Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt
Dorcas Annette Walker

Even though America has become the melting pot of diverse cultures, Thanksgiving is one holiday that unites us with the focus on food; the traditional turkey usually as the main centerpiece. Before Thanksgiving Day arrives my daughter and I will be busy each in our own kitchens cooking up storm. When our families get together the main hub will be my kitchen bursting with energy and laughter overlaid by a strong aroma of tantalizing smells that always draws the guys. Soon we will have to dodge bodies and shuffle for space while trying to make order out of all the chaos to reach my goal of another Thanksgiving dinner. Without fail my husband will ask, “Honey isn’t it time for dinner yet?” His question always signals that fact that once again I am running behind schedule. In desperation I will start shoving dishes into any nearby fellow’s hands pointing them to the table in order to give us room to finish up the last minute details. At last a spot will be found for each one to squeeze in around the table, grab hands to pray, and give thanks for another year of bounty, each family member, and the many blessings we daily enjoy.

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I get out all my recipes and cookbooks and start browsing to make up a menu choosing the dishes and desserts that have become a family tradition while pulling out and studying new recipes or ideas that I have collected. Holidays are a great time, when one is already spending lots of time in the kitchen, to try out something brand new. This year I decided to try a Greek Yogurt recipe that my sister gave. I always keep a batch of homemade yogurt in my refrigerator year round. Adding yogurt to casseroles with cream soups, cheese and macaroni, mashed/scalloped potatoes, puddings, and fruit desserts always gives the dish a creamier texture with healthful benefits added without changing the taste. The more I uses for yogurt that I find the more endless possibilities I discover. To add pizzazz to your holiday meals this year make up a batch of Greek Yogurt. Preparation time for the Greek Yogurt takes around seventeen hours (I let the yogurt sit overnight) and this recipe makes seven to eight cups.

Greek Yogurt

1 gal regular or 2% milk
2 c plain yogurt

Scald the milk, turn off the heat, and let cool slowly (about an hour). Gradually stir in the yogurt that has come to room temperature. Put the pan in the oven with the light on and let sit for sixteen hours without opening the door. Pour into four layers of cheesecloth covering a colander sitting in a pan. Let the yogurt drain for four hours in the refrigerator. Then ladle into sterilized jars or containers and refrigerate.

Weekly tip: Substitute this spread for your butter this holiday. Mix: 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 3 tb of honey, and ¼ tsp of cinnamon together until well blended, chill, and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Fudgy Spice Cake

Fudgy Spice Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Originally called Armistice Day at the end of World War I, in June of 1954 Congress amended the Act of 1938 to officially make it Veteran’s Day in honor of American veterans of all wars. Each of us owes a great debt to the veterans living and dead for the freedoms we enjoy today. Veteran’s Day is a chance to stop our busy schedules, watch old glory wave high, listen to patriotic speeches, tap our feet to the music of parades, and pause for a moment to remember our veterans. Every year our church has a special Veteran’s Day service to honor the veterans with a home cooked meal in the fellowship hall afterwards. I made up a Walker-size cake for the church dinner this past Sunday. Next to the Walker clan’s love for their country is their love for eating.

The Walker fellows have a trait of not knowing their own strength or realize how intimidating they can appear when grouped together. One year when several of the family was meeting at the mission the crowd of men kept growing larger with each son’s arrival repeatedly asking Dad Walker, “Reverend, just how many sons did you say you had?” Dad loves to brag that he raised his own private body guards. The boys carry on the tradition of family tales. One time when their sister’s luggage was locked inside a small town bus station from her Greyhound bus arriving late at night after being delayed, the boys decided to break into the station and retrieve her stuff. A local cop spotted them and hauled them all down to the police station. After the chief of police heard the complaint, surrounded by four huge fellows that barely fit in the small station, he told the cop to let them go stating, “We don’t have enough man power to prevent these guys from breaking in.”

My Fudgy Spice Cake is a rich filling dessert deceptively simple to make with an eye-catching decorative design that makes it almost too pretty to cut and eat. Four layers of cake are surrounded by frosting making each moist bite a delight to eat. The Fudgy Spice Cake is ideal for holidays or a large crowd of people. You can substitute a nut cake mix or another flavor instead of spice. My Fudgy Spice Cake can be made up ahead of time as this cake keeps well. Preparation time for the Fudgy Spice Cake is around an hour and this recipe makes one large cake.

Fudgy Spice Cake

1 spice cake mix
3 (16 oz) cans of chocolate frosting
Almonds
Chocolate chips

Prepare cake mix like directed. Divide the batter into four parts pouring into greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake each layer at 350º for twenty minutes and cool. Cover each layer with chocolate frosting and then frost around the side and top. Using a tablespoon lightly depress the spoon into the frosting to make swirls around the side and top of the cake. Garnish with almond flowers!

Weekly tip: To make the almond flowers place five slivered almonds around a chocolate chip to form the petals!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Carmel Pie

Carmel Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

My introduction to veterans came when I married into Dana’s military family. Since the American Revolution, there has been a Walker from this family tree serving in every conflict that our nation has been engaged in with the exception of the Spanish-American War. My father-in-law is a veteran of World War II, the Korean, and Vietnam War. He entered the military after lying about his age to a judge, who gave him the choice of going to jail or to war. When the judge informed his mother, she told the judge that her son was only sixteen. So Dana’s dad went to another town, where lied about his age again, and joined up with the Navy ending up on one of the boats guarding the bay where the Japanese surrendered. After two years he joined the Army then thought about joining the Marines, but they told him he would have to go through boot camp again so instead he joined the Air Force serving sixteen years. He retired with twenty-one and a half years in military service. Just between my father-in-law, his two sons, one daughter, and three grandsons there has been a total of 73.5 years of Walker military service given to our country in the last three generations.

Standing erect his five sons still loom over their dad head and shoulders, but all the boys respect their dad’s ability to handle himself. He could break cement blocks in two with one hand and do one handed push-ups into his late sixties having to stop when he had trouble keeping his balance. After retiring from the military and turning his life around from being an alcoholic, my father-in-law started a rescue mission in the city of Fort Myers to help others. Word quickly got around not to mess with the head guy despite his being a preacher, small size, and age. One street fellow started giving trouble and pulled a knife on my father-in-law. He took the knife away from the fellow and threw it over to the curb about the time a policeman came by and asked, “Reverend you need some help?” Dad Walker said, “No somebody just needed to know who was boss around here. It’s all taken care of”. He then reached down shut the knife, dropped it in the man’s pocket and told him, “If you reach in your pocket, I’ll break your hand.” The poor guy was so nervous he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Another time some guys got into a fight in the dormitory. One of the fellows was enormous called Little John. Dad Walker and a son stopped the fight. My father-in-law then shoved Little John in his room, shut the door, and told him to stay there. In a few seconds slowly and very carefully Little John opened up the door and asked quietly, “Preacher can I come out now?”

My Carmel Pie has a smooth Carmel filling sandwiched between cool whip and a graham cracker crust making a rich elegant dessert that will grace any occasion. Even though this simple dessert takes hours to make it is well worth the time invested. I usually make two pies at a time. Preparation time for my Carmel Pie is a little over three and one half hours and this recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

Carmel Pie

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Remove the label and immerse the can of condensed milk in a kettle of water completely covering the can. Bring to a boil and slowly boil adding water as needed for three hours. Let cool. Open and pour into the graham cracker crust using a spatula to smooth it out. Layer with cool whip and chill before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: When cutting frozen pies first dip the knife into warm water to make the slicing easier!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Autumn Biscuits

Autumn Biscuits
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn is the time when the days start to get shorter as we head toward winter. Last week after picking up my husband in town it was already dark when we started home. I noticed one house lit up and at first thought that they had already put up their Christmas lights. Instead it was lights for Halloween. With pumpkin festivals and contests held for fall décor of homes and businesses, autumn decorating has become almost as important as trimming the tree for Christmas. Don’t worry if you aren’t crazy over natural fall colors. You can find colors ranging from hot pink to brilliant purple available to dazzle the eye. I still haven’t figured out where pink and neon purple fits into autumn yet, but then teal and orange Christmas decorations puzzle me as well. I worry that with all the modern decorations at our finger tips the younger generation will never enjoy or know the delight of making homespun decorations that was in harmony with nature.

Mothers of all generations have always been concerned with feeding their family nutritious meals. I feel sorry for young mothers today constantly bombarded with magazine articles, commercials, and advertisements that often contradict themselves of what foods are necessary for healthful families. Added to the dilemma is the fact that most youngsters today are not raised hoeing and weeding gardens so wholesome vegetables appear to them as strange items from outer space. One way to introduce nourishing foods to the family is by concealing them within a familiar item. My Autumn Biscuits are a perfect way for doing this. You can substitute pumpkin or squash for the sweet potato if you prefer. The Autumn Biscuits are a delicious addition eaten plain with a meal, as a snack with honey, or your favorite jam. Preparation time for my Autumn Biscuits is ten minutes and this recipe makes eight to ten biscuits.

Autumn Biscuits

2 c self-rising flour
1 c cooked sweet potato
3 tb shortening
1 c milk
cinnamon

In a medium-sized bowl stir together the flour, sweet potato, and shortening with a fork until crumbly. Add the milk and mix well. Pour out onto a floured surface adding flour as needed. Knead the dough a couple of minutes. Shape biscuits by breaking off a handful, form a flattened ball, and place on an ungreased tray. Bake at 350º for twenty minutes until lightly browned. Spread with butter or cream cheese and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: *Last week 1 cup of brown sugar was omitted from the Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com