Like I said a week or so ago, October is a great month in which to be born. A long time friend celebrated her 80th birthday Sunday. Her husband is a distant relative through my maternal grandmother. But I was invited to her surprise party because of my friendship with her. There were two bonuses of the day. Ann, thanks to your family for including me. First of all, another friend had decided that she was going to pick me up for anything that we were both attending, even though it was a total distance of at least ten miles mile out of her way. She had set a limit of my 85th birthday to begin her act of caring for the elderly. To her chagrin she discovered I was already 87! For a number of years my youngest sister and I had gone to her house and then let her drive us to distant meetings. So I really need to get her on my list of special friends, especially considering the price of gasoline, and then she had to bring me back to Edgerton! Thanks so much Ruth. You were already considered a special friend, but I am really fortunate now.
The second bonus was that I saw so many people that I had not seen for years, including several of my farmer friends from my years of working at the elevator. As we were going through the magnificent line of food, the honored guest’s daughter-in-law was refilling a container of meat balls. She looked perplexed as she scrutinized the contents of both containers. They looked so different that she questioned combining them, even though they were from the same recipe. I noticed her indecision and said just put them together and stir them good and no one will notice. I agreed to take the blame if she got in trouble. Later the wife of one of my farmer friends told me how good the meat balls were and that they told her it was my recipe!! I was going to ask for the recipe since it was different than my favorite one but very good. I decided that I probably should just leave good enough alone!
That should bring us around to food very easily. I am trying to part with a lot of my treasures. I was looking through a collection of magazines (I put several out in the recyclables last week) and decided why I had kept this one.. There were some amazing suggestions, easily prepared even though the magazine was over three years old. There was a suggestion for making hamburgers so they do not round up in the center by pressing your thumb in the center to make a well. As they cook they will fill out. Handle the meat as little as possible. Also, do not (as I have seen lots of cooks do) press down on the burger with a spatula as they cook. This forces out the juices that keeps the meat moist, tender and flavorful.
Decisions, decisions, should I give you an entrée or my special yen for desserts? Want to bet five on which I will do? I have a weakness for cookies and try to get them out of the house as soon as I have them baked because either the devil or that nosy little old lady that I notice is still hanging around entices me to eat them, against my doctor’s orders. Let’s start with one that says it is kids’ favorite but did not say what age the kids have to be. I bet you all will qualify.
KIDS’ FAVORITE COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
1 cup flaked coconut
5 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz.)
Cream butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla and egg. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat in oats and coconut. Mix well. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookies sheet, flatten slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Break each candy bar into 12 pieces, press a piece into each warm cookie. Cool on wire racks.
CHERRY and ALMOND KRISPIE SQUARES
1 package (10 oz.) large marshmallows
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 cups salted roasted almonds, divided
1 ½ cups dried cherries, divided
Combine in a heavy pan, marshmallows and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in extract and cereal, 1 cup of cherries and 1 cup almonds. Press into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan. Sprinkle with remaining almonds and cherries. Gently press into cereal mixture. Cool and cut into squares.
I will save my magazine for another week and give you some good ideas for a main meal. I am writing it in ink right here. Hope I can find my magazine next week!
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