Whole Grain Soda Bread

Whole Grain Soda Bread

1 Tablespoon of Cornmeal

1 cup of quick-cooking rolled oats

1 ½ cups of buttermilk, divided

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons of packed light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons of caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine, chilled, cut into pieces.

2 eggs, lightly beaten, divided

1 cup of currants

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal. In a bowl, combine oats with ½ cup of buttermilk; let stand ten minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, caraway seeds, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs: set aside. Reserve 1 Tablespoon of egg; combine remaining egg with remaining buttermilk (1 cup). Stir into oat mixture; stir in currants. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until stiff dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Shape dough into round loaf; place on baking sheet. Brush top of dough with remaining egg. With serrated knife, cut an “X” in top of bread, extending cut over sides of loaf down to baking sheet. Let stand in warm place for fifteen minutes. Bake 40-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool slightly on pan on wire rack before serving. https://www.serendipitymediagroup.com

Happy Anniversary Bewitched, 50 Years!

By, Gina Meyers

How do you pay homage to a television show? A show that completely changed my life. A show that changed millions of people's lives and still reruns even today. "Weeelll" as Samantha Stephens would say, you just wiggle your nose and go for it! Before I wrote The Magic of Bewitched Trivia and More Book, I was an aspiring writer. After writing the Bewitched Book, I became an author. Not only that, I became a  Bewitched Expert and traveled the United States on a book signing tour, and started a fan club, that reached people in Japan, England, Australia, and even some prison inmates down south. My children got to join in the fun of exciting Bewitched talks, Halloween Parties, book signings, trivia contests, mall extravaganzas, meeting celebrities, traveling to Salem, Massachusetts to see the Samantha Statue and so much more. They got to go on the radio with me, participate in an internationally televised television show (called Bewitched Fanatical), help me prepare for television segments, create food for television segments, join in the newspaper interviews, etc. I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy magazine interviews, live television cooking demonstrations, participating in fun Bewitched related events.

My favorite memories are too many, but I'll try.
1) Having a book-signing in Glendale, California at The Barnes & Noble with Kasey Rogers, Louise Tate, the "bosses wife". A boy came for his fourteenth birthday to my book signing as his birthday present. I remember my son Lucas was a baby at the time and my husband took him for awhile during the event. Me, my daughter Lauren, Kasey Rogers, and her mate, Mark Wood laughed and had a great time. We met many fans of Bewitched that day and each person had a story to share.

2) Hosting a Bewitched Bash at our  custom home in North East, Fresno. The best part was donating proceeds to NAMI and Make A Wish Foundation. The amount of work that went into the party and my type A personality when it comes to details I wouldn't wish on anyone, however, the event was very fun and memorable.

3) My (former)husband surprising me with a Bewitched Play in Shell Beach, California. A dinner party murder mystery  Bewitched theme was held at The Cove in Shell Beach. 

4) Staying at The Historic Hawthorne Hotel, where the Bewitched Cast and Crew stayed during the filming of their Salem Segments.
5) The librarians in Salem giving me dozens of newspaper clippings about Bewitched.
6) Aloha, my Bewitched Book Signing in Hawaii. The best part was being presented with a lei.
7) Oscar, the manager, at the now defunct San Francisco, California Fisherman's Wharf Barnes & Noble. He always made me feel welcome.
8) The countless events at the Edwards Theater, now defunct Sierra Vista movie theater.
9) The complimentary coffees, double chocolate frappuccinos that everyone in the family was allowed during my autograph parties at Barnes & Noble.
10) The hundreds of people that I have connected with as a result of Bewitched.

It all started because I loved a television show. From that passion grew a joy of writing trivia tidbits, honing in on my marketing skills, creating events, hosting trivia contests, creating culinary classics. Bewitched, spans decades and generations. It unthaws the proverbial TV Dinner and brings it to life with a charming cast of characters that everyone can relate to. We all have had an overbearing boss, or a neighbor that was just way too noisy,  a kooky cousin, crazy relatives and a mother or father-in-law who just gets our goat.

It's magical, like life.... Thanks Bewitched for making my dreams into realities, cheering me up on  bad days, being there through it all, and teaching me so many lessons.