Hunger Awareness Month - Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Kale

Happy Monday to everyone.  How was your weekend?  Hopefully, it was all that you wanted it to be, especially restful.  How is it that those days we wait for all week fly by in such a blur that it's Monday once again and all you did was work - some more.  There is the never ending list of things to do around your home, the yard, grocery shopping, laundry and it's all necessary, but is it fun?  Did you get to spend a little time with yourself, your family, your friends?  We got to watch our oldest grandson play his first "fall" ball game Saturday.  The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  Don't spend all your time working and fretting about things and forget to make some memories.  Work will always be there waiting for you.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson says, life goes on.

Today, I am continuing a series on Hunger Awareness which takes place during the month of September.  Here are some statistics about hunger among children in the United States provided by ConAgra.org.  These are very disturbing figures indeed.

Hunger Means Children Rely on Support from Food Banks

• Hunger disproportionately affects children—nearly 40 percent of the people who turn to charities for hunger relief are children, although they represent only 25 percent of the U.S. population.
• Households with children experience food insecurity at almost double the rate of households without children.
• Nearly 1 in 5 children in this country is served by Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food banks.
  • Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America.
  • More than 3 million of those children are ages five and under – representing nearly 13 percent of all children under age five in the United States.
• Feeding America clients with children in their households were often faced with the tough decision of providing food for their family and paying for other necessities. For example:
  • More than 35 percent had to choose between food and medical care.
  • Nearly 55 percent made trade-offs between food and utilities.
  • More than 46 percent had to choose between food and paying rent or the mortgage.

Children who live in homes with food scarcity or insecurity have more difficulty in school.  Hunger makes concentration almost impossible, there is increased illness and lack of energy.  There is increased fear and insecurity in not knowing where your next meal will come from.  Yes, some are able to participate in school food programs that provide breakfast and lunch, but there may be no food over the weekend or for an evening meal.

At East Nashville CoOp Ministry, we are striving to provide healthy food for the homeless and those living in poverty.  Feeding America/Second Harvest stocks our pantry once a week for food boxes that are distributed to those in need.  This is a crisis that is occurring nationwide and worldwide.  The fact that we are the wealthiest nation in the world makes it hard to understand why anyone should go hungry.  Feeding America/Second Harvest has fed 1 in 8 people this year.  They have distributed 3 billion pounds of food and have fed 37 million Americans.  But, the problem persists.

The CoOp has had to stop serving breakfast due to a lack of funds, but we are continuing to serve lunch.  Today, we prepared lemon chicken orzo soup with kale, grilled cheese rounds and baked apple crisp.  This soup was inspired by some that I had at Panera Bread Company.  It is really good, healthy and easy to make.  We made enough to feed 100 people today, but here is how you can make it at home on a smaller scale.

1 whole chicken
1 large onion, diced in small pieces
2 carrots, diced in small pieces
2 ribs celery, diced in small pieces
1 package orzo pasta
1 bunch kale ( or use fresh spinach if you prefer)
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano

Cover the chicken with water in a large pot and boil until the chicken is done.  Remove the chicken and add about 4 cups of water to the remaining stock cooking in the pot.  (you will have to use your judgment)  Add the vegetables and let them cook until soft.  Meanwhile, remove all the meat from the chicken, cut in bite sized pieces and return to the stock with vegetables.  Add the oregano and lemon juice.  Add the orzo and let cook until done, adding more liquid if needed - water or chicken stock in a box.  If using kale, remove the stems from the leaves and chop the leaves into bite sized pieces.  Add the kale once the orzo is cooked and let cook for about 15 more minutes.  (If you are using spinach, give it a rough chop and add when the orzo is cooked).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more lemon juice if you prefer.

This is a delicious and filling soup with a nice lemon flavor that has a wonderful Mediterranean flare.

Because our budget is limited, we make lots of soups and casseroles that will stretch our money and feed as many people as possible.  It is a real challenge, but ever so rewarding.

If there is a food pantry in your town or at your church, support it in any way you can.  People need to eat every day of the year, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  If you have spare time, volunteer to help at your local soup kitchen or pantry doing what you can to help alleviate hunger in our country.  The thought of a hungry child is heartbreaking.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Food brings people together on many different levels.  It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love!  Giada deLaurentis

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Hunger Awareness Month - Baked Apples, Sweet Potatoes and Dried Plums

As I continue talking about Hunger Awareness during the month of September, I will share with you some of the recipes we have been making for our daily lunch guests.  Remember, colorful food is full of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and healthy nutrition that is good for their bones and muscles.  We also want to serve tasty food that leaves them satisfied and happy.  Good food encourages conversation and feelings of comfort.  Not only are we dealing with homelessness and poverty, we are dealing with addiction and mental health issues that can be aided with good nutrition, compassion, and caring.

I have been going to the Farmer's Market and buying local ingredients that are seasonal and preparing them in healthy ways that also taste good.  We served the dish in the picture above as one of our sides last week.  When I was putting it together, many people kept commenting about what an odd combination it was.  My reply was just wait until you taste it.

I also try to incorporate ingredients that are available in the food pantry.  One of the USDA items available for food boxes were prunes (dried plums).  Lots of people didn't want to take them because they said they didn't like them.  Perhaps, they had never really had them, especially used in cooking.  Prunes are fantastic as a snack.  They are simply dried plums which is a much friendlier name than prunes.  Prunes are associated with old age and sluggish digestive tracts when actually they are sweet and hold amazing nutritional properties.  They are full of vitamins, anti-oxidants, they are superior for digestive health acting as a probiotic, they help lower cholesterol and are good for liver health.  The benefits are fantastic.  Look up the nutritional information, it will knock your socks off.

The combination of ingredients that everyone considered odd were apples, sweet potatoes and prunes.  Now, before you judge or say yuck, you really need to try this recipe.  It is like eating dessert it is so delicious.  I used Golden Delicious Apples, sweet potatoes, dried plums, brown sugar, some butter, and cinnamon, and just a little salt.  Wowsa, it got raves and several people said they would be making this recipe at home.

Since I am making quantities to feed 100+ people, it is hard to give you an exact recipe.  You can make this in a smaller quantity and just reduce the amount of the ingredients.  I don't really measure anything.

Here is what I did.

I cut Golden Delicious apples into 1 inch pieces.
Peel sweet potatoes, halve, then quarter them.  Cut them into 1 inch pieces.
I used a bag of dried plums and cut them into 1 inch pieces.

I put the apples, sweet potatoes and dried plums in a pan and tossed them with my hands.  (We do wear gloves at all times).

I melted a stick of butter and poured it over all the diced fruit and vegetables and mixed.  I sprinkled about 1/2 bag of brown sugar over the pan and cinnamon.  (lots of cinnamon).  Toss everything together and put it in the oven at 350 until the sweet potatoes and apples are soft.  Remember, this is a huge pan of ingredients and it took about 1 hour to bake.  Just keep testing the sweet potatoes with a fork.  When they are soft, it's done.

This is an easy and amazingly good side dish.  Everyone LOVED it.  There was not one tidbit of it left.  It would be an excellent side with any meat entree, or you could put a streusel topping on it made with flour, oats and butter and eat it as a dessert.  Yum!!  It would also be super good at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Because our budget per meal is limited, we have $100.00 for breakfast and lunch total, I really try to be creative, use local and fresh ingredients because it is less expensive and make the food delicious and nutritious.  Our cooking facilities are limited.  Our stove has only two burners that work and the oven.  There is a new kitchen in the future and we pray that is happens soon.  Of course, it depends on funds.  I must say, there is nothing as gratifying as seeing all the smiling faces asking if we have seconds and the daily thank you's for feeding them.  The challenge is more than worth the effort.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

September is Hunger Awareness Month - What Can We Do To Help?

Have you ever been really, truly hungry?  Have you ever gone without eating anything for days with no prospect of having a meal due to lack of access to food?  Due to having nothing in your pantry? No one to share with you?  Due to having no money to buy food?  Due to having no job and no prospects for one?

What if you were sleeping under a bridge or on a park bench with no way to cook any food.  None.  Zip.  Nada.  You might be able to eat something cold from a can if you could acquire a can of food and were lucky enough for it to have a pop top.  Cold Dinty Moore beef stew would be like eating the finest filet mignon if it had been days since you had eaten.  Perhaps you may have to resort to stealing something to assuage your hunger.

Can you imagine hunger being your daily existence?  Never knowing, always wondering when and where you might eat again.  Perhaps you may be lucky enough to spend a night in a shelter where a meal would be provided, or you may have access to a soup kitchen somewhere.  Hallelujah for the Salvation Army Food truck that comes to your neighborhood once a week and you will be able to eat something after standing in line with so many other people sharing your dilemma.  You carry everything you own with you in plastic bags, you sleep on concrete under a bridge to keep from being arrested.  If you have children, you must hide them in fear that they will be taken away from you.  Your children may cry in constant hunger and pain from lack of nutrition.

Just think about this.   Seriously.  We are the richest country in the world.  Why?  Why should anyone go hungry.  Children and senior citizens experience the highest rate of hunger.   Perhaps the seniors do not have a pension and collect only a small bit of social security which must pay for their medications, housing and food.   They rely on food boxes from churches and other organizations to fill in what they cannot afford.  Children are dependent upon adults to feed them.  Schools do what they can to provide lunch and sometimes breakfast.  But, there are weekends and many children go hungry for the entire weekend.

If you are a parent and really think about your children crying in hunger, you know that it would break your heart, your spirit and your belief in humanity.  It would be one of the hardest things I can think of to have to be looked down upon, considered lazy and shiftless, not having a job where you can provide for your family.  If you have no way to take a shower and wash your clothes, if you have no transportation, how do you get a job?  If you are lucky enough to find a job, how do you get there?  Have you ever priced all day bus passes?  They are not cheap here in Nashville.  They are $5.00 a day. That is a lot of money when you are making minimum wage.  So, you can eat or go to work.  That is your choice.  It's not a good choice to have to make.

I have been volunteering at the East Nashville Coop Ministry, 807 Main Street, Nashville, cooking food for anyone who is hungry, rich or poor.  The Coop was started by a group of churches and has been in operation since 1965.  If you are in need of a meal, you are welcome!  We will share what we have.  Today is National Cheese Pizza Day.  For lunch, we prepared Pasta e Fagiole, salad and individual small cheese pizzas.  We had a very happy crew of diners to say the least.  The smiles and thank you's make every moment I dice, saute and serve worthwhile.  Hugs and high fives mean so much more when you know you have filled someone's belly with warm, nutritious food and they will sleep better tonight.

We have a food pantry that is stocked by Second Harvest/Feed America.  There are staple items that can be put into food boxes chosen by each client to meet their families needs.  We are not talking about going to the supermarket, but items that will keep hunger at bay for a few days.  They are allowed 3 visits every 6 months.  You know what that means?  They must find other organizations to help fill their food gap.

Our mission is to provide healthy, nutritious food that will make everyone feel better, make their bones and muscles stronger, improve their attitude/outlook and help life on the streets seem a little less formidable.  Some have rooms where they stay, but this service meets their nutritional needs on a daily basis.   Our daily diners deal with more discrimination and derision in a day, than most of us will encounter in a lifetime.  They are all people just like us who want to be loved, appreciated and acknowledged for their simple humanity.  Instead, they are called names - lazy, shiftless, bums, moochers.  Many deal with mental health issues, PTSD, addiction and most of all, homelessness.  It is heartbreaking.  They look out for each other and share what little they may have.  It is really amazing to experience their sense of community.

We have had to cut out breakfast this month because funds are short.  Hopefully, some grants will come in soon that will allow us to return feeding people as they come and go.   We see some diners for breakfast and lunch, some for one meal or the other.  Some come every few days.  Soon, the weather will begin to cool down and then winter will be upon us and that makes their lives so much harder than summer.  They will need coats, scarves, gloves, and blankets.  The need is great and resources are strained.  Jesus said the poor are with your always.  It is our duty to care for orphans, widows and the hungry in our world.  In our abundance, it is up to us to take care of these sweet souls who have met with unfortunate circumstances.  There but for grace goes any one of us or our family members.

If you have any resources at all, share with food banks and clothing banks where you are.  Most of us have way too many things the way it is.  Pillows, blankets, sheets, sleeping blankets and duffel bags are things that are so very useful to anyone living on the street.  Do you have an old tent you no longer use?  Donate it to a shelter.  Old raincoats, ponchos and umbrellas would be so appreciated.

This month is Hunger Awareness Month.  Look around you.  Ask what you can do to help, to make someone's life a little better.  Share what you have.  By donating to Second Harvest/Feed America, they can quadruple your money into food for those in need and hunger.

Restaurants will be having Dine Out for Hunger events all this month.  Watch your local newspapers for information.  By eating at particular restaurants, money will be donated to help fight hunger in America.

Volunteer to help in food pantries and soup kitchens.  Give financial assistance when and where you can, not just at Christmas or Thanksgiving.  Hunger is something that occurs every minute, every day, every week and month of the year.  Do what you can.  Help ease someone's hunger.  Make their day brighter.  Acknowledge them, smile at them, talk to them.  If you see a homeless person on the street, buy them a meal from a fast food restaurant, or purchase some fruit at the store and give it to them.  You could save someone's life.  Remember, it could happen to any of us at any time.  Nothing in life is certain.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:


HOMELESSNESS:

• -Worldwide, 1.3 billion people live on less than $1 US dollar per day.
• The United States, despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world has the highest rate of poverty.
• Three million Americans, a fourth of which are children, go without shelter every night.
• Families with children comprise 39% of the homeless population and make up the fastest growing segment of the homeless.
• One child in five lives below the poverty line in our country, making children the poorest age group in the United States, which accounts for the growing percentage of children who are homeless.
• Children account for over 25% of the homeless population.
• Every 53 minutes an American child dies from poverty.
• Less than 6% of the homeless are that way by choice.
• Many homeless people are among the working poor. A person earning a minimum wage can't earn enough to support a family of three or pay inner-city rent.
• About 25 percent of the homeless are estimated to be emotionally disturbed. One percent may need long-term hospitalization; the others can become self-sufficient with help.
• Some homeless are substance abusers; research suggests one in four. Many of these are included in the 25 percent who suffer from mental illness.
• The largest proportion of homeless are single men.
• Illegal immigrants are swelling the ranks of the homeless.
• Millions are among the hidden homeless people who are one crisis away from losing their homes. They may be doubled or tripled up in housing or 48 hours from eviction or about to leave a hospital with nowhere to go.

 Hunger and Homeless Fact File

I Know You Want One Of These German Chocolate Cake Bars!

Yesterday we did healthy, today not so much.  This has been a two dessert recipe week.  Why?  Because it just seems like that kind of week and Labor Day Weekend is coming up.  You may be celebrating that last big hurrah of summer with family and friends and you need dessert for a celebration.  Right?  If you don't want to try the Apple Pie Bars from earlier in the week, try these over the top fabulous German Chocolate Cake Bars.

This dessert is going to knock your socks off if you've never made it.  It's got all the good stuff like chocolate, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate.  Did I mention chocolate?  Just in case I forgot, it's got chocolate and is it ever good.

Blame Pinterest, friends, it's all their fault.  I start looking through all the posts late at night and there is one good recipe after another and I am just happily pinning away.  What's the use of pinning if you don't make some of these delectable treats.   It just becomes a past time.  Me, I am all about jumping in with both feet and giving these recipes a try.

There have been a couple that were not keepers, but for the most part they have all been really good.  These German Chocolate Cake Bars are the bomb.  Seriously, the bomb.  The only flaw I can find is that the recipe uses a Devil's Food Cake Mix and next time I might use a German Chocolate Cake mix just to get a more German chocolate taste.  Don't get me wrong, the Devil's food is really, really good.  It was just not really German chocolate.  If you don't know, it's really not German chocolate, but German's chocolate which is a brand name.  Through the years, it has come to be known as German chocolate.  Just a bit of trivia for you.  You can buy German's chocolate at the grocery in the baking aisle of you want real German's chocolate.

This recipe originally came from your friend and mine, Paula Deen.  Now we all know Miss Paula knows a knockout dessert and they are always worth a try.  Try it I did and it is definitely a keeper.

Here is what you need:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix (or German Chocolate Cake Mix)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 large egg

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips  (I used 1 cup, cause why not?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix cake mix, butter and egg.  Press in bottom of pan.  Do not press up the sides of the pan.  Bake 7 minutes.

While the base is baking, mix the filling.  Mix sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg and nuts.  Pour evenly over warm crust .  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Use 1 cup if you really like chocolate (and we do)!

Bake 24-30 minutes until light golden brown.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

I mean, look at all those chocolate chips!  Who wouldn't want that many?  If you only want 1/2 as many, that's your choice, but the full cup made it really awesome.  Of course, we all had a little scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on ours just in case you want to give that a try.

Thank you Paula Deen.  You did not fail to deliver one more decadent, totally unhealthy dessert for our enjoyment.  Give these a try, you will be glad you did.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” 
― Charles M. Schulz

Roasted Squash, Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, and Parmesan Cheese

Recently, I have been volunteering in the kitchen of a homeless shelter planning and cooking healthy and nutritious meals.  The shelter is in a food desert and they have a community teaching garden where interested people can come and learn how to grow fresh organic food in their own yard.  There are dedicated volunteers who give of their time and energy to help friends and neighbors learn how to better their health through the food they grow and eat.  Our director said as many as 50% of the people who cross our threshold are diabetic and do not have access to healthy food.  We are working to change that statistic.

We also have a pantry that is stocked by Second Harvest every Monday.  Shoppers are allowed to come 3 times in a 6 month period to get food for their families.  The need is great and supplies do not always meet demand.  It is very heartbreaking indeed.   The shelter has been in operation since 1965, but is expanding their community outreach with their main emphasis being food - healthy food.

Our next goal is to teach families how to prepare the food that we have in the pantry.  It is amazing how many people have no idea how to cook fresh vegetables because they have never had access to them.  Last year, the garden volunteers went to a neighborhood school and taught them how to grow vegetables in raised beds.  The children were amazed that food came from the ground.  They thought it only came from the grocery store.  It's time to change these concepts.

I love to cook and spending my mornings preparing a meal for people who sometimes may not have eaten for several days, is the most gratifying thing I have done in my life - hands down, bar none.  The smiles on their faces after a warm, delicious, nutritious meal means more than to me than any job or accomplishment in my life.  Watching strangers and neighbors talking, enjoying good food is a beautiful sight.  Everyone is warm, sharing and caring.  There is no one hoarding or piling their plate up like you sometimes see at a buffet.  The concern for their neighbor, wanting to make sure everyone gets something to eat is so soul satisfyingly wonderful, that I have to keep myself from breaking into tears many times.  Selfish is a word that does not even cross the threshold.  Seeing the little children eating good nutritious food is all I need to make my day.  A smile, kind words, a pat or hug and good food could change the world's attitude one meal at a time.

We make every effort to make the food taste good, look good,  and serve things that many have never eaten.  If you make food look and taste good, it's amazing what people will eat and really, really like it.  Last week, we made this roasted squash dish (in the picture above) that was so delicious.  Several people said they had never eaten squash, or they didn't like it.  Squash can be one of the most bland foods on the planet, so we encouraged them to try it prepared this way and every one, to a person, said they loved it and would eat it again.  That's why bland food will turn anyone away from even trying it.  We eat with our eyes first, so preparation and presentation is very important.

This is the way we made the roasted squash.  We are serving about 100 people a day, so I will give you the recipe for home preparation like in the picture above.  Actually, I made this for our family on Sunday.  It's easy and sooooo good.  I forgot to take a picture after it was done.  Oops.

Use a 9x13 pan and  6-8 medium sized yellow crook neck squash.  Wash and dry the squash.  Cut the tips off each end and cut into circles about 1/2 inch thick.  Add several cups of grape tomatoes, cut a shallot (or onion) into rings and scatter over the squash.    Dice a red bell pepper and scatter over the squash.  I also used a green banana pepper that is a little spicy for a little extra color and flavor.  Drizzle all the vegetables with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix together with your hands and place in a 350 degree oven and cook uncovered until all the vegetables are just getting soft.  Add 1 1/2 cups of fresh grated parmesan cheese to the vegetables, return to the oven and cook until the cheese melts.  Remove from the oven and serve.  The flavor of the parmesan just kicks this dish up one more notch.  We also drizzled it with some balsamic vinegar.  I didn't do that at home, because Dan would not eat it otherwise.  The balsamic is your choice.  Personally, I think it's fantastic.

This is a really easy dish to prepare, it is beautiful to look at with all the bright colors and is super nutritious and healthy.  It's an excellent side dish to just about any entree, or you could serve it over rice or pasta.

Cooking doesn't have to be hard or take all day.  This dish can be prepared in less than an hour and there are so many benefits to having fresh vegetables roasted in olive oil.  The more colorful the fruits and vegetables, the more vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants they contain.  The more vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants they contain, the better you will feel and your health will improve.  That is a worthwhile goal.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Food made with love and shared could change the world.  There is so much abundance and waste in our country, it is heartbreaking.  Time for a new direction.  donna

As American As Apple Pie Bars

Good Monday to you one and all.  Hope your weekend was enjoyable.  Here were are in the last few days of August already.  Where has the time gone?  Seems as though it was just the beginning of summer and we are now in the waning days.

This summer has been an amazing year for peaches and we have certainly enjoyed our share of wonderful desserts made with them.  When I was at the Farmer's Market last week, lo and behold, apples are starting to come in.  Big, beautiful Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples, oh my.  I know that Granny Smith's are supposed to be better for baking, but our favorite is Golden Delicious.  Slightly tart, slightly sweet, and much better for eating if you just want to enjoy a nice juicy apple.

Needless to say, I had to buy a basket of these beautiful apples.  They were huge, so I shared them with our daughters because the grandsons love a good apple too.  The remaining apples were destined for a dessert that I have been making since 1990, when I purchased a little cook book published by Land O Lakes  - you know the butter right?  It's a collection of favorite cookie recipes and they are outstanding.   My favorite recipe in the book is for apple pie bars which may be better than any apple pie I have ever eaten.  Dan is not a fan of apple pie (I know, I know), but he really likes these.  He is a bit averse to cooked fruit (the texture) and these are not as thick as apple pie.  I think that is why he likes them, that and all the wonderful cinnamon flavor.  Yum, yum.

They do take a little more effort than some cookie bars because you make a crust like apple pie, but it is really worth the effort!  They are baked in a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan, so you have to roll the crust to fit the pan, but that is the most difficult thing about the recipe.  Here is what you will need.

Ingredients:

Crust

Milk
1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup Land O Lakes butter, softened

Filling

1 cup crushed corn flake cereal
8 cups peeled, cored, 1/4 inch sliced tart cooking apples (about 8-10 medium)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
1 reserved egg white
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  For crust, add enough milk to egg yolk to measure 2/3 cup; set aside.  In medium bowl, combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  With fork, stir in milk mixture until dough forms a ball; divide into halves.  Roll out 1/2 of the dough, on lightly floured surface, into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle.  Place on bottom of ungreased 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan.

For filling, sprinkle crushed cereal over top of rolled out dough in the pan.  Layer apples over cereal.  In small bowl, combined 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apples.

Roll remaining 1/2 of dough into a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle; place over apples.  (It will be lumpy, but will smooth out when apples cook down).  In small bowl, with fork beat egg white until foamy; brush over top crust.  In another small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over crust.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, or until lightly browned.

For glaze, in small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients.  Drizzle over warm bars.  To make drizzling easy, put the glaze in a small zip lock bag, snip off a corner, and drizzle by squeezing the bag.

Cut into bars and enjoy.  I cut them more into a square than a bar because we like a nice dollop of ice cream on ours.  If you cut into bars, you will have about 3 dozen.  It's your choice.  These are so extraordinarily good, that you won't mind the effort to make them one little bit.

The awesome thing is, you can eat them without a plate or fork, unless you are enjoying them with some ice cream!  It's so much easier than eating apple pie.  If you want to make your family, friends or co-workers super happy, make a batch of these bars and share!   They are a party in your mouth that will make everyone happy and they make your house smell heavenly while they are baking.

Give this wonderful autumn dessert a try.  You will be so glad you did.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

As American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet - 1970-s marketing jingle.

What I Did With A Pair Of $7.00 Shutters

In yesterday's post, I wrote about making the book page wreath and my love for shutters.  This is my $7.00 purchase from the Habitat Re-Store.  It is 52 inches tall and appears to have lived in someone's kitchen for some time.  How do I know?  By all the grease and goo on it and the way it smelled - as in not pleasant.

This is how Mr. Shutter looked upon purchase.

It had been professionally painted at some point.  How did I know?  By the beautiful, smooth finish on the paint.  Excellent paint job really.  But poor Mr. Shutter had not been well maintained.  See all the grease spots on it?  If you can't see them, here is a close up.

I know, gross.   Alas, this shutter came home with me for some love and attention and the perfect spot for it to reside.    I purchased the Annie Sloan Chateau Grey paint just for this project.  It is  gray with a very green undertone - quite lovely.

I set up my paint station on the deck because it was a pleasant, sunny day and I could paint AND enjoy the out of doors all at the same time.  That is the perfect painting scenario.  I used a 1.5 inch angled brush because I knew that painting shutters is no easy task, since you have the tops and bottoms of all those little louvres that have to be painted.  Then, there is the little rod in the middle that moves the louvres up and down.  That was a real trip to paint on the back side.  With lots of patience, the mission was accomplished.  I painted the top side of the bottom set of louvres, turned the shutters upside down and painted the top half of the louvres.  They had to be turned again and painted from the opposite side in order to get all the flat surface and edges.  The thin brush made it easier to reach through and paint the back side of the rod and all the little narrow edges around the louvres.  Whew.  Was I glad when that job was finished.  Fortunately, I wanted a rough paint job and not a nice, profession job like the original one.  

After the shutters dried, I brought them in and sat them on top of the cabinet that is inside the front door.    I can't tell you how long I stood there looking at them, enjoying them, admiring them, drinking in the beauty of one of my favorite things - shutters.  I know, it's crazy.  Don't judge.  

They are the perfect height for the space.  (I wish I had not turned that lamp on for this picture.  Too late now).  I knew the book page wreath was going to hang on these shutters, so I put a push pin in the wood where I wanted the wreath to hang.  Ta da!

My daughter's neighbor has a beautifully landscaped yard that is full of hydrangeas, in pinks, blues, and late summer green, plus oak leaf hydrangeas.  Early summer hydrangeas like the blue and pink varieties do not dry as well as the late summer white and green ones.  She very generously cut me a huge bunch of the green hydrangeas and the oak leaf variety which are a beautiful combination of creams, browns and bronzes.  The oak leaf hydrangeas are oblong rather than round.  They are perfect for fall arrangements.  I let them dry for a week, and pulled a few to arrange in this orange peach basket that I found at Michaels.  Just two big green hydrangeas, and three of the oak leaf variety was all that was needed.  

Dried hydrangeas will last for years if you don't mess with them and cause them to shatter.  This arrangement will work all the way through Thanksgiving.  Thank you Susan for your generosity.  There is a friend who will enjoy the wreath I am making them from some of these beautiful hydrangeas.  

I found some beautiful candles that are green, brown and tan in various sizes marked down at Michaels and I used one of them in this vignette.  Because of the lamp, it looks yellow on the top, but is actually ivory.  A nice fall accent to add to the look.  The final touch was some burlap ribbon which I draped across the top of the cabinet and through one of the shutters and the basket handle.  Stepping back, I have to say I was very happy with the total look.  I will find some small gourds at the Farmer's Market this weekend to sit next to the basket and this entire arrangement is complete!  

So let's add this up.  I have $7.00 in the shutter, $.75 in the book page wreath, plus the styrofoam form that was $6.99.  The hydrangeas were free, the basket was $8.00.  The candle was $3.99 and the whole bolt of burlap ribbon was $9.00 and I used a couple of feet which came to about $1.00 total.  The most expensive part of the project was the paint at $37.50 a quart.  I barely used any of the paint and plan on using the rest of it to paint a spindled bed frame that I have had since 1967. Yes, it is practically an antique.  (I will let you see some pictures if and when I can face painting all those spindles after dealing with all these louvres).  Let's say I used $4.00 worth of paint.  The total for this project was under $32.00 and we will enjoy it all the way through Thanksgiving.  The shutter will be useful for years and years to come.  It may live in many different locations in the house and serve different purposes, but it will always make me smile.

Think of ways to use inexpensive items to redecorate or change a look for the season.  Nature provides so many things to use.  Now is the time to cut and dry hydrangeas if you want to use them.  You can lightly spray them with some gold or silver Design Master paint and put them in your Christmas tree or make baskets or wreaths for gift giving and you have practically nothing invested money wise.  Look around and think how you can use things in your home or for gifts that are available at little or no cost.  The book page wreaths and other book page decorations will cost mere pennies.  For gift giving,  the important thing is the gift came from your heart, your hands and your creativity.  There is no price on that!  Or, give your self a gift by creating things for your home.  Create something.  It makes the world a better place.  Everyone is creative because we come from a creator.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.”  Henry Ford