peppermint candy and capped with a bit o’ whipped topping - simply sublime.

Ingredients:

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp. melted butter

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

3 eggs

4 1-oz squares white baking chocolate

3/4 c. sugar
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Thanksgiving is a holiday that is shared over the many different cultures and beliefs that make up this country.  It is a time to stop and take notice of all we have to be thankful for every day.  In our busy days as parents, teachers, children, and farmers, it is easy to lose track of all the wonderful things that occur each and every day.  Many of us in different locations have suffered their share of hardships this year - drought and loss of crops in the southern states, flooding in the panhandle regions, fires in the west.  Thanksgiving begins the holiday season for many.

Have you ever thought about sharing that time of thankfulness?  Maybe it is customary in your family to gather and share a big meal.  But there is a new idea spreading through some areas: they are gathering together to share the “Thanksgiving Experience” as communities.
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By Melinda J. Hill, CFCS, CFLE
Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences
OSU Extension, Wayne County

  Warm days in October have lengthened our fall produce season by a couple of weeks for everyone to enjoy, but we all know that our fall harvest will soon be over when we have a killing frost.  The pumpkins and squash along with apples and cider bring fall aromas from the kitchen.  I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a couple of new things to add to our family meals and these fall fruits and vegetables are wonderful additions.  As you look for recipes, try to find those that have low fat ingredients and use methods of preparation that roast, bake, grill or microwave to limit the necessity of adding fat like breading and frying.  Here’s a recipe I’m going to try from the University of Illinois Extension, to give a little variety to weekend breakfast with the family or snack/dessert to take to the next family gathering.  Hope you will try them too! 
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A surprise for the wife - revisited
The bakers edge pan is getting a work out. Since I despise the idea of baking from a box (all due respect to Betty Crocker), I thought I would try to make brownies using the recipe in the instructions for the pan. The first batch came out very nicely. Took them into work, they were enjoyed with rave reviews. The second batch went to Westview manor where my wife works. They were cleaned out (along with a batch of special recipe chocolate chip cookies) in no time flat.

So I thought I would blog these brownies. They really are easy to make, I clocked them at a half hour prep time (with several stops to watch Brett Favre on Monday Night Football). I know this is considerably more time than the five minute box, but from what I understand the results are well worth it. Remember I do not like brownies, the women in my life do.
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I’m not really a nut about cooking, but the closest I’ve ever come to really, really enjoying it was when I had the wood cookstove.

We had this old house that was built around wood stoves, pre 1900 style, with a central chimney and a kitchen that just cried for a woodburning cookstove. My husband, patient man, indulged me, even though he didn’t even like to cut wood (I wound up doing a lot of it myself). Anyway, we set off on a quest and after asking around, soon found a real treasure. My brother-in-law’s father had two of them in a shed about three hours away.

Off we went in the old Chevy truck (a story for a different time), reasoning that if one of them was workable, we could just bring it home.

Well, never to do things halfway, we brought both of them home - for $50. Who could pass up a deal like that? After another $50 or so in stove bolts, rust remover, soap and water and stove black, we got one of them in working condition. There was even a coal/wood grate and a lid lifter that fit the lids. I was thrilled!
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Rendering lard - is it really as hard as “they” say?

Back in the “good old days,” lard was the only fat that was used besides butter for cooking, baking or even spreading on bread for a sandwich. Lard has been used for centuries and centuries, ever since people began realizing what could be processed from a pig. Perhaps you have heard the statement, “the only thing not used from a pig is his squeal!”

Now, as we all know (or have heard), lard is the best for cooking, frying and baking. Almost any old recipe will call for lard. Any new recipe will call for shortening (Crisco or any other brand).
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Ever since Elaine (One of Lehman’s buyers) told me to take a Terra Cotta bread pan with a crack in it home to test, I have been into making bread. She told me that the manufacturer said it was normal for a Terra Cotta pan to have these characteristics. Elaine wanted to know if, through use, the crack would get worse? Nope, it has not, in fact I like this pan a lot. Recently I stopped by the store to pick up the dough bowl that I have had my eye on for a long time. This is a wooden dough bowl that is intended to be used for bread rising. According to Sarah’s copy (our copy writer and the editor of this blog) and research on the internet, I find that the bowl provides the insulated environment that is perfect for the bread to rise.

Bread rises perfectly - Baked goods stay warmer
A welcome relief to bread bakers everywhere! You know how difficult it is to find the perfect spot when it’s time to let your bread dough rise. Our dough bowl is the answer. It doesn’t retain cold so bread dough rises perfectly. Insulates, so baked goods stay warmer. Absorbs oil (which helps season it), so fried foods stay crisp.

Another nice feature is the bowl does not need to be oiled, in fact it soaks up oil that comes out of the rising dough.

While at the store I picked up another terra cotta bread pan (being so satisfied with the first). The recipe I use makes two loaves so, typically I use the terra cotta pan and one of my standard glass pans for the recipe. As I was making my loaves of bread for the week this past weekend, I wondered how big of a deal it was to use the dough bowl. Then as I loaded the loaves in the new terra cotta pan that just got seasoned by my son and wondered how much of a difference these items make in the quality of the bread. I am going to answer that question below.
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