Friday Morning Show and Tell . . .

This is a picture of my maternal Grandmother, Nina Odessa Best Woodworth, in the schoolyard of the little country school she attended during the early years of her life. She is the little girl in the white hat, in the second back row, right behind the child in the pram. Here's a closer look.



Blurry , I know. I just love this picture, for it gives me a special glimpse into a totally different era . . . a time when things were simple and most people had honor and integrity . . . and values as simple as they might have been. The taking of a photo would have been a special occasion and you can tell just how special it might have been by the way the people in this photo are dressed . . . all done up in their best finery, Sunday *go-to-meeting* clothes.



What I am going to show you this morning is one of the most precious things that I own. This is my Grandmother's schoolroom reader, from when she was a child. My grandmother gave it to me when I was 4 1/2 years old, not too long before she passed away. It is a real treasure to me.



It is very old and falling apart. The cover is missing and some of the pages have broken away and are very brittle. I keep it in a safe place and rarely open it up to look at it these days for fear of destroying it even more. I am very blessed to have this, and one day hope to be able to pass it on down to one of my own children . . . one that will treasure it and keep it safe as I have done.



Here and there amongst it's pages, there are notations and little reminders, ink blotches . . . words to learn for spelling underlined and the odd word penned in my Grandmother's unskilled hand. She was a farm girl and did not finish her schooling much beyond her early teens. There were no sons and she was big and strong and needed at home. Such was life in the very early 1900's in rural Canada. People were poor and did what they had to do to get along. Education was very low on the list of things that were important to people that lived by the land.



As a little girl, I loved to go through it's pages and read the words upon them. The pictures were very beautiful to me and I loved looking at them, and I found the stories inside very fascinating, most of them having some moral lesson to be told and learned. Here is one of my favourites.



"Ann had a pet goat. It had a long beard and long horns. Ann liked to feed the goat. Nan, Nan, she would call; and at once the goat would come to her.

It would look up in her face, as if to thank her for the good food she had brought to it.

When Nan had no work to do in the house, she would go out and play with the goat. The goat liked to play with Ann. It would go to her when it would go to no one else.

The goat knew who was kind to it. Keep this in mind, boys and girls. Be kind to your pets and you will find that they will soon learn to love you. Love wins love."



What a wonderful message those words conveyed to me. As a young child, I took them to heart and valued the meaning of them. They taught me great things, and things I have brought with me up through all the years of my life and carry in my heart and mind still.



I wonder . . . did my Grandmother ever think when she was a girl and learning the valuable lessons contained within it's pages that one day in the distant future, one of her own progeny would be fingering it's pages and reading it's words . . . thinking about her Grandmother and wondering at the life she would have lived? What were her childlike dreams and imaginations? What were her hopes for the future? Which story was her favourite one to read? Did she love school as I did? Does she know that I love her and think of her still?



What were the yearnings of her youth . . . her dreams? I know that she lived a very harsh life, full of hard work and difficulties. First as her father's work horse and then married to a man that was a heavy drinker and quite cruel when he was drinking. She worked very hard all of her life and never did have much of anything in the way of material things. I know her heart must have broken a million times . . . but I also know that she had a great deal of joy . . . joy to be found in simple things and simple pleasures.

I have many fond memories of sitting on her ample lap, my head pressed into her chest . . . her heartbeating next to my face . . . the softness of her calico dress and apron against my legs as she sang softly to me . . . "You are my sunshine . . . my only sunshine . . . " her loving arms wrapped around me as she held me close.

These memories, even more than the book, are the precious treasures of my heart, and I am so very thankful to have them. In her very last letter to my mother before she died, she talks of me and how much she misses seeing my dark little head walking down the roadway on an errand to the store. She talks of her love for me, and how special I was to her . . . not that she doesn't love the others, but that I am the only one who will sit on her lap and tell her that I love her.

Oh, how I did love her . . . and love her still . . . I can sometimes feel her around me and it is a great blessing to me to know of her love for me, and to still be able to feel it.

"Sing bird, sing a song to me.
One there is who cares for thee,
Day by day, His strong right arm,
Keeps both thee and me from harm."

This is the type of meal my Todd loves. A real meat and potatoes kind of a man, he loves simple dishes and flavours. Although he is not overly fond of macaroni, he doesn't mind it in this and to be honest, he gobbles it up and goes back for more. I expect it would be good made with chopped cooked potato as well, instead of the macaroni.



*Corned Beef and Cabbage Casserole*
Serves 4 - 6
Printable Recipe

This old fashioned casserole is very easy and so delicious. You can make it in the morning and pop it into the fridge to take out later on in the day when you come home from work and are just famished. With a salad or a vegetable on the side, you can have a tasty and nourishing meal on the table in less than an hour, whilst you put your feet up and relax after the long day just spent.

8 ounces of macaroni
1 small head of green cabbage, cut into pieces
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 (12 ounce) tin of corned beef, chopped
1 tin of condensed cream of mushroom soup (Campbells or Bachelors)
1 cup milk
1 heaped tsp of English mustard
1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 ounces of cheddar cheese cut into cubes

Topping:
1 cup dry bread or cracker crumbs
1 TBS butter melted

Pre=heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Lightly butter a 2 litre casserole dish and set aside.

Bring a pot of slightly salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and the cabbage, and cook as per the package directions. Drain well.

Stir together the soup, milk, onion, mustards and black pepper in a bowl.Stir in the well drained macaroni and cabbage. Carefully fold in the cheese and the corned beef. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Stir the breadcrumbs together along with the butter. Sprinkle evenly over top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, until hot and bubbly and nicely browned on top. Allow to sit for several minutes before spooning out to serve.



If you'd like to check out what was dessert, why not pop on over to The English Kitchen. It was fabulous! I hope you enjoyed my show and tell day!

Thursday Thoughts . . .

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won;t.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or the faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
~Walter D Wintle


I found this poem and thought it quite profound and inspiring. Sometimes I get to feeling a bit low about my artwork, and I start to second guess myself. I look at it and I think to myself . . . that it's really not all that good. Rejection after rejection from card companies doesn't help. Seeing my prints sit in my etsy shop for month after month doesn't help either. And so, for a time I stop trying.



But there is this little desire in me that needs to get out, that needs to express itself . . . and so I pick up my brushes again and I paint. I guess the truth is, that I paint because I can't not paint . . . and my head and heart are filled with all these little pictures and thoughts that just have to get out.

I ask myself, do I paint for others? or do I paint for me? I guess it is a mixture of both . . . I paint first of all because it brings me joy and secondly, because I hope it will bring someone else some joy too . . .



It is easy to get disheartened in the fact of rejection and seeming lack of interest . . . but then you need to remind yourself that a person is only a failure when they stop trying at all . . . and so I keep moving forward, hoping that one day . . . one day . . .

Lots of artists become famous and their work much desired, after they die. I hope that I don't have to wait that long . . .



I cooked a roast chicken the other day and made my ex mother in law's potato stuffing to go along with it. Old fashioned and tasty, this is the only stuffing recipe I use for the most part, unless I am trying out something new. Made with nothing more than potatoes, bread, a bit of onion, celery and herbs, we happen to think it's pretty wonderful. It's quite similar to my mom's, except in hers the onion is left raw and the bread in larger chunks. It doesn't matter how many times I try to replicate my mother's . . . I can never get it to taste the same. Must be that extra touch of love she puts into it. This tasty recipe of my ex's mom is a close second though and we really enjoy it. I hope you will too. It's not much to look at, actually, but it sure tastes good. I call it Grammy R's coz, that's who she was to my kids . . . Grammy R.



*Grammy R's Potato Stuffing*
Makes enough to stuff one large roasting chicken
Printable Recipe

This was my ex mother in law's recipe for stuffing. I always doubled and tripled the recipe as the stuffing was always my family's favourite part of the meal. You can use it to stuff a chicken or a small turkey, or you can do as I normally did and bake it in a casserole dish.

2 cups fine bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (use no butter or milk)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 stalk of celery, chopped finely
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp summer savoury
salt and black pepper to taste



Place the butter, onion and celery in a plastic container. Cover with cling film and then cook on high in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Place the mashed potatoes in a bowl. Stir in the onion/butter mixture and the bread crumbs, along with the poultry seasoning, summer savoury and some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as necessary. You may need more of the herbs or seasoning according to your own individual taste. The dressing is now done and ready to cook as you wish.

If you wish to, you may use it to stuff a large chicken or a small turkey, cooking as per the instructions for cooking a chicken or turkey. If you wish to cook it separately then do as follows.

Butter a casserole dish well. Crumble the stuffing into the casserole. Spoon a little warm chicken broth over top and dot with butter. Cover and bake in a moderate oven (160*C/350*F) for 30 to 40 minutes. You can uncover the last 10 minutes of baking if you want some crunchy bits.



If you're looking for a dessert that's quick easy and built to impress, look no further. The English Kitchen has just the ticket! Frozen Lemon Souffles. Yummy Scrummy!

Thoughts of Autumn . . .

"Thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined
And spreads a common feast for all that live."
- James Thomson

Todd and I took a long walk through the orchards and across the fields yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining down so beautifully and it seemed the perfect thing to do. Who knows how many more days like this we will have before the cooler temperatures grip us and the rain and drizzle settle in. It was such a beautiful walk . . . the air rung with the sound of the apple pickers and was filled with the smell of ripe apples and falling leaves. The ground beneath us was hard and dry and each step crunched as we walked upon the many acorns that have fallen from the trees. One or two hit us on the heads as we walked and I was reminded of that old childhood story, Chicken Little . . . oh how I loved that story when I was a child.



I can think of no lovlier season than the autumn. I know that I say that with every season, and perhaps that is one of my blessings in life . . . the ability to be able to love each one of the seasons that God so abundantly gifts us with.

Havest time is a particularly wonderful season for those of us who live in rural areas and have productive gardens. What can be more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself . . . fresh lettuces, crisp runner beans, ripe tomatoes, new potatoes . . . or what can be more beautiful than an armful of gloriously coloured dahlias . . .



No matter where we live, or if we have gardens or not we can be thankful for yet another harvest safely home, and for those of us who have worked on the land and farms to help to bring it about . . . and not the least of all for the providence of our Heavenly Father in giving us our daily bread . . . "For it is fed and watered by God's Almighty Hand."

I think this poem sums it up very beautifully . . .

For rosy apples, juicy plums,
And yellow pears so sweet,
For hips and haws on bush and hedge,
And flowers at our feet;
For ears of corn all ripe and dry,
And coloured leaves on trees,
We thank you, Heavenly Father God,
For such good gifts as these.
~Author Unknown



I had some bananas yesterday that I needed to use up, and so I made our favourite Banana Bread. There is something very delicious about Banana Bread. I don't think I know anyone that doesn't like it. I always have some stored in the freezer. It's very handy to drag out when un-expected company drops in, and thaws out in a jiffy in the microwave. Whenever I bake a loaf, I slice it in half and half of it gets wrapped up and frozen and we enjoy the other half as it were . . . a bit sliced and warm from the oven and spread with butter melting into it's banana goodness . . . a bit more sliced and eaten in cosy companionship in front of the telly of an evening . . . a bit more sliced and eaten for a breakfast on the run. Oh banana bread, how I love thee!!



*Best Ever Banana Bread*
Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf
Printable Recipe

A fabulous banana bread, moist and full of toasted nuts. I have tried and tested many loaves through the years, but this remains my absolute favourite and is the only recipe I use now.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup of mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup dairy sour cream



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and line it with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, soda and salt. Stir this into the creamed mixture. Stir in the mashed banana and sour cream, mixing in well. Stir in the nuts. Spoon into the prepared pan and level the top.

Bake in the heated oven for 1 hour, until it is well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the pan to finish cooling.



And for dessert after our humble tea, we had some lovely baked apples. Oh my but they were good, all stuffed with almonds and spice. Check them out on The English Kitchen.

Cottage Cheese Pufflets

I'm not really all that fond of cottage cheese. I can remember my mother eating it, a big pile of white looking goo . . . sprinkled with salt and pepper and sitting on a bed of lettuce. It did not look all that appealing to me and I got to taste it once and . . . suffice it to say, I didn't like it . . . not one bit.



I did happen upon some in Tesco, several years back when I was doing The Food Doctor Diet. It was made of full Jersey Cream and had sun dried tomatoes and black olives in it. I bought some to have on my baked sweet potato and it was quite delicious actually . . . so must have been the cream. And . . . I seriously doubt that it was diet food, but I did enjoy it . . .



Which brings us to today. Tuesdays With Dorie. That tasty baking group that bakes together, once a week, one delicious recipe from that equally delicious baking book, Baking, from my home to yours, by the also equally delicious baking authoress, Ms Dorie Greenspan.

This week's recipe was Cottage Cheese Pufflets, on pages 148 and 149, as chosen by Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes .



Cottage Cheese pastry, wrapped around tasty little bits of jam. Hmmm . . . I wasn't quite sure about the pastry bit, but Dorie hasn't failed me yet, so I went for it. Besides . . . it would be a great way to empty all those little bits of jam left in the multitude of jars sitting in my fridge.

As usual, what with making dolls and such . . . I left it to the last minute and thought I would have plenty of time to do them during my two hour break on Monday afternoon. Alas, when I read the recipe it said that you needed to refrigerate the pastry for several hours . . . bummer. Anways, I made the dough, popped it into the fridge and crossed my fingers that I would get home from work early enough to make them last evening.



Well, I got home a bit later than usual, but no mind. I rolled them out while I was watching Coronation Street. (Oh that Molly, wouldn't you just like to shake her!! Along with a few other's of course) I cut them into circles, filled them with bits of jam and then waited while they baked, which didn't take long by the way . . .



OH MY GOODNESS!!! These are fabulous! Beautifully tender pastry, wrapped around tasty jam, and dusted with some icing sugar! Just look at how tender and puffy that pastry is . . . and how glorious that jam looks just peeping out!!



Of course I had a few blowouts! All the better!! I love tasty bits of oozing jam. Who doesn't??



Make these NOW. Hop on over to Jacque's page and grab the recipe, or better still buy the book. It's worth every penny. Thanks so much Jacque, for picking a fab recipe for us to bake!




In fact . . . jam for breakfast is good right? I think I know what I'll be chewing on shortly.



Don't forget to check out the blog roll and see some of the other lovely creations! Jam and cottage cheese . . . who knew??? Well . . . actually Dorie did! Thanks Dorie!

Next week, Carla of Chocolate Moosey has chosen Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart, pages 355-357.

Hmmmmm . . . sounds a bit dangerous!



If you are in the mood for a delicious stew, why not pop on over to The English Kitchen to see what's brewing up over there! A French Daube, that was fab, Fab, FABULOUS!

The Simple Woman's Day Book . . .

FOR TODAY, September 21st, 2009 ... the first day of autumn

Outside My Window...
It is pitch black and so very quiet. It is hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago it was daylight at this time and the birds were singing. The weeks pass by so quickly it seems . . . before we know it . . . it will be winter. Shhh . . . I didn't say that . . .

I am thinking...
About something that was said in one of the talks in church yesterday. The theme of our sacrament meeting was "Standing in Holy Places." One of the speakers made a very profound statement that really stuck with me. He said (and I am paraphrasing it here) that Jesus not only died for us . . . but that he had also lived for us. It really touched my heart. I know that we all focus on the atonement and that great sacrifice that Christ gave for us when He died on the cross, but how often do we think about the life that He lived for us . . . the years He spent as an exemplar, showing us what to do, and how to do it. The many lessons He taught us by His words and example. These years were every bit as important to us as His ultimate act of love for us.

I am thankful for...
I am so very thankful for the telephone. It means that I am never more than a few seconds from hearing the voices of my loved ones and special friends who are so very far away. I got to talk to my mom yesterday and it was so good to hear her voice. She's very excited because my brother is coming down from Ottawa for a visit at the weekend. He's going to spend a few days fixing things and seeing all that she needs to have done. I hope the visit goes well. I wish that I could go and spend a few days with her, but nevermind . . . the plan next summer is to go over and spend three weeks, so I'll just have to wait til then. It was lovely as always to hear her voice and to share a wonderful conversation with each other. As always, we talked far too long, but that's ok. It is worth every penny.

From the kitchen...
Oh, there's some tasty goodies. An Apple/Pear Sauce loaf awaits, along with some tasty shortbreads. There's a tasty stew in the fridge that I made yesterday that we are going to have for our dinner today along with some yummy mashed spuds . . . I have my Dorie Challenge to do for tomorrow . . . I know, me bad . . . left it to the last minute again!

I am wearing...
A pink nightie with white polka dots and my croc sandles. I know!! Last week I was pretty much in flannels and this morning I am in a sleeveless nightie? The temperatures seem to be swinging back and forth a bit, but then again, they do this time of year . . .


I am creating...



Here she is . . . my first character doll! I'm so excited about her. Emmaline is a girl with a very big heart, and in fact this is what I am calling this creation . . . She Had A Big Heart. It's not that great a photo as I finished it up about 8 pm yesterday and the light wasn't that great. Her dress is really pink, not orange . . . pink checked seersucker fabric and the pinafore is a light blue with pink stripes and embroidery at the hem, not to mention two very antique white pearlized buttons on the bodice. She has deep pink star polkadot stockings on and little black painted shoes with white pearly buttons. I think I am going to put her up for sale. Do you think anyone will want to buy her?

I am going...
There is seminary this week, as well as Young Women's mutual. I am really enjoying teaching Seminary. As usual I am learning far more than I am teaching. Funny how that goes! I have the Young Women's Mutual activity on Thursday evening as well. This week they are having a combined activity with the Young Men. It's called Colditz, and they have done it before and usually have great fun with it. It involves a lot of running about the chapel and lots of energy. Whew!

I am reading...



I am reading The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer, and I am really enjoying it very much. It combines three of my loves . . . oriental history, mystery and romance. The Last Concubine is the story of a shogun, a princess and the three thousand women of the women’s palace - all of whom really existed - and of the civil war that brought their way of life to an end. Growing up deep in the mountains of rural Japan, Sachi has always felt different, her pale skin and fine features setting her apart from her friends and family. When at the age of eleven she is swept off to the women’s palace in the great city of Edo, her life changes forever, and when she is chosen as the young shogun’s concubine, it changes even more. But Black Ships have come from the west, bringing foreigners, and as civil war erupts, Sachi has to flee for her life. Rescued by a rebel warrior, she finds unknown feelings stirring within her, but before she dare dream of a life with him, she must unravel the mystery of her own origins - a mystery that encompasses a wrong so terrible it threatens to destroy her. It's a pretty thick book so it will take me a while to get through it, but I am sure I'll enjoy every minute!!

I am hoping...
That I can get all the things done this week that I want and need to get done. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day these past few weeks. I told Todd yesterday that I am soon going to have to start getting up at 4 am instead of 5 just to fit in all the things I want to be doing!

I am hearing...
It's all very quiet . . . a few minutes ago I heard a Vixen calling . . . an eerie and lonely sound. It strikes a discord of fear into my heart, although I know not why . . . it is just a somewhat scarey sound. Beyond that the clock is ticking and I am just beginning to hear the cries of a few birds . . . early ones it seems, because it is still fairly dark out there!

Around the house...



I have some china bits sitting on the windowsill that I am hoping to sell on e-bay once I have the chance to list them. Bits and bobs of china that are quite pretty really. There's a few china boots, and a shoe with a pretty porcelain rose on the top . . . a blue and white oval platter and a china swan holding china flowers on her back . . . this is a picture of one of the boots.

One of my favorite things...
is collecting roosters and chickens. I have quite a few and most of them sit on the shelf which is above our stove. They make me smile and I quite, quite adore them.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Work, painting and cooking, with a dash of Seminary and Mutual thrown in. They say there is no rest for the wicked . . . so I must be really, really bad!!! (but in a very good way, don't you think??)

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air."
- Eric Sloane

Already the leaves are quickly changing and beginning to fall from the trees. Some of the bushes on our walks are filled with nothing but red berries, waiting for hungry birds to pluck them from their waiting branches . . . the views across the South Downs are nothing short of spectacular and I go there often to look across the way, and to think and ponder all the goodness in my life . . .

And there you have it, my Simple Woman's Day Book for today. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!)

To go with the theme of simplicity today I think a simple recipe is in order, don't you think? If you have some English Muffins in the house and some eggs, bacon and cheese, this . . . too . . . can be yours in just a few minutes . . .



*That Breakfast Muffin*
Makes 1
Printable Recipe

I have given the amounts for one, but of course you can multiply this by however many you wish to serve. Why go out and get something that is mediocre when you can make an incredibly tastier one at home!

1 English muffin
2 slices of streaky bacon
1 free range large egg
1 slice of processed cheese
butter



First fry your bacon in a lightly greased pan until it is to your desired crispness. Set aside and keep warm. Wipe the pan out and melt a knob of butter in it over medium heat. When the butter is sizzling, drop in your egg and cook, again to your desired doneness, flipping it over halfway through the cooking. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Take your English Muffin and split it in half by pressing a fork into it through the centre all the way around horizontally. This creates craggy little nooks to hold all the butter and juices. Toast. When toasted butter it lightly. Place the bacon on the bottom half. Top with the egg, folding it here and there to make it fit. Top with a slice of processed cheese and finally place the other half of the muffin on top. Sit back and enjoy.



And then, for something that is quite, quite SIMPLY moreishly delish . . . pop on over to The English Kitchen.

Happy Monday everyone, and Happy First Day of Autumn!