FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITIONS: LEMON GARLIC SALMON:

(From the recipe collections of Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Need a little fish in your diet?  Salmon is tasty, healthy and makes a delicious meal.  Be careful to buy wild Alaskan Salmon.  The best place to get this fresh in the south is Whole Foods Market.   This side dish of baked cauliflower will wean you off of mashed potatoes forever.  Just add the simple green salad and some hot buttered bread with your favorite beverage and you have a wonderful late winter meal.

FRESH GREEN SALAD

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 onion – chopped

1 cup cauliflower – chopped

2 cups fresh blue cheese dressing

Directions:

Mix spinach leaves and lettuce.  Add onion and cauliflower.  Pour blue cheese dressing over all and chill until time to eat.  Should be served ice cold.

 LEMON - GARLIC SALMON

Ingredients:

6 boneless salmon filets

3 lemons – sliced thinly

2 onions – sliced thinly

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup lemon juice

2 sticks of butter – melted

1 cup Parmesean Cheese, grated

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

Directions:

Place the filets in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place onion slices over fish.  Place lemon slices over onions.  Sprinkle minced garlic over all.  Pour melted butter and lemon juice over all.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and cover with foil.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook for 50 minutes covered. 

TWICE BAKED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients:

1 head fresh cauliflower (cut into tiny pieces)

1 whole onion, chopped

1 quart sized beef flavored broth

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded and divided in half)

1 8oz. block of creamed cheese cut into small chunks and left at room temperature

1 stick butter (melted)

1 cup sour cream

1 pkg. bacon bits

Directions:

Chop the cauliflower pieces and the onion and place inside a medium sized sauce pan.  Pour in 4 teaspoons minced garlic.   Fill the sauce pan the rest of the way with as much beef broth as is safe to boil the cauliflower in and turn the heat on medium high until the vegetables are soft.  Drain the broth and mash the vegetables together.  While the mix is hot pour in one half of the cheddar cheese and mix well.  Pour in the melted butter, sour cream, cream cheese and bacon bits and cream all together.  The mix will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Grease a quart casserole dish.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour ingredients into casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese and cook for 30 minutes. 

FOOD ART EASY MEALS DINNER COLLECTION CHICKEN MARRAKESH

( An Everyday Simple and Good Recipe Collection Collected and Tested by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

THE BEST FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce can) peach slices

1 (20 ounce can) pineapple chunks

1 (3-1/8 ounce ) box dry vanilla instant pudding mix

1 lb. strawberries (quartered)

1 banana (sliced)

1/2 pint blueberries

1 bunch of grapes (red works best)

1-2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl combine peaches, pineapples and vanilla pudding mix.  This includes the juices from the cans.  Mix well until the pudding is dissolved.  Stir in strawberries, banana, blueberries, grapes and sugar if desired.  Chill until time to serve.  

CHICKEN MARRAKESH

This is one of my family’s favorite dishes and I often serve it for company.  It is enough for eight people, so half or quarter however you need.  It is good left-over, so you might want to make the serving for eight even if you don’t need it and have it again.  I collected this from The Haddasha Cookbook, one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

4 Whole chickens (2-1/2 lbs. each), cut into eighths

12 large cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 tablespoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup best quality olive oil

8 teaspoons green peppercorns, soaked in water and drained

2 cups whole pitted black olives

3 cups dried apricots

2 cups dried small figs

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup good red wine

2 large pecan pieces

Grated zests of 4 lemons

Directions:

1.  The day before combine the chicken, garlic, thyme, cumin, ginger, salt, wine vinegar, oil, peppercorns, olives, apricots and figs in 2 large bowls, dividing the ingredients equally. Marinate covered in the refrigerator overnight.  Mix several times during the day.  Remove the bowls from the refrigerator one hour before cooking.

2.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.   Arrange chicken in 2 large, heavy, shallow baking pans.  Spoon marinade evenly over both pans.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar and pecans and pour the wine evenly between the pieces in both pans and bake, basting frequently with the pan juices for 50 minutes. 

4.  Using a fork and slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, olives, dried fruit and pecan into a large serving platter.  Drizzle with a few large spoonfuls of the pan juices. 

Creamy Peach-Berry Dessert

Ingredients:

• 2 cartons (6 oz) Yoplait® Light or Original Harvest Peach® yogurt
• 1 package (8 oz) gluten-free fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 of a container (8 oz) frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed
• 1 cup chopped pitted and peeled fresh peaches or thawed and drained Cascadian Farm® frozen peach slices
• 1 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries, raspberries, and/or strawberries, thawed and drained if frozen
• Fresh mint leaves (optional)
• Fresh berries (optional)

Directions:

1.      In a medium bowl, combine yogurt and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping, peaches, and the 1 cup berries.

2.    Spoon mixture into a 2-quart square baking dish; spread evenly. Cover and freeze about 8 hours or until firm.

3.    To serve, let stand at room temperature about 45 minutes to thaw slightly. Cut into squares. If desired, garnish with mint leaves and additional berries.

SEASONS - DID THANKSGIVING COME FROM SUKKOT?

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The Hebraic harvest celebration of Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) is close to the time that Americans call Thanksgiving.   The two feasts have similar qualities.  We always hear the details of why we celebrate Thanksgiving in America, but why would anyone celebrate The Feast of Tabernacles, or as the Jewish people call it:  Sukkot?

There are many good reasons that compel both Christians and Jews to celebrate these Holy Days.  Part of the reasons pertain to the future and part of the reasons pertain to the past. 

                                  

 Jesus was very bold in going to The Feast of Tabernacles to teach.  There came a time when this actually meant risking His life to do so.  Most of the religious rulers of the day were not at all happy when He showed up.  He distracted from their personal glory, politics and profit margin.  The common people admired Jesus for His boldness, and His assurance of the ways of The Kingdom.  They drank in His every word.  His enemies, the rulers of the day, were not prepared for his boldness, his courage, or his lack of fear.  

On the last and greatest day of the feast the rabbi’s always held a water ceremony.  It was then that Jesus stood and loudly proclaimed that He was The Fountain of Living Water. (John 7:37-38).  The traditions that the common people had so rotely observed for years came alive when Jesus explained them at the feast.  The Feast of Tabernacles, as well as the other feasts and festivals all prophetically scream of the fact that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior of The World.  

As a Christian I celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because I am following the example of Jesus Christ, The Messiah, and I know the feast speaks of God's people in the past as well as our future with Christ when He returns again.  



 
So what is most important, the past or the future?  Both are equally important when you consider the facts.   We know that the Feast of Tabernacles was a week long harvest festival.  God commanded it to be kept through out the generations of Israel.  This was to be a time to remember how God brought them out of the wilderness into a promised land.  It was much the same for the pilgrims coming to America.  They came from what they considered to be a wilderness of sin and hoped that the new land would be a place where they could worship God as they chose and that God would bless them for doing so.   


The ancient people built temporary dwellings to remind each other of how they dwelt in tents or temporary dwellings for 40 years in the wilderness.  Possibly the American pioneers did the same.  Have you ever examined the part of old log cabins called the "lean-to"?  It was often used as a temporary place to sleep for guests traveling through the area.  It might have been a pilgrim's design of a sukkah.   Most of the pilgrim settlements had these structures on the sides of their houses.  Not to mention the fact that they also had to dwell in "temporary dwellings" until they had the resources to build their permanent homes once they arrived in America; the land of the free.

The Israelites were poor slaves and had nothing, but God brought them to The Promised Land and provided them with great blessings.  The pilgrims had been slaves to their oppressive government and they had come to America to escape this.  They had come hoping to be able to achieve a better life full of blessings.



 
Much like the Jewish people, the pilgrims chose this time to remember that all blessings come from God.  The ancient Hebrews were to remember that God came down and dwelt among them in the tabernacle that He had them to design.   The pilgrims remembered how God led them safely across the ocean to another safe place where they could worship Him in freedom and peace.   

God journeyed with the Israelites through the hard times in the dessert. God journeyed with the pilgrims through the hard times of crossing the ocean and beginning to establish settlements in America.    

God fed the Israelites and clothed them and protected them from their enemies.  God did the same for the pilgrims as they settled in a new land with different customs.

God provided water for the Israelites from a rock.  He also provided water for these pilgrims.   

Both people groups experienced the physical and spiritual blessing of God because they stepped out on faith and obedience and moved in the direction that God was showing them.

On the eighth day of The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)  the Israelites would leave their temporary dwellings and go back to their houses in the promised land.  This would remind them of how God had kept His promises to provide for them and bless them as a nation.   They were told to keep the holiday before God in thankfulness for the year’s blessings and abundance.   In the same spirit of thankfulness the pilgrims offered up their thanks to God who had kept His promises to them and was beginning to bless them as a nation, and for the time and space that our nation honored God and kept His ways, we flourished in the land!


I think of this every year as I sit in my own temporary dwelling (my physical body as well as the physical sukkah we build as a family) and look at the evidence of the abundant blessings in my own home and my beautiful family who sit as a pleasant harvest all around me.  There are no words to properly describe my joy!   One cannot come to Sukkot without being thankful, nor to the American Thanksgiving.  I chose to keep them both and just let one be an extension of the other.  It is thankfulness multiplied by two!  How could that go wrong? 

There have been many wilderness experiences in life, but God has blessed us in every journey.  These two holidays are the time to notice and give thanks for the abundant ways that He always provides for us in every circumstance.    

Christians truly believe they should conform to the image of Christ.  That means doing the same things that Jesus did, and living as much like Him as possible.  Imitating Jesus would mean keeping The Feast of Tabernacles.  Imitating Jesus would mean being thankful such as we are at Thanksgiving.   Perhaps all of this is part of the reason we call The Holy Eucharist The Great Thanksgiving.  God's blessings are so great in our land and they tend to multiply when we take notice of them and thank God for them.  

It is a well known fact that Jesus Christ celebrated Sukkot.   Scriptures clearly state that Jesus taught from the Temple on The Feast of Tabernacles.  People looked forward to hearing from Him.  They wanted to know His teachings.  They gathered around him eagerly, especially on feast days.  Some of the pilgrims to Jerusalem had come from miles away, just hoping to get to see Jesus, to touch Him, to hear His words, to be near Him.  He did not disappoint them.  He taught on Solomon’s Porch and in other areas around the Temple. 

So why do the Jewish people celebrate?  They do not yet recognize Christ as the Messiah.

While we Christians are more focused on the future, the Jewish people are more focused on remembering the past and the lessons God showed them through history.  They bring these lessons into the present by remembering and honoring God on the days He has proclaimed.    Sukkot for them is a week long harvest festival.  It is a time for giving thanks to God for his abundant blessings.   They recognize that God commanded these days to be kept through out all their generations. This was to be a time to remember how God brought them out of the wilderness into a promised land. They were told to build sukkahs, or temporary dwellings, to remind each other of how they dwelt in tents or temporary dwellings for 40 years in the wilderness. They were poor and had nothing and God brought them to The Promised Land and provided them with great blessings. 

This is a time to remember that all blessings come from God. 

They remember that God came down and dwelt among them in the tabernacle that He had them to design. 

He journeyed with them through the hard times in the dessert. 

He fed them and clothed them and protected them from their enemies. 

He provided water for them from a rock. 

On the eighth day of the feast they would leave their temporary dwellings and go back to their houses in the promised land. This would remind them of how God had kept His promises to provide for them and bless them as a nation. They were told to keep the holiday before God in thankfulness for the year’s blessings and abundance.

As Christians watching the Jewish people celebrate the past and learning from it, we can clearly see that God was showing them the future by commanding them to remember the past.  God is like that!  He shows up in unexpected ways and speaks without speaking.

All believers of God have much in common on this feast day.   When we study the scriptures with open hearts, the balance comes.  We begin to realize that all of God's people have a lot to learn from each other. 

Israel and America are both great nations with so many of their native people being servants of God.    Long ago the natives of Israel wanted to please God with all their hearts.  They wanted this enough to leave all that they found familiar.  They were willing to cross the sea and go out into a strange and dessert land in order to worship Him in the way that He chose to be worshiped. 

In such a similar way, the pilgrims in coming to America wanted to imitate Christ as much as possible and they loved Him with all their hearts.  They wanted this so much that they were willing to leave all that was familiar to them and cross a sea and go to live in an unknown wilderness-like place.  

Perhaps those early pilgrims who crossed the sea to come to America chose to celebrate the first Thanksgiving because they too had read about a great God who commanded His people to honor Him annually with their harvest. 

 More and more people are beginning to realize that our traditional American Thanksgiving very likely had its origins in this historical fall festival called Sukkot.  

In that first American Thanksgiving the very religious puritan pilgrims came before God to give thanks for helping them to survive their first very hard year in America.  Don’t you know they thanked God for the fact that they had food, had shelter and had been able to survive the very harsh conditions of the pioneer life that they had needed to live when they arrived on those golden shores?  It seems a lot like the children of God remembering their time in the wilderness and giving thanks for the Promised land.  As they were giving thanks for the first year of survival it is quite possible that one pilgrim might have pulled out a bible and read Leviticus 23: 39 and had a lot of heads nodding around the table and thinking they would follow the example of those brave Israelites and give God the glory for bringing them to the day of thanks and for furnishing a harvest from a harsh year in the wilderness that was America.

And so we come to The Season of Joy to begin our Thanksgiving.  We will worship God with all of our hearts and this will carry over to the time of thankfulness that our nation calls Thanksgiving.  It is an American holiday.  It is a good holiday.  It is a time to confirm all that God has shown us at The Feast of Tabernacles.  

OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - CHEAHA STATE PARK

ENJOYING FALL 

AT 

CHEAHA STATE PARK

(Writing and photography by 

Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Looking for a great place to take a fall picnic?  I would highly recommend Cheaha State Park at 2141 Bunker Loop, Delta, Alabama.  

The trees are changing colors and the air is crisp and fresh.  All you need to do is grab your picnic basket and a light jacket and come join the fun.  Please do remember to take a camera; the scenic views from this mountainous park are amazing.  This little slice of heaven is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and is the highest place in the State of Alabama.  It stands 2,407 feet above sea level. 

My husband and I had a free Sunday last summer and we packed up a picnic and headed toward Cheaha.  This turned out to be one of the most delightful day trips we have ever taken.  These are late spring/early summer photos and they are absolutely breath-taking; so you can imagine how lovely this place would be with fall foilage!  It is definitely worth the drive just to see the colors.

All people staying overnight are invited to register at the Gift Shop.  It is fun to browse around there.  I picked up a few post cards of the area.

The name Cheaha comes from the language of the Creek Indians who settled here long ago.  The word they used to describe the mountains was “Chaha” and it translates in English to “high place.”  The history of the Creek Indians who lived on this mountain is interesting and worth checking into when you have the chance.  A good place to start is right in this very park at the Walter Farr Indian Artifacts Museum.  This museum holds a collection of the artifacts of those who once made this part of earth their home.

The Talladega National Forrest surrounds this park.  It is full of hiking trails, scenic overlooks and beautiful waterfalls.  Adventures and events and family friendly activities are always happening here.  If you are just driving in for the day, you will not find a better bargain for a mini-vacation.  The day-use fees are only $3 per day and if you are 62 or over, only $1.    There are usually many choices of planned events taking place for all age ranges and interests in several areas of the park each month. 

Spring months of March, April and May are very beautiful on the mountain and this is a popular time for families and hikers. 

There is something planned for every occasion of each year, starting with St. Patrick’s Day when The Cheaha Mountain Restaurant goes green and serves Green Beer to their guest. 

On Friday nights before Easter you and yours can catch Family Night at The Bald Rock Lodge.  Marshmallows are roasted around a camp fire where the Easter Bunny appears during a puppet show that explains the history of how people lived back when the Bald Rock Lodge was a very famous restaurant and hotel in Alabama. 

On the Saturday before Easter there is a Kid’s Craft Session which is also held at the old Bald Rock Lodge.   Following that is a photo session with the Easter Bunny and an Egg Hunt with Easter Egg Races afterwards.  There are events scheduled on this day for all ages, not just the kiddies.  Great family fun abounds. 

On Easter Sunday there is an Easter Buffet where Easter Eggs are sure to be on each and every plate. 

In May the park celebrates the dedication and work of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps.)  There is a special museum that was created here just to honor these dedicated voluntary workers who help to make and keep the park a special place.  If you are looking for a place to make a difference, this organization is highly recommended.

In June there is a special Father’s Day Buffet.  This would be a great way to say how much you appreciate your Dad, as well as a good way to get your whole family outdoors and moving in the Alabama sunshine through the nature trails after lunch.

July and August are perfect months to enjoy Cheaha Lake for swimming and paddle boats as well as fishing.

Many people try to make this trip in the fall to see the lovely changing colors of the leaves. 

In September the XTERRA Alabama State Park 10K Trail Run is taking place.  The race starts on the street but leads into the woods.  Some of the adventures of this run include running through rolling hills, single tracks, double tracks, roots, and several technical sessions.  Everything about this trail is outside of the city and deep into nature.  If you have been running on concrete too long and wish for a pleasant change of scenery, this is the race for you.  More information can be found at:  http://www.dirtyspokes.com/cheaha-state-park/.

Also, in September there is a Chili Cook-off contest.  Do you make the best chili in your camp?  If you win this contest you get to stay at the Bald Rock Lodge for free for a whole weekend.  The old historical lodge is very interesting and intriguing.  It contains 12 bedrooms and can sleep up to 32 people.  People enjoy renting the whole lodge for special events and reunions.  Might be worth the effort to perfect that chili recipe and give the Chili Contest a shot!

September and October brings the celebration of beautiful fall foliage across the land.  Vans and busloads of people come to watch the changing of the colors and to enjoy hiking through the beautiful landscapes that are ablaze with the fire of fall.

November brings a popular Thanksgiving Day Luncheon.  It starts at Candyland Village where candy houses built by children from the area are on display.  The smell of frosting gets you ready for the beginning of the Christmas Season.

In December there are several good choices of things to do at The Cheaha Mountain Restaurant.   You can arrange to have breakfast with Santa, which includes breakfast or lunch and a photo session if you wish.  Also at the same restaurant, there is always a special Senior Day in December where seniors gather to meet and greet and sing carols and visit with each other while enjoying the park.  

Whatever you chose to participate in, there is nothing more pleasant than having your breakfast served in front of miles and miles of a scenic panoramic view as you sip your coffee and gaze out the huge window wall at the wonders of nature.  You will be sitting right on the edge of one of the tallest peaks in the state next to a completely glass wall.  A very popular question with first time guests to the restaurant is “Who washes these windows?” 

The wine from The Cheaha Mountain Restaurant comes from local Alabama wineries.  The Muscadine Wine from the nearby White Oaks Vineyard (in Anniston, Alabama) seems to be a favorite of the locals.  

New Year’s Eve is special here at the park.  On December 31st people gather at the highest point in Alabama to watch the Annual Turkey Drop.  You will be served hot chocolate and coffee and sparkling cider.  You can watch the Pinhoti turkey’s lighted ball descending from the tower.  You can learn to do the turkey trot dance and enjoy some special music and other activities.  The restaurant will be serving buffet breakfast from 11 p.m. till 2 a.m. for New Years, and all the greens and black-eyed peas you want during the next day for lunch.  Why not rent a cabin or chalet for this event?  Sounds like a lot of fun.

Come back again in February for Sweetheart Weekend.  If you stay at the lodge, you will receive a bottle of champagne for free and the Valentine’s Dinners at The Cheaha Mountain Restaurant are always very tasty.

 Schools and local small groups are encouraged to use the facilities for field trips.   If you contact a lady named Mary at the Museum, she can arrange a field trip for your group.  There are lots of things to do on a field trip at this park; including roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire while someone tells the stories and legends of the park, touring the museum, attending a puppet show that is full of good information for those seeking to enjoy the great outdoors, and history lessons galore.  You can take your group to climb to the top of the observation tower and you can do some group hiking.  There is a gem mine called The Pinhoti Mineral and Gem Mining Company, behind the store.  In this place you can search for precious gems. Reservations for groups may be made at:  Cheaha.event@dcnr.alabma.gov.  There are also educational sessions that will teach you how to make a pine needle basket available on request.  Children can build an edible candy cabin to take home with them from their field trips where they are taught to “think beyond what you see.”   There is also a popular Christmas Home School workshop held each December. 

We pulled into the swimming area that contained lots of picnic tables near a pristine little lake with a pier and beach.  There were restroom facilities on the property and trash cans and grills for public use.  There was a nice little kiddie play area with all kinds of things to climb and swing on.  There was also a large adult swing close to the beach near more picnic tables.  We paid the day fee through the honor system as we were there when no attendant was on duty that day.  We found a secluded little table near the entrance to the area near a small little waterfall made from the runoff water from the lake.

As we spread our feast on the table we noted that people were canoeing and using the paddle boats.  Some people had brought their own fishing boats and were quietly fishing on the other side of the little lake.  I imagined that this part of the park had not changed in centuries.  My husband told me he used to come there on picnics with his mother when he was a small child and everything still looked exactly the same.  There was a feeling of peace and contentment in the air.  I could have stayed in this little spot all day, just soaking up the sunshine and feeling the cool spring breezes that were blowing across the lush landscape before us.  It was easy to de-stress and relax here.

After our lovely picnic we drove out to The Bald Rock Lodge where we took a stroll on the Bald Rock Boardwalk Trail.  Unfortunately, the area is still recovering from devastation of a terrible tornado, but it was still beautiful in spite of many twisted and turned and broken trees. 

If you are a writer or an artist, there is gold here to be gleaned by what your imagination will tell you about the way these trees have survived and are still showing the green growth of spring underneath the brokenness. 

I’m sure the woods in this area have now recovered from this temper tantrum of nature by now, and you will never even know it happened.  Much beauty is still seeping through from the old and new beauty is popping out all over the land.  There are no words to describe the breathtaking view at the end of this scenic walk.  The fall of the year would give you an even more panaromic view.  I caught myself longing to stay at the Bald Rock Lodge one night, then wake up early for a walk at sunrise or even end the day watching the sun set from this spectacular peak.  It has to be a completely amazing experience.  Just the views from the middle of the day left me speechless with awe.

There are miles of mountain bike trails and many hiking trails in this park.  Rangers are on duty and doing their jobs well.  The quaint little swimming area with the small sandy beach and paddle boats for rent which I’ve already described are just a small part of the fun you will find here.  You can fish all you want in several places designated for fishing.  There are many scenic observation areas, the best being the observation tower that is at the highest point of the park. 

Campers are in heaven here – if you are a real and authentic camper you will not ever want to leave.   This camp has all the basics needed for modern camping, yet; everywhere you go you get that feeling that you have stepped back in time.  Things are quaint, lovely and simple.  Things are slow and peaceful and not so crowded.  The noise of the city cannot be found here.   If you prefer the more modern way of life there are comfortable chalets and rustic cabins for rent, as well as tent camping grounds.   There are also hotel rooms at the lodge near the restaurant, where you will find The Country Store, with all the necessities of life close by.

I just can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend.  Go and see for yourself!