Mary - do you think this will work in my bread machine?? usually I add first the liquid and then the dry mixture to the machine. I can also add nuts and fruits that are added automatically at the right moment to get incorporated into the dough. I make raisin bread that way.

I don't know why it wouldn't. It would be interesting to try. There is special yeast for bread machines?? Don't know that it matters. The traditional way of activating the yeast by putting in warm milk spurred the development of instant yeast that does well without this step. I use it all the time no matter what method I use.

I use just normal yeast in the machine. I will have to try it

Is I almost time to start gardening. I'm tired of winter already.

At least the salad greens, romaine, and herbs I planted in my three Aerogardens a couple of days ago have germinated. I will console myself with those til March or April when things start 'heating up' with the pots and begonias that need to be pulled out to the garage. Actually to have begonias I need to pot up the begonias about mid to late February.

Tom, I am indeed sorry for you loss. Dad (my best friend all my life) died 18 years ago on Dec 16 so it was a tough Christmas. But I knew he was at rest and peace so that made it all okay.

Love to you all,
Mary

Merry Christmas
We had a quiet Christmas dinner yesterday but it brought back memories of how excited our boys used to get when "the day" finally arrived and it was no different with Ava.




First she showed us where "Cherry", the Christmas Elf was hiding and after dinner she went outside with her mom and dad to put reindeer food on the ground so the reindeer could eat. She said that they could smell the food from over 100 miles away




I think Chris is going outside early this morning to maker it look like the reindeer ate the food.




Ava has her own little Christmas tree set up next to the big one in the living room and yesterday she asked me if Santa would leave any "small" gifts under her tree. I told her I am sure he would. When I asked her if she was going to lever cookies for Santa she said that he would have to come in through the front door because they didn't have a chimney. Children are priceless.




Waiting to hear her open up the door to tell us that Santa did leave her presents.




You all have a great Christmas day.

Several years ago I 'played' Tooth Fairy" to the neighbor's child. They had forgotten to leave a quarter (or whatever tooth fairies leave these days) and they needed a letter from her explaining the lapse. I typed up a letter on my computer, printed it in colored ink (lavender) on pink paper and signed it with sparkly ink. I guess he bought it. The northern tooth fairies had gotten the flu and I had to do double duty and was sorry to have been late.

This year, that same boy, now 13, brought his little brother and sister's letter to Santa and asked if I would write a response as they would know if it were their parents. Questions included how could he tell if a (sic) kid was naughty, could he read minds, how many times had he been around the world, did the have their very own elf to look over them. They left two small pieces of note paper and I wrote on them (printed as they don't teach children to read cursive any more I guess). I told them "no" they didn't have a elf of their own. That God had already assigned an angel to that duty. And there were no naughty children, only things good children did sometimes that weren't what they should do; but I loved them anyway as I knew they were trying hard to do only nice things. Etc. How the heck should I know what Santa would say. But I loved it. Kyle came back for the letter and asked about some of the responses and seemed happy with them. I had no family here for years and this one adopted us so we still get the warmth of seeing Christmas and such through their eyes as they grow. Been here for each birth too.

Bread is raising in the oven and just having my coffee. Merry Christmas to you all - my dear ATP friends.
Mary Stella

That is a wonderful story, Mary Stella -- you should think about writing children's books ! Hope you have a great day

that might be an idea. Maybe one story about the tooth fairy. with lots of illustrations to make up for the lack of words (drat cannot think of the correct 'word' for words.)

Would you say you're at a "loss for words" ?

A rare occurrence. And the word was narrative. ah haaaa.

for those up for a real challenge, here are the two recipes from my Grandmother-in-law, Mary Sobeleski Somonivich (she was born in New York but her parents were born in Poland. This is the same cookie. Needs enough flour to make it easier to handle but not dry, and very thin as it puffs up in the oil and can be too thick.

Well, it is truncating the recipes. Don't know why. Oh. When you open it, make it bigger, the entire recipe is there.

Kruschiki

Polish Mary 1

Polish Mary 2

Mary--thank you so much for this recipe. I have an old recipe from an aunt that called them "Polish angel wings", but sound very similar. I haven't made them in years. I loved them as a child (and an adult). Every time we go back to Chicago, I buy some from the Polish bakery. My Grandpa (who was Lithuanian) also brought them for me all of the time when I was younger from one of the neighborhood bakeries.

I think I need to make these again....I so miss the bakeries of my childhood in Chicago.

What a great recipe, Mary, and so much fun to see that someone saved them. I love all the shows on our educational channel that highlight the old recipes that were tradition fir the different nationalities.

Mary - Great recipe and it's nice to see that your grandmother in law wrote down the amounts.
Some of the recipes in Deb's cookbook that were handed down by her mom mother had only the ingredients and not the amounts so Deb had to experiment making the same recipe over and over again until she thought is was right.

Homemade hamburger buns
http://cubits.org/recipedujour...

great recipe. I printed it and will try it come summer

I just received this from my SIL and I thought some of you might be interested in it


Hi!

I am participating in a collective and hopefully tasty experiment. You have been invited to be part of a *winter recipe exchange*. I hope you will participate! Please send a recipe to the person whose name is listed as position 1 below (even if you don't know him or her). The recipe should be something quick, easy and without rare ingredients. Actually, the best recipe is the one that you know off the top of your head and can type now. Don't agonize over it, it is one that you make when you are short on time :)

After you send the recipe to the person in position 1 (and only that person), copy this letter into a new email, move my name into position 1 and your name into position 2. Only our names should show when you send your email. Send to 20 friends (blind copy). If you can't do this within 5 days, let me know so that it will be fair to those participating. You should receive 36 recipes. It will be fun to see where they come from!



Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas. Turnaround is fast because there are only 2 names on the list and you only have to do 1 recipe!







[email protected]
[email protected]

I made this as part of our Christmas appetizers and it was a big hit

5 to 6 slices of rye bread, divided
3/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef or pastrami (shaved)
1 cup rinsed and well-drained sauerkraut
3/4 cup dill pickles, chopped
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
4 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing



Butter a deep (11x7x3-inch) baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut 3 to 4 pieces of the bread into cubes so that you have 2 cups of bread cubes. Line the bottom of the dish with the bread cubes. Cover with half of the corned beef. Make additional layers in this order: sauerkraut, pickles, caraway seeds, 2 cups of cheese, the remaining beef, and the remaining cheese. With a whisk, beat together the eggs, milk, mustard and Thousand Island dressing until well mixed. Pour over the casserole. Using a blender or food processor, make 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs with the remaining slices of bread. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until set in the center.

The only thing I did was to cut the shaved corned beef into very thin slices

Me and Deb are going to be grand parents again. Danielle is due August 15th