I spent a portion of Saturday evening doing something I love to do. My church congregation held a Hymn Sing, and I had been looking forward to it. I could sing most of the songs without ever looking at the words on the screen because the lyrics were so familiar to me. As we sang, I couldn’t stop the memories that flowed through my mind.
“There’s Power in the Blood” brought recollections of Sunday evening song sessions with a minister’s wife. My sisters and I would go with her to the parsonage, which was next door to the church building. We didn’t realize it at the time, but Mom and Dad were going through marriage counseling with the minister. Fondly referred to as “Aunt Edna,” the dear lady would sing as she played her piano, and we sang right along with her.
“I’ll Fly Away” was a huge favorite of my dad. He loved singing the bass part, and it was a tune we sang with much gusto. It was quite often heard when my family was traveling in the car. Bob (my late hubby) and I enjoyed singing it as well; my children would probably say that they learned it on car trips. For me, it is sung best at a lively pace while clapping my hands.
The most tender recollection of my evening occurred when “Beyond the Sunset” appeared on the screen. As the opening notes were played, I was taken back in years to the first time I attended Bob’s home church. During the service, an elderly gentleman was scheduled to sing. When he began his solo, I noticed that his voice was not of the quality I would have expected. He cracked and quavered his way through the first lines, growing somewhat stronger as he continued. Bob noticed my puzzled expression. He leaned over and whispered, “He wrote the song.” I looked in a hymnal; sure enough, the name of the author matched the name of the soloist listed in the church bulletin.
I cannot even begin to say what a difference it made in my attitude. Instead of fretting about having to listen to what seemed to be a rather poorly executed rendition of an old hymn, I was thrilled to be able to hear the man who penned the words sing of his own hope of Heaven. He may have been in the twilight of his years; however, his faith shone brightly from his face as he continued his message in song. It still brings joy to my heart when I think that I actually heard a hymn writer deliver his own composition.
Although lingering in memories can be a pleasant pastime, the present day tells me I need to move on and provide this week’s recipes. I have already reported that February is National Hot Breakfast Month, but it also has several other designations, National Sweet Potato Month, National Grapefruit Month, and National Snack Food Month being among them.
Sweet Potato Salad is a recipe I tried several years ago; my husband loved it. Since it has been quite a while since I used the recipe in my column, I’m going to do a rerun. I made Pink Grapefruit Buttermilk Muffins this morning – they were yummy! The snack recipes haven’t shown up for a while, either, but each of them is well-worth munching.
Sweet Potato Salad
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes (7-8 cups)
1 cup chopped celery
1 large sweet apple (I used a Gala), cored and diced
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup peeled and chopped onion (I used a sweet onion)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan of boiling, salted water. Cover and boil gently for 5 to 6 minutes until just tender and still firm enough to hold their shape. Turn into a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
Transfer potatoes to a large salad bowl; add celery, apple, pecans, and onion. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Gently toss the dressing into the sweet potato mixture. Cover and chill before serving.
Pink Grapefruit Buttermilk Muffins
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup buttermilk
Grated zest of one pink or red grapefruit
1/2 cup freshly squeezed pink or red grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the grapefruit sugar topping:
2 teaspoons pink grapefruit zest
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups in a muffin tin.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl for several minutes until light pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks; beat until combined. Add grapefruit juice, zest, and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. A bit at a time, carefully fold flour mixture into batter using a rubber spatula, adding buttermilk between flour additions. Some lumps are fine. Be careful not to over-stir.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold egg whites into batter, again being careful not to over-stir. Spoon batter into muffin tins about 3/4 full.
Topping: Using fingers, combine grapefruit zest with sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle grapefruit sugar on top of the muffins.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Yield: 12 muffins.
Party Snack
6 cups Cheerios
2 cups Wheat Chex
2 cups Rice Chex
2 cups Corn Chex
1/2 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
Combine cereals in a large buttered mixing bowl. In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and syrup; bring to a boil over medium heat – one that cannot be stirred down. Pour over cereal; stir to coat. Spread on wax paper (I used parchment paper) to harden.
Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix
3 cups crisp corn cereal, such as Corn Chex
3 cups crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Chex
3 cups thin pretzel sticks
3 cups oyster crackers
2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank’s
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a roasting pan, combine cereal, pretzels, crackers, and peanuts. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and hot-pepper sauce. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until ingredients are completely coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to two rimmed baking sheets to cool completely. Snack mix can be stored in an airtight container, up to 1 week. Makes 12 cups.