RECIPES OATMEAL-APPLESAUCE BREAD

       OATMEAL-APPLESAUCE BREAD

      There is a story that goes with this recipe. So let me give you the background for it. After my mom died, I did some of the cooking but I always had to follow a recipe. If we didn't have all the ingredients, then I didn't cook. My dad finally told me you are not a good cook until you go in the kitchen and make a meal without anything to use except your imagination. I didn't pay much attention until I had a family of my own. Then that advice came in  handy.

            My children thought that everyday after school it was snack time. I couldn't go to the store every day so it was cooking time. One morning I cooked oatmeal and had a little left over so I decided to make some oatmeal bread. I pulled out an old cake recipe and adapted it to fit. But when it came time to add the milk, I didn't have any. So I looked around and substituted some applesauce. I knew that banana bread didn't have much liquid so I thought applesauce would work and it did. This is what I came up with. from 1976. Since then I add 1 cup of chopped apples to this recipe and it is delicious.



1 cup of butter or margarine softened            1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of sugar                                       1/4 tsp cloves
2 1/2 cups flour sifted *                                1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs slightly beaten                                    1 cup applesauce
1 cup chopped nuts                                      1 cup raisins
1 cup cooked oatmeal                                  1 cup chopped apples

Mix butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to flour. Mix oatmeal and applesauce. Add flour alternately with the oatmeal mixture. Add oatmeal, raisins, and apples last. Stir with a wooden spoon as this mixture will be thick. Spoon into a greased and floured loaf or tube pan.Bake at 350 F. for about one hour. Be sure to check in about 50 minutes as ovens may vary.

*I used self-rising flour but you can use all purpose flour and add 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Serve this warm with apple butter or honey butter. It is also good with cream cheese or cinnamon butter.yum yum

When I first made this bread, my kids had gone in the woods behind our house and picked up hickory nut and their Granny Ruby and I cracked them and put them in the freezer. The next time I made it, we went to Whitfield County where Granny Ruby use to live and gathered black walnuts. Now I just use pecans or walnuts. It is still good and I make it for the holidays.

Thank goodness for a smart dad and a mother-in-law who grew up in the country.

"WHAT COLOR IS LOVE" poetry

What color is love? Do we really know?
Is it kindness and patience for our family we show?
Is it white for purity or red for our heart-
is it blue for sadness when our friends depart.
What color is love? Do we really know?
Is it faith in our Savior when forgiveness He shows.
Is it happiness or peace of mind
that comes from Heaven from our Savior Divine.
The color of love the rainbow holds
for His promises to man, for our soul He enfolds.

More Recipes SAUSAGE BALLS, CHEESE BALL, SPINACH DIP, PIMENTO CHEESE

These are good when you have the family in and they can't keep there hands off the food until you are ready to eat. ha ha

               SAUSAGE BALLS

1 lb. hot sausage                                                    dash of hot sauce
3 cups Bisquick                                                     3 Tbsp. water
1 3/4 cups of grated cheddar cheese                      Mustard for dipping

Being sausage and cheese to room temperature. Then combine all ingredients and mix well with hands. Roll into small balls and bake at 350 F until brown. about 15 to 20 minutes.

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         CHEESE BALL

2 (8 oz.) pkgs of cream cheese                           1 1/2 tsp. Accent
1jar of ham or beef                                             4 or 5 green onions chopped
2 Tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce                         chopped pecans or walnuts

chop onions and meat in food processor until finally chopped. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Form a ball and refrigerate about an hour or over night. Roll in the nuts and serve with favorite crackers of Fritos. May also use with  vegetables
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        SPINACH DIP

1 envelope of vegetable soup mix                     1 can water chestnuts drained and
                                                                           chopped
1 container (8ozs.) sour cream                         4 or 5 green onion chopped
1 cup mayonnaise                                            1 tsp Accent
1 pkg (10 oz) chopped spinach

Mix well and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers
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         PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

1 lb sharp cheddar cheese grated                     1 tsp onion salt
1 large jar diced pimento                                  1 cup mayonnaise

Mix well and refrigerate about 2 hours. Serve with crackers, chips, or celery

Uncle Cliff

  

     Well it's time for another one of my many stories, so this one will be about my uncle Cliff. He was the second son born to my grandparents and Ma Jones always referred to him as her precious Clifford. I am thinking that this was because her first son died as a baby and then she had girls. I never understood why so many women thought boys were a blessing and girls weren't, because I think all children are a blessing from GOD. Well back to my story. Clifford Clinton Jones was born on July 11, 1913 and he was named for Ma Jones brother, Clifford Kilgore. Often called C C or Deacon he never had children, so all the nieces and nephews were his babies. He was known to often carry the boys hunting, fishing and just work in the garden. He always had a big garden

     Now Cliff loved to go fishing especially to Florida deep sea fishing. When he came home, we would always have a big fish fry in his yard on the Turners Chapel Rd. in Rome, GA. And we would have all the trimmings like hush puppies, slaw, baked beans, and potato salad. And never forget the deviled eggs. Since he had 6 sisters, the desserts were plenty. Banana pudding was made in dishpans. Cookouts were great at Cliff's house. And every fall around Labor Day, he would Bar-be-Que and the Brunswick stew was to die for. His 2 brothers(Charlie and Ed) would cook for about 3 days getting the meat ready. Usually this was a side of beef and plenty of pork raised on the farm. Since uncle Cliff and uncle James raised cows, we always had plenty. Chickens ran underfoot and you never could catch them even though Cliff gave us that job. I think I caught one when I was young but I didn't try very hard. I tried to stay at home when they killed the chickens and plucked them. That just wasn't for me. Well we all had a job of some kind. "You don't work, you don't eat." That is what would Cliff would say. I tried to help Ma Jones so I could stay in the house but she knew what I was about and put me to sweeping the yard. People always swept their yards instead of cutting grass. I guess that is why it was always so dusty.
     The one thing I always liked was shelling peas. I don't know why this was so much fun to me but any peas to shell, that is where you would find me. And snapping green beans-white half-runners were my favorite. I had rather have peas and green beans than anything. I guess that is why I still love them today. I could make a meal from peas, slaw, sliced tomatoes and onions. I could have been a vegetarian growing up. Any kind of potatoes that you fixed, I would eat. Especially sweet potatoes that my mom would fry and cover with cinnamon and brown sugar. Think that might be why I am a diabetic today.
     Back to uncle Cliff. I loved to spend the night with his and aunt Jackie. We would gather vegetables from the garden and cook supper. I liked to help dig up the potatoes and gather cucumbers. Patty-pan squash, yellow crook necked squash, corn, okra, and don't forget the tomatoes. Yum. Nothing was better than corn cut off the cob and fried in a cast iron skillet with sliced tomatoes and a biscuit slathered with fresh butter. The only thing that would beat it was a fresh blackberry pie made with berries that we picked in Cliff's backyard. WATCH for snakes!!! Now I don't think I ever saw a snake when I visited the country but we had to watch for them. Ma Jones kept a hoe handy just for that purpose. Especially in the gardens, between the rows and I thought snakes ate rats and eggs not vegetables.
   "Uncle" Cliff is gone now and all I have are the memories of his old wood house sitting on the hill and his cookouts. When I was about 10, he built a brick house where the wood house sat with a big Bar-be-Que pitt out back. And when anyone died, their body was carried to Cliff's house and everyone came to visit and pay their last respects. This was the last place I got to see the physical side of Ma Jones, Pa Jones and my mother.

The Love of Family History part 7 Uncle Kerwin

Continuation of family history

   To begin my story in this chapter is my memories of Kerwin Beall. He was next to my dad in age. He was married in Atlanta to Helen Delay and they had 3 children. Roy, Patricia, and Lawrence called Larry. I don’t remember them as they were older than me and the oldest, Roy, was killed. A car hit him while he was playing and he died instantly. Their marriage was on rocky ground at this time and disintegrated after his death. Uncle Kerwin had to leave Atlanta after that to stay out of jail. I don’t know if she was vindictive or just didn’t like him. I never could understand how a woman could keep a dad away from his children. Good or bad, he is still their father and nothing can change it. These are stories my dad told me. He felt guilty about the child’s death and his former wife hated him and refused him visits with the other 2 children. He moved to Rome for a while and found a job. I remember going to the post office to mail checks to her for child support. Dad said, “Remember to put it in the out going mail.” He moved again but I don’t remember where. I think it was Florida because that is where he letters came from. He said that Uncle Lowell was mailing the checks for him now from Miami.

   I had just started taking piano lessons from Eleanor Webb. Dad knew her family in Atlanta before she married. When her husband died, she moved to Rome to get away from all the memories. Uncle Kerwin came to visit and the next thing I knew, he had up and married Mrs. Webb and took her to Florida. I lost my teacher. The piano didn’t hold much interest for me after she left.

   We visited them on our trip to Florida when I was about 11. They lived in Orlando. There were fruit trees in their yard with delicious fruit. I never did know the name of them. I think it was mangos. The grass was so soft but I got a lot of sand in my shoes.

   Years later, Uncle Kerwin wrote to my dad and wanted him to visit his son, Lawrence, who lived close to Atlanta. I think it was Powder Springs. He looked just like my cousin, Charles McDaniel. He still didn’t want anything to do with his dad. The whole Beall family for that matter. He had even changed his last name to his step-dad but I don’t remember it. I thought that was sad because his heritage is prestigious. We descend from prosperous people. Lawyers, doctors, politicians, and even an earl in Scotland. I hope one day his children will want to know his ancestors and read this short story.

Recipes-FRUIT SALAD

I thought since the Holidays are coming up that I would post some of my favorite recipes:

FRUIT SALAD

1 large Grannie Smith apple chopped
1 large Red Delicious apple chopped
1 large banana chopped
1 large can pineapple tidbits (drained)
1 can fruit cocktail (drained)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup miniature marshmallows (white or colored)

add first 3 ingredients in large mixing bowl and cover with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
let sit about 5 minutes while assembling remaining ingredients. I use canned fruit sweetened with Splenda.
Add the rest of ingredients and stir well.
You can add about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise to taste according to preference.
Garnish with red and green cherries.
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Diabetic Peanut butter Pie

2 packages of low-fat cream cheese
1 package of sugar-free French Vanilla pudding
2 cups cold 2% milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup Splenda
1 small bowl Kool-whip
1 low-fat graham cracker crust

mix 1 package of softened cream cheese into French Vanilla pudding to which you have added the milk. Pour into crust. Mix 1 package of softened cream cheese with peanut butter and Splenda and mix well. pour on top of first layer. Cover with Kool-whip and refrigerate until cold.
Can be frozen.
(you may substitute 1 box of sugar-free chocolate pudding for French vanilla to achieve a different taste)

Animal Christmas-poetry

Down in the valley where the fir tree grows,
the animals are gathering 'cause everybody knows
that Christmas is comming-don't hesitate
Granny squirrel bakes the cookies, Mrs. Mole cooks a cake.

A string of holly berries around the tree goes;
mistletoe amid the branches with poinsetta bows.
Mr. Frog brings a lily pad to use for decoration.
One dried sunflower forms a star--what a lovely sensation.

We musn't forget the Christ child for we celebrate His birth.
He gave us everlasting peace amid the joy and mirth.
Sister Owl sings "Silent Night" as the animals kneel and pray-
thanking God for a Savior born on Christmas Day.