'tis the season for paska...

We began the season a little early over here this year...

 with the grands.

They came for a sleepover...

and thought paska for breakfast was a fine idea.

And it was!

There are those who heard it was paska season...

but had no idea how to bake paska.

And so they came to our paska cooking class at Lepp Farm Market last night.

They'll be baking paska before Easter...

guaranteed.

Maybe even tomorrow!

Marg demo'd Ellen's paska spread for us last night...
since Ellen couldn't make the long trek north from Seattle this time.
She did a fine job, Ellen!

And since paska is part of our Easter fare...

we cooked up a traditional Easter meal for the class last night.
We had baked ham with mustard sauce...
scalloped potatoes...
coleslaw...
and pluma moos (cold fruit soup).

And paska...of course.
Just in case you feel like adding paska to your Easter menu this year...
I'll leave you the link to the recipe we used last night.
That would be...
Lovella's famous paska recipe.
Try it.
I think you'll like it!

Have a great weekend...


 

the taste of fall...

Fresh valley corn...

and tomatoes off the vine...

...are finding their way to the table frequently these days! 

Grilled corn salad has been a favorite over here this season.

Yesterday was rather a soupy kind of day...

and so we had cauliflower cheese soup for supper.

The recipe is on page 54 of the MGCC cookbook.

Plum upside down cake, plum platz, plum jam, rustic plum pie...

just a few of the plum treats we've been enjoying!

And for those of you who were asking about the blackberry cinnamon buns...

here's my easy-peasy version.

Use your favorite cinnamon bun recipe ...

and make up us you would regular cinnamon buns...

using a cup of blackberries instead of raisins before rolling up.

And don't forget to drizzle on the icing!

And here's a great way to enjoy zucchini from the garden...

or from the farmer's market.

Oven baked zucchini sticks.

You will find the recipe over at MGCC today.

And then there are apples...

and pumpkins...

and grapes.

The delights of the season!

Have a wonderful fall weekend...

grand camping fare...

What's a camping trip without good food?  They say fire is the most important aspect of the camp experience...but our gang thinks food ranks right up there.  We combined food and fire and came up with a few treats that we all enjoyed!

We tried cooked banana boats on the open fire...with both sets of campers.  They had great fun preparing them...

...and we all agreed they were delicious! 

To make a banana boat, slice down the inner curve of the banana (with the skin on)...but do not slice right through the skin on the other side.  Gently open the slice wide enough to stuff with your chosen toppings.  Use your imagination!  My favorite boat was one stuffed with peanut butter and milk chocolate chips.  The grands preferred coloured mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips.  Wrap the banana in heavy duty tinfoil and place in the coals of a fire for about 2 1/2 minutes per side...or  roast on a grate above the campfire.   Five minutes later...unwrap and enjoy the ooey-gooey goodness right out of the boat.  We added a scoop of ice-cream...for a dessert that was hard to beat!

Another first for us...was cooking up bush pies. A bush pie is basically bread stuffed with a filling of your choice...and then cooked inside a cast-iron bush pie maker (available at any sporting goods store).

We used pizza toppings inside our bush pies...and cooked them two at a time inside a double bush-pie-maker.  The girls would have liked them for every meal!  We never tried the dessert version...which is filled with any pie filling or Nutella and bananas.

The cinnamon snakes for breakfast were a big hit as well.



We covered our wiener sticks with tinfoil...then wrapped long strips of dough around the foiled end (used refrigerated Pillsbury crescent dough) and roasted them over the open fire until golden. We brushed the cooked 'snake' with butter and rolled in a cinnamon/sugar mixture.  So good!

We never needed the fire for this quick lunch...but walking tacos are always a treat. Purchase the single-serving size nacho chips...slit the bag...and make up your nacho plate right in the bag. (The recipe can be found at the link above.)

And of course we had wiener roasts...

 ...and smores. 

Food and fire...a good camping combo!  Though the camping season is nearing an end...I just thought I'd share these campfire food ideas for you to store away until you have need of them.  My recipes for banana boats, cinnamon snakes and bush pies have been in a file waiting to be tried since 2008.  They have now been tried and approved!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

rooting for rhubarb...

The commercial rhubarb harvest is underway in our neighbourhood.

I went over to observe yesterday for a bit.

Acres of rhubarb...that represent many hours of manpower before it reaches the marketplace.

And there they are...the men with the knives.  A few seemed to wonder what I was doing on their turf.

I am feeling a tad bit sorry for them...having to wallow around in all the mud in order to harvest the crop.  Have I mentioned that it is very wet in out part of the world?  And this has nothing to do with flooding...just with an over abundance of rain...with very few sunny breaks.  Our spring fieldwork has yet to begin on the farm...the latest on record!   Today we have sunshine...and so I am off to work in the gardens.

And I know I have a coffee break treat awaiting me...with rhubarb from the garden (not the neighbour's field...just to clarify that!).  I'll leave you with the recipe for a mini-loaves or muffins or coffee cake...any way you wish to slice it!

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb

1. Cream butter and sugar.  
2. Add egg and vanilla.  Mix well.
3. Add dry ingredients and sour cream and stir until smooth.
4. Add the chopped rhubarb and stir.
5. Turn into 6 mini loaf pans or twelve muffin cups or a 9 x 13 inch pan (greased).  
6. Sprinkle with topping (below) and bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes for mini-loaves...25' for muffins...and 50' for coffee cake.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Have a wonderful weekend...

the blanket ladies...

We have a group of ladies at our church that meet weekly to make blankets.  This is not about seeing who can quilt the best...or whose blanket takes the prize.  It's about providing warmth and comfort for the impoverished...for refugees...for those in countries experiencing disasters.  Their goal is to make 300 annually...and they always seem to surpass that.  When we were in Kenya...we helped distribute blankets in the slums...blankets that had arrived by container from Canada.  How I wished that these women could have been there to see the joy that a blanket can give!

Janet and I had promised that we would join them one Tuesday...show them some pictures...and share our Kenyan experience with them. 

Yesterday was the day!  While they wrapped up their blanket-making session...we whipped up some mango milkshakes to give them a wee taste of Kenya.  As they sipped...we took them back to Kenya through our pictures and our stories.   And we hoped they could see just a bit of the impact their Tuesday afternoon get-togethers have on the other side of the globe.  This I know...they are not planning to quit churning out the blankets anytime soon!

As for the mango milkshakes...here's what you need to enjoy the taste of Kenya in your own home.

• 1 ripe mango...peeled, pitted and sliced
• 2 scoops vanilla ice-cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a blender...and blend until smooth. 
Pour into two glasses. (Everything tastes better when shared with a friend!)

Enjoy!

peppernuts and platz for the road...

Peppernuts...

traditionally baked at Christmas time...

have become a favorite for all seasons around here.  

Yesterday my granddaughter took them to school...as the finale of her project on her family heritage.

Each student presented an ethnic food for their classmates to sample.

Apparently the taste-testing went well!

She took along the Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbook as well...

just in case anyone wanted the recipe from page 188.

Today I'm baking Platz (fruit-topped coffee cake) for the road.

You are quite welcome to come sample...

...if you happen to be in the area of Grand Pappy's Home Furniture this afternoon.

We...the cookbook girls...

will be there to meet and greet.

Brandy will be there to sell you any appliance you may desire...

or even a Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbook.

Oh...and we'll even sign it for you.

Have a great day!

in a pickle...

Last fall I had a few too many things on the agenda...and somehow missed the pickling cuc season.  We lamented that there would not be any homemade dill pickles this year...and the store bought ones are just not the same.  A friend suggested I try refrigerator bread and butter pickles instead...which can be made year-round with long English cucumbers.  Why not?

 
We love them...and I have made several batches this past year.  I keep a jar in the kitchen fridge...and replenish it as needed from the bucket stored in our spare fridge. 

We add them to sandwiches...eat them with crackers and cheese...or as an accompaniment for a meal.  Simple and delicious!  The roadside stands in our area have had fresh cucumbers (greenhouse grown) since February, so it's pickling season around here.   

I may just stick to my version of Bick's yum yums (click for recipe)...and forget about canning pickles in the future!   I just thought I'd pass along the tip...in case anyone else out there feels like pickling-the-easy-way.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

heritage recipes go public...

Things I ate at grandma's house...and somehow took for granted...are not served so often these days. Zwieback...paska...and green bean soup were foods I grew up with. Now that Grandma is no longer around to make them...it's our turn. We at Mennonite Girls Can Cook are taking it upon ourselves to pass along the old favorites...and ensure that our grandchildren will enjoy the same dishes that we did. Last night we hosted a cooking class at Lepp Farm Market...for anyone interested in learning to bake grandma's zwiebacks...or paska...or green bean soup. The class was sold out...and what fun we had!

We arrived early and did our grocery shopping...but it wasn't long before the students began to arrive.  They all like a front row seat!

 With Marg as my trusty assistant, I shared Aunt Agatha's zwieback recipe.  Every family had their own way of making these rich little double-decker buns...but this is the recipe that will be in the new cookbook (on it's way to a bookshelf near you as we speak.)  Since many out there do not have mixers, we demonstrated the old-fashioned way of kneading dough.  It's not so hard.  The point is...anyone can make zwieback in their own kitchen. (One just has to stay home for a few hours in a row!)

Bev cooked up a pot of hearty green bean soup...with it's secret ingredient, summer savory.

And Lovella...paska, of course!  She really should have her own cooking show.  She is a fabulous presenter!

Ellen drove north from Seattle yesterday to join us and shared her family secret recipe...a cheese spread for paska.  New to me...but, oh...so delicious!

I should mention that these classes are about more than just listening and watching.  They are about participation.  Yes...everyone gets to sample everything!  And yesterday...we invited anyone who wanted to get their hands dirty, to try their hand and shaping zwieback. 

They were eager to give it a try!

Grandma watched her granddaughter's attempt at shaping the buns for awhile...and finally could not restrain herself any longer.  She came up and showed us all how it was done in her kitchen.  And I'm so glad she did.  There are no right or wrong ways.  Use your family recipe and make it your own.  And then...pass it along.  Aunt Agatha is long gone...but her zwiebacks are enjoying a new popularity.  I think she would be pleased!

How fun to have the generations come together over food!  Pictured above are Charlotte Lepp (on the right) with her mom and daughter.  Charlotte, thanks for inviting us to take part in your cooking classes at Lepp Farm Market.  And thanks for donating all the proceeds from last night to Matthew's House and The Good Shepherd Shelter.

Food...it can be a very good thing!

 Have a wonderful weekend...

the chef says...

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to take part in a cooking class by Chef Dez...our local celebrity chef. 

Though it was a stir-fry class...it was about so much more.  Why I learned all kinds of fun things!  Did you know that there are onion chopping goggles?  They come in all kinds of colours...even pink for Mother's Day....and are available at Lepp Farm Market locally.  Now that sounds quite tempting...chopping onions without the tears!

Chef Dez threw out a challenge...one that I'm quite willing to take him up on.  Buy one food product each month that is new to you...and cook with it.  Experiment in the kitchen...try new things.  We get so stuck on our old favorites...that we may need a little prodding to try something new on occasion.

I tried something new last night...new to us that is.  The Chef Dez 'recipe of the month' for April was a Greek burger.

 I changed it up a bit...but we had Greek burgers last night, and quite enjoyed them.  Did I mention that the sun came out yesterday afternoon...and we actually used the BBQ?  Now that felt good.

The recipe for my version of Greek burgers and Tzatziki dip can be found right here today.

I am looking forward to trying the Chef's stir-fry recipes.  Soon!  I didn't know a cooking class could be so much fun.  I think I'll be going again!

sunshine in the rain...

The sun has been a little elusive in this part of the country of late.   Despite the rain, the daffodils are opening up...a burst of sunshine on a bleak day. 

 I've been bringing a little of that sunshine indoors...to brighten things up.

We have also been enjoying the flavour of the season...and that would be lemon. 

If you are looking for a light and luscious spring dessert...try Lemon Dream Squares.  As Cindy cut my hair last week...we discussed food.  She described to me the yummy lemon dessert squares that she had enjoyed recently at our favorite local 'tea shoppe'.  Since they sounded so much like my Danish Cream Square recipe...I went home and improvised.  And a good improvisation it was!  Simply prepare1 package lemon pie filling and substitute for the vanilla pudding called for in the recipe.  Omit the chocolate drizzle....and garnish with lemon curls.

I'll leave with you a bouquet of yellow blooms....and a poem that has been around for a few years (penned in 1804).

Daffodils

~by William Wordsworth Longfellow

I wander’d lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch’d in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed — and gazed — but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Though the day may be grey...the daffodils are still smiling this morning.

the rainbow cake...

Whatever you wish to call it...a rainbow cake or a tie-dyed cake...

it's not really that complicated to make. 

You asked...

so I'll tell you how I did it.

With a little help from Betty Crocker...

 

 and a good supply of gel colouring...

along with a few basic tips...

you could make a 'rainbow' cake in your own kitchen.

The gel colouring is important...

the liquid food colouring would not produce vibrant shades.

* 2 packages Betty Crocker Supermoist vanilla cake mix
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* water (add to eggs and oil to make 3 cups liquid)

1. Empty both cake mixes into large mixing bowl.
2. Combine eggs and oil; add water to make 3 cups.
3. Add liquids to cake mix and beat on low until combined; then beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
4. Divide batter equally into six individual bowls.
5. Add gel coloring to each to create your rainbow of colours...purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.
6. Prepare two 9-inch round pans...line bottoms with parchment paper and spray pans with Pam. Now for the fun part!
7. In first pan, drop half the purple batter into the center. Carefully add half the blue batter right on top of the purple...followed by green, yellow, orange and ending with red. Do not stir at all.
8. In the second pan, use remaining batter in the reverse order...beginning with red.
9. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes clean.
10. Cool completely before removing from pans.
11. Frost when cool.


Frosting:

* 2 packages vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)
* 2 cups milk
* 1 large tub Cool-Whip

1. Combine pudding mix with milk and beat for one minute.
2. Fold in whipped topping mix.
3. Cut top off one of the layer cakes to level and place on cake plate.
4. Spread with a generous amount of the frosting; top with second layer.
5. Frost top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles, if desired.

 Then serve to two special girls for their birthday...

or any other fun occasion.

And be sure you have lots of friends to help eat the cake...

since it serves a crowd!

And while we are on the rainbow theme...

why not add some rainbow finger jello...

using Anneliese's recipe?

Have a wonderful weekend...