FOOD ART AND FAMILY FUN - SOME TASTY RECIPES FOR JULY 4TH

(From the recipe collection tested and tried and found to be true by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The Meal Celebration for Independence Day is looking good! 

M E N U

Drinks:          White Sangria with Red, White and Blue Stared ice

                      Cubes/Sweet Tea,/Water

Appetizer:     American Taco Cups

Bread:           Best Blueberry Muffins

Salad:           Pasta with Beans and Greens

Entrée:         Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches with White Sauce

Side:              Fresh Corn on The Cob

Desserts:     Pretty Patriotic Pie, Linzer Star Cookies

Serve the traditional cold iced tea and water to drink with your meal, but before time to gather together, freeze several ice cubes in star-shaped trays.  Use food coloring to make the ice red and blue. Fill them into a pitcher of White Sangria and place along side a tray of glasses and serve first along side of the appetizers.

WHITE SANGRIA

Ingredients:

1 bottle of white wine (I use Riesling)

2/3 cups white sugar

3 oranges

1 lemon

1 lime

½ liter ginger ale or club soda

Directions:

Pour wine into your pitcher and squeeze juice from the orange, lemon and lime into the wine.  Toss in the fruit wedges, and add sugar.  Chill overnight.  Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

Make the appetizer below to serve with the Sangria:

American Tacos

(They are American because we are eating them on Independence day (LOL)

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans

½ pound cooked taco-seasoned meat

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup salsa

½ cup sour cream

½ cup sliced black olives

1 bag of Tostitos “Scoops”

Directions:

Set chips on a platter and layer with beans, meat and cheddar.  Heat in microwave until hot.  Top with salsa, sour cream and black olives. 

You know I’m going to say it….pull out the red, white and blue dishes! 

It is okay to mix styles of china, that only makes things more interesting.  If you don’t have red, white and blue dishes, don’t fret about it, there are lots of great paper styles.  Go casual and use paper, or bring out the colors in your napkins and tablecloth or centerpiece.   

You might consider tucking a tiny flag into your napkin rings.  If you don’t want to spend a lot on flowers for a center piece, go to the dollar store and stock up on flags.  Put several of them inside a clear vase in the center of your table.  You’re all set!

Since we will be having bread with the sandwiches already, I’ve chosen to serve blueberry muffins. Here is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe:

BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1-1/4 cups blueberries

1 egg

¾ cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Melted butter and sugar

Directions:

Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Sprinkle over lemon zest and blueberries. Beat egg well and add milk and oil.  Mix (don’t beat.)  Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Fill to the top.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until beautiful and a little brown. Cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from tins.  Brush muffin tops with butter and dip in a bowl of  crystallized sugar.  Serve warm.

Here is one of the best salads ever, and my family always enjoys it.  I’ve often used it in lieu of the traditional boring baked beans.

PASTA WITH BEANS AND GREENS

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta

1 large onion chopped

1 package fresh mushroom caps, sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cups fresh kale

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 15 ounce can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed.

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Cook pasta.  Saute onion and mushrooms in oil for five minutes.  Add kale and next five ingredients and cook while stirring for 15 minutes, or until kale is tender.  Add beans and cook for one minute more.  Remove to serving platter, tossing gently.  Top with cheese.

Now for the main dish!  The very important ingredient here is the white sauce.  White sauce is a southern tradition, and my family loves it!  Here is a main dish that uses white sauce and always turns out good.  I’m making it a 4^th of July tradition at our house:

PULLED PORK BBQ SANDWICHES WITH WHITE BBQ SAUCE

Make the Sauce first and let it sit for several hours in the refrigerator.

SAUCE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Mix all together and refrigerate for several hours. Flavors need to blend before using.

PORK

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin – trimmed.

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup water

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

Cut the pork into 2 – ½ inch chunks.    Mix the other ingredients together and pour into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add pork and simmer for one hour or until tender.  Remove pork from pan.  Using two forks, shred.  Place on a platter and pour liquid left in pan over pork.  Serve with your favorite bread, mini buns or biscuits, and top with White BBQ sauce.

For a side dish I want to have an old favorite, fresh corn on the cob, cooked in the husks and served hot with butter.  Here is an easy way to prepare:

CORN ON THE COB

Buy very fresh, healthy corn, preferably from a local grower.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Leave the husks on the corn. Place the corn on the cob directly on the oven racks. Bake for about 1 hr depending on size. When the husks have turned a light brown on the outside they should be done. This is the best way to cook fresh corn on the cob.  It is easy and it is always good.

This year I chose two easy, tasty and colorful desserts that are a bit lighter after such a heavy meal.  I also wanted them to be cool.  I may add a little vanilla bean ice cream to go with these selections as well.

PATRIOTIC PIE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 – (3oz.) pkg. Jello Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin

1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and drained.

1 cup ice cubes, divided

1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 – (3 oz.) pkg. Jello Strawberry flavor gelatin, or any other red flavor.

1 pint of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced into thin slices.

1 cup Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Directions:

Add ¾ cup boiling water to blue gelatin mix;  stir two minutes until completely dissolved.  Add ½ cup ice cubes; stir until melted.  Pour into crust; refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes or until set but not firm.  Meanwhile repeat to dissolve red gelatin mix in a separate bowl; stir in remaining ice cubes.  Cool 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Spread fresh blueberries over top of blue gelatin when firm.  Spread Cool Whip over blue gelatin layer; Spread sliced strawberries over Cool Whip layer,  cover with red gelatin.  Refrigerate 2 hours until set.  Garnish with fresh fruit before serving.

LINZER COOKIE STARS

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped roasted pecans

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

¼ cup seedless raspberry jam

Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Using a medium speed mixer, beat butter and add powdered sugar slowly until light and fluffy.  Combine flour with next five ingredients and gradually to mixture.  Divide dough into two parts and cover and refrigerate for one hour.   Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut out 3” stars with a star shaped cookie cutter.  Using a smaller cutter, cut a star out of the center of half of the stars  Place all on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Spread solid cookies with jam, and sprinkle remaining cookies with powdered sugar.  Top the solid cookies with the hollow stars sprinkled with powder sugar.  This should give you 3 dozen cookies, you can take the leftovers to work later.

Hope your 4^th of July Independence Day holiday is wonderful and full of this country’s traditions!

May God Bless America Forever!

SEASONS - SUMMER OFFICIALLY ARRIVES TODAY - LET'S GET THE MUSIC STARTED

(Writing and photography by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

W. H. Auden once said that music is the best means we have of digesting time. I couldn't agree more, especially in the summer time.  What a perfect time to enjoy everything that there is about music. 

It is a lot of fun to start the summer with an open-air outdoor concert.  Choose any group that intrigues you. There is just something about gathering together with a group of friends, walking through the woods to an open meadow, lugging your lounge chairs and blankets and food  with you.  Then you simply spread the blankets on the ground and enjoy one of your favorite beverages while you watch the sun start to set as you wait on the music to begin. Endings and beginnings always work well together.  There is something magical about it.   It is such a summer moment.  It is great fun to watch expressions and greetings as the people begin to file into the area and the crowd begins to grow in numbers.  Sitting in the summer breeze and relaxing for awhile gets you into a perfectly mellow mood that causes you to want to sing along when the music begins to happen.
  

 There is even something thrilling about watching the sound team fine tune every piece of the finest sound equipment that technology has to offer, until finally the band bursts forth onto the stage and jump into their first song as the crowd goes wild with excitement.  People's faces light up with anticipation, and there is a sudden sense that we all are one, just for a moment in time.  Everyone loves the song, and everyone claps and sings along.  It could be happening in an open meadow, or it could be somewhere on the beach, the mood is always the same, fun and upbeat.  For just a few hours, there is nothing but the music. No worries, no cares.  This is the magic of summer. 

 Sometimes the music is pop, or rock, country, or classical; it really makes no difference, the feeling is always the same.  Music just makes people happy.  Sometimes the concert is in the park, or even on the sidewalk of a city, or outside a quaint little cafe. 

Alabama can claim a very rich musical history.  The state is full of stories of how music was made in the world of jazz and blues.  This is the place where "The 20th Century Gabriel" Erskine Hawkins lived and led his band back in 1939.  We can boast of the landmark for the famous song called "Tuxedo Junction."  The song is about a jazz and blues club in the Birmingham suburb of Ensley. The area is referred to as "Tuxedo Junction", even though the building is called the "Nixon Building" (built in 1922). This is due to the location of a streetcar crossing at Tuxedo Park, hence "Tuxedo Junction". The empty building still stands at 1728 20th Street as a testament to the musical heritage of the area.  He is only one of many jazz singers who got their start right in Alabama, and more than likely, they were made famous under the skies full of southern sunshine that we all still love to listen to their music under. 

Some of my favorite musical memories as a young teenager happened during the summers when we loaded up a car full of kids and headed off to an event sponsored by the local radio station called "The Shower of Stars."  I didn't realize at the time that I was actually living through musical history, as some of those "unknown at the time" groups were The Eagles, Three Dog Night, Patsy Cline, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, Lou Christie, Roy Clark, The Loving Spoonful, Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Animals, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, The Guess Who, Rare Earth, The Carpenters, just to name a few.  Many got their first break at those local concerts I attended back in the day.

Then there was always "The Hangout" at the beach.  It was a little different in our time.  You gathered up on a concrete pavilion raised out of the sand on the shore, fed a juke box, and danced until your parents came by and "collected you," much to your embarrassment.  The most requested dance song was a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan called "Quinn The Eskimo" or better known as "The Mighty Quinn."  A lot of arguments are still out there over exactly who Quinn the Eskimo was, but we didn't care. We only wanted to dance the night away.  

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that my grown children are now frequenting a musical festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama every year called "The Hangout."  It is a large gathering of popular musicians on the beach.  They always have a blast.  I'm glad their summers are in some ways similar to those beach days I once enjoyed.  The memories you make with your friends are priceless.  The songs never leave your heart. 

I have a few less sizzling, yet still quite pleasurable memories of an outdoors Lee Greenwood concert we took my parents to on my Dad's birthday one year.  It was in a time when The Alabama Symphony was doing a series that still continues today called "Music Under The Stars."  These were all held at local parks at night and accompanied by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.  They were great!  I left the Lee Greenwood concert feeling quite proud to be an American, and there were even fireworks that lit up the night sky at the end.  I'm told a similar event is coming this summer to Railroad Park.  Just check out the website for The Alabama Symphony Orchestra. 

There is another small residential park in Chelsea, Alabama where we have enjoyed some great classical music.  This was during the times where the symphony was performing "Pops In The Park."  We were served wine and popcicles, and there were also fireworks at the end.  One of my favs was a night when they did broadway musical songs with lots of Disney tunes. 

Yes, summers should definitely be filled with music.  I've really come to appreciate all the local church events in the area that feature great Christian music too.  Nothing could be better than being in a whole crowd of born-again Christians singing "Shout To The Lord" at the top of their voices while lifting their hands in praise.  Then there are those quieter, sweeter times, like the times at camp when you go to the outdoor chapel and everyone sings a cappella; so beautiful!  So moving! 

There is nothing like it.

But you really don't have to leave the comort of home in order to enjoy the music of summer.  If you have a front porch and can find an old record player, just invite a few friends over for lemonade and ice cream.  Make the front porch swing the box-office seats, designate a good DJ to spin the albums, and enjoy your own favorite tunes! 

If you have been a bit too modern lately and need to revamp your old album collection, there are a number of awesome used music stores in the Birmingham area.  I highly recommend you visit Charlemagne's in the 5 Points South area.  I'll warn you though, you won't be able to do this without staying awhile.  The music available is amazing!  It is like stepping back into a time capsule.  For 35 years they have been bringing the coolest music to Birmingham's southside.  They buy, sell and trade records, CDs, DVDs and books.  It is well worth the trip down memory lane to visit this establishment, and I'll bet you will not leave empty handed; nor will you have to break the bank to pay. 

So what's stopping you? 

Get everyone together and start enjoying the music of summer!

Keep a song in your heart all summer long!

SEASONS - A TIME FOR HONORING OUR FATHERS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Fathers are our greatest national resource, but is anyone out there listening?  Do we step over and walk through gold mines every day in order to mine coal?   Are we listening to all the wrong voices and all the wrong answers?  Next to God and the Bible, good fathers are our greatest source of wisdom.  What has happened to priorities when it comes to honoring our fathers?  The Holy Scriptures speak loudly to us of the fact that our children’s hearts can be molded when they turn their hearts to their fathers.  The strong reasoning behind this statement is that when their children’s lives are at stake, a Father’s heart is always true.  A true father will lay down his life for the sake of his children.  You can trust this statement.
 
It took a long time and a lot of hard work by many people for Father’s Day to become official in the United States.   The first unofficial celebration of Father’s Day happened in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910.  It seems that was the day that Sonora Smart Dodd decided to celebrate and honor the life of her father, William Jackson Smart, who was a civil war veteran as well as a single parent. It seems that Mr. Smart was an amazing man who raised six children all by himself.  The idea of celebrating and honoring fathers caught on locally after that event; but it took quite a while for it to catch on nationally.

The trend really grew in the areas of Spokane, Washington.  After speaking to a crowd in Spokane in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson suggested that Father’s Day be made a national holiday.  Congress resisted for fear that the day would become commercialized.  In 1924 the same idea was suggested again by President Calvin Coolidge, but it was once more pushed aside.  A Senator from Main, Margaret Chase Smith, became offended by the fact that mothers were always honored on a special national holiday, but never fathers.  She wrote a long letter to Congress expressing her concern about this in 1957.  She pointed out that the country had been ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers.  In the end the official establishment of Father’s Day as a national holiday took as long as the time it took for Moses to lead The Children of Israel to The Promised Land!  Time kept marching on without an official declaration of a national Father's Day. 

Finally, in 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation to honor fathers, and proclaimed the third Sunday in June Father’s Day in America.  It took six more years for that to become official, but in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed it into law.   Now that is quite a lot of history for such an important day! 

I have to agree with Margaret Chase Smith!  Where would we all be today without the love of our dear Fathers?  Good fathers are the most important factor we possess to change the downward spiral and wrong direction of our nation.  Maybe if we take more time to honor them, they all will begin to realize their importance and step up to bat for all of us.   Can you imagine an America where all fathers decided to step up and take charge of their homes, children, churches, government, communities and work places?  For too long their vital council in our lives has been ignored, pushed aside and trampled on by those who wish to push an evil and perverted agenda onto our society with no thought or concern for others or the future of all. 

America, our fathers matter.  If you are one of the many brave fathers with strong convictions and morals who has been forced to take a stand in the public schools, or your local community activities, or the governmental changes taking place, or the leadership of your local church congregation, you understand very well what I mean and how important your actions are for the benefit and well being of all.  Sometimes the role of a father is a very lonely, unrewarding place to be, but the importance of input from mature wise men that have learned how to raise decent families is critical at this time in America's history.   The fathers who step up, take charge and act will make a difference in the future.  It may be a very long, hard battle sometimes, but thank God for men who are willing to stay in the trenches and fight for their families.  

I know they still exist.  There are still a lot of selfless, bold, courageous men out there; we just aren’t hearing about them from the media anymore.  My own Dad was one of those individuals.  I have always been very proud of his honesty and his ability to stand alone if needed in making hard decisions for our family.  I’ve always known I could count on his integrity and his ability to distinguish right from wrong.  I will not have my Dad physically with me this Father's Day and he will be greatly missed.  He will be celebrating Father's Day with his own Father in Heaven though, what could be better for him?   

My husband is also from this special breed of men who puts the needs of others before his own personal needs and gain.  His "Pop" was of the same good character.  Both my husband and I are blessed with brothers who have desired to be good fathers and to do the right things for their families.  Now we have wonderful son-in-laws who are following these great examples.  We are among the blessed.  I am forever thankful for this fact.  They are rare, these good fathers, but these men are still fighting their daily battles and working very hard to keep the dying dreams of America alive and well.  So much is different and unique in the world of true fathers.  These men actually work for a living.  They don’t depend on the government for handouts.  Instead they serve the government honorably by taking jobs that promote the welfare of all.  Their hard earned tax money is the money that goes into the government's tills and takes care of all those who aren't able to provide for their own.  They actually want it to be useful, fair and beneficial to all people.  They very seriously go to the polls and vote for good men that they think will best handle the huge responsibility of our government and our freedom.  Yes, they work even in this strange economy where jobs are not plentiful, these men still get up and go out every day and look for ways to make a living for their families.  They don't throw up their hands and give up.  If their field of expertise isn’t hiring anymore, and most of them are not, they are not ashamed to get their hands dirty and do hard labor in order to feed those that they love.  Men over fifty have never worked so hard for so little as right now in America.  They take what work they can find and they gladly do a good job.  They look for honest ways to make ends meet.  In the middle of this whole process, you might see them often doing without so that others may have what they need.  You won't hear them complaining about not having enough.  They keep their eyes open, they are always searching  for ways to make things better. 

The true Fathers of our country have learned to appreciate the things in life that have no price tags, and they teach their children to do the same.  They expect their children to have comparable work ethics.  They teach them to appreciate the value of a dollar, and they also teach them to balance that with a Sabbath rest.  They learned from their true fathers to set aside one day in seven to honor the Father of All.  They give a tenth of all they have, even if it is not much, to the work that The Father is blessing.   These brave men aren’t afraid to speak up and say “I believe in God .”  They do not have qualms about praying out loud in public places, and they can’t understand how anyone could be offended by their Great and Awesome God, or not want to hear the Name of Jesus at the end of their prayers. 

None of these fathers minded fighting for this country, and risking their lives for our freedom.  They can see the downward spiral of America taking place, but they still pray for change, they act on change and they still dream of a better day to come.  They believe that sometimes the impossible is possible.  They will defend your right to speak your mind, and they will uphold the law of the land.  They believe in being fair and just.  They don’t see colors when they look at people’s skin, instead they see hearts.  They have a code of honor and respect for treating all of God’s creatures with dignity.  They do not tolerate violence.  They do everything possible to make the world a safe place.  They know there are good people out there with overwhelming problems and they are always there to share and lend a helping hand.  They understand hard circumstances, they have lived there for a long time too.  They show kindness and mercy to all.  They will give you the shirt off their back if they think you need it.  They understand what it is like to be young and inexperienced and not know what to do next.  They are wise. and they gladly share their wisdom with those willing to listen.   

These good mature men are slow to speak and quick to listen.  They use their hands and feet to put action to their words.  They won’t let you walk alone.   They are not critical and judgmental with their help; but they love with the same mercy and kindness shown by the Father that they serve from heaven.  They know that sometimes the only thing that works is tough love.  They grit their teeth and enforce this tough love, even if sometimes it tears them apart inside.  They do whatever it takes to accomplish the right end.  They never give up.  

Yes, some of these honorable and true fathers are still out there.    You may not hear about them in the news, and they may be quiet as they go through their days, and you may not always notice what is going on with them.  They are men of action, and they let their actions speak for themselves.  They don’t need your approval, they don’t need you to remind them what to do, it comes with the title.  They take the title of "Father" seriously. 

These real men don’t mind coming home from twelve hours of hard labor and pitching a softball for two hours with a young boy trying to make the team.   These real men still compliment their wives when they put food on the table every night, even if it is just beans and cornbread.  They often help wash the dishes.  These men are thankful for a heart willing to tend to a family and a partner who cares about the importance of making a home.  These men who are tempted everyday by the rampant evil activities of this selfish and ungodly world that we live in, the world of pornography, free and easy sex and casual affairs, and they turn their heads and walk away.  You won't find the perversions of the world creeping into their homes through the back door.  They live on a higher plane.  These are not the things that motivate their hearts.  They still know the meaning of a marriage vow, and they meant it when they said “I do” on their wedding day.  

I'm talking about a group of men who will sell everything they have in order to get medical treatment for a sick child; and the ones who will sacrifice the boat, the new car, the motorcycle or the second home in order to make sure their son or daughter gets a college education.   Yet you will discover that education to them is more than the stuff you can find in books and on a college campus.  They teach their children the important things of life at home, and their homework assignments are extensive.  They instruct them and prepare them for a world that would love to prey on their youth.  They leave the communication lines open with their families.  These real fathers are not unapproachable people.  These are men who have spent a lifetime listening to their children’s hearts, and they know how to help them when the time of their need arrives.   

These are men who take in elderly parents when they come to the point in life where they can no longer help themselves.  They will give up their privacy in order to care for the aging and dying and those who need some extra care.  They will show honor and respect and decency to those who have walked life’s journey before them.  These real fathers appreciate the value of the legacy of love that others have left behind.  There is no price tag on this loyalty.  It comes with the package, totally free of charge.

On Father’s Day, these are the real men, the true fathers that I look up to.  These are the men who I chose to honor.  I also chose to honor the Greatest Father of All, the One from whom these great fathers draw their strength and wisdom.  Does it matter at all?  Yes, I think it matters most of all.   

I think Sonora Smart Dodd had an excellent idea back in 1910.   I'm glad our country finally woke up and cooperated with her, and I wish to see that spirit renewed in America.  God gave us some very helpful advice when He wrote those word on stone tablets;  “ Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the earth.”  

I pray that every true father in America will be honored this year.  Thank you for being real men.  May God create more of you!   We are forever grateful for all you do.  Our future is in your hands.  We have not forgotten, though we do not say it often enough.    You are loved and respected.  We appreciate all you do as well as who you are.

Happy Father's Day!

  .