Easter prep – for my memoir

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For a person "edging into eighty" (as I think my memoir will read, unless I wait too long), hosting a family Easter luncheon may--DOES--get in the way of other activities--writing, reading, doing taxes, working in the yard.

But on the positive side, when else does one's home--an old one, at that--get such a good going-over as when company is coming? Fan blades (ooh, the dust, cough, cough) must be cleaned since ventilation might be needed, depending on the weather. (They were.)

Leaves must be added to the pedestaled, oak dining table. Because some of the veneer had come loose, thus peeled off, the surface needed an underskirt, so two tablecloths, long enough to seat nine adults, had to be pulled out of either a buffet drawer or the linen closet. Done: white underneath, pastel-orange overlay. Easter/ spring color, yes?

Then, placemats with oranges, greens, red fruits and leaves. I happened to have a dozen of them, thanks to a long-ago gift which added to those I already had.

Now, for napkins—cloth. If I counted, there would be close to fifty of them. I chose colors that matched something in the mats: green, pink, blue, white, red, maroon, yellow. Each with its own napkin ring--another collection. I mixed them: crystal, metal pears, metal French horns, china and wooden pears.

Next, the silverware. What a china-cabinet drawer full! Mom's, mine, and those a sister gave me--all matching--plus some sterling I'd bought at an estate sale back earlier. First, each piece must be polished, plus serving utensils. Four pieces at each place equaled 48, each place setting matching. Done. All shining.

Dinnerware: white plates added, but inverted till the next day. Clean kitchen towels placed over each setting to keep out any dust or to discourage the cats from climbing on the table during the night.

Extra chairs wiped down and brought in for extra seating; oaken TV trays cleared off and set beside the chairs, laid as the other places and covered. Ready.

Due to the warm temp predicted, I covered the space heater with a gold cloth, then freshened the coffee-table bouquet, cleared off the buffet for desserts and ran the Swiffer over the hardwood floors one last time (forget any more dusting).

Choir call-time was 10:30. What wasn’t done wouldn’t get done. I was off and robed and singing.

I slipped out with two others after the anthem to have time to finish the food: warming those dishes that needed it, baking the chicken, making coffee, hiding dirty dishes in the dishwasher—those last minute things that help make an event smooth.

Sister brought sliders, salad (for the vegans), two kinds of dessert and rolls. Son-in-law contributed gumbo with rice. Sister-in-law brought black-eyed (or purple-hulled) peas, Daughter made deviled eggs (eggs from their chickens), Nephew/family brought chocolate-dipped strawberries and assorted fruit, and with my potato salad, mac-and-cheese, chips/cheese dip, and chicken, we were ready.

 

 

Our family tradition of singing the Wesley Grace might have made the angels smile and nod and perhaps give a thumbs-up on hearing such a great blessing with so much harmony.

 

 

Now, if you wonder why this piece has so much detail, it’ll likely be included in the aforementioned memoir of mine.



New recipes (to me) for Easter 2013

by Pat Laster

                
                Easter—the second of the two most major holy days in the United Methodist Church—with all its pomp and circumstance—has come and gone; only a memory now, but a great one.

                After services came family gatherings, and in the Couch extended family, we participated in that, too, complete with egg hunt for one lone Oregonian toddler great-niece.

              Our meal was a potluck at a brother/sister-in-law’s home off Brazil Road in north Saline County, Benton Arkansas. Another brother brought homemade (huge, luscious) rolls, ham, a layer cake and two pies. A sister served up a rabbi-motif platter of fresh veggies and dip served in red and green peppers and her famous potato salad. The hostess made a delicious-tasting and eye-appealing strawberry trifle. Grandson Billy’s mother (Billy was working at Cracker Barrel in Arkadelphia) cooked a great cheesecake in a spring form pan, something I never did! Other families brought other dishes, all delectable.

               I took two vegetable dishes from recipes found in “More Faithful Cooking: Favorite Recipes from United Methodist Women and Friends” of Piggott UMC. I’m glad to report that both got positive “reviews” from the cooks in the family. The recipes follow.

               SAUERKRAUT SALAD – submitted by Roma Richardson. Ingredients: 2 14-ounce cans sauerkraut; one cup chopped green and red bell pepper; one-fourth cup salad oil; one-half cup vinegar; 1 cup sugar; two teaspoons celery seed; one-fourth cup chopped onion; salt and pepper.

               Directions: Drain and rinse sauerkraut. Mix in other ingredients and refrigerate. Serves 8 – 10. (That was easy once I got the lids off the cans. For some reason, I don’t do can openers well.)

              The reason I chose the other recipe needs an explanation. In my recipe book search, I stopped at a green bean casserole. Why? Last July when I bought two used cars from Bill Fitt’s Motors, the senior Mr. Fitts gave me 4 quarts of canned produce from his garden that he’d put up himself. One of them was a jar of green beans. “Aha!” I said—probably aloud.

              But I would have to buy another onion, another bell pepper, a package of pre-cooked bacon (my choice to do this), two small cans of mushrooms and a container of bread crumbs. Done.

             GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE – submitted by Dotty Patridge. [The directions and ingredients were interspersed.] Fry 6 cubed pieces of bacon until halfway done. [I fried the entire 13 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 bell pepper, chopped, 1 clove garlic, chopped. [I estimated and added a heaping teaspoon of chopped garlic.]

             Add one fourteen-point-five-ounce can tomatoes drained. Cook until soft.
             Add: one-fourth cup mayonnaise, one Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, one cup mushrooms, sliced and drained, two (fourteen-point-five cans cut green beans, drained. [I used the quart of Mr. Fitts’.]

            Mix and place in a sprayed casserole. Cover with crumbled bacon and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Serves around 8. [Or more, depending on how much each diner spoons out.

            This cooking experience turned out much more complicated than I imagined. The frying pan, though large, held only the first three veggies. To add the other ingredients, I pulled out the Dutch oven and poured everything in to mix.

             Afterward, my white range was brown-and-red spotted, I’d used four utensils to stir; I’d bought an up-scale-but-manual can opener  that didn’t work  any better than the one I had, meaning I had to pry the tomatoes and mushrooms out of half-opened cans. Still, it tasted and looked good.

             I'm sure the United Methodist Women of Piggott wouldn't mind at all if you decided to use one of these recipes. And I wouldn't, either.