Aug 24, 2015

September Spiritual Challenge: Sweet Communion

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin once said, “In general conferences and in other Church meetings around the world, we come together seeking companionship—the good company of brothers and sisters in the gospel and the comfort of sweet communion with the Spirit of God. In our worship services, the presence of that Spirit fills our hearts with love for God and for our fellow Saints.” With the current effort to improve in our Sabbath Day observance, let us seek opportunity to enjoy “sweet communion with the Spirit of God” at church, in our homes, families and relationships with others. As a spiritual challenge, try a new Sabbath day activity in your family such as indexing, family history work, scrap booking, baking and sharing treats, visiting the sick, writing letters, journal writing, etc. Experiment and try new things in an effort to find what helps make the Sabbath Day a delight for your family, and share that delight with others through the “sweet communion of the Spirit.”

Temporal Challenge

What is life without something sweet? Sugar and honey are important parts of your food storage. Here are some tips about how to store them, followed by a few simple recipes.

Challenge: Add some white sugar, brown sugar, honey, or molasses to your emergency food supply. If you have some crystallized honey, follow the directions below to easily return it to its liquid state.

Storage Methods

White Sugar : White sugar forms lumps when it absorbs moisture from the air. Therefore, it must be protected from moisture and stored while it is very dry. Store the sugar at room temperature or below, since sugar that gets hot over a long period of time may turn slightly yellow. If it develops lumps, they can usually be broken up easily.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is just the opposite. It needs moisture to make it soft, and it gets rockhard when it dries out. If you buy it in a plastic bag, keep the bag tightly closed after opening with a clothes pin or a rubber band. If you buy sugar in a cardboard box, the inner liner usually won’t keep it moist after it is opened, so transfer the sugar to a plastic bag and close it tightly. If brown sugar goes hard or lumpy, sprinkle it with water and heat it in the oven at 250 degrees F. for a few minutes. Some people suggest putting an apple slice in the plastic bag with the hard sugar. Both methods add moisture to the sugar.

Honey: Store honey at room temperature – your kitchen counter or pantry shelf is ideal. Storing honey in the refrigerator accelerates the honey’s crystallization. Crystallization is the natural process of glucose sugar molecules aligning into orderly arrangements known as crystals. It is not an indicator of spoilage, impurity, age or quality. If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve, or place the honey container into near boiling water that has been removed from the heat:
1. Bring a pan of water to a boil
2. Turn off the heat
3. Place the honey container in the water with cap open
4. Leave until both have cooled
5. Repeat as needed

Recipes

How to make brown sugar (from “Joy the Baker”) :

1 cup granulated cane sugar
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar and molasses. It’s that easy. There’s a part in this process where the molasses is super gunky and clumpy. You’ll think to yourself: Joy, you were wrong… this is coming out all wrong. Don’t worry. Keep mixing it all together. It will even itself out. Work it until completely incorporated and no big molasses globs remain. For dark brown sugar, add another tablespoon of molasses. Use as you would in your favorite cake and cookie recipes. Store in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag with the air pressed out.

Whole Wheat Crepes

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Put all ingredients in blender and mix well. Let stand about 15 minutes. 2. Wipe a stick of butter in an 8 or 10-inch frying pan over medium heat (just barely coat the bottom of the pan) 3. Angle pan and pour enough batter on one side to thinly and evenly cover the pan. Very quickly swirl the batter around to cover the pan in one thin layer. 4. After about 1 minute (and once it is golden brown on the bottom) carefully flip it over without tearing the crepe. 5. Fry for 15-20 more seconds on the other side (until it is golden brown as well) and then roll up each crepe.

Honey Glazed Ham

5 pounds ready-to-eat ham
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup honey
1/3 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 2. Score ham, and stud with the whole cloves. Place ham in foil lined pan. 3. In the top half of a double boiler, heat the brown sugar, honey and butter. Keep glaze warm while baking ham. 4. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste ham every 10 to 15 minutes with the honey glaze. During the last 4 to 5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/10/random-sampler?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/10/random-sampler?lang=eng
http://www.honey.com/honey-at-home/tools-tips-and-resources/honey-usage-and-storage-tips/
http://joythebaker.com/2010/08/how-to-make-brown-sugar/