Baked Cabbage

Here's another good recipe if you like cabbage. Apparently Mom got this recipe from her sister, Delores, because it's called in her recipe box, "Delores' Baked Cabbage".

If I could ever remember to pick up a head of cabbage when I'm grocery shopping, I'd make this to take to Sunday night fellowship at church. We've got some great eaters over there.


Cook: 1/2 head of cabbage and a small onion for 1/2 hr. or until tender. Drain.

Add: 2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cream or milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Put in a casserole dish and sprinkle with crushed corn flakes and grated Colby cheese.
Bak 1/2 - 3/4 hr. at 350, or until set.

Try it, you'll like it!!

Mixed Bean Casserole

I guess you can tell by the post title that this is another recipe. It's amazing how many of these recipes that I decided to share all seem to have a story attached.

I think that Ma actually got this recipe from me (and I have NO idea where I got it) but she liked it and then took it back to Wisconsin with her and made it her own. Life was good!

Then she made it to take to a church supper one time and everybody really LOVED it. It kind of became her special dish to bring to the church suppers. It was always, "Helen, you're going to bring your beans, aren't you?" And she always did.

Then her little lady friends decided they'd like to be able to make this wonderful dish for their families and friends as well, so it was, "Oh, Helen, can we have the recipe? We just love this casserole."

So, of course, being the generous, giving person she was, she was happy to share with her friends. But all of a sudden she started to notice that other dishes of Mixed Bean Casserole started showing up at the church functions as well as hers. It really kinda hacked her off. She told me, "If I'd have known they were going to start bringing them to church, I wouldn't have given them the recipe."

Personally, I always thought it was pretty tacky to beg a recipe off someone and then make it to take to a function that the first one always brought theirs to. Anyway, she said she just started making something else to take, so they didn't get Mom's Mixed Bean Casserole anymore.

But, I doubt that she'll be making it in heaven, so I know she won't mind any of you having it, and hopefully, when you take a bite or two, you'll think of her.

Enjoy!

1/2 lb. bacon, cut up
1/2 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
Brown all together and drain off fat.

Add:
1 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup vinegar
1 can butter beans, partially drained
1 can kidney beans, partially drained
1 can lima beans, partially drained
1 large can pork and beans, undrained

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 1 hour. First 1/2 hour covered, last 1/2 hour uncovered.

Delicious!!!!!

Joy Suckers

This morning in his sermon, Ed came up with a new group of people that you really don't want to emulate. (how do you like that big word???? I THOUGHT you would!!)

He was preaching on Practical Reasons for Gathering together as a church body. One of those reasons was to Encourage. To be encouraged and to encourage. In any gathering or congregation there are always people that are in need of encouragement. Maybe they are down and discouraged, maybe they are in a bind, maybe they've just lost someone they love, so many things can be going on. And they come together with other Christians to get some "courage" to hang in there.

Ed said that you can do two things with courage - you can ENcourage or you can DIScourage. And then came the new name. He said some people are just "joy suckers". You come to church feeling pretty good, and kind of happy, and these people jump right in the middle of you about something and just "suck the joy" right out of you.

He asked the question, "What do these joy suckers do with all the joy they've sucked out of people? They obviously aren't using it themselves. Maybe they just have a big closet someplace that's just crammed with joy that they're not about to share."

I know folks like that, and I'll be you do, too. I hope that none of my friends and relatives reading this are "joy suckers", and I sure hope that I'm not. Bad thing is, if I'm really honest, I kind of think I might be sometimes - especially where Bill is concerned. Why is it that we tend to "suck the joy" out of those that we love the most??

One thing that I know for sure, though, is that Mom was definitely NOT a "joy sucker". My Mom brought joy and happiness to everyone she met. No wonder everyone loved her. Her favorite expression when anyone would ask her how she was, would be to answer "finer than frog hair". No matter if she was hurting or on a walker, or in a wheel chair, she was always "finer than frog hair." Everyone was happier after they'd been around Mom for a while. No difference if you were young or old or anywhere in between.

She loved kids, she loved old people, and of course, she WASN'T one. I remember when a friend of hers here at our church lost her husband. Mother just took it upon herself to sit with her, hold her hand when they came into church from Sunday School, and just love her. They were like two little gray-haired 'peas in a pod'. Both short, both grandmotherly, about a year apart in age. But Mom could always cheer her up, and on sad days, she would reminisce with her because she could remember how she felt when Daddy died.

No, Mother wasn't a "joy sucker".

So, thanks, Ed, for another wonderfully descriptive word that surely is someone we hopefully DON'T want to be.
JB

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, finally!!! We actually went horseback riding yesterday - not for a long time, but at least my bottom was connected to the saddle for a period of time, and I smelled like horses when we got through. In my book, that counts as "horseback riding."

We just rode around the pasture for a while, and across the pond dam, and looked at the destruction that is now in part of the pasture due to having a bunch of pine trees cut down and sold for posts. Bugs were getting into some of them, and they were too thick to let the grass grow under them, and we desperately need more pasture, so this should help a lot. But it looks like the grapes of wrath right now.

But----- so did the pond area when we started clearing that, and look how pretty it is now. Anyway, we had a good ride, and it was a reinforcement that "No, I'm not ready to get rid of the horses yet." Every once in a while we talk about that, but after a ride, it's "No way." We just got to get out there and ride more. So, yeee-haaah! We're back in the saddle again!

Cats In the Closet

Well, our kitten population is down to three. I guess the snake got one of them before he met his demise at the hand of "killer" Bill. He found a little black one out in the woods near the barn and it was dead. Don't know if Mama Kitty took it out there or what.

Yesterday when we went down to feed the horses, Skipper came out of Blaze's stall with the other black one in his mouth. It was still alive, though, so we decided SOMETHING is getting in there at those kittens. There's no way that Skipper could have gotten one out of where they were and out the first stall door and back in through the third stall door in the time we were down there. He couldn't have reached them in the first place. So we really think something else had dragged the kitten into that third stall and he saved it from getting trampled on by the horses.

So, now they all have a new home in the closet of what was Mom's room. They seem to be pretty content, and it seems like Mama Kitty is really enjoying the "safe" feeling. She's just as happy as she can be back there. We let her outside, but she comes right back when we call so she can go back in by the babies. We'll keep them here until they at least are old enough to run and hide if something gets after them.

On another note - if anyone has a good treatment for sties on an eyelid, please let me know. I saw one starting when we went down to Texas last Sunday afternoon. It bothered me a bit, but not too bad. I figured it'd clear up in a few days.

By the time we got home on Monday, my whole eye was bloodshot and watering and itchy, and the eyelid was starting to swell. Well, I've been putting some drops in my eye, so it's looking pretty good, but my eyelid is just flame red and swelled up something awful and it hurts!! Even the area under my eye is starting to swell up. What an ugly mess!!!

So today I'm washing it with boric acid solution. I remember using that on a kitten we had when we were kids. We called him "Buggy" because, when I brought him up from the barn and started doctoring him, his eyes were stuck shut and just bugged out - big time. Ma made up some boric acid solution and I washed his eyes several times a day with it. Finally, they started opening up and I got all the infection cleared out. He was a cute little thing when we could finally see his eyes.

So, I know boric acid is a good thing to use. I'm going to give it till Monday and if this hasn't gotten any better, guess I'll be forced to go to the doctor. I HATE to go to the doctor unless I'm just forced to.

Well, enough of all that.

Guess you are ready for another installment of Mom's Story.

Well, here comes #4.

Hope you are enjoying reading it.

Till next time,
JB

Mom's Story - Installment #4

I went from Milwaukee to Menasha to live with Aunt Nell, as Big Grandma was afraid I’d go with non-catholic boys – which I did. But only to their house. No dances or driving around. No cars for young kids those days. Reuben Axelson was my first boyfriend and we’d got to his house and play the Victrola. One record was “I Found A Million Dollar Baby in the 5 & 10 Cent Store” and we played it over and over.

Then my parents moved to Arpin. There I went to Tommy Welch’s house and played ball with all kinds of kids. It was fun. For Christmas Tommy gave me a new dress. It was way too big, but when I went to Aunt Nell’s, she made it to fit. No more Tommy. He was too far away. No letter writing either. No one could afford to write.

When I was 17, I went to Milwaukee to work for Aunt Linda and Uncle Ray Ushold while she was in the hospital to have her veins removed from her leg. While I was there, I got other jobs working for some other people. My Grandpa Adler and my Dad would take me to Milwaukee to work for Aunt Linda.

Grandpa Martin Adler passed away in 1936. There weren’t funeral homes then where bodies were shown, so till the day of Mass, he was in the house on Adler Road where he’d lived. The people came for visitations at the house all day and evening. I’d never seen a person in a coffin before and I was very sad and I cried. My Dad took me in another room so people wouldn’t see me crying. Grandma was in the kitchen making fried potatoes for all the family from Milwaukee that had stayed there for a couple days.

I learned to keep house from working for ladies in Milwaukee. They would inspect my work when I had Thursday afternoons off and then would have a list of what I had to do on Fridays. When they had women over, I had to serve them. They’d have a salad and yeast rolls. I made butter horns or parkerhouse rolls. I got good recipes from Mrs. Bryan.

On Thanksgiving Day, I would go to my Aunt Gert and Uncle Jim Gildernick’s and we would have a frozen river and snow banks in November. We’d slide down hills with sleighs and go to the river to ice skate. I didn’t have skates, just my rubber boots. I had lots of fun.

When it was summer, I went to Grandma Croell’s (big grandma) and helped her with housework. She had an old organ we could play to make music and an old Victrola and records. Aunt Nell and Uncle Alex came from Menasha to visit and stay at Grandma’s. I’d have to go home, and I didn’t want to. Aunt Nell and Uncle Alex brought a box of candy bars for her three sisters’ families and that was a treat for Aunt Gert and Sophie and Ma. They all thanked them.

Uncle Alex had a tavern and dance hall in Menasha. We all thought he was rich. He drove a swell car, had nice clothes, and a big house. We never got to visit them as Dad was farming so he couldn’t get away, and no car to go that far.

*******
Well, "that's all folks" for this time. There'll be another installment next weekend.

JB

I AM SO-O-O BLESSED!!!

Now, I realize that I'm truly blessed every day, and every way, so much, sometimes, that it's easy to forget how much, and actually begin to take it for granted. Seems like it takes an AWAKENING now and then to bring me back to remembrance of God's love, and how much He is there watching over everything I do.

Today started out a pretty ordinary day. We had our coffee, got up, went down to feed the horses, and of course, check on the baby kitties. We'd taken a box down for them yeterday morning, and by last night Mama Kitty had them all moved out of it. So, I decided to let her know that "No, we don't want the babies crammed behind the wood rails. We want them in the box where WE can get to them."

So, I moved the box out from under the hay feeder where it was, and got down on my hands and knees and proceeded to start dragging kittens out from behind the rails again. But, I only found three. There's supposed to be four, so I kept reaching further and further into the little nest where she had them, but to no avail.

Then Bill came back into the barn from outside with a kitten in hand. Said that Skipper had it and was fixing to bury it in some leaves. Now Skipper loves those baby kitties and I know he didn't get it out of the nest. He couldn't even get to the nest.

The baby was all wet, probably from Skipper's slobbering on it, but it was still alive, so I stuck it back in the box with the other three and then put Mama Kitty in there with them so the little wet one would get warmed up and could eat. We have no idea how long it might have been outside.

BUT, Mama Kitty REALLY didn't want to stay in the box. I even put some hay back in it thinking maybe she didn't like our little pile of rags we'd put in there for a bed. So, I decided I'd sit there with her for a while and encourage her to stay put till the little wet one got dried off a bit and could get a little nourishment. I was just half laying there and petting her to keep her in the box.

But, finally I pushed the box back in the spot it had been before, and figured I'd better just leave them alone. So came on home.

Well, we're getting some pines cut into poles from the place down there and Bill had to go back down with the paperwork. So he decided he'd check on the kitties again to see how they were faring.

Here's where the blessing comes in. As he was walking from the feed room to go into the stall where the cats are, he saw a funny looking stick right in the stall walkway. A little closer and he realized that IT WAS A COPPERHEAD!!!! IT WAS PROBABLY IN THE STALL WHEN I WAS LAYING THERE IN THE HAY PETTING MAMA KITTY!!! Luckily, he killed it, and brought it back to the house.

I was out planting gladiola bulbs by my big black rock out front, when he came riding up in the buggy. He told me, "You are so blessed. You have no idea how blessed you are." Of course, I knew I was blessed but didn't know what brought all this about, AND THEN HE SHOWED ME THE SNAKE IN THE BACK FLOOR OF THE BUGGY!! It was probably about 18" long or so, and definitely DEAD, but a copperhead.

So, "Thank You, Jesus for protecting me from being bit".

I've always heard that God takes care of little children, but He definitely takes care of His big, old children as well.

What a Great God we serve!

Till next time,
JB

33 and counting!!

Well, we celebrated 33 years of wedded bliss yesterday. Actually, Bill's been married 50 years, but we won't go in to that.

We went to Dallas Sunday right after church and stopped at Elicia and Phillip's. We were all going out to eat at Pancho's because Bill has been craving Green Chili Stew for quite a while now.

One of the first times I remember going to Pancho's was when favorite sister and her husband had brought Mom down for a visit to Wills Point. We took them to Pancho's for dinner one night, and it was plain to see that Mexican food at that time was not one of their most favorite things.

The food that night was exceptionally hot, even Bill thought so, and for our poor little northern family, it was "a hot time in the old town". Will's neck started sweating and turned red and the red just crept all the way up to the top of his head. He was pretty rosy before we left. I don't think Mom was too crazy about it, either.

Of course, now they've all become old pros at eating Mexican food, so a Mexican restaurant is always a favorite place to go when they are here. Donna and Wil, I mean. Ma never was too crazy about it. Every time we'd have something for supper the slightest bit Mexican, Bill would haul out the jalepenos, and ask Ma if she wanted a few. Never could get her to try them.

Now, I said in the beginning that we were going to Pancho's to eat. Well----- we WERE going to. We all started out from Elicia's headed toward the restaurant. Josh, Phillip's son, and his girlfriend were following us, and somewhere along the line, he passed us.

It was only a few minutes later when we came up on his car in the middle of the road wrecked. A lady had crossed the street in front of him, and he ran into her. He laid some pretty fierce black marks trying to get stopped, but tore up the front of his car pretty bad. No one was hurt, thank the Lord, in either vehicle, and the other party admitted that she'd pulled out in front of him. She said that she just didn't see him.

Needless to say, that kind of took the "want to" out of going to eat, and besides that, we were going to run out of time. We wanted to head to Grand Prairie for the concert by no later than 6:00.

Come to find out later, Josh ended up driving the car home, they all got back together, and then went out to Pancho's to eat after all. I'm sure they enjoyed our Anniversary Dinner. Ha! Ha!

The Andre Rieu concert was wonderful. The Nokia Theater there in Grand Prairie is a beautiful place for something like that - seats all sloped upward, and great acoustics. He really put on a good show and we didn't get out of there until 10:30. The second to last song they presented as "Amazing Grace" and one of the ladies in the orchestra played the bagpipe. It was beautiful.

I mentioned to Bill on the way home how much I enjoy bagpipe music and that I'd really like to learn how to play one. I've priced them, though, and they're pretty expensive. His answer to all that was, "Well, you probably could play one. You've got plenty of wind!" Thank you very much!!!

But, we both enjoyed it and hope to be able to go again if he comes back to the US. If you aren't familiar with Andre Rieu, keep an eye on your PBS station. They show a lot of his concerts.

Well, that was the extent of our 33rd. anniversary, other than on the way home yesterday, we went to TaMolly's in Paris, TX. So, we had our Mexican food after all.

I posted a couple recipes earlier, so till next time,
JB

Christmas Salads

Time for another recipe or two.

Mom had some really great salad recipes that were just as much a part of our Christmas dinners as was the family gathering. She had a pretty cut glass bowl that this first one was always served in, and it just said "Merry Christmas" Besides that, it was delicious, and we all loved it. Hope you do, too.

24 HOUR SALAD

yolks of 4 eggs
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

Cook the above ingredients together until thick, and then cool.
Mix 1 cup of cream, whipped into the cooled sauce. Then add,
1 lb. marshmallaws, cut up
1 lb. green grapes, cup up
1 large can sliced pineapple, cut up

Chill for 24 hours, and garnish with maraschino cherries before serving.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Here's another 24-hour salad that she made which could put in a glass dish or a ring mold and decorated to look like a wreath. It's a good one, as well.

MOM'S 24-HOUR CHRISTMAS SALAD

2 pkg. (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 #2 1/2 can of fruit cocktail, drained
1 small can crushed pineapple
20 chopped large marshmallows
1/2 cup nut meats
1 cup whipped cream (1/2 cup unwhipped)

Mix cheese, powdered sugar, and Miracle Whip. Fold in rest of ingredients. Refrigerate overnight, and decorate with maraschino cherries. If you put this in a ring mold to look like a wreath, you can slice some green candied cherries for leaves.

Enjoy!

Mom's Story - 3rd. Installment

Mom's SHere's another installment of Mom's story. I have it all laid out to print in book form and I believe I'm up to 125 to 130 pages, in that layout. I'm up to page 11 in what I've already posted here on the blog, so you can see there's a lot more to come.

I hope that you are enjoying the read as much as I enjoyed typing it up from her notes and proofing it a little. I thought she did a really good job remembering, considering she didn't start until she got down here, so would have been 87 years old. She was a sharp little lady.

Enjoy.....

I was the oldest and was to watch the younger kids and do the dishes. If Ma and Dad would be gone over dinner, I would have to make lunch – milk toast or graveyard stew. Hot milk over toast with sugar sprinkled on it. No butter. Graveyard stew was canned tomatoes put over toast or toast broken in tomatoes when it was hot. Sometimes hot canned tomatoes with macaroni in.

When Ma was home for lunch we’d have pancakes or fried cornmeal mush with Karo syrup on it. No maple syrup. Only people who made maple syrup could have it. Ma would make vegetables out of the garden. It was my job to peel them and cut them up. She also would make fried or canned meat and we’d have cake. I could mix up a cake when I was in 4^th. grade and it would be good. We had plenty of home canned food.

Our parents made it go in hard depression times. When I was 14, I went to work for ladies who had new babies. I would have to cook meals and wash clothes while the lady was sick. I did that for $3.00 a week and could get new shoes that I needed, or I gave it to Ma and she’d get what I needed.

School vacations were fun because I could go barefooted until Sunday. Then had to put shoes on for church, and we always had to go.

When I was 16, I went to Milwaukee and worked for people for $5.00 a week. I hired out to a family who needed someone to keep house and watch the older children when there was a new baby. Then at 17, I got $7.00 a week, and I could manage and save some for myself. I could go on city buses all over town and wasn’t afraid of going anywhere on the rapid transit car to visit people I knew from up north on my Thursday off work.

I had to go to the dentist to get my teeth filled. I had toothaches, and he did all the teeth that needed filling.

***********

Well, we'll stop this time with the dentist. I still find it hard to believe that you could actually save money and do stuff on $7.00 a week. Now that'll barely buy two gallons of gas. Isn't that depressing!?!?!

Till next time.
JB

New Kitties

We have four new babies. Born on my birthday. At least I won't forget how old they are when it's time to wean them. That is, if I still remember in 6 or 7 weeks.

They were two days old in this picture. Cute, cute, cute. Now, I know you'll all be beating a path to our barn to pick out yours, but just take it easy!!!! They have a little growing to do yet. Just wait till they get their little blue eyes open.

Today our horses are getting shoes so Bill can go on a "men's" trail ride with a bunch of other guys next month. They're going to eat and ride - and ride and eat - and eat and eat!!! I know how these male things go! We told our pastor that he can ride my horse if he's able to go on the ride. First thing he said was, "Is that the horse that threw you off??" What a question!! Blaze DID NOT THROW me off!! He tried to get away from a stick that was wired to the ground that was poking a hole in his chest. I would imagine anyone in his right mind would do the same.

But, nonetheless, I think the ride will be fun and it sounds like a pretty good group of men from our church will be going. Probably will do a lot of standing during the Sunday song service after they've all been in the saddle all day Saturday!! If they happened to get into some poison ivy or poison oak, they may be doing a little more moving around then just standing up. Wouldn't surprise me if Ed just didn't have all the men come up and lead the singing that morning. That way they'd have a good excuse to stay standing and it wouldn't be noticeable.

My accordion student is due in about 45 minutes. He comes up once a month from DeQueen AR which is about an hour's drive for him. Then he stays for 2 hours or so. We really have a good time. He's originally from Michigan so really likes the polka music, which, of course, is right up my alley. We're also playing some Irish music, and a little Cajun as well.

I just wrote up the music to the "I'm Coming Home Polka" the the Julida Boys used to play when I was still with the band. I received a CD from Allen Bales that was recorded at a couple of our local dance halls back in the late 60's I figured it to be either '67 or '68 mainly because our concertina player was not on the tape, and when Bill Mertz and I came back from Seattle Washington in 1970, Mike was already playing with the band.

Anyway, it brought back a lot of memories and everyone sounded so-o-o-o young!!! Even yours truly. I was really amazed at that until I realized that the music was playing back about 1/2 to 1 full step higher than it had actually been played. The recording was done on reel to reel, and tape players were noted for all playing back a little bit faster or slower than they'd been recorded. So, I guess that's why we all sounded so young. It was played back faster, so we were approaching "the chipmunks" in sound quality. Not really that bad, but definitely higher.

I got my accordion out when I got the CD and thought I'd play along - just like having the band here. WRONG!!! I had to play in some horrendous key that was located somewhere in the cracks between two of the keys. So, guess that plan is shot.

Tomorrow we're heading to Dallas to see Andre Rieu from Holland and the Johann Strauss Orchestra perform at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie. I can't wait. Bill can, but he's manfully bucking up and going with me. I really think he's going to enjoy it as much as I will after he gets there, but all he can think about right now is: driving back to Elicia's house in Garland on the "death drive" interstate from Grand Prairie - at night - after dark. But, it will be Sunday night and surely all the crazy people will be home and not out on the road. So we will see how that all goes.

If you are not familiar with Andre Rieu, every once in a while they show a concert on PBS. He is so good!! They were in Milwaukee this past Wednesday. I haven't convinced favorite sister that they need to go see him yet, but perhaps one of these days they'll go. I went with a friend to Baton Rouge, LA a couple years ago to see him, and knew I'd definitely go again if he came back to this country and I could.

So, let me know how many kittens to save for you - personal pickup only. That way we get a visit out of it.

I'm fixing to post another bit of Mom's story this afternoon, too, so happy reading to you all.

JB

QUICK VEGETABLE SOUP

I made this soup the other night and thought, you all really NEED this recipe. It's easy, it's fast, and most important, IT'S DELICIOUS!!! It's not one of Mom's recipes. Actually it takes way too little time. Mom was one of these talented cooks who spent most of her day in the kitchen. She could putz around for hours.

She used to wonder how in the world I could make a meal in about 30 minutes. Of course, it's pretty easy when you don't cook and love Schwan's. Anyway, I found this soup recipe and thought this is something right up my alley. We really like it. Hope you do, too.

Combine in a saucepan:
1 1-lb. can of pork and beans (Bush's Baked Beans are the best. They have more brown sugar and are a little sweeter than some of the others.)
1 can of condensed vegetable soup
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained (I use the 16 oz size, you could use a small can if you prefer)
1/2 soup can of water
Generous dash of salt
(I added a drained can of black beans one time. That was very good as well)
Heat to boiling.
Add 1 12 oz. can of chicken meat. Cook until heated through. This makes about 5 servings.
Enjoy.

Till next time.
JB

EASY RASPBERRY TRIFLE

This works well with strawberries and strawberry Jello, too.


Bake and cool 1 Betty Crocker 1-step Angel Food cake in a tube pan.

Tear the cake into small pieces. The recipe says 1/4* pieces, but use your own judgment.

The pour 2 cups of boiling water over 1 (8-serving size) Pkg. of raspberry Jello and stir until Jello is all dissolved.
Add 2 (10 oz) pkg. of frozen, sweetened raspberries, thawed. (keep a few out for garnish, if desired)
Refrigerate the gelatin mixture for about 15 minutes until thickened but not set.

You will also need 2 - 3 6 oz. cartons of Raspberry Yogurt. (I used a 16 oz. container of Cool Whip instead of yogurt, and it was really good, too)

Layer 1/2 of the cake pieces, gelatin, and yogurt in a 3-qt. glass bowl. Repeat the layers. Garnish with the reserved raspberries.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Yeah, right. Get real! That's not going to happen.

Hope you enjoy it!

JB

Happy Birthday to Me

"Happy birthday to me,
I'm now sixty-three.
But lookin' much younger,
Now don't you agree?"

Just sing to the appropriate tune. You'll get the idea.

Anyway, today is my birthday. I am thankful and grateful to God for giving me, not only 63 really good years, but good health, great friends, a wonderful husband who loves me in spite of knowing me better than anyone, and some of the best family I know. I am truly blessed!

Speaking of that wonderful husband. Yesterday, after church, he looked at the calendar and then said, "Why don't we skip church tonight and go to town." GO TO TOWN????? ON SUNDAY NIGHT??? I said you've got to be kidding. Anyway, he finally 'fessed up that he just realized that my birthday was MONDAY not Tuesday, like the outdated calendar he apparently consulted told him. So, he, being a typical male who leaves card/gift-buying to the last possible moment, realized that he wasn't going to have me a birthday card for when I woke up this morning.

He was in luck. He had to go to Poteau this morning early, 7:30, and since I was not really "up" yet, he said, "Well, your birthday doesn't really start till you wake up" so he figured he was in the clear in the birthday card department. We'll see!!!

I got the most ADORABLE card from my favorite sister. It has a picture of my little Tippy on it. I couldn't believe it! It looks EXACTLY like her. She could have posed for that picture.



Isn't that the cutest thing!?!?! And Tippy really looks just like that. I couldn't believe it when I opened the card.

My favorite sister called already this morning and we had a good visit. The day is sunny and beautiful albeit a bit chilly. 32 degrees when we woke up, so had a little "frost on the pumpkin", but I'm sure it'll warm up before the day is finished.

If Mom was still here, I know she'd be busy in the kitchen making me a birthday cake. I have a hard time making my own birthday cake, since I obviously don't really need cake in the first place, but she would always make one. And it was an Angel Food cake, "for her angel" she would always say. Of course, my favorite sister got "Devil's Food" - draw your own conclusions.

So, I thought a birthday recipe would be a good thing to add today. It's a variation of Angel Food cake that I made a couple of times last summer. Easy, delicious, and not to heavy after a big meal. Everybody liked it except #2 granddaughter, Lacie, for reasons best left unsaid. She knows what I'm talking about.

So, I'm posting the recipe in a separate blog and that way it will be easier to find. Enjoy.

I would if I was making me one for my birthday, which I'm not.

Till next time.
JB

Mom's Story - 2nd. Installment

Here's another bit of Mom's story. Enjoy!

My parents had 4 children under 6 years old - a boy named Cyrell, sister Jane, brother Martin and sister Vivian - before we moved to Granton. We kids all spent our winter in Marshfield having whooping cough. We had to be quarantined, and when the baby buggy with baby Vivian would move, the older children would call mother or shake the buggy fast so she could get her air.

Dad would take us to school in the sleigh when it was too cold to walk the mile and a half to the one room schoolhouse. The school had a wood heater for warmth and the teacher would put a kettle of bean soup on top of it so we could have hot soup for lunch with our cold sandwiches. Those sandwiches were made with homemade bread that Ma baked and were filled sometimes with corn syrup and sometimes with peanut butter from the store.

All of us kids grew up and graduated from 8th. grade. We had to go to Neilsville, WI to write the exam and get diplomas. We were in a one-room school thru all 8 grades.

When I was 10 years old I went to the Neilsville hospital to have my tonsils and adnoids out and had to stay one night. Dr. Rath from Granton was my doctor.

I was 12 years old when I was confirmed in St. John's Catholic Church in Chili, Wisconsin. Ma made me a white dress and white headband to wear.

When I was 14 years old, I worked for Paul Garbish and they took me with their family to the Clark County Fair. There at the fair they gave airplane rides and they let me ride with one of their kids. It was my first ride in a plane. The pilot saw that I was afraid, and the family watched the plane go up. The pilot did all kinds of dips and curves, and when I screamed, he laughed and did some more. I thanked him for the ride. All the people wondered why he was doing that in the air. I almost fainted when we got out. I didn’t have another plane ride until June of 1969 when I flew with Donna to Seattle, WA to visit Joan and Bill Mertz.

Grandpa Adler would bring a large bag of peanuts in the shells for all of us at Christmas. No gifts or cash. Dad would go to the tree farm and get a tree to put up on Christmas Eve. We all got pencils or something like an apple for Christmas. There were no lights on the tree, but maybe some candles. Then Dad would stand and watch it in case the candles got too close to the needles and the tree would catch fire.

Well, that's all for this time. Things were sure different in the "old" days, weren't they?
JB

RAMIEN NOODLE SALAD

Here's a good salad recipe from a friend of mine. She's an awesome salad maker. Actually, if she doesn't get to come to Sunday evening fellowship, we've all told her, "No problem. Just bring your salad and then you can leave."

So, give this one a try when you need a good one for your next feast.

TOAST: 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 3.75 oz. pkg. of almonds
2 pkg. ramien noodles (without the sauce pkg.)
3 Tbsp. melted butter

BRING TO A BOIL, THEN COOL:
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

SLICE: 2 bunches green onions

CLEAN & TEAR UP: 1 Nappa Cabbage or Chinese cabbage
(I use only the green part of the Nappa or the yellow part of the Chinese)

MIX: all together just before serving! Um-m-m-m-m!

Enjoy!
JB

SUET PUDDING

I was digging around in the refrigerator and ran into a blue plastic bag that contains, of all things, a chunk of beef suet that Mom brought down here when she came to stay for a few months after Daddy died. I don't even know if it's still good. It's still pretty and white and doesn't smell, so maybe it is.

Anyway, that got me thinking about Suet Pudding. That was something that Ma always made when we came home to visit because she knew we liked it, or, actually, because she knew Bill liked it. She LOVED to make the son-in-laws their favorite stuff when she could.

So, here's the recipe for Mother's Suet Pudding. I think how you actually get the suet is to go to the butcher shop and get a big hunk of beef tallow. Then you render that (fry it up in a frying pan) till it's all melted, skim off the stuff that comes to the top and the pure stuff left is the suet. Pour it in a pan and let it harden, and voila! you have the makings of suet pudding. (I doubt seriously you can just find suet in the grocery store, but I've not looked since I happen to have a well-aged chunk of it in my refrigerator!)

According to Mother's recipe card, this was Grandma Howard's recipe - so I guess she learned to make it for Daddy. A half recipe will make enough for two people.

SUET PUDDING
1 cup finely chopped suet
1 cup of molasses (good, dark stuff)
1 cup hot water or sour milk with 1 Tbsp. baking soda mixed in
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
You can add raisins &/or nuts in it if you desire.

Mix this all together, and put in a greased pan. Steam it for 2 hours. Don't let the water get into the batter.

GRAVY - to put over the pudding when serving.
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
nutmeg
Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp. butter.

Cook this like gravy. Add additional vinegar or nutmeg or salt to taste. It should be a gravy-like consistency, and should be sweet and sour, not too sweet.

Serve the pudding as soon as it is done. It is a very heavy, moist cake. Does reheat well in the microwave, though.

Mom usually had this cooking while we were preparing for and eating dinner. That way we'd be ready for dessert about the time it was coming out of the steamer. I've got a big spaghetti pot that I steam mine in. It has a basket down inside to set the pudding on.

So, someday when you are feeling real adventurous and happen to have a chunk of suet on hand that you don't know what to do with, give this a try. I think you'll like it.

Better yet, come on down to Oklahoma, and I'll use mine.

Till next time. JB

SPINACH SALAD

BASE:
2 bags of baby spinach
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
12 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

DRESSING: mix well
2 Tsp. celery salt
2 large red onions, chopped (one is plenty if you are not totally CRAZY about onions)
1/2 cup sugar + 1 tbsp. more or less - to taste
1 tsp. pepper
6 tbsp. mustard
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups oil

Pour over salad, and serve immedately.

Enjoy!

Sunshine at Last

We finally have sunshine around here. Things were BAD last night, and mucky before that. We were under tornado warnings starting about 8:15 PM. I was at Bible Study at church and we got a call that we were in line for a bad storm with 60-70 mile/hour straight line winds due in our area in about 5 minutes. So, we dismissed, got the kids on the vans and on their way, and the rest of us headed for home. And they were right. The lightning display was phenomenal. Of course, we couldn't see too much of it as we were holed up in a "room in the middle of the house on the lower floor away from windows." I know that warning by heart.

We were fortunate, though. The storm split and went south of us and north of us. I understand Ft. Smith Arkansas got brutalized with tennis ball size hail. Cars and roofs, etc. really devastated.

There were tornados in the air overhead, but fortunately, none touched down that we've heard of.

So you can tell I am REALLY happy to have sun shining this afternoon. Spring is beautiful. The leaves are beginning to form, our pond is full to overflowing, the grass is green, the air is fresh, and we are safe in our little corner of the world once again. Thank You, Lord.

I'm posting a good salad recipe that I've gotten from a friend of mine. So, if you enjoy a good salad made with baby spinach and a little tangy, give this a try.

Mom's Story - 1st. Installment

Here's the first edition of Mom's story. I have several pictures that I may try to include from time to time as well. I will be posting additional installments from time to time, so "stay tuned".
Joan

Times Remembered

My Life Story

By

Helen Gertrude Eleanor

Adler Howard

1917 - 2006

On December 19, 1917, I, Helen Gertrude Eleanor Adler, was born to Herbert George Adler and Margaret Croell Adler – the first of eight children. We lived in a small house on Adler Street in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and I went to St. Joseph's Catholic School for 1/2 year. In first grade I had to color a pumpkin and I wrote a number on each mark in the pumpkin. Sister Flata scolded me and spanked my fingers with a ruler.

Then in spring when I was 6 years old, my parents rented a farm in Granton. Grandpa Martin Adler helped move all of us and got us settled in. There was no electricity on the farm so we had to use kerosene lamps and lanterns.. We kids all stayed in the house when Ma and Dad did chores and milked cows. The milk was sold to have money to buy food from the grocery stores and pay the farm expenses.

One time the wood box that sat near the heating stove caught on fire and one of the boys ran to the barn to tell Dad that the house was on fire. Luckily, Dad got the fire put out and the house didn't burn.

We had 2 large horses named Rock and Pete who did all the farm work like making hay and cutting with a mower. We had a side rake to form it into rolls. The horses had to pull a hay wagon with sides and a hay loader behind to bring hay into the wagon. When the wagon was really full, they brought it to the hay barn to unload inside. This fed the cows downstairs all winter.

During the winter when the cows were kept in the barn, we used a manure spreader pulled by a big white horse to spread the manure on the field for fertilizer to make the hay grow for next year. Dad had a bronc to pull a small riding wagon and in the winter a sleigh to go to church or stores. All in all, Dad rented four different farms over the years.

Well,folks, that's it for this time. Will post the 2nd. installment soon. JB

4-6-08

Well, here it is - the weekend already, and that's almost gone. It's been a few days since my last post so thought I'd bring this up to date.

Several things have gone on this week. We had some really bad weather, and an electric line went down Thursday night. So Bill ended up on the highway trying to slow down traffic for a couple hours until the electric company could get the wire put back up.

Some folks are just downright rude, too, when there's a situation on the highway. Bill said that a couple big rigs just about ran him over when he was trying to flag them down. Running over an electrical line at high speed can pull the line right up into the undercarriage of the rig, and that could really cause problems. The line was sparking big time as well, but didn't seem to bother those truckers.

They finally did get it back up and the lights on about midnight or so. Boy! Is it dark in our house when there's no power. I mean REALLY dark. I felt my way downstairs and got a kerosene lamp lit and brought it back up so at least I wouldn't trip over Tippy if I had to move around someplace. Skipper, our outside dog who hates electrical storms, kept scratching at the bedroom door wanting in whenever a big "BOOM" sounded. BUT, if I'd have let him in, I know where he'd have been - right in the bed with me. No-o-o-o way!!! I know what he's been doing and he's not getting in the bed with ME!!

Friday, Bill and I made a run to Ft. Smith to pick up my autoharp and get some grass seed. The horses' pasture is in need of real grass for the summer, so it's time to "get 'er done!" That reminds me, I watched "Blue Collar Comedy Tour - One for the Road" last night. Or at least most of it. They are so crazy.

Tuesday night was singing night at Mena. It's convention singing and we had a good group there. I've been going for several years now. We meet once a month on the 1st. Tuesday. It's always a good time. I usually take an autoharp along to do a special, but played the piano this week.

I've been practicing my accordion a lot lately, mainly so I'll be ready when Mike comes for his lesson. But, I've kinda fallen in love with it again. Al Bales sent me a CD that was made of a reel to reel recording of the Julida Boys back about 1967 or '68. It was soooo good to listen to the old band and the old songs. So, it kind of gave me the "want to" to get back to playing again.

And, believe it or not, I'm learning to play a Recorder. I've had the thing for several years but never got very far in the playing, so I decided, why have an instrument laying around here that I can't play. So, I'm at it.

OK, we're changing directions.

Bill sent out an e-mail to the immediate family on April 1st. that a couple had come by to our "bed and breakfast" and when he told them it wasn't a bed and breakfast, they asked if he wanted to sell. Of course, he said, "Not really". But as they persisted, he asked a ridiculously high price for it, and they just went to their car, hauled out a suitcase, and presented him with greenback dollars. Asked how long it would take for us to get moved out, and they gave us three months.

So, he named this e-mail "Moving" and sent it out. We heard back from most of the ones he sent it to. Some caught on the the April Fool's joke, and some took it really serious. It was pretty funny.

One of these days I just know we're going to go horseback riding again, but I sometimes wonder. The days that it's nice to ride, I have lessons, and the days I have free, it's yucky! But I'm sure sooner or later we'll get to ride the "boys" again.

I'm fixing to post the first installment of Mom's story soon. It will be in a separate post with minimal comments by "yours truly" so you don't have to wade through my ramblings to get to the good stuff.

RHUBARB KUCHEN

Well, here I am again. My first piano student didn't show up, the second one hasn't shown up yet, and the third one's not due for another half hour so thought I'd post the first recipe of Mom's to come to mind. It's a rhubarb kuchen, and, since most of you reading this blog are probably from Wisconsin or thereabouts, you know what rhubarb is. You poor southern folks may have not experienced or be familiar with this culinary treat, but trust me, you'd like it.

Another reason I chose this recipe to start with is because there's a really good story that goes along with it. Mom always made this kuchen when the rhubarb was fresh and we were home for a visit. She knew we loved it. Usually we'd have Donna and Wil and the kids there or some neighbors or something to share the treat. It makes a big 9 x 13 pan full, so plenty to go around.

One thing Ma always said was that it was better warm, so, when cutting the dessert to pass around, she'd count noses, and that's how many pieces she would cut. That normally worked pretty well. It was all eaten up and everyone had a good sized slice to finish off the meal. With a little ice cream on top, you couldn't go wrong.

Well, one year when we were home from Oklahoma, Ma made rhubarb dessert. I don't know what else we had preceeding that dessert, but I know it was a bunch. She didn't make skimpy meals. Anyway, we, Bill and I, were already full from way more than we should have eaten, when Ma said, "Ok, the kuchen is nice and warm and we're ready for dessert."

Now I kid you not ---- she brought out 4 plates of kuchen - one for each of us, Bill and me and her and Daddy, and there was A FOURTH of a 9 X 13 pan size piece on each plate. I remember telling her that was way too much dessert to eat at one sitting, but she said, and I quote, "You know it's the best when it's warm." There were four of us eating, so that's how many pieces she cut. I still can't believe we really ate that whole thing, but you know, I actually think that we did.

That's another reason why my clothes all seem to have shrunk. I have the Adler "love to eat" gene and the "easy keeper" gene as well. You Adlers know just what I'm talking about, inso??

Anyway, here's Mom's recipe for Rhubarb Kuchen. If you've not had it before, try it. If you have, and would like to take a stroll down memory lane and find yourself back around the round table in Mom and Daddy's dining room, just cook it up, then take a bite and close your eyes. You can almost see her sitting there saying, "Go ahead. It's the best when it's warm."

Mom's Rhubarb Kuchen
Crust: 2 cups flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup shortening 1 egg
Beat egg and add enough milk to measure one cup. Mix all together and put into a 9 x 13 pan.

Line the crust with 4 cups of cut up rhubarb. Sprinkle the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 3 oz. package of red jello.

Mix 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup of butter until crumbly. Drop by spoonsful on top of the jello. Bake at 350 degrees until the rhubarb is done.

A half batch will work for a 9 x 9 pan. (she didn't tell me that until after the 1/4 pan piece episode).

till next time - JB