Akron Adventist

Summer has arrived and it’s to enjoy the sun & outdoors. If you’re planning a picnic or party, or even just looking for a Sunday snack, here are two quick and easy recipes for sandwich spreads. If you recently attended a baby shower at the church, you may have enjoyed these delicious sandwiches courtesy of Lela Brown.

Veja-Link Sandwich Spread
Ingredients:
1 can Worthington Veja-Links (available from the Happy Cow)
1 Medium onion
¾ of 1 16oz. can Pa’s Pickle Smack (Relish) (available for order from the Happy Cow)
-You could substitute another brand of relish, but according to Lela Brown it just won’t taste the same!!
Mayonnaise

Directions:
Chop onion by hand. Drain liquid from relish. Mix together. Add Mayonnaise until you reach desired consistency to spread.

Serve with bread and enjoy!

Pineapple Sandwich Spread
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
20 oz. crushed pineapple
Mayonnaise

Directions:
Soften cream cheese. Mash cream cheese with fork to spread it out on a plate. Drain the pineapple to squeeze the extra juice out. Mix together. Add Mayonnaise until you reach desired consistency to spread.

Serve with bread and enjoy!

If you’d love to plant a garden, but don’t have the space at home and want more vegetables than a container garden can provide, think about reserving a plot in a community garden. We’ve listed three local community garden programs available in the Akron area. If your hometown is not listed, be sure to check with local officials on gardening opportunities available in your town or city.

Lake Township—Hartville Hardware
Hartville Hardware is hosting a Hartville Community Garden on land east of Kaufman Avenue and west of the Hartville Kitchen & Marketplace on 619. The land has been split into 300 10 x 10, plots and water will be made available at the site. Lake Township residents can sign up at the Hartville Hardware Store to reserve up to 2 plots.

City of Akron
The city of Akron is beginning Akron Grows, a community gardening program to promote and encourage urban gardening for Akron residents. In 2009, eight vacant city-owned lots will be converted into community gardens. The cost is $20 for a 20’ by 10’ plot and $30 for a 20’ by 20’ plot. The city will provide water and assist in soil preparation. Seeds,
educational materials, and classes will be provided. For more information, a complete list of garden sites or to download an application, visit www.ci.akron.oh.us or call Larry Parker of the Akron Cooperative at (234) 525-0543.

Stow Community Garden
Garden plots are available for Stow residents at the Stow Community Gardens on Stow Road, across from Silver Springs Lodge. The plots are 10’ x 20’ for youth at $5.00, 20’ x 20’ plots for adults at $15.00 and 20’ x 20’ plots free to seniors 62 years and older. Registration will occur Saturday, May 9th, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Stow Parks and Recreation Department, 5070 Stow Road. For more information call 330-689-2756 or visit their website.

If you’d like to participate in a community garden plot in Akron, but want to share the experience with others in our church family, please contact Tamara Franke (thcveggie@gmail.com or 330-899-0431). If more than 1 person or family expresses interest, we can try to match up people to share a garden site.

Recipe courtesy of Penny Mixon, a former Akron First SDA church member
Fellowship with the church and try a bite of this casserole at potluck on Sabbath May 2.

Ingredients
o 1 package Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles
o 6 slices whole wheat bread, cut in
cubes
o 1 tsp. garlic
o 1/3 cup chopped onion o ½ cup brown sugar
o 4 eggs o ½ cup ketchup
o 1 tsp. sage (or Italian Seasoning) o ½ cup water

Directions:
Mix Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers™ Recipe Crumbles™, onion, eggs, sage and garlic
in a large mixing bowl. Stir in bread cubes. Press into medium size casserole dish.Combine brown
sugar, ketchup and water, then pour over loaf mixture in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

It’s officially spring and time to start planning your vegetable garden. If you have not considered growing a garden in the past, it’s the perfect time to do so! Gardens can be big or small, filled will green beans, tomatoes, or asparagus, but they all have one thing in common—the great tasting food that goes straight from your garden to your dinner table. Growing your own food provides not only better-tasting food, but also higher quality food that will help save money on food bills. It’s also fun and rewarding to see your plants grow throughout the summer and produce an edible harvest.

To help first time gardeners, or more experienced gardeners looking for new ideas, we’ve found a great guide to vegetable gardening and posted it here. This fantastic guide, created by Joe Lamp’l, talks about everything you’ll need to know to start your first garden, from how to choose the best location to what to plant and when to plant. Additionally, many of our church members are expert gardeners who produce bumper crops each year and can provide great gardening tips for those of us who are novice gardeners. We’ll share some of these gardening tips and tricks in the newsletter throughout the summer.

If you have limited yard space or aren’t ready to commit to a full-sized garden, consider starting a container garden! A window sill, patio, balcony, or doorstep that gets at least 5 hours of sunlight a day is all you need to get started. Most herbs and vegetables grow great in containers—even green beans can be trained to grow up a support if you purchase a pole variety. Many vegetables come in smaller, compact varieties perfect for container gardening. All it takes is finding the right containers, adding soil, planting seeds or small plants, watering regularly, and fertilizing as needed. Links to a few different sites that provide good information on container gardening are posted under Vegetable Gardening Links at The Happy Cow to help you get started.

Start planning, buying seeds, and dreaming of your perfect garden now. You can’t beat the taste of a homegrown tomato fresh from your own Vegetable Patch!

Recipe courtesy of Tamara Franke
Come try spaghetti and meatballs at potluck this Sabbath, April 4!

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 20 oz. can Worthington Vegetarian Burger*
½ cup of diced onion
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
1 ½ cups of bread crumbs
Oil for frying meatballs
*Worthington Vegetarian Burger is available at The Happy Cow.

Directions
In medium mixing bowl beat eggs with a whisk until blended. Add vegetarian burger, onion, and Italian seasoning. Mix ingredients well. Stir in bread crumbs. Form into round balls.

Fry in deep fat fryer for at 375 degrees for 4 minutes. OR Cover bottom of skillet with vegetable oil. Place meatballs in heated skillet. Fry until brown. Turn meatballs over and brown the other side.

Makes approximately 32 1 ½ inch meatballs. Serve with your favorite spaghetti and tomato sauce or other favorite meatball dish!

Congratulations to Mittie Brown! Her name was drawn in the drawing for a $10 Happy Cow Gift Certificate from all those who turned in forms for the church directory update. Mittie can use this gift certificate for some free, delicious vegetarian food products. Thank you to all who turned in updated information for the church directory.

Be sure to come and enjoy a taste of this delicious casserole at potluck this Sabbath, March 7!!

o Cook 1 lb. bag of wide noodles until tender (Mrs. Troyers noodles are preferred—available at Beiler’s Market)
o Drain noodles and place in a 9×13 pan
o Add 1 can of Worthington Diced Chik (drained)
o Add 1 medium onion, diced
o Add 1 10.75oz. can of mushroom soup
o Add 2 cups of milk
o Add 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
o Stir ingredients
o Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minues
o Optional: Top with a can of Chinese noodles

Worthingon Diced Chik is available for purchase or order from The Happy Cow, our vegetarian food store.

10. Call the drive into the church ‘Veggie Burger’ Drive
9. Replace the donkey in the children’s Christmas program with a cow
8. Ring a cow bell to round up people for potluck
7. Paint the church walls in giant black and white polka dots
6. Have Wham scented bulletins
5. Have giant Vega-Link mascots take up the offering
4. Play hide the Prosage Roll at the church retreat
3. Place Stripple scented air fresheners in the restrooms
2. Replace the steeple with a giant, inflatable cow
1. Greet church members with a hug & friendly ‘moo’ instead of hi

Visit the website for our vegetarian food store at www.akronadventist.com/thehappycow

It has been several years since the last time the church directory was updated. If you have not already turned in your information, please take the time to fill out and turn in the church directory update form in today’s bulletin. Everyone who turns in the form by March the 14th will also be entered into a drawing, from which one lucky individual will be chosen to receive a $10 gift certificate to the Happy Cow Vegetarian Food Store, our church food store. By turning in your directory form promptly, you will not only help us to create an accurate and up-to-date directory but you also may be the lucky recipient of some fabulous, free Happy Cow Vegetarian Food Store products.