Meals with a Message

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Chocolate Pie Crescents with meal


Menu
Baked Chicken in barbecue Sauce
Green Peas and onions
Orange Slices
Rice
Chocolate Crescents
Tea
Tip: Use a sweet orange for slices. Wash outside skin with salt water to remove any residue or germs from handling.
Food for Thought: Give and it shall be given to you. Luke 6:38aLB
Meal Preparation: Wash chicken in salt water to remove any bacteria. Dip in sauce and bake at 350 degrees for 30-30 minutes or until done. Add cocktail onions to green peas and cook. Use chicken broth to cook rice. Usually takes 2-30 minutes. Serve meal with orange slices. Chicken provides protein. Peas, onions and orange slices provide vitamins and minerals. The crescents and rice are carbohydrates. Diabetics should eat sparingly.
Recipe for Chocolate Crescents:
Pastry:
2 cups plain flour
2/3 t. Salt
1 T. Sugar (optional)
2/3 cup shortening
1 egg
3 T. Milk
Cut flour, sugar, salt and shortening together. Add egg and milk; stir well.
Divide into thirds and roll between 2 pieces of wax paper. Use a fluted pastry cutter or saucer about 4-6" in diameter and cut circles.
Chocolate filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. Cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup cocoa
1/4 confectioners sugar
Mix cocoa and cornstarch. Add sugar to cornstarch mixture. Add milk and egg yolks to sugar mixture. Blend well with whisk. Pour into a microwave bowl and cook on high for 4 minutes. Stir and check for thickness. Cook 2-4 minutes longer if needed. Cool before filling pastry circles. Use 1 T. Of filling and drop onto pastry circle. Fold over into crescent or half-moon shape. Flute edges with a fork or pastry flutter. Whisk lightly the egg whites. Brush whites onto crescents. Bake for 20 minutes in 350- degree oven. Sift confectioners sugar over tops of crescents. May use small patterns for designs like leaves or apples. Yields: 24 crescents

Monday, September 11, 2006

Apple Pie with Meal




Suggested Menu:
Baked Chicken
Turnips greens
Sweet Potatoes
Corn Bread
Apple Pie

Tip:
Apples will not turn dark if placed in 5 t. salt to 1 qt. water as peeled, 1 t. lemon juice or ascorbic acid.

Food for Thought:
Get in the habit of inviting guests to dinner.
Romans 12:13 LB


Family Meal Planning



From the Nutritionist: Apples:

Apples are plentiful this time of year. Some you will find in the markets now are Golden Delicious, Gala, Jonathan, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty and Red Delicious.
The Golden Delicious apples are tender, sweet and juicy. You can make pies or bread or eat raw. Gala apples are orangeish-red and are used for drying. You can make pies and bread from these. Jonathan apples are tender but tart. They are better for cooking. Granny smith are green and very tart and crisp. They are used in cooking but can make salad with mixed with other foods or dressings. Rome Beauty is a red apple that is often used in ciders and jellies. Red Delicious is very good raw or in salads. This is the kind of apple to pack in children’s lunches. All are high in Vitamins A and C. There is a saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. The vitamins are effective in fighting infections and illnesses.





Diabetics
Since diabetics are always looking for diabetic recipes with out sugar, try preparing desserts with unsweetened applesauce. Substitute the sugar in a recipe for sugar alternatives. Diabetics should eat 2 cups of fruit a day. Fruit provides vitamins and minerals.

Soul Food

Historically, Soul Food is the diet foods of African Americans. The southern tradition was collard greens, legumes like dried beans or peas, dried fruits and root vegetables like white and sweet potatoes. Their cooking consisted of lots of salt. Modern African Americans watch their diets because of high blood pressure and diabetes. People need to eat 4-1/2 cups of vegetables daily. Sweet potatoes are excellent sources of our nutrients. A sweet potato has magnesium, potassium, vitamins B and C and provides fiber. Sweet potatoes should be stored in a food storage container in a cool place, but not refrigerator; will keep a month.







Recipes

Baked chicken

1 whole chicken
1 c water
¼ c oil
salt
pepper

Remove giblets. Wash and pat chicken dry. Rub chicken with oil, salt and pepper over inside and out of chicken. Place in covered cooking dish or slow cooker. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until chicken is done. Serves 6

Greens

3 c greens
1 turnip
1 slice of ham
water
salt

Chop turnip and add to greens with water, salt and ham. Cook for 20 minutes or to desired tenderness. Serve warm. May garnish with hard cooked eggs. Serves 6.


Sweet Potatoes

Wash and dry potatoes. Rub with oil. Place in microwave and bake for 3 minutes per potato. Serve with corn oil margarine or unsalted butter.

Cornbread

2 c self-rising corn meal
¼ c oil
¾ c milk
1 T sugar, optional
1 egg

Mix cornmeal, oil, milk, egg and sugar, if desired. Pour into a seasoned and greased cast iron skillet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Apple Pie:

7 cups sliced apples
2/3 cup apples juice
1 T. honey
1 T. molasses
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 T. cornstarch
4 T. butter or margarine

Combine juice, honey, molasses, cinnamon and cornstarch. Heat until thickened. Place apple slices in an unbaked pastry shell and pour sauce over top. Dot butter on top or may melt butter and spread evenly over top. Add pastry topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Yummy and different!

Pastry:

2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup oil
1 egg
1T. Honey
3 T. milk

Mix ingredients and roll out the size of the pie pan. Line pie plate. Use remaining dough to cut shapes with a cookie cutter for topping.