The Gold Standard - February 2009

ISBN 978-1-59789-525-5

Copyright © 2008 by Lisa J. Lickel. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of Heartsong Presents—MYSTERIES, an imprint of

Barbour Publishing, Inc., PO Box 721, Uhrichsville, OH 44683.

Cover design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design

Purchase from Amazon

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

“I don’t want just any girl! I need. . .I want you.” Graham heaved himself up abruptly, hauling the torn shirt back over his head. He stepped a few paces into the yard and waved an arm. “Look at all this, Judy. You can’t live here alone. Take care of this land.

Hart’s Focaccia Bread 

     By Hand:

1 c. warm water

1 pkg dry yeast

            Let these two work until bubbly

Add: 3 1/4 cups flour, more or less, to make dough

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

2 T. Extra virgin full fat olive oil

Variations: add ¼ cup dried tomato to the dough, and/or flaked onion, or dried chili peppers to taste.

Knead 12-15 minutes until elastic – pinch of dough doesn’t break from ball.

On a greased cookie sheet, press dough into a firm, flat 12-inch circle. Let raise 20 minutes.

The topping:

Focaccia can be flavored with various herbs and cheeses. The key is to use a good olive oil base.

To approximately ¼ cup olive oil, add your choice of herbs to taste. Some variations include 2 T. grated Parmesan or Romano, or finely grated yellow cheeses, minced garlic clove, up to 2 tsp. rosemary or other herbs such as oregano and basil as desired.

Poke holes evenly across the top of the circle, approximately at one-inch intervals, using the round handle of a wooden spoon. Brush your olive oil mixture thickly over the top.

Bake in preheated oven set to 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until browned.

    The dough can also be made in a standard bread machine:

7 ½ ounces warm water, 3 cups bread flour, 2 T. dried milk, 1 T. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. margarine or butter, 2 tsp. dry yeast.

When dough cycle is finished, remove from pan, knead on a floured surface a couple of minutes, and proceed as above.

Church Potato Salad for a crowd 

Yield: approximately thirty servings.

10 lb potatoes – peeled either completely, or 2/3 if using red potatoes, to keep some color. Cut into 1 inch or so cubes and boil 15-20 minutes – test for doneness with a fork. Don’t over cook or you’ll have a starchy mess. You can also cube potatoes after boiling – cook longer if leaving uncut.

Add: 2 cups salad dressing/mayonnaise, 1 large sweet Vidalia onion, finely chopped, 8-10 hardboiled, peeled and chopped eggs, 10 chopped radishes, 3-4 stalks chopped celery, T. salt to taste, 1 T. dry mustard to taste, 1 tsp. pepper to taste

Ruth Harris’s Carrot Cake 

1 1/3 cup good canola or salad oil

2 c. sugar  (using raw sugar makes for a rich caramel flavor)

3 c. grated peeled or washed well fresh carrots

4 eggs, slightly beaten

Sift together:

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

May add 1 cup chopped pecans, ½ cup golden raisins if desired

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl; stir in dry ingredients, beating well. Pour into well greased 9 x 13 pan.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about an hour. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

Serves 12

Cream cheese frosting:

1 8-oz package softened cream cheese

¼ c. softened margarine or butter

Approximately 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, enough to make a creamy frosting

½ tsp. vanilla

Beat well. Frost thickly when cake is cool.

Ardyth’s Real Lemonade

Ardyth makes a quart at a time, but you can easily double the recipe.

She squeezes four large lemons, or five medium-sized ones, into her quart jar, adds about half a cup of sugar and fills it up with water and ice cubes, mixing well. She’s also been known to slice fresh strawberries into the jar, as well as crushed fresh mint leaves.

Judy’s Chicken Casserole

Judy had always heard that salt was bad for you, and she had never heard of savory, and couldn’t find paprika or pepper in Louise’s kitchen. Besides, they were such small amounts, what difference did it make?

If Judy followed the recipe, she would have made this:

1 large chicken breast, cooked and cubed

2 T. diced onion

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 can of green beans, any style

1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 tsp each: salt, parsley

½ tsp savory

½ tsp. course ground black pepper

Sprinkle top with paprika

Mix in a 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Serves 5