Parish Potluck

Domitille got her first taste of an old-fashioned church potluck supper tonight. She wanted to try the cold broccoli sunshine salad because it had sunflower seeds in it (something she had not tried before). Even though she claims to not like broccoli, she liked the salad! Granted, raw broccoli is much different than cooked broccoli. I prepared a quadruple batch of my famous Sweet Green Beans, but they still disappeared (recipe below). We all waited up to eat ice cream sundaes when Katie and Anne returned from the high schooler session.

Sweet Green Beans
4 cans of whole green beans (or 1 lb. frozen)
2 t. garlic salt
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 T. melted butter
Put in covered casserole and bake on 325' F for 2-4 hours. Stir before serving.
Easy to make a double or triple batch for potluck suppers.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Polar Bear
(St. Christ- opher)

Winger
(St. Joseph)

 Bishop Finn

 Proud Captain

Family

 Sponsor: Spencer Rusch

 Sponsor: Uncle Clint

Confirmation was a glorious day here!

Beautiful ceremony and music. I made a huge meal prior to the afternoon mass to feed Carey's family, Clint's family and my own. We had red charger plates to make a fancy table with china and crystal. The feast was rosemary pork loin, stuffing, cheesy potatoes, strawberry salad, sweet green beans, grilled asparagus, rolls, wine (note the red elements as symbolic of the Holy Spirit). 

Afterwards, our Bishop Finn and his deacon came over for sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, and desserts buffet. It was great to compare notes on the events in Rome last week and to speculate about the coming days! We hosted the Schiebers (Alison was the confirmation sponsor of Meggar), the Leonards (Uncle Carey was confirmation sponsor for Reid), and the Bridgewaters (almost part of the family). I must say that I also enjoyed the food: croissant sandwiches, taco dip, hummus dip, artichoke dip, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, BLT bites (cherry tomatoes stuffed with mayo/bacon/green onion), veggie tray, fruit tray (blackberries, pears, strawberries) cheese cake, cranberry cake, red velvet cupcakes, and almond/coconut cake (in shape of a cross).

An Early Thanksgiving Feast

The Schmidling family gathered in Smithville for Thanksgiving this afternoon. Aunt Kathy made the turkey and ham and potatoes, Aunt Denise made the pies and a German dessert (for their exchange student), Aunt Sherry made the sweet potatoes and corn casserole, Dorothy made cranberry fluff salad (my personal favorite), Lindsey brought the little cousins, and I made a few side dishes: oyster stuffing (Captain's favorite), sage stuffing (everyone else's favorite), rustic scalloped onions, broiled asparagus, and sweet green beans. How nice that Melanie came without her wheelchair and only needed a cane.
Rustic Scalloped Onion Casserole
2 T. butter
2-3 onions or leeks (any combination)
1 can cream of (anything) soup
2 T. milk
1/4 t. pepper
1-2 c. Swiss cheese
Cubed bread (French, Pumpernickel, Rye, etc.)
Rough chop onions and saute in butter until softened.
Place in casserole dish and stir in one can of condensed soup with milk and pepper. I like to use half a can of cream of celery and half a can of cream of chicken, but cream of mushroom soup is also nice.
Top with dry hunks of bread or croutons.
Sprinkle with Swiss cheese.
Bake at 350' F for 15 minutes, until bubbly.
This recipe could be doubled for bigger families.
Great side dish for Thanksgiving meals!

The Final Note--Part Two

After the 4:30 piano recital, we hosted a reception for Meggar at the Kirksville Country Club. Our black tables were topped with antique cake stands, black pianos, and vintage sheet music which was folded into fans by Carey Leonard's three crafty girls: Barbara, Hannah, and Rebecca. Each pedestal was accented by yellow and black ribbons.

Out front we placed a table for gifts, which twinkled with white lights and more black and yellow accents. I hope everyone signed the guest book with well wishes. Megan received lots of flowers, pair of wine glasses painted with piano keys, a set of teapot book ends, a Mozart action figure, and a blue window with "Mr & Mrs Wedding Events" vinyl logo.

The appetizer table greeted guests (about 30) by the open bar as they arrived (and Carey's girls had a few nibbles during the decorating time).

The buffet table was decked out with classic colors, and...

it was loaded with my famous lasagna and sweet green beans, homemade bread sticks, and a wonderful Italian salad provided by Spencer's mom (complete with artichokes, olives, and roasted red peppers).

Dessert was a variation on a "coffee and donuts" theme--this is an inside joke with Truman AGDs. The twins helped me load up baby donut skewers and melted chocolate fondue. There was also rum cake, whipped cream, and Donut House coffee.

Hannah sampled the homemade lemonade, which surely tasted better since there was a yellow-striped straw in her cup.

I was happy when Terry asked me how to use the Keurig machine so he could stay awake for the drive back home. Overall, it was a yummy event, which is absolutely the best way to celebrate a special occasion!

Court of Honor

The Boy Scout Court of Honor is a quarterly potluck supper to recognize achievements and advancements. Happily, I always take Sweet Green Beans (which requires little thought on my part and is a healthy vegetable for everyone). This time, I also made Bread Pudding and real British Custard Sauce. It is a family favorite, too! The recipe is easy to make, and I have saved up the main ingredient in my freezer: heels from a loaf of bread and dried out biscuits or bagels (usually because someone left something in the toaster and forgot about it until it was too late). This stockpile of bread pieces also works good for homemade stuffing year round.















Bread Pudding
8 eggs
4 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 1-2 t. vanilla
6 c. bread cubes
raisins & coconut, optional
Fill a 9x13 pan with dried bread cubes. Beat together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour over bread until well soaked. Bake at 325' F for 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold with sauce choice.
Vanilla Custard Sauce = 2 egg yolks, 1/3 c. milk or cream, 3 T. sugar melted together until thick and bubbly. Cool, then chill. To serve, beat 1/2 c. whipping cream with 1 t. vanilla to soft peaks. Fold in to yolk mixture. Serve cold.
Whiskey Sauce = 1/4 c. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 egg yolk, 2 T. water, 2 T. bourbon or rum flavoring. Melt together on low heat until mixture boils and thickens. Add bourbon or flavoring at the end. Serve warm!

Eagle Scout's Party

The after-party hosted 95 people, which proves that really is his lucky number.
The buffet had roast beef, barbecue brisket, rolls, cheesy potatoes, broccoli-rice casserole, sweet green beans, veggie tray, and fruit with dip. At least it was colorful, homemade, and warm!! Thanks to Constance and Lesa, who saved the day as kitchen servers. Plus there was a special cake...

The display boards mapped out his traveled routes between waterfalls, forests, lakes, and 10,000 foot peaks. Double rainbow, huge camp fire, wild animals...

and showed the best memories from time spent outdoors with friends.

His friend loaned us a mannequin for the hand-made costume.

Church Musings

Oldest to Youngest...
*Meggar was here for the funeral so Spencer called her after mass to say how he hates going without her because her good singing covers up his "bad voice," and the people in front of him turned around and gave him a dirty look. His dry humor is so appreciated among my boys!
*Dorito told us how he goes to Sunday mass every week with Josh (senior) and Eric (sophomore -pledge dad) at the Newman Center. Afterward they try to find the cheapest dinners in town. I heard Dairy Queen has a $5 special on double cheeseburger with fries, drink, and ice cream cone!
*Twins went to first HAWC group this week and wish it were more frequent than twice a month. HAWC stands for Honesty, Accuntability, Willingness, and Chastity in the Fraternus organization. These groups are only for the high school boys to facilitate discipleship through mentoring. Jimmy and Adam are cool 20-somethings who invented Bosco Ball, loved my sweet green beans, and are on fire with the Holy Spirit. Winger opens up easily so the meeting must have been super because Polar Bear also wanted to share what was on his heart concerning patience!
We are blessed.

Blueberry Season

We haven't picked any blueberries yet this year. But I have bought blueberries at Costco and made my favorite blueberry dessert! I shared some with our friends who just had Baby #4. Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Dessert Pizza

Combine: 1 pkg. yellow cake mix, 1 c. oats, 6 T. butter. 

Mix on low speed of mixer until crumbly.

Reserve 1 c. crumbs for topping later.

To remaining bowl, add 1 egg and beat well again. 

Press mixture into greased 12-inch pizza pan.

Bake at 350' F for 10 minutes.

Make Blueberry Pie Filling: 

Heat in saucepan for 8 minutes, stirring occassionally:

2 c. blueberries, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 T. lemon juice, 2 heaping T. cornstarch.

Spread filling on warm crust. (or use can of pie filling).

Make Topping:

To 1 c. crumbs saved above, then add: 

1/4 c. oats, 2 T. butter, 1/2 c. pecans, and 1/2 t. cinnamon.

Bake whole pizza 15-20 minutes longer, until crumbs are lightly browned. 

Cool. Cut. Add a drizzle of frosting in pinwheel pattern to look gourmet.

...and

I send them home with my famous Lasagna (made a double batch so we could have some) and Sweet Green Beans.

All Saints Day

Today is the Feast of All Saints--what a happy occasion! Our parish held a pot-luck luncheon after the Latin Mass, and it was half homeschool families. My boys did not want to dress up like a saint, but they played the guessing game for the little kids' sake. I took my famous Sweet Green Beans, and they were met with gleeful shouts from the Thilges family... and our orange-frosted cupcakes quickly disappeared.... plus all the left-overs from our NCYC Bake Sale. Meggar and Dorito had baked muffins, pies, brownies, and cinnamon twists for a couple of weeks and stored them in the freezer for this fundraiser. They made $235 thanks to some generous donors, and our family enjoyed the caramel popcorn best of all!

Catholics, Politics, Memories, and Dinner

It was Priest Appreciation Sunday, so we took the chance to tell Father Matt Benjamin of our admiration and support. Over a good dinner. Lasagna, red wine, homemade French bread, lavender butter, my famous sweet green beans, and a salad made from butter lettuce and English cucumbers. My blogging fingers can barely keep up with all the paths this story entails.
First, Megan and I love the lavender butter at Cafe des Amis, but always forget to make it at home. I even have lavender saved for the occasion! Hooray! So I softened some butter and stirred in a small amount of buds, which look like dead ants but taste lightly floral and thus heavenly on crusty bread fresh from the oven. So proud that I remembered. But then all the men at my dinner table chose the plain butter with lots of jam instead. Isn't that typical? I'll save the rest for when another female is in the house.
The salad was also a treat because I decided to join the modern world Costco this week. It is better than my grocery store for fresh produce. I won't say anything else bad about HyVee. Plus Costco is right next to the rink in Independence where I spend three hours every Wednesday. Plus Costco has organic items that I can no longer get from the monthly co-op truck. I am still solidly adhering to the organics, especially in light of the genetically modified foods on the shelves in modern grocery stores. Don't you wonder at the increase in gluten allergy? Needless to say, the cost is only slightly higher to buy real food that tastes delicious.
Thirdly, the lasagna is from a Pi Phi friend when I was first engaged. So rich. Makes enough for an army. So I made a large pan for our family and guest. Then I made a small pan to take to a new mom. And I sent a big piece home with Father, and froze a portion for our college daughter to have as leftovers. The new mom is one of our former babysitters. Stefanie had her first baby--and it was a girl! Captain and I spent time holding the baby and reminiscing about the escapdes of our 2-year-old-twins when they were under Stefanie's charge.
Lastly, the discussion of politics and the Catholic Church was carried over from the homily. Father does an excellent job of preaching with the right mix of morality and practicality. The election has him concerned. His former career as a Marine has him very upset about the Fox News inside reports about Benghazi. I try not to blog all the political turmoil in my own head and circle of influence. But Captain keeps me updated daily on the world news, and I pray daily for the right outcomes.
Junior-League-Style Lasagna
Meat portion: simmer together
1 lb. hamburger
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. basil
1-1/2 t. salt
1# can tomatoes
26 oz. tomato paste
Filling portion: beat together
3 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 T. parsley
2 eggs
2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly-cracked black pepper
Noodles: one pound preboiled
Mozzarella Cheese: one pound sliced or shredded
In 9 x 13 pan, make three layers of Noodles, Filling, Meat, Mozzarella. Bake at 375' F for 30 minutees until bubbly. Let set 10 minutes before serving.

Fun at the Food Kitchen

I signed up our EDGE youth group to work tonight at the Southside Food Kitchen.  The boys had awesome teamwork making spaghetti, sweet green beans, garlic bread, dessert, and drinks!  There was just enough left over that they could eat before washing the dishes.

Pass the Port, Please!

Saturday night was our annual Dinner with the Pastor at the Robertson's house! JL's wife should open a gourmet restaurant with her talents: such a wonderful beef tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and rosemaried green beans! Of course, the evening ended with not one - but two desserts! And I always save room for a small glass of port afterward. Praeger is my winery of preference when it comes to ports for sipping. At $40 -$50 per bottle, you only feel like sipping them. Actually, port wines take their name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the River of Gold (Rio Douro) in Portugal. The British were desperate for wine during their 17th century wars with France. By traveling inland along the River of Gold, they found darker and more astringent red wines in contrast to those they had seen near the coast. In order to stabilize them for shipment to England, some say that merchants added "a bucket or two" of brandy to the barrels of wine before sending them off. Another story is told of a wine merchant in Liverpool, who in 1678, sent his sons to Portugal to find a wine source. In the Douro Valley, the sons came upon a monastery in Lamego where the abbot was adding brandy to the wine during, rather than after, fermentation -- thereby producing a port-type wine. In any event, sometime during the end of the 1600's or beginning of the 1700's, port was "invented" with its still sweet, fruity, and strong characteristics. Cheers!