Retailers discuss drug pricing cuts

Anonymous donation provides land for project to aid African children

by Sue Schulzetenberg
Visitor Staff Writer

MAPLE LAKE, Minn. — A link between people in central Minnesota and Zambia is part of a chain of charity leading to development of a farm and buildings for housing, schooling, counseling and medical care for homeless children in Africa.

	Above: Children in Zambia shop for school supplies during Tim Dolan’s trip to see Carol McBrady and the children McBrady helps through Action for Children — Zambia. Left: McBrady comforts a baby. (Photos courtesy of Tim Dolan)

Purchasing 40 hectors (about 100 acres) of land for the farm and buildings became a possibility after an anonymous donor, who lives within the 16-county St. Cloud Diocese, donated $20,000 to benefit the children Carol McBrady assists in Africa.

The donation came shortly after local fundraisers and an article published in the July 27 St. Cloud Visitor about McBrady and Action for Children — Zambia.

McBrady, originally from Maple Lake, Minn., lives in Zambia and works every day with struggling children through Action for Children — Zambia, an organization she founded. To help fund their efforts, McBrady and other volunteers have set up the Zambian Children’s Fund in Minnesota.

From across central Minnesota...
Visitor readers share traditional Christmas sweets
and treats

by Carol Jessen-Klixbull
Visitor Staff Writer
Designed by Rose Kruger-Fuchs

“Cookies are made of butter and love.” This old Norwegian adage reminds us that the most important ingredient in any food we prepare is that special sprinkling of tenderness that comes from our hearts. During this season of awaiting, and then, celebrating the birth of Christ, we express our joy by giving to others. Traditionally and universally, one of the ways we show our affection for one another is through sharing our food — be it a feast or simply a tidbit. At this time of year it seems everyone can recall at least one favorite holiday treat that stirs a memory as warm as the cookies themselves that came from a loved one’s oven. ...

Cookies date back to ancient times — they are as old as baking itself. The ancient Hebrews spoke of their manna as “wafers made of honey.” Somewhat later, the early Romans were in the habit of serving small cakes as part of the end of their meals.

Legend tells us that cookies came to be long ago when ovens were heated by fires which were burning around the baking area. There were no thermostats so bakers had to guess the temperatures of their ovens. To assist themselves in this process, they put small amounts of cake batter on baking sheets. They determined how hot the oven was by the way these tiny cakes baked. As time went by these small “test samples” became one of the world’s most beloved goodies.

The name for cookies as we know them today probably came over to America with Dutch immigrants who settled in New Amsterdam in the early 1600s. Their word koekjes, which means “little cakes” eventually became Americanized to “cookies.”

Candy, another sweet treat associated with the holiday season, also has a long history. Our word for candy comes from the Persian word qand, “cane sugar,” which in turn comes from the Sanskrit khanda, “morsel of hardened sugar.”

Honey, the oldest sweetener known to man, was a prime ingredient in early candy-making. The Egyptians added figs, dates, nuts and spices to honey and formed these early confections into various shapes. The Arabs and Chinese also made a sweet by combining fruits, juices and honey.

The Arabs made the biggest contribution to candy-making — the early refining and processing of sugar. They spread their sugar cane knowledge from Persia to the Mediterranean. It wasn’t until after the Crusades, in the 14th century, however, that the acquaintance with sugar became widespread.

On his second voyage in 1493, Columbus brought sugar to the New World, specifically the island of San Domingo (now Haiti). By 1511, growing sugar cane was an established practice in Cuba and from there it spread to most of the West Indian islands and to Central and South America.

Many varieties of candies and cookies have been developed over the years and around the world since sugar made its first appearance. Candy making and cookie baking have come a long way since their earliest days. In this holiday edition of Breaking Bread, readers from across the St. Cloud Diocese share family recipes for some of their favorite sweet treats.

Here are a few suggestions for
candy makers and cookie bakers.

Candy:
• Use a heavy saucepan — one that is larger than you think you will need.
• Use a candy thermometer, if possible. Always make sure the thermometer bulb is in the boiling mixture, but does not touch the bottom of the pan.
• If you don’t have a candy thermometer, consult a chart for cold water tests that can be used to determine the approximate temperature of the sugar syrup.
• During cooking, wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush or damp paper towel to make sure that all the sugar dissolves.
• Watch candy carefully, especially during the last few minutes of cooking — temperatures rise quickly at the end.
• For best results, don’t double a recipe or make ingredient substitutions.
• Because of the extremely hot ingredients involved, small children should not be in the cooking area when candy is being prepared.
• Allow yourself plenty of time when making candy — it often takes a long time to cook and requires a great deal of stirring.

Cookies:
• Always preheat the oven to the temperature indicated in the recipe. Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes — the first blast of heat as the cookies enter the oven helps them set so they don’t spread too much and then burn around the edges because they have thinned out.
• If using a convection oven and following a recipe designed for a conventional oven, heat the convection oven to a temperature 25°F lower than the recipe suggests. Expect the cookies to be done in less time (as much as 25 percent less) than it would be in a conventional oven, even with the 25°F reduction.
• Because most cookies spread during baking, it is necessary to allow enough space between them on the baking sheet. Otherwise, they tend to run together. Drop and refrigerator cookies spread the most and usually require about two inches of space all the way around each cookie. Rolled cookies don’t spread as much so the spaces between them can be smaller.
• When arranging cookies on baking sheets, space them evenly and try to get as many as possible on each sheet. Don’t put them too close to the edge as they may “spread” right off the sheet onto the oven. Place cookie dough on cool baking sheets — the heat from warm pans causes excessive spreading.
• The very best results occur when only one sheet of cookies is baked at a time. The baking sheet should be placed in the center of the middle rack of the oven. But in this busy world of ours, baking cookies one tray at a time may seem to take a little too long. So, when baking two sheets of cookies at once, place the oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds. To ensure that the cookies on each sheet will bake evenly, switch the trays mid-way through the baking process.
• Always check to see if the cookies are done when the minimum amount of baking time has passed.
• Take the cookies out of the oven as soon as they are baked. Unless the recipe directs otherwise, immediately remove to them to a cooling rack.
• It’s important not to pile the cookies on the cooling rack. Each one should remain flat as it cools. Warm cookies are soft and will bend out of shape or break if not treated properly as they cool.
All Sweet Treats:
• Don’t forget to add the full measure of your love to each and every batch!

Click on Story Continued to see 10 holiday
Recipes from our readers!