November 2004

Dear Friends,

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and we will soon be fixing our turkeys. About five years ago, I read a book on roasting by Chef Barbara Kafka and I tried her high heat roasting technique with turkey, chicken and other meat. I wouldn’t want to roast my turkey any other way now! Like many ladies, I thought turkey needed to be roasted for a long time at a relatively low temperature. But I learned that while that is good for braising meats, (that is cooking them in liquid), it is not the best way to roast a turkey.

The longer the turkey spends in the dry heat of the oven, the more it dries out. So, many companies inject the raw turkey with a basting solution to try to keep the meat moist. And the cook often hand bastes the turkey even further or stuffs butter under the skin. None of this is needed when roasting at high temperatures!

Nothing could be simpler than roasting a fresh - not frozen – turkey that has not been injected with additives. No thawing time needed, no basting, and great juicy meat! You'll find Chef Kafka's book, "Roasting: A Simple Art," in many libraries, or use the link on our website under "Discount Cookbooks" to order your own copy.

I thought you might enjoy the following recipe for Pumpkin Snack Cake. One of my FCH girls shared this with us a while ago and my class really enjoyed making, and eating, it! This moist, sweet cake really does not need frosting, but you can frost it if you wish. A light sprinkling of powdered sugar is a nice alternative. To make it decorative, first lay a large paper doilie on top of the cake, then sift powdered sugar over the top. Lift the doilie straight up & you’ll have a pretty design on top of the cake.

Pumpkin Snack Cake
2 C sugar
1 C oil
4 eggs
1 ½ C canned pumpkin
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
2 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
2 C. All-Purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 x 13” pans, or an 11 x 14” jelly roll pan.
Beat together the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Use plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Spread batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Yield: Approximately 30 bars.

Note: If you just want to make one 9 x 13” pan, you can cut the recipe in half. Baking time remains the same. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use 1 t. cinnamon, ¾ t. allspice, and ¼ t. nutmeg. You could even use all cinnamon if you don’t have the other spices.

When I first saw the recipe, I thought it had a lot of baking soda (no baking powder) but the cake turns out great! I hope you and your family enjoy it.

A couple of months ago, I promised to share some tips on teaching hand sewing. You can start very young girls out with sewing, or lacing cards. If you can’t find them at a school supply store, you can punch holes in cardboard and make your own. Or, use plastic canvas. You’ll find that at Walmart and craft stores. Draw a simple picture (an apple or a house) with marker on the canvas. Have your daughter sew on the lines with yarn. Use a yarn needle, or especially with very young girls, tip a piece of yarn with a small piece of masking tape and omit the needle. Young children tend to pull the needle too far and the yarn falls out. They also turn the canvas over and over and need to be shown how to hold it so the top remains on top!

Show your child how to do a running stitch, bringing the yarn up and then back down about ½” farther along the line in the canvas. Don’t worry at first about the stitches being uneven; help your child to get a feel for stitching. It is much easier for them to begin hand sewing on a firm plastic canvas or cardboard. Once she can sew on that, try burlap. Let her draw her own simple picture and then stitch over the lines with yarn. These stitched pictures are nice to frame.

When your daughter is confident doing the running stitch with yarn, consider showing her gingham embroidery on ¼” checked gingham. See our Gingham Embroidery page.

Keep sessions short, perhaps just 10 minutes at first, so you don’t tire or frustrate your daughter. Help her learn to enjoy sewing and look forward to more sewing sessions with you.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Until next time ~

Yours in Him,

 

Copyright, 2005, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

You may make one printed copy for your own personal, private use.  FCH leaders may make one printed copy for each person in their group.  Copyright line above must be included in all copies.  Permission for any other use must be requested in writing. 
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