Can you keep a
secret? I've got the recipe for the original Crumpet Tea Room's Orange Rolls and
I just can't keep it to myself any longer! They foolishly put it in a cookbook
called
"Crumpet
Tea Room: A Unique Collection of Mealtime Treasures" along with several
of their most requested recipes like their heavenly chicken salad... sharing!
Crumpet Tea Room Orange Rolls 2 1/2 c. hot tap water
1/2
c. melted shortening
2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1/2 c. powdered milk
1/2
c. sugar
3 heaping T. fast active dry yeast
6 c. flour
In large mixing
bowl, add the first 3 ingredients. Mix for two minutes with dough hook beater.
Add next 4 ingredients and continue to blend. Slowly add remaining flour until
mixture is blended well and not sticky to the touch. Cover and let double in
size. Punch down and roll dough out long and narrow to 1/4 inch thick. Spread
thin layer of orange frosting over dough. Roll up and cut in 1 1/2 inch rolls.
Place in greased pans. Let rise to top of pans and bake at 375 degrees for 18
minutes or until golden brown. Makes 20 large rolls.
Orange
Frosting
1 c. soft margarine
2 c. granulated sugar
1
orange
Cream margarine in mixing bowl until soft and smooth. Add sugar, juice
from one orange and grated peel of orange. Blend well.
Crumpet Tea Room Chicken Salad
4
c. cooked chicken, shredded
1 1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. sweet
relish
4 eggs, hard boiled and diced
3/4 c. Miracle Whip (or enough to
moisten mixture)
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve with tossed
salad, fresh fruit or in a sliced croissant.
Growing up, I didn't ever think of myself as being Southern. We were Midwesterners living in Missouri, the heartland. My Mother's staple meals were meatloaf, roast and yes, we ate a lot of Jello salads! When I'd visit my Grandma just 100 miles to the south, the table was always filled to capacity at mealtimes. In the middle of the table set an assortment of sweet and sour.. honey and sorghum, preserves and jellies, pickles and vinegar. Suppertime was a long, drawn out event that was prepared for and enjoyed. Long after the dishes were cleared, we'd set at the table and talk. I realize now that those conversations turned me into a Southerner. No matter where you go in the south, it's meat and three, plus a salad, rolls, dessert and sweet tea...
Shortening or vegetable oil, to fill a cast-iron Dutch oven half full
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper, divided
Rinse the chicken pieces and set aside. Heat the shortening or oil in the Dutch oven on high or to about 365 degrees. In a large bowl or brown paper bag, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Use the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper to cover each piece of chicken before dredging in flour or shaking to coat in brown paper bag. (Note: Additional salt and pepper, or dry Cajun seasoning, can be used on chicken pieces prior to flouring if a more savory chicken is desired). Make sure each piece of chicken is completely covered in flour. Test the oil to make sure it is hot by dropping a pinch of flour in the skillet. If the flour begins to sizzle, the temperature is right. Gently add all the chicken to the Dutch oven and clamp the lid on, reducing the heat to medium high, which should look like a gentle rolling boil. Check the chicken after about 15 minutes, bringing the bottom pieces to the top, rotating the top pieces to the bottom. At about 25 minutes remove the lid, increase the hit and turn each piece until it becomes a dark golden brown and the juices run clear. Remove each piece with tongs or a large fork and place on a large plate covered with paper towels or brown paper to soak up any excess oil, before moving to a serving platter.
Whisk canola oil, sugar, water, balsamic vinegar, and seasoning packets from ramen noodles in a bowl until thoroughly combined and sugar and seasoning packets have dissolved. Toss ramen noodles in a large salad bowl with broccoli slaw mix and green onions. Pour dressing over the salad and let stand 1/2 hour to 4 hours - shorter for crunchier noodles, longer for softer ones. Just before serving, toss salad again with cashews and sunflower seeds.
1/2 cup chopped country ham (I like a good Arkansas ham like Petit Jean)
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds fresh green beans, snapped
Brown the ham in the oil in a 3 quart saucepan. Then add the water, sugar, salt and bring to a boil. Add the beans and stir, then cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 25-30 minutes until beans are tender. Makes enough for 6 servings, 3 if they are green bean lovers!
1 stick butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1 large egg
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla or almond extract (almond is especially good with peach cobbler)
1 cup canned fruit, not drained (peaches, cherries, blueberries or blackberries)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a 2 or 3 inch deep 9 inch square baking dish. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, all of the sugar except one tablespoon, the egg, milk and flavoring, blending well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish over the melted butter. Dump the fruit in the center of the mixture and swirl it around the dish. (Don’t blend the fruit in entirely, but leave the “swirls” of fruit). Sprinkle the reserved teaspoon of sugar on top of the entire mix and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cobbler is golden on top.
When you first marry, you don't think much about the future. My mother in law said when she and Dad T first married, she had to wait until he got paid about two weeks later for her to join him at the air base in Salina, Kansas. They were married 66 years ago at the courthouse in Madison County Arkansas and for the most part they didn't have a plan. They just knew it was going to work!
You look into each other's eyes and not once are you worried about how you are going to pay your bills or where you will live. You just take a day at a time, then a month at a time and before you know it... 60 plus years have slipped by. The last few years have been the hardest, Dad's stroke changed everything. For the first time they needed help doing things. Fiercely independent, they are the lucky minority of seniors who manage well until they are almost 90.
It's not easy, but like everything else in their marriage, they have figured it out. Dad lives at the VA Nursing Home and Mom lives at Brookstone Assisted Living. Three times a week she goes to visit and his eyes sparkle when he sees her.
It's too early for Cupid to have had a hand in this romantic dinner that was planned as a surprise by nurses on the 5th floor, but only those with big ♥'s can plan something this sweet! Complete with flowers and a miniature wedding cake, a table for two was set up in the library. Big smiles, a few tears, just like that first day 66 years ago when they both said "I do"... and meant it!
