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The Convent’s Famous Bread and Butter Pickles

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On Tuesday mornings, at the break of dawn, all of the Sisters, Novices and Postulants divide and conquer the larger vegetable gardens in our community.  That’s about 30 of us in each garden, with a small team of older sisters staying behind to make breakfast.  In one hour, we are astounded at how much gets done – hauling off wheel barrows full of weeds to the compost pile and bringing in tubs of fresh veggies for the week ahead.  The older Sisters teach the younger ones about suckering tomatoes and the younger ones have the strong backs to dig and till.   Stories are told about the early days, and new ones are made – it’s Sisterhood life at its best.

This week, we got a bumper crop of Japanese cucumbers in – thin, long and crunchy –a welcome sight after a long winter of frozen vegetables!  With the volume of cukes coming in, we opted to make our favorite sweet pickles.  For many years, we have been making this special recipe and giving them as gifts at Christmastime.  Now we are about to let you in on a big secret recipe that has stayed within the walls of our Convent for over 30 years.  Enjoy and Happy Gardening!

“Just to be is a blessing.  Just to live is holy.”  –   Rabbi Abraham Heschel

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The Convent’s Famous Bread and Butter Pickles
SERVINGS
4-5quart jars
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
quart jars
COOK TIME
10min.
PREP TIME
1hr.
READY IN
11hrs.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice the onions and cucumbers. Chop the peppers (if adding).
  2. Combine cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in a large bowl and cover with cracked ice. Mix thoroughly and allow to sit at room temperature for 3 hrs. or until the ice melts. Drain thoroughly but do not rinse.
  3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large pot and heat just until boiling.
  4. Add the Cucumber and onion mixture and cook just a bit.
  5. Sterilize 5 quart size jars in boiling water.
  6. Add the pickles to the jar, followed by the juice. You may not need all the juice you have.
  7. Seal jars and process in a water bath.

Savory Dill Rolls

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I never cease to be amazed at the number of Sisters who love to bake bread or want to learn how. It always results in a most satisfying experience for all, both those who make it and those who eat it. So we bake and serve a wide variety of breads for the convent and for our guests. But like every other category of foods, there are always some that have more appeal than others and become old standbys. This is the case with our SAVORY dill bread , which is a favorite all year round, but especially at this time of year when fresh dill is flourishing in our herb garden.

This is a flavorful soft textured dough that can be formed into loaves for slicing or various shaped rolls to accompany salads or dinners. Whatever shape they are baked into they are sure to please.

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Savory Dill Rolls
SERVINGS
3dozen rolls
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
dozen rolls
COOK TIME
12-15 mins (for rolls)20-25 mins (for loaves)
PREP TIME
1 hr30 mins
READY IN
1 hr 45 mins2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Dissolve yeast in warm water; add milk, sugar, onion, dill, salt, eggs, shortening or margarine, and 6 cups of flour. Mix well.
  3. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.
  4. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
  5. Punch down and form into rolls or loaves. Place on a greased pan and let rise until doubled in bulk.
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for rolls or 20-25 minutes for loaves.

Fluffy Banana Tea Bread

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Twenty five years ago, our community collaborated on a cookbook called Recipes that Bear Repeating, which is still one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipes are tried and true, many of which have served our guests and retreatants over the years. One of our founders, Mother Cay, liked to remind us that Jesus loves to meet us in the little jobs that make up everyday life. “Life with Jesus,” she would say, “is in the mundane!” And we have found over and over again that He cares very much about the small things that concern us — what to have for dinner, how to celebrate our holidays, and so on through our daily life.

As we walk through Lent, we are reminded of these words, and pray that you also will meet Jesus in the kitchen, doing the laundry, cleaning the house or whatever your “mundane” might be.

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Fluffy Banana Tea Bread
from Recipes that Bear Repeating
SERVINGS
1loaf
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
loaf
COOK TIME
45mins
PREP TIME
15mins
READY IN
1hr

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside
  2. Cream together in a standing mixer the softened butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat for 2 min. or until light and fluffy
  3. Add banana, sour cream, nuts (optional) and cream together
  4. Slowly add flour mixture slowly, one cup at a time, until just incorporated (do not overbeat or your batter will be tough)
  5. Pour into a well-greased 9x5x3" loaf pan (glass is best) or greased muffin tins.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. or until a tooth pick comes out partially clean. Bake 10-15 min. for muffins.
  7. Let cool slightly, turn out of pan and enjoy!

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

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I finished hanging up my wet laundry on the clothesline and paused to take in one more moment of this idyllic scene around me before returning to my room. I was on the island of Crete during a Gloriae Dei Cantores choir tour staying at a conference center situated on rocky white cliffs overlooking the bluest water I’ve ever seen. This was, without a doubt one of the nicest accommodations of the trip where we were made to feel so welcomed and at home.

The clothesline we’d been encouraged to use for our handwash was outdoors in the backyard garden of the building. It was fastened to a sturdy lemon tree heavily laden with gorgeous fruit just like the lemon trees under which we had enjoyed our dinner the evening before.

I had grown up savoring the flavors of fresh lemon juice and zest in my food long before it had become as popular as it now is, but never until this moment had it occurred to me why Greeks love and use it as much as they do in their cooking. Now I could clearly see the reason why. These fresh lemon and oregano potatoes are a typical example of the many ways in which these ingredients are regularly used in Greek cooking.

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Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
SERVINGS
6people
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
people
COOK TIME
20-30mins
PREP TIME
15mins
READY IN
35-45mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a food processor; to blend; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Toss potatoes with 1/2 cup of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.
  4. Roast potatoes until tender and golden brown, 20 – 30 minutes.
  5. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Fabulous Roasted Fruit Platter

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This Sunday after church the sisters, along with some invited guests, enjoyed a sumptuous southern breakfast, the perfect holiday treat especially for those who have southern roots.

The menu was extensive……..baked ham, grits, sausage, bacon, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sticky buns and more than anyone could sample at one sitting. My favorite of all the dishes was a fabulous fruit platter consisting of a combination of roasted fresh and dried fruits and nuts that had been coated with a rich glaze of brown sugar, butter and Calvados.

This winter fruit and nut combination was “Out of this world”…and not only for a southern breakfast, but as a wonderful accompaniment to any number of other meals, especially at this time of year.

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Fabulous Roasted Fruit Platter
SERVINGS
6-8people
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
people
COOK TIME
30-40mins
PREP TIME
20mins
READY IN
50-60mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cut fruit to desired size and shape. Spread out on sheet pan and brush with a little oil and cover with foil and roast about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until softened.
  2. Uncover and sprinkle with nuts and generously brush with glaze. Return to oven uncovered at 50 degrees higher and cook until nice and golden.
  3. Sprinkle with pecan and walnut halves and serve.
Glaze
  1. To make glaze melt butter and brown sugar together until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Calvados and simmer till thick enough to spread.

Notes

If dried fruit needs softening soak in warm cider to reconstitute before roasting.
We used firm pears and apples, and pineapple for fresh fruit, along
with dried figs and apricots. Craisins could also be an interesting addition.

Welsh Rarebit Cauliflower

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Years ago when I was just a teenager one of my jobs in my father’s restaurants was to type up the daily menus. Some of the menu items have stuck in my mind more than others, as favorites of those who regularly ate there. Welch Rarebit was one of them, (Perhaps because I liked it so much myself).  In any case, I sometimes feel sad that it seems to have disappeared from the memory of people my age and is completely unknown to a lot of others. Although usually served over crispy toast I have often used it in other ways as well, so for Thanksgiving I thought I’d like to incorporate it into a vegetable side dish. So I came up with this Welch rarebit Cauliflower.

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Welsh Rarebit Cauliflower
SERVINGS
8people
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
people
COOK TIME
40mins
PREP TIME
20mins
READY IN
1hr

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour. Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add beer and whisk to combine. Pour in cream and cheese, whisk until well combined and smooth; this will take 4 to 5 minutes. Add hot sauce.
  2. Place a steamed whole head of cauliflower in deep serving dish, pour rarebit over it and top with homemade golden buttery toast crumbs (crumble two slices of white bread – sprinkle lightly with oil and brown in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven about 5-10 minutes), crispy bacon bits, and red pepper flakes.
  3. Garnish with fresh herbs or other vegetables as desired.