LENTILS -- AND MORE!

Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, my dad and also my brother-in-law, Bill Reece, grew lentils, so we began to promote lentil recipes. In 1974, Harriet interviewed Daddy for the Clearwater Tribune and featured some lentil recipes. I was reminded of this the other day as I reviewed the contents of Daddy’s recipe box. One of our favorite recipes is lentil casserole, a staple in my culinary repertoire. In fact, I made it for supper last Friday night and we’ll thaw the leftovers for supper tonight.

I had two cups of cooked lentils unused in the casserole, so Sunday I decided to try a recipe for chocolate cake calling for lentil puree – a recipe I’ve wanted to try for years. First I pureed the lentils in the blender. I pretended I had the required two cups of puree but was actually short by half a cup. The recipe called for a cup of oil – way too much for this fat conscious couple – so I substituted ½ cup of applesauce for half the oil. I used a cup of egg substitute for the four eggs. And I didn’t have any baking chocolate squares so I substituted powdered chocolate. I also cut back on the sugar. Despite all the substitutions and recipe changes, the cake actually turned out well enough that I look forward to trying the recipe again. Next time I’ll cook the lentils longer and use the food processor to puree them. I’ll also use the baking chocolate squares -- and maybe that additional half cup of sugar.

I have been busy getting ready for our trip to Boise. Every moment I can spare I sit to crochet on Gage's afghan (the afghan formerly known as Jack's). With Mike’s help I have also selected a pattern for Jack’s afghan – and of course, I’m anxious to start that.

Today I received a new book, Fashions for Small Dolls by Rosemarie Ionker, featuring clothes for 7- to 12-inch dolls (little girl types). It’s an inspirational guide, including instructions for embellishments such as pin tucks, smocking, hand embroidery, lace insertions, etc. What fun!

Hallie called last night. She says her wrist is coming along well. Here’s a picture she took with her phone. She was looking forward to soaking in a hot tub -- as opposed to a quick shower. She says it's hard to wash your hair one-handed.