LADIES FOR LUNCH AND PRAYING FOR THE UKRAINE

 On a snowy day today I had some

ladies for lunch.  I told them we

were doing knock off food today 

because we had 2 things  which are knock

offs from Applebee's and a knock off Chocolate Pie from what used to be

 called Bishops Cafeteria back in the day.

The first thing we did was pray for the

Ukraine today and I ask you to do that

too as this is such a perilous time.

So here was my menu that I am sharing:

Oriental Chicken Salads with Honey Dressing

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Chocolate Cream Pie

I just got finished cutting the rest of the

pie and my husband and I agreed we

best send the 2 large leftover pieces 

over to the neighbors as we will be

tempted beyond belief.

left to right at top: Judy, Rosemary, Bernideen and Jenni

So here are some recipes for you if you

like yummy things like this:

Spinach Artichoke Dip which serves 6

1 10 Oz pkg frozen chopped spinach

cooked and drained, 1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, 1 can 14 oz artichoke hearts, drained and chopped,, 1/2 cup mayo, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese/1/2 tsp garlic salt

Combine all and bake 350 degrees till hot

Serve with warmed tortilla chips

So here is the Oriental Chicken 

Salad Recipe which I would say

 is my version since I have

changed it so many times:

Slice very thin:  2 cups Napa Cabbage,

 1 cup regular cabbage, Chop: 4 cups romaine, 3 cups leaf lettuce, 2/3 cup shredded carrots, 1 cup of sliced almonds 

and 1 cup of Chinese noodles 

Grill 2 large chicken breasts grilled first

and sliced into strips

Combine above but sprinkle almonds

 and noodles on last on top and add 

sliced grilled chicken

Here is the dressing which serves 8: 

 3/4 cup honey, 1/4 +2 Tb Rice Wine Vinegar, 1 cup mayo, 4 tsp dried mustard, 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Now for the Knock Off

Bishops Cafeteria Pie

Crust: 1 1/2 cups crushed cinnamon graham crackers mixed with 1/2 cup melted butter pressed on the bottom of a deep dish pie pan

bake about 5 minutes at 375 degrees

 & now cool

Pie Filling

1 quart quality vanilla ice cream soft,

2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 pkg small chocolate instant pudding, 2 squares unsweetened chocolate melted

combine all above in a heavy duty mixer (such as kitchenaid) Add the melted chocolate last.

mix well and pour into pie shell.

Decorate the edge as desired by whipping 

up 1 cup heavy whipping cream mixed on high with 1/3 cup of powdered sugar - mix until stiff  I usually shave some chocolate

curls off and sprinkle but forgot this time

This is best refrigerated overnight.

A special thanks to Christian friends Rosemary, Judy and Jenni for letting

 me take photos!

A LITTLE CHRISTMAS TEA

 Today I had a few ladies over for

an Afternoon Tea.  I took advantage

of the baking knowing I could have

some extra sweets to share with others

this week.  This post will not be

exactly as I had planned because

of a little problem.  This has happened

before too - I forgot to take the photos.

Yesterday I made my sweets which included

Sugar Cookies cut like little teapots,

 (those have now already been eaten)

Cherry Bars and little

 lemon tarts.

I cut the Cherry Bar recipe in half

because the recipe served way

to many.

Here is the recipe for the shells which I

did go ahead and make the full recipe

so I could freeze a lot for later. 

 This was the lemon tart filling I made but you

could also just purchase a can of pie filling.

Lemon Tart Filling Recipe:

5 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup

fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup butter

Wisk together the eggs, sugar .  Heat lemon juice over medium in a small saucepan.  

In another larger pan, melt butter and slowly add lemon juice mixing well and then  

add egg mixture stirring until it thickens.

Once thick, cool and refrigerate until

ready to use.  

I served 3 savories: Chicken Salad

on mini Croissants, Deviled Eggs and

Sausage Pinwheels

I also made Orange Currant Scones and

we had both iced and hot tea.  The hot tea

came a little later in the meal.

Orange Currant Scones:

2 cups flour, 1 1/2 Tb baking powder, 

1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, grated peel of 

1 orange, 5 Tb butter, 5 Tb shortening,

1/2 cup buttermilk and more for

brushing, 1/3 cup currants

425 degrees for 15 min or less convection

I cover my baking sheet with parchment

paper. I love using parchment paper.  Combine first 4 ingredient by hand, add orange peel.  Flake in butter and shortening.  Add buttermilk, mix fold in currant roll dough and cut out scones with small 2" cutter, brush with milk and bake

15 min Yield:12

The plates and other transferware were washed and ready to put back away.

I had every intention of sharing my

table with you......but.

We won't be ready for Christmas to be

over Saturday.  I think we may enjoy

it all for a while.  

Some snow would have made things

really festive but that doesn't usually

happen in Missouri until January

or February.

FRIENDS FOR AFTERNOON TEA

 Today I had a little Afternoon Tea for

some ladies from my church.  They are

wanting to have an Afternoon Tea for

their ladies group this fall so I offered

 to give a tea 

 to help educate them

about Afternoon Tea Time.

I do most of my baking the day before

and bake the scones and final touches

of putting things together the day of

my tea.

If you are having Afternoon Tea 

the two most important things to serve

are SCONES  and even if it is hot - offer

some hot tea.  Most agree that offering

3 small savories and 3 small sweets is

 lovely .  Ladies usually eat about 2 of

each item if they are mini sized.

As you can see I used my mix and match

spring and summer tea wares.  We

started with salads and strawberry scones

and then savories and on to sweets.

Since I had 4 ladies (beside myself)

 I used my Afternoon Tea trio servers

for the savories and then

for the sweets. The number of

people you would be serving

really changes your serving style.

Here is what we had today:

Iced tea and hot tea

A salad with mixed greens, peas,

mushrooms, blueberries and crispy onion

rings with oriental honey dressing

Strawberry Cream Scones with Cream

Our savories were: Corned Beef

finger sandwich on rye, cheese, red pepper

 and asparagus tarts and Chicken Salad

mini Croissants.

Our sweets were: lemon tarts with

mixed fruits, Chocolate Peppermint

Brownies and Raspberry Cheesecake

Bars.

I have shared my downstairs tearoom

before but this room is closeby for

last minute

"preparation".

 It is best not to confuse people 

by calling your luncheon or your

Afternoon Tea by the term "High Tea".

High Tea was an evening meal for

the working class with cold meats, cheese,

bread, pickles and a pot of tea.  Here

in America this term has been engaged

in business to upgrade the event making

it seem more substantial. 

THIS VIDEO IS 

VERY HELPFUL!

Information for large group teas:

When churches give teas they often

make use of buffet tables because of the

 fact that a large group is being served.

  There are different ways a tea can

work for a large group.  The key is to

make the table interesting and elevate

cake platters and some decorations.

Keep your serving pieces at different heights

by stacking them. Otherwise, everything

 is flat down on the table.  A buffet is so

 much more interesting using vintage

 dishes, clear glass or plain pieces or silverplate.

Generally with a large group, one

lady is asked to be the hostess for a

table of eight ladies.  She sets that

table with her own dishes and decorations

appropriate to the theme for the day.

If there is a buffet table for the 3 small 

savories, it is nice to have a separate

area for the desserts.  (3 mini size desserts)

The scones and tea can be brought to

the table by the hostess.  Obviously,

there are different ways this can work. A 

salad can even be on the table when

the ladies arrive and all begins.

Remember to allow 2-3 pieces of each type

 of finger food for each person.

LADIES FOR LUNCHEON TEA

Today I enjoyed having some

ladies for a luncheon tea:

 I choose the word "luncheon tea" because

I didn't make multiples of food items although

I did serve Chicken Salad Croissants and

a nice green salad with pine nuts and

raspberries.  Then I served scones with

cherry filling inside and little cheesecake 

tarts with fruits.  We had iced tea and

since it is very hot - our cups and saucers

stayed empty of hot tea.

I baked some buttermilk scones which

were heart shaped with cherry filling

inside of them.  When we were in Kansas
City I was able to go to Cost Plus World
Market so we enjoyed some Somerdale
Devon Cream for our scones.

Do you love hospitality?  I really enjoy

making food and serving it.

WILMA'S PINK LADY PIE

This is a reposting from 2009. 

 I am doing my part here to encourage springtime - you know - bring it forward!!!

How about a slice of PINK LADY PIE:

Don't be fooled by that greenness outside -

 these photos are from July 2009.

Wilma Pfadenhauer gave me this recipe back in the 1980's. She was a "waste not want not" lady who new how to get the value out of every dollar.  She always had rhubarb in her garden!

Wilma's Pink Lady Pie:

For the crust you will need 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 Tb sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 2 Tb milk

Mix ingredients thoroughly and press into 9" pie pan, crimping the edge of the dough around the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool!

For the filling: 2 cups diced rhubarb, ( I also added 2 cups fresh strawberries) 1 3 oz pkg of strawberry jello, 1 cup sugar, 1 Tb lemon juice, 2 cups whipped cream which was 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream whipped with 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Cook rhubarb and strawberries with the sugar until tender. Add the jello and stir until dissolved. Let cool and add the lemon juice. Fold in the 2 cups of whipped cream and pour into the cooled crust and refrigerate. This pie can now be frozen for later if desired.

Top with additional whipped cream or ice cream when ready to serve.

MY FRIEND for "Tea In The Garden"

This week I have a special friend who has agreed to pose for photos in my garden. 

This is the first time in 10 years that my friend Lou Ann has visited with her husband.  We have had a great time. We have been friends since 1966 which is a long time ago.

Lou Ann and I met a long time ago when I went to a small Bible College in Des Moines, Iowa.  I was 17 years old and she had just been married a couple months before. We became great friends and 2 years later she and her husband were in our wedding.  That was just a few years ago - 1968!

Over the years we have enjoyed many

specials meals and moments together.

Our friends lived in Toronto for some

time and we enjoyed visits there.

I set up a little tea vignette out under the tree quickly as showers were threatening any moment. 

My friend was tucked under the tree so even if it did rain - she would not have gotten wet.  Yes, it did finally rain.

I have been cooking up a storm and last night I made a chocolate pie - like the Bishops Chocolate Pie.  It has been fun to have more people to cook for!

Most of the pieces I am sharing today are English.  I do love the yellow depression glass cream and sugar that my Grandmother gave me back in the late 70's.  You might also notice the Victorian Plant Stand I had shared before with the china pieces on the top and lower area.  Remember it was dark before when I shared it and now it is painted shabby chic.  I really like it better!

FRANCES VOLLMER'S LEMON PRETZEL TORTE

I have been thinking about how baking and cooking may have changed lately. Actually, I have recalled that in the 70's and 80's we made a lot of foods using ideas from Duncan Hines, Jello, Dream Whip, Campbell Soups and that type of item. Casseroles and large desserts were our delight!   I still make these things but I do think we would agree that there is a greater emphasis now to learn to make your own sauces and to bake from stratch. What do you think? 

 This Lemon Pretzel Torte would be be a type of thing one would bring to a Potluck Dinner in the 1980's. 

During the 1980's I received this recipe from a lady who lived in Burlington, Iowa and inspired me in so many ways!  I also recall that I had received a set of antique luncheon plates from her during those years when she moved into a Senior Townhome.   These dishes became the beginning point for me to collect mix matched pieces and cups and saucers.

I learned so much from Frances who was a frugal woman!  She was very creative and knew how to stretch a dollar! 

Here is the recipe for Frances Vollmer's Lemon Pretzel Torte:

You will need 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter softened, 1 - 3 1/4 oz package of lemon pie filling mix (NOT instant), 2 3 oz packages of Dream Whip Topping Mix (yes they still have it at the grocery), 1 8oz package softened cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar. There are 3 levels to this dessert, it is easy to do and will feed 12 to 14 people.  You will be using a 9 x 13 pyrex dish for the dessert.

For the bottom level of the dessert:  Crush pretzels into small bite size pieces like nuts.  Cream the butter and the sugar.  Add the pretzels pieces and mix together.  Using your hands to form a ball, press this mixture into the 9 x 13 pyrex pan.  Refrigerate until chilled.

Go ahead now and make the lemon pie filling as directed on the package and refrigerate in a separate bowl until cool but not yet firm.

The Second level of the dessert is this: prepare the 2 whipped topping envelopes  according to directions. Then beat this into the cream cheese and powdered sugar till well blended.  Spread this over the bottom crust in the pyrex dish and put back in refrigerator.

Now for the top level:  Spread the lemon pudding mix on the top and return again to refrigerator.

MABEL EVERHART AND PHYLLIS CHESHIER TEACH THE YOUNGER WOMEN

Titus 2: verses 3-4

Verse 3: The aged women likewise.....Verse 4: That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.

"The Older Women Teach the Younger"

Back in the late 1970's I was a young married mother with 2 preschoolers who enjoyed homemaking. My husband and I were a part of Warwick Assembly of God Church in Newport News, Virginia. I still use many recipes from the church cookbook put together by Phyllis Cheshier. Actually, we called her "Sister Cheshier" as a sign of respect - after all she was the Pastor's wife and really a Pastor herself! I was thrilled recently when I found her photo above on a church website in Arkansas. Now in her 80's - she still teaches an Adult Sunday School Class!

I was involved in the Women's Ministry at Warwick where we younger women were taught by the older. This is a principle taken from the early church in the New Testament and Titus Chapter 2. One of our regular Bible teachers was Mabel Everhart, a dedicated saint in the church. Mabel made the best Applesauce Cake and of course used her home canned applesauce. After asking her several times, she gave me this recipe which follows: I suggest you buy the better quality applesauce at the grocery should you not have some home canned of your own! You will love the way your house smells

when you bake this cake! Do not use an electric mixer and always dump this cake out of the tube pan when it is warm! (I waited until the morning and the top stuck)

Mabel Everhart's Applesauce Cake

You will need: 2 cups applesauce, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup butter, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Also: 2 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 cup chopped pecans

In a medium pot combine the 1st ingredients over low heat and melt together. When combined, take from stove and place in large bowl...HAND MIX in flour, and stir in walnuts, raisins, pecans....Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees in a tube pan.

(Altitude adjustments: DECREASE BAKING SODA TO 1 1/2 TSP AND USE

1 3/4 CUPS OF SUGAR)

This cake probably would taste the best in the FALL OF THE YEAR!