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Tag: southerncooking

REINVENTION QUEEN GOES VEGGIE CRAZY

As I promised, the blog will bring my readers more ideas on how to realize leftovers are treasures, pearls of cooking, and work relief while providing new dishes using what you have prepared. Waste Not, Want Not is my motto and stretching the food budget dramatically. Prices are out of sight, and no relief is in sight, so how do I go veggie crazy? Let us see.

Great Sauce for the Roasted Veggie Pizza

Let’s look at how the roasted veggies kept reinventing themselves into several dishes:

  • First, we enjoyed the freshly flat top grilled veggies with splashed olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, and seasonings (your choices). Our plate shows garlic shallot shrimp, pan seared with seasonings along with scrumptious grilled red snapper. We made a tossed salad with super greens, carrots, sugar peas, tomatoes, cucumbers and any fresh goodies we had. The image with the white plate shoes the grilled veggies.
  • Second meal, I made brown wild rice and heated the veggies (not cooked but heated) and combined the veggies and rice. This made a great lunch without any bother and was delicious and it seemed like a new taste combo. The image with the rice and veggies displays quick thinking and a tasty lunch is made in a few minutes.
  • Third meal, was created from a video my daughter sent the concept idea and since I had a lot of veggies left, I made the crustless roasted veggie pizza. It was a great hit. Since I don’t have permission to post the video, I will walk you through my version which was fantastic because the veggies had so much flavor already. This only took me a few minutes to prep. 1) In a sprayed 9 X 13 pan, I placed the grilled veggies on the bottom of the pan. 2) In a separate saute pan, I browned Jimmy Dean regular sausage and a drained can of fire roasted tomatoes with added Italian Seasoning. I removed any liquid after the meat was cooked. 3) I combined Panko seasoned bread crumbs and Grated Parmesan Cheese and sprinkled it over the veggies to form a second layer, 4) I added the sausage and tomatoes to the pan forming a third layer; 5) I spooned the Bertolli spaghetti sauce (amount is variable but just enough for flavor but not too much, I used 1/2 jar); 6) I spread and covered the top with Parmesan cheese in jar over the sauce and topped with grated Mozzarella cheese. 6) Baked at 350 degrees until bubbly approximately 30-40 minutes. It cut into squares easily and made a great reinvented dish which I will remember when we roast more veggies.
  • Added dish from this one. I had more sausage/tomatoes than I needed for this dish to I added a partial pkg (3/4) Taco Seasoning and about 1/3 cup water and mixed together with about 2 T sour cream and made a fantastic hot dip for chips. My husband loved this dip so it proves Waste Not, Want Not.
  • In summarization, we enjoyed freshly grilled veggies, had a great quick lunch with rice and vegetables (which I might add that I added some ham to my husband’s plate for protein), and a crustless, out of this world veggie pizza, and for an added plus a free dip using the leftover sausage and fire roasted tomatoes. It doesn’t take a restaurant chef to make reinvented food into wonderful meals for your family and friends.

This is some thoughts Reinvention Queen wants to leave with you. I didn’t go into what can be reinvented from the Snapper and Shrimp. When you cook, do like I do, think ahead, have your supplemental ingredients and seasonings at hand but so importantly, use what you have on hand. Flavors can be combined and seasonings are your friend. I will do a future blog post with my daughter who we have tagged Reinvention Princess since she amazes me with her creativity and ability to spark up the plainest food to make restaurant quality dishes. This is how we want to proceed with the blog in the summer so stay tuned. It is not so much recipes as a mental and fun exercise and experience of what we call “Playing with your Food”.

Until we cook again…..Arline Miller, Reinvention Queen of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location and author for credit references. (C) Copyright 2012-2023.

Reinvention Queen Meets the Meat…Meatloaf that is!

In this time when prices are high, we can get creative and try our hands at reinventing our meals/ingredients and stretch that frail dollar. I can eat leftovers if I reinvent them to “fool” me into thinking it’s not the same old same old. This week I had my creative fun making a great meatloaf into three meals and all three were excellent.

First, I love meatloaf and I have posted my meatloaf recipe several times and I am smiling as I just throw it together and don’t have a recipe per se.

Arline’s Meatloaf

2 lbs of ground chuck
1/2 Onion chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk
2-3 slices crumbled bread or hamburger buns
2 T. Minced Onions
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 splash hot sauce
1/3- 1/2 cup Catsup
1 heaping T. Bone Sucking Mustard (or substitute spicy brown mustard
1 T. onion salt
1 -2 T. Everyday Seasoning
Sea Salt and Pepper

Mix meat, onion, eggs, milk, and crumbled bread with seasonings listed in bowl until completing mixed together and make two loaves.Sprinkle Panko crumbs on top of loaves.Place in foiled casserole and top with onion slices and bell peppers and add catsup lines before placing in oven 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Meatloaf ready to be eaten with veggies, potatoes or by itself. What’s next?

Here is how I reinvent the humble but delicious meatloaf.

First, we make meatloaf sandwiches. I will admit I didn’t take this picture so we will give credit to https://www.meatloafandmelodrama.com/the-best-leftover-meatloaf-sandwich/

Our sandwiches looks so similar and it is a free meal to us. I usually slice or just warm a portion of the loaf in the microwave, but you can warm in a pan on top of the stove or air fryer. We cut a good slice, add whatever we want on ours and will use soft white bread or toast whatever bread is available. If you are counting, this is meal #2 of the same meatloaf. Also, a meatloaf sandwich gives the meatloaf a totally different taste by whatever condiments/relishes you add.

What is better than a spaghetti made from meatloaf? Have you tried it? I thought why not. I have made the vintage School Cafeteria Spaghetti and that was a hit with us. I wondered looking at that beautiful meatloaf and thought to myself, Why Not? Here is the third meal which was over the top good and took such a short time to prepare it that this idea will be a part of the reinvention process when I make the next meatloaf.

In a sprayed pan, I placed some spaghetti sauce from a jar after crumbling the meatloaf, adding a pkg of dried spaghetti sauce mix, a pkg of Italian Seasoning mix, and the rest of the spaghetti sauce as shown in the picture.

I cooked some thin spaghetti until al dente and placed over the meat mixture. I mixed the spaghetti and meat together and then added the cheeses I had freshly grated. The cheese is your choice. I used Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar Cheeses and they worked great, but it’s because I had them in my refrigerator. I baked them in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes but anywhere from 20-30 minutes is okay. This is a great way to have spaghetti without the fuss. You have already done most of the work making the meatloaf so why do a lot more. Waste Not; Want Not!

I wanted to give you even more hints on how to keep reinventing meatloaf especially if you find the beef on sale and make a large double meatloaf like I always make. Here’s a list:

  • Stuffed Bell Peppers by mixing the crumbled meatloaf with the other ingredients and stuffing in the prepared peppers.
  • Make soup easier by adding crumbled meatloaf .
  • Believe it or not….Tacos….Crumble meatloaf and add a packet of Taco Seasoning and make tacos so easy. It totally changes the flavor but adds another level.
  • Stir fry by adding Italian Sausage and vegetables. The added flavor of the meatloaf enhances the other ingredients.
  • Create your own reinvented meatloaf as I intentionally left some of my ideas off so you can figure them out.

Have fun, and we will reinvent more dishes in the near future. I have a lot of Reinvention Queen ideas already on the blog so go to Search menu on right and type in Reinvention Queen and have an adventure with food.

(C) Copyright 2012-2023 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced, if known, to original location/author for credit references.

SPRING WILL BRING NEW THINGS!

After so many posts and many years (2012 began this adventure), I have decided to revamp the blog in June 2023. It will be focused on a blog which will feature Reinvention Queen Ideas, collaborative blog messages with my talented daughter when we take on the kitchen with our diversified cooking and baking talents to come up with the creative dishes and meals. Also, I will maintain my inspirational blogs from all of these years because I see many of my readers visiting the library and pulling up “My Life As a Dumpling” or similar posts. Those posts will be there for you to access.

I want the blog to be more focused but entertaining but always informative and helpful to the many worldwide readers. In this interim before the new and improved version makes its appearance, I will be gaining information on how to develop partnerships and collaborations for the future. I hope to have guest bloggers as well as we move through topic blogs to enhance your experience as a loyal reader and follower.

I am so excited about the future and to brainstorm with my daughter on those times we get it going on and make the kitchen come alive with a mixture of Southern cooking as well as her healthy versions like her collard greens….they ain’t your Mama’s collard greens….But Oh So Good.

Look out, Missy and I love to cook with “A Little of This and A Lot of That”.

To give you a little hint, I recently made the best Southern Potato Salad and wondered how to make it last longer and taste just like I made it.

Keep visiting the blog, we will keep you updated as we move into the new version of Sipping Cups of Inspiration. Until We Blog Again, Arline Miller.

(C) Copyright 2012-2023 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material is sourced if known to original location/author for credit reference.

IF YOU COULD CREATE A PERFECT DAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

In most of our lives, we are conditioned to do what is laid out for us. If we work, we normally do basically the same for at least 5 -6 days. We develop routines, what time we wake up, what are our preparation regiments to get ready for work, what we eat or don’t eat prior to leaving. If you wrote down your routine for a week, you would find very little variance as we are mostly creatures of habit. In this blog message, I am going to take your mind out of this routine as it is beyond any of our control but how life determines what and when we do certain tasks. Let’s go down the creative and imaginative path for a detour.

Perfect Day for My Daughter and Her Dad. Outdoors and on Horseback.

First, let’s take work out of the equation so today is a free from work day. What would you do with your time? I made a list of questions to start the creative juices flowing:

  • What are things/hobbies/tasks you love to do? Try making a list of those items for us to review later in the blog.
    • I will start the thought process as I love to bake and cook. I love to write both poetry and books (I actually wrote three novels which I am proud that I didn’t quit and all of my author friends appreciate the effort behind this undertaking). I love to decorate and make florals. I love family and family gatherings and even though the pandemic has placed a dampening on those times, I am ready for this to resume soon. I love some travel but I am not a Traveling Mac for sure so this is a back step priority if you know what I mean.

Second, let’s actually delete things/events we don’t like to do:

  • I don’t like organizing but I love organized cabinets, closets, and drawers. I don’t enjoy lectures, some concerts, or outdoor activities. I don’t like to shop and/or browse. I never have; I probably never will. Yard sales don’t appeal to me at all. The next one will probably surprise you but I don’t like reading books. Ouch, as an author, this sounds ironic. For you to understand my unwillingness to sit and be still long enough to read a lengthy book, it has to be fast action, lots of twists and turns, mystery I feel I can solve quickly, and I have to have a page turner so that I finish it in a flash. That’s me, so what are your dislikes? I ask you to list your likes as well as your dislikes for a reason.

Third, let’s compare what you like and dislike as these lists will define your personality and from here we can move in our imaginary world for a day. If you have listed outdoor activities primarily as what you love, you may want to consider your perfect day doing one or more of outdoor trips, activities, and/or hobbies. If you love traveling, lots of people do, you may on your perfect day plan a trip and include the destination to provide this type of entertainment pleasure. If you love to shop, design a day around shopping and if you are a connoisseur of good restaurants, plan to eat at one of your favorites as an enhancement to your shopping experience.

I think you are moving into the creative realm, imagining what makes you happy and what you would avoid if you had the opportunity to choose. By opening your mind to the perfect day, you can tolerate the routine days much better by planning good activities and keeping your mind in a positive light. Even though you may not be able to actually have a perfect day, you will benefit from going through the mental exercise of planning the perfect day. Dream and the dream may come true. Plan and save for that perfect day as that becomes a precedent of organizing your thoughts, your budget, and your attitude. I wanted to give you some food for thought. Self help and building positive goals and seeing dreams come to reality are the best tools available.

Now for the deeper thought: It is great to dream and I am a realistic dreamer. I see Yes and I don’t see a lot of No’s. What I trust in is a strong faith in My Maker and Creator as God placed the creative side in me but He also placed the ability to realize the work and effort to make those dreams become a reality. Let’s Get Creative and Use those God Given Talents to Live Life; Love Life; and Live Life to the Fullest by Creating a Loving Environment.

(C) Copyright 2012 – 2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced, if known, to the original location and author for credit reference.

IT’S THE UNWRAPPED PRESENTS THAT BRING THE MOST JOY

Unwrapped Christmas Gifts


Yes, I had gifts so prettily wrapped and I loved them all.
A lot of thought went into them for my joy to befall.
Throughout the celebration of Christ’s birth
The love was obviously shared in its true worth.
What came to me some presents weren’t tied up with a bow.
Gifts of love come in all kinds of ways that love can glow.
It’s those best wishes, kind acts, giggles through the phone from those who are alone.
The thank you for what you do, the smiles and laughter from your children that send love to your bone.
It’s the gentle stranger opening the door to a old lady, the patience shown for others and more.
Think back over the holidays and you will begin to think like me.
Sometimes the love of Jesus gifts are not under the tree.
They are unexpected acts of unselfish love that others may see.
The gifts we do for no reason but amplify the reason for the season.
Give of yourself and love like Jesus without any personal reason.

Written by Arline Lott Miller with hopes that your Christmas was filled with love of Christ with thanks for His Eternal Gift to Us. 2022

This Christmas time, instead of the usual huge family gathering with the big Christmas dinner and as many of the family members who can come, was different and we still have our upcoming time with one of the sons and his family in the next couple of days. We split time between the oldest son and his family with a BBQ sandwich some fixings and a big spread of desserts. It was so much fun but different that the usual gathering.

Then, Saturday Missy, my daughter came over for the weekend and we had a huge time in the kitchen as I told her I would be her Sous Chef so Saturday was our Mexican Cuisine theme with Missy’s homemade enchiladas, both cheese and chicken cheese filled and the enchilada sauce she made from scratch, Street Corn which I made, Missy’s famous guacamole and fresh mango and pomegranate salsa, and we made black beans and rice too.

I may have duplicated some slides as my mouth was drooling but onto Christmas day dinner. We bypassed the traditional dinner and went Surf and Turf with Greg grilling his famous ribeye steak that melts like butter, Missy pan seared Scallops with assistance from her Sous Chef in prep, Grandma’s cheesy green chilies bread (not really our Grandma but we would gladly adopt her), my pan sautéd green beans, Missy’s homemade Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and desserts Missy’s Blueberry Delight so if you think we missed traditional, no way.

After all the food, entertainment, gift exchanging, cleanup, yes that was part of it and then it was over. Our loved ones who had dropped in, visited and left, the poem you see at the beginning inspired me. I remembered all of the unwrapped gifts of love that were showered. They are too many small gestures of love given and received. Love for Jesus was shown in large quantities, understanding that we have to be flexible as life isn’t always about just us, and compassion for those who could use some love at this time. I will cherish this different kind of Christmas and this poem. I hope all of you had a great Christmas and we wish you a Wonderful New Year.

As a side note and a preface to a future blog post, my husband had a big surprise that is deserving of its own post as I feel a life lesson and it has inspired me to write it separately, but I will post it soon as it is a heartwarming story. Stay tuned my reader friends.

(C) Copyright 2012-2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party Material is sourced, if known, to original location/author for credit references.

SIPPING CUPS OF INSPIRATION NEEDS YOUR HELP/DONATION

First, have you enjoyed the blog this year and want to see more of it in 2023? If so, please go to the Donation Page at the top menu bar. Whatever amount you can donate to keep the blog going since it takes funds to pay for the expenses, not revenue. I will have to pay publishing costs and I need the readers to pitch in instead of me having to charge for subscriptions.

Christmas is the time for giving and I hate to ask and I had hoped clicks on the ads would suffice to take care of the publishing costs. If you can’t, I understand but at the same time I would hope you would understand if I can’t continue paying all of the expenses to give others inspiration.

Have a Happy New Year with a Merry Christmas to All!

Thanks, from my heart and your wallet, Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration.

WHAT’S UP WITH GUACAMOLE AND LIFE?

Most of my followers/readers have become acquainted with how my daughter and I love cooking together. Mind you, we are very different styles of chefs with me being more traditional and very in tune with remaking and recreating dishes from the original ones. Missy, on the other hand, has a tendency due to her independent nature to go a little rogue. She may look at a recipe and say to herself, I think I will do this or that, or change the entire recipe to satisfy her individual taste. Both of us love to cook and we love to brainstorm about how we each like this or that and that brings me to the focus of this blog. The title WHAT’S UP WITH GUACAMOLE AND LIFE has to bring questions as to the meaning of this message.

While Missy and I were discussing our upcoming Christmas get together which will be different from previous years of traditional feasts of every Southern dish and most of our families being present, we brainstormed about many future posts but while discussing the idea of Mexican food being a possibility for this meal, the topic of Guacamole came up.

There was a time in my life that I had a personal preference of aversion to the soft consistency of the avocado. Even though I learned the healthy benefits from the green soft ingredient, I shied away from it. It was only after my daughter who used to live in both Colorado and California and thrived on adding avocados in many dishes, made her Guacamole Dip for me and my husband. My response was “this is amazing” with the fresh cilantro and all of the ingredients and seasonings. I was hooked on this green stuff and have asked many times for her to make some.

She said something important while we discussed adding Guacamole to our upcoming menu. She and one of her dear friends, Teresa were discussing food and Missy remarked that as many times as she made this dish, she could not remember two times that it tasted exactly the same. Granted, Missy shoots from the hip, when she is making the same dish. Barring this fact, she told me while she was repeating what she and Teresa were talking about, she said the topic words about Guacamole “It all depends on each ingredient and how they can variate at any given time.” You will see how we think these ingredients can apply to our lives and people/friends/family and the effect the variations can have and what we can do to end up with a successful Life Dip courtesy of the Guacamole effect.

Here is how we know that each ingredient can be different:

  • Avocado can differ in ripeness and texture. No two avocados are exact copies of each other, similar to each of us and our personalities with distinctive flavors and textures. Maybe some of the stiffer ones can use some softening by mixing more (giving more attention to loosen them for a smoother mixture). If they are too soft or already too ripened (experienced or like we say more baggage) we may have to lighten up on the amount of added mayo or additional stress.
  • Cilantro can be stronger or milder at the time of acquisition. It can be a good flavor enhancer or overpower the entire dish. Isn’t this the same with people? Some people are more timid or even bullish. The secret is to smell or sample a little of the cilantro (don’t jump too fast in a relationship but test the relationship to know how much involvement you want to have)and decide how much to place in the guacamole. You can always add more but if you add too much in the beginning, it is hard to adjust later. In other words, in life, take it slow and know how much is enough or too much.
  • Lemon and Lime as both make the best guacamole but one question to ask…Why do we need both? Why wouldn’t either one alone be enough? This one is interesting to me as this comparison is very applicable in life. If we have friends who could be twins, who like the same activities/faith/philosophies, we don’t have that mixture component. Actually the lemon/lime are enhancers of the other ingredient and makes the better flavor. One without the other might be acceptable but together they complete that unique combination. In life, we should welcome the variety and partnership of different interactions.
  • Onions….how could onions play a part in life the same way they add the strong but sometimes sweet flavor in Guacamole? Life needs some spark or excitement. Bland lives as well as bland food can get boring. This brings me back to Missy’s words about how she can used the same ingredients and the finished guacamole, even though quite tasty, can be slightly different in flavor due to an onion being sweeter or stronger, and it even being smaller or larger in size can have an effect. People are different, relationships can be better or worse due to outside factors which we may or may not have control. Unless an onion is super sweet, it is hard to eat raw onions and that is life’s need for us to be able to adapt when something is not the same. ADJUST, ADAPT, OR AVOID!
  • Seasonings are important, more or less, some or none, and taste to see how it blends and what and how much needs to be changed/enhanced to make it delicious. In life, relationships and friendships should be considered to see if we have added the proper seasonings or is it time to change some of the habits or attitudes to make the relationship as attractive and desirable as before. Keep it fresh so that your seasonings of life stay tangy and appealing as you remember the first time you met.
  • Mayo, I purposely left it to the end for a good reason. This is the most important step in making fantastic guacamole. Too much of a good thing or if you want to look at it in a different light, a bad indulgence can spoil all of your prep, all of your selection of the freshest and best ingredients. Too little of a needed ingredient can make for dry and dull and a less desirable dish or as we have referred to the comparison of life. Life and relationships, friend or romantic, work or family oriented, and faith is a recipe and whether you follow all of the instructions, you have to use good judgment in applying the ingredients (people) to maximize the satisfaction of blending all that you do to give you a happy life. Consider the prep, making sure you buy ingredients that blend with your tastes as well as though who will be dining with you, take pride in the process, and give it your undivided attention. Bon Appetit!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeviniscooking.com%2Fsimple-guacamole-recipe%2F&psig=AOvVaw0uSLOPYuSiBB5vP1WiP5Sg&ust=1671470760730000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA4QtaYDahcKEwjQh9X314P8AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw

Here is my daughter Missy Haas at my last book signing. The best ingredient God gave me in the form of the sweetest and talented daughter and my friend.

(C) Copyright 2012 – 2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material/photos are sourced if known for credit references.

WHY OR WHY NOT, FRUITCAKE?

This year and for several years, it seems the world has become fruitier than a fruitcake, with so many changes in our lives I thought I would buy a small fruitcake and I know what most of you are thinking….Why even buy fruitcake? I thought about this possible reaction. I happen to be one who loves fruitcake and I try to be flexible in all the topsy-turvy world, still holding to my personal value and being true to myself. Whether you love or hate fruitcake, try to see humor in all the nutty, fruit filled days in 2023. It’s coming soon to your neighborhood.

NOTE FROM ARLINE: Merry Christmas to All and I decided to bake an Orange Slice Cake instead of the fruit cake to hope 2021 will be a better year. I wish you and your family a safe and prosperous New Year as well.

I watched a video from Cooking with Brenda Gantt who showed us how to make this cake. For the recipe go to Cooking with Brenda Gantt on Facebook. Be sure to follow her as she is a talented cook and great spirit.

FRUITCAKE SEEMS TO FIT THIS YEAR with all of the craziness going on in our country and our world. It seems the entire human race has become fruity and early this morning this inspiration came to me. It may seem satirical but I am known to be a little brassy and sassy and even a little fruity so let’s bite right into this subject.

When we were little, the Christmas Fruit Cake was a great treat for us so I have never understood the adversity to the fruit. We would have to wait after Momma baked her fruitcake, packed it with sliced apples, and wrapped it in cloth (later became foil). It seemed like the longest days before that luscious smell in the oven to actually getting a piece. We all stood round when she finally cut into it for her approval of her baking skills. She would say, “This is a good one or “We need to let it mellow longer” which was not the news we wanted to hear. Even if she was going to let it sit as she called the time we were waiting, she would give us a sample. Keep these words in mind as I move through this thought process. I will refer to this time again.

Momma’s Fruitcake

1 lb. Candied Pineapple                                    1 cup Self-Rising Flour

1 lb. Candied Cherries                                       1 cup Plain Flour

6 cups Pecans                                                       1 t. each vanilla & lemon extract

1 cup sugar                                                            1 cup chopped dates               

1/2 lb. margarine melted (butter for me)    1 cup golden raisins

5 large eggs

1 can Angel Flake Coconut

Chop fruit and nuts in large container. Pour coconut, sugar, flavoring, and beaten eggs over fruit. Add melted butter and mix. Add flours over mixture and mix until wet. Bake in lined pan (Momma used wax paper but modern times have other options) at 275 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. 

Note: No mention of the apple slices placed on top of cake and wrapped. To be kept unopened for several days until it becomes moist.

History of the Fruitcake

A traditional Easter Simnel cake

The earliest recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added.[citation needed]

Fruitcakes soon proliferated all over Europe. Recipes varied greatly in different countries throughout the ages, depending on the available ingredients as well as (in some instances) church regulations forbidding the use of butter, regarding the observance of fast. Pope Innocent VIII (1432–1492) finally granted the use of butter, in a written permission known as the ‘Butter Letter’ or Butterbrief in 1490, giving permission to Saxony to use milk and butter in the Stollenfruitcakes.[2]

Starting in the 16th century, sugar from the American Colonies (and the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits) created an excess of candied fruit, thus making fruitcakes more affordable and popular.[3]

Here is what I perceive has been going on in our lives and how fruity we have become.

  • We want things in life to be “sweet” even if it goes against any healthy reasoning or moral values, manners, or traditions and we are asking people to accept anything that has that “sugary” feeling.
  • We see videos over and over on the cat-dog, pig-dog, cats-horses, etc and we want to believe that all animals accept all animals can live in harmony and on the surface, it seems so beautiful but nature is nature and we have to stop and consider the safety of each species. It is not a given that all creatures get along and we have to consider the rule of nature and take precautions to prevent injury to either one.
  • Some people just don’t like fruitcake. I personally love it but have to eat a small piece now for health reasons but I have seen so many people go “Ugh! How do you eat fruitcake? I can’t stand it.”

For all of you who want more of Fruitcake Trivia, I found an interesting article that is too lengthy for me to add in this blog. Here is the link to the article

15 Fun Facts About Fruitcake

Click on the link above to take you to the article for your reading pleasure.

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This brings me to my focus of this message.

No matter how much you blend, chop, mix, and/or bake, some people are never going to like fruitcake and that my friends is society in a fruitcake. You can preach, beg, threaten, or try to convince people and if they don’t like it, they don’t like it. We need to stop saying we believe in inclusion and acceptance and then tell the others they can’t say this or they can’t say that. That is not acceptance……that is bullying! We all have preferences and some like fruitcake and others prefer pound cake or pie or neither. My point is that even though I personally like fruitcake, I can understand others not liking it. I can see their side and accept that side. I don’t however, feel I have a right to push fruitcake on them. I personally don’t like raspberries very much so I would prefer someone understanding my dislike. I wouldn’t have a problem with others eating raspberries and I think this is the true meaning of inclusion and acceptance. In our society, we could benefit from agreeing to disagreeing but never demanding that the other one has to say “I love fruitcake” when they don’t. Get my drift?

As I promised to return to the period of “curing” time for Momma’s fruitcake and it contains a wonderful lesson in life. Thank you Mom! Here is my interpretation: Mom’s cake would have been good when she took it out of the oven. As children, we would have gobbled it up immediately but Momma was wise and knew it needed that quiet time, that curing time, that sweetening time. Waiting while it matured in flavor, we were impatient and wanted what we wanted right then but the lesson we were taught was the following:

“Anything worth having or accomplishing is worth the time that it takes to happen in the right way. Success cannot be impulsively demanded but has to have the mellowing and adding that extra ingredient to complete perfection.”  (these are my words but could have been delivered by Mom during our waiting time).

I leave you with this final thought: Life is not just a pound cake, fruitcake, cookies or even pie. Life is a continual meal and has to be prepared on a daily basis.

LIVE LIFE, LOVE LIFE, AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST by adding ingredients and mixing it up with some fun ingredients.

(C) Copyright 2012-2022 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location if known for credit reference.

The Fun Is In The Kneading.

My last message was inspired by learning a new method for me in making homemade yeast rolls and how the dough had to be punched down with the analogy of how life works. As a curious soul and a serious baker, I decided to override my intimidation of yeast and go for some yeast rolls which my family loves. I had a great experience which proved very satisfying so I will share my experience.

I love to watch other cooks and bakers’s videos and I happen to see Mountain Cooking with Missy and guess what she was making. Yes, homemade yeast rolls. To watch the video, go to her page on Facebook and look for the video for Hot Baked Rolls or a similar title. She does a great job of simply instructing us through what seemed hard to do previously. I don’t have permission to share the video on here at this time. If I get the okay, I will edit this post to include the video. She doesn’t have a written recipe so I watched a couple of times and assembled the ingredients. I paused several times and it worked for me. I am including photos.

This is so exciting to know how to make yeast rolls and I am sure that practice will make perfect or at least close to perfection. What I want to share are my personal thoughts on actually experiencing how this analogy works with some added enlightenments I experienced.

I was interested in the blooming of the yeast and it seemed to come alive (actually does become active) and I referenced it to life beginning as our bodies and minds develop, we become active and begin to “grow” as the yeast did in the glass with the sugar. It occurred to me that it needed the sugar to help it activate and in life don’t we need love or as I like to say “sugar”?

I prepped the liquid of milk and softened butter as instructed and then added the magical yeast with an egg. I stirred and stirred until it was mixed and as I did so, I thought of how we mix family, friends, school, romance, and together they work as a future rising star. I cannot express the childlike anticipation I felt peeping under the dish towel that draped the unknown yeast but as I watched (periodically checking) it grew and you can see in one of the pics, it rose and rose. It is the same in life when we strive toward a goal, relationship, and or career. It is with excitement but can include stress too. We swell with pride upon success and we will get punched down a few times or even many before we can become what we strive to be.

The kneading was the most gratifying part of the process. The feel of “my dough” under my fingertips was so much fun. I see why my friends have love to make yeast dough. It is like a potter spinning the clay and watching the art become a reality.

I can go on and on with how much insightful this experience was and will be in the future as now yeast rolls and bread making is my new friend. This is relevant in life as we should never get stale in our relationships, religion, friendships, and our careers. We should be willing and actually enjoy the kneading required for each of these. The bread of life has to be kneaded properly or it will not be flakey and delicious as it can be.

(C) Copyright 2012-2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material and photos are sourced to the original author and location, if known, for credit references.

KNEADING THE BREAD OF LIFE

I have been so pleased with the response to one of my posts My Life As a Dumpling which has proven to be one of the most popular blogs. While I was watching its popularity, I was also a student of desire to accomplish making yeast rolls/breads. For someone who will keep trying with the mentality of I think I can, yeast rolls have not been a success for you…..YET!

I began researching and observing the baking/cooking groups I belong for hints, the ultra secret, the magical tip, etc. What I found was interesting so another attempt will soon be coming. As most of you know that have followed me, is I apply everything to everyday life and at 4 am one morning the enlightenment came and now it is time to share it with my readers. If any of you have not tried to make yeast “something” you should. You will see the relationship with my blog post of The Bread of Life.

Basic Sweet Yeast Dough Recipe
I have provided a link to this recipe Courtesy of Chocolate by Grace.

When the dough has risen, punch dough down with a floured hand and shape and bake as desired.

I borrowed this instruction as the basis of my analogy of making yeast dough to life. One of the times I attempted to make yeast bread, I was so proud of the rise the yeast dough had made, I forgot this important step…In order for the final product to process and make the dough the best it can be, it has to be punched down, right, all of you best bread bakers? I thought about this and my daughter reminded me something I had said to her many times. Success is a result of many small failures. So the punching down may be a little overwhelming, it is part of the process.

In life, and in yeast bread making, some recipes require two or even three punch down tasks. Shortcuts to success are usually shortcuts to failure and it takes patience to wait for the dough to rise. Life works that way. Once in a while, we will see what appears to be instant success but if you study those successes, it was the result that seemed instant and a lot of time and patience with several punch downs taking place that gave the true success.

Now, let’s talk about another important step in making yeast dough, KNEADING. Here is another place or step that I failed. I am not a person who has a lot of patience and some would testify that I may not possess any of that beautiful talent. I want everything I do to be resolved, completed, and successful in a second or maybe two. That doesn’t work in breads. You can do the prep, the mixture, the perfect rise and yes, even the punch down and the second or third rise, but if you skip the proper kneading you won’t have the successful end result. I will provide how important the kneading is to the process.

I found a great article that is linked below with some excepts/pictures:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/kneading-dough-bread-baking-for-beginners-427562

Why We Need to Knead

The reason kneading is an important part of bread making is to create structure and strength in the dough, leaving it silky and soft with a little cushiony feel. Flour contains two proteins that combine to form gluten, which is responsible for creating the elastic texture in the dough. After the dough ingredients are mixed, the proteins are in a random pattern and knotted together. When the dough is kneaded, the proteins begin to line up in such a way that strands of gluten develop and create a structure that allows for the trapping of gases and the dough to rise.  

This is how we should see success in yeast baking. We should also see success in our lives if we are willing to do the work. If we get punched down, remember we will rise again!

I have some more thoughts about comparison of life with everyday events and processes. If we understand, some learning curve is necessary and practice makes perfect, we get life. LIVE LIFE, LOVE LIFE, AND LIVE TO LOVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST BY ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES AND RISE TO THE TOP.

(C) COPYRIGHT 2012-2022 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration and Reinvention Queen with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material including photos are sourced to the original location and author, if known, for credit references.

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