9/17/07

Power of Delegation (Dill Bread Recipe!)

The other night when we had a Carefree Dinner I asked my friend Pam to bring the dessert. And look what she brought (above photo)!! It was more than we could have asked for (or tasted!), but you see one of Pam’s many gifts is baking! She has that baker's touch and her baking always turns out extremely tasty and pleasing to the eye.

Pam also has a gift for touching lives. As our friendship has grown over the years, we have also shared our love of cooking, canning, baking, and entertaining, outdoors and our families. What I see in Pam is her genuine, caring spirit for others and a beautiful amount of graciousness; it’s a dose of love that rubs off on those around her, that is for sure! (And oh how I wish some of her gardener's green-thumb would rub off on me, too!)
[Pam at her husband's costume 40th birthday party]

I used to think I had to prepare a whole meal by myself when having guests over. It was just a season in life when I had to experience “doing it all.” Now I delegate. I benefit when I respond to my guests “What would you like to bring?” when they ask how they can help.

Most people know what they are good at when cooking or baking, or even buying! They know exactly their comfort level and will offer to bring something that works for them.

Because I knew what Pam was good at, I asked her to help me by making her homemade Dill Bread and a berry cobbler for dessert, for our 700 Club dinner. Both were scrumptious and raved over by the crowd.

Have you experienced the power of delegation? If not, give it a try, and you might catch the entertaining bug!


DILL BREAD
1 package dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1 cup cottage cheese, room temp.
2 T sugar
¼ c. minced onions
1 T butter, melted
2 T dried dill
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 egg
2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
melted butter
course salt

Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, pour yeast over warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In large mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, sugar, onions, butter, dill, slat, baking soda, egg and yeast. Add flour in portions, beating after each addition, to form a stiff ball. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hr.

Punch dough down and turn into well-greased 1 ½ to 2 qt. ovenproof dish. Let dough raise another 30-40 min. until light. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40-50 min, until golden brown. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt.

(This recipe is in Portland’s Palate Junior League cookbook – pg. 65).

11 comments:

tammi said...

Ah, finally something I've already kinda figured out!! I'm SO much better at delegating than I used to be. We often have overnight company because we live 6 hours away from both our families and even though it's family members, it used to be hard to accept help (especially from my mother-in-law!) or even WANT it. Now I'm very happy to have help in the kitchen or with the girls or with the yardwork or whatever happens to need attention while they're here. Things go so much more smoothly and I'm way more relaxed than I used to be.

Great post -- and thanks so much for the recipe! I can hardly wait to try it!!

Jill said...

Sandy- I'm home with a sick toddler and I think baking this dill bread is just what I need! It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.

Barb said...

I haven't been so great at delegating, in great part becuz I've wanted our guests to be able to totally relax. However, I can see how their bringing something could make them feel more a part of the "family," more embraced, instead of like "company." Good food for thought....

southerninspiration said...

I am slowly beginning to get better at delegating, but it helps to hear it from a wise woman, and be reminded!! Thanks!

Christie said...

Said it before, saying it again - just love, love, love your blog.

Sigh...

Nadine said...

When my guests have asked (and really when they are friends that frequent our home) I let bring something they like. I know when I go over someone's home I hate to come empty handed. It pleases me to bring something...so logic says it must please them.

BTW - come on by for your award.

La Tea Dah said...

. . .and thank you for your inspiration and encouragement, Sandy! Much appreciated!

LaTeaDah

Girl Raised in the South said...

Just wanted to stop and thank you for all the encouragement you provide, we're starting to open our home a bit more, and enjoying it more as we do. I printed out the dill recipe to try tomorrow. Sounds great! xoxoxo

Christine said...

Great point! I always like helping out when I go somewhere for dinner or a party! It bonds us to have our own contribution to the event.

Tammy said...

I am just doing some catching up...(so behind in reading posts this week!) but I loved these thoughts on delegation. I guess I chalk this up to yet another reason hosting sometimes scares me- I feel like I have to do it all! So this was great...and I just hopped over to the link of the Carefree dinner- what a super idea!
AND...just scrolled down below and loved the post of you making apple sauce with the girls- so sweet! This caught my eye since I'm planning on making this for the first time with my two girls tomorrow!
Thank you again for you helpful and encouraging posts, dear Sandy!

Laura said...

Okay this is one thing I do do well. When you aren't a very good cook I always figure it's best to have your guests bring something so at least you know they won't leave hungry...lol.

Thanks for the recipe!!
Laura