This Week's Feast

Wow, it seems as though it has been months since we have feasted. It has not been that long. We have had sickness and travel and a few times we feasted with others in thier homes. It has been a while since I started my Monday with planning my menu for our Sabbath feast. I do this on Monday so I can plan through the week to make things a little easier on Saturday. We are in soccer season now, therefore I will not have my entire Saturday to cook and clean. This week we will be having guests. We are so excited. A year ago we bought a table with 9 leaves. We had a Mennonite man make it for us. Well, we do not have a dinning room and our kitchen was too small to pull it out. What did we do? We just spent the last two months having a wall knocked out and a little rearranging in the kitchen. The table can now stretch out and seat 18 to 20 people. We will have 17 people for our feast this weekend. I cannot wait. I will do a marinated London Broil because I found it on sale a few weeks back and have enough in the freezer to feed that many. I will do rosemary roasted potatoes, corn pudding, spinach salad and rolls with a flavored butter. For dessert I will do a Chocolate Toffee Trifle. Here are some of the recipes. If you want one that I do not post, let me know. I do not have time now to do them all. I will let you know through the week how I plan and prepare each day.

Sante Fe Soup

I have said before one way to make things a little easier to feast, is to do simpler meals during the week. This allows more time, money and energy for Sabbath feasting. Soups are great for this. You can through it in the crock pot and not think of it again. I usually double my soup recipes and have lunch the next day and freeze the left-overs. I did this one the other night for guests. Everyone raved over it.

1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
2 cans white corn drained
1 small can diced tomatoes
1large can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 chopped onion
1 1/2 lb browned ground beef
2 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
2 c. water

Mix together and simmer. I put it all in the crock pot.

Garnish:
Chopped green onions
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla chips

I served it with corn bread and it made a very filling meal. I have heard that Abondante Living sells a Tortilla Soup mix that is really good and VERY quick to through together.

Recipe

I promised a crab cake recipe. Here it is. I use the Old Bay Crab Cake Classic Mix. All you have to do is add mayonnaise. I used to search food tv for a great gourmet recipe, but I found this mix is delicious and a lot easier. My only suggestion would be to add maybe an egg or more bread crumbs because they tend to fall apart. If you are going to freeze them, just form your cakes, freeze them on a baking sheet, and them transfer to a plastic bag. I just pulled some out of the freezer this weekend, and they made great sandwiches. Enjoy!

Julie

Weekend Plans and Recipes

Once again my plans have changed for the weekend. We are back to feasting on Saturday night. Though, I will not be home to cook, so I will be using the crock pot. I plan on using one of the chickens I bought on sale this week. I will do a roasted root vegetable dish and creamy brussel sprouts. It will be a busy weekend. Isaac and Sarah Beth have a violin recital in the afternoon and we have family in town. But, with my trusty crock pot, I will pull it off.

Now for the chicken recipes I promised
* 1 roasting chicken, 4 to 5 pounds
* seasoned salt
* 1 onion, peeled
* 1 carrot, cut in 1-inch chunks
* 1 rib celery, cut in 1-inch chunks
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 cup fresh orange juice
* finely chopped green onion and parsley, for garnish

PREPARATION:
Wash chicken and rub with seasoned salt. Stuff cavity with onion, carrot and celery. Place chicken in shallow baking dish or on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast at 325° for about 3 hours (internal temperature should be about 375°).
Mix orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring cup. About 30 minutes before chicken is done, brush chicken generously with orange juice mixture. Brush again about 15 minutes before done. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and parsley before serving, if desired.
Roast whole chicken serves 6.




Roasted Sticky Chicken

* 1 large chicken -- (roasting)
* 1 cup onion -- chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 4 teaspoons salt

This should have been done last night: In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.


I plan on doing the Roasted Sticky Chicken this weekend. I hope you enjoy the recipes.