Featured Holiday – Arbor Day

The last Friday in April is Arbor Day, a time dedicated to planting trees and greening up our surroundings. Arbor Day began in Nebraska in 1872, a time when the state’s settlers wanted to improve their then-barren landscape with greenery. We all remember those Arbor Day tree-planting excursions in school; why not relive those days by taking your family to an orchard tour and celebrating our yearly recognition of trees by cooking food which features tree-grown treats like nuts and fruit. What better way to welcome spring than to dedicate a day’s meals to the blossoming trees!

Arbor Day Fruit Bars

1 ¾ cups oil
1 ¾ cups honey
5 eggs
1 T. cinnamon
4 cups flour
2 cups raisins
2 c. chopped dates
2 c. chopped figs
2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 10x by 15 jelly roll pans.

In a large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Divide batter in half and spread each part on two jelly-roll pans. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in pan, then cut into 2-inch squares.

Nut Roast

1 onion diced
1 pepper diced
3 T. oil
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/3 cup wheat germ, oats or matzoh meal
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup ground pecans, walnuts or almonds
1 egg, beaten
3 T. minced parsley or 1 TB parsley flakes
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 7 inch skillet, sauté onion and pepper in oil. Place all remaining ingredients in a bowl and add sautéed vegetables. Combine well. Place in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes.