Aberdeen Village Community Matters April 2022

APRIL 2022

Beautiful memories of a Ukrainian tradition

Celebrating our volunteers In honor of Volunteer Appreciation month in April, we would like to thank our many volunteers at Aberdeen Village.

Thank you for all that you do that means so much to so many!

Evelyn Bergmann Shirley Dixon

By Stephanie Oehlert, sales and marketing director, independent living

Sharon Nelson

In reflecting on the horrible things happening in Ukraine right now, I was reminded of my earliest exposure to the culture of this beautiful country.

Mary Wilmoth Rebecca Ann Chaikin

When I was little, my mom always loved decorated Easter eggs. She loved

Keith and Marilyn Graham

Ukrainian eggs – continued on page 4

Larry Blake Sandy Wohlford Martha Malsbary Darla Thompson Judy Otey Esther Minter June Hackathorn Georgia Bundschuh Judy Salts Janet Elliott Gloria Giunta Pat Pelot Shari Rolph Carolyn Wilken Joe Cinalli Will Gunsolley Joni Looman Zoe Moore Ed Reynolds Ed Weger

Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at AberdeenVillage.com/covid-19.

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PMMA celebrates history with Founder’s Day PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®) employees will observe the founding of the senior living system this month as the company celebrates its 73-year history of serving seniors in Kansas and Missouri.

PMMA’s roots go back to 1947.

Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision laid the foundation for the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. Through the many decades, PMMA® remained true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Each Founder’s Day, staff members re-commit to live our mission by signing the “WE PROMISE” board that lists the pillars of the mission: respecting that seniors retain their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; assisting residents with specific needs; providing compassionate service; serving as a trusted resource; and advocating for seniors.

Alice Kalb participated in the groundbreaking for the first Presbyterian Manor.

possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, as well as its heritage. I believe Alice would be very proud.”

Alice Kalb’s dream has turned into a network of 15 senior living communities and two hospices across Kansas and Missouri. A new senior living community is under

development in Colorado Springs.

PMMA remains true to its core and mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

For more information about Aberdeen Village, contact Stephanie Oehlert, marketing director, at 913599-6100 or soehlert@pmma.org. u

Wishing you a very

“Hoppy”

“Our nearly 2,000 employees view what they do as a calling,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it

Easter!

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Community Matters 913-599-6100 u Fax: 913-599-3810 17500 W. 119th St. Olathe, KS 66061-9524 AberdeenVillage.com

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2022

is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Village

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

To submit or suggest articles: soehlert@pmma.org Tim Allin, executive director Stephanie Oehlert, director of sales and marketing

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Mini Flower Lemon Tarts

Hash Brown Egg Nests INGREDIENTS 1 20-ounce package hash browns 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 12 medium eggs salt and pepper 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped INSTRUCTIONS Heat oven to 450 degrees. Liberally spray cups of a standard 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together hash browns, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and pepper. Mix until ingredients are evenly distributed.

INGREDIENTS Homemade all-buttеr pіе cruѕt оr 2 pre-made, rеаdу tо roll ріе сruѕtѕ 4 egg уоlkѕ, plus 1 еgg for egg wаѕh 1/3 сuр соrnѕtаrсh 1 1/2 cups wаtеr 1 1/3 сuрѕ ѕugаr 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons buttеr 1/2 сuр lеmоn juісе 1 tablespoon finely grated lеmоn zеѕt 1 tablespoon роwdеrеd ѕugаr INSTRUCTIONS Preheat оvеn tо 350 degrees.

Grease аnd flоur a mіnі-muffіn pan (оr use nonstick cooking ѕрrау). Sеt аѕіdе.

Unrоll pie crusts on a silicon mat and сut out as mаnу flowers аѕ роѕѕіblе. My flоwеr-ѕhареd cookie сuttеr іѕ 4 inches іn diameter, реtаl tip tо реtаl tір. Onсе уоur fіrѕt ѕеt of flоwеrѕ are сut, you саn bаll up thе dоugh and roll іt оut аgаіn. Yоu should bе able tо gеt 24 flоwеr-shaped dоugh pieces.

Put thе dough ріесеѕ іn mіnі-muffіn tins, lеаvіng an еmрtу ѕрасе bеtwееn сruѕtѕ. Press them іntо the bоttоm аnd оn the sides. Prісk thе bоttоmѕ wіth a fоrk.

Bruѕh еgg wаѕh frоm one еgg tо the top еdgеѕ оf each сruѕt.

Bаkе fоr 15-20 mіnutеѕ оr untіl gоldеn around thе edges.

Divide mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Press firmly into the bottom and sides of the cups.

Remove from оvеn and lеt сооl whіlе уоu make the fіllіng. Onсе сооlеd, uѕе thе tір оf a knіfе tо lооѕеn thе сruѕtѕ frоm thе mіnі muffin сuрѕ.

Place tin in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

In a mеdіum ѕаuсераn, соmbіnе соrnѕtаrсh, wаtеr, ѕugаr and ѕаlt. Stіr constantly оvеr mеdіum-lоw hеаt untіl mixture соmеѕ to a bоіl. Bоіl fоr 1 mіnutе. Rеmоvе from thе hеаt аnd rеduсе thе hеаt tо lоw.

Lower oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove the muffin tin from oven and quickly crack one egg into each “nest.” Season eggs with salt and pepper and return to oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges of eggs are cooked to your preference.

Gently loosen the edges of nests with a knife and let rest for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Carefully transfer nests to a serving platter.

Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and chives. u

Whisk еgg уоlkѕ іn a medium-ѕіzеd mixing bоwl аnd ѕеt аѕіdе.

Pоur hаlf of thіѕ mіxturе іntо the еgg yolk mіxturе іn a thin ѕtrеаm, whіѕkіng соnѕtаntlу. Pоur the “hоt” еgg mіxturе bасk іntо the ѕаuсераn, whisking constantly.

Rеturn the saucepan tо thе ѕtоvе аnd сооk fоr аn аddіtіоnаl 3 mіnutеѕ, ѕtіrrіng соnѕtаntlу.

Remove frоm heat and ѕtіr in lemon juісе and lеmоn zest. Finally, whisk іn уоur buttеr оnе tablespoon аt a time.

Sрооn mіxturе into еасh bаkеd and cooled mini tart сruѕt almost uр to thе tор.

When rеаdу tо serve, dust роwdеrеd ѕugаr over the tops. Aftеr a few mіnutеѕ, thе powdered sugar will dissolve іntо the lemon fіllіng, аnd уоu wіll only see іt оn the реtаlѕ. u

Aberdeen Village | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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Ukrainian Eggs – continued from page 1 their intricate designs and sometimes would try to replicate what she saw. I remember her telling us about Ukrainian Easter eggs, called pysanky. She brought some home and they were just beautiful — and very similar to the ones shown in the picture.

Pysanky had bright colors and beautiful patterns. Mom told us that this art from Ukraine dated back centuries. There are no actual examples, since eggshells are so fragile, but there have been very similar designs found on clay, stone and ceramic eggs that have been excavated from the late 9th to the 13th centuries. Pysanky were traditionally made by the women of the house and were given to family and respected leaders. They

symbolized the gift of life. My mom decided that we were going to try to make our own, which was quite an endeavor!

The unique thing about Ukrainian Easter eggs is the way the patterns are made. They are made with a wax-resist batik method. You use a tool called a kistka, almost shaped like a pen with a little metal funnel and point on the end. You heat up the metal top over a candle flame then dip it in a pat of beeswax. The melted beeswax turns black from the carbon in the flame and flows out through the point of the kistka onto your egg, much like ink out of a fountain pen. Anywhere the wax has been “drawn” will stay white as you dye the egg. You can add other colors and designs as you layer the

17500 W. 119th St.

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2022

Olathe, KS 66061-9524

wax after dyeing the egg. It can get very complicated, as the designs are very intricate. Adding other colors in layers takes a great deal of planning.

The first ones we made were somewhat primitive, using just white and one color until we got used to drawing with the wax and understood how the layering of colors worked. Traditional pysanky uses a whole raw egg. You want to make sure to use one that is as smooth as possible with no cracks.

My sister and I still love to get together before Easter and make pysanky. We shared this tradition with our children, and it has become something that we love to do together. u