Wednesday Hodge Podge

I am a little slow today.  Being off on Monday makes me think today should be Tuesday.  Anyways, welcome to the 150th running of the Wednesday Hodgepodge! It's a fun way to mark the weekly mid-point...thanks for playing along. Add your link at the end of Joyce's post  by clicking here and then hop around and say hi to all your friends and neighbors-

1. Describe a typical Sunday in your childhood.
My parents took me to Sunday School and then church every single Sunday. Breakfast on Sunday morning was always Dunkin Donuts.  After church we would go to the Hutt, Russo's Italian Subs, or the Farmer's Market Deli for lunch.   After lunch we would go for a ride.  Whatever we did it involved family.  Sunday was a time for us to be together.  Sunday night we would watch the Wonderful World of Disney.  I loved Sundays when I was a kid.  Once I was in youth I would go back to church on Sunday evening for MYF and New Dawn practice.  After church we would have an Afterglow at Guy and Jeanne's(our Youth Director) house.

2. How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.
I can deal with it ok.  I don't care for it....but it happens and I know that through God I can handle it.

3. What's something you've accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in 'arts and crafts' crafty? If crafty doesn't work for you, how about handy? Or both.
This year I learned to crochet these little dainty scarves.  I give them as gifts, sell them, give them away.  It started out as a ministry for Breast Cancer survivors and has moved way beyond that.  In the past year I have given away (not as presents) over 200 scarves in some form of ministry.  I still sell them....but it really makes me feel good to make them and then make someone smile.

4. Have you ever worked in a 'food place'. What did you take away from the experience?
Yes. I worked as a waitress at a bowling alley when I was in college.  I worked as a waitress as a second job when I was married the first time.  What did I take away from the experience?  I learned that some people are shockingly rude.  Everyone should do this at least once in their life, I hate the smell of grease on clothes and in my hair, Waitress make lousy money and depend on tips.  It definitely made me a better tipper. 

5. Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey...in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.  I have to say talk turkey because last night Frank and I met with the circuit group of preachers for Roanoke and talked preachery things.  We discussed upcoming holidays, offerings, books we are reading. 
6. If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?I would love to hold hands with Christ as we say the prayer.  I would also love to have Thanksgiving with all the family members who have died.  I would love to hug them all and feast with them....and one day I will.
7. What is one thing you must accomplish today?
I need to give a test to my 5th block, I also need to make sure my Bible Study for tonight is in my take home bag. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Did you know that today is National Indian Pudding Day?  Do you care?  I am a bizarre holiday addict.  I love to look and see what weird thing is being celebrated on a given day.  Do you know what Indian Pudding is?  I didn't....but it did encourage me to look up the recipe and share some interesting facts with you all....Despite the name Indian Pudding, it is not a traditional native dish. Native Americans had neither milk nor molasses to use in their cooking. They did mix ground corn with berries, and may have had maple syrup. Hasty Pudding and Indian Pudding are basically the same pudding, as Hasty Pudding was an English tradition for centuries. Printed references to hasty pudding in England date to 1599, while Indian pudding recipes start appearing in American cookbooks in 1796.  The love of pudding came with the first colonist in Virginia and was a favorite of the New England settlers. In the colonies, this dish was also known as Indian Pudding, Indian Mush, and Indian Meal because the colonists In colonial days, Indian pudding was a simple cornmeal mush sweetened with molasses. In later years, it was dressed up with everything from sugar and eggs to raisins and spices. I found a recipe I thought I would share with you:
Indian Pudding Recipe - How To Make Indian Pudding

Yield: 8 to 16 servings
Cook time: 2 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Lightly grease a 6- or 8-cup soufflé or baking dish with butter (you can use margarine, but DON’T use non-stick sprays).

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat, scald the milk.

While the milk is heating, pour the cream into a medium to large bowl, add the cornmeal, sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add this cream/corn meal/spice mixture to the scalded milk. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the pudding has thickened to the consistency of syrup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

In a bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Temper the eggs by adding 1/2 cup of the hot cornmeal mixture to the eggs while whisking rapidly. Vigorously whisk the egg mixture into the remaining cornmeal mixture. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring until melted.

Pour mixture into the prepared soufflé dish, and place dish on a shallow baking pan on the center oven rack. Pour enough HOT water into the shallow baking dish to come 2/3 of the way up the outsides of the soufflé or baking dish.

Bake until pudding is set, a tester inserted close to (but not in) the center comes out clean, usually about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and remove from the water bath and let cool slightly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or heavy cream.

Makes 8 to 16 servings (depending on your sweet tooth).