Sunday, March 31, 2013

AZ Women's Hall of Fame 2013 Honorees

The Arizona Women's Hall of Fame is proud to honor women who have contributed to Arizona's history during their lifetimes.

March 14, 2013 Honorees:
Rose E. Collom (1870-1956) Botanist, authority in the native plants of Arizona

Jean Chaudhuri (1937-1997) Indian activist, author and storyteller

Helen Sekaquaptewa (1898-1990) Hopi author, matriarch of the Eagle Clan

Jacque Yelland Steiner (1929-2003) Legislator, Founder of the Children’s Action Alliance

Dorothy Elaine Powell (1921-2003) Community and social activist, advocate for elderly.

The museum is located at the Carnegie Library Center on Washington near to the Capital. 

Historical League members Pam Stevenson and Norma Jean Coulter are volunteers and supporters of this organization.
A series of custom made quilts featuring images of the inductees dating back many years is on display. More information at www.azlibrary.gov/azwhf

Friday, March 29, 2013

Mini Easter Bunny bread with chocolate surprise

Fun for the whole family....
MINI Easter Bunny Bread


Ingredients:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
5-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
16 small milk chocolate eggs
ICING:
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon water
1 drop red food coloring


Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, oil, egg, salt and 4 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. For each bunny, shape a 3-in. ball for the body; press a chocolate egg into each ball. Shape dough around egg so it is completely covered. For each head, shape a 2-in. ball; press a chocolate egg into each. Shape dough around egg so it is completely covered. Add a 1-in. ball for the tail and two 2-in. x 3/4-in. pieces for the ears.
Place bunnies 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
 

For icing, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and water; tint pink with red food coloring. With a small new paintbrush, paint a nose and whiskers on each bunny. 

Yield: 8 servings.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

News of the death of Eddie Basha saddens Arizona.

EDDIE BASHA (1937-2013)
Honored as Historymaker 2001

Humanitarian and Grocer Extraordinaire, Eddie Basha was head of Arizona’s only family owned supermarket chain. A multifaceted man, he also avidly collected contemporary Western American and Native American art and shared his collections via his private museum. He can trace his Arizona roots back to Territorial Arizona and his grandparents who were immigrants from Lebanon.

Acknowledging his father as his mentor, Basha has given broadly to his home state in the name of education and children. His service includes the Chandler School Board, the State Board of Education and the Arizona State Board of Regents. A dedicated passion for history had not lessened since he earned a degree in this subject from Stanford University. Because of Basha’s diverse interests and skills, he was often recruited by civic groups and organizations for board membership, or to enter the world of Arizona politics where he made a near-miss run for Governor. He has fed the hungry and involved himself in building stronger economic and social bonds between Native American and other minority communities in Arizona. Basha, a strong family man, has almost done it all.

Peeps are more than marshmallows.

 Spring is here and the whole family can help make your Easter displays. Here are a few ideas but it is more fun to create your own . . .


Monday, March 25, 2013

AZ Recollections and Reflections in Tucson schools

Librarians are loving the Historymakers Commemorative book donated by the Historical League. Seth Lansky with Follett Resources has been heaven-sent to hand deliver these books to school libraries around the state. He has workshops with schools but told us he waits until the end of the meeting before handing out our donated book. "The first time I handed out the book at an inservice with library folks, we spent most of the remaining meeting time sharing Arizona stories.  The book is a show stopper.  I now distribute Arizona Recollections and Reflections at the end of my meeting."

Thanks to the many generous people and companies that contributed to this program to donate this book to school libraries and public libraries in Arizona.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

League tour of Cosanti

We learned so much in such a short time . . . Amazing place and Roger Tomalty was a great tour guide. He has a passion for Architecture, having worked with Paolo Soleri since the 1960's. At 94 years of age, Soleri is still creating and it is fascinating to watch the bronze bells being poured at the foundry.

Mary Garbaciak did a fabulous job again as tour chair and presented Roger with a copy of Tastes & Treasures cookbook. He was very interested in our book since he has many recipes and wants to write a cookbook for Cosanti.




















Friday, March 22, 2013

Watermelon Carving

Ice carvings are amazing but I would love to know who can do this with a watermelon. Send in your photos of food carvings to see how artistic the world can be.

Wonder how long it took to create this beauty???

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Barbara Barrett enjoys Cookbook

Ambassador Barbara Barrett has a long list of major accomplishments. The Historical League honored her as an Historymaker in 2008. She is a supporter of Tastes & Treasures, reordering the cookbook again to give to members of the Arizona Woman's Forum.

To read her fascinating oral history and biography visit
http://www.historicalleague.org/hm.htm

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Twice baked spaghetti squash

Great way to go Italian. Also try Braised Chicken over Fettuccini on page 168 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash (about 4.5 lbs.)
One 14.5-oz. can creamy tomato soup
1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese, room temperature
One 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
One 7-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place whole squash in the microwave and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, until soft enough to cut.

Once cool enough to handle, cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds.

To a very large baking pan (or 2 medium baking pans), add 1/2 inch of water. Place squash halves in the pan(s), cut sides down.

Bake in the oven until the insides of squash halves are tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove pans(s) but leave oven on. Once cool enough to handle, remove squash halves from the pan; place on a dry surface with the cut sides up. Set pan(s) aside.

Scrape all of the spaghetti squash strands out with a fork and transfer to an extra-large bowl. Set aside the bowl as well as the hollow squash halves. Empty water from pan(s). Return squash halves to the pan(s), hollow sides up.

In a medium bowl, combine soup, garlic, dried minced onion, Italian seasoning, pepper, and cheese wedges, breaking cheese wedges into pieces as you add them. Stir thoroughly, until mostly smooth.

Add soup mixture to the extra-large bowl of spaghetti squash strands. Add spinach, mushrooms, and basil, and mix thoroughly.

Evenly divide squash mixture between the hollow squash halves. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the tops.

Return pan(s) to the oven and bake until filling is hot and mozzarella cheese has melted, 15 - 20 minutes.

Once cool enough to handle, evenly cut each of the stuffed squash halves in half, leaving you with 4 large pieces. Serve up and enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Thanks to HungryGirl for recipe and statistics.
PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 large piece): 275 calories, 8g fat, 974mg sodium, 35g carbs, 6g fiber, 15g sugars, 14g protein

Friday, March 15, 2013

Barley Salad

Hillside restaurant on Camelback Road in Phoenix serves this delicious salad. I couldn't wait to get into my kitchen to re-create it.  

Tastes & Treasures has a recipe for Black Bean and White Corn Salad on page 183. This Barley salad is very similar with Pearl Barley substituted for Black Beans.

Barley Salad
Ingredients: Use any amount you like to recreate your own version.
Pearl Barley cooked
green onion sliced thin
cilantro
parsley
tiny tomatoes quartered
radish sliced thin
craisins
almonds
walnuts chopped or pecans chopped

Toss with a Lemony vinagrette and enjoy.

Optional ingredients:
dried apricots sliced thin
dried mangos sliced thin

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Books donated to Dysart School District

When the Dysart School District requested 17 of our Arizona Recollections and Reflections, League board member Margaret Truman Baker jumped at the chance to take the books to them.  Margaret’s parents bought a citrus grove in the Dysart School District in 1946 (family still lives there), and Margaret and her eleven siblings all graduated from Dysart Schools.  Her father, and then she, served a combined total of 25 years on the district’s governing board.  Margaret tells us she was the first woman and the youngest person ever elected to the board, at 30 years old—so she is “historic” there.

The librarians were most appreciative of the donation.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Irish Bread Braid


Irish Bread Braid

Irish Bread Braid

I found this delicious treat on Pinterest. Great for a St. Patty's Day dish.  Spinach is good with anything . . . also try Greek Spinach Pie on page 194 in Tastes & Treasures Cookbook.

Posted March 6th, 2013 by girlversusdough


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If I found this Irish Bread Braid is at the end of a rainbow, I’d be one happy gal.

I never know what to make for St. Patrick’s Day in my kitchen because it all SOUNDS. SO. GOOD. So instead of making corned beef and cabbage or colcannon or shepherd’s pie or soda bread, I usually just get overwhelmed with all the possibilities and end up getting a Shamrock Shake and calling it a day. #sad
But not this year, friends! No sir, no ma’am. This year I’m making this savory crescent braid, all stuffed with corned beef and spinach and potatoes and melty white cheese because, well, I just explained all the reasons. It’s mostly for the melty cheese, though.
To the end of the rainbow!

Ingredients for Irish Bread Braid
You’ll want to prepare your ingredients first. If you’re using chopped spinach from the frozen section, make sure it’s thawed and drained completely. You’ll also want to boil the potatoes ahead of time, too, so they have time to cool completely and you can slice them easily.

Dough sheets on a baking sheet, with corned beef and spinach
Place the dough sheets on a baking sheet and pinch the edges together to seal into one big rectangle. Top it with corned beef and spinach…

Potatoes added on top
Then the taters…

Shredded cheese on top
Then the shredded cheese. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut the long sides of the dough into 1-inch strips to get it all ready for the braidin’.

Folding dough to create braid effect
Fold in the short end, then alternately cross each strip over the filling to make a “braid” effect. Kinda neat, right?

Fully braided bread
Once the dough is fully braided, brush on a little egg wash and sprinkle the top with caraway seeds. YUM.

Baked braid
Bake the braid until it’s a deep golden brown, the filling is warm and the cheesy is uber-melty, about 25 minutes. Let the bread sit for a few minutes out of the oven before slicing into it, otherwise all that magical cheese will ooze away!

Sliced bread braid
Slice the braid into strips and serve, either with some Thousand Island dressing, Dijon mustard or on its own.
Cutaway of finished Irish Bread Braid, ready to eat
If you’re lucky enough to get a slice of this bread braid, then you’re lucky enough…

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Hundreds of books delivered to schools

Seth Lansky of Follett Library Resources has workshops with school librarians across the state of Arizona. He approached Zona Lorig and Norma Jean Coulter at the Carnegie Library workshop last fall to tell us he strongly supports our program of donating Arizona Recollections and Reflections to libraries and would like to help us. What a wonderful offer and to date he has delivered over 260 books for the Historical League's program.

I asked him about the librarians responses, 'The library group was real excited to receive the book yesterday.  Our session turned into a "do you know Arizona history about…".  It was great.'

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Tea Ceremony at Japanese Friendship Gardens


 Eight of us were allowed at one time for the Ritual of the Tea Ceremony Chanoyu, that had its origins nearly 900 years ago. It touches on many aspects of Japanese culture. Definitely a learning experience and so much history was presented about the Tradition. Chanoyu interweaves four principles:
1.Harmony (wa) with people and nature
2. Respect (kei) for others
3. Purity (sei) of heart and mind
4. Tranquility ( jaku)

Thanks to Mary Garbaciak for arranging the very interesting and informative tour.
Mary Pat Honey learns the Traditions of the Tea Ceremony.

Deb Hester, Delores Tomasek, Carolyn Mendoza, Carolyn Hartman, Mary Pat Honey, Ruth Ann Hogan, Candice Mcleod remove their shoes, then put on socks prior to entering the Tea Ceremony.

Two traditional delicate sweets are served prior to the tea.





Candice cleanses her hands prior to the Tea Ceremony.

Aromatic Green tea is whipped into a frothy drink.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Kiwi Turtle Cake

A delightful cake with coconut, bananas and dates. We also love Arizona Date Cake from page 140 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The recipe was given to the Historical League from the family of Congressman John J. Rhodes.

Fruity Turtle Cake 

Ingredients:
Peeled, and thinly sliced kiwis (as many as it takes to cover shell)

Bananas, thinly sliced, lengthwise

Coconut flesh (1/2 cup)

Coconut water (1/4 cup)

Dates, pitted (1/2 cup)



Directions:
1. Put coconut flesh, coconut water, and dates into a blender, and blend on high until you get an "icing" like consistency (not too liquidy, if it is too thin, add more dates)


2. Start with layered bananas on the bottom, followed by some coconut date "icing", followed by thinly sliced kiwi rounds, and then some more "icing", and then more banana slices. Continue this pattern, moving slowly into the center until you get a 1/2 circle shape on your plate.


3. Next, layer the 1/2 circle with thinly sliced kiwi rounds to make the green colour of the turtle shell.


4. Make the head, feet, and tail, simply by carving out individual kiwis to get the shapes as pictured in the picture below.


from:Live Love Fruit
RECIPE:


Monday, March 4, 2013

Quinoa, Corn and Avocado Salad

A delightful refreshing salad to serve anytime.

Historymaker Eddie Basha gave the Historical League his family recipe for Tabouli Salad using cracked wheat and mint. Tabouli Salad is on page 132 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Try both recipes.


Quinoa, Corn and Avocado Salad


Ingredients:
1½ cups cooked quinoa

1½ cups frozen corn, thawed

2 medium avocados, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ medium red onion, diced small

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well.

Serves 6