424 keep fork Recipes

there was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. as she was getting her things in serving, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. she told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. the woman also requested to be buried with her favourite bible., everything was in serving and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her., more thing , she said excitedly. what s that came the pastor s reply. this is very important, the woman continued.. i want to be buried with a fork in my right hand. the pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say.. that surprises you, doesn tsp it the woman asked. well, to be honest, i m puzzled by the request, said the pastor., woman explained. in all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, i always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, keep your fork. it was my favorite part because i knew that something better was coming..like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. something wonderful, and with substance! so, i just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and i want them to wonder what s with the fork then i want you to tell them: keep your fork..the best is yet to come, eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. he knew this would be 1 of the last times he would see her before her death. but he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. she knew that something better was coming. at the funeral people were walking by the woman s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite bible and the fork placed in her right hand. over and over the pastor heard the question what s with the fork and over and over he smiled., during his message , the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. he also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. the pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either., he was right ., next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come..

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

yukon gold potatoes, garlic (split ), thyme, black peppercorns, bay leaves, onion (chopped ), kosher salt, olive oil, butter, italian parsley

cauliflower , separated into flowerets, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream (i use light ), dried onion flakes, cheese, shredded (cheddar or a mix of cheddar and monterey jack), pepper, ritz cracker, crushed (i use reduced fat )

frozen strawberries, banana, nonfat yogurt (any flavor ), oranges , juice of

water (1 medium or large pot, size of pot and amount of depends on how many stained socks you want to), lemon

albacore tuna in water, mayonnaise (i like light mayo but increase to your liking), cheddar cheese, dill, croissant rolls (sourdough or english muffins or any bread you prefer can be used)

lean sirloin steaks, cut into 1-inch-long strips 1/4-inch thick, onion, sliced, flour, sliced mushrooms, nonfat beef broth, dijon mustard, paprika, nonfat sour cream, cooked egg noodles

well-marbled beef brisket, balsamic salad dressing (bottled ), dry sherry (or dry red wine), dark brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, fresh coarse ground black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar, hickory liquid smoke

lean ground beef, all-bran cereal, crushed, barbecue sauce, water, egg, salt and black pepper, to taste

ground turkey, onion, sliced, flour, sliced mushrooms, chicken broth, dijon mustard, paprika, vegan sour cream, cooked egg noodles

yukon gold potatoes (1 1/2-2-inch peeled ), kosher salt, olive oil

fork-split english muffins, lump crabmeat (picked well for shells), kraft old english cheese spread, softened, garlic salt (or powder )

pre-cooked boneless ham, sweet butter, maple syrup, bourbon whiskey, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, dry mustard, pineapple juice, orange, sliced thin, candied ginger, green apples, peeled, pitted and cut into bite-sized chunks, dark raisin, vanilla, apple pie spice

shredded cabbage, onion, finely chopped, carrot, shredded, sugar twin, white vinegar, vegetable oil, dijon mustard, salt, celery seed, horseradish cream, black pepper

butter, sugar, egg, chocolate chips, cocoa, chopped walnuts (optional), crushed graham cracker