Lions and Dragons and Groundhogs--Oh, My! (Part 2)

What a day! A day that started at 6 a.m. with Bud wondering if it were morning (no, not yet) and my putting the Sherried Eggs in a cold oven for 1 1/2 hours so they could cook with enough time to make all the other food for our Groundhog Day party. The other food included Muffins (Strawberry/Blueberry and also Chocolate Chip), Bohemian Coffee Cake, Hashbrown Casserole, and Orange Biscuits. Which made it a very baking-heavy morning, since I don't think most of those would have been as good had we made them the day before. The kids were helpful throughout, thrilled to help with the muffins, especially because those would also double as their breakfast. They also helped Mama carry up all the party paper goods up from storage, set the table with cloths and placemats (double protection from hot dishes), hung up the "Pin the Tail on the Groundhog" poster we'd made on Friday (I'd wanted "pin the shadow" but I was vetoed), and arranged the cinnamon paper plate groundhog art project supplies and example (again, that we had made on Friday by drawing groundhog faces on paper plates, putting down glue, and then shaking on cinnamon which looked remarkably like fur all things considered). They also put away the toys they couldn't bear to share, dressed themselves, and managed both to self-entertain (Bud has been practicing his dragon and lion dancing and drawing) AND not make a mess while Mama and I finished things up.

Then we all enjoyed the party! It was the usual melange of church and playgroup friends, with fewer of each than expected because of last-minute illness (hope you're feeling better, Miss L!), a funeral, forgetfulness, and the like. But small was actually okay because we were able to relax and talk to everybody. I had been worried about having the party, wondering if I were the only one who really enjoyed them, Mama being shy and the kids sometimes becoming overwhelmed. But it all worked out well and I'm so glad we persisted. It might be that we keep Groundhog Day small and intimate, it being indoors, while Applepalooza, being outdoors, can be big and long and crowded. Anyway, so there were lots of friends and the good food they brought, including Oatmeal Bars, Organic Crunch Bread, and some tubed cinnamon rolls made special with the addition of raisins.

There was only one minor upset and even it ended well. But while we adults were having such a good time upstairs, one girl cut a chunk of hair from another girl downstairs in the basement. The girls weren't upset and the moms handled it well, despite the obvious chagrin (we all felt for the mom of the young hairdresser!) and surprise that accompanies such a thing. The newly-coiffed girl's mom was even laughing about it, once the surprise wore off. Besides it wasn't obvious. And kids inevitably do something like this--I remember cutting my neighbor boy's hair when I must have been 3 or 4 in Dallas.

But pretty much after that, everyone departed for home. Until a time-challenged guest came over at 2 pm! It was okay because she called first, her errands having taken much longer than expected. We'd finished getting most of the trash cleaned up and toys put away, even vacuumed, and were all sitting around watching lion and dragon dancing on the computer as well as drawing pictures of dragon and lion dancing for Bud, who has become obsessed with both the traditional Chinese New Year dances and New Year's in general. See, in this house, we jump from one holiday to the next, and, if the Groundhog Day party was over, it must be Chinese New Year! So, when our friend arrived we ate a few more of the morning's treats while watching Bud do his dragon dance: picture him holding a plastic dinosaur-headed stick (with grip that opens and closes the mouth) that is tied with two scarves in a long tail that he had another person hold up on a long, cardboard wrapping paper tube, so they could dance in swirls and circles to our Chinese music! In fact, it was rather like having a post party-- we never see her (beyond the few times I see her in passing at my exercise class) so it was good to sit and chat.

The rest of the day included more drawing pictures of lion and dragon dancing, plus a very late rest time and more eating of leftover food. Now we just have to see what the groundhog says on Tuesday, but my guess is he'll see his shadow presaging 6 more weeks of winter. It's just hard to imagine spring is coming when it was something like 12F this morning with snow and ice everywhere.

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Orange Biscuits

1 can refrigerator biscuits

½ stick oleo

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup orange juice

Melt oleo and sugar; add juice and coat biscuits. Bake at 350°F til brown (15 minutes).

Gommie Hungry

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Bohemian Coffee Cake

1 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar added)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Pour into greased and floured pan (I think it's 9 x 13). Bake 1 hour at 350F.

teaching colleague in Texas

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All-Star Muffins

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose or cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

(Note: the KA cookbook mentions all sorts of add-ins, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 cups of whatever you desire)

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease 16 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In medium bowl, whisk flour, powder, soda, and salt, then set aside.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth. Fill muffin cups and bake 18-24 minutes , until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling on a rack (muffins left in pan with become touch from steaming).

(1 basic muffin, 274 calories)

King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion All-Purpose Baking Cookbook

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Sherried Eggs

18 eggs
¾ cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms (drained)
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Beat eggs and milk together well. Scramble until soft.
Place in large greased casserole.
Mix soup, mushrooms, and sherry together. Spread on top of the scrambled eggs, mixing in slightly.
Top with cheddar cheese. Refrigerate overnight.
Place in cold oven at low temperature (250°F) and bake for 1 ½ hours. Served 8-10.

Frederick-Talbott Inn, Indiana

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Hashbrown Casserole

32 oz. bag frozen hash browns
10-1/2 oz cream of mushroom
1 pint sour cream
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix and spread into 13 x 9” baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

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Miss B's Oatmeal Bars

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix first 5 ingredients together then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and pour into an 8 or 9 inch square greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until done. Let cool completely in pan before removing/cutting.

Miss B

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Miss L's Organic Crunch Bread (coming soon)

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