Stop!

Don't throw away that broiler pan or those burner drip pans and go buy new ones! Save your money for something better and try this proven, almost self-cleaning, method instead.

Having moved more than most people will ever move in their lifetimes, I have had to clean my share of disgusting, blackened, spilled on and burnt over many times, burner and broiler pans and barbeque grill racks.

However, my mother showed me a WONDERFUL trick while I was still living at home and moving all over the country with her and dad.

Take your crispy, burnt on item (whether it be burner pans, oven racks, the rack out of the grill, etc.) and find a sturdy plastic bag that it will fit into. *Gallon ziplock bags work for the burner drip pans, but a durable garbage bag will be needed for the other items.* Put anywhere from one tablespoon to 1/4 cup of amonia into the bag with the pan/rack inside. It doesn't take much amonia because it's the fumes that will do the work! Completely seal the bag and let it sit overnight.

The next morning VOILA!!! The crispy burnt stuff will simply fall off and the rest will pretty much wipe off with a wet soapy dish cloth. Rinse item COMPLETELY then allow to dry before replacing in stove or grill.

You can repeat the process if there are still spots that haven't come off, but in my......some years I have never had to repeat the process.

Attention Chocolate Lovers!

You have just made lunch for your toddler and preschooler which includes Red Velvet Soup (aka tomato. Called that because if you told them it was Tomato they would never eat it) with cheese fishies swimming around in the soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. As you sit down to eat with them you bite into your grilled cheese sandwich and think, "Gosh I wish this was a grilled chocolate sandwich instead!"

Well wish no further!! Here it is, a recipe for that Grilled Chocolate sandwich!!


http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/chocolate_sandwiches.htm

Mmmmmm. Sounds pretty good. Haven't tried one yet, just found the recipe. But by the time I write another post I will have made myself one! Go make one for you right now and let me know how it is!!

No Pain No Gain?

When it comes to a sore throat there is nothing to be gained from that pain. Unlike a fever, which your body creates to burn out infections, a sore throat is simply an indicator that you may have caught a virus or infection. So why suffer? Do something about it. Whether your throat is sore from sinus drainage, to much yelling at your son's little league game, dry air in your house, singing too much, or you have lost your voice due to laryngitis this "home remedy" works GREAT!

***NOTE*** I DO NOT make any claims to being a nutritionist, doctor, or to have any other such fancy degree. However, as with all of the other stuff I know about, I am constantly conducting research and learning about things. So, I do not recommend that this "home remedy" should take the place of reason or a visit to your doctor. I do know that I have implemented the use of this drink MANY times with excellent results and it has prevented many unnecessary trips to the doctor's office.

With that said, I am not sure when, where, or even if I heard of this. I have used it for so many years I could have made it up myself as a result of studying honey and it's various important properties. Honey has natural antibiotics in it, it can help allergy sufferers get through pollen season, it boosts your immune system, and it can give you energy from a natural sugar source (which means it doesn't drop you off the edge when you come down off it) just to name a few of honey's redeeming qualities. Even though it's so good for us DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 5 YEARS OLD.

Now, combine that honey with lemon juice, which is high in vitamin C, and you have a great sore throat remedy. Not only is "Honey/Lemon Tea" (what I call it) good for you it tastes yummy also--something that most sore throat remedies can not say for themselves!!! Kids will drink this and not mind it one bit!!

So, here is the recipe:

Combine one to three (depends on how sweet you want it) heaping tablespoonful of honey with three tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh squeezed is preferable, but out of the bottle is ok if it is all you have on hand) in a coffee mug. Fill the rest of the cup with HOT water. Stir until honey is completely dissolved then drink.
One cup of Honey/Lemon Tea in the morning and one at night about an hour or two before bed.

I have seen terrible colds and laryngitis turned around in 24 to 48 hours from only a few cups of the Tea. It also is a great drink for someone who is about to sing.

As I stated before, this is not in any way a substitute for antibiotics. If your sore throat gets worse and is accompanied by a high fever GO TO THE DOCTOR you probably have Strep! and you need medicine!

May this help you keep your money in the bank rather than helping the doctor pay for his mercedes. It's helped me!

Pit Roasting

One of my fondest memories is of a trip my family took to Lake Powell late one summer when I was about 13 or 14 years old. Now we took A LOT of trips to Lake Powell, at least once a month every year for about 8 years because my parents owned a scuba diving/boat business. So to think that one trip would stand out from the rest seems difficult to believe. However, this trip was special because of the food that was prepared on the final night there.

I remember going to the butcher--something that isn't normally done in the days of supermarkets--and my mother buying a "half pig". Yes, that is an entire one side of a very large pig that has been butchered. Not sure exactly how much it weighed, but I am sure that it was around 50 pounds or so.

The next thing I remember was my dad and several other men spending a couple of evenings digging an enormous (4 or 5 feet deep, 3 feet wide, and about 5 feet long) hole and lining it with flat sandstone rocks. Before going to bed the night before our last day at the lake we built a huge fire in the pit. And by huge I mean a roaring fire that was shooting flames 4 to 6 feet high out of the pit. It was so hot you couldn't get within 10 feet of the fire. After it had burned all night it was allowed to die down to nothing but scorching hot coals. My mother and I spent the morning preparing all types of fruit--pineapples, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, cherries, strawberries, etc. When all was ready we placed all of the fruit into the cavity of the pig and tied it closed. We then wrapped the pig in heavy duty tin foil--several layers. We took several burlap bags and got them good and wet in the lake. These bags were wrapped around the tin foil covered pig and tied on with wet twine. Several men picked the whole pig "package" up and lowered it into the pit onto a sheet of metal flashing that had been placed over the hot coals and rocks. Another sheet of flashing was placed on top of the wrapped pig roast and then they shovelled dirt back into the pit. Once the hole, coals, pig, etc. was completely buried it was left to roast all day.

At dinner time the men shoveled the dirt back out of the pit and brought the roasted pig over to the table. We cut off the bags and twine, then removed the top half of the tin foil so that the meat was exposed. Everyone just helped themselve to whatever pieces of meat they wanted.

This was the best meat, pork, food I have ever eaten!! The flavor was indescribable. It was so moist and tender that a knife was not needed.

Wow! I am so hungry!

P.S. I have also cooked Thanksgiving turkey this way and it turned out fantastic! Those fryers can't cook it near as good as the pit roast method.

A Simple Family ReUnion Menu

So, the person organizing the whole event has called you and let you know that your family needs to feed the entire crew for one evening meal. Great! What do you make for 20, 30, 40, or more people--maybe even 75 to 100?!!! Here are a couple of ideas and recipes that can be easily modified to feed everyone from a small crowd to an army platoon.

THE MENU:

Barbecued Pork (or beef) Sandwiches
Baked Beans
Potato Salad
Fruit Salad

THE RECIPES:

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

One four pound pork roast will feed about 6-10 people depending on appetites. (So using this average plan on 8 pounds of meat for 20 people, 16 pounds for 40, etc.)

One 18 ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce for each four pound roast. (This you can modify a little one way or the other--do you like drippy, sausey, sandwiches or just enough sauce to hold the meat together? Add or subtract according to desired results)

Large hamburger buns--enough for all adults to have two and children to have one each. I prefer the onion buns, but a nice variety--onion, potato, sesame seed, and poppy seed--would be a great idea.

I like to provide extra barbecue sauce and mayo for the condiments on this sandwich.

Combine roast(s) in appropriate sized dutch oven, crock pots, or oven roasting pans. (Maybe all three depending on how much you are making!) Pour barbecue sauce over the top, cover, and begin to slowly cook. You want to cook this for about 6 to 10 hours. Don't let it get dry!!! Add more sauce or water if needed as the meat cooks.

When the meat is fork tender, remove any bones and fat then shred the meat. Stir well with the sauce. Serve on the hamburger buns.

Be Safe!!! Keep the meat warm while serving!!!! It will need to maintain a temperature above 145 degrees F in order to stay safe for consumption.


Baked Beans:

This recipe will feed about 10 to 12 people and can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. It can also be cut in half. No matter the amount you need to make, this is THE BEST baked bean recipe EVER!!!

1- 53 ounce can of pork-n-beans
1 pound bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
2 med. onions
2 large green bell peppers
1 1/2 tsp worstershire sauce
1 cup katsup
3/4 cup brown sugar ( I add a little more)
1/4 cup molasses

Chop onions and bell peppers. Combine all ingredients into large casserole dish(s) and stir. Cover with lid or tin foil and bake at 325 for 3 to 4 hours stirring occasionally. Uncover for the last 30 minutes.

This can be served hot or cold. (I prefer it hot, HoneyBunny thinks it's best cold.)



Potato Salad:

What summer picnic is complete without potato salad? This is a Family ReUnion staple!! ****REMEMBER!!! potato salad contains eggs even if you don't add boiled eggs to it!! Mayo is made with eggs!!! and eggs have to stay COLD or a very nasty bug called salmonella begins forming. This is a terrible way for the family to remember the meal you made!! Please make sure all potato salad stays at a temperature below 40 degrees. I keep it on ice in a cooler or set in a larger bowl that is full of ice. And keeping it covered helps the whole thing stay cool.

-Potatoes that have been baked or boiled and cubed. Don't cook them until they are mushy! Stop cooking them when they are fork tender but still firm. Baked potatoes are best, fastest, and easiest to clean up afterwards because there is no mess or pans!
-Enough Mayo to make a creamy consistency of the whole mixture.
-Enough mustard to give it a good zip!
-Boiled, chopped eggs
-Minced onions
-Sweet or dill relish (which ever you prefer)

I plan on one potato for about every 3 people. The rest of the ingredients are added to the cooked, cubed potatoes in the bowl. I just keep adding until it tastes right to me!!! and it looks good and creamy.


Fruit Salad:

This is a no-brainer! Get some cantalope, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, honeydew, etc. Cut it all into bite size pieces (except the grapes and blueberries of course!) and combine LIGHTLY in a very large bowl. I add what I believe will be an appropriate amount of sugar and TA-DA! Fruit Salad. I love this well chilled, but it can endure getting a little warm without the adverse affects that pasta and potato salads suffer in the heat.

Oh, and by the way, this is especially good if you can get several children to wash up and help with all of the cutting up or melon ball forming!


There it is! A full menu of simple, yummy, summer time, family reunion approved food.



**For the next post I will give a recipe for a VERY FANCY main course that can take the place of the barbecue sandwiches if you want something really special.

Top 10 Family ReUnion Games

Most of the time the only ones that get involved in playing games at the family reunion are all of the kids. However, adults can certainly join in! I have gathered these ideas from friends, books, and personal participation. Be sure to have some fun, small prizes on hand to give out to the winner(s).

1. This game sounds incredibly fun! All who wish to participate ties a blown-up balloon to each ankle. Once everyone has two balloons on their ankle, the fun starts. Chase eachother around attempting to pop each others balloons. The one left with a balloon that is still not popped is the winner!

2. Wheel barrow races. Always fun, always a popular game to play.

3. Three-legged races. Divide up into couples, tie one leg of each person in the couple together. "On your mark, get set, run!" The couple that makes it to the finish line wins!

4. Egg toss. This can get a little messy so if you don't have ready access to a water fight afterwards. Try the same game with a water balloon if desired. Everyone forms two lines that face eachother. One line will get the egg and carefully begin tossing the egg to the person across from them. Then they toss the egg back. Each time the egg is tossed you move one step back away from eachother. Which ever team's egg remains unbroken the longest wins.

5. Potato roll. Have each person line up with a potato on the ground in front of them. At the word "go!", each person begins rolling the potato along the ground with a stick or spoon. The first person, and potato, to reach the finish line is the winner.

6. Limbo. Warning: Adults with bad backs should not participate in this one! But for everyone else it is a lot of fun.

7. Freeze tag. For some reason this was always one on my favorites. One person is selected to be "it". The rest of the group runs from this person. When you are tagged by this person you have to "freeze" instantly wherever you are, in whatever position you are in. The last person "frozen" becomes the next person who is "it". Now if you want a little more challenge--the people that are still not frozen can touch someone who is frozen and that person is free to run again.

8. Another fun tag game is Cartoon tag. All the same tag ideas but this time as the "it" person goes to tag you if you can name a cartoon character first then you are "safe". For an extra challenge: tell all who are participating that there can be no repeated cartoon character names--repeat a name and you are "out". Last one tagged is now "it". This can be played with any names really--favorite tv characters, ancestor's names, names of people participating, etc.

9. Paper chase. Everyone lines up at the starting line. Each person balances a book on their head and at "go" begins to race to the finish line. The person who makes it to the finish line first, without loosing their book off of their head is the winner. Each person that looses their book off their head is automatically "out" and leaves the race to cheer on the others.

10. Hide-N-Seek in the dark, or Kick The Can. This was a long time favorite of all the cousins in my family. We would play this outside at my grandparents house. They lived on a farm so there were lean-to's, hay sheds, cow barns, chicken houses, milk houses, wood sheds, and granaries. The "it" person could've spent all night looking. However, in this game the object is to make it to "base" or to the can before being discovered in your hiding place or tagged on your way in. Once you kick the can or reach base you call out "free!" and you are now exempt from being "it". The last person found or tagged is "it". If everyone makes it in "free" then the "it" person has to try again. Trust me, 25-30 kids can entertain themselves for the entire evening, every evening with this game. It's a sneaky, spy game and what kid doesn't like to play "spies"? ****I don't recommend this game for family reunions that are taking place in the forest though. You are just asking to have the local "Search and Rescue" out looking for some lost child****

So, there you have it! My Top 10 Favorite Family ReUnion games!

Summer Is for Family Reunions--The Series

Every Summer one can over-hear, read about, or see pictures from someones family reunion that is either in the plans or has taken place. I find it interesting that they all seem to take place in the Summer time. What is it about Summer that says, "Family Reunion season"? Is it the type of foods that will be served? The idea that all the family can bring their RV's and tents and camp all together? Maybe it's the crafts for all of the grandkids, neices, nephews, and cousins. Whatever the reason, Summer is the season for Family Reunions!

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some great ideas and recipes I have either made, eaten, or done at Family Reunions.

So stay tuned.............................