Friends, aren’t they great? Several of mine filled my life with magic last week. Really, now, how could a garage sale be so exciting? You have probably heard of the power garage sales have over me in particular, with my sister being close behind. I noticed an ad for one last week, but hadn’t made a decision about it when my sister called and mentioned something they had that she would like to see. Friday morning found us merrily on our way, but neither of us had memorized the house number. We passed by twice and decided we would just go to Dollar General and then go home. As she was taking me home she asked quietly, “Should we drive down that street again?” I told her we might as well since we were using her gas! On our second attempt, we located the garage at the back of a house between two closely located houses. We were very pleasantly surprised and equally joyfully received by two almost lifetime friends who were back home from Florida visiting family. We shopped very little, bought nothing but stayed a good 45 minutes just chatting. She is a shirt tail relative, her grandfather was my dad’s first cousin. That makes us distant enough that she does not have to claim me. Her husband was my “go to guy” when I had a technical problem beyond my comprehension that a hardware owner could solve without thinking. Since she told me she faithfully reads Magic Moments each week, I hope she is surprised to see our special time mentioned in this week’s paper. Thanks, Verg and John for a very pleasant time.
One evening I received a phone call from a friend who said she had left a bag on my back step. I had been at home, but the catastrophic bolt of lightning in our neighborhood destroyed my wireless doorbell at my back door. I can seldom hear any one knock. I was in for the evening and would not have gone outside again but she had brought some ready to eat peaches from her parent’s home. If I wanted anymore, I could just go down behind the house and pick what I could reach from the ground. Tree ripened Red Haven peaches! You can bet that the next morning I walked to the post office with a canvas grocery bag on my shoulder and then went to the peach tree. I thought I was being modest in the amount I took but by the time I got home with them, I wished I had taken a few less, or at least smart enough to drive my car. I froze several containers and baked three pies, which will provide a story for me for another week’s column. Each time I use them I will again relive the joy supplied from the generosity and kindness from friends. Thanks to Shirley and Darwin. A daughter’s friend had more peaches than she wanted to can, so she shared with my daughter who shared a few with me. So, you can never tell how many people can benefit from your small act of kindness to others.
Now I have a connection to using these peach stories. Do any of you remember the peach cobbler recipe I gave you last year? I received public admonishment for putting a recipe that good in the paper! Several mentioned how good it was. (I had never made it!) Last week someone mentioned me running it again. I thought that was a good idea since it is Red Haven time. (They can’t be beaten in my estimation, and I had just seen a copy of the recipe the week before.) Now for the rest of the story. Would you believe that I cannot find my copy? The only explanation I can perceive is that “Nosey Rosey” was here again messing up my organized things! I do not know what book I found it in originally and searching through my computer folder was unproductive and endless. Yesterday we had a surprise dinner at The Barn for the 25th Anniversary of a son and his wife. As we were leaving the restaurant, I saw a friend who had talked to me about the cobbler recipe at the Festival of Flags. I ashamedly asked her if she had a copy of the recipe. Above and beyond the call of duty, a few minutes after I returned home my front door bell rang and there she was with a copy. Friends, aren’t they great? Major thanks to another Shirley.
PEACH COBBLER IN A PINCH
5 large or 4 small peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup butter, melted
5 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
Place peaches in an 8 x 8 greased glass baking dish. Cut each slice of bread into 5 strips. Arrange over the peaches. Mix sugar, butter, flour and egg and pour evenly over layer. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm or at room temperature. I will be having some for my lunch today!
I always told my kids and grandkids they have to have something healthy in their stomachs for the desserts to sit on. So I will add a recipe for a simple casserole to prepare while you have the oven heated for the cobbler.
TATER TOT CASSEROLE
1 ½ pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom sop
1 package (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom pieces
1 can cream of celery soup
1 package (2 lb.) Tater Tots
Spread cooked ground beef in bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle soup mixture over beef, next mushroom pieces, then mixed vegetables. Spread both soups overall. Place Tater Tots in rows on top of vegetables. Bake at 325 for 1 ½ hours, or until vegetables are done.
Remember to do something unexpected for a friend. You never know how much joy or uplift it can mean in their life.
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