Looking Good, Tasting Better

There was a time some years past when you just didn't see miniature cakes and cupcakes on a regular basis.  Now, of course, you see them almost anywhere.  But in those olden days I worked at a school as a speech-language pathologist.  All staff members were required to attend certain designated PTA meetings as well as staff meetings at times when refreshments were required.  Meaning we each had to prepare something for the meeting.

My go-to recipe at the time was Finger Cheese Cakes. My mother gave me this recipe and it was used a lot those years.  Compliments were given each time. They looked absolutely wonderful and the taste was compatible with the looks.  I was given credit for being a great cook based on this recipe alone.

What I particularly liked was that they were quick and easy to fix.  I always did get up early and I could make a batch in time for 7:30 a.m. check-in time. One recipe fixed in the miniature pans would produce about 54 cheese cakes.  Absolutely beautiful, tasty, with a small size that allowed folks to have a small amount with other foods without getting stuffed.


                                                          FINGER CHEESE CAKES

               2 (8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
               2/3 cup sugar
               1 tsp. vanilla
               2 eggs
               1 Tbsp. lemon juice
               crushed graham crackers (I'd break off small pieces and crush with fingers as needed)
               1 can cherry or blueberry pie filling

1)     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2)     Line 4  miniature cupcake pans with miniature paper liners
3)     Place a thin layer crushed graham crackers in bottom of each tin.
4)     Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs and lemon juice together until smooth.
5)     Fill cupcake tins 3/4 full.
6)     Bake 15 minutes or until set
7)     Cool and top with pie filling.  You can also top with thawed whipped topping if desired.

When taking to a meeting, I'd refrigerate the pie filling on site and put on top of the cheesecakes just before serving.

Enjoy.

Introducing Mr. Shanahan

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE:

About 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon the fire alarm bell on Cleburne engine-house sounded a general fire alarm.  ... it was discovered that the boarding-house and saloon owned and occupied by Tim Shanahan was in flames.  ...  From Mrs. Shanahan we learn that the fire originated from a defective flue.   ...  Mr. Shanahan was not in condition to give lucid particulars,

                                                                                    Arkansas Gazette Nov. 12, 1876

& & & & & & & & & &



SHANAHAN'S BISCUITS

3 c. self rising flour                                        1 12-oz can of beer,
2 Tbsp. sugar                                                      room temperature

     Put flour and sugar in a bowl.  Add beer and stir.  Grease muffin tins and spoon in batter to 1/2 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or till done.  Serve hot,  Makes about 2 dozen biscuits.  Enjoy.


          (Excerpt from my unpubished manuscript: Fighting Fires and Feeding Firefighters)

The Unique Ulu

 







Man has always been creative, finding ways to better his life wherever he may be.  Eskimos were no exception to this statement.

Living in a harsh environment, he had the same basic needs as humans anywhere.  One concern surely was how to harvest the animals they killed for their food, clothing and shelter.  There was a need for something to be used for skinning the pelts, for cutting them into clothing and for the strips utilized in making laces.

They needed to cut the meat into chunks to be transported back to their homes.  They had to cut whale blubber into usable sizes.

At some point an unknown Eskimo had the idea to create a cutting instrument, a knife if you will.  It was dubbed the ulu - pronounced ooh-loo.  It has a wooden handle to allow you to press down on it to facilitate the cut.  The handle was made originally with muskox bone, walrus ivory or moose antlers.  The blade made of slate which could be sharpened to maintain its edge.  Now it is made with steel.

Because it has a curved blade the cut can be made with a rocking motion, allowing the user to push down on the handle with greater force than can be used with an ordinary knife.  Because it pins the meat down solidly onto the cutting surface, it isn't necessary to use a fork to assist in the cutting.

Archaeologists have found an ulu determined to be about 3,000 years old.  The slate curve is still very sharp.

The one above has a design etched into the blade.  There is the word Alaska, in the middle the outline of a ship, and at the bottom it says:  Inside Passage.  It was a gift from my son, purchased when he was assigned to Alaska while in the service.  What a special gift from a very special person.

Almonds - Oh Yes

I do like my almonds.  And that's a good thing.  Edgar Cayce, also known as the sleeping prophet, recorded some of his "readings" way back in the 1930's or so, and in them he made several references to the efficacy of this wonderful nut.  He said if you ate 2 or 3 almonds a day you would never need to fear getting cancer.

It was many years ago that I read his prediction that scientists would discover this fact by the end of the 20th century.  I have recently also read some interesting news that almonds can prove useful in lowering blood pressure, therefore helping one achieve a healthy heart.  And other, more recent articles, hail the ingestion of almonds in helping diabetics getting better health.

Way back, years ago, when I mentioned Cayce's observations to a friend, she was very pleased.  "So I could eat 2 Almond Joy candy bars a day and be protected from cancer?"  I responded that I wasn't sure that was the intent of his statement for he was an advocate for healthy eating, and thought the almonds could be used instead of meat products to get the proper nutrients that could be missing in a too-strict vegetarian diet.

Of course if one was predisposed to eat a candy bar, perhaps the Almond Joy would be a better choice than others.  This is my own opinion and not one I discovered in my reading.  Although I wouldn't advise taking them for daily consumption as a cancer or heart disorders prevention.

Here's wishing you a healthy New Year.  And just maybe (if you are so inclined) the enjoyable taste of a few almonds every now and then.

Food & Fun in 2015

January:       A jovial jubilee with celebration in the air
                     Start the year with Jackrabbit stew, if you dare.
February:     A fabulous festival, now don't get the jitters
                     We'll have some fudge and fruit fritters.
March:          A merry month of marvelous mirth
                     With milk and meatballs from the
                      land of your birth.
April:            An amazing assembly alementation
                     Apples and almonds produce salivation.
May:             A mysterious mass of a mob of people
                     Eating macaroni and muffins below the steeple..
June:             A joyous jambalaya under the sun
                      Let's have jams and juice and Jamaican rum.
July:              A joking jabberwocky-filled jamboree
                      Who's bringing the jam and jelly beans?
August:          An amorous alliance, who's counting the cost?
                       Bring the almonds and applesauce.
September:     A sagacious symposium run by the boss
                       He wants sauerkraut, salsa and squash
October:         An obligatory observance is in the loop.
                       This calls for ostrich eggs and oxtail soup.
November:     The neighbors nuptials have a redneck theme
                       With bowls of nachos, neck bones and nectarines.
December:      A daring demographic dazzles the crowd
                       Serving duck and dumplings and dessert - Oh wow!

Is This a Good One?

How do you choose a good melon?  Recently at the grocery store a gentleman and I engaged in conversation about that very subject.  He gave me a short instructional talk about just that.  First you find the grow spot where the melon lay on the ground.  You can see that it is lighter in color with some scrapes acquired during the growing process.  Put the melon down where it is sitting on the grow spot.

Now place one hand on the side of the melon, holding it securely in place.  You then use the other hand the gently but firmly slap the melon on other side.  You are not doing a karate chop, however.  You don't need to smack it hard enough to split he fruit.  When whacked, you should hear a nice solid sound.  If the melon sounds hollow, forget about it.  It won't be good.  This one had that nice solid sound.

I bought the melon and took it home.  When freed of its rind, cut up and allowed to cool in the  refrigerator for a period of time, we enjoyed the delicious melon with our supper.  As the gentleman had guaranteed, it was very good.  Next time I'm shopping for melon, I'll keep his instructions in mind. 

Does this ring a bell with you?  Or do you have a different way to test the watermelon before taking it home?  I'd love to hear from you,

One Cool-Thinking Kid

Hot summer days have often left us wanting something to partake of that would cool us off and slow us down to enjoy the lazy passing of time.  That's not something new to us or our generations.  It's been going on since the beginning of time, I'm sure.

Wealthy Romans would have ice carted from the mountains down to the villages, and the ice would be mixed with fruit bits and fruit juice to give them a form of snow cone.  History tells us they weren't alone.  Similar practices were showing up in China, India, and the Arabian peninsula.  And as we can all attest, these shaved ice confections can sure hit the spot.

But it wasn't until 1905 in San Francisco, California, that an accidental discovery lead to a treat still popular today with kids of all ages.  Eleven year old Frank Epperson had some powdered soda mixed up, using a wooden stick to stir the concoction.  He left some of the stuff out on the porch overnight.  When he arose the next morning, there was his treat, still there, but now frozen onto the stick. 

Now Frank wasn't a dense lad.  The next summer he was selling his treat to the neighborhood kids.  But it wasn't until 1923 at the Neptune Beach amusement park in Alameda, California, that he had a good commercial business going.  The next year he applied for and got a patent for his Episicle, which soon were a big hit.  He soon changed the name of the treat to "Popsicle," and it is still widely eaten by folks everywhere.

Frank didn't enjoy the profits from his "invention" long, however.  In 1925 he sold his patent to another company to pay off creditors.  The Popsicle today is still the Popsicle, although the varieties have grown in number and taste.  But it still hits the spot on a hot summer day when you need something light and refreshing to consume while relaxing, indoors or out.  I don't know that Frank invented anything else,, but he did leave us all a cool taste treat we can eat just about any time of year, 

Thanks, Frank.

A Little Spice In Life

Last week I suffered a short bout of abdominal distress, likely caused by eating the wrong food.  My grand daughter brought me some ginger ale and crackers.  I like ginger ale, but it's just one of those things I forget about most of the time.  It does seem to help with stomach distress.  Some say it's merely a placebo effect, and that may be.  Who cares, if it seems to work?

Ginger beer has been around since about the mid 1800's, I believe.  Later, a different carbonation process eliminated the alcohol though the taste appeared to stay pretty much the same.  So now, it's used more as a mixer for alcohol if the buzz is desired.  But it does have a great taste that is decidedly different from other colas and sodas.

The ginger taste has been used since about the eleventh century in Europe.  The spice is a preservative for pastries and bread, which is a great asset.  But the taste is delectable as well.  Sometimes the spicy batter was mixed up and served as a cake, sometimes as a flat cake - often cut in shapes denoting humans, animals or celestial stars, and often as a thick slice of bread.  You know what?  I like them all.  Again, a taste that is often set aside for long periods of time until I rediscover a recipe or boxed mix and just have to indulge.

And let's not forget the Christmas season when you often see gingerbread houses decorated a la Hansel and Gretel style with enough candy to boggle the mind of any wicked witch enticing hungry children into her home.  Our local Max Milam Library has an annual event of decorating them as an event for the kids in the area.  They actually use graham crackers for the houses, and when you have about 150 kids show up for the event you can see the necessity of fast, sturdy construction.

I have consumed more ginger ale this week, for the taste enjoyed last week slung a craving on me.  I  have yet to bake any gingerbread, but it could very well be in my near future.  And I will certainly enjoy the treat.

Do you have a special treat that may go forgotten for periods of time?  I'd love to know.