The Colvin Project at Cross Road Church:Part 1

Days 1 and 2:

For the past ten years our church has prepared boxes of food to send home with dozens of families in the Colvin Elementary area. This food helps provide families with food for the holidays while children are home from school.

This is my second year to be involved in this process and let me say, our church has this down to a fine art. I am so impressed by the organization and the many volunteers that show up. No one likes things organized correctly as much as me! and they have it organized better than I could ever imagine!

The planning and the shopping are a big part of this project and all of that is finished before the our work starts.

The food is ordered in advance – because of the quantity. Aldi Foods so graciously works with us in this major order.

One of our ladies in church is a realtor and she is able to get a truck for us to move the food.

This is all done before “Saturday.” Then on Saturday volunteers show up to tape boxes together, fold tissue paper, get Christmas cards ready and get the food ready to load in the boxes.

Two of the wonderful women that are the brains of this well oiled system! They are quick to say that many people have helped and it is through the effort of all that makes this go so smoothly each year. They also work with a committee.

Thank you Laiketa Brown and Joanne Swayze.

         

Ladies preparing Christmas Cards and folding tissue paper.

         

        

Putting the boxes together.

The stacks of boxes waiting to be loaded with food.

       

The Food.

        

The assembly line set up and ready to go for Sunday morning.

Taping the boxes together took about two hours.

We put together 350 boxes.

 A lot of work, but NOTHING beats the fun and fellowship!

Day 3 - tomorrow.

Mrs. Becker’s Peppernuts

When I was a child we lived in an old farm house. I loved that old house. Anyway, The Becker’s lived across the road from us in their old farm house. Mrs. Becker was a grandma and probably in her 60’s. She had really long white hair that she would braid and wrap around the top of her head. She and her husband spoke German often when I was visiting. Mrs. Becker introduced me to wonderful things. – like eating Town House crackers while drinking Pepsi! To this day I love that merging of flavors! She also introduced me to peppernuts. She made the best peppernuts in the world!!

Imagine my surprise when I started school and walked into a classroom full of people my size. Up until then my best friend had been Mrs. Becker and even though I would see children my size once in a while and there were 2 or 3 at church, I was shocked to see a whole room full of “us!”

When I became an adult and married with my own family I wanted to make the peppernuts that Mrs. Becker had made. They were different than any others I’ve ever bought or tasted – not as spicy and they were soft.

    

So I got the recipe from her. Now I don’t know how many of you have ever gotten a recipe from a German Mennonite woman – but I did get the ingredients and that’s about it. I had to learn how to make them by hit or miss!

Peppernuts

1/2 cup butter

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch cloves

1 pinch salt

1 cup walnuts (I chop mine)

add flour until stiff ( I tried measuring this time how much I used and it came to a little over 7 cups)

Refrigerate up to an hour

Roll into ropes and cut by half inch links

(the smaller you make them the crispier they will be)

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 8 – 9 minutes at 400

      

Blue Ribbon Sugar Cookies

      I love sugar cookies. I don’t like icing on mine because that makes them too sweet for me so I just sprinkle them with sugar.

     When I was in 9th grade I entered sugar cookies in the Major County Fair and won a blue ribbon. I have used the same recipe ever since.

This week I made 3 batches because I needed 4 dozen for an event at church and I need some for a dinner we were going attending. – and of course we needed some for here!

Sugar Cookies

Mix thoroughly:

3/4 cup shortening (can use part butter or margarine)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend in:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Cover and chill at least 1 hour.  Heat oven to 400.

Roll out on lightly floured board, cut into desired shapes.

Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Sprinkle with sugar.

bake 6-8 minutes or until very light brown.

I roll mine pretty thick. – because we like soft sugar cookies. For crisper cookies roll thinner and cook a little longer.