Push-Ups and a Phone Call, Light Saber Encounter and Farmer John

Some Funny Stories...

During the summer, we went with the guys to an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), event that was held at the church we attend. The guys know that they are not allowed to bet money, so instead, they “bet” push-ups. If the competitor they chose won, the other guy had to do some pre-determined amount of push-ups, and vice-versa. On the final match, my son bet one of the guys 600 push-ups. 300 of of the push-ups were “due and payable” right away, while the other 300 were due over the course of a couple of weeks. The stipulation with the second 300 was that the collector could call for them at any time and the payer had to do them.

Well, my son, Aaron, lost the bet. Now his house brother, J, has a 300 push-up debt to collect from him over the next few days. This morning, J had the idea to call Aaron while he was riding the bus to school and tell him to drop and give him 30 on the spot. I went and got my cell phone which has Aaron's cell number in it, and showed it to J, who punched it into our house phone.

When the person on the other end answered, J got a really peculiar look on his face. He said, “Uh, can I talk to Aaron?” He waited while the person on the other end responded. “Give the phone to Aaron,” he said to the person on the other end. “Did I get a wrong number?” he said to me and the person on the line. I told him that the number in my phone is the correct number. Again, he looked perplexed and the person on the other end insisted Aaron wasn't there. Finally, fully perplexed, J, hung up the phone.

I asked to see the phone, to see if he'd dialed the number correctly. He had not. He'd dialed at least the pre-fix incorrectly – he'd call Massachusetts! Not only that, but the person on the other end of the conversation was “an old lady.” J said he thought it was just one of Aaron's friends acting like an old lady.

I'll bet she was really confused!

10-25-12

So, have you been hit in the head recently by a light saber? I was last night!  Most folks would have been decapitated, but not me!  :)

10-25-12

One of my guys came to the breakfast table this morning dressed like “Farmer John.” He was wearing these huge overalls, a plaid work shirt, a ball cap and sunglasses. He really looked the part.

He got up from the table and walked over to the sink. Apparently, the overalls had been stuck around his waist, because as soon as he reached the sink to put his dishes in; the overalls fell straight to his ankles! Fortunately, he had on a pair of pants underneath.

Phew!

Great Broth Makes Great Soup and Simply Delicious Chicken Noodle Soup

Really good chicken noodle soup, or any soup for that matter, begins with a great broth. Soup making has become a lost art in Western culture.  When my youngest was little, and I had extra time on my hands (!) I spent some time studying Chinese cooking.  I checked out literally every book in the library!  During my studying, I discovered the secrets to a great broth.  The following are the tips I gleaned from my reading:

1. The best broth is made from really fresh food. 
2. The next key is bones. Broth doesn't need any meat. Save the meat for putting into the finished product or something else. 
3.  Get rid of the impurities.
4.  The next key is time.
5.  Use real sea salt, and season it well.

Now, here's how to do it:

For whatever type broth, start with the bones, the fresher, the better.  If you have a whole chicken or other poultry, put in all the cartilage, bones, fat and skin that come off the carcass.  Do it as soon as possible after it has been cooked, or after boning the raw meat.  It really doesn't matter if the bones are cooked or raw at the beginning.  If it is beef or pork, the same thing may be done, but I'm finding it is really difficult these days to find a real soup bone.  If there is a way to access the marrow, do that.  A nutcracker would probably work for chicken or turkey bones.  Maybe someone strong could break a beef or pork bone?  The reason being the nutrients that are hiding in the neglected bits, like the skin, fat and marrow, are just the stuff for broth.  The extended cooking time pulls them out and makes them bio-available. 

From WestonAPrice.org "Broth is Beautiful"
Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.


Isn't that cool??

Put the bones and other bits and pieces mentioned above into a pot and cover them with water.  Use at least twice as much water as desired for the finished broth.   Bring the bones, bits and pieces of skin, etc., if available, and water to a boil, then reduce the heat until it is just simmering.

While the broth is coming to a boil, any impurities will come floating to the top in a layer of film and foam.  These are the parts of the broth that are like the dross in a refiner's fire.  Just like the artisan wants his gold to be pure, the soup maker wants to create a beautiful pot of soup.  Those impurities need to come out to create that masterpiece!  Who wants bitter broth or soup with an "off" taste?  Some meats have more impurities than others, but be persistent.  Use a ladle or other large spoon and skim them off the surface until nothing more floats to the top.

Keep the water simmering -- moving, but not furiously -- and cook it for as close to 24 hours as possible.  The longer the soup is cooked, the more of the nutrients it can pull from the bones, etc.  When the broth is finished, it should be a rich, golden color.  That's the gold for which the refiner worked!

Once the broth has cooled enough to be able to be worked with, put a strainer over another pot or large container.  Strain out the bones and bit by pouring the broth into the strainer.  Use the broth as a basis for soup, stew, cooking vegetables, gravy -- anything for which you would use broth.

I don't ever salt my broth until I'm going to use it.  When it's going to be used, season with sea salt.  Sea salt is close to our bodies' natural salinity and helps maintain mineral balance.

Great chicken noodle soup is easy -- start with the broth, above.  Bring the desired amount to a boil, skim it again if necessary, then add noodles. I usually just break up spaghetti noodles. Add chopped carrot and celery.  Bring the noodles and vegetables to a boil.  Again, skim off any impurities that might remain.  Add some parsley and cooked, diced chicken.  Just heat it through, don't boil the chicken.  If it's boiled after cooked, the chicken will end up being shreds rather than chunks. Use sea salt and season to taste. Simply delicious!

Enjoy!!

Blessings,

Sharron

The Vietnamese are Coming!

Then there was the day when one of my boys came into the living room wearing a suit, skater shoes, a coon skin cap, carrying a BMX tire and two golf clubs saying, "The Vietnamese are coming!" 

This caused an eruption of crazy costumes to break forth in our house.  My girls (biological daughters) got dressed in formal dresses and had giant homemade swords.  One guy got on some serious Urban Cowboy gear with a light saber.  My son, also, put on a nice suit and had his compound bow.  It made for a great photo shoot!

Envy me if you dare!

Blessings,
Sharron 

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

Uncrustables

My husband was contacted by one of our former residents from when we were at the other children's home. At the time, this boy was a very angry, confused young man. He's now at a different facility, and he is doing very well!

One of the significant things that happened when he was with us was that he asked for some "Uncrustables" sandwiches. I explained that they were expensive, and I couldn't purc

hase them for the house. When I went to our on-campus food store, guess what was there? An entire case of Uncrustables! I took several and put them in the freezer at our house.

When he got home from school, I took him out to the freezer and asked him if Jesus loved him. I asked him twice and got an "I guess so" response. Then I opened the freezer and pulled out an Uncrustable and tossed it to him. I said, "Jesus loves you!" as I tossed each sandwich to him.

He said that now, whenever he goes to WM and sees the Uncrustables in the frozen foods, he thinks of me and that JESUS LOVES HIM!! ♥

Blessings,

Sharron

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media Inc., all rights reserved

Fake-A-Roni and Cheese Casserole

Fake-A-Roni and Cheese Casserole
Serves 6 
c2004 Adams Media Corporation and Sharron Long

Just double the recipe to serve 12.

1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups cheese, shredded (Jack, Cheddar, Colby, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion, dried
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 pound cauliflower, choppeed into 1/2" pieces (about 5 cups, either fresh or frozen)
1 pound beef franks, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
Cooking oil spray

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, eggs, cheese, and spices (except parsley). Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk, if available. Stir the cauliflower and franks into the cheese mixture.
2 Spray a 9"x13"x2" pan with cooking oil spray and pour the cauliflower-and-cheese mixture into the pan. Spread the mixture evenly and sprinkle it with the parsley flakes. Bake it at 350F for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until it is bubbly and golden.

Enjoy!

Potatoes for the Freezer

The other day, while I was doing some freezer re-stocking, I spent a whole hour peeling baked potatoes to make hash browns for the freezer.  I've done this before with leftover baked potatoes, and it worked famously.  However, this time when I tried to run them through my food processor, I ended up not with shredded potatoes as I had expected. I ended up with SNOT!!!

Turns out the potatoes have to be completely cooled -- probably refrigerated -- in order to shred them.  Who knew?

Blessings,
Sharron

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

Chicken Casserole -- Surprise!

While my family was gone a couple of weeks ago, I did a bunch of prep cooking.  We had lost the contents of our freezer, so I figured I could take the time I had to do some re-stocking.  I had found two gallon sized bags of "bread crumbs" in the big freezer in the community food area.  I had several chickens to de-bone, and I had a whole batch of home made gravy.

I spent most of the morning de-boning the chickens.  Once I got that done, I decided to combine the gravy, a good portion of the chicken, the bags of "bread crumbs" with sage, parsley, eggs, etc., to make a giant chicken and stuffing casserole.  I used my biggest bowl, probably about 3 gallons, to mix it in.  Normally, I wouldn't taste an uncooked casserole, but I was prompted to do so.

I was appalled.  Those "bread crumbs" weren't bread crumbs at all!  They were cake crumbs!

Now what??

I wasn't about to waste that much food, but what could I do?  It tasted like cake with sage and chicken in it. YUCK.

I phoned my sister, who is a great cook to get some ideas from her.  We discussed several things, none of them feasible.  Finally, after talking for at least a half hour, I had some ideas and went to work.  First, I dumped in some vinegar and tasted it.  Blech!  I added cornmeal.  Yuck!  I dumped, added, mixed, tasted for at least another half an hour.  What I finally ended up with is a casserole that tastes like cornbread stuffing with chicken in it.

Someday soon the boys will be eating cake for dinner, but SHH, don't tell them!

Blessings,
Sharron

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

Card board Covered with Cheese

Favorite quote so far today: One of my boys looked at me and in sincerity said, "Straight up -- You could have fed me cardboard covered with cheese and I would have eaten it!" Love being a mom ♥

Blessings,
Sharron

cSharron Long 2012 and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

The Blessing at a Buffet

We had a fantastic treat today! We had saved some money and took the guys to an all you can eat Chinese Buffet.  All 13 of us were there.  I had the guys pair off and go serve their plates.  Everyone was very well-behaved.  Toward the end of our meal, the waitress approached me and told me that the gentleman in the next table had paid our bill.  That was nearly $100!  Praise the Lord! I have no idea who it was, but what a blessing!

Blessings,
Sharron 


c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

The Peanut Butter Nose

So, I was messing with one of my guys, J, and told him that dinner would be ready when he got peanut butter on his nose. He said "ok" and leaned forward and let me put a blob of peanut butter on his nose. Then, comes the really funny part: He turned around to C and told him to lick the peanut butter off his nose and C actually did it! Yup, that's my life :)

Blessings!
Sharron

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved

Baking Soda Cleaning

This is not original with me, but it is great information:

Here are half a dozen examples of how plain and simple baking soda can replace dangerous commercial cleaning products in your home:

Use as a safe non-scratch scrub -- for metals and porcelain.

To clean your oven -- simply sprinkle a cup or more of baking soda over the bottom of the oven, then cover the baking soda with enough water to make a thick paste. Let the mixture set overnight. The next morning the grease will be easy to wipe up because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven.

To unclog a drain -- pour 1/2 - 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, then slowly pour 1/2 - 1 cup of vinegar in after it. Cover the drain and let it sit for 15 minutes. If it bubbles like a volcano, it means it's working as planned. Flush with a gallon of boiling water.

Deodorize dry carpets -- by sprinkling liberally with baking soda. Wait at least 15 minutes, then vacuum.

To rid your garbage disposal of foul smells -- add vinegar to water for ice cubes, then let a few of them get chopped by your disposal.

To clean your silver -- boil 2-3 inches of water in a shallow pan with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and a sheet of aluminum foil. Totally submerge silver and boil for 2-3 minutes more. Remove silver from the pan and wipe away the tarnish with a clean cotton cloth.

Super Easy Grilled Chicken

I was asked to share my recipe for grilled chicken. This is not the brined chicken, but everyone still seems to love it!

Super Easy Grilled Chicken

Place thawed chicken pieces into a large bowl. The recipe for four to six servings.  Multiply as needed:

Combine

1/4 cup cooking oil
3 pounds thawed chicken pieces

Sprinkle with

1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning (or other seasoning salt or lemon pepper blend)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasonings (herb blend)

Stir the seasonings and the oil with the chicken well to coat. Allow the chicken to rest in the seasonings at least 5 minutes up to overnight refrigerated.

Pre-heat a gas grill or barbecue until it is medium-hot. Place the chicken skin down to sear it, then turn the heat down to low and turn the pieces over. Be sure and watch for flame spurts. Move the chicken off of any flames. Cook it until it is golden brown and heated to 170F for breasts, 180F for other pieces.

This method can be used successfully with other meats, but it is the best with chicken!

Blessings,
Sharron


c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media Inc., all rights reserved.

Sunshine Lemon Bars

I made these the other day and the guys virtually inhaled them!

Sunshine Lemon Bars

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Combine
1 box cake mix (lemon or yellow/butter)
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1 egg

Spread into the bottom of a 13"x9"x2" pan

Combine
1 can sweetened condensed milk OR 1 cup powdered milk + 1/3 cup boiling water mixed with 2/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons oil/butter
1/2 cup lemon juice

Spread onto the top of the cake mix layer. Bake them for about 25 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Blessings,
Sharron

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media Inc., 

Grilled Venison Burgers

Hey there,

Since we have an abundant supply of ground deer meat here, (venison), I thought I'd share a couple of recipes.

Grilled Venison Burgers 1

The first one is the one I served to the guys. I used about 

4# ground deer 
4 eggs 
2 packets of onion soup mix 
2 cups of bread crumbs/oats 
1/2 cup sour cream  
1/2 cup cooking oil 

Mix the ingredients well and form them into patties on baking sheets that have been sprayed with cooking oil spray. Freeze them until they are nearly solid (or completely frozen if for later use.)  

Grill the burgers over medium high heat until just done. Do not over cook. The favorite combination tonight with the burgers was pepper jack and jalapenos. This made 16 burgers.

Venison Burgers 2 (Gluten Free option )

The second burger combination I did was gluten-free, but it doesn't have to be*.
Combine:

1# of ground deer meat, about 
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed meal* 
2/3 cup deer (beef) broth (or water)
 1/3 cup olive oil, about 1/2 cup ground corn tortillas* 
1 tablespoon dried chopped onion 
1 1/2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning (or seasoning salt) 
1 teaspoon or so of sea salt 

Mix the ingredients well and form them into patties on baking sheets that have been sprayed with cooking oil spray. Freeze them until they are nearly solid (or completely frozen if for later use.)  Grill the burgers over medium high heat until just done. Do not over cook. This made 5 burgers. 

*If you don't want them to be gluten and egg free, just replace the tortilla crumbs with bread crumbs or oats, and replace the flax with 2 eggs.

Blessings,
Sharron 


c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., all rights reserved.

Meatball Dumplings for a Crowd

I made these for the guys the other day and they ate them in a flash!  They would, also, make a great appetizer or dish to bring for a pot luck.  This is so easy!

Meatball Dumplings for a Crowd

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Have ready one recipe of  Mini Chinese Style Meatballs.  It would be best if the meatballs are frozen, otherwise, they will be difficult with which to work.  Also, have ready five cans of inexpensive refrigerated biscuits.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray.  Open one can of biscuits and put 10 meatballs on a work surface.  I used a small plate.  One at a time, put one meatball into the center of one biscuit.  Wrap the biscuit completely around the meatball and place it onto the baking sheet, seam side down.  Continue wrapping until all the biscuits are used.  Space the dumplings about 1" apart, and bake them at 325F for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs test at 170-180 with a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

cSharron Long and Adams Media Inc., all rights reserved.

Mini Chinese Style Meatballs

Here's a really different use for venison:

Mini Chinese Style Meatballs

This can be used for won ton filling, or filling for Meatball Dumplings for a Crowd

2 pounds ground venison
2 teaspoons freeze dried chives (or 1 fresh green onion finely sliced or fresh chives in season)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil (or sesame oil if available)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 eggs

Just mix this up and make teaspoon sized meatballs. Put them on a baking sheet and freeze them for later use or use them immediately as the meat in a Chinese soup or stir fry.  Bake them at 400F until they are firm or reach 170F with a meat thermometer.  Serve them with different dipping sauces.  Lots of uses!

Enjoy!

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media Inc., All rights reserved.

Peanut Butter, Oats and Honey Cookies

Our Youth Ranch was given a bunch of honey powder and oatmeal.  Here's something to do with it.

Peanut Butter, Oats and Honey Cookies

Cream 
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter or margarine

Add 
2 cups honey powder (or 2 cups brown sugar)

and continue to mix until light.

Add

2 eggs 

and mix until combined

Add gradually until all is incorporated

2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cups oats (I didn't write this down as I did it; it seems like I put in 2 cups of oats. Adjust if necessary to get proper cookie consistency!)

Mix until combined. Scoop with 1/4 cup scoop onto parchment lined sheets. Bake at 375F for about 11 minutes or until just golden. Transfer to paper towels or rack to cool. Don't allow them to cool on the baking sheets, or they will over bake. Makes 24 jumbo cookies. Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Enjoy!

c2012 Sharron Long and Adams Media, Inc., All rights reserved

Pear Bar Cookies for a Crowd

One of the boys in my house is trying to reduce is table sugar intake, so we came up with this recipe using honey powder.  The original recipe called for white and brown sugar.  Either way, this is a very delicious treat!

Pear Bar Cookies for a Crowd

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine well

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups honey powder (or sugar)
1 1/4 cups cold butter

Spray an 11"x17"x3" (or similar) baking pan with cooking oil spray.  Press the dough into the bottom and about 1" up the sides of the pan to form a crust.  Bake the crust at 350F for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it is becoming golden brown.

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, prepare the filling.  Combine

5 eggs
1 1/4 cups honey powder (or brown sugar, packed)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Carefully peel and slice

5 medium-sized pears

Add them to the filling mixture and pour this over the baked crust.

For the topping, combine

1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup honey powder (or sugar)

Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the filling.  Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.  When cool enough to handle, cut the finished product into bars.  Store tightly covered in the  refrigerator or place onto baking sheets and freeze individually.  Store in the freezer in zipper-sealed bags for up to one month.

Enjoy!

c2012 Sharron Long, Adams Media, Inc., All rights reserved.

Welcome to My New Blog!

Welcome to my new blog, Bakers Dozen Recipes!  My other blog, JAMSGems4U, has to do with allergies and health issues.  This blog will revolve around my life as a part of a Baker's Dozen -- a family with thirteen people.  I will be sharing recipes suitable for a crowd, as well as, amusing or interesting things that go on when there are that many people living together under one roof.  I'm a House Parent with a houseful of boys at a Christian Youth Ranch -- a safe place where hurting and troubled teens can come and experience the love and acceptance they need.

I hope you enjoy the crazy antics and delicious food that comes from my house!  If you've followed any of my previous writing, you'll know that I'm health conscious, leaning towards a Weston A. Price or Dr. Mercola perspective.  While these recipes are not necessarily written from a health perspective, there will often be tips included on reducing sugar, etc., in the diet.

I am a published author with Adams Media Inc., and all recipes are duly copyrighted.  My previous writings are available on Amazon.

Blessings,
Sharron