THE MICRO WAY LAN! BLOOMER * These nut rings are pretty when Microwaving Nut Breads n ut breads just weren’t worth served whole; sprinkle with Every fall, for the last three cooking in a microwave. powdered sugar, if desired. Or years I have planned a column on Here are some of the problems 1 slice and serve spread with cream microwaving nut breads. But ra n into: The cooking is uneven cheese or butter for a buffet, every fall, I have replaced that because of the very dense batter, They are also delicious toasted column with something else, since so the bottom is frequently un- for breakfast. They keep well the recipes I d tes.ed weren t very derdone. In the loaf shape, the ends refrigerated, and freeze well too, good. I was beginning to think that get too hard before the middle gets so make one now to have on hand r£m~ “Experience And Quality” W From Concept... || JK To Design... sm Jg To Completion... |& S TRIPLE H Construction g JBrJf 29 South Charles St. Ephrata.PA 17522 « The Farm Building Specialists... WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS I I g As We Celebrate The Birth of !j g! Our Saviour £• I | S We Sincerely Thank Our Loyal Customers For A jg S Good Year In 1986 And We Wish Them A Prosperous S I Year In 1987! i Phone:7l7-738-2142 Custom Builders of Dairy, Hog, Poultry, Horse, Storage, Residential And Commercial Buildings. done, even with shielding. The nuts sank to the bottom. The edges didn’t brown, so most of the recipes I tried looked “sick.” And cinnamon or graham cracker crumbs on the edges didn’t help much. Well, I tried again, with success at last! Here, barely in time for Christmas, is a nut bread, with several variations, that looks good enough to serve company. It tastes delicious and doesn’t take hours to bake because it’s designed for your microwave. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 20, 1956-813 for unexpected company during the next few weeks. Cranberry Nut Ring 3 tablespoons shortening or margarine 2 cups finely chopped walnuts, divided (Ms cup to coat pan, IVz cups for batter) % cup margarine or butter IMs cups sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons orange rind cup orange juice 1 cup sour cream V/z cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup coarsely chopped cran berries 1. Heavily grease a 10 to 12-cup plastic bundt pan, using all 3 tablespoons shortening or margarine. Sprinkle Vz cup nuts evenly in pan to coat sides and bottom. 2. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating very well after each. Then stir in orange rind, juice, and sour cream, mixing until smooth. Sift flour with baking powder and soda and stir into batter. Fold in remaining IVi cups nuts and cranberries. 3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. If your oven does not have a turntable, raise the pan off the bottom of the microwave by placing the bundt pan on top of an upside down pie plate, dinner plate or flat casserole lid. (This lets more microwaves get under the pan, so the bottom cooks more evenly.) With a turntable, this is not necessary. 4. Leave uncovered and microwave on medium (50,5) for 15 minutes, until batter rises evenly all over pan. If the batter rises Kerr Attends AVA Convention ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Jim Kerr, vocational agriculture teacher in the Willow Street AVTS school joined approximately 500 other vocational agriculture educators attending the American Vocational Association National Convention in Dallas, Texas, December 5 to 9. An estimated 6,500 vocational educators representing the 12 AVA divisions attended the 600 plus sessions keyed to the theme, “AVA at 60... A Tradition to Build On.” The 38th National Vocational Agricultural Teachers’ Association Conference ran con currently with the AVA Con vention. The NVATA, an affiliate of the AVA Ag Education Division, unevenly, rotate pan every 4 to 5 minutes during baking. Microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes, until a long toothpick or cake straw comes out clean. 5. Let stand on a flat surface (counter, breadboard, hot pad) for 15 minutes. Move pan to a wire rack and cool until bottom is only warm to touch (15 to 20 minutes). Turn out onto a serving plate. Serve warm or cool completely. Nut breads slice better when cold. Makes 112-inch ring; serves 18-24. Variations: Date Nut Bread; Replace cranberries with chopped dates. Bishop’s Bread: TTiis is a sweet treat for a dessert buffet! Omit cranberries, orange rind and juice. Use V* cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Then stir in only 1 cup chopped nuts (instead of 1 Mt) and Ms cup chopped dates, % cup chopped candied cherries, and */6 cup miniature chocolate chips. Tips: Make sure you finely chop the pieces of nuts, dates, etc. that you add. Large chunks or regular size chocolate chips sink during microwaving. If a lot of big chunks sink, the batter on the bottom around them will be undercooked. Dense batters like this need to be raised up in the microwave, as in step 3, or they may not be done in the cooking times given. When testing for doneness, use a cake straw or long toothpick that will reach to the bottom of the bundt pan. It is the very bottom that may be underdone. Note: The cooking times above are for microwaves with 600-700 Watts. For 500 W, add 10-15 seconds for each minute. I hope you have a joyous holiday and that you’ll be celebrating with your family as we will. Copyright UM, Lanl Bloomer conducted a series of programs designed to meet the specialized needs of the secondary, post secondary and adult agriculture instructors. The total program included general sessions, departmental/ sectional/ regional/ divisional/ affiliate meetings, business sessions, special award and recognition programs, socials, receptions, and sponsored meal functions. Jim Kerr, currently serving as the past president of the Penn sylvania Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association, also served as delegate at the convention. The NVATA is a national professional organization for vocational agriculture educators.