A church in Oregon has the infamous reputation of killing children in the name of faith. Now, two parents — Jeff and Marci Beagley — have been found guilty of negligent homicide. Their case was discussed in this prior column. It is a welcomed charge (often religious parents are given lesser charges in the death of their children due to faith-healing), but the likely sentence is likely to be relatively low given the history of this church and the loss of life.
They will face only 16-18 months in the death of their sixteen-year-old Neil who died from a urinary tract blockage that could have been easily addressed by doctors. I have argued that faith-healing parents are being given special and lenient treatment over other neglectful parents, here.
The Followers of Christ church rejects conventional medicine in favor of faith-healing.
PRIZE FUDGE – COOKING SCHOOL
4 cups sugar
8 tablespoons corn syrup
1 1/2 cups water
3 or 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nuts
Cook all ingredients together, except nuts, to 238°F. Cool to 110°F. Beat until creamy. Add nuts, and finish by kneading the cooled batch by hand while still workable.
Shape into a round roll and slice off pieces.
Putting it away for at least forty-eight hours, in an air-tight container before slicing it, will improve it considerably.
ABOUT FUDGE MAKING:
Fudge is one of the most popular homemade candies, and one that is very often poorly made.
It should be soft and creamy instead of hard and grainy. Sugar crystallization is the underlying principle of fudge making, and the formation of the crystals should be carefully controlled throughout the whole process of cooking, cooling, and beating.
The only ingredients necessary for fudge are sugar, water, chocolate, and some inverting substance, such as corn syrup, cream of tartar, or vinegar. Butter and milk, though they are often added, do not improve the texture of the fudge. They contribute somewhat to the nutritional value, but sugar crystallization is not affected. That is, they do not prevent graining, and they do not add to the creamy texture of the fudge.
Butter adds flavor, but the milk has a tendency to curdle, which makes the cooking more difficult as it scorches so easily when curdled. It also affects the final texture, as it is almost impossible to blend it with the remaining ingredients.
The sugar and water should be thoroughly mixed, and every crystal dissolved before the boiling point is reached.
Next, the remaining ingredients should be added and the solution boiled.
After the boiling point is reached, it should be cooked quickly with little or no stirring. It should be stirred only when there is danger of the syrup scorching, and then, very gently.
Steady boiling of the fudge mixture improves the texture, while boiling over too low a temperature makes it gummy, tasteless and imparts an “overcooked” flavor.
Once the boiling point is reached, the solution becomes very sensitive to jarring, stirring, scraping, or beating, and it increases in sensitiveness as the temperature becomes higher.
Jarring, stirring, and scraping start the building up of the sugar crystals along the edges of the pan, and they begin to form throughout the mass, making the final product coarse and grainy.
If sugar crystals are thrown out on the sides of the pan during cooking, they should be washed off and out with a silicone brush dipped in water or a damp cloth wrapped around a fork. One undissolved sugar crystal can cause the whole batch to crystallize.
When learning to make fudge, it is helpful to use an accurate Candy Making or Deep Frying thermometer. The fudge should be cooked to 238°F and allowed to cool, undisturbed, to 105°F. or at least 110°F, and then it should be rapidly converted into a creamy mass by beating. As the mass begins to thicken and lose its luster, it can either be poured out onto a buttered pan and allowed to set or it can be kneaded. Kneading makes it more creamy and smooth.
Like fondant, fudge is improved by standing, and can be stored for a length of time in an airtight container for “ripening”.
It can be made into a long roll and rolled in nuts, and then sliced into rather large pieces.
Since it keeps so well, fudge makes a wonderful gift. It isn’t prone to crumbling, so it’s a good choice for mailing to loved ones in far-away places during the Holidays. It isn’t very well suited to being stored under warm conditions, however, and should be kept at room temperature, or below, and well wrapped.
Fudge freezes well.
Now, onto a delicious holiday ham.
HOLIDAY HAM
1 country style smoked ham
2 c. water
20 – 30 whole cloves
one (16 ounce) can sliced pineapple rings
1 cup Maraschino cherries, cut into halves
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
sprinkling of garlic powder
sprinkling of onion powder
sprinkling of black pepper
olive oil spray
Place ham in roaster. Add 2 cups water, and cover roaster.
Bake in a 325°F oven, allowing about 21 minutes per pound for a large ham, about 25 minutes per pound for a smaller (up to 12 pounds) ham or half ham. If the ham has an exposed bone, cover this with foil. Keep an eye on the ham as it cooks and spray occasionally with olive oil during the first part of the cooking. Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F. Be sure thermometer is not touching bone.
When ham is done, remove from oven. Lift off rind. Using a sharp knife, score fat surface crosswise (into intersecting squares) and dot with cloves at each intersection.
To prepare the ham coating, combine brown sugar and flour. Rub this mixture over the scored ham. Sprinkle over lightly with garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
Place a pineapple slice on the ham so that one of the cloves will be in the center of the circle. Cover the clove with a Maraschino cherry half. Each cherry half should be placed in the center of a pineapple slice. Continue until ham is covered decoratively with pineapple slices and cherries. Brown, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes in a 400°F oven or until ham takes on a beautiful glazed coloring.
Note: Cut any remaining pineapple slices into halves and use to decorate around the ham at the bottom of the serving plate, alternating with sprigs of parsley or kale for garnish.
Or we could go southern style.
SOUTHERN STYLE COUNTRY HAM
1 Virginia ham
2 cups Grandma’s Unsulphured Molasses
1 cup Heinz cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, whole
whole cloves
juice from a large jar of sweet pickles
1/2 lb (about) Domino dark brown sugar
In a stockpot large enough to cover ham, cover ham with cold water. Add half (1 cup) of the molasses and 1 cup of the vinegar. Allow to stand in a cool place overnight.
The next day, remove ham and pour off water; rinse well.
Cover the ham with fresh cold water and add the remaining 1 cup of molasses, garlic cloves, bay leaves and a few whole cloves.
On high heat, bring to a rolling boil and cover; reduce heat slightly and boil for another 30 minutes. Turn off heat but do not remove cover. Let stand in a cool place overnight.
Remove ham from water. Remove any rind. Using a sharp knife score ham diagonally. Push in whole cloves in an even pattern to decorate and add flavor.
Mix brown sugar with pickle juice adding more sugar until a paste is formed. Spread ham with the brown sugar paste.
Bake in a preheated 300°F degree oven for about 60 minutes or until ham is nicely glazed (depends on size of ham).
Here is a recipe for when you can’t or don’t want to leave home; or for those times when you have a leisurely afternoon to spend in the kitchen and you don’t want to waste it shopping for ingredients. Making ravioli by hand is a time consuming process, but the results can be well worth it when you compare your own economical and wonderfully rich ravioli with the cardboard-like commercial product found in stores.
These can be made from simple ingredients commonly stored on the shelf. But if you’re on your way to the store anyway, pick up fresh ingredients, such as full milk ricotta to use in the filling, as well as fresh herbs. The same recipe can be used, either way, by skipping the cottage cheese-making step below.
Home-made cottage (or Ricotta cheese – for filling):
1 gallon reconstituted dry milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Prepare the filling for ravioli by creating a made-at-home ricotta cheese substitute.
Using a thermometer, heat the milk until it reaches a temperature of 190°F. If no thermometer is available, judge the temperature approximately by bringing the milk to a near boil, then removing from heat.
Stir in the vinegar, then allow the milk to sit until it has reached room temperature.
The milk will separate into curds and whey (coagulated cheese in water). Scoop the curds into a colander and drain off the whey. Sprinkle with salt. (Save the whey – it can be used as a substitute for buttermilk to make tender biscuits or other baked goods). Cream and butter may optionally be added to the curds for a richer texture. The curds have now become cottage cheese and are ready to be used in the filling.
Filling:
Measure out 4-5 cups of the cottage cheese. Season it with cracked black pepper, chopped fresh or dry parsley (about 1/4 cup) or use the same amount of thawed frozen or chopped fresh spinach to combine with the cheese.
A 1/4 teaspoon each of basil and oregano, and 1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese along with 2 whole eggs (dry whole eggs or egg substitutes can be used in a pinch). Add a dash of nutmeg, if desired.
Mix well to distribute seasonings. Tiny bits of thinly sliced and shredded prosciutto can be added for variation. Any leftover filling may be combined with shredded Mozzarella cheese and used to fill calzone or pizzagaina.
Pasta Dough and Assembling the Ravioli:
Pasta Dough Recipe
Prepare the recipe above for the pasta dough, as directed. Thinly roll out dough in rectangles, then use a ravioli mold (if you want to make 12 ravioli at a time) or round ravioli can be cut using a sharp glass or biscuit cutter.
Another method is to cut multiple squares at a time using a pizza wheel or pasty cutter (or sharp knife!) A wavy pie cutter makes a nice decorative edge when used to make the cuts, otherwise, a pizza wheel makes a nice sharp and efficient cut.
Roll dough to 1/8″ thickness or less, evenly. This is best done using a pasta machine, but can be accomplished with a rolling pin.
Make 2 rectangular dough sheets about 12 inches long by 6 inches wide. This is the ideal size for most ravioli tray, but if you don’t have one, make them the old-fashioned way! Place scoops of filling on top of the first dough sheet at intervals about 2 inches apart. Top with the second sheet of dough, covering the filling gently, then cut the ravioli out by slicing between the filling “pillows” to yield individual pockets.
If you’re making circular ravioli, you can sandwich the filling between two layers of pasta, then cut circles around the filling mounds using a cup or a special ravioli cutter, available at kitchen supply shops. Or simply cut a single circle, add filling to one side, then fold over and seal, to make half circles.
Be careful not to drop any filling onto the edges of the ravioli or you won’t get a good seal. It’s also important to make sure that the edges are well pressed together so that the filling doesn’t fall out when the ravioli are boiled. If in doubt, the edges can be pressed together with the tines of a fork.
Cook the ravioli in a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. Drop them gently into the water and watch carefully, as fresh pasta cooks quickly. When the ravioli is cooked, it will rise to the surface. Remove using a slotted spoon or drain in a colander. Serve with a rich, simple, pasta sauce.
Variation – Lasagna:
As a variation, the same ingredients may be used to create a lasagna.
Just spread the first pasta sheet at the bottom of a rectangular ovenproof casserole dish. Add a layer of filling, then cover with pasta sauce. Sprinkle with a small amount of grated Parmesan and add a sprig of fresh basil in the center, if desired.
If you have some ground beef or spinach, this can constitute another layer, but is purely optional. Spinach can be combined with a thick white sauce or bechamel and poured into the center layer. Sliced, boiled eggs can be added to the white sauce and spinach layer.
Optionally, sprinkle in some Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, then repeat again with more pasta, filling, and sauce, cheese, etc until all ingredients are used, or lasagna dish is filled to within 1/2 inch of top. Cover with aluminum foil. To avoid oven spills, consider placing the dish on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes or so, depending on the quantity you’ve made. Larger lasagnas will require longer cooking times to set.
During the final 15 minutes of cooking time, remove foil and spread a new layer of sauce over all, so that edges won’t crisp.
Remove from oven and let sit for 25-30 minutes before cutting into squares.
Obviously the tactic for Anonymously yours and his friends, is the filibuster.
So I guess I can play along since no one seems to mind.
AY do you know the candy bar story.
I prefer 7 up with my Crown. Which by the way my man is seven inches long and he’s always up. My other friend prefers mountain dew cause her man is built like a mountain and he’s always due.
Some day someones going to actually read the above comments.
Then they are going to ask, “what did 30 percent do to merit such a ridiculous onslaught of personal attacks”.
And their answer will be invariably, nothing.
Crown.
I guess its ok to disregard a public safety measure because someone is too lazy to make a safe passage. Have you ever heard of someone getting killed because they have to walk in the street because some thoughtless land owner did not clear
the side walk?
Pick and chose.
as in Cola
Yes, but according to 30 he will just let it melt.
RC
Now answer my question.
So Bdaman, Should someone shovel there walks if a law states that they should after a snow fall? Or is it ok to selectively chose which laws to obey and which ones not to?
AY do you go by Richard or Dick
Little Richard I guess I should of clarified that. Watch the video and read Ali’s lips. I think little richard whispered sweet nothings into Ali’s ears. Richard for those who don’t know is long for Dick.
The intellectual prowess in here is remarkable.
Clearly an erudite gang.
I need to know? Is it ok, to let snow cover your sidewalks in violation of the law where you live?
Bdaman,
Did ALI call 30%er Gay or little Richard.
“Byron 1, February 5, 2010 at 4:19 pm
30%er:
would it help if I told you I agree with your position?”
Help what?
Help that fact that you came in and started launching personal attacks for no apparent reason?
No.
I don’t think saying you agree with my position will in any way help you look any better.
I think he one time said that he was 30% tootie frutie and 70 % Happy all the time.
Bdaman,
I am afraid of this guys music. I think you need to post it on Peter Spriggs thread.