Foreign Delicacies

                                                                 by: Murial Stacey

Trying foreign foods can be a delicious adventure to undertake. Spices from India; Spanish spaghetti with meatballs and hot red tomato sauce; Dutch bitterballen or stamppot with speculaasjes and room soezen; the delicious foreign possibilities are endless for the taste buds. The spices from oversees carry their invigorating smells throughout the domestic kitchen and fill the nostrils of hungry children.
I will share one of my favorite recipes from the small European country, the Netherlands. During my travels I visited Holland for a week and fell head over heels for their scrumtious, Dutch delicasies. It is simple to make but an absolutely divine eats. The Dutch definately know how to cook!

 "Stamppot". A traditional winter food among the Dutch farming families. Warm, hearty, and extremely tasty!

*200 g kale
*500 g yellow potatoes
*1 smoked sausage
*10-15 g butter
*milk
*dash of salt and pepper
*100 g chopped ham/bacon (optional)
*dash of salt and pepper
*pickle juice

Peel the potatoes and slice them in half. Chuck them in the pot along with the (washed) kale. Make sure that the water is over the tops of the the kale and potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are tender (20 minutes). Cook the smoked sausage along with the potatoes and kale. In the meantime, bake the chopped ham/bacon, if using, in a skillet until brown and crispy, without adding any extra oil or butter. Mash the potatoes, kale, ham/bacon, salt and pepper together with the butter and a dash of milk. If the mixture seems dry, add another splash of milk.
Serve with the smoked sausage, a splash of pickle juice, and a dill pickle on the side.

The Dutch eat nearly everything with a spoonful of applesauce, so this meal can also be served with a large whop of homemade applesauce.



NEXT in the Mealtime Monday series: desserts, by: Elvira Lawson

Hasty-Yet-Tasty Meals

by: Olivia Dale


As wives, we're always busy; we're either housekeeping, tending to children, or for some of us, working at a job to help make ends meet.
In our busy schedules we tend to let the topic of "what's for dinner?" drop; and so what does the husband get for supper after a long, hard day at work? A sandwhich- or if he's lucky, last nights' left overs.
We all want to do better than that, don't we?

Here are some recipes/ tips that are hasty-yet-tasty; bound to be a family filler and a husband pleaser.

#1. Zucchini in the oven
Before you leave for work or before you will be busy with other things that will last all day, be          sure to have harvested one large (or two, depending on the family size) zucchini and have laid it on the kitchen counter. Anything that saves time, right??
Once you get back home, wash the vegetable and slice it in half (Keep the seeds and innards in it- that's the tasty part!). Sprinkle on a dash of salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Place on a tray. Bake in the oven until tender and the fleshy tops golden.
Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and serve with a slice of bread n butter.

#2. Butternut squash
A favorite! Before tending to other duties, peel the squash and chop into blocks. Set aside in water to avoid browning and you are safe to go. Afterwards, bring the pot to a boil. Once it's cooked, remove excess water and place the vegetable in the serving platter. Plop a pat of butter on top and sprinkle it with brown sugar or pepper. Serve with some cold meat and last nights' dessert.

#3. Stir fried beans
Pre-pick a variety of beans from the garden. Wash, cut in three's, place in water, and set aside. Once you are ready to bake, place the beans in a skillet with a pat of butter or lard. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring for half of the time. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and serve with beef and a garden salad.

#4. Baked potatoes
Pre-wash potatoes (1 large potato per person), slice into thin slices, and place in water until ready to use. Remove water and add a dash of salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss. Place in a skillet with a pat of butter. Bake, stirring most of the time until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Serve with ketchup and lots of shredded cheese. That's all you need to eat with this recipe as it is very filling.



NEXT in the Mealtime Monday series: Foreign Delicacies by: Murial Stacey 

Family Mealtimes And Everyday Dishes

by: Janet King

As mothers, we want to feed our children the healthiest, most nutritional, and the most filling meals at every mealtime. It is imperative that you cut down sugars. Children do not need much sugar in their diets, they are hyper enough and sugar causes tooth decay and obesity in children these days.

Instead of sugars, replace it with other vitamin packed foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Leafy green vegetables are filled with vitamins. It is essential that your child has a large glass of fresh, raw milk (as that stimulates bone and tooth growth) at every single meal.
Suppertime meals for buzzing families usually include boiled potatoes, a vegetable of some sort, and meat- red meat. Good, stimulating beef. That is one of the most important food sources on your plate.
To ensure a healthy immune system in the family, mix some onions and/or minced garlic in the meals. Garlic is an excellent antibiotic, so if somebody does catch a cold, add extra garlic into his meal. When the father, who happens to be a farmer, is out in the fields working, make sure you pack an extra source of fortifying RED MEAT, a good source of iron, into his lunch pack.
As for everyday dishes, I would suggest that you make sure that you always have an extra scoop of mashed potatoes and greens, because you never know when a hungry stranger may show up at your doorstep and wishes to join your family at dinnertime.

NEXT in the Mealtime Monday series: hasty-yet-tasty meals by: Olivia Dale

Mealtime Monday: Family Traditions

By: Hetty King

Family is by far one of the most important things in life; that is why family traditions [as in mealtime traditions] are important and special, too. Families gather together at the dinner table for holidays or family events- such as birthdays and reunions.
However, when a family clan gathers into one large group, it isn't always easy to please everybody - especially when it comes to food. Our grandmothers, mothers, and aunts knew well how to deal with a hoard of starving family members, and thus family traditions got passed down to the next generation- the secret that you now have; that is, if you have it. Because most people nowadays tend to lose everything, their family traditions water away, too.
In the King family, we use the same recipes that Great Grandmother King used for her large crowd mealtimes, as those recipes tend to be crowd pleasers, easy to make, and most importantly- filling and pleasing to the eye. We also use her blue spade dishes and platters.
Preparing a huge meal for a huge family is a huge task for one person to do alone. That is where family members come into play- young and old alike. The children, for example, can peal the potatoes and chop up the vegetables. Family mealtime prep can also be a learning time as  grandmothers and aunts always have a tip or two to pass to the younger generation.
When it comes to all sitting down at one table, it is important to note that the conversations do not turn into bitter dispositions and arguments, as that happens on occasion when old wounds and bitter memories are dug up, not intentionally, at the dinner table. [Forgiveness is crucial. If you hold a grudge against a family member, it is most wise to get things in order with that person before things get worse. Mark my words, I have seen my share of riled-up family members during a family gathering all because of old grudges. If you cannot forgive, then you cannot forget whatever that person has done to you. And it hurts you more than it hurts the other person.]
After desserts (more about desserts in another blog post), it is very enjoyable for the family to gather in the parlor and have some tea and finger food. This is also a winner among the children.

NEXT in the Mealtime Monday series: family mealtimes and everyday dishes, by: Janet King

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoices in truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;

but the greatest of these is charity.

Mealtime Monday Cancellation

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will postpone Family Traditions, by Hetty King, for today and will try to publish it some other time this week.


Sorry for the inconvenience!
-E. Lawson

Introducing Mealtime Mondays

by: Olivia Dale

The cooks and busy homemakers of  Avonlea will be sharing their favorite spring meals and dishes every Monday starting on the nineteenth of March.
They will be posting delicious recipes from hasty-yet-tasty to family traditions and every day dishes.
Some of the cooks and homemakers are listed and what their topic/meal will be about on their
assigned Monday:

~ Hetty King; family traditions     March 19th
~ Janet King; family mealtimes and every day dishes     March 26th
~ Olivia Dale; hasty-yet-tasty meals     April 6th
~ Murial Stacey; foreign delicacies      April 13th
~ Elvira Lawson; desserts     April 20th
   
So stay tuned for Mealtime Mondays!