(This title is an old nursery rhyme).
This past week has been pretty quite, at least for me; only one meeting and I missed that because I went to Victoria to have my car’s check-up and inspection done. My sister went with me so we had a nice day out, eating lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. They have the most wonderful green sauce for their tortilla chips and their chips are the really thin type! At one time, I was told that they are purchased in Victoria but have never checked it out. My cheese enchiladas were wonderful and my sister said her spinach ones were delicious also!
During the night Saturday and early Sunday morning, we had rain. Of course, it was raining when I was trying to carry food to my car for our monthly Church breakfast. We really had a feast this morning, homemade cheese and poppy seed rolls, an egg casserole made with salsa, cheese and eggs, fruit as well as sausage kolaches, monkey bread, a brunch bread made with biscuits, sausage and cheese, and some ham and cheese roll-ups that were a recipe that was on FB a couple of weeks ago. I made them in mini-muffin tins and they went over really well. (Yes, I had tried them before making them for this.) We also had a frozen fruit mixture, as well as orange juice and coffee. It went well, but as usual, I’m glad I’m now done for another year!
Some of you may have noticed and remember the news and TV stories about the moon and especially the partial eclipse in February when it was called a “Snow Moon”. Well, were you aware that each month the full moon has a different name? I had seen this on occasion when there was a calendar around that listed the names however, I was never aware of the story behind it.
According to an article that was in the Victoria Advocate USA Today section, and according to the Farmers’ Almanac, names of full moons date back to the Native Americans in the northern and eastern U.S. and each full moon has its own name.
”The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon,” the almanac says. “Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.”
Calling February’s full moon the “snow” moon is right on target: On average, February is the United States snowiest month according to data from the National Weather Service.
The Farmer’s Almanac says some tribes referred to February’s moon as the “hunger” moon because harsh weather conditions made hunting difficult.
According to the calendar that I have from a local insurance company, the January moon was a “Full Wolf Moon”, and as we’ve already stated, February was the “Full Snow Moon”, followed by March (12th) being the “Full Worm Moon”. April 11 is “Full Pink Moon”; May 10th is “Full Flower Moon”, (do you think this has anything to do with the old adage “April showers bring May flowers?); June 9th is “Full Strawberry Moon”; July 9th is “Full Buck Moon”, (I would expect a name like this to be during hunting season); August 7th is “Full Sturgeon Moon”, (obviously fishing season); September is listed as “Full Corn Moon”; October 5th is “Full Harvest Moon”; November 4th is “Full Beaver Moon”; and, last but by no means least, December 3rd is “Full Cold Moon”. This would make more sense if “Full Snow Moon” followed it, but that is not the case!
Now, we’re ready to get back to Lenten dishes.
The following recipe for Capirotada is in memory of my very good friend and former neighbor, the late Alamar V. Pompa. She was a wonderful cook, and I learned to make all kinds of goodies when we lived next door to each other. She fed my kids tacos countless times and was always there when I needed help. We had many good times together, and I never knew her to not make this during Lent.
Capirotada a la Alamar
8 slices white bread
Butter or margarine
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup grated American cheese
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
¾ cup chopped pecans
Mix together water, vanilla and raisins. Bring to boil, remove from heat and allow to cool. (This will plump the raisins). Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Toast bread, remove from toaster and lightly spread with butter or margarine, (not the tub kind).
Drain the raisins, saving the liquid you cooked them in. Place 4 slices of bread in a baking dish, sprinkle with ½ of the sugar/cinnamon mixture, add ½ of the raisins and ½ of the cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour water in which you cooked the raisins over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Pasta Salad
1 package (7 or 8 ounces) elbow macaroni, shells or Rotini (this is the twisted pasta and it comes in plain or in a flavored, colored type) use either one.
½ cup finely chopped pickle or pickle relish
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ small can sliced black olives
3 or 4 finely sliced green onions
1 or 2 hard cooked eggs (optional)
1 can well drained tuna*
Cook macaroni according to package directions, rinse and drain well. Add remaining ingredients and enough mayonnaise to moisten well. A pourable Italian or garlic dressing is also good on this. If you use either of these, try adding a can of well drained mushroom stems and pieces.
*For a one-dish meal, add the tuna to this salad, and use mayonnaise for the dressing.
The following recipe is the way both my Mother and my Mother-in-law made macaroni and cheese. When I was growing up, mac/cheese did not come in a blue box! I am not sure just what year that came out, but it wasn’t used in our home, at least for a very long time
Macaroni and Cheese
1 pkg. (7 or 8-oz.) elbow macaroni or any shape you like*
1 recipe white sauce
1½ cups shredded American cheese, divided usage
3 tbs. butter or margarine
3 tbs. flour
1½ cups milk
Cook the macaroni al dente, (macaroni will cook the rest of the way when it is baked), according to package directions. Drain well, and set aside.
While the macaroni is cooking, make the following white sauce:
White Sauce
1 to 1½ cups milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded cheese
In saucepan, blend flour and margarine until bubbly, slowly add the milk and whisk constantly until the sauce boils, add the ½ cup cheese and stir in the salt. Stir until the cheese is melt and then cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring constantly as it will stick to the pan and scorch if you are not careful.
To assemble:
Spray or lightly grease a 2½ quart casserole dish and pour about 1/3 of the white sauce into the dish, top with 1/3 of the macaroni, 1/3 of the cheese, more sauce, etc, in layers ending with sauce and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350ºF until bubbly and top is beginning to brown. Serve hot. *When I made this recently, I had the spiral macaroni at home and used that and my grandchildren loved it.
Cheese Soup
¼ cup butter or margarine
½ cup each, finely chopped carrots, celery and onion
½ cup flour
1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
4 cups chicken stock (canned is fine) (if you’re making this during Lent, you may want to use vegetable broth)
4 cups milk (reduced fat is fine)
1 pound shredded cheese, (I use a mixture of Velveeta if I have it, cheddar and American or Colby/Jack)
Salt and pepper to taste if needed (if you use canned chicken broth, you may not need to add salt)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Sauté the vegetables in the butter or margarine until onions are transparent. Stir in the flour and cornstarch, cook and stir until bubbly. Whisk in the stock and milk, cooking and stirring until smooth. Add the cheese, continue cooking until thick, and all cheese is thoroughly melted, add salt and pepper if used. Stir in chopped parsley if desired. Do not boil. Serves 6 to 8.
Sincere condolences to the Haass and Friesenhahn families on the loss of ‘Mac” Haass. She was a truly wonderful person who will be missed by all who knew her.