Gracious Hospitality: September 2022

Friday, September 30, 2022

Our Home a Bed and Breakfast

In our study of 3rd John this week we learned the importance

of sharing our home with missionaries, preachers

and fellow ministry workers.

Sharing the comfort of our home,

our resources, and food we help others in ministry.

Planning and being prepared helps to provide a

special blessing to our guest and make memories

and friends that last a lifetime.

Our focus today was on breakfast foods.

Breakfast Pizza

Handcrafted Granola

Hot Breakfast Quinoa

with Coconut milk and Cherries

Apple Dumplings

Beckman Inn Breakfast Casserole

These ladies work hard and still have fun!

It has truly been a blessing to work with these ladies this year.

Friday, September 23, 2022

Special Opportunities for Service

So many opportunities arise when we can bless others.

Church potlucks, celebrating new babies,

and comforting those who are grieving are just a few occasions

we are given to be hospitable to others.

Today our baking focus was on special desserts we can share with others.

Each of these were not only beautiful but delicious.

Definitely award winning results.

Pumpkin Roll

Pecan Pie Tarts

Rustic Pear Tart

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The process of everyone working in the kitchen with time limits to

complete the baking projects is so much fun.

Sometimes they are perfect the first time.

Others recipes we must work a little harder for the finished product.

They are continually sharing in the process and learning from one another.

Today's desserts were a definite success.

Friday, September 16, 2022

Hospitality In the Church-Breaking Bread

As we shared the book of James this week we discussed ways we

share hospitality with one another.

Bread seems to be a universal language that is shared

in every culture around the world and

takes on a special meaning in our fellowship and

worship together.

Today our class was very ambitious in the time frame we were

given and prepared four different ways to make bread.

We began by starting our crescent rolls.

Buttery Crescent Rolls

Our second recipe was a new take on biscuits.

Slap Your Brains out Biscuits

The third was making bread in an iron skillet instead of the oven.

Cowboy Bread

Our fourth recipe was making a free-form bread

with herbs and cheese.

Focaccia Bread

Butter recipes were also prepared to spread on the

beautiful hot bread.

Honey Butter, Basil Garlic Butter, and Chive butter

Near the end of class, these ladies took a few moments to make communion bread.

Whole Wheat Communion bread and

Communion Bread with white flour, butter, and honey.

Baking bread is always more fun when it is a group activity.

These ladies worked diligently to create

beautiful and delicious bread.

Sharing with one another the instruction for baking

the bread and discussing what works well and

suggestions of how to make it better next time they bake.

We are blessed this year to have Betty join us in our class.

We enjoy her sharing her baking stories and

cooking wisdom with the class.

TABLESCAPES

One of our best classes is when the ladies prepare

and present their Tablescapes.

The rules are simple.

Create a tablescape from something you have or can borrow.

You may buy nothing.

Often when we are ask to plan and host an event

and may not have a budget for the decorations.

Today these ladies brought a piece of themselves to create

beautiful and interesting table settings with special attention

to the theme and conversation starters.

Much is learned about one other by sharing their stories

about the items they gather.

Makenzie presents

Growing with God

Tamako presents

Home in Japan

Alana presents

Outdoors with God

Bailey presents

Come to the Table

Friday, September 2, 2022

Being Prepared for Hospitality Part 2 'Dinner is in the Freezer'

In today's class, we studied the

Ministry of Kindness, Encouragement, and Sharing.

Our practical application was learning ways

we can be prepared by having ready meals in the freezer.

We assembled five recipes using pre-cooked chicken and beef.

Our completed dishes for today's class.

Mexican Stromboli

Chicken Packets

Chicken Broccoli AuGratin

Mexican Stroganoff

Chicken A La King

Getting to share the process and workflow of preparing

different recipes helps everyone learn from the

various techniques and methods of assembly.

It is also a lot of fun.

Of course, the best part is getting to taste test and

critique the diverse textures and flavors.

Gracious Hospitality Overview

90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 envelope yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup margarine
1 egg
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened

*Set aside 1 cup all purpose flour from total amount. Mix remaining flour, yeast ,sugar, and salt in large bowl.
**Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup margarine until hot to the touch, about 115F. Stir hot liquid into dry ingredients. Mix in egg. Mix in enough reserved flour to make a soft dough, so that it does not stick to the bowl. Turn out onto floured board and knead 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 10 minutes.
***Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and margarine together. Roll dough into 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread with cinnamon mixture. Roll from long side, jelly-roll style; pinch to seal the seam.
****Cut into 12 equal slices with a sharp knife. Place cut side up into large greased muffin cups; place on baking sheet over a shallow pan half-filled with boiling water. Cover dough and let rise 20 mins. Bake at 375 F for 20 mins or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool.

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients until well mixed. Frost warm rolls.

Perfect Pie Crust

2 Cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vinegar
3 - 4 Tbsp cold water

*Combine flour, salt and sugar in a 2 qt. bowl. Evenly cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork. *Combine egg and vinegar in a small bowl and add to flour mixture.
*Add water a tablespoon at a time until dough is moist enough to form ball.
*Shape dough into 2 balls. Flatten one ball to 1/2 inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges.
*On lightly floured surface roll into 11 inch circle.
*Transfer dough to a 9" pie plate.
*Unfold gently and press in bottom and up sides of plate.
*Roll out remaining pastry; set aside. Continue as directed in pie recipe.

HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 c. lukewarm water
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
or solid shortening
3/4 c. water
1 c. hot milk
5 to 6 c. flour

Proof yeast in 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water for 5 minutes. Measure sugar, salt and butter into mixing bowl, pour hot milk over them and stir allowing the butter to melt. Add remaining water and cool to lukewarm. Stir in 1 cup flour. Add yeast mixture and 2 more cups flour and beat with a wooden spoon until batter is smooth and elastic. Stir in 1 1/2 to 2 cups more flour, then, with floured fingers, work in enough additional flour to make a soft dough that does not stick to your fingers.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead for 2-5 minutes, about 100 kneading strokes. Shape dough into a ball and put it in an oiled or buttered bowl. Roll the dough in the oil until coated on all sides, cover with a towel and let dough rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and turn onto floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a smooth ball. Shape each ball into a loaf and put into a greased loaf pan. Cover pans with a towel and let bread rise until the sides of the raised bread reach the top of the pans and the center is nicely rounded above it, about 1 hour.

To bake: Bake loaves at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and sound hollow when lightly tapped.

When baked: Turn loaves from pans immediately onto a cooling rack to keep crust crisp. For a soft, tender crust: Brush loaves with butter as soon as they come from oven.

Peel and remove pit, finely Chop
4 cups prepared peaches
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 package powdered pectin

*Measure sugar and keep ready.
*Mix pectin with fruit and using high heat to bring to a boil.
*At once add sugar.
*Bring to a full boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down).
*Boil hard for one minute.
*Remove from heat and skim foam for 5 minutes. This prevents floating fruit.
*Put quickly into jars leaving 1/4-inch head space.
*Clean rim and seal with rings.
*Water bath in boiling water for 10 minutes for pints and quarts.
*It should set in 24 hours.
*Makes about 4 pints jam