Page 11
Donna Boyce
Many people helped with our very successful Te Bach after the Gymanfa this past October but I’d like to bring to your attention those who were most instrumental in presenting that event:
-First, all of you who brought food – we couldn’t have done it without your kind (and yummy!) donations;
-Myron Cherry, WSCO’s very own Energizer Bunny, who just keeps helping and helping every year by coordinating with the church, ordering the flower arrangement displayed in the sanctuary and then at the Te Bach, and working with setting up and tearing down the furniture arrangement in Ballard Hall;
-my beverage assistant Laura Thomas and her helpers Ruth Quillin and Bette Thomas;
-my food prep assistant Gwen Baxter along with our veteran helper of many years, Diana (Cherry) Wafe, and Dianne Williams;
-the two women who have made the tea sandwiches for years and years Joan Bash and Helen Davis;
-the folks that set up furniture, “dressed” the tables and carried food were Tegwyn Lantz and her mother Carole Edwards Haley, who also directed you to the fact that there were double the serving lines this year over previous years, and Laura Cherry who helps whenever her visits home from Florida coincide with our Te Bach and who brought her fiancée, Burak Akgerman, along to help;
-and last but never least -- our One-Man Cleanup “Crew”, Ken Evans, who was thankful that we discovered that there is an air conditioner in that kitchen.
My heartfelt thanks goes to all of these people and any others who stepped in that day and helped with prep and cleanup.
Two Te Bach recipes were requested this year, Carole Edwards Haley’s Lemon Buttons and Cheryl & Stacy Evans’ Cream Cheese Finger Cookies.
Lemon Buttons
Oven: 350 degrees
Batter
| Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix | 4 large eggs | |
| 3 oz. lemon Jell-O (sugar-free works) | 3/4 cup of vegetable oil | |
| 1 cup of hot water |
In mixing bowl, dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Let cool to warm. Add remaining ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat two minutes on medium speed. Brush cupcake tins with melted butter and put one tablespoon of batter into each well.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes.
Topping
| 1 and 1/2 cups of confectionery sugar | 1 teaspoon of lemon zest | |
| 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice |
Combine topping ingredients.
Make holes in baked "buttons" with toothpick (can start while they’re still warm). Brush topping on about 3 times, leaving a few minutes between brushings to allow to firm.
These keep well in air-tight containers in refrigerator or freezer.
Yield: about 4 dozen
Notes: For a full recipe you use 8 to 9 cupcake tins -- six cupcakes per tin – but most ovens don't efficiently bake that many tins at one time. If the mixed batter has to wait for the second baking, the Jell-O starts to "jell" and, if you use two batches, you don't need as many tins. I divide all batter ingredients in half (cake mix, Jell-O, water, eggs and vegetable oil) and mix up one batch at a time. I usually use 4 tins to a baking -- if there is batter left I partially fill a 5th tin.
The full topping recipe can be made and is sufficient to top both batches.
The “original” recipe was baked in a 13x9-inch cake pan and was very popular in the 70’s. I experimented to get a "cookie" size and ended up using regular cupcake pans. Batter "run-off" from the back of the spoon results in varying amounts of batter in each well, hence the imprecise number of tins needed.
Cream Cheese Finger Cookies
|
1/2 cup butter (no substitutions), softened |
Dash salt |
|
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4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 t. vanilla extract |
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (may also use pecans or almonds. If almonds, substitute almond extract for vanilla) | |
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1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour |
Confectioner's sugar |
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1 T. sugar |
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts (dough will be crumbly)
Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 2-in. logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in confectioner's sugar; cool on wire racks.
Yield: 2 dozen.