Fall meet-up with friends #5 -- another breakfast and lunch at our little camp

 

It's a rare treat when we are able to get together with our good friends Syd and Cyndy from Vermont.  So when it happens, we like to spend most of a day together, usually beginning with breakfast.  Often it's at our home, but in summer and fall we love to entertain at our little cottage.  And thanks to a mild November, such was the case on Veterans Day.  Amazingly, this was the second meet-up with them this fall; they are the same friends mentioned in my October post about meet-up with friends #4!

I kept breakfast super-simple with breakfast sliders and with a Hash Brown Casserole, which I kept warm in a crockpot rather than baking it in the oven.   (The oven at the camp is tiny and only has one rack, so I could only bake one 13x9 dish.)   Cyndy is somewhat of a baked-apple specialist, so I had asked her to bring baked apples to add to the breakfast menu.  She surprised us with an unusual but scrumptious variation -- baked apples filled with bread pudding!  Of course we also had coffee with our breakfast.

The sliders were from Jamie at My Baking Addiction.  They were delicious!  I tweaked the recipe in a few ways.  I couldn't find Hawaiian rolls in the right size, so I bought Pepperidge Farm slider buns.  (They were still expensive -- $4.29 -- but not as expensive as the Hawaiian rolls would have been.)  I made homemade sausage patties instead of using purchased sausage.  And, I used American cheese for the cheese on the bottom roll layer and shredded cheddar for the top layer.  I really liked the cheddar, so another time I would likely use all cheddar cheese.   There will definitely be a next time! 

I imagine some readers might like to have the homemade sausage recipe.  I have posted it before, but it's been years.  So here it is:

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE PATTIES

1/4 cup water
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 lb. ground pork

In a bowl, stir together water and seasonings. Add pork and mix well. Shape meat mixture into eight 4” patties (or a larger amount of smaller ones). In a skillet over medium heat, cook patties for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the center.

This is such a yummy recipe for homemade sausage! I often cut the amounts in half to make a smaller batch. This sausage is very lean and not at all greasy.  For these sliders, I used about 1 1/4 pounds of ground pork, which is what I had, and used half the amount of seasonings specified here.

We lingered over breakfast just enjoying the fellowship and wonderful food.  After the breakfast dishes were done,  we decided to take a walk at nearby Quincy Bog.  Syd took these photos with his phone.

There is just something about red berries after all of the other foliage is gone.  Love them.

We were fascinated by this large tree apparently growing out of a rock.

Such unusual moss growing vertically on this stump!

For lunch, we were joined by our daughter and three of the grandkids, who walked through the woods from their house next door.   Chili seemed like the perfect choice for a fall day, although the day turned out to be quite balmy. Once again I served  Easy Crockpot Chili.  And again I need to add a quick note that I tweak the recipe by cooking the spices and onion with the ground beef first.  It seems to add a very measurable depth of flavor to the chili.  (And the grandkids LOVE it!)   Even though this is a super simple recipe, I usually get many comments about how good it is.  I also use much less meat: a pound or less rather than the 3 pounds called for.  I often add an extra can of beans too -- usually kidney beans.  And I'd forgotten about this, but I usually cut down on the water and sometimes on that large quantity of tomato sauce as well.  It all depends on how many people I'm serving, the size pot I use, and whether or not I'm transporting it somewhere.  This time I used around 16 ounces of tomato sauce and no water, as we were transporting a very full crockpot over a bumpy dirt road.  (Once we got there, I transferred some of the chili to a saucepan and added some of the tomato sauce to each batch.)  So if you make this, feel free to tweak it too! 

Cyndy brought a pan of delicious cornbread and a jug of cider,  and we also had tortilla chips and a Baked Taco Dip.  I had seen this dip recipe on the Hodgepodge this week and decided to try it.  With teenage appetites present for lunch, I wasn't sure if the chili would stretch far enough without it.  (It certainly did, because two of the teenagers in question enjoyed leftover breakfast sliders and hash brown casserole.  After which I heard, "Amazing food, Grammy!")

For dessert, I had made two Turtle Pumpkin Pies.   This is apparently a Kraft recipe, but I found it in my Gooseberry Patch Big Book of Holiday Cooking (the link will take you to my review of the book).  In fact, it's one of the cover recipes!  I got this book at Thriftbooks for $5.99 a couple years ago.  It's always worth checking there for good deals on cookbooks.

 
I made homemade graham cracker crust (which the recipe I had specified doing).  Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg (which totaled 1 1/2 teaspoons) I substituted 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.  My pie slices came out looking just about exactly like the picture, which was surprising and encouraging!

 

(My family has teased me for years about trying out new recipes on company.  I'm notorious for doing that!  But this may be the first time I have tried three new recipes on one hospitality occasion.) 

Just one more photo, for fun.  Our dear friend is "Miss Cyndy" to our young granddaughter Arielle (as well as to many other children).  When she saw Ari's deer costume (purchased on clearance after Halloween) she decided a photo shoot was in order.  A little deer is bounding through the woods on a gray November afternoon!

What a delightful day it was!  So thankful for good friends as well as for family "just through the woods". 

Fall meet-up with friends #3 -- A hot dog roast at our little camp

 

 I failed to get photos of this one, but it was a wonderful Tuesday afternoon.  So I'll just use older photos and tell the story -- and maybe share a recipe or two.  Our friends Rick and Bethany and two of their adult kids are visiting from Indiana, and we absolutely had to carve out some time with them.  We invited them, plus Bethany's parents whom they are staying with, over for a lunchtime hot dog roast at our little camp.  This is such a fun place from which to extend hospitality!

Our daughter Carrie and three of her kids walked through the woods to join us for lunch, making the time even nicer. 

Roasting hot dogs over a campfire is so much fun and makes a simple main course.  I also made macaroni and cheese and a baked bean dish, and my friend Lynne (Bethany's mom) brought a quinoa and cabbage salad.  For dessert, I made an apple crisp in a 13x9 pan.

Ordinarily I make homemade baked beans for this meal.  But in this case, our plans were sort of last minute and I didn't have time to soak dry beans.  So I did some looking through my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and found this recipe, which I adapted a bit, so I will give you my quantities: 

OLD SETTLERS' BAKED BEANS

1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
A handful of bacon bits
1 can baked beans
1 can butter beans, with half the liquid drained off
1 can kidney beans, same
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 to 2 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

Brown the beef and onion together in a small skillet.  Toss in the bacon bits and mix well.  Combine in a 3-quart slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 hours or so.

This was a pretty casual recipe that didn't give can sizes or tell whether or not to drain the beans.  The butter beans and kidney beans I used were about a 1-pound can, and the baked beans were larger -- possibly 28 or 32 ounces.  I drained half the liquid off the butter and kidney beans as a sort of compromise, but added the full contents of the baked bean can.  My bean dish turned out more liquid-y than I would have liked (maybe because I didn't drain the beans fully; maybe because I cooked mine on High due to time constraints), so I served them with a slotted spoon.  People liked them, so I would probably do this again.

We have chairs around the campfire ring and a table and chairs inside the camp and made sure people knew they were welcome to eat in either location.  Everyone ended up outdoors, as it was such a beautiful afternoon.  It was warm and sunny around the firepit.  Leaves were falling gently, making it necessary for us to watch what we were eating!

 After lunch Mr. T took the menfolk up to show them the spring and his ingenious system of getting a seasonal water supply to the camp and shower house.  The young women talked writing (an interest they have in common) and we older ladies chatted, admired our few surviving flowers, and did a little clean-up.

Just a wonderful time together surrounded by the beauty of God's glorious creation!

Fall meet-up with friends #1 -- Soup and chili supper

 

(Above, Carrie's fall kitchen decor from a previous year.  This space is so much fun!)

October looks to be a friend-filled month.  It seems that several of our friends from other states have traveled to New England at this time.  Our first fall meet-up was Sunday night at our daughter Carrie's home where we were able to enjoy a soup and chili meal with Carrie's long-time friend Lori and her husband CJ.  We had not seen Lori in many years and had never met her husband, so this was a nice time to catch up with all that's going on with them.

 As Carrie and I brainstormed what to serve, we considered chili.  Then we learned that Lori is not a fan of chili -- but her husband is.  Carrie decided to make Cheeseburger Soup, a recipe we have enjoyed for years.   She would make rolls to accompany the soup.

I volunteered to make chili.  This has become my favorite chili recipe: Easy Crockpot Chili -- but I tweak it in a major way as far as how it's put together.  I think it makes a huge difference.  So what I do differently is, while browning the hamburger, I also brown the chopped onion and all of the spices along with it.  I really think that doing this adds a very measurable depth of flavor to the chili.  Sometimes I use ground turkey instead of beef, but with the spices cooked with the meat like this, one would never know it was turkey.  Even though this is a super simple recipe, I usually get many comments about how good it is.  I also cut WAY back on the meat in this recipe, using a pound or less rather than the 3 pounds called for.  I often add an extra can of beans too -- usually kidney beans.  To go with the chili, I brought tortilla chips.

Carrie's rolls were amazing.  I guess they are a pretty standard recipe for pan rolls, but to make them slightly healthier she substituted maple syrup for sugar.  It only called for 1/4 cup, but wow-  that tweak really made a difference.  One could taste a hint of maple in the rolls.  They were wonderful.

For dessert, Carrie made a delicious apple cake.

This turned out to be the perfect menu for a Sunday night supper in fall.  The food and fellowship were both delightful!

Friday five for October 30

 

 No Friday five last week, no Saturday six, not even a Monday musings post.  No Hodgepodge.  When I finally began to write this, I even optimistically titled it a "midweek" post, but here it is past midweek. In fact, it's Friday again, so ...

Last week was an utterly crazy week and week end.   However, lots of good things happened during that time, so I want to make sure I am taking note of those.  Let's see.  (There just happen to be five of them.)

1) I may have mentioned, but likely not, that since March our church has been sharing its building with another church that meets in the afternoon.  The other church does not yet have its own building and lost its meeting place (a senior center) to covid early on.  No idea at all when, or even if,  they will be able to meet there again.  Anyhow, all of last week, their church, Grace Baptist, had fall meetings with Morris Gleiser.  What a blessing!

 My hubby and I had heard Morris speak at the couples' retreat at The Wilds of New England in 2019, and were so blessed by all that he shared.  Accordingly, we were thrilled to be able to hear him preach again, only 15 minutes from our home, so we were able to get to every service except the Sunday School hour.  He taught on some basic principles of the Christian life, in a way that is anything but basic.  Basic, and yet so many do not practice them: * Following Jesus, and being "all in" for Him; * Being joyful in all things because we learn to be content in all things, worrying about nothing, praying about everything, and thinking biblically; * Discovering and using our spiritual gifts; * Understanding and employing the weapons of our spiritual warfare; * Living out Jesus' priorities.  I wish that I could give more details, as a huge burden on my heart is believers who choose not to grow spiritually.  But if anyone is interested in learning more, let me know in the comments and I will be happy to share my notes.  I was so riveted that my notes aren't as detailed as they might be, but I will share them if anyone's interested.

2) A wonderful ladies' luncheon with Lynn Gleiser as our speaker, on Wednesday of the revival week.  Her topic was The Comfort of Hope, and a very encouraging time it was!  She noted that true biblical hope is rock-solid divine confidence.  Whatever God says will happen, will happen.  We can depend upon it!  She shared three great points: Our reason for hope; Our struggle with hope; and Our ministry of hope.  There was a lot of wonderful information concerning each point.  Again, if anyone is interested, let me know in the comments and I can share my notes with you.

Delightful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

The ladies brought soups, salads, and breads to share along with some lovely fall desserts.  My friend Patty has one of those nifty gadgets with space for three crockpots, and she had a different soup in each one -- squash, chicken noodle, and a creamy tomato soup that I have got to get the recipe for!

3)  A great day with our friend Terry last Thursday.  My hubby was building a series of steps for her, and as a thank-you Terry made a scrumptious Italian meal for us.  Terry learned how to make sauce from an Italian mother-in-law many decades ago, and her sauce is legendary.  So we had stuffed shells, sauce, and amazing meatballs along with garlic bread.  Oh my, oh my.

 

4) Great fellowship with our friends Dave and Gina and their daughters on Saturday.  Their youngest daughter is visiting from Arizona and we hadn't seen her in several years.  We enjoy getting together with Dave and Gina for breakfast several times a year, usually at Cracker Barrel or another favorite restaurant.  This time, we decided to just have them all here for brunch. Our daughter Carrie and her three younger kids joined us.  I prepared a hearty breakfast egg bake, a hash brown casserole, and two breakfast pizzas.  Others brought scones, muffins, pastries, and fruit.   

5) More great fellowship at lunch on Sunday with our friends Syd and Cyndy.  Syd was preaching at our church, and we always enjoy time with these dear, old friends with whom we reconnected in 2019.  We had asked our young newlywed friends the Smiths to join us for lunch, and actually ended up with two other college age guests as well.  So much fun around the dining table, and it was really fun to see how God supplied abundant food for the unexpected guests. 

 I had a large meat loaf in one crockpot, and six baked potatoes in the other; Cyndy brought a tossed salad and I'd made a refined-sugar free chocolate cake with peanut butter and maple frosting.  Here is the neat way in which God provided: I'd made an Alfresco Bean Salad for the luncheon on Wednesday.  There was a lot left over, and I'd forgotten about it.  But on the way home from church on Sunday, God jogged my memory.  Now there would be plenty of food for eight!  

But there was more.  In planning Sunday's lunch menu, I hadn't realized that our friend Syd has a sensitivity to peanuts.  God provided an alternative dessert for him in this way: Due to a kitchen disaster, I ran out of time to make a fruit salad on Saturday,  which turned out to be fine since Gina ended up bringing one.  But Sunday morning, since my frozen fruit had been defrosting in the fridge and a can of pineapple chunks was already at hand, I stirred up the fruit salad.  Voila -- an extra dessert was ready and waiting! I love to watch God work in little details like this.  It's such a great reminder of His love and care.

After the young people left, Mr. T and I took Syd and Cyndy over to our little camp to show them around.  They loved the history of the building along with its coziness, and we took a little walk on the property as well.  It was a lovely fall afternoon spent with friends.

So there is my Friday five!  What a blessing to be reminded of God's goodness and generosity toward His children.  

"Great is the LORD; and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."  (Psalm 145:3)

A company meal at our little camp

Yes, we got things in good enough shape at our little camp to invite supper guests!  I thought it would be good to write a post about it, so we can remember what we did to make things work.  I love the welcoming look of lights spilling from the windows!

As regular readers know, we have been working on this renovation for several months.  I will write a detailed post about that, probably when we finish.  We began by using the shop vac (via generator) to remove a lot of dust, dead insects, and grime in the three rooms.  Then we painted the walls and ceilings in the two smaller rooms.  Our daughter and kids (see the kids below) painted the kitchen cabinets, and their family put down new flooring in those two rooms, actually as a Father's Day surprise for my hubby.  This was all done with the help of a generator.  Finally, a few weeks ago, the power got hooked up.  So thankful!

Interestingly, and thankfully, the vintage fridge that is there still works.  It actually freezes ice cubes!  There is still no water, no kitchen stove, and no plumbing, but we pulled off a hot dog roast and potluck meal with our daughter, her hubby, and family, who live next door.  We had invited another family but they were unable to join us that night.  There will be a next time, however!

I brought along paper plates, paper napkins, plastic cups and plastic "silverware".  We planned a very simple menu of hot dogs, baked beans, salads, chips, and desserts, plus iced tea and bottled water.  Since the fridge works, we could keep the salads and drinks in there.  I brought the baked beans in a crockpot, and of course the hot dogs were cooked over the fire.

When they were cooked, we piled them on a plate,  with hot dog buns on a second plate, and condiments at the ready, and put them on the kitchen counter "buffet" along with the salads, chips and baked beans.  I love the arch doorway into the kitchen!  Sam and Julia are filling their plates, below.

For dessert, Carrie brought brownies she had made and a small cheesecake someone had given them.  I made Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Cake which turned out to be amazing!

There's lots of work still to do in the living room/dining area.  My dad had begun paneling it with pine, but never finished.  Mr. T will finish the job, but for now don't look too closely at the corners.  We recently rearranged the room.  We've taken out many old musty items and replaced them with things from our house or the homestead.  You can see below that the paneling is not in place on most of the walls, just the studs.

 Arielle and Josiah enjoying their supper.  Those are nifty vintage paper placemats under their plates.  Such wonders used to come in packs of 100.  I wonder if they can be found anymore.  So thankful I kept these!

When I was growing up, we always had the table over on the side under two of the big windows, as it is here.  During the whole time we've been renovating, the table (a different one than in my childhood) has been in the center of the room.  I really wanted to at least try putting it by the windows, and wow! What a difference it made.  It really makes the room seem much larger.

The photos below show some of the living room side of things.

 The kids ate at the table and adults sat wherever they chose.  Jim and Carrie chose the couch, although they are not visible in the photo below.

 The photo above shows the pine paneling on one wall and part of another.  That bookcase, as I mentioned in a different post, was one Mr. T had made for my sister's apartment.  Since she has passed away, the bookcase was at my parents' house and we thought it would look nice here.

After supper, we put all of the paper dishes, etc. in a trash bag which we took home with us.  I didn't want to leave anything in the camp to attract mice or chipmunks.

We all sat around the campfire for awhile after supper, enjoying the new fire pit and celebrating with some extra large sparklers we had found at the house. 

What a wonderful evening it had been, as our daughter put it, making fun new memories in this special old place!

Warming winter beverages

Image by Linda Toman from Pixabay

Last night at our informal cookie swap, I served two warming winter beverages.  I know the cranberry one is on my Christmas blog, but thought I would share them both here at my kitchen table as well.

HOT SPICED CIDER

The cider is so easy.  You need:

1 gallon cider
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon of broken cinnamon stick pieces
Coffee filter and kitchen string to make spice bag
1 orange
Additional whole cloves

Pour the cider into a large kettle and begin heating it.  

Place the whole spices in the center of the coffee filter and gather it up to form a little bag.  Tie it closed with a piece of kitchen string.  Drop the spice bag into the cider.

Wash the orange well and cut it into quarters.  Stick 2 whole cloves into each orange piece and add the orange quarters to the cider as well.  Heat for 1 hour or until nice and hot.  May be kept on Low for an hour or so, or transfer it to a slow cooker set on Low.

 MULLED CRANBERRY ORANGE JUICE

1 orange
12 whole cloves
a cinnamon stick
1 cup water
2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail -- I used the Apple & Eve brand, the kind without sugar that is 100% juice.  It includes apple and pear juices, but that's preferable to sugar.
3 Tblsp. brown sugar
(The recipe also calls for 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, but I don't think it's necessary.  Maybe if you were using a cranberry juice cocktail that includes sugar, it might be, but not using the 100% juice.)

Use a vegetable peeler to peel off thin strips of orange peel from the orange. Set the orange aside. Put the peel in a small saucepan with the cloves, cinnamon stick and water. Bring this mixture to a simmer; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

In a larger saucepan combine all of the remaining ingredients. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into this larger saucepan. Using a strainer, strain the liquid from the spice/peel mixture into the larger saucepan as well. Add the lemon juice and brown sugar.  Heat the mixture in the large saucepan over low heat until it is hot. May be kept simmering over very low heat and ladled out as needed.

(For the cookie swap, I tried making this in a slow cooker and it worked beautifully.  About 2 hours before serving I put the cranberry juice into a 3-quart slow cooker and set it on high.  Then I peeled the orange and simmered the peel with the water, cloves and cinnamon stick for the 20 minutes as specified.  Then I strained this mixture into the slow cooker and added the juice of the orange and the brown sugar and let it all cook on high until ready to serve.  Then I turned off the slow cooker and it stayed plenty hot enough.)
Save the cranberry juice bottle to store any leftover beverage.  It reheats well by the mug in the microwave.

This recipe came from Cook & Tell, my old favorite cooking newsletter that is no longer in publication.   I discovered this beverage recipe a dozen years ago and it became an instant favorite of mine to serve to guests at holiday time.  I still love it -- it's so much fun to make! -- and people invariably ask for the recipe whenever I serve it.

Hope you will enjoy using these lovely recipes during this festive season!

Trying a new cookie recipe

So tonight I'm hosting a cookie swap here at my home for friends from church and anyone else they may invite.  As before (I did this a couple of years ago), I'm keeping it pretty low-key and relaxed.  No competition or anything, just a fun time to visit, eat yummy appetizers, sip mulled cider and cranberry juice, and exchange some cookies.  In addition to bringing a specified number of cookies, I'm asking each lady to bring along a "sweet thought": a memory, story, testimony or favorite Scripture to share.  It should be fun.

Photo from Ice Cream Inspiration

I found this recipe for Chocolate Orange Cookies on Pinterest back in 2016, and immediately pinned it to my Christmas Cookie Exchange! board.   I'm only now getting around to trying the recipe.

The flavors of chocolate and orange together are so festive!  They bring to mind those nifty chocolate oranges that are to be unwrapped and eaten a wedge at a time.  And these yummy chocolate dipped orange smiles that I make each Christmas and that are so delightful on cookie trays.
 
So yesterday I baked these cookies.   I was interrupted in the mixing of the dough and forgot about adding in the chocolate chips.  I had baked about half the cookies when I remembered.  So I used half the amount of chocolate chips and mixed them in with the remaining dough.  I will let the ladies at the swap decide which they think is better!

My "Christmas Hospitality" Pinterest board

Here's one of my Pinterest boards that might be a help during this festive, busy season: my board for Christmas hospitality.

I've been thinking about this because later this week, I'll be hosting a simple cookie swap for some of my friends from church.  This board has some great printables for a cookie exchange, including invitations.  It's way too late for that, but some of the other ones might be fun.  The last time I did a cookie swap, we didn't make it competitive at all, but this printable has a way to vote for most creative, best tasting, most festive, etc. We will see.  I sort of want to keep it relaxed.

This board also has a great post about hosting an ornament exchange party and several different ways that can be done.  My daughter and hubby out west have hosted a party like this a number of times and it sounds like a lot of fun.  I've thought for awhile about doing this.

And I seem to have pinned a great many ideas for hot cocoa bars.  Seems like it's something I really want to do!  Last year my daughter Carrie did one of these and left it up all winter. It was handy when the kids (or anyone) came in from sledding or other outdoor winter activities.  She has one all set up for this year, too.  Below is a photo of last year's hot cocoa bar.

I have a few recipes pinned also -- a cranberry lime party punch that looks so festive and refreshing,  a peppermint bark cheesecake,  a gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting, and more.  There's also a peppermint bark cheesecake dip into which one dips chocolate-covered pretzels!

Last but not least, I pinned a wonderful post from blogger Diane Miller concerning stress-free holiday entertaining.   The first point she makes is that we must always remember that hospitality is not about us.  This quote really hit home with me: "It’s about gathering people together to have fun, to develop friendships, to offer a place of safety, a place of peace, and to break bread together.   People come with all kinds of baggage.  Your job as a host is to think about your guests, their comfort, and most of all to listen, care, and offer true hospitality."  I loved this.  She said it so well.

Thinking about Christmas hospitality?  Head over to my Christmas hospitality board for some ideas!

Waffle buffet: a fun meal for guests any time of day!

One thing we wanted to do while our Nevada daughter was here was to plan a simple way for my hubby's 92-year-old mom to see and enjoy her visiting great-grands along with some of the local ones.  We decided to have a simple meal to share at our home on Sunday afternoon/evening.

The next decision was what to serve.  There would be about 18 people.  Our Nevada grandkids had made a few requests of both Grammy and Aunt Carrie (especially Aunt Carrie) for meals they would enjoy while here.  One was Grampa's waffles!  We decided to plan a simple waffle buffet.  It worked out so well, I would like to share the idea with others.

This was the menu:

Grampa's Sunday Waffles
Strawberry Sauce
Blueberry Sauce
Lemon Curd
Maple Syrup
Whipped cream
Breakfast Sausages & Bacon

I cooked the sausage and bacon in the oven, which makes things really simple.  I made the fruit sauces ahead of time and served them warm, right from the saucepans on the stovetop.

We set up several tables and put a stack of sturdy paper plates along with napkins, cups, and silverware in a central location near the waffles.  We borrowed a waffle maker from friends so that we could cook more waffles at one time.  Theirs is the fancy type that one turns over partway through cooking, and one of those is definitely on my hubby's wish list!

When a good number of waffles were ready, I transferred the bacon and sausage to paper-lined serving plates, having kept the meats in the oven until that point.  We placed these on our dining table along with the whipped cream, maple syrup, and lemon curd.  People would go through the line, get a plate, utensils and a waffle and then proceed to the stove if they wanted a berry sauce and to the table if they wanted one of the toppings available there.  People sat where they liked (we also had a table set up on the deck, but it was a bit chilly and no one sat there) and it was all so easy and simple.  People came back for seconds and even thirds.  Mr. T ended up using all the milk in the house as he made a third batch of waffle batter.  (He had thought a a double batch would be plenty.)  Every last waffle got eaten!

We offered only water for a beverage because no one seemed to care about coffee or tea, but depending upon the group (and the time of day) I would offer hot beverages another time.

Here are the recipes for the waffles and the berry sauce.

GRAMPA'S SUNDAY  WAFFLES

2 eggs, beaten in large bowl
2 1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tblsp. sugar

    Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the beaten eggs in the large bowl.  Sift the remaining ingredients into the liquid and beat until smooth.  Bake in waffle iron according to the directions for your particular waffle iron.  Yield:  10-12 waffles.

    This great recipe is one I copied from The Beany Malone Cookbook, which shared recipes used by the Malone family in the series of books by Lenora Mattingly Weber.  The vanilla was not in the original recipe, but makes a good recipe into a super one!

Mr. T used to make these every single weekend in years gone by -- and, in 2015 he had this recipe published in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook!  You can read about it in this post if you missed it: He Was Published!.

BERRY SAUCE FOR PANCAKES OR WAFFLES

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, OR cut-up strawberries

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in the water. Add the fruit and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve warm. Makes about 2 cups.

This is a wonderful, versatile recipe that tastes so good on waffles in particular. It’s also good on pancakes or French toast and would probably be good on vanilla ice cream as well. You can make blueberry sauce, raspberry sauce, or strawberry sauce -- all are wonderful. Or you might like to use a mixture of these berries to make a mixed berry sauce. When I do that, I usually also add a few cranberries to the mixture.

 Other toppings that might be included would be peanut butter, applesauce, jams or jellies, or chocolate  hazelnut spread.  You could even branch out and make a savory topping like chicken and gravy or sausage gravy, but if you did that I think you'd want to omit the vanilla from the waffle batter.

We were so pleased with how this hospitality idea worked out, and people seemed to love it.  We are planning another waffle buffet for a smaller group very soon!

December 31 -- Hot Pizza Dip for New Year's Eve

Photo from Taste of Home

With New Year's Eve coming up tonight, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a recipe for an easy hot dip that uses basic ingredients and can be simply heated in the microwave.  I'd really be surprised if you don't have the ingredients for this appetizer in your pantry or fridge already!

We sometimes celebrate New Year's Eve at church or with friends with a simple time of fellowship, food and board games. I have often brought this dip, along with breadsticks, and a large tray of Christmas cookies from the freezer.  It doesn't get much easier!

HOT PIZZA DIP

One 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce OR spaghetti sauce
2 Tblsp. chopped green and/or red pepper*
2 Tblsp. thinly sliced green onions*
Breadsticks or tortilla chips for dipping

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and Italian seasoning together. Spread the mixture in an ungreased microwave-safe 9-inch pie plate.

In a bowl, combine the mozzarella and the parmesan. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the cream cheese in the pie plate. Spread the sauce over the top and then sprinkle all of the remaining cheese mixture over the sauce. Top with the chopped peppers and the green onions.

Microwave the dip uncovered on High for 3 to 4 minutes, rotating the plate a half turn several times if your microwave does not have a turntable, until the cheese is almost melted. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes before serving with breadsticks or tortilla chips.

* You can top this dip with almost anything -- I have used finely chopped pepperoni, peppers or green onions only, a combination of the three -- or I have just simply topped it with a sprinkle of pizza spice. It doesn’t seem to matter what you use -- the dip is going to get gobbled up regardless. I very often bring this to potlucks because people enjoy it so much. I usually make two of these, and there is still never any left to bring home.

Whirlwind weekend

 The weekend of July 13-14 was a busy, but wonderful whirlwind.  I alluded to it a bit in my Hodgepodge post,  but wanted to expand on it somewhat so I don't forget the details.

 Mr. T and I were invited to attend a wedding in Maine on the Saturday, on behalf of our daughter and son-in-law who live in Nevada.  It was their former pastor's son who was getting married, and the whole church from Elko was invited provided they could get to Maine.  Our daughter asked if we could attend in their place, and the answer was a gracious yes.

When she broached the idea to me, our daughter also suggested, "I know it's a ways up in Maine, so I thought you and Dad might turn your trip north into a getaway."  Of course she had barely suggested the idea when we began to run with it.  We love getaways!

(This makes it sound as if we are taking getaways very frequently indeed.  Not really ... the last one -- to Stowe, Vermont -- was in May!  And these are overnight getaways, just long enough to get a bit refreshed.)

So we headed out early Friday afternoon, knowing it would take us at least 5 hours to get to Brewer, where we had a room reservation here:

It was a little amusing that my hubby had two work-related phone calls (which he had to pull over for), before we even left New Hampshire!  We made a quick stop at a post office to mail some things along the way, but otherwise did not stop until we reached Cornish, Maine and a favorite road trip break:

A frozen strawberry lemonade for Mr. T; iced coffee for me.

Sadly, they were out of donuts, but we made do with a box of Munchkins:

From there, we headed north and arrived at our hotel a few minutes after 6 pm.

This hotel has two buildings, the Maine Woods building, with an outdoorsy lodgy theme as in the lobby photo below, and the Maine Coast building, with a pretty coastal theme.

We were in the Maine Coast building.  I failed to get photos of our room, but it had a nice coastal decor.   After settling in a bit our first order of business was to find some supper.

We ended up having fish and chips at a nearby restaurant.  Although not as scrumptious as the fish we would enjoy the next day, it was good, and the price and location (walking distance!) were right.

After a wonderful night's rest we ventured to the Breakfast Room at the Inn for a nice continental breakfast, made even nicer by the homemade waffles with Maine wild blueberry sauce.  Using pre-measured portions of homemade batter, diners bake their own waffles in one of three waffle irons, which are kept constantly busy.  Bowls of blueberry and strawberry sauce await, along with syrup dispensers.

If you look at the small photo to the right of "Free Deluxe Breakfast" on the business card above, that is one area of the breakfast room.  One really neat feature of that room is the old cookstove (not in use as a stove) just to the left of the woman in the photo.  We sat in the second area.

Sign on the wall above our table

Another part of the breakfast area -- the "windows" here are mirrors.

 Returning to our room, we took good time over our Bible reading and prayer before checking out and heading for our wedding destination.  I will share just a few general photos from the wedding.  I did not try to get photos of people or of the ceremony.  These were taken with my Kindle, so are not the very best quality.

 The front of the sanctuary before anyone came in.  I love the lights draped inside the swags of tulle. 

A glimpse of the table centerpieces and the favors -- tiny jugs of maple syrup!

 The centerpieces were so simple but so pretty -- just slices of wood with a paper doily and mason jar atop each one.  Jars were filled with roses and baby's breath, then an engagement photo was propped against each one.  A few dark blue silk rose petals were scattered about.  (Wedding colors were orange and navy.)

I loved how they combined these gorgeous colored roses with the rustic look of old wood.  Touches of both were everywhere throughout the decorating.

After saying our goodbyes to the bride and groom and our friends (the groom's parents and grandparents), we headed south on I-95 en route to a meet-up with my blog friend Vee.  We were a tad early, which was a good thing,  because we drove right by the rendezvous at the first pass.

We had made arrangements to meet at one of Vee's favorite places and we very much enjoyed the delicious seafood and the wonderful fellowship.   We are kindred spirits in many ways and it truly was just like meeting up with an old friend.  Vee is warm and genuine, a delight to spend time with.

You can just catch a glimpse of the deck (look for the umbrellas) at the upper right.

 (The mosquitoes drove us off the deck -- which had a water view and would certainly have been a delightful place to eat on a sunnier day -- and inside, which could have been far more delightful without a particular inebriated patron.  But no matter.  Food and fellowship still wonderful.)

Vee had also told us about an ice cream place not far away ... so we all drove there for dessert.  It has mini golf and a driving range with a view of Mt. Washington.  And delicious ice cream.  The veranda had plenty of seating and no mosquitoes, so we continued to chat as we enjoyed dessert -- Campfire S'mores ice cream for Mr. T and myself (it's our new favorite) and Maine Deer Tracks for Vee. 
Curious about the flavors?  Campfire S'mores is described as graham ice cream oozing with marshmallow ripple and crunchy chocolate chips. Maine Deer Tracks is described as "rich espresso ice cream with crunchy toffee pieces and tracks of thick chocolate fudge."  Now I wish I'd had that one!

To learn more about the flavors of Gifford's Ice Cream, go here: Gifford’s Ice Cream and click on "Flavors".  Although Gifford's is a Maine company, several of our favorite ice cream places in New Hampshire serve their ice cream.

Before leaving the grounds, we brought out the gifts we had for one another and opened them at a nearby picnic table. Vee was far too generous ... besides the squash referenced in a previous post, there were books, including one from her beloved John's library.  What a treasure!

Another book was a recipe binder, to write my own recipes in.   I'm planning to use this to copy down all of those random, often-used recipes that are floating around my kitchen on scraps of paper or on recipe cards so stained they can barely be read.   It has a number of cute divider pages to divide the various sections of recipes.  One of them is pictured below.  How true it is!

And to top it all off, she brought us a tin full of her marvelous Rhubarb Custard Pie, cut in neat pieces.  I was tickled to see that Vee packs things in tins lined with waxed paper just as I do.  I guess it's the New England girl in us!

Meeting Vee was something I'd wanted to do for a long time.  Now that we've done that, Mr. T and I are hoping we can get together with this dear friend again at some point.  We don't live that far away, and we do travel to Maine occasionally.

The whirlwind weekend held even more fun and surprises, including the hike pictured at the top of this post.  But the post is getting rather long and unwieldy, and besides, the hike deserves its own post.  So that will have to wait for another day!