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Show B3 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, December 9, 2008 AT YOUR LEISURE Casey’s Pockets Swell Book Reviews Swell Recipes Entertainment SWELL RECIPES Susan Childs Shares Some of Her Favorite Recipes Kathy Ockey When I was welcomed into Susan Childs’ home there was a wonderful smell of cookies baking in the oven. Susan is well known for being a good cook and she owned and operated “Oh Susanna’s” in Orangeville for several years. Susan is a Leamaster from Huntington and the oldest of five children. Susan said her mom was a great cook. “She could look in a bare fridge and come up with something great to cook,” she said. Susan said her mother could make the best pie crust in the world, but she didn’t inherit this talent. Susan loves to read and try new recipes and tries to “tweak” them to fit what she and her husband, Vernon, like. She said she is like everyone else, she likes to cook when she can find the time to do it. She enjoys reading the recipes in magazines and has a big box of old recipes she has cut out and is looking for a good way to organize all of them. Vernon and Susan are the parents of four children and nine grandchildren and love it when they come home to visit. Susan is sharing recipes that are good for Christmas brunch, or anytime, and two that are good for using leftover turkey or chicken. Breakfast Casserole 1 package O’Brien hash browns 1 pound diced ham or sausage, browned 3-4 cups shredded medium cheese 12-18 eggs, beaten Salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and pour into a greased glass cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour or until knife comes out clean. German Pancakes 1/2 cup butter 3 cups milk 1 1/2 cups flour 2/3 cups sugar 6 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh strawberries Powered sugar Maple syrup Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in a glass cake pan. Place in oven for 5 minutes, or until butter is melted and bubbles. While butter is melting, put milk, flour, sugar, eggs and salt into blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Remove pan from oven and adjust heat to 450 degrees. Immediately pour mixture into pan and return pan to oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake 8 to 10 minutes more until edges are puffed and browned. Serve with strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup. Artichoke Chicken “My kids love this” 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Salt, pepper and paprika to taste 8 tablespoons butter, divided 1 16 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (canned also works) 4-5 tablespoons chopped green onions 4 tablespoons flour 1 1/3 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup orange juice Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper and paprika and brown well in 4 tablespoons butter. Remove chicken from pan and place in a two quart casserole dish. Arrange the artichoke hearts between the chicken. Add the remaining four tablespoons butter to the drippings in the pan and add mushrooms and green onions; sauté’ until tender. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir over low heat for at least one minute. Stir in broth and orange juice. Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes and pour over chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with rice or noodles. Serves 6-8. CASEY’S POCKETS Susan Childs Turkey Pot Pie 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of celery soup 1 package (about 2 cups) frozen mixed veggies, thawed 1/2 -1 cup frozen hash browns (cubed), thawed 1-2 cups cubed cooked turkey Poultry seasoning to taste 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 1 cup all purpose baking mix Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9-inch pie pan, mix soup, veggies, potatoes and turkey. Mix milk, egg and baking mix. Pour over mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. SWELL BOOKS Christmas ‘Spirit’ Changes with Time Casey D. Wood It is amazing to consider how differently people view Christmas. Christmas is a very popular holiday and is considered by many to be the best, but the reasoning behind this opinion differs with age. As small children we are taught that Christmas is about family and giving and togetherness, but in all honesty we fail to recognize this. When we are young, the thought of Christmas brings to mind a few different things. Santa Claus being first and foremost, along with reindeer, a Christmas tree, time off of school, and of course and most important to many small children, receiving presents. I am as guilty as any other of seeing Christmas in my younger years almost exclusively as an opportunity to get all the toys I didn’t get for my birthday. As we grow into adolescence gifts remain an important aspect of Christmas, but not the sole importance. We are concerned not only with receiving gifts, but also giving them. I find that my list of what I want for Christmas is very short compared to my list of things I would like to get others for Christmas. The balance of my checking account is testimony of that. We are still excited about time off of school for the time it frees we can spend with our families and friends. We understand and are grateful for the opportunity to spend that time with our families, especially considering, as in my case, some of our family have moved away and have their own families. Christmas becomes a time where we can catch up and do things together. As more time passes and we become adults, more specifically adults with children and families of our own, Christmas becomes almost exclusively about family. We still concern ourselves with gifts, but for the most part, giving them. It is of the upmost importance to find gifts that our spouses and children will love and enjoy. We are grateful to have time off work that we can spend with our families. My parents view Christmastime as a good opportunity to rest since there is little time for them to do so throughout the rest of the year. Last but not least, as grandparents, gifts are no longer really a concern and the holiday becomes all about family. We finally understand that the greatest gift Christmas brings is the time spent with, and the memories made with our families. We enjoy the opportunity to see our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We enjoy spending time with them, talking and reliving past Christmases. As this holiday draws near, I intend to spend my time trying to realize, as my parents and grandparents have, that Christmas is about family. For what would the holidays be without them? I invite you to do the same, and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Photo by Kathy Ockey Members of the book club “Page Flippin’ Divas” gather at the Emery Library to discuss books. ‘Page Flippin’ Divas’ Share their Love of Books Kathy Ockey Eight ladies in living Emery have formed a book club called the “Page Flippin’ Divas” and during my visit with this group I found out they have way too much fun at their meetings. These ladies select a book each month to review and then meet and discuss the book and give their thoughts on the author, story, and characters. This diverse group includes a young mother, a lady that works with her husband on their farm, one who commutes weekly to Salt Lake to work, another who tends her grandchildren each day, two ladies work for Emery Town and two ladies are the librarians for Emery Library. These ladies are: ShaLane Christiansen, Marie Eardley, Linda Odle, Debbie Jolley, Suzi Praast, Pam Adams, Marian Mangum and Marie Anderson. They invited me to one of their meetings and I found out they not only have fun, but they discuss the books they read in-depth and share their different insights and opinions about them. This group likes to read books a variety of subjects and enjoys reading the books on the High School Honors English list because it has information and critiques they can use in their review of the books. The book they reviewed the evening I was there was “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. The author was raised in Georgia and this was her first novel. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 80 weeks and has been published in more than 20 languages. It takes place in 1964 and tells the story of Lily Melissa Owens, who has a special relationship with bees. She also has a father, T. Ray, who is a hateful peach farmer in South Carolina. Lily’s only true friend is Rosaleen, a large, black peach-worker who T. Ray brought to their house to care for Lily when her mother died. A series of events, including a problem with the meanest racist in town, takes Lily and Rosaleen to Tiburon, S.C., where they meet the three black calendar sisters: May, June, and August. They not only find a place to stay when they meet these sisters, they also receive clues to Lily’s mother’s mysterious life and learn the secrets of beekeeping. This is a story of Lily’s abusive father, of friendship, spirituality, and growing up in South Carolina during the civil rights movement, but the emphasis is on Lily’s search for her mother. The ladies in the book club asked, “Where did the author come up with this story in her mind?” They mentioned the “wailing wall” in the book and commented they thought a wailing wall would help everyone deal with their own grief. The story also included a box with items to remind Lily of her mother. The book club ladies said they think everyone needs a box with items to remind them of their loved ones. This group of friends concluded the evening saying, “We have a diverse, neat combination in our group and we enjoy reading books and sharing our opinions about them.” |