2004

NORMA CARSON'S SAUERKRAUT SOUP

Norma Carson of near Grammer, Indiana, has a nine year old grandson named Caleb. Well, this young man has ALL sorts of adventures due to the fact that he loves ALL kinds of animals. Last summer Calebs dog had caught a small wild rabbit, so the boy got it out of the canine's mouth and brought it in to his house. The rabbit was put in a large box and then they all went to bed. Early the next morning the parents had an emergency call and had to leave home right away. The rabbit was not in the box but there was no time to locate it. Caleb spent the day with Norma. When Caleb's daddy came to get him, Caleb asked if he could stay with his grandma but was told he had to get home to find the rabbit. Norma's suggestion (which I thought an excellent one) was to let his dog in the house, for she figured the dog had found the rabbit once, he would again. They did catch the varmint but not before the furry thing had eaten some of Caleb's mother's flowers! I want to share with you IMAGE readers this hearty and most delicious soup. Norma sent this to M.E. via e-mail. She said that she was a bit leery making it but was most surprised (and so was I) at how yummy it turned out to be. See if you don't agree. Its a stick-to-the-ribs kind of soup.

BETTY JOHNSON'S ALMOND JOY CAKE

I MUST share this with you. Ruth Tower, one of many folks who gets my recipes via e-mail, told M.E. about TURDUCKIN. It seems that this Cajun (is THAT a surprise?) dish consists of THREE de-boned birds: a chicken, a duck and a turkey. One puts a sausage stuffing in the turkey and then comes the chicken which houses a cornbread stuffing and then the duck is put in the chicken! The entire meat "log" is tied together and baked into a loaf and then sliced vertically so each piece has all three meats!!! My first thought was that this was yet another of those internet jokes but Ruth told me there was an article in the November issue of Southern Living about a woman who served this dish. Sounds like waaaaay too much trouble for M.E.! Here is another delicious recipe from delightful Betty Johnson of Columbus, Indiana. She brought this to a fairly recent herb club meeting and got rave reviews. This is one recipe that I think you will want to file away to use more than once. See what you think.

CRANBERRY GLAZED CARROTS

We have decided that two year old Isaac does not care much for using the English language. He has made up his own word for airplanes. He calls them "SHA-GUCKS". One day he was "flying" a little plane about and Mattie asked him if he was flying his airplane and he said MOST emphatically, "NO! Sha-guck!" Looking at a book of pictures, Mattie asked Ike where the airplane was. The kid looked and looked all over the pictures and did not point to anything. Then she asked him to point to the "sha-guck" and the kid immediately pointed to the plane! Recently, helicopters and space ships are also called by this Isaac word. Nate LOVES kindergarten and I now know why. While we were in CT, we got to visit his classroom. Wow! When you step into this obviously busy and VERY interesting room, you just WANT to be five years old again and a student there. Mrs. DiMauro is one fantastic teacher. Nate is SO lucky. After moving to Portland, the kids have found the First Congregational Church to attend. They liked the fact that there are many little ones in the Sunday School and many boys Nate's age who are in school and T-ball and soccer with him. This church had a fall dinner that Mattie got tickets for us to attend. This carrot dish was served along with ham. They made a good combination. It is a very tasty way to eat carrots. Try this one soon. You'll be glad you did.

BARBARA KING'S RANCH/ ITALIAN DRESSING

The Cow Palace in Shelbyville, Indiana, and owned by Norma Zimmerman, serves the best ranch dressing anywhere. Whenever we eat there, we request extra, for we like to dip our French fries in the stuff. Once, Barbara and Butch King were eating with us there and Barb remarked that her ranch dressing tasted just like that. The proof was in the pudding, no, in the dressing, when Barbara made a batch of it and gave us to try. It was WONDERFUL. To duplicate this, however, you MUST follow her directions to the letter. You know the drill: the stuff is good on baked potatoes (makes for the great stuffed variety as well) and as a dip for vegetables (grape tomatoes never tasted so good!) and chips. The second entry from Barbara is her divine Italian salad. It is so simple but, again, you MUST follow her directions to the letter. This is refreshing and I like it with just the basic greens, vinegar and oil and salt without the extras although they DO make it very special.

FROZEN CHERRY DELIGHT

After enjoying our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons for several days last fall, we had to head back west. I was to be the first to drive and was in the car with my door open when Nate came up to me and said, "Grammy, remember you guys can come and visit me again!" I told him we would but it would be spring before we could come back. I then asked him if he would talk to me when I called on the phone. (He HATES to talk on the phone.) He cocked his head to one side, got a mischievous little grin on his face and said, "ONCE!" Well, that's better than not at all. I will take anything I can get from him. The day after we left, Nate asked for a piece of paper and an envelope. He said he wanted to write to us. His daddy suggested he write down what Nate wanted to tell us and then the youngster could copy it onto the paper. (Needless to say, I carry said letter around with me.) He wrote "Nate K" on the upper left hand corner of the envelope, put stickers on both the front and back and wrote, "Loovooe" on the back. With a green marker (his favorite color) he wrote, "Dear Grammy and Grandpa. I miss you. Love, Nathaniel." The two s-s in the word "miss" were convoluted in a MOST delightful way. He told his father he could not write his full name at the bottom of the paper but his daddy told him he had plenty of room. The kid thought otherwise and so proceeded to turn the paper upside down and scrunched it between "Dear" and "Grammy." We LOVE it. My brother Rupert of Columbus, Ohio, sent M.E. this recipe that is simple. I felt I just HAD to put in a recipe for February that was pink and had cherries in it. This is delicious and VERY easy. Try it.

PAT PAGE'S EASILY COOKED CHICKEN

Pat Page lived down the hall from my husband in Trees Center at Indiana University in the early fifties. We have kept in touch over the years. Pat's wife, unfortunately, has had to be placed in a nursing home so he is having to 'batch' it now. He keeps very active what with visiting his wife, doing water aerobics, and attending adult classes through I.U. etc. It was a lady at the Y.M.C.A. who gave Pat this recipe that he has fixed often. I am going to give the recipe to you just as he E-mailed it to M.E. If you want something that is low fat and low in salt, this is for you. However, I saved that broth and let the fat set up so I could remove most of it and had a base for a soup or some noodles. You do as you like. I also like to throw in a bit of carrot and celery and onion and parsley to give flavor. I guess it is the German in me that makes me do that! Anyway, I am giving this recipe to you Image readers just as Pat E-mailed it to M.E.

BETTY JOHNSON'S MARINATED MUSHROOMS

Last November, John and I drove to Connecticut to see the kids. We attended three antique shows and visited various shops along the way. Last spring we flew out but I would MUCH rather drive for there is SO much to see along the way. The one thing I do NOT like to see are the dead deer in PA, from full grown to Bambi size. We noticed some strange (to us anyway) fencing in CT which consisted of blocks of wire netting filled with rocks and then stacked. They seemed to do the job and what with all those rocks they have out there, it is a good way to put them to use. I think that's called Yankee ingenuity! At one restaurant in PA I HAD to order the HOG MAW just to see what in the world it was. It wasn't bad but was VERY rich and the serving was too much. It consisted of a sausage made with spices, potatoes ad carrots then sliced and fried and served with a brown gravy. It is a rib sticking and tasty winter dish however. We usually go inside to a fast food place to eat but when in Gettysburg, PA, we just drove up to the window of a McDonalds. We were charged an extra 23 cents for a "pick up fee"! I wonder how prevalent THAT is? We couldn't figure out if it was a flat rate or according to the amount of the order. We saw a road called "Parsippany". Loved that unusual name. Also saw a sign for Albertus Magnum College while driving the Merritt Parkway in CT. John renamed it the Fat Albert College! We love making words out of letters on license plates too. This is not only fun but it keeps us awake and alert. Here is a very delicious dish taken to the April meeting of the Columbus Herb Society. Super lady Betty Johnson wowed everyone with these yummy delicacies and shared her recipe.

MARION'S BREAKFAST BISCOTTI

When my husband retired from Howe High School as the English Department Chairman, he highly recommended one of his teachers to succeed him and she did! Mary Bancroft was energetic, computer knowledgeable and a GREAT organizer. She was perfect for the job. When Howe closed, she moved to Tech High School in the same position. Having been encumbered with severe back problems, Mary took early retirement and is now being able to enjoy life in the wonderful s-l-o-w lane. Mary sent me this good recipe that her friend, Marion Wood, from up in Michigan had tried and sent to her. Marion e-mailed that this recipe is easy to do and she sure is correct. Marion also wrote that she thought she would add some crushed walnuts to the raw dough. I took her suggestion but put in pecans instead and it made for a VERY tasty crunch!

BETTY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Getting school pictures of one's child is always special and the very first one in kindergarten is doubly so. Last fall, Nate got his hair slicked down extra well and a nice outfit to wear to school. We were all afraid he would use a grimace that he thought was a smile so were greatly relieved when the individual photo showed a rather sober but very good looking young man. The group picture was another story. There Nate was in the middle of the back row. All the children were standing straight and tall with nice smiles on their faces. What was OUR boy doing? Well, he had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, his hands were on his hips and he had sucked in his cheeks so his lips pooched outwards! There is a clown in every class picture and Nate was it this year! Mattie was VERY embarrassed, especially when the soccer coach's wife (her boy is in the same class) told Mattie that they REALLY enjoyed the class group picture! I find myself laughing every time I think of that performance of Nate's. Betty Fawnestock of Greenfield, Indiana, is a cousin to M.E. by marriage. After my cousin, Fred Offutt, passed away, she married again but has kept in touch. She sent M.E. some cake recipes the best of which I think is this very good and very rich one. See what you think.

SUSAN'S CUCUMBER SOUR CREAM SAUCE

It was so nice to meet with Susan McEowen and her husband, David, and their many friends when they were back home from California at Thanksgiving time. I had Susan as a student in sixth grade at I.P.S. School 88 and my husband had her for junior English at Howe High School so the poor girl was completely ruined! She remembers that I taught her how to knit. Some girls would come in to school early and we would put those needles to work! Susan sent me this recipe last spring and I want to quote this very clever gal: "I made this sauce the other night and served with grilled salmon. Steamed snow peas with chives and a potato gratin with fresh tarragon rounded out my Salute to Spring meal. What flavors!! Shelebrate Shpring!!" That last makes me think of the delightful MUTTS comic strip. This is one terrific and most flavorful way to serve salmon.

GLENNA'S BIRD SEED

Last December our daughter Mattie was waiting, along with Isaac, for Nate's school bus to to pick him up. When it pulled up, she noticed an adorable curly-haired little girl smiling big time at them. She noticed that Nate did not sit with Sam as he usually does as Sam had a big bag setting on the seat by him. The little girl got up and must have said something to him so Nate sat with her. The bus pulled away, and the girl smiled a huge smile that went from ear to ear Mattie told M.E. Anyway, she questioned the little guy after he got home later that afternoon by asking him who he sat with on the ride to school. She got only a grunt and something quite incomprehensible. Then she asked him if he sat by Sam. "No! There was no room!" "Then, who DID you sit with" "I sat with Medicine!" The little girl's name must have been something like Madison. She was not in Nate's classroom so Mattie did not know her name. Anyway, the mommy has decided that Nate has a girlfriend whether he knows it or not. In telling Stephen about the situation, the daddy remarked that when the day comes for his wedding, Nate will not know how he got there! Last December I shared a birdseed recipe with you so I decided it was time for one that was eatable by humans. Glenna Whittington of Columbus, Indiana, got this recipe when wintering in Florida. It is one of those fun recipes and as yummy as it reads.

PATS GOURMET REINDEER POOP

As those of you Image readers who have been reading my column for more than one year know, I try and share a silly or funny or outrageous recipe the first week in April. ( Sorry, but it is my April Fool to you!) This recipe, sent to M.E. by good friend Pat Page of Bloomington, Indiana, fits the bill. However, you will have to file it away to use as a gag gift. I did not get this recipe from Pat in time to give it to you before Christmas. Sorry. You CAN go ahead and make the things, as they are quite tasty and a variation of a recipe I have made for many years called Chocolate Drops. When one can get a yummy product and have great fun with it as well, it is a winner in MY book. Don?t you agree?

MARY KATHRYN'S RHUBARB CAKE

Five and one half year old Nathaniel was really funny Christmas morning. Mattie told us that EVERY present he unwrapped (whether it be a really big present or a pair of socks or whatever) he would say, "Oh! This is JUST what I have ALWAYS wanted ever since I was a little cute boy!" His Grammy thinks is is STILL a little cute boy! Rhubarb will be popping up soon, so save this recipe for when you have a lot of the stuff and want to make something with rhubarb that is delicious. This recipe was sent to M.E. by Rhonda Bolner of Columbus, Indiana. Her mother, Mary Katheryn Omstead of Claypool, Indiana, had sent it to her. Mary Katheryn has done may things in her life. Besides being a housewife, she has been a loan collection officer, a dispatcher at the Wabash County Sheriff?s Department and North Manchester police department. She has 5 children, 8 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She keeps busy in her retirement by gardening and yard work, fishing, knitting, reading and cooking. She especially loves feeding the MANY birds that feast on her bird feeders in the winter time. She is one VERY busy lady, wouldn?t you agree?

LOU'S BARLEY PILAF

On New Years Day, grandson Nate threw a mad fit and was VERY promptly sent upstairs to his bed by his daddy. His mommy was already upstairs in her office working on medical transcriptions and so she heard what went on. Right behind his big brother, little Isaac clomped up the stairs as well. Mattie heard him go into their bedroom and say to Nate, "Bad, Bubba! Bad!" (He's unable to say the word brother.) Then, the little 'un closed the door with his brother yelling, "Leave me alone!" Poor Nate. I just HAVE to sympathize with HIM. Lou Hill and my husband were in school together at Columbus High School, in Columbus, Indiana, graduating in 1946. They have kept in touch over the years. Lou ended up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was organist for the St. James Anglican Catholic Church (formerly Episcopal) there and retired recently. He dabbles in cooking and shared this delicious dish with M.E. so I could share it with you Image readers.

JERI'S GRANOLA

My niece, Jeri Beckstedt, of near Kings Island over in Ohio, requested a granola recipe from M.E. She was unable to find hers that she had had since college but had not made it for a long time. She longed to have some granola to have with fruit and yogurt. Then, a short time later before I could try and find a replacement recipe for her, she wrote back (by e-mail, of course!) that the lost was found. It seems that her neighbor, who does not cook much and thinks she is a terrible cook, asked Jeri if she had a recipe for granola. Jeri said that her neighbor thinks she has recipes for everything but she tells her friend, "No, I don't have recipes for everything, but I DO have an Aunt Martha!" Isn't that sweet of her to say? Anyway, Jeri evidently had pulled out her recipe back when she had this conversation with her neighbor and the gal never returned it so when Jeri went to make the stuff, she was unable to find the directions. She asked the neighbor if she still had it. The gal looked through her recipe box and found the desired item. So, the mystery was solved. Jeri knew her recipe would be better (and make a lot more) than what she could buy in a store. And.....she is SO right! Give yourself and your family a real treat by making this mixture.

RHONDA'S YUMMY CHICKEN

I received the biggest surprise of my life when on February 13th, our daughter, Mattie, and two grandsons, Nate and Isaac, walked through the front door! I had turned 70 a few days before and when my husband did that, I had a surprise birthday bash for him and Mattie turned up with seven month old Nate. I didn't think of her coming this time as Nate had school but it turned out that he had a winter break! Anyway, John looked me right in the eye and swore Mattie was not thinking of coming out. It was an absolute delight to hear that THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! of Isaac's little feet when he ran (he never walks) around upstairs! We talked about missing that sound after they left and then one day, as I was getting dressed, I heard some thumping upstairs and experienced deja vu....Grandpa was doing the Isaac thumping! We had a wonderful visit and ate in places Mattie was hungry for: Steak and Shake (she can't get good hamburgers in Connecticut), Ma Ma's House (Korean), Kabul (Afghanistan) and we had a surprise get together at the new Italian Village in Shelbyville that is located in the historic Hamilton House. The food there was as a good as it is in the original restaurant on East Washington Street. Special friends joined us. It was Valentine's Day evening and what a crowd there was but all went beautifully. The only other time I have been completely surprised (which is hard to do cause I am so nosy) was when the wonderful teachers at School #88 threw a surprise baby shower at Carolyn Jourdan's house over thirty years ago! Rhonda Bolner of Columbus, Indiana, served this delicious way to fix chicken to the the Columbus Herb Society. You will be glad she shared her recipe.

RENN'S CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCOTTI

My sister, Anne, has wonderful neighbors both present and past. A former one, Renn Hinton, is a super lady. She has lived many places but has ended up in Palatka, Florida, in an old house that is double storied with double front porches, full sized attic and surrounded by live oaks with hanging moss, magnolias and pines with the St. Johns River in the distance. Makes you want to go for a visit, doesn't it? She works on the house, tries new recipes, made an afghan last year for Christmas gifts for each of her and husband Bobby's five children and delves into family history. Busy gal. My sister tells M.E. that Renn is a human whirlwind! She is ALWAYS busy and into something new. Every house they have lived in, she has made improvements and done most of the work herself with Bobby's help. Renn sends a care package to Anne every Christmas filled with delicious goodies and this past year this biscotti was included. Anne shared some when she was up after the holiday. These are WONDERFUL. I would guess that by using chocolate chips, the cookie is not quite as hard as other types of biscotti. Try this. It is not as much trouble as it reads. I have had some say that by not baking the second time, biscotti is less hard but I think that defeats the purpose, don't you? These gems are so very dunkable!

KAYE'S CHOCOLATE CHEESE BALL

Before Christmas, our daughter took the boys to a mall in West Hartford, CT, where they had a Santa with a REAL beard. As is often the case, they were there 20 minutes before the old man was to arrive and STILL were not first in line! Both boys sat on the fellow's lap and Nate translated to him what Isaac wanted (some more train stuff) and then he told what HE wanted---a new Lego set. The problem was that it was NOT the set Santa had already bought to give to him and since he did not get what he asked Santa for last year (the stores sold out) Mattie was determined he was going to get exactly what he asked for this year! So there was a rush to the store to get the right item. Then, to add more confusion, Nate accidentally happened to see the set in the car and so was told that it was for his cousin! And, it WAS given to his cousin for the cousin's January birthday and the daddy had to rush to the store and buy the very last Lego set they had for Santa to give to him. "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." Sir Walter Scott said it right. Kaye Knipp of Pershing, Indiana, is a very close high school chum of my sister's. They visit with each other and keep in close touch through e-mails. Kaye told Anne about this recipe and kindly sent it to M.E. to share with you. It certainly sounded interesting. A sweet cheese ball? Yummy! Try it!

STEVES SPAGHETTI SAUCE

We were SO lucky when my nephew, Steve Garner, married Ellen. She is so much fun and bubbly and energetic. Her brother, Ron Hamilton, writes a MOST interesting column on historical (not hysterical!) matters for The Shelbyville News. After Christmas, when my sister and her friend Frances Gordon were up for a few days of visiting and playing that crazy card game called Hand and Foot, we motored up to Steve and Ellen's to lunch. I was secretly hoping that Steve would serve us his famous (not infamous!) spaghetti meal and I lucked out. Steve began making this concoction many years ago and I had a copy of the original recipe but he has improved on it over the years as often happens. When I asked him details on making this sauce, he told M.E. that he was not sophisticated enough to let things cook or not cook. He just gets everything in the pot as fast as he can and lets it cook for awhile. He stirs between sips of beer and then comes the sampling. He says that after he has sampled half of it, it's ready to serve! There are many variations on this theme and you probably have your favorite but do try this one and see if you don't agree that it is especially scrumptious. Do not let the whole head of garlic throw you. Garlic is the Herb of the Year for 2004 you know, and I cannot imagine a better way of putting some to a delicious use!

GRANDMAS NUT BREAD

I hope you all remember my telling you in March about our grandson Nate and his "girlfriend" on the bus whose name Nate thought was "Medicine." It turns out that this cute curly-headed young lady's name is Madison. Close. Anyway, Nate has been sitting first with Sam and then with Madison and sometimes way back in the bus with the BIG kids, the fourth graders. I bet that thrills THEM no end! Well, one day Mattie noticed Madison asking Nate to sit with her but another girl from his class was sitting more forward and he sat with her. Coming home, Madison had him sitting with HER! They were in the first seat and I guess when she got on, she either sat with him or roped him into sitting with her. She was NOT going to give that other girl a chance to sit with him again, Mattie told M.E. Poor Nate! When he DOES finally have a real girlfriend, his mother will be hard to deal with! She can hardly wait to have a daughter-----the in-law variety! This is an old recipe that comes from my Grandmother Margaret Rife Wright. Now, a word of warning. This is not especially good just sliced after it is baked. But what a transformation it makes when you slice and TOAST it! This gives the nuts a WONDERFUL flavor. Then, butter the warm slices and yum! yum! This is good to have with a cuppa tea around four o'clock. Oh.....it is good ANY 'ol time, really!

EGGS ALA THE MICROWAVE

Stories about grandchildren do not always have to be about the wee ones. This story is a case in point. I met vivacious Yvonne Perry in Krogers one day and she told me about her grandson, Sam, who is a 25 year-old I.U. grad and living in Chicago. He became engaged to a lovely girl, Abbey, and so brought her home last November and again at Christmas to meet the family. Yvonne e-mailed Sam to ask him for a few ideas for a Christmas gift for Abbey. He returned with the information that she loved cookbooks and enjoyed cooking, liked Neil Diamond and loved to travel. Well, Abbey and Yvonne were like two peas from the same pod! Yvonne travels a lot and buys cookbooks wherever she goes and likes Mr. Diamond's music. On Christmas Day, she proceeded to show Abbey her cookbook collection. Abbey's response was, "WOW!" as she looked into a hall closet FULL of cookbooks, double deep. There were also several bookcase shelves full of them! Yvonne was asked if she had a favorite cookbook and her response to Abbey was, "Yes, ALL of them!" So, Yvonne's predicament on what to give her future granddaughter-in-law has been taken care of....cookbooks! (Although Yvonne told M.E. that she has promised Abbey that the girl will not receive a cookbook every Christmas for the next thirty years!) I subbed often for Yvonne, when she taught business classes at Howe High School, and that dear lady would bring back a cookbook for M.E. They were often the wonderful Junior League cookbooks that I still have and use. Here is a simple recipe that I got from a friend who failed to put her name on the recipe card. This really works and is a great time saver.

DAY LILY CHICKEN

In March, 2 1/2 year old Isaac began to drink an inordinate amount of liquids every day. Mattie suspected something might be wrong so while they were out attending a maple syrup festival (of all things!), she got some strips that diabetics use. He tested high. A nurse friend suggested a call to the doctor and so on a Sunday afternoon, Isaac was taken to Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford. He has infantile or Type I diabetes. The medical personnel there wanted to know if Mattie was in med school for she got the tyke in early on. I guess her two degrees from Purdue University, (biochemistry and medical technology) and also transcribing for two doctors helped. She was afraid she was late in getting him in but was told they often see children coming in in a daze or coma and damage to internal organs and the brain. Scary! Getting blood drawn and a shot went over like a lead balloon with Ike. He and his mommy stayed in the hospital for two days. Nate did not want to leave his little brother there until he realized that mommy would be staying with Ike and then it was all right for him and Daddy to go on home. The parents were given a four hour course on how to care for their little diabetic. When told they could leave, Stephen got Isaac's clothes out and when the kid saw them, he lost NO time getting rid of his hospital attire! I think he thought he would not be tortured anymore once he got home!

CONNECTICUT CABBAGE CHOWDER

Mattie and our grandsons are in their van every day of the week as she has to deliver transcriptions and pick up work from a doctor in a town near by. One day as they were driving along, Nate informed her, "I just saw a place where they play golf!" His mommy asked him, "Are you going to play golf some day?" His reply was, "Well, when I grow up and be a daddy, I will play golf!" (His daddy is a golfer.) So, Nate began a series of , "When I grow up and have my children I will play golf, get a van" and so forth. Mattie informed him that when he has children they will be HER grandchildren and SHE will get to spoil them and then give them back to HIM. She asked him what he thought of that. There was complete silence. Evidently he did not think much of it! Little Isaac is adapting to being a diabetic amazingly well. One day, he spied a favorite snack cracker that is in the shape of Scooby-Doo which the little one calls "Doo Doos". Well, he pointed to them and said to his mommy, "Doo Doos! Snack! SICK!" Mattie tells him that too much sugar or too many carbs can make him sick. In order to get the shot in him, his food is ready and he knows he cannot eat until after the shot. I understand that Lilly has a patch in the works and they cannot come up for one soon enough for M.E.! While visiting them last fall, I looked in the food section of the Hartford Courant of course! It has a section where folks can request recipes and a lady from Newington requested a recipe for cabbage soup. A gal from New Hartford sent in this delicious recipe. I LOVE soups of all kinds and am never happier than when I have a bowl of good soup and a salad or a sandwich to go along with it. This is an easy recipe to make and cheap to make and more filling than you would expect it to be. Try it soon.

ANGIE'S HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

When our daughter realized that Nate understood the value of real money, it was decided that he would have jobs to do in order to earn an allowance. At age five, they felt two jobs were enough, putting food and water out for the two cats and making his own bed. He had to give fifty cents to church and a dollar to savings each week and the rest he could save up for something he really wanted. Finally he had enough to buy a particular Lego set he desired. Said item was put in the shopping cart along with other things. When they got to the check out line, Mattie gave Nate his ten dollar bill she had and Nate paid the man and gave his mommy the change to keep for him. The cashier told Nate that if he had friendly people like him all the time, he would have a good day. Nate carried his own sack, of course. He wouldn't even put it on the floor of the van but held it in his lap all the way home. He spent the rest of the day putting lego pieces together and taking them apart. I guess he does this until he can do it blindfolded! Mattie tells us that the character Elmo on the childrens' TV show, Sesame Street, ends each program singing the word of the day to the tune of Jingle Bells. Ike has discovered the little five key piano that Nate got on his first Christmas. The little one will go around singing one word over and over just like Elmo while playing on his little piano. (Who says TV doesn't influence children?) One day he suddenly came out with, "Dingle bells, Dingle bells, Dingle all way!" Now, this occurred the end of April! No one had heard this song with the original lyrics for over four months! Kids are two legged sponges! Phyllis Alexander was a special friend of mine in Lincoln High School in Cambridge City, Indiana. Thanks to the computer, we have been in touch. When Phid and her husband, Larry Tyra, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, their granddaughter, Angie, served this dish that was an instant hit. Try it! You'll be glad you did.

SCOTT'S GROUND TURKEY BURGERS ON THE GRILL

Last May, Isaac FINALLY began to say his name. Well, he said IKE anyway. Guess Isaac was too hard to say. I am delighted for I LOVE IKE. (Shades of a presidential election in the 50's!) When his mommy asked him what his name was he said, "I'm a Ike!" When asked how old he was, he answered with, "I'm a two!" My husband thinks it is the Italian in his paternal background surfacing here! I was SO lucky to have terrific students over the years of teaching in Cambridge City, Indiana, Hagerstown, Indiana, and School #88 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Some I have kept in touch with over the years and they have become good friends. Such a person is Scott Conder who was in my fifth grade class in Hagerstown. We both loved his wonderfully entertaining parents, Phid and Richard, as well. Scott has inherited good qualities from both. This young man is SO smart to be living downtown. He bought a lovely old house which he has been restoring. He WALKS to work. (My husband has always said that when HE becomes dictator of the world, he will decree that a person has to live within walking distance of his work place! It WOULD help with pollution!) Scott shared this recipe with M.E.three years ago and I stuck it away for safe keeping. Silly M.E.! He maintains that he has never had a complaint and his canine friends are MOST appreciative of these burgers. He thinks that they HAVE to be grilled over charcoal for best taste. He also says one doesn't need to use the more expensive Lipton's and fancy Cajun seasonings. He buys his onion soup and Cajun seasoning for a buck at the Dollar General Store. Also, he states that one should purchase packages stating GROUND TURKEY which has dark meat in it. Avoid ground turkey breast as it turns out VERY dry.

MATTIE'S HEAVENLY CHICKEN

Last March, Nate's afternoon kindergarten class took a field trip to downtown Portland, Connecticut, where they visited the Liberty Bank, the Town Hall where the kids mailed letters (more about that in a minute) and then to the Tri Town Foods where they were given a sack full of all sorts of goodies: a banana, pen, pencil, etc. The day before the trip, the children were asked to write a letter to someone at home. Nate decided to write to his little brother and so wrote the following: Dear Isaac, I luv (love) you. I lik (like) to play trooks (trucks) with you. Luv (love), Nate K. Mattie thought it was awfully nice of him to think of his little brother that way. When he got home from school after the field trip, Nate wanted to know if his letter had arrived! I reckon he figured that what he put in the blue box at the Town Hall earlier that day would be waiting in his own mailbox when he got home! The post office is fast but not THAT fast! Isaac has been going through a stage where EVERYTHING becomes a rocket. Whatever he happens to have in hand (truck, bus, etc.) is shot into the air with a rocket noise of, "WHOOSH!" and Ike saying, "ONE! TWO! ONE! BASK OFF!" Then the thing crashes and he goes, "Uh, oh! Momma! Fall!" His daddy thinks that the kid is going to be binary what with his using only the numbers one and two! The name of this dish tells all. Soooooooo good! Be sure to try it soon.

LARRY'S FRENCH CHICKEN STRIPS

Nate's daddy took a half day from work to visit his classroom. He is so lucky to be able to do this. Nate was thrilled to have him there and informed the librarian who that man was....his daddy! The book read to the children that day was about germs. When the vomiting germ came up, Nate informed EVERYONE that that was HIS germ. (He'd vomited in the classroom a few days before!) When the sore throat germ was mentioned, he claimed IT as well as he often has sore throats due to naughty tonsils. (I cannot understand why his doctor won't recommend he have those things taken out!) Stephen arrived before the children did and he noticed that a little girl, Michaelyn, who rides on Nate's bus came up to Nate and asked him if he liked her dress. With her curly flame red hair, she was stunning in the lovely green dress she was wearing. Nate gave her an emphatic, "NO!" Stephen couldn't help but intervene and asked the tyke what the problem was because green was Nate's favorite color. His answer? "I know it's my favorite color but I don't like the dress!" Michaelyn tattled to the teacher and Nate had to apologize, but he never did say he liked the dress! One evening, Isaac was told to pick up his Legos he had left on the floor in the living room. The youngster made a face and moaned, "Awwwww!" His daddy told him in a no nonsense voice, "You go RIGHT NOW!" Sliding off his chair, Ike answered back with an "Aw right!" He sounded EXACTLY like his big brother. Nate picked up on this, laughed, and said, "Do like a Bubba does!" (Isaac can't say brother!) Here's an easy and fast and delicious way to fix chicken from good friend, Larry Arnold, who passed away several years ago. When he served us this dish, our taste buds were treated to a MOST delicious delight!

LOU'S CASSEROLE

Last spring Nate informed Mattie that HE sat at the COOL BOYS' TABLE at school! This lively little group consisted of Sam, Tyler, Drew and Nate. I am sure what one did not think of the others did. Stephen had seen Michaelyn sitting with these boys when he visited the classroom and so after naming these cool guys, Mattie asked if Michaelyn sat with them as well. The reply was a resounding, "Awwww Mom! NO! SHE'S a GIRL!" Good friend, Lou Hill of Cleveland, Ohio, sent M.E. this delicious recipe. He calls it Evelyn Ward's Casserole. I, in turn, will give credit to Lou. It is easy to throw together. Casseroles are great for easyability (my word). Try this recipe and see what YOU think of it.

WILMA'S EASY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

Ray and Barbara Turner's four year old grandson, Kopeland, is a delight. He spends Thursday nights with his grandparents and so one Friday morning at breakfast he informed Mimi that he had been thinking about something. Barbara asked him to tell her about it. The tyke responded with, "I was at Mommy's and I had a dream!" His Mimi asked him to tell her the dream. There was quite a pause as Kopeland contemplated this request and then he answered with, "I really don't want to go into it right now!" On March 6, 2002, I put in a recipe for a delicious spiced tea sent to M.E. by a Frieda Snyder in Tennessee. I've never met this lady but was told about her from an herbie friend, Betty Johnson. Then, Frieda told Wanda Smith about M.E. and Wanda wrote M.E. an e-mail requesting she be put on the list of people who get my column by e-mail. Wilma's a widow with three children who do not live close. I know THAT feeling! She lives in Athol, a small town about 70 miles west of Boston. She worked in a bank for 25 years and has been retired for 12. She loves her Miracle Cloths she gets from Frieda. Even though she lives alone, she cooks more than any of her friends do and she loves to read and try new recipes. She enjoys shopping, tag sales (what we call garage sales) and playing her favorite card game, Cribbage. She is also the baby of a family of nine. Wanda sent this very easy to make fudge recipe that has been popular in her neck of the woods. She says that she keeps the fudge wrapped with plastic wrap in the fridge. It keeps for a long time this way if it doesn't get eaten up first!

ROSSINE'S BAKED CHICKEN REUBEN

Last February, Nate saw a valentine with an arrow through it and asked his mommy what that meant. She told him that it meant that you loved someone VERY much. She then inquired of him if he loved any girl at school very much and his answer to her was a resounding, "NO! I just love my family!" Mattie liked that answer! One time Nate's doctor told him not to kiss any girls with the strep throat he was treating him for. Doc then mentioned that he bet Nate was not doing that now anyway. Mattie told him he was right, for every time Nate would see any kissing on TV, he would yell, "DISGUSTING!!!!" Rossine Foddrill of Washington, Indiana, served this to a group of folks many years ago. It is so different and most delicious, especially if you like Reuben sandwiches. It is very easy to make and good to take to a pitch-in. See if you don't agree.

CARIBBEAN YAM SALAD

Our daughter, Mattie, called us one evening and the first thing she said was, "Well, Nate has done a Mattie!" She was referring to the time when SHE was riding her Cock Horse (a stick with a horse head at one end) up and down the driveway and ended up going past the NO NO place and to the end of the drive and ACROSS THE STREET! I brought her and the horse back to the place where she was not to cross, pulled down her diaper a little and gave her a couple of smacks. (Today I reckon I would be thrown in jail for that!) Well, Mattie then made me give Cock Horse a whipping as well because it was HE who took them both across the street! Back to Nate...Mattie was upstairs working in her office and Stephen was downstairs with Nate who was playing with...what else?...his Legos, of course! He was building a spaceship that had a little figure of a man to fly in it. Anyway, all of a sudden the Daddy heard the tyke say, "I hope we can get this damn ship to work!" The parental unit lit into the kid right royally. Nate listened to his ranting and raving and then very calmly told his daddy, "I was not the one who said that. HE did!" and pointed to the little figure. Try this very filling and delicious salad soon. It does not keep over well, however, so make it when you are going to attend a pitch in or having several folks to dinner.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

I was in Marsh looking at their asparagus on Good Friday. Another lady was doing the same and then said to M.E., "This veggie is NOT cost productive for my family because we only like to eat this much of the stalks," and proceeded to show about three inches of the stuff. The school teacher in M.E. made me tell her how she can get more of her money's worth by cutting the rest of the stalk and cooking it to get some soup. I recently told someone else about what I do and figured it was time to share this. Maybe others can be helped as well.

BLENDER LEMON PIE

We were spending a weekend at my sister Anne's in April when the phone rang that Sunday morning. It was Nate who said to his Grannie Annie, "Harry died last night. Harry's our hampster. Why did he have to pass away?" Anne's response was that it must have been Harry's time to go. The child seemed good with that. He had already lost two fish and a cat. The Panda hampster was so cute and was played with a lot. Nate worried that he might not have fed him enough but was assured by his mommy that he did all the book said to do. They had a little burial ceremony and marked where they laid Harry to rest with a big stone (no problem finding a stone out there!) and Nate seems content with it all. Possibly another hampster will be procured sometime in the future and the big problem will be what to name the critter! Here is a yummy summery treat for your taste buds. It is so easy because the filling is all done in the blender. Also, it ends up tasting much like the much touted Shaker Lemon Pie but is MUCH less trouble to make. This is quite lemony tasting which I really like. None of that mild lemon flavor for M.E.!

FRENCH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Over 20 years ago Roger Smith gave M.E this recipe. He translated it over the phone into English from his French cookbook! Our lovely neighbor, Roselyn Nichols, had asked M.E. for a low carb dessert. I came up with this as it has so little flour. Yes, the amount given is right. Our little Nate would love this cake for as his Grandpa always says, "I'll take any flavor as long as it is chocolate!" This is not as hard to make as it reads. Just follow each step and you will end up with a most delicious and rich chocolate concoction which will make you think you have gone to Chocolate Heaven.

GERRY'S CRISPY, CRUNCHY REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

In July our six year old Nate wrote a couple of notes to his family. You see, three year old Isaac had ordered the family to play being dogs. As Nate said, they were a family of dogs. Anyway, after a bit Nate got tired of playing and so took some paper and a marker to a bedroom, closed the door, and wrote the following: Der Mom and Dad Isaac Dog, Bot Nate Dog iz gon foav. Translation: Dear Mom and Dad and Isaac Dog, But Nate Dog is gone forever. A little bit later, a second note was handed to the parental units saying: Now Nate Dog is kom bak. Translation: Now Nate Dog is come back. I'm hoping we have a budding writer in the family! Mary Abbott Williams of North Carolina sent this recipe that is from her mother-in-law, Gerry. Her husband, Jan, enjoys these a lot and I think you will, too. I like the name Mary has given to this tasty treat.

HORACE CRAMER'S HAM SALAD

I was hoping our kids would have Gutter Helmet put on their house but instead, Stephen bought himself a really, really long ladder and did the job himself. He is young and agile. While taking care of this onerous job, Mattie had quite a time of it in just trying to keep Isaac from climbing up to be with his daddy! When the job was completed, the parents decided to let Isaac have a go at being a monkey, thinking it would be interesting to see just how high the little 'un would go. They did not realize that they were dealing with someone who has NO fear and so when he was practically up at Mattie's office window on the second floor, they yelled for Ike to get down. He would not think of doing so until "Bubba" could come out and see how high he was. Big brother was in the house so after he came out and saw his little brother up the ladder, Mattie encouraged Nate to try his hand at climbing. How far did Nathaniel climb? Would you believe three rungs? Smart lad! When you next bake a ham, Image reader Rita McBride has a delicious way to use some of the leftover meat. When she fixes this speciality of her father's (he was also good with sausage gravy, by the way) Rita waxes nostalgic with childhood memories. Realizing that I have not put in a ham salad recipe in this column, she paid attention to amounts last time she made this spread so she could send this to M.E. to share with you. This recipe is a keeper.

Butter Pecan Bread

Our daughter, Mattie, was in the check out line in her local grocery store one day with three year old Isaac in the cart's seat. Big brother, Nate, was busy at kindergarten at the time. A lady behind Mattie kept looking at Isaac. She looked and looked, leaning first one way and then the other. This was kept up for several minutes and Mattie was beginning to wonder just what was up with this gal. Then, the woman spoke up and asked Mattie if she could borrow Isaac to take to her beautician, for Ike had JUST the color of red hair she was wanting! I must admit that his dark, auburn hair IS lovely and a shame to waste on a boy! My niece, Glenna Garner, of near Washington, D.C., sent M.E.this recipe that is terribly fattening but oh! so delicious. See if you don't agree. Glenna has recently retired from her government job and has more time to write to her old auntie via e-mail.

BETTY'S NO SUGAR APPLE PIE

Betty and Chuck Stockton have resided in Westerville, Ohio, since 1948. Their interests center around their church (Betty served as secretary for several years), quilting, gardening and musical activities with Betty teaching piano to (her words here) some eager and some not so eager students for a lot of years. They both volunteer at a local grade school. They celebrated their big 50th anniversary nine years ago! Chuck's main interest is his computer. They have two children, five grandchildren and three great grands and they all live in close proximity. Lucky folks! They recently attended Ryan's (their 15 year old grandson) robotics team competition. It was quite an experience observing the engineers and scientists of the future. Sponsored by NASA, there were teams from Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and Indiana. Each team had to build a robot and program it to do specific tasks and it was interesting to see that each robot was a little different but designed to do the same thing. Ryan's team won the award for MOST INSPIRATIONAL ROOKY TEAM which was great considering it was their first time to participate! Betty sent M.E. this recipe that proves that one can have something tasty without sugar in it. Apple time has come around again, thank goodness, so get to your favorite orchard and lay in a supply of Adam and Eve's favorite and try this recipe.

HAPPY TIME CAKE

Everyone was outside except for our daughter Mattie who had some medical transcribing to do so she was busily tapping away on the keys of her computer. They had worked long and hard in putting out a garden. Before burying seeds, however, they edged the area with stones which are VERY easy to find in Connecticut. (Never saw such a rocky area! No wonder in the early days folks moved west!) Anyway, they also made pathways through the garden, mixing esthetic with the practical here. The boys had been told to NOT step anywhere in the garden except for the rock lined pathways. Anyway, this day Mattie happened to look out her window in time to see Isaac approach the end of the garden that had not yet been planted with the tomato plants. He stood there, looked around him, then stepped into the garden itself. Mattie yelled at him, "Isaac! You get out of that garden RIGHT NOW!" The kid bolted as if he had been burned. He stopped when out of the garden and looked around him trying to figure out how Mommy knew what he was doing. Mattie noticed that the next time he entered the garden, the little bugger used a pathway! Friend Ellen Sauer is a gourmet cook but even she will make a simple and quick recipe once in awhile. This cake is so yummy and it does not make so much that it sets around for very long. The two of us like this size cake best.

GOLDEN GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Here's another very tasty recipe from former student of both John (Howe H.S.) and myself (School #88), Susan Montgomery McEowen in California. It is a looooong one so without further ado, we shall commence. As Susan put it, "This cake is tres yummy!!" It reads harder to make than it really is.

OLLIE'S PUMPKIN ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Last November, Betty Johnson brought this cake to the Columbus Herb Society's meeting. I was not able to attend and am so sorry that I missed out on this very funny episode. Betty sent me the recipe and the story of what happened. The meeting was held in Jacque Chambers' lovely home. Residing in this home was a very happy dog by the name of Ollie. This dog is part retriever and since the cake was set a little too close to the edge of the counter, he took a nibble. Now, I ask you....what dog wouldn't try a bite? Anyway, he evidentially thought the first nibble was pretty good so he helped himself to a little more when the gals were not looking! When you make this cake, you will understand why Ollie took a liking to it. I am always ready to try a new way to make angel food cake, my favorite kind of cake. Thank goodness we have really good box mixes to use nowadays. I prefer Pillsbury. This is the season for something pumpkiny like this cake. Betty's easy frosting is a good one to use as well.

PUMPKIN DIP

When my husband and I attended the Indiana State Fair in August, it was John's 75th time to do so! That HAS to be some kind of record! You see, John's father, Ernest Ervin, was a farmer and a school bus driver. This was back in the days when the school bus drivers owned their own buses. Mr. Ervin would take bus loads of people up to the fair each year and little Johnny went right along from when he was a year of age on. Even when John was in the Army (think Korean Conflict here,) he was home on leave right at fair time! How great is THAT? A lady in the front office at the fairgrounds told us a few years ago that there were a couple years during World War Two when there was no fair due to gas rationing. She said to just count in those years anyway. If there HAD been a fair, you can bet your bottom dollar John would have been there! We took our daughter, Mattie, every year and she attended until she and her husband moved to Connecticut. Even out there, she attends a fair each year. There is one near her that she says is like a miniature Indiana State Fair so, in a sense, the Tradition continues. This recipe was brought to a meeting of the Columbus Herb Society last year by Beth Winn. It was a huge hit and Beth kindly e-mailed everyone her recipe. I think this would be a great time of year to serve this yummy recipe, don't you?

SUSAN'S DURSEY CREAM PUFF RING

It is always good to have on hand a recipe that shows off your culinary efforts in an impressive way to guests, yet is relatively easy to make. This is such a one shared with M.E. by Susan McEowen of California. I am going to give it to you as she did to M.E. as the various suggestions really help with this recipe. Susan has a grand sense of humor which always comes out in her recipes. Notice that her comments are in parentheses. Read, enjoy and make!!!

SIG-PI BROWNIES

While attending Purdue University prior to World War One, my father joined the Sigma Pi fraternity. It then seemed natural for my brothers and a cousin to follow suit after World War Two. Then my brother-in-law, who was a professor there, became a faculty advisor to the boys. Their cook would serve these delicious cookies. I imagine that my sister got her husband to get the recipe for her. The cook cut the recipe down to a manageable size. This recipe is only a tiny bit more trouble than a mix and is oh! SO much better! I have a friend who claims she cannot cook well at all but she makes these big time, so break that I-cannot-cook-without-a-mix habit!

MEXICAN CHICKEN KIEV

My nephew, Steve Garner, of the spaghetti sauce fame (May 20th column) has a son, Dennis, who came up with this recipe when he was a Sigma Nu up at Purdue University. I will not go into how many years ago this has been but this college student has since married lovely Marci and they have five delightful daughters, Anna Marie, Kirby Kay, Marley Ellen, Eden Riley and Reagan Sue. He also has an interesting job for Steak n Shake as Senior Labor Analyst. He estimates customer counts and the amount of labor it takes to properly staff the restaurants. This has to be done so that great hospitality is given to customers and still being financially responsible to a bottom line profit. The goal, you see, is to have the crew in the stores when the guests are there and at home enjoying their families when the guests are not. This is a trick since they are open 24 hours a day! They are in 19 states right now with 400 restaurants and are expanding rapidly in Texas while rebuilding or replacing restaurants throughout the Midwest. Mattie and Stephen are hoping they will expand in an easterly direction so that they don't have to wait until they are home once a year to get this delicious food! For something really different to serve your family and/or guests, try this dish soon. You'll be glad you did.

ALL DAY BRISKET

Mary Williams of North Carolina is a MOST delightful young lady. She is very crafty and I always look forward to receiving her homemade Christmas cards which are always unique. She also quilts and has won prizes. Mary sent me these sauce recipes that are both super. I am going to share them both with you Image readers in one fell swoop!

LEMON DROP COOKIES

Last August, Nate, (the kid whose hair had really become rather long and who complained about the "twangles" that were daily combed out,) was watching his mommy make some cookies. This six year old has grown so that he can plainly see what she is doing so he asked, "Whatcha doing?" Mattie told him she was baking cookies and he came back with, "Oh! Chocolate!" because she had recently made chocolate ones and he liked those a lot, of course. She asked him why he knew they were chocolate and he told her it was because she was rolling them in flour (read powdered sugar here.) Mattie had to inform the kid that these particular cookies were lemon flavored instead of chocolate. He then wanted to know why she was not making chocolate ones (because, of course, there ARE no other cookies besides chocolate ones!) and the mommy informed him that she had the makings for this recipe and needed to make some cookies to take to a party to which he gave a very subdued, "Oh!" When baked, he did not know if he really wanted to try one but, after all, they WERE cookies, so worth a try. He found they were not too bad after all. Mattie informed him that there ARE flavors other than chocolate. Well.....THAT might be stretching things a bit too far in this young one's way of thinking! The lemon variety of this recipe is one of my husband's favorite cookies. This is an easy recipe. Get ready for a cookie disappearing act!

POUND CAKE

Our three year old grandson, Isaac, had begun to haunt his older brother, six year old Nathaniel. Wherever Nate would go, there would be Ike! One morning Nate came upstairs to Mattie's office and told her that he was VERY, VERY tired of Isaac following him everywhere. She asked him if he knew why Isaac did this. Nate had not a clue. She then explained that the reason Isaac was doing that was because he, Nate, was Ike's big brother (Ike calls him "Bubba" since brother is hard to say,) and Isaac loved Nate VERY much. "OH!" was the response to this explanation. Later, Isaac was haunting again but this time Nate was not doing ANY complaining! Many moons ago, when I was teaching at I.P.S School #88, our principal, Mr. Arnold Nelson, asked M.E. to tutor the older daughter of a Japanese family that had just moved here for a year. The father was doing some research out at I.U.P.U. I. I jumped at the chance and the mother, Masako Aikawa, gave M.E. this WONDERFUL recipe that she had been given by another Japanese gal who had married an American and lived here and that gal had received it from another person and so on and so forth. It is wonderful, but you almost HAVE to have a standing electric mixer with a large bowl. I would think one's arm would be absolutely numb after all that beating! This cake keeps well but believe M.E., it will NOT last very long!

BELGIAN BEEF STEW

In Connecticut, they start school when it SHOULD start.....after Labor Day! (Why is it older people always think things should be as they were when THEY were kids?) Well, on September 7th, Nate boarded the bus for a FULL DAY of school. He even awakened BEFORE his alarm clock sounded! He could hardly wait. (May he always feel this way.) Mommy and little brother Isaac had to walk him two doors down to where the bus would pick up the five waiting youngsters. Getting information from this kid about what happened during a school day is like pulling hen's teeth but Mattie did manage to find out that Nate sat at the green table (his favorite color-no surprise there) and mostly boys were seated at the table. She asked him if he met any new friends and he reported with, "Yes! My teacher Mrs. M.!" This lady is so called because she has a rather hard last name for kids (and parents!) to pronounce. Many years ago Marty Sauer taught French at Howe High School. She had gleaned this recipe when she lived in Europe. It is perfect for this time of year.

SALTY DOG POPCORN

On May 30th we had not been watching TV as we were out of town, so when my husband and sister and I drove in to dine at the ITALIAN GARDENS on East Washington Street, we did not know about the severe storm warnings. When getting in the car after a VERY delicious meal, we looked to the west and saw a funnel cloud drop down a few blocks away just west of us! Needless to say, we scrurried outa there and got home safely. Seeing that funnel cloud made me think of The Wizard of Oz, which was my favorite movie as a kid. I figured that we should end the year with a yummy recipe for snacking as it is that time of year for such stuff. Glenna Whittington of Columbus, Indiana, and Florida sent this to M.E. many moons ago. I think you will want to file this one away to use again in the new year as well.