Mandarin Cheese Cake

Sponge Cake Base:

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup of sifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes, and very light and fluffy..
2. Add the vanilla
3. Sift the dry ingredients together and mix into the egg batter and mix together til all is well mixed together.
4. Grease a 9" spring form pan lightly.
5. Pour in the batter and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
6. Leave in pan to cool completely.
7. Remove cake after it has been cooled and place on to serving platter.

Cream Cheese Topping:

• 8 oz brick of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 pint of whipping cream, whipped
• 1 tin of mandarin oranges, drained, reserving the liquid
• 1 small package of lemon flavored gelatin

1. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot reserved juice and stir til the powder is dissolved completely.
2. Let partially set until it is the thickness of an unbeaten egg white.
3. Whip together the cream cheese, sugar, and fold in whipped cream
4. Add the gelatin and stir in the mandarin segments that have been cut in half. Reserve a few to decorate the top.
5. Place the spring form ring around the cake which is on the serving platter and close the ring.
6. Pour over the cream cheese mixture and let it set in the refrigerator for several hours or over night.
7. Take a sharp knife and go around the edge of the cheese cake to loosen it from the ring.
8. NOTE: Change up the flavors buy using strawberry flavored gelatin powder and Strawberries, or any flavor you life ie. raspberry mixed with blueberry etc.
9. This freezes well. Thaw in fridge for several hours before wanting to serve it.

Pesto Dinner Rolls

Pesto rolls...baked in a cast iron skillet...and served hot from the oven. What could be better? And if there are any rolls left when dinner is done...they make the best sandwich buns!

• 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 4 Tablespoons pesto

1. Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with salt, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl.
2. Add oil and warm water to dry ingredients and mix.
3. Stir in pesto. (Use store bought pesto...or make your own.)
4. Continue to add flour as necessary to make a soft dough. 
5. Knead until smooth and elastic.
6. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk...about an hour.
7. Divide dough into eight portions.
8. Form eight rolls and position in a well-oiled cast iron pan. (Or make12 smaller rolls.)
9. Cover with a clean towel and allow them to rise in a warm place for at least an hour...until doubled in size.
10. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.

Note ~ Normally one would let the dough rise before forming buns to put on the pan...as in step 6. One day I was rushed for time...and put them on the pan right after mixing the dough. They turned out great.

Bread for the Journey-

Isaiah 58: 11 & 12

The LORD will guide you always;

He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden

like a spring whose waters never fail.

There have been dry seasons in my walk with God.

Perhaps you can identify.

Your prayers seem to go no further than the ceiling

and reading your Bible seems more a chore than a delight.

Do you give up and resign yourself to living in a drought ravaged land?

Or do you get up and walk until you find water and lush growth again.

I know from experience that walking by yourself does not work.

You trudge along day by day and

just when you think you'll find your way out of that dry place,

you are back where you started.

The more reliable option is to remember God's promises

and to choose to believe that God is walking beside you.

Psalm 23:4

"Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way."

There will be deserts and dark valleys along our life's journey.

The important thing is to remember He is with us during those times.

He promises to never leave us or forsake us and that includes those dark and dry times.

When we invite Him to walk with us through the desert,

He is our shade in the heat of the noonday sun

and He provides food and water for our hungry and parched souls.

He leads us to green pastures, restores our souls and turns the dry desert

to a well watered garden.

Pizza Bruschetta Gluten Free

My granddaughter's favourite snack is this Pizza Bruschetta.

The crust is a thin, crispy cheese bread that freezes well.

Pizza Crust

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 rounded tbsp of yeast
• 1/4 cup white bean flour
• 1/4 cup millet flour
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 eggs
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Mix sugar and gelatin , add the warm water, stir in yeast and let proof until bubbly and doubled
2. Blend together all dry ingredients
3. In mixer bowl beat eggs , add warm milk and oil
4. Add proofed yeast to liquids
5. Add all at once the dry ingredients
6. Mix at low speed until blended - then on high for one or two minutes
7. add cheese
8. Lightly grease a 12x17 inch baking pan , and turn dough into pan
9. Moistening hand with warm water as needed, smooth dough evenly in pan
10. Let rise for about an hour -- or until doubled
11. Bake at 350 degree until lightly browned (about 25 minutes)
12. Let cool
13. Cut into 6 pieces
14. Use immediately or freeze until needed

Bruschettas

• 1 tomato chopped very fine
• 1/4 cup onion greens
• 1 tsp dried chopped basil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded cheese - favourite mix
• 
  
• garlic clove
• pizza sauce (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients - except for garlic clove and pizza sauce
2. Using either fresh or frozen pizza crust rub surface with cut garlic clove
3. Optional - spread crust with pizza sauce
4. Spread with tomato/basil mixture
5. Top with shredded cheese
6. Bake in oven or toaster oven until heated and cheese is melted
7. Enjoy hot !

Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day in several countries including Canada. It’s Veteran’s Day in the United States. A day designed to remember and perpetuate peace through good will between nations. A day to remember those who gave some and those who gave all for their country and countrymen.
I want to be sensitive to the Mennonite Communities position of Pacifism. As many of you know I am the one “Mennonite Girl” who is not a Mennonite. I do not come from a background of Pacifism. I have relatives who fought in WWII, Vietnam, and our son in law Andrew is serving in Afghanistan as a Marine right now. Many Mennonites have served in other capacities during war times and their work is appreciated. We are united in our love for the Lord and our love for our fellow man. I would appreciate your prayers when you remember our Andrew that God will bring him home safe and sound. Today is a good day to pray for our men and women who have suffered much while serving our countries.
John 15:13 ~ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

How grateful we can be to live in lands where freedom reigns. How grateful we should be to God who reigns over all.

Looking forward to that day when all wars will cease…

Banana Chiffon Cake

Chiffon cakes might seem like a lot of steps but if you enjoy the process and take your time you will be rewarded with a light and fluffy cake that is perfect for a special celebration.

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, eggs, fresh lemon juice, banana and lemon rind.
4. Beat until smooth. The mixture will be thick.
5. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into a large clean bowl. (make sure there is no oily residue on the bowl and no specks of yolk)
6. Beat the egg whites until very stiff. Watch closely that they don't start to break down and become lumpy.
7. Mix together the batter mixture with the beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula, folding it carefully. Do not stir as it will deflate the egg whites and your cake will be tough and flat.
8. Turn the batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan and bake on the bottom rack of your oven for about 65 minutes or until the tops springs back when lightly touched.
9. Invert the pan. You don't want the cake top to touch the counter so create a space by putting the edges of the pan over to taller items like inverted bread pans for instance.
10. Allow to cool and then slice carefully down the edges and remove the cake from the pan and place the cake upside down on a cake platter.

Decorate the cake with Chocolate Ganache, Candied Walnuts and broken Skor bars and drizzle chocolate syrup over each slice and garnish with some sliced bananas and a dollop of ice cream.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 pound good quality dark chocolate
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/4 unsalted butter.

1. Finely chop the chocolate
2. Bring the cream, sugar, corn syrup and butter to a simmer.. .stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, stirring until smooth.
4. Add the butter and continue to stir until smooth.

Candied Walnuts

• 1 1/2 cups fresh walnuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt

1. Spread the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast them for about 5 minutes in a 325 F oven. Watch them closely so they don't burn.
2. In a small saucepan, stir the sugar constantly with a wooden spoon until it begins to melt. When the sugar melts and the color turns a warm amber, add a dash of salt and  quickly stir the walnuts into the sugar and then quickly dump onto a piece of parchment paper to cool. Break apart to decorate the cake top.

Bread for the Journey

A reader once left a comment asking why we have so many posts called Bread for the Journey when there is nothing about bread in there. In my response I explained these posts as giving reference to a spiritual hunger for bread that feeds our souls.

It reminded me of a Bible story in John 4.

The setting is in Samaria, a town called Sychar.

Jesus, weary from travel, sat down by the community well. Soon a woman from the area came to draw water and Jesus asked her to for a drink. The woman’s initial response was a bewildered question as to why this Jewish man would ask a Samaritan woman for water, since they had nothing in common. Jesus said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

The woman, seeing that Jesus had nothing to draw water with wondered where or how He planned to get this living water. Jesus explained to her that everyone who drinks the water from this particular well, will be thirsty again, but that those who take the water that he offers, will never be thirsty again.

“Indeed, the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water,

welling up to eternal life.”

Obviously this kind of water sounded good to the woman and in further conversation she learned that Jesus knew a whole lot more about her past than she would have wanted to let on . . . but, surprisingly, it freed her up to believe. Any man who knew her past and still offered her spiritual water for life, had to be the Savior they were waiting for.

Lord God, I thank you for the way you quench the thirst in our soul. I pray You will bless each reader here today with refreshing water from Your well of forgiveness, love and hope for eternity.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

I don't remember my mom ever having a pizza pan. She made pizza on cookie sheets, so I had square slices before I ever had triangular pieces. They taste the same. Anyways, using sloppy joe sauce on pizza is something I did when the kids were teen-agers and for some reason I often made it on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Recently I made it for just the two of us. It was great! And there was plenty left for lunches!

For the crust I used my trusted French Bread recipe. It's on this blog, but I will post it again so it's on the same page.

Ingredients for Crust:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 2 cups multigrain flour
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons instant (quick rise) yeast

Ingredients for topping:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package sloppy joe seasoning
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• thin slices of pepper, any color (optional)
• 4 cups cheese (mix of favorites or mozzarella)
• 1 tablespoon freeze dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• sprinkle of crushed chilies (for those who like a bit of heat)

Method for Crust:

1. Put sugar, oil and salt in mixing bowl. Add hot water and stir in two cups flour.
2. Stir in the yeast and add 1/2 cup of flour at a time stirring until all the flour is mixed in well.
3. Knead for a few minutes until smooth.
4. Cover with towel and plastic bag and let rise for 20 - 30 minutes.
5. With greased or floured hands, scoop around the edge of the risen dough to deflate.
6. Pinch off about 2/3 of the dough to spread out on a greased 11x17 inch pan. If your pan is smaller, use half the recipe for one pizza or if using medium sized pizza pans, divide the dough into three. (Use any leftover dough to form a loaf, cut shallow lines into it, cover, let rise and bake 20 minutes.)
7. Once you have spread the dough on the pan, let it rise for 30 minutes
8. Bake at 400 F for about 10 minutes... only until just done.

Method for Pizza:

1. While dough is rising . . . brown the meat.
2. Add seasoning, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water.
3. Cook 5 - 10 minutes.
4. Spread on baked pizza crust (hot or cold)
5. Cover with sliced pepper if desired, or just cheese.
6. Sprinkle with basil and oregano. Hot pepper flakes if desired.
7. Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Large cookie sheet serves 6-8

Orange Cranberry Muffins

Orange and cranberry with a touch of wheat germ for a nutty flavour.

All in a muffin for those cool autumn mornings.

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup orange or peach marmalade
• the zest from one orange
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Topping:

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Grease muffin cups or line with paper liners.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Combine dry ingredients and chopped pecans in a mixing bowl.
4. Beat egg lightly in a small bowl and add orange juice, marmalade, orange zest, oil, milk and dried cranberries.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix only until completely moistened.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling each two thirds full.
7. Mix topping and sprinkle about 1/2- 1 teaspoon over each muffin.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick to be sure they are baked through.
9. Remove muffins from pan to a rack.
10. Serve warm.
11. Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Molasses Wheat Bread

I can remember baking this bread for the first time back in 1983. The bread was hard, dense and didn't rise much at all. My husband was so sweet and told me I made it just the way he like it, a good heavy dense European Bread and ate the whole thing, what a guy. Over the years and determination not to give up on yeast baking, it is one of my favorite and therapeutic things to do. It still is a bit of a denser bread because of the heavier whole grains but it is full of flavor and goodness.

• 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
  
• 1/2 cup of rolled oats (quick cooking is fine but not instant)
• 1/2 cup of wheat germ
• 1/2 cup of bran
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 2 tablespoons of instant yeast
• 3 cups of additional unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups of warm water
• 1/4 cup liquid honey or brown sugar if you have no honey
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 tablespoons oil

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees to proof your dough before you mix everything together, and shut it off. The warm oven will be just right to let the dough rise and the opening and closing of the oven door will cool it down just enough. You can leave the oven light on to keep the dough nice and warm.
   
2. Combine first 8 ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add all the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture.
4. Stir in remaining flour, a cup at a time until it becomes difficult to stir.
5. Turn flour out onto a floured surface and knead the bread adding enough flour to make a soft but a bit sticky dough. About 5 minutes.
6. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Turn the dough in the bowl so the surface is covered in a light coating of oil.
   
7. Cover with a tea towel.
8. Let rise for a good hour or until double in bulk.
9. Punch the dough down, let rest for 10 minutes.
10. Shape into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans, mine are about 8x4x2.
    
11. Cover again, and let rise another hour in the warm oven.
12. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
13. Remove from pans and let cool on rack.
14. I find that after it has cooled I am able to slice it and freeze it only taking out a few slices at a time if you don't want need to use the whole loaf.