Life-enhancing broccoli, tossed with tomatoes and avocado, featured at meal celebrating a life-marker event

A special event deserved a special meal. Our little 5-month-old munchkin over the weekend participated in his church's baby-dedication ceremony. His parents marched him across the stage as the pastor read a special Bible verse his mom and dad had chosen for his life's marching orders. This act symbolized their commitment to dedicate him to the Lord and the church's support for that pledge. Afterward both sets of grandparents and some friends gathered at the house for a celebratory dinner.

The entree, of course, could be none other than sliced barbecue beef from Mesquite (TX) Barbecue, the eatery founded by our legendary Uncle Herbert. Though he's long gone from this earth (read about him in the chapter "One Day in January" in my first cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden), barbecue prepared his way still can be purchased at this downtown Mesquite eatery. No important family occasion can occur without being graced by this dish, which we'd order as a take-out and bring to the meal.

But that barbecue beef called for some complimentary side dishes. One I had chosen was Broccoli and Tomato Salad that featured tomatoes and avocado as mix-ins. As each day goes by, broccoli gets more accolades as a super-food—one that people need as a diet staple because

of its health benefits. Broccoli’s noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. Calcium does more than build strong bones. Research shows that this mineral may play a role in controlling high blood pressure; it also may work to prevent colon cancer. Guacamole and tomatoes get rave reviews in the "must-have" foods area also.

A dressing that featured mustard, horseradish, and fat-free sour cream as its basic elements was tangy and provided a great marinade. The red-and-green salad mixture made a beautiful dish as we served our food buffet-style.

Munchkin won't remember the special weekend ceremony at the church and can relive it only through photos in his album and a video taken of the event. But we'll never dine on Broccoli and Tomato Salad in the future without it reminding us of this memorable day that we hope will help set a dear little boy on life's right pathway.

Broccoli and Tomato Salad

2 small heads broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup water

3 cups grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved

1 large avocado, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 onion, sliced thin

Dressing:

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk. Cut broccoli into florets. In a medium sauce pan cook broccoli in water over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until broccoli is desired softness; drain and cool. Combine broccoli, tomatoes, guacamole, and onion. Pour dressing over the salad. Mix to coat. Serve warm or chill before serving. Makes 4-6 servings.

Collard greens in a quiche? Why not? It works for spinach.

The final item I prepared for our ladies' lunch before we got those sewing machines humming to finish our quilts was the extraordinary Spicy Ham-and-Greens Quiche.

I never had heard of using collard greens in a quiche—spinach, yes; greens, no—but that's the imaginative Southern Living (source of the recipe) for you! Their January issue contained some far-out "tradition-with-a-twist" recipes that gave a fresh, new look at some old standbys. What could possibly be more Southern than a dose of collards and ham inserted into a quiche format? This recipe was a "just-had-to-try".

The original recipe in the magazine called for frozen chopped collard greens, but I subbed fresh greens, which I purchased in the ready-to-eat bag at the grocery store. I used about 10 ounces and in the microwave-steamed them until they were tender. I tested the recipe with the low-fat version of Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix.

The lunch crowd was an appreciative audience for my quiche with the unusual mixture. With the Earthy Cauliflower Salad, Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Cookies, and homemade yeast rolls, the menu was perfect. I had enough ham, greens, and pepper jack cheese left over that I made an identical quiche two nights later, except in this second try I added some fresh mushrooms I had left over from the cauliflower salad. This great addition made a wonderful dish even better!

Spicy Ham-and-Greens Quiche

1 cup chopped baked ham

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped collard greens, thawed and drained

1/3 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded pepper jack cheese

1 cup skim milk

2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup all-purpose baking mix

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute´ham in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in collards and onion. Saute´ 5 minutes or until onion is tender and liquid evaporates. Layer half of collard mixture in a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate; top with 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once. Whisk together milk and remaining ingredients until smooth; pour over collard-and-cheese mixture in pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center emerges clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before you serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Earthy Cauliflower Salad helps get us through completing our quilt projects

Well, we did it—had the party to finish our quilts. In a previous blog I mentioned baking Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Cookies for the occasion this past weekend in which my quilting class from December was to meet at my house to finish our projects and have a “ladies’ lunch” as we stitched and gabbed.

The cookies were a big success. So was the Earthy Cauliflower Salad that I prepared for the luncheon and served alongside Spicy Ham and Collard Greens Quiche (see tomorrow’s blog for that recipe.) Earthy Cauliflower Salad is an interesting blend of fresh cauliflower, fresh mushrooms, pimiento, and onion. It was marinated overnight in an interesting mustard-based dressing. Very unusual; very good.

We dined on pink and green luncheon plates and used pink napkins to match the pink-and-green decor of my sewing room, which is amply spacious and has room for a little bistro table and chairs and a small kitchenette area with a microwave. These were my first guests in my “garret” (so named for Jo’s “garret”, or creative area, in the book, Little Women) since Hubby refurbished it for me out of a former dank warehouse area in our back yard.

After we dined, we got the sewing machines cranking and finished our current projects. Mine was a blue-and-white table runner in the "Bear Paw" pattern—now complete except for sewing the border around it.

Then I'll have two wonderful souvenirs of our time together—my Bear Paw table-topper and the recipe for Earthy Cauliflower Salad.

Earthy Cauliflower Salad

1/4 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 lemon

1 small cauliflower head, broken into florets

2 onions, finely chopped

salt and pepper

paprika (optional)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon honey

Put the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, and honey into a screw-top jar. In a large bowl sprinkle the mushrooms with the lemon juice; toss. Add cauliflower and onion, toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shake dressing well to blend before you pour it over the vegetables. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. (Also can marinate several hours or overnight.) Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Makes 6 servings.

We loved this great homemade granola—a breakfast must-have!

Last week a faithful blog reader wrote to ask whether I had a homemade granola recipe and if so, would I please share it with her?

I SO had a granola recipe—the "how-to’s” of the best homemade granola I've ever tasted—but it had escaped me. Recently I've wished to have it back and began thinking of which file might be bearing it, but I didn't have the first clue about where to turn.

Fortunately that very day we were headed up across the Red River to Ardmore for Hubby's follow-up eye exam for his emergency eye surgery that he undergone around Christmas time, so we dropped into the building of the Chickasaw Nutrition Services, the source of so many of my recipes posted on this blog. Of course the folks there efficiently had "Homemade Granola" file and cheerfully produced another copy of it for me.

Now I not only could email it to my friend, I could mix up a big batch for this past weekend’s breakfasts and reprint it in my blog. Total delight!

These recipe instructions call for a cup of pecans, which, as I've mentioned, we have amply stored away from our last year's pecan crop. The recipe called for 3/4 cup raisins, but I divided it to put in half dried cranberries with half of the regular raisins. I loved the way the cranberries flavored the oatmeal mixture. In serving it, I topped it all with blueberries from the deepfreeze. What a wonderful Saturday-morning treat!

In an airtight container I stored the rest of the mixture, which makes 16 1/2-cup servings. We are loving it. I know you will, too.

Homemade Granola

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup dry milk

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

5 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup raisins

pinch of salt (or salt substitute)

1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Combine dry ingredients in a large cake pan. Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture; mix well. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Let cool in pan. Store in airtight container. Serve with skim milk; fruit optional.

Sweet potato-chicken stir-fry combo warms all the way to the hair follicles on a cold night

An icy, biting went had blown in from the north. Overnight forecasts sent us to start the faucets dripping as protection in a freeze. Even our puppy dog made haste in from the cold as we let him out to do his business. The night called for a good warm meal—nothing but a skillet supper would fill the bill.

A recent Prevention magazine issue featured some inviting skillet-supper recipes. I clipped this one for Chicken-Sweet Potato Stir-Fry because sweet potatoes are one of Hubby’s heart's-dearest veggie (not to mention that they rate high as a super-food these days). I'd never before seen sweet potatoes in a stir-fry recipe. Healthy ingredients such as red peppers, peas, and cilantro, along with the bright orange of the sweet potato, made the dish colorful and appealing.

Prevention's recipe had called for quinoa as the grain in this recipe, but without that on hand and without desiring to venture out into the cold for a special trip to the grocery, I adapted this to use brown rice as a substitute. Addition of the jalapeno plus the cumin spice gave this stir-fry a little South-of-the-Border kick.

Good and filling, with mouth-watering zest. We thanked the Good Lord for the shelter of a cozy home and a dinner that warmed us from our hair follicles down to our tippy-toes.

Chicken-Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

1 cup water

1/2 cup brown rice

1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 teaspoons canola oil

12-ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup frozen peas

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine water and rice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Put sweet potato in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 2-inches while rice is cooking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in large nonstick frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir in onion and jalapeno pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook until vegetables start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas and reserved chicken. Cook 2 minutes. Add rice and sweet potato. Cook, stir frequently, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt, and black pepper. Makes 6 servings.

With luck Cranberry-Chocolate Chip treats will inspire us to be quilt-finishers

At last I'm learning to quilt. Even though I spent the vast preponderance of my life surrounded by expert quilters and picked up bucketloads of tips from them—and even though I've already stitched numerous quilt projects on my own—I'd never previously had someone meticulously teach me the basics—all the little tricks of the trade that prodigious quilters know. I knew I needed some "aha" moments that would explain why my finished work always looked a little . . . uh . . . different, shall we say, than the Great Ones’ quilts that I have hanging in my home.

In December I got that opportunity when I signed up for a beginners class at Suzy's Quilt Shop, that renowned emporium of beauty and knowledge on the square in Downtown Garland. Teacher Paula patiently sat by all us stumbling newcomers to watch us sew our crooked seams and with great longsuffering helped us get back on track.

I emerged with what had the potential to become a lovely blue-and-white, machine-quilted tabletopper made with the Bear Paw pattern. Long hours were spent under Paula's tutelage as I put my tabletopper together and ripped out seams and re-sewed until I got it right.

Only problem was, I didn't get finished. Neither, thankfully, did the others in my class. Time ran out in our class session before we acquired all the techniques for the finishing touches. So I suggested our group get together for a "Quilt-Finishing" party and offered my spacious sewing room that Hubby had installed for me in the ground-level of our outdoor storage facility in our back yard.

This weekend my classmates and their unfinished quilts, along with Teacher Paula, will arrive for her show us how to finish well. I promised to feed them a light lunch and a little snack, so before we get those sewing machines churning, I will offer them a plate of Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Treats, which I have made for the occasion. These turned out to be a delicious use of some leftover cranberries and had healthy oatmeal stirred in.

I hope my group will like them and that they'll spur us on to get those tabletoppers completed and ready to be displayed!

Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Treats

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/2 cup light brown sugar (or 1/4 cup brown-sugar substitute)

2 eggs beaten (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup fresh cranberries (each berry cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars together until all is whipped and fluffy. Beat eggs; add to sugar mixture along with flour, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. Gently fold in cranberries. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges; cool on a wire rack.

My mental image of great blackberry waffles became reality with this inspiring recipe

The last time I visited a particular favorite "serve-breakfast-all-day" eatery, I emerged bummed because I'd not chosen to order the fresh blackberry waffles. I left with "diner's remorse" because the entree I picked turned out to be not nearly as great as my mental image of what those blackberry waffles might have tasted like.

To my great joy after I returned home, I found that my new issue of Southern Living magazine contained none other than a recipe for Lemon- Poppy Seed Belgian Waffles with Blackberry Maple Syrup. Now in my own kitchen I could create a version of what I had bypassed at the restaurant. The Southern Living feature was extolling the virtues of cooking with citrus, in honor of this being citrus season in many locales. We'll get to experience that soon with a future trip to see the Arizona grandpersons and then will enjoy the bucketloads of citrus grown fresh in residents’ back yards.

However, I could enjoy a hint of citrus now—and satisfy my blackberry waffles cravings—with this simple recipe. So last night we had breakfast for dinner. I fired up the Belgian waffle griddle and mixed up a batch of this terrific batter. Using sugar-free maple syrup, low-fat baking mix, and egg substitute healthened-up this recipe and made possible eating quite a few of those waffle wedges without guilt. We didn't pile on the fresh cream, but a couple of teaspoons of sugar-free whipped topping didn’t hurt anything one iota.

Southern Living, you saved the day. And, oh yes, we do have leftovers.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Belgian Waffles with Blackberry Maple Syrup

2 cups low-fat all-purpose baking mix

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 1/4 cups cold club soda

1 large egg, lightly beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/4 cup butter, melted

fresh whipped cream (or sugar-free whipped topping)

Stir together baking mix, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Whisk together club soda, egg, and butter in a small bowl; gently whisk egg mixture into poppy-seed mixture. (Mixture will be lumpy.) Let stand 3 minutes. Cook batter (about 3/4 to 1 cup batter each) in a preheated, oiled Belgian-style waffle iron until golden. Serve with Blackberry Maple Syrup (below) and, if desired, fresh cream. Makes 4 servings.

Blackberry Maple Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup

1 (12-ounce) package frozen blackberries, thawed (frozen mixed berries, thawed, may be subbed)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Warm in microwave if you desire to serve this warm.