Merry Magic Christmas 12/25/14

Christmas Days seem to be getting closer and closer together! Think my advanced age might have something to do with the problem? The weeks seem to run together. And with that, making the demands on my fragile mentality to come up with something to write about. After giving it some serious thought, I decided to keep the season in mind and just wish each and every one of you the merriest of merry Christmases and a fantastic new year of all good things.

Let’s keep the recipe department in the Christmas realm. I have the following recipe for a happy family framed and on my dining room wall. Hope you can try it.

            

A HAPPY FAMILY

Combine a family of loving hearts, melt together.

Add a lot of love; mix well with respect and trust.

Add gentleness, laughter, faith, hope and joy.

Pour in much understanding. (Don’t forget patience.)

Sprinkle with kisses and a dash of hugs. Bake for a  lifetime.

YIELD:  ONE HAPPY FAMILY

As parents, we sometimes wonder if our kids are even listening when we try to give them advice and training of Life issues.  It is rewarding to hear them reiterate something that you told them as teenagers that you do not remember that clearly. Here is one that came back to me with some recollection.

      

MAXINE’S MUTTERINGS FOR A MAGNIFICENT MARRIAGE

Keep God and His teachings the center of your home and your spouse a close second.

Then come the kids and that puts YOU last,

If your spouse puts you in your rightful place that moves you way up on the list!

Again a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years  to each of you.  See you in 2015.

Magical Visits 12/18/14

With the temperature forecast in mid 50’s for Monday it is hard to believe it is Christmas, but the weather man half promised a white Christmas for next week. We shall see.

It is hard to break old habits. If you heard me say I was not going to do much decorating this year because I do not have any festivities at my home any more, just forget about it.  As I was going through my Christmas “stuff” I thought, “I have to put that out, it is part of Christmas!" So I did manage to cut back considerably, but I can tell that the season is upon us. I am working feverishly to get birthday “thank  you” notes out before Christmas cards. May have to double up on a few.

The magic moments of each day seem to still be coming to the surface.  Two weeks ago at coffee and rolls after church services, I called to a special friend’s attention the fact that he failed to appear at my birthday celebration. His excuse was that he was not invited. My rebuttal was that everyone was invited and with over 240 people being there my kids said “Mom, I do not believe that Jeff was not here!!" To help balance things he said that he would buy me a roll the next week. My social obligations interfered and I was not able to go to the basement for the usual socializing. During the week my back door bell rang and there was Jeff, looking very apologetic barely able to conceal a grin, with a roll in hand with a birthday candle blazing merrily in it. A magic moment? Indeed. We are now friends again.

Last week a similar instance happened at my front door. There stood a special friend dating back to the years I volunteered at the elementary school after my retirement holding a container that looked suspiciously like one of mine. In it were a number of coconut covered date balls. She acknowledged that the container was mine that I had given her sugar cookies in for her birthday in October when we were at the hairdresser at the same time on her birthday. She needlessly apologized for the way they turned out because I had devoured three of them before she was a block away! See kindness begets kindness and so does magic.

Be sure to create some Christmas magic for someone who needs it and cannot pay you back. That is a sure recipe for Christmas magic.

And that brings us to Christmas recipes. My daughter gave me the recipe for Mexican wedding Cakes that we made for her husband’s mother’s ninetieth birthday celebration. They were quite simple to make because all that I did was roll them in powdered sugar after they were baked!  I am sure you will like them.

        

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

I cup butter

½ cup powdered sugar

1 ¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients together. Roll in balls. Bake on an ungreased or silicone sheet lined tray. Cool and roll in powdered sugar. Store in airtight container. They freeze nicely.

A favorite and simple treat that I like especially at Christmas time are mini pretzel and Rolo treats.

      

MINI PRETZEL AND ROLO PECAN BITS

Line a tray with mini pretzels., I have one that holds 34.  Be sure to use “mini” ones. Unwrap Rolo Caramel candies and place one on top of each pretzel. Place in oven at about 250 to 300 degrees for a few minutes.  Place a pecan half on top of the candy and press down on it.  Cool on tray and remove. Store in airtight container.

Remember to be generous to someone this Christmas who cannot return your kindness.

Santa Cookie Magic 12/11/14

Christmas is coming fast. I have my Christmas tree in place and plan to have a few more decorations in place by the weekend. That is not a promise, just a plan!  Should possibly start my card list before too long, but do not want to scare anyone by getting mine there too early.

Last week was a magic filled one, but kept me on the run.  It started with my daughter who was preparing a reception for her husband’s mother. They wanted to surprise her and have her famous Santa Claus cookies as part of her celebration. Judy mentioned me helping her bake them but did not want to ask me to drive to her house.  That was a simple problem to solve. Why didn’t she come to my house and we would bake them here? One of her high school friends lives in Edgerton, so she asked me if I cared if she ask her to come so they could spend the day together. All was going well until she suddenly remembered that she had a one o’clock appointment in Butler that she had to keep. We had the cookies baked but that left two less-than-expert decorators in charge.

They were quite complicated with rosy cheeks, a white beard, stocking hat with white ball on the end, miniature chocolate chips for eyes, a white beard made with coconut, etc.  Now if I have to draw a moon, I say it looks like a six pointed star! Add that to my old, arthritic fingers and I almost gave up the project. My helper was determined to not let a cookie get the best of her so she was diligently working her heart out when Judy got back. She did not register any disappointment, but I am certain that she noticed the lack of perfection that would have been acquired if Grandma Susie had made them.  But when she saw the plate of Santa Clause cookies, the look of surprise and joy on her face made our less than perfection product well worth while and a very magic moment for her.

Thursday was another magic one.  It was another daughter’s birthday and she always wants to spend part of the day with her Mom.  She managed a half day’s vacation, made soup from leftover turkey, invited her Aunt Mary and me to go to her Aunt Kork’s house for lunch, since we cannot manage her in her wheel chair and we wanted her to be part of our celebration.  I baked an angel food birthday cake, Aunt Mary brought a fruit and cheese plate. We originally planned to play cards after lunch, but when her daughter stopped by after four we were still sitting at the table with no mention of playing cards. It indeed was a magic day full of laughter and just enjoying each other’s company. See, you do not have to travel far and spend a lot of money to have a Magic Day!! I finally got home about 6:00 P.M.

I intended to ask Judy for a cookie recipe to give to you that were especially good and easy to make. We, mostly Judy, made a batch of them for the party, too.  so I had to scratch deep for something to pass on today. I spotted the cookbook that my aunt had given us for our 25^th wedding anniversary in 1972. The recipe I am giving you was from my Aunt Doris who lived at Beaver Dam, near Akron, Indiana.  She was one of my favorite people so her recipes should be good too.

COCKTAIL DELIGHT

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 well beaten egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

Chopped walnuts

1 can (Size #2) fruit cocktail, partially drained

Combine sugar, flour, salt, baking powder. Add well beaten egg, vanilla and fruit cocktail. Mix well. Put in buttered 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cut in squares. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

            

ROSY CINNAMON APPLES

Boil together : 1/3 cup red hot candies

                              1 ½ cups water

                              ½ cup sugar

Add 6 peeled and cored apples. Simmer until tender. Chill. Centers may be filled with cream cheese.

It has been said that a man 60 years old will have spent 3 years eating.  A more interesting fact to me would be how many years did his wife spend cooking that food???

Dilly Mashed Potatoes and Family Magic 12/4/14

The date for today brings a multitude of thoughts to the surface.  Perhaps the most important is my number 4 daughter was born on that day 57 years ago! If I dare to let my mind wonder, that makes all but two of my kids as old or older than my husband was when God called him to eternity. This makes me very aware of how young he was.  When you are approaching 60 you can feel the advancement of aging symptoms and notice your hair is much more silvery than you wished, looking back it is really the prime of life. I think I got off my original subject, so back to the thoughts of the day. That date means we have only 21 more days to Christmas, so I had better get in the mood to get out my stored away decorations. I know I can easily bring in my pre-decorated, pre- lit miniature tree and put it in my east window of the living room. That will make people think I am on target with my decorations! I have my first Christmas party on Monday evening, so guess I better get in the Christmas spirit soon.

Another thought which I choose to not dwell on is the fact that we are getting deeper into the heart of winter and that means snow, snow, snow. I am trying to obliterate all of the memories of last winter’s snowfall. When we get to December, all of those plans that we intended to accomplish in the new year are about to be out of time. I think you can handle all of these negative thoughts by concentrating on the coming Christmas season. Be sure you do not let the fussing and flurry of gifts, food and decorations consume your time and heart and not prepare spiritually. Remember that we are now in the season of Advent which means “to come”. Make it a spiritual renewal as well as tending to all of the extra things that have taken first thoughts and efforts in our celebration.

Hope your Thanksgiving celebration was a preamble to a great Christmas. Mine was a very special day with 29 for dinner and another 20 stopping in in the latter part of the day. Hey wait!  I count, don’t I ? That makes a total of 50. That is about all I can squeeze into my home, but it was a great day. The food was above average, maybe because it was prepared with love in anticipation of a family day. After the main meal people were snacking all afternoon, playing board games around the cleared dining room table and making it an almost perfect day. The families that had other plans were missed but I am certain that their day was special, also. A special ending to the day was the first time that the next generation assumed the responsibility of final cleanup. Two of my granddaughters did all of the dishes, finished trash removal and did a great job while a couple of adults were playing a game with a broken hearted great grandson who felt left out because he did not get to play a game. Frosting on the cake was that  he won!! Thanks so much, Chrissie and Lindsey!

Today I spent a very pleasant visit at my daughter and bonus son’s home with another full course meal celebrating their immediate family’s Thanksgiving with a bonus birthday party for their oldest son,  Happy birthday, Clayton. (Your card is still on the table. Maybe next year?)

With all of this food the past week and leftovers still in my refrigerator, I feel I will have to find something extra delicious, or at least quite different and simple to create any interest. So while resting in my lounge chair making believe I was looking for an interesting recipe, two popped up and caught my attention. Hope they do the same for you. Once again I went to one of my old, old, (not as old as I am) Taste of Home annual cookbooks and found what I was looking for. 

      

DILLY MASHED POTATOES

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups milk

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh minced dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

¾ teaspoon seasoned salt

Cover potatoes with water. Cook until very tender. Drain, mash with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serves six.

SWEET ONION MUFFINS

1 ½  cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup finely chopped onion

½ cup butter, melted

1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat eggs, onion and butter until blended. Stir into dry  ingredients just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Fill greased or paper lined miniature muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for five minutes before removing from pans. You may use regular size muffin tins but bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Large tins make one dozen. Small make 36.

Since both recipes take finely chopped onions, It reminds me of something that I just started doing. Why did I get so old before I heard of it or tried it? So often I let an onion spoil if I use only part of it.  Now I chop it all at the same time, use what I need for what I am making, then place what I have left in a zip lock plastic bag and freeze it.  Then if I want only a bit in an omelet for one person, I used my already chopped onion in the freezer. If need more than I have in the freezer, I do another one then just add what I do not need of that one to my bag of frozen onions. I am so impressed with having them already done, someday when I am bored with nothing to do but clean the house, do the laundry, make my bed, etc., I am going to  chop several onions and put them in the freezer! (That will be after I get my house decorated for Christmas!)

Magic Belated Birthday Phone Call 11/27/14

May each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with plenty of good food and more important family sharing and caring. As usual I am hosting a dinner for all who can make it with open house the rest of the day (where you look after yourself at the abundantly supplied table of leftovers).  Expecting 35 to 40 people at 1:00!! Hope they bring a lot as I am not able to do what I usually do. I will make my usual traditional cranberry salad. Whatever happens it will be a magical day.

Talk about magic, I was amazed and delighted last week.  The phone rang and the caller ID read “Clarence” as I quickly answered. I have a niece whose husband is named Clarence and I was expecting it to be her. Imagine my excitement when I realized it was a voice from my past, but the Clarence was correct. During the 1950’s for 8 years we lived on a farm southwest of Melbern, which we rented , sharing the income from crops. The man who owned the land was an OLD, OLD man (he was  about 80!!) but he was at the farm several times a week.  He had a daughter who lived in Defiance and we saw her a number of times.  Years later, she and her husband built a home on some of the acreage. She still lives there alone and is now 104, with 105 quickly approaching!  We sent her an invitation to my 90^th birthday celebration. She was unable to attend and wanted to call me. What a thrill to hear her voice.  We had over a half hour chat catching up on her great state of health and both of our families. You made my day a very magic one, Margaret Bohn!

Today I had a food experience that perhaps I should not mention. It will spoil my image of those of you who think I know more about cooking than I do. Today I did not use what I really know. Last week’s recipe for the Frito meat balls intrigued me, but I did not want meat balls. I am not fond of corn chips but when I was at the local store I saw some small bags at 2 for $1.00. It would be worth it to try something so when I got home I found them in my grocery bag! First of all I had to crush them. I did not want to make a whole recipe and I had just enough chips to make a half recipe.

From then on it got dangerous. I thought I knew what the recipe stated so I put the soup in the meat. (It was supposed to be poured over the top.) That was not enough to stop me. I prepared my cast iron skillet on the small burner, then made three small burgers, I thought. With the soup in the meat they sprawled all over the skillet. So okay, I will have one big Frito burger. Remember me telling my daughters that you do not put something on the stove and then go into the living room.  I forgot to mention that you do not go to check something on the computer in your bedroom. My almost original concoction was well past the well done stage on the bottom. I quickly turned it over and watched it brown on the other side, trying not to look at the nearly burnt top edge. I know, I will cover it with the rest of the mushroom soup, so I can’t see it. Out of sight, out of mind.  Wrong.  Sometimes I say to myself, “I do not have to eat that”. But with hamburger costing $3.99 a pound, plus my dollar for chips, those thoughts helped me eat the whole thing. I offered it up as penance, but I think I am way ahead of the game with penance.

Now have I scared you out of using any recipe I might offer? In the case that I have not spoiled my reputation I will include a recipe for beets that I found in an Aro cookbook that was a Christmas present to me in 1989 from my daughter’s kids. (It was submitted by Doyle Wines.)  It will probably be a second cousin to Harvard beets.

           

SAUCY ORANGE BEETS

1 can of beets, 303

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

6 tablespoons orange juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Mix flour and sugar together. Add orange juice a little at a time. Add butter and salt. Drain beets and add to the sauce. Heat on low heat until thickened.

                        

CLUB  CHICKEN

1 cup Club or Town House Crackers

1 package Italian salad dressing mix

2 to 3 pounds frying chicken

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine crackers and salad dressing mix in a large plastic bag. Shake 2 pieces of chicken at a time in the crumb mixture. Place chicken skin side up in a casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

After Thanksgiving Day you have my permission to proceed with your Christmas decorations, Christmas carols and lights. As for me I will get it done early in December. Each year I do less as I no longer have Christmas festivities at my home, but I want the house to look as if I know it is Christmas.

Beefy Hash Brown Pizza 11/13/14

First I will mention a golden wedding anniversary celebration near Warsaw, Indiana for my niece and her husband. These parties are always a delight to attend. The downside of it is that it makes me realize my age. My kids retiring, the next generation celebrating fifty years of marriage, great grandkids starting school.  Guess God has been good to me to allow me to experience all of this. Congratulations to Jean and Clarence and best wishes for many more.

Well, I am sad to report that my birthday magic has declined to a standstill.  A hearty thank you to all that contributed in any way to make it the fantastic magic event that it turned out to be. I can’t express in words the feelings I experienced from the “Happy Birthday” greetings on the street, hugs in church, many, many birthday cards, all of the hard work, planning and expense from my family for the reception and those of you who took the time and effort to attend. It will be the source of many great and magic memories. Now back to the real world!

This morning I attended the benefit brunch for my nephew’s grandson who is a patient at Riley Hospital. The food was abundant and delicious and of course I had to try it all. I came home to spend a quiet day, avoiding the temptation to stop at the Methodist Church for their soup and pie luncheon. The full feeling, besides the picture of a half of an apple pie on my kitchen counter, made me turn in at my own driveway.

In the middle of the afternoon, I was still not hungry, but my thoughts again returned to food. My guilty conscience would allow some things that were already sitting silently in my refrigerator. First I tried a cold dish of tapioca pudding. Not nearly as good as the warm one I had eaten before. Okay, I will try to finish the left over from Friday cottage cheese that I really like mixed generously with lime Jello and pears with the juice of the pears used as the cold water. That was better than the cold pudding but left me with a full stomach but still a hankering for something more substantial and hot.To fill that need, I got out my old, old Taste of Home Cookbook and found 2 main dishes I think you will like to try.  I am doing this much earlier than usual hoping that reading and mentally savoring the entrees will get me past bedtime. I would hate to have to go make me a 3 egg omelet!

BEEFY HASH BROWN PIZZA

5 cups Frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 can (10 ¾  oz.) cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1 egg, slightly beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can, 4 oz.) mushroom slices and pieces, drained

1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce

4 cups (16 oz. )  shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Combine potatoes, soup, egg, salt and pepper. Spread mixture into a greased 15 in x 10 inch baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile, cook the beef, onion, and mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink. Stir the pizza sauce. Keep warm. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over hot potato mixture. Spread meat mixture over the top, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake5 to 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

  

At the benefit brunch the pancake detail had it right on this morning. My memories of those brought my attention to this recipe because I am partial to Golden delicious apples. Add them to pancakes and they would have to be good.

      

BAKED APPLE PANCAKES

1 cup pancake mix

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 medium Golden Delicious apple, peeled and sliced

Maple syrup

Combine pancake mix, milk ,oil and egg. In an ovenproof skillet, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and apple slices. Saute until sugar is dissolved. Pour batter over apple mixture. Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees. For 12 minutes. Invert onto serving platter. Serve with syrup.

Guess I will finish my cottage cheese and go to bed early to control my cravings.

190 Birthday Cards and Counting 11/6/14

What do I mean by "magic moment"? How about a magic week? Would you believe that I am still getting birthday cards? Each one is as special as the first one I received. I kind of lost track of the actual number these past few days, but I am near if not exceeding 190!!! Just as amazing was the count of guests  at my birthday open house. We came up with a count of 242! When analyzing anything as spectacular as “my day”, there were a number that I was sure would be there but weren’t. Then the ones who amazed me by their attendance balanced out the day into one perfect one. But wait, there was one disappointment. I did not get to visit with many of you as I would have liked to. If that is true for you, stop in. I will clean off a chair, wash a cup and we will have coffee and talk till our heart’s content. If you doubt the number of cards, I have them all in one box. Stop in and count them yourself.  You may come up with more than I did. Next week I am going to take one whole day, reread them and cherish each one all over again.

Last Tuesday evening was my monthly meeting of my Home Extension Club. We were going to a special restaurant in Auburn and I very innocently went in where there were about 15 members waiting patiently for us to arrive. Almost immediately I felt someone behind me. The president had placed a crown on my head. They presented me with a bouquet of fall flowers, three balloons, a notepad and paid for my evening meal! What a special group of friends! Maybe being the oldest member has its advantages.

More important than all my partying, is our moral obligation and privilege of going to the polls to express our belief of who is most capable of managing our government. I hope you were an informed voter and all of you took advantage of the privilege and duty. I had some trouble trying to vote intelligently in some cases where there were damaging ads about an opponent and the next ad was his opponent being just as negative about him. Do we have to spend so many millions of dollars with this kind of campaigning when it is so unproductive and the money could have been spent much more wisely in a productive manner?

I will get off my soap box and turn to food where I am more nearly an expert. That gives me lots of room to improve. I shouldn’t tell you about an entre served at the excellent restaurant last week. I think it was (or could be) called Hawaiian chicken. It had cubes of chicken, pineapple chunks, I think a sweet/sour sauce and was delicious. A friend ahead of me took a generous portion. I was afraid to trust her judgment and took a much smaller serving. Darn! I decided that I can make that without a recipe! Wrong.  First of all I used 6 chicken legs that I browned to perfection, steamed it for an hour or so, deboned it and cut up the pieces.  Next when I went to add the pineapple chunks, the only resemblance I could find in my well stocked pantry was a can of crushed pineapple. I put in a small amount of brown sugar and thickened it with corn starch. It was edible and quite tasty, but it looked like only a third cousin of the dish I was trying to duplicate. I ate some of it but it was a disappointment. Returning to my inborn training that you do not throw out anything that is good food, I decided to cook some rice the next day. I heated my prize project and served it over the rice.  Not too bad, but do not think it will win any original cooking awards.

Now let’s go to some tried and true lab-tested ideas. Since I am so full of company food, we had a small impromptu gathering at my house tonight of a few relatives with snacks, real mashed potatoes and yummy beef and noodles made from the leftover baked steak from my party.  (I did not cook it.) So I am not even interested in desserts tonight, but I think you will like these two meat dishes that are very easy to make.

            

CLUB CHICKEN

I cup finely crushed Club or Town House crackers

1 package Italian salad dressing mix

3 pounds frying chicken

3 or four tablespoons melted butter

Combine crushed crackers and salad dressing mix in a large plastic bag. Shake 2 pieces of chicken at a time in the crumb mixture. Place chicken skin side up, in a casserole dish.  Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for I hour at 375 degrees.

            

BEAN BOATS

2 cans (15 oz.) chili with beans

4 French rolls

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut tops off each French roll. Hollow out each roll saving bread pieces. Brush inside and outside of rolls with butter. Mix I cup of the bread pieces with chili and fill loaves. Replace tops of rolls and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Removes tops and sprinkle with cheese. Replace tops and serve  hot.

Hope all of you were at the polls Tuesday!

Happy 90th Birthday Magic Maxine! 10/30/14

Maxine with chidren and spouses

Wow!!  What a magical celebration! Many thanks to all of my kids (and their spouses) for the many hours of planning and work involved in making my 90^th birthday so memorable. Also, thanks to those of you who took time to attend the open house.  No matter how much planning, work and expense you put into it, a party will not be a success if you have no people with which to share.  I am very humbled by the number of people who came, their kind words and the few tears that were shed. My only regret was that I was not able to spend more time with each of you.

The day started with worshipping together at 8:30, followed by a sit down dinner for nearly 90 close relatives in the church hall. Here I was eulogized by three daughters and one son which caused a few tears to drip on my shoulders. Following a delicious but simple dinner a sharp command by a daughter that they had less than a half hour to be ready for the open house. Without any complications a bit of magic took place and the hall turned into a party room! 

Things started happening on Thursday when I heard a rap on my front door. The UPS man was leaving and there was good sized package on the porch. I had not ordered anything and hurriedly tore open the box.  Imagine my bewilderment when I saw a huge bouquet of Stargazer Lilies with a lovely vase included. Now I was more bewildered.  Inside was a note that they were from my computer only connection with a now friend in Oslo, Norway! They are now opening into something spectacular. I had never seen any before and they are indeed lovely.  Thank you, Siri Anne.

Maxine with Stargazer lillies

After we (I should say “they”)  had everything packed up and removed, my son asked if it were okay if some of them came to my house. I readily agreed and about a dozen relatives came and they ordered pizza. So my party ended about 9:30 and I immediately fell into bed. What a celebration. Thanks to all of you who helped make it so fantastic.

I had a favorable comment from a reader about last week’s Apple crumb pie. Since I have no recipes selected and the same book is opened at my computer, I will select another one from it. Hope you and I are lucky with this week’s selection. I have heard of people freezing the makings for an apple pie, but I have never tried it.  Let's all do a few. Will save time when you decided to quickly produce one.

            

APPLE PIE FILLING

6 apples peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ to 1 cup sugar

Mix and place in a zip lock freezer bag. Place in freezer until ready to use.

            

CHUCK WAGON BEANS

2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained

2 pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 onions, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup catsup

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon mustard

½ cup brown sugar

1 can pork and beans

1 can lima beans

1 can butter beans

I can kidney beans

Put in crock pot, stir together and  summer.

My thanks to Diane Beverly and Lavern Goebel for the recipes and to all of you who made my celebration so unforgettable.

Kenny's kids and spouses

Grandkids of Russell Jennings

Some grands and greats

Max and Kork

Judy's family

Kork and family

Magic, Magic, Magic 10/23/14

Magic! Magic! Magic! Last week was full of magic! Some of it began with the magic of the weekend before when we had our family reunion. All but one present were descendants of my parents. We were the guests of Steve and Barb at their country home. Besides oodles of great food we were mesmerized by the presence of a beautiful team of horses who pulled a white, two-seated carriage that belongs to Steve for numerous rides down the country roads where we grew up. Last year my sister and I went on a ride, but this year we had no offers to get us in and then get us out when we got back, so we just enjoyed the delight of those who went for a ride. A little down the scale from that were hay rides on a wagon behind a tractor. The day ended with a bonfire. It was a great experience for all of us.

My next treatment of great magic starts way, way back. I have no real recollection of the year. A casual friend of mine became a widow. Her husband and son were two of “my farmers” from working at the elevator. Her son asked me to reach out to his mother during the difficult days following his death. Since it was so long ago some details are a bit sketchy but I will tell it as my memory dictates. A friend once told me I should write a book about my life. I was going to title it  “LIFE AS I REMEMBER IT”! That way no one would contradict me. Now back to my original story. I think we went out to lunch a time or so, then she asked me if I would go with her on a bus trip. I readily agreed and we went to Renfro Valley, Kentucky. Possibly a year ago, a friend of hers got the Edgerton Earth and then gave it to a friend to read.  They both know my daughter, Becky. This friend down the line wanted to meet me from reading Magic Moments! Plans became concrete and last Tuesday was the day.

Becky and I were to be at Rita’s for lunch at 11:30 to meet the two friends whom I had never met. Hazel was on the bus trip but I could not recall a person to go with the name. I was a bit insecure as we entered the restaurant, because I could not imagine why anyone would have a desire to meet ME. After all I am only a farm girl with mud on my shoes, who raised a fantastic bunch of kids in a farm home and likes to write.  What if I did not measure up to their expectations.  We decided to go a few minutes early to be welcoming committee.  Guess what.  They were both seated, waiting patiently on us.  After polite introductions, my admirer reached under the table and brought out four beautiful long stemmed roses, each tied with a lovely ribbon.  She handed them to me and said, “Pick one and give it to Becky and say something nice about her. Then she did the same to the one next to her.  It was a very unique and meaningful gesture and broke the ice of unfamiliarity. After hours of stories and laughter, we looked around and all of the lunch crowd had come and gone.  The waitress was running the carpet sweeper around us.  Of course, we had made no mess. I glanced at my watch and would not believe that it was two o’clock!

My new friend was so excited to be eating with a celebrity.  I felt as if I were the one who was with a celebrity since both she and her husband were elementary school teachers. I am certain that they both affected many lives. Thanks to my new friends, Hazel and Kay and to my original friend Dorothy for hours of magic and great enjoyment. Hazel had a picture of me with Dorothy from the trip that really dates it. Not one gray hair shows up on my head!

Now it is time for recipes. A year or so ago my church published a cook book. I was glancing through it and I noticed a couple apple recipes that are real timely.  The first one is from my sister who gave it to me for anyone who is watching their sugar intake.  So I had better give her credit because she will recognize it.

       

SUGAR FREE BAKED APPLES

5 apples

3 tablespoons minute tapioca

½ cup Splenda

2 cups water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Chopped English walnuts

Peel and slice  or quarter apples. Combine water, Splenda, cinnamon and tapioca. Pour over apples. Microwave on high for 10 to 20 minutes until apples are tender. Remove microwave and add nuts.  I add this to my oatmeal after it is cooked.

Donna Lingvai submitted a recipe that fascinated me. Will try it with some of my apples.

          

APPLE DAPPLE CRUMB PIE

5 apples peeled and sliced

1 cup flour

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter, cut in slices

Lightly grease bottom of pie pan. Cover bottom with apple slices. Mix together flour, sugars, and butter. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

(I would like ice cream  on this.)

Pudding Cookies 10/16/14

Yikes!!  Here we have used up half of a new month. That means winter is closer and I am not ready for any more snow! Hope the weather forecasters don’t know what they are talking about and it won’t be another one like last year. I should be like my brother told me once in his slow laid back manner, “Don’t get excited until you see you have a real reason to be!”  So I guess I will just enjoy the nice fall days that we have still coming.

Today was a real empty day after a weekly schedule that I could barely keep up with.  It started with a lovely lunch at the Senior Center for all of the October anniversaries and birthdays. Since I was an honored guest with a birthday, it was extra special.  I keep thinking that I should go more often but I do not know today that I want to go tomorrow, so I can’t make a reservation! Besides that program is for OLD folks!!  My thanks go to all involved with that program and Hillside Living for providing games and prizes.

When I got home I had a phone call from my daughter who wanted to come to my house on Friday during her lunch hour to pick up a photo that she needed. I quickly said I would be home. Then she hesitatingly asked if I could also have 4 dozen rolled and cut out heart cookies made for a retreat she was planning. Her lunch hour is late and I could easily have them baked, frosted and packaged for her to pick up. The big bump in the road came when I remembered that I had a 10:30 appointment the next day for a perm!  I suddenly shifted gears and baked the cookies late Thursday evening, got up earlier than planned on Friday morning to get them frosted. Guess what. I was at my appointment one minute early! Came home and had them in plastic containers for her to pick up. Now time for relaxing in my new lounge chair. Rest time was quite short because I had made plans with another daughter and her husband to go to Angola to see my cousin who is a resident of Lakeside Nursing Home. They were going to pick me up shortly after three! We had a very nice visit with my cousin and her daughter, even though we stayed longer than we had planned because it was nearly time for her evening meal. To finish the evening we did some shopping and had a nice meal at Ruby Tuesday. By the time we got home it was nearly bedtime so I could not start anything that I had already ignored doing. It was a good day, but Saturday morning I had to fix food for my family reunion that could make a whole column of magic moments, which I will have to leave for another day. Thanks to Steve and Barb for all of their work and expense.

I changed my mind four times about recipes, but think I have settled on a couple. First, you have heard that you should put your actions where  your mouth is. Last week I mentioned that you should teach your young kids to do simple recipes, so they will be proud of their accomplishment and develop a desire to learn more difficult projects. So first of all is a recipe that you can start them on. Maybe you will like to try it just because it is so simple.

                        

PUDDING COOKIES

1 package (3 oz.) instant chocolate pudding

1 cup biscuit mix (Bisquick)

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Hershey’s chocolate kisses

Extra sugar

Mix pudding, biscuit mix, oil and egg. Shape into I inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees. As soon as they come from the oven, place a Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie. You could experiment with different flavored pudding, like vanilla.

Next is a simple meat loaf recipe.  I had an unusual one picked out but decided I should try it myself before suggesting it to you.

            

SIMPLE MEAT LOAF

1 ½  pounds ground beef

¾ cup oatmeal

2 eggs

½ cup chopped onion

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

¼ cup barbecue sauce

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup tomato juice

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Pack firmly into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.

Tomorrow (after I sleep in) I will try to put the place back in a small degree of order.  After church today, I hid a few things, washed a few dishes and made my bed, so in case someone stopped in they would not report me to the health authorities. I can always plead that “it is just the way I like it!”

Western Style Beef and Beans 10/9/14

I am still a slow learner but I am starting this about two hours earlier than last week.  Maybe by spring I will have managed a better schedule.

Last week was a rather slow one compared to my usual hurry scurry days. It started out with a routine doctor’s appointment. I got an A-plus with a three months in advance appointment! My numbers were "excellent" with permission to do just like I have been doing. I guess that means cheating on my sugar allowance and resting a lot in my lounge chair!! Oh well, It has  served me well so far. Had to ignore my lounge chair a bit yesterday and this morning.  My kids were coming again to finish scheduling an important celebration for an amazing milestone in my life. There were too many pairs of shoes and newspapers in the living room, and the kitchen floor looked as if someone had been making mud pies. (Remember those that we made when we were lacking of toys and we played house and made mud pies in discarded zinc Mason jars lids baked in an imaginary oven! Those were special days that kids now can’t imagine.)  I “slop mopped” the kitchen so they would not report me to the health authorities. It was a great day filled with memories and laughter.

I told you last week that my oldest son had a birthday this week. Since I did not see nor talk to him, I decided to bake him a cake to celebrate today. He really likes apple pie so I had a small miniature one (with a small piece missing) that I gave him when he came in. He smiled and acted as if he appreciated the joke. There was a whole one resting in the oven for a surprise later on.  Wouldn’t you know, he brought Kentucky Fried Chicken to eat later and wanted to keep it warm so  he walked over to my stove and opened the oven door!  There sat my apple pie gazing back at him.  We all laughed and he shared it with anyone who wanted a sample.  An experience that has not improved one iota over the years is our vocal talent, but we all sang Happy Birthday with lots of love and best wishes drowning out the poor musical ability. If you have never heard a rendition of that song by the Sanders family you are one lucky person!

Better save some room for a couple of recipes. I had two yummy desserts picked out and the adage of my youth rang in my ears, “Practice what you preach”! So I put one way back in my mind to use  for the fall holidays and picked on an entrée for the dessert to rest on. This is a large amount to serve 10, so you can cut it in half easily.

            

WESTERN STYLE BEEF and BEANS

3 pounds lean ground beef

2 medium onions. Chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

2/3 cup boiling water

2 cans (28 ounces each) baked beans with molasses

1 ½ cups ketchup

¼ cup prepared mustard

3 garlic cloves, minced (I would use garlic powder)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook beef, onions and celery until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Drain. Dissolve bouillon on water and add to the meat mixture. Add the beans, ketchup, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 350 for 60 minutes.  Top with crumbled bacon.

I should have been quicker with this one when bananas were 25 cents a pound at our local grocery! I think this recipe will be good enough that you can splurge on 3 bananas!! Maybe you should buy 6 because the recipe says it freezes well and you can bake two at the same time.

           

BANANA SQUARES

2 eggs, separated

2/3 cup shortening

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup sour milk

½ 0teaspoon vanilla flavoring

12 cup chopped walnuts

Whipped topping, sliced bananas, optional

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar, Beat in egg yolks and mix well. Add mashed bananas. Combine flour and soda. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Add vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Fold in nuts. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. If desired, garnish with whipped topping and sliced bananas.  (To make sour milk, place 1 teaspoon of white vinegar in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to make ¼ cup.)

Encourage your young kids to experiment with simple recipes. Their success will build confidence to try more difficult things and thereby form a love of cooking.  We need to teach them something besides having their noses in a cell phone!

Happy Birthday and Adoption! 10/2/14

Typing the date for this week really made me sit up and take notice. I hadn’t even thought about the month changing this soon and I have a son with a birthday on the first.  Now I won’t be embarrassed by forgetting.  His main weakness is Dutch Apple Pie - just maybe I can find enough energy somewhere to come up with one. He is supposed to be losing weight, so I will make him promise, in ink,  to be very generous in sharing.  In case I do not get it done, I will say right here, “Happy Birthday, Jim”.  That will save postage money, too.

I hope this coming week is not a duplication of last week, I attended three funerals!  A maternal cousin, a lifelong friend and the dad of longtime co-worker all answered the supreme call.  May they all rest in peace. 

Today was more of a fun day, although it was a busy one for an OLD lady. Following regular Sunday Worship, with a number of family members I enjoyed our annual chicken and ham dinner at the church.  A real treat was that I got to see one of my newer great grandsons whom I have seen only a couple of times. He was not particularly impressed with my presence.  Immediately following that my daughter took me to Ft. Wayne to the home of a young friend who with her husband and their family have received finalization of the adoption of a special needs two-year-old son, Ezekiel.  They were having an open house to celebrate the occasion.  I was very pleased with the offer of my daughter to take me without me even having to ask for the favor. There were two other magic moments of the day.  First of all the OLD Testament reading at church was about Ezekiel.  I thought it was very fitting for my plans for the day. Secondly, I had never met their new son. His new mother was holding him and he reached out for me to take him. A real thrill of the day for me, even though it was only a short time until he realized his mother was much nicer. I think so, too. Mostly because she is the granddaughter of a special friend of mine who has also answered the supreme call and she continues to be very kind to me even though I am much older than she is.

We hurried home to attend an almost over “half birthday” party for my great granddaughter who is six months old already. Enough relatives were still there that it took us over an hour to decide that we should hurry home. Now this brings us to the issue of recipes.  I am still full of ham and chicken so there will have to be a short, or maybe long intermission while I find something that inspires me. In moments like this I usually turn to my out of date annual Taste of Home books that I am using for shower gifts for my grandkids when they get married.

Maybe I wasn’t as full of chicken and ham as I thought. At least it didn’t take me long to find a brunch recipe that surprised me because it calls for yogurt.  I have tried and I just can’t appreciate the stuff. If you served it to me in your home, I would eat it, but I will not buy it.  In this recipe there are enough ingredients that I do appreciate that it will overcome my dislike for the yogurt.

            

HAM and CHEESE SQUARES

1 ½ cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 carton (6 ounces) plain yogurt

¼ cup crushed saltines (about 6)

¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

6 eggs

Combine ham, yogurt, crushed crackers, cheese, melted butter and caraway seeds.  Beat eggs until lemon colored. Fold into ham mixture. Transfer to a greased 8 inch baking dish.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into serving squares.

Here us a new switch for pumpkin pie that will be in time for the seasonal treat of pumpkin pie.

            

CARAMEL-CRUNCH PUMPKIN PIE

¾ cup packed brown sugar, divided

½  cup finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell

3 3ggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon rum extract

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 ½ cups whipping cream

Additional chopped walnuts, optional

Combine ¼ cup brown sugar, walnuts and butter. Press into bottom of pastry shell. Whisk eggs, pumpkin, rum extract, cinnamon, salt, ginger and remaining brown sugar. Stir in whipping cream. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes longer. Cool on wire rack. Garnish with whipped topping and additional walnuts.

Cut-out Cookies and Copper Bottom Pans 9/25/14

Here I am, only 2 hours earlier than last week.  Guess I am a slow learner. I am in the midst of a major project that demands my full attention. So even if it is Sunday, I found myself creating a big mess in my house that is necessary to combat a bigger problem.  It is too late to go into it in detail but I promise to fill you in on how well I accomplish my goal.

Friday was a very special day. One of my daughter's friend’s daughter is getting married in a week or so. She wanted homemade, frosted, cut-out sugar cookies for her reception.  Now how do you suppose anyone would have thought of me to help with that project?  The bride was not able to get excused from her job to help. Her mother brought the batter already mixed. The three of us rolled out, cut, baked and frosted over 12 dozen of the little critters.  No that is not right - they were mostly fall leaves, a few acorns and the rest just cookies. I pleaded old age and mostly just sat at the kitchen table and frosted, but I was mighty proud of the finished product. Hope the bride-to-be was, too.  Could you believe we ordered in lunch? They shoved a few things back on the dining room table to make room for us to eat, but there was no cooking room.

I am looking for a good excuse, but I am saying that I was so pleased that they thought I could be of some help that I forgot my hair dresser had changed my appointment from Saturday morning to Friday! When she realized that I was late after 24 years of being a tad early, she called and I thought one of those words that my mother would not let me say. She will probably tell you that I at least whispered it. It was so near the time my guests would be arriving and I still had to “slop mop”  the kitchen because there were several place that I feared they might fall off.  So I am struggling for a whole week on my own.  Zandra made me promise I would wear a sign that read, “Zandra did not do this”!  I cried a bit and my niece helped me a little with her curling iron, but I can sure spoil a hairdo by sleeping.

So let’s go to food where I have a bit more talent. Since the clock is zooming past my bedtime and several of you have mentioned that you like the few ingredient and few instructions recipes.  So I went to that department for help.  I found two that are as simple as can be, but I have never tried them, so you are on our own.

      

HOT DOG STEW

1 package beef hot dogs, cut in ½ inch pieces

3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup water

Brown hot dogs in ungreased skillet. (I might use a tad of butter). Add sliced potatoes. Mix flour and water until smooth. Pour over hot dog and potato mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done. ( I am so addicted to Velveeta cheese, I would probably cautiously add a bit after it is cooked.)

            

POTATO CHIP CHICKEN

2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces, skin removed

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups potato chips, crushed

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

Mix crushed chips with garlic salt. (Flavored chips, such as sour cream and onion can be used.) Dip chicken in melted butter and roll in potato chips. Place on baking sheet. Pour remaining butter and chips over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Don’t forget about using Bar Keeper’s Friend for cleaning copper bottom pans and coffee and tea stains from Corelle cups. I also use it for plain stainless steel pans and the bottoms of Club Aluminum pans. It works best if you do this at each washing.  But sometimes lack of energy and time prohibits this and it takes a little more effort when you do. Just dip the pan in your dish water and sprinkle cleanser on the pan. Then rub it with your finger tips. As long as the paste turns black, you are getting dirt off.  I may have crossed the line, but today I was doing dishes and I was not happy with a couple of plated silver soup spoons that I bought years ago at a garage sale. I decided to use them for every day.  I was surprised how nice it cleaned them.  It might shock the silver ware company that I was spoiling the value of the spoons but I only paid a dollar for 4 spoons and I do not plan on selling them.

Happy 24th Magic Moments 9/18/14

Guess what happened between last week’s Magic Moments and this week. We passed the 24^th anniversary of me trying my ability to write a newspaper column!  Shall we try for 25? If God grants me that many days and keeps my mind at least fairly in good working order we will see what happens. A great big thank you to you readers who have expressed enjoyment from it and appreciation for some good recipes.

The clock on the wall is registering a very late hour. So I have the dilemma of just going to bed and getting up early, or struggling to keep awake and then retiring with a clear agenda and sleeping later in the morning. Unless I go to sleep and fall off my computer chair, I think I will do this in the wee hours of the morning.  I have a stupid reason for all of this.  This week one of my daughters was here when I was on a social call and left me a box of books.  She recommended a particular novel that was easy reading. I seem to have this peculiar characteristic of not being able to put down a book once I start reading it.  It was a short novel (I thought) but it took me several hours longer than  intended, so now I will have to suffer the consequences of my poor decision.

I really am not ready for chilly weather.  It brings back too many memories of last winter’s snow. I did weaken and turn on my heat the other morning. I have this other odd conception of life, “ If I have a nickel, I am going to be warm."  I looked in my purse and there were 2 quarters in it so I turned up the thermostat and enjoyed every degree.

Even with the price of food rising so dramatically, I do hate to quit eating. I will assume that you are on the same page and will send you some more recipes. We will start with a simple to make one, followed by  a nice rich, ooey, gooey, dessert.

                    

POOR MAN’S STEAK

2 pounds hamburger

2/3 cup of cracker crumbs

2/3 cup of water

1 can mushroom or chicken soup

½ cup water

Salt, pepper,  garlic or onion powder to taste

Mix hamburger, cracker crumbs, water and seasonings. Pat into a square pan. Put in refrigerator for several hours. Cut into squares. Roll in flour and brown in skillet. Cover with soup mixed with ½ cup water. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

            

FAVORITE LAYERED SQUARES

½ cup melted butter

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 ½ cups flaked coconut

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup butterscotch chips

10 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chopped pecans

Pour melted butter into a 9 x 13 pan. Press crumbs into butter. Layer the coconut, baking chips, milk and pecans over the crumbs. Do not mix the layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. As squares cool, loosen the edges, so the milk does not stick to the pan. Refrigerate until needed. Cut into squares.

In case you are lucky to have a one pound Tupperware Cheese Keeper (I found one at a garage sale) it will keep two opened  chunk cheese packages in perfect condition until you have used all of it.  I have, in the past, had to throw away too much of it because It was not rewrapped securely enough.  That will help save nickels so you can turn your heat on earlier.

Texas Hash and Dessert 9/11/14

Did you notice any magic moments in the ordinary activities of your week?  If not, I bet there were some there.  Three popped into my mind without really thinking. Have you ever been nearly paralyzed with anxiety when one of your kids is undergoing lengthy surgery at a major hospital?  To calm my whole being, I decided to clean my refrigerator!   It was a major task that I had been trying to ignore for too long. Who would ever have so many small containers with small helping of leftovers that former training to not waste food prompted them to save it in the refrigerator until it had knit its own little green sweater?  This also made me extra dishes to wash, but did hold the nervousness down to a low level. (Not completely gone.) Where was the magic in this? The phone rang and I was hesitant as I said in a weak voice, “Hello.” The magic moment came when my granddaughter said in a pleasant voice, “Surgery is over, we have not seen her yet but the doctor was pleased and that everything went well !”  What magic to a mother’s ears!!  She, and her mother, want to thank any of you who sent up even a short prayer in her behalf. Recovery is not complete, but we are still asking for additional improvement.

Do you remember me mentioning recipes from a 4 volume set of books.   It turned out to be 5 of them. My daughter, don’t tell her that I said my “oldest one”, reminded me that at the same time I gave her the same set. She still has hers, but they are very well worn. She also said I paid around $5.00 for them.  My how times have changed. The magic here appeared when my friend who manages a Magic Moments Blog, sent me an e-mail to look at the blog and see if she had the right picture on it.  Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I recognized the set of books, especially the picture on the front of the Dessert volume. How could anyone find something that goes back that far.  She is much more computer literate than I am and it surprises me as if it were magic what pops upon the  screen if you know the proper buttons to push.

Late Sunday afternoon, I was standing in my back door appreciating the nice temperature of an almost magic weather day when a car drove up and stopped.  It was a son and one of my “bonus” daughters. They wanted to borrow my extension ladder. While they were observing the landscaping project in my back yard, guess what.  They pulled the weeds that I have been forbidden to pull! I love to do it but my balance and age keep me from walking on the stones. One lucky fall is all they will allow.  I told her that I would have to put her on my list, because several daughter’s husbands keep trying to get points to move up in my will!!

I am going back to my volume of books for this week’s recipes. Let’s start with a casserole so you have something in your stomach for the following dessert to rest on. I chose this one because I have every ingredient that it calls for in my kitchen.  Hope you are that lucky.

                        

TEXAS HASH

3 onions, thinly sliced, (be your own judge on size)

1 large green pepper, minced

3 tablespoons fat

1 pound ground beef

2 cups, cooked tomatoes

½ cup uncooked rice

1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and green pepper in fat until tender. Add meat and brown until crumbly. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into 2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake 34 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake 15 minutes longer. May be simmered slowly on top of stove instead of baking.

And now for the dessert. Hope it challenges all of you cherry coke fans.

               

CHERRY COKE DESSERT

1package cherry gelatin

I small can crushed pineapple

1 small jar maraschino cherries

3 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces cola beverage

½ cup chopped pecans

Dissolve gelatin in heated  pineapple and cherry juice. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Chill until very thick. Add remaining ingredients and pour into a 1 quart mold. Chill until firm. Lime gelatin and 7-Up may be substituted if you want a green dessert.

Keep looking for magic moments in your life. They may be slipping by unnoticed.