2006

FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE

Last year I had written a little note to Nate and printed it, of course, and made it as simple as I could hoping he could read it all by himself which he did save for a couple words! I had sent him the silly poem my mother always said to me each spring---SPRING HAS SPRUNG THE GRASS IS RIZ, I WONDER WHERE THE FLOWERS IS? Mattie said that when Nate read the poem to them he read, I WONDER WHERE THE FLOWERS ARE? He had to be shown that this was poetic license for the words were to rhyme. Mattie was pleased he had his grammer right! We ate our first Cornish Pasties up in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, many years ago. This unique town is an old Welsh mining community. Pasties were sent with the miners for their lunch repast. (By the way, do NOT make the mistake I did in ordering in the restaurant and pronouncing pasties with a long a sound for that is something worn by a burlesque dancer! The waitress promptly corrected me!) Mary Abbott Williams sent M.E. this recipe she had tasted at her quilt guild Christmas party last year. It reminded her of pasties as well except the Cornish variety are smaller. Kudos go to Mary for sharing this delicious recipe.

TO MAKE PIES THAT THE BIRDS MAY BE ALIVE IN THEM, AND FLIE OUT WHEN IT IS CUT UP

Well, it is that time year again when playing jokes on folks is kinda expected and sorta put up with. I remember one time when I was in grade school and Patty Seigs father played a really horrible April Fools Day joke on her. It was time for Patty to get up and get ready for school anyway so he yelled up to her to hurry and get dressed and downstairs because the house was on fire! Thank goodness at our house we did the mundane jokes of something spilled on a clean dress. The teacher in M.E. makes me share the following with you all. This IS a real recipe, however, and if you want to try it, be my guest! (I would highly recommend that you wait to try it when you can serve it outdoors!) It was a rather popular dish in the 1500 and 1600s and comes from a 1630 cookbook. The dish provided the entertainment for the banquet. Anyway, the dish was served with eatable pies, of course, and since there was no glass in the windows, the birds would eventually fly away. My bet would be that folks had to look out for their heads, however! No doubt something was dropped during the escapement! So, dont feel sorry for the birdies but save your commiseration for the guests around the table! I think you will now realize the meaning behind the Sing a Song of Sixpence nursery rhyme that says, Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. For you bird lovers, they were not actually baked in the pie as the recipes directions will show.

BOURBON NUT BREAD

On the last day before school started, Mattie had many errands to run and Stephen met her and the boys for lunch. As they were leaving, Nate said to his daddy, I think it is VERY nice of your work to let you have lunch with your family! Mattie then said to the kid, Oh, it really IS! They have someone come to his desk and unlock the chain they have him affixed to his chair! Stephen looked at her with a wary eye so she explained that this was for HIS telling Nate years ago that chocolate milk came from brown cows, a fact the kid insists is true to this day.Well, after all, his daddy DID tell him, right? When Stephen was away overnight for a job interview, the boys had made a fort out of a draped blanket and pillows stacked up by Nates bed.They wanted to sleep there and that was fine with Mattie. In a little bit, however, Isaac informed his Mommy that he was low and in testing, she found he was. After drinking some juice, he wanted to sleep with her. So,when Nate got up later, Mattie told him that Ike was in bed with her and if he wanted, he could join them. He did. Next morning, Nate asked, Mommy, do you know why I wanted to get in bed with you last night? NO. Well, it was cause you did not have Stephen to snuggle with! Do you call your father THAT? No, but YOU do! Ellen Sauer gave M.E. this recipe many moons ago and it is melt-in-your-mouth good. It also freezes well for later use.

PASSOVER CAKE

Last August Mattie reminded Nate that he was to go to the eye doctor the next day. Nate asked her why he had to go to this doctor and was told,You have to go because you cannot see a thing. Nate then informed his mommy that he could see EVERYTHING! Then why did you fail the eye test at your yearly checkup at the pediatrician? You did not get anything right on it. Nates answer was, I was standing too far away and could not see the letters! Mommys answer? Precisely! Come to find out, the eye specialist told Mattie that she could not believe that the child had learned to read. He is now a cool looking kid with really cool looking glasses, sorta Harry Potterish. A Disney catalog arrived at the Krauheim household in August and Isaac took it right away and went off by himself to look at it. Soon he was back for he had found HERBIE PAJAMAS and also a Halloween outfit to go with the new Herbie movie. It did not matter to Isaac that the owner of the car this time around was a girl. Nate wanted to be Darth Vader for Halloween. These kids plan WAY in advance! The word somehow got to Grammy who then took care of the ordering! My sister, Margaret Garner, got this recipe from a Jewish friend of hers many years ago up at West Lafayette, Indiana. She shared it with M.E. and I am passing it on to you, as this is the time of year to serve it. This is a most unusually delicious cake.

NOODLY TOMATO SOUP

2005 was a topsy turvy year for us. Last spring John walked around on a broken hip for 12 weeks before the fissure was discovered and a new hip was put in. I, too, was having hip problems but was relieved when Dr. Leaming told me I did not need replacements.Then, our kids decided they would build an in-law addition to their Connecticut home. We were all set to become Nutmegs when Stephen was offered a job with Rolls Royce here in Indy. We looked around and found the perfect place to move to, a CDI patio home in Franklin Township that was on one floor and only a few minutes drive away from the children.Our kids are living in our old house while their new one is being built in the Triton school district.It is wonderful having them so close and it is nice for Stephen to be much closer to his mother as well. Stephen had to leave CT before their house sold. At the airport, he told the boys that THEY would have to be the men of the house. This sorta slid by right over the four year olds head but seven year old Nate took it MOST seriously.He informed his mother on the way home from the airport that if she needed help to just call on him for HE was the man of the house. Next morning, he demanded waffles for breakfast because HE was the man of the house.Nate was helping Isaac put on his shoes, much to Ikes disgust, when Nate informed him that HE was the man of the house and it was HIS job to help and Isaac had to do what he said! Growing up, we never had noodles in our tomato soup but I think they are a delicious addition.See what you think.

POPCORN CAKE

Doctor John Barker is our family doctor.We are SO fortunate to have this most caring and astute man to see to our medical needs.His Girl Friday at the front desk is his very organized and fun wife, Marsha.She would often ask about our grandkids and I would have a funny story to tell her.Well, SHE had a story for M.E. one day that I just LOVE! It seems that one day a grandfather came in with his granddaughter,Hannah, in tow. Grandpa began to tell his story to Marsha and Hannah was sort put out with him, for I am sure she had heard him tell it many times.(Cool it Hannah! This is the prerogative of grandparents!)It seems that one day five year old Hannah was seated in her car seat in the back of the grandparents car. The two in front were having an argument, the usual kind, nothing really bad but an argument none the less.This confrontation went on for awhile but was quelled when all of a sudden, a voice in the back seat announced,You two stop acting like little kids!I am the only adult in this car! Out of the mouths of babes..... Kids of all ages like this cake.After our daughter started full time school, I began substitute teaching in Indianapolis and Warren schools and in the Shelby County Triton schools.Often when I would be covering for a teacher for several days, I would bring in a treat and this cake seemed to be the most popular one with the elementary kids.It is colorful and, really,what is NOT to like? found kids did not always like nuts or were not able eat them, so I would leave out that part and just add a few more of the candies.

A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SALAD

Nates Cub Scout den sold popcorn at the Durham,Connecticut, Fair last October. It had been a rainy time all weekend but except for the fair closing the Saturday afternoon,(the fairgrounds are on a flood plain of the lovely Connecticut River,) it went full blast. Their den sold on the Sunday and if the boys sold popcorn and the people took the ticket they were given,they could make the unlucky fellow in the dunking tank go into the water.The boys thought Nates daddy was really funny getting all wet! One man was accosted by Nate to buy popcorn and the man did.When he came up to the booth to give Mattie his money, he said to her,How could I resist that face? Mattie asssured him that SHE had that very same problem everyday! Last Christmas Midge King served this delicious salad along with a LOT of other goodies on Christmas Eve Day.However, do not wait for Christmas to serve this to your loved ones.

HOT BROCCOLI DIP

You are getting two recipes for the price of one this week. After feasting at the Kings, John and I then drove down to Red and Glenna Whittingtons home in Columbus, Indiana, for their annual family Christmas Eve get together. This year, their grandson,John Whittington, brought Karlene Corle, his most charming lady friend,who in turn brought this verydelicious appetizer.Of course, I just HAD to get the recipe so I could share it with all of you!

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Mattie had a phone that she had used in her office but had it replaced with another one.The boys were allowed to play with it.One day Nate wanted to know if he could take it apart to see what it looked like inside and was allowed to use a screwdriver to the thing. Neither parent was really paying attention to what the boys were doing when all of a sudden, they received a phone call from the Middletown, Connecticut, dispatcher wanting to know why they had called 911 and was everything all right? The dispatcher who called was VERY nice and MOST understanding.The boys were playing outside when Nate ran in calling to his daddy that a policeman was there! Stephen told the boys that the man was probably there because of the 911 call. The policeman, too, was MOST understanding and told them that this mistake happened often. The parents were glad to know that there was a follow up. In a little bit, however, Nate came in to inform Mattie that he had been really sick out on the deck. He had vomited because he thought the policeman was coming to get him because he had dialed 911! I bet that will be a lesson not soon forgotten! My sister Anne really likes this type soup. I was so glad to get a terrific recipe from the late Fleta Johannson of Columbus, Indiana, so I could fix it for her.This is very easy to make and SO good!Trust M.E,.any recipe from Fleta is a winner!

PATTYS APPETIZERS

Patty Smith related this funny storyto M. E. Her six year old and 2 1/2 year old nephews had moved into a new neighborhood and house.They were learning all the kids in the neighborhood.The house across the street had five kids and all came over one afternoon to play.One little girl and 6 year old Austin and 2 1/2 year old Jack were talking.Their mother happened to be where she could overhear what they were saying, thank goodness. The girl announced that HER birthday is in February.Austin came up with,Well, MY birthday is September First and I just had it! There was a bit of a pause when 2 1/2 year old Jack said, Well, MY name is Gaterade!Jack just HAD to fit in with these big kids! When Austin was around four, he was at his Aunt Pattys house waiting for her to take him swimming. She was still just in her swim suit brushing her teeth when he stood there, looked up and down at her and said,Aunt Patty.....uh..... um....how come you have so much body? He was being SUCH a diplomatic gentleman to his favorite auntie! It was four gals who went to Tennessee for a week last October. My sister, Anne, was able to get us a Presidential Suite that had a bedroom and its own bath for each gal plus a WONDERFUL Great Room. The Donald had NOTHING on us! It was a week of relaxing and taking it easyand seeing Smoke on the Mountain. We did more cooking in this time as well. Patty,who maintains that she is NOT a cook, made these very fattening but delicious yummies. She says that when she takes them to a pitch in, she never brings any home with her.They did not reheat well in the microwave but I think they would do well in a toaster oven.

SCRAPPLE

One Sunday last August, the kids drove down to a beach area they favored.As always, everyone had something to carry from the car down to the beach.Isaac soon began to grumble with,I given toy bag and biadeedees bag (read diabetes bag here).Theytoo heavy! I cannot carry this! I am to wittle! I am too tiny! Mommy, will you carry these? Mattie told him that her hands were full but maybe Nate would exchange something with him. So, good hearted Nate gave Ike the towels he was carrying and took the toy bag along with the pole for the umbrella.This still would not do for this little con artist. He complained again about the biadeedees bag being too heavyand so Nate ended up with it, too. Mattie turned to Stephen and said, See what I mean? This kid cons people into doing things for him because he is so cute! This is MOST delicious.It is a recipe that the very early settlers often cooked. I have simmered a hunk of pork in water and used the broth and the meat finely cut up and then I got a bit wiser a few years ago and began to use ground fresh pork (no seasoning unless it has salt and pepper) and that was MUCH easier.Do try this for it is really, really good.

HOT GERMAN POTATO SALAD

One day last August, Nate came running into the house yelling,Mommy! Mommy! Look here!and rushed up to Mattie with a HUGE frog in his hand and shoved it right in front of her nose.After admiring the frog to Nates satisfaction (the thing was discovered in their watering can) she told Nate to take the amphibian back outside.Isaac wanted to see it, of course, so Nate let him hold the thing.Poor frog.It no doubt got squeezed.It was decided, after a suggestion from Mommy,that the frog should be left alone.Isaac was MOST unhappy and cried, I don wanna froggie go wywood! Mattie could not figure out what the kid was saying so Nate translated for him with,He does not want the frog to go back to the wild! The next day a book on tadpoles was checked out from the library. My mother always made this dish that came from her German heritage. I learned to make it from watching her.There was no measuring.It was done by the eye. So, when I began to get requests for it, I had to really get down to brass tacks and figure out amounts.Betty Bruner Kerrigan of Cambridge City and now Greenfield wanted a recipe last summer she could take to a pitch-in that did not have mayonnaise in it and this dish did the trick for her.I decided that since there was such a clamor for a good recipe like this, I had best share it with you readers.I think this is even good cold!

OMELETS IN A BAG

Last August several mothers and their children in Isaacs preschool class had a play date. They drove to a local family owned fruit farm where they picked blueberries. Nate informed everyone there that HIS mommy had baked the MOST delicious cake for him the evening before. When asked if it was his birthday, he told them not. The ladies could not get over the fact that Mattie would make from scratch a cake for no special reason other than she had the oven going anyway. Later,when picking, she and a mother talked about how hard it was to think of menus for meals. Mattie said that they were going to have Make Your Own Pizza that night and the gal asked what that was. It simply means that each person is given a gob of pizza dough and he spreads it out and puts on what he likes best.The woman then wanted to know where Mattie gets her dough. Duh! You make your own dough?was her reaction. When Nate told that his mommy was going to make a very New England dish of blueberry pie with some of the berries, the lady AGAIN wanted to know where Mattie got her dough. She was amazed that Mattie made her own. Stephen amazed his co-workers one day with the fact that he brews his own tea he puts in a thermos to take to work. Imagine that!!! When teaching third grade in my home town of Cambridge City, Indiana, I had Bonnie Bertsch my favorite year there. When I began to teach fifth grade just up the road in Hagerstown, Indiana, my sister, Anne, took over my classroom! She had Bonnies younger brother, Jimmy. Little did I realize that in later years I would become good friends with Dr. Jim Bertsch and his delightful wife, Norma. It is she who sent this MOST interesting recipe. As she wrote, it reads like a fun and different twist to serving breakfast to guests or family, which it is! It certainly is worth passing on. (This recipe must be making the rounds in my home town of Cambridge City for I also recently received it from classmate Nadine Tague Reisert as well!)

TOASTING WHITE BREAD

Our kids have two cats, Quincy and Milhouse.Milhouse LOVES to hunt.One day he evidentially encountered something that got the best of him.Mattie noticed blood all over his long haired belly and the cat was acting lethargic.The next day, she and Isaac took Milhouse to the vet while Nate was attending a morning basketball camp.The cat was very well behaved during the shaving and searching and shaving and searching.They finally found a hole that looked to Mattie what she thought a bullet hole would look like. The vet surmised the damage was done by a tooth.A very large one.Anyway,the vet (who is a Purdue grad by the way!) said to his assistant that they would have to take Milhouse to another room to flush out the wound with some antibiotic solution.They left with the feline. Isaac looked up at his mommy with HUGE eyes and had an arm going around like a windmill and said in a MOST desperate voice, Mommy! Mommy! They going to flush Milhouse down the potty! So, she had to explain to the tyke that the word flush has more than one meaning! Gordon Goodnight,formally of Hagerstown, got this recipe from Mary Hart who was at one time the extension agent for Wayne County, Indiana. Mary lived in Milton. Anyway,Gordon gave this recipe to M.E.many years ago. I do not think that this bread is great for making sandwiches but it is WONDERFUL eaten as toast, hence the name. AND, best of all, it is SO easy to make.

ELLEN SAUERS ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

Nate LOVES playing with his Legos. He got a pirate ship from Santa and has put the thing together and taken it apart a hundred times. He was putting it together in the boys bedroom one day when Isaac was REALLY being noisy as only Isaac can do. Nate went to the top of the stairs and called down to his daddy asking him if HE could get Isaac to quiet down because he was not able to concentrate on his ship building. Stephen talked with Nate about first trying to put Ike out of his mind by trying to REALLY concentrate since the room was also Isaacs. Nate stomped back to the ship (this was NOT the answer he was looking for obviously) and said to his little brother, Isaac, will you PLEASE be quiet? The little one answered with a very loud, NO! Why not? big brother asked and that little poop said, Cause I do not WANT to! Poor Nate! One day last March I got a MOST welcome phone call from good friend Ellen Sauer from up in northern Minnesota. She had enjoyed, as had we, the roasted red pepper soup served at Carnegies, that fantastic restaurant in Greenfield, Indiana.With some experimentation, she was able to replicate this recipe. She did a fantastic job of it and for those of you who cannot enjoy this soup in Greenfield, you can make it at home. My husband maintains that he would like to get in a tub full of this soup and just slurp his way out!

NO MAYO POTATO SALAD

Last fall, it was Isaacs turn to take something to share with his preschool class. Mattie asked him what he was going to take and was told, Dog Wed! (Dog Red.) He informed her that he got Dog Wed at the biodeedees hospital. (Diabetes Hospital.) Dog Wed can wag his tail and sometimes he wicks me! the young un told his mommy. And, Dog Wed has biodeedees like ME! Does Dog Wed get his finger tested? YES! He does! Does he get a shot? NO! Isaac was VERY emphatic about that onerous bit of being a diabetic. I have absolutely NO idea where this recipe came from. I have a sneaky feeling that some kind person gave it to M.E. when I was talking with another friend, Betty Jean Kerrigan, about how careful one has to be in hot weather when using mayonnaise. Well, this SHOULD be a concern and this salad is a delicious way to serve a yummy salad and not to have to worry about the mayo! At that time, the only recipe I had to share with Betty Jean was my mothers Hot German Potato Salad, a recipe I shared with you all in May.

OLIVE POTATOES

One evening late last summer, Stephen called Mattie to say he would be late getting home from work and would call just as he was leaving. So, Mattie sat on the sofa and knitted and let the boys watch TV while waiting for his call so she could finish getting dinner ready. Isaac was sitting beside her looking through a catalog of clothes for children. She noticed that he zipped through the first section showing girlsclothing. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a tap on her leg and looked down at Ike and saw that he was pointing to a particular shirt. She asked him if he wanted it. He nodded his head Yes. Then, a couple pages later, there was another tap and a nod. This went on several times. The only time the kid said a word was when he came to several pairs of pants and all he said then was, BLUE! Guess what HIS favorite color is? This is a kid who will want to change his clothes several times a day if he can get away with it. Good herbie friend and former elementary school teacher, Sara Epler, brought this dish to a Columbus, Indiana, Herb Society meeting last year. Of course, EVERYONE wanted the recipe. We ALWAYS want the recipe of whatever dish Sara brings to share. She is an excellent cook and not afraid to tackle something new. This particular recipe Sara gleaned from a friend who told her it was the friends husbands favorite potato dish. However, the hubby calls it A Heart Attack On A Plate! It sure is yummy and surely if one does not pig out and have it too often then????

SUMMER DESSERT PIZZA

I apologize right from the get-go for being so late in the fruit availability season for you to try this dessert but if I remember correctly, we were able to get fresh blueberries rather late. If they are not available, put on your thinking cap and come up with something else. You may just invent a new taste treat! I have seen and tried several of these recipes but this one tops the list. It is so interesting to M.E. on how we have memories of some foods. A certain smell will bring a particular dish or an event to mind that will leave an indelible memory. Such is the case here.This recipe came to M.E. by way of Betty Jean Kerrigan of Greenfield, Indiana. She got the recipe from a cousins wife, Gracie Poe. Kenny and Gracie had Betty Jean and her husband and another cousin, Ronnie, and his wife to supper in their Greenwood home about a year ago and served this very refreshing dessert. Sadly, last August, Ronnie was diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer and was given six months to live. They thought they had it in remission but the cancer returned and they lost Ronnie about a month ago. He was Betty Jeans age. That is always scary. This recipe reminds Betty Jean of that wonderful evening they all had together.

BLACK FOREST PUDDING CAKE

Last winter Mattie was putting nail polish on her toe nails which caused Nate to ask why she was doing such a thing. She explained to him that some girls just liked to do that. He then wanted to know if it washed off so she explained about nail polish remover. Nate then wanted to know if HE had to wear nail polish and was told he did not.To make sure, he asked, Nobody is going to make me wear nail polish? and was assured they would not. Then little Ike piped up with, I LIKE it! I WANT pinky toes! One evening Nate asked Mattie what she was fixing them for supper and was told chicken. He looked at what she was doing---mixing up something that took chicken breasts. He then informed her that HE liked BIG chickens, for HE liked a leg! She often roasts a whole chicken. Isaac then piped up with, Me too! I wike legs too! A week later, on their way home from school, Mattie told Nate that they were going to have something special for supper that night and he asked what it was. She told him that it was going to be chicken. There was silence from the back seat for a few seconds and then Nate asked tremulously, A BIG chicken? and was assured that there WOULD be legs, in fact, FOUR of them as the store had buy one whole chicken and get a second one free. I received this recipe from our Bloomington friend, Pat Page, while he was still a bachelor. Now that he is a recent newlywed, I am wondering if he will make this for his new wife. It IS a delicious cake and would be a real new wife pleaser.

CARAMEL CORN PUFFS

I really worried between Christmas and New Years last year. Stephen had flown out to be with his family for Christmas and after the 25th, the kids had to hurry and get ready for the movers. Their house had sold and they were moving back to good ol Hoosier Land. We had down-sized from our old house to a CDI patio home (no stairs!) a seven minutes drive away just off Edgewood Avenue so the old house was ready (sorta) for the kids to move into. They decided to drive back in one day. They had originally planned to fly but taking two cats and two mini hampsters were phenomenal both in charges and in how they were to be packed. I am a worrier. I can ALWAYS imagine the worst scenario and so, of course, I did. Mother Nature was kind, however and their drive, albeit a long and tedious one, went smoothly. Having the kids live in our old house until their new house would be built has been a boon for us because we can just bring out to our new place what we can use as we find a place for it, (i.e., pictures.) Poor Mattie! She would see a piece of furniture or a closet and think, Oh, boy! I can store something in here, only to find said area was jammed full of OUR stuff. My sister Anne always refers to Kay Stafford (her late husbands niece) as Niece Kay in order to differentiate the difference from her and a friend also named Kay. Niece Kay and her delightful granddaughter Jonna, came to visit Anne and brought this most unusual and delicious snack treat. Anne got the recipe, of course, and shared it with M.E. so I could share it with you all. Anne says that you will need a VERY LARGE pan for the mixture and she is not just whistlin Dixie either, for when you open the bag of corn puffs, they seem to grow BIG time!

RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

Before the kids moved back to Indiana, I inquired around on what preschools were available in the area for four year old Isaac to attend. Mattie was thrilled I had found, (thanks to Dorothy Wilfong,) one that had teachers who also had children who were diabetic so they knew the drill. This school, called Happy Times Preschool, is located in New Palestine, just a hop, skip and jump up the road. They must have happy times there for Isaac really enjoyed going to school every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. One day Mattie volunteered to drive when the school went on a field trip to see the helicopters at the National Guard Armory in Shelby County. When the children got ensconced into Matties van, one little voice from the back piped up with, What are we going to watch on TV? The driver had to inform the kid that there was no TV in her van. Mattie had noticed that some cars had the idiot box going when the little ones were brought to school. Is there something wrong with this picture? What is bad about watching the scenery go by? When they got to the destination of the field trip, the head teacher asked the children if they saw the horses on the race track as they drove by. One youngster told her, WE were watching TV! Nuff said! Now, if you have had the misfortune to have had a bad experience or two with rhubarb, please do realize that THIS is one way of using this fruit that you will probably like. Trust M.E. I got this recipe many, many moons ago. I like the fact that one does not have to fool around with a top crust. Usually one can still use rhubarb even this late in the summer. If you cannot get it, be sure to file this away for next spring. Rhubarb freezes so well that I would always try to have a couple bags full frozen so that we could enjoy the pie in the dead of winter. I have moved away from my rhubarb so must depend on farmersmarkets. I have had friends who would maintain they absolutely did not like rhubarb, would change their minds after a bite of this pie. This is a very easy recipe. Do give it a try.

MRS. GAUGHS TOMATO PRESERVES

Nate began his second semester of second grade in Mrs. Jaggers room at Triton Elementary. What I think is so neat is that Mattie had Mrs. J. for fourth grade at Triton North Elementary twenty-four years ago! She was a good teacher then and still is. She helped Nate settle in and learn the rules. The poor kid soon found that discipline was more strict here than it was in Portland, Connecticut. They were also further ahead in math. The one thing that one would NOT want to receive in Mrs. Jaggers room was a punch! Every day the first thing Nate would tell his mother was whether he got a punch or not (he was very honest with this) and if he did, what was done to deserve it. There is a piece of paper on each childs desk and if a rule is broken, a paper punch is used to make a hole. For a week free of punches, there was a small reward of some kind at home for Nate. So began the saying, We now have a Punch Free Zone! for a day or a week. Nate at first would just get up and wander around the room or talk without holding up his hand to get permission to talk. He did loud talking in the restroom and gave forth, along with others, with a VERY loud belch HE thought funny while walking down the hall. So, the kid was learning things other than Readin, Writin and Rithmatic. John Bremer of Shelbyville e-mailed me with a request for tomato preserves. I was able to share two recipes for this delicacy. My husband likes the second one but I prefer the one with the candied (preserved) ginger.

PICKLED PASTA

Nate had his spring break a week before Isaac did. He was really looking forward to being with Mommy like Isaac got to do. On the Wednesday, Nate wanted to go inside to see Ikes school. He readily clambered out of the van and marched right up to the door with Ike leading the way. When inside, however, Nate cringed and stuck to Mattie like a lean tick. He was that way the whole time Isaac showed him the various areas. When they got back out to the car, Mattie grilled Nate on why he acted so strangely. The answer? There were GIRLS in there! One of Isaacs teachers has a daughter who also attends second grade at Triton Elementary but in a different room and she showed Nate a picture of her. Did he recognize the girl? OF COURSE NOT! The first day of Nates spring break, I asked to talk with him. When he got on the phone, I asked, Nate! What is the matter? Why are you not in school? Are you sick? Mattie said she wondered what it was I was saying to him for he got the most perplexed look on his face. Nate stammered a bit and then said, Oh, Gram, I am on spring break! I then asked him if he had broken anything yet since he was on spring BREAK? So, each day I would do this old burlesque like routine with him and he would giggle and giggle. Crazy Grammy! Now, this is a MOST delicious side dish and one that is really good to have in hot weather. Did I say HOT weather? Well, when I first had this dish, it was in December when vivacious Judy Nichols brought this dish to a Columbus Herb Society gathering and it was a huge hit. So, I guess one CAN say this is delicious any ol time of the year, right? I have made this once without the onion, another time without the cucumber but I always have the parsley. It really is best made with one of those unusually-shaped pastas. It keeps well in the fridge for several days. And, what with there being no mayonnaise, it is safe to take to an out door summer pitch-in.

GREEN 'TOMATER' PIE

This time of year a fella usually has some tomatoes on the vines that are green and will not have the time to ripen, so I have one suggestion on how to use some of them. This recipe was given to M.E. many years ago by good friend Mary Hammer. She had remembered this pie being called Poor Mans Mincemeat Pie since there is no meat in it. It is also rumored that one can eat a piece of this and get the savor of a piece of mincemeat pie without getting the collerywobbles (and the calories!) afterwards. This reminds me of James Whitcomb Rileys poem titled, The Nine Little Goblins, in which a little boy had a horrible nightmare about goblins. The reason for the bad dream was stated at the end by this Hoosier poet: Tis only a vision the mind invents, After a supper of cold mince-pies The poor little laddie ate too much mincemeat pie and got the collerywobbles! Just make sure that the pie has COMPLETELY cooled before eating it. It is surprisingly delicious and is a favorite of ours. The year does not seem right if we dont have this at least once. Between this pie and fried green tomatoes, it was a wonder we ever got any ripe tomatoes to eat!

EASY HOMEMADE TURTLES

When our kids moved to Shelby County, Mattie assumed that they would be taking their four and a half year old diabetic to Riley Childrens Hospital. Not so. When they found out that it would be months before they could get Isaac in there to see a specialist, they contacted a pediatrician in New Palestine who recommended Dr. Cagle up at Community North. They got an appointment with him four days later! That beats four months ANY day! Mattie was MOST impressed with Dr. Cagle on their first visit. While she and the doctor were talking, Isaac decided that at that particular time, he was an inch worm (one never knows what animal the kid is going to be from day to day) and proceeded to lie on his back, scoot with his bottom until his legs were up, then stretch out, scoot, etc. The doctor was not fazed a bit with this behavior. When leaving through the waiting room, Isaac then decided to walk backwards facing his mother who told him that he could bump into something which he did, of course. The ladies working there thought he was SO cute. Well,he IS!!! Even though we are not living in our other house, we still want John Long of Long and Sons Heating and Cooling in Greenfield to lake care of our heat pump. Such a situation arrived end of May. In e-mailing Johns wife Mona, she also sent, a recipe along with information when he could come out to the house! Now, THAT is what I call service!!! These are easy to make. These are delicious. Monas nine year old daughter, (who loves to cook,) makes them all the time. When taken to a pitch-in, they seem to disappear right away. What more could you ask for?

LIGHT AND FLUFFY PEANUT BUTTER PIE

After we moved, our 14 year old black and white cat Fearless had to be put down. We have never had to do this before and is an experience I would rather have done without .It was a few weeks later that friends Butch and Barbara King brought us a seven week old black and white kitten for our anniversary. They had taken a pet of theirs to their vet. A few days before, this vet had seen a stray kitten at his place and finally caught it and brought it in hoping to find a home for it. B & B left it with us with the understanding that if he did not work out here with our two remaining cats, they would take him. Mattie wants a kitten (in fact, she wants two---one for each boy) but Stephen feels that they should not get a kitten (notice he is thinking ONE) until after they have had their mini vacations this summer. He feels (and I concur) that a kitten should not be left alone right after bringing him into a home. So, if this feline did not work out here, it would have to go to B & B. Well, you know full well what happened. He is SO cute. He is marked funny on the face so that you just laugh every time you look at him, just like we did with Fearless. He is driving us nuts with his antics however. We have had to put all the smalls away for he would knock down anything smaller than himself and bat it around the place. To get rest at night, we have had to put him in the garage. His gives Bruin no respite as the little one often attacks him. We take him off if Bruin gets to howling too much. We figure that this will either kill Bruin or make him younger. Bruin was seven when we got Fearless and we feel that that kept Bruin young so we are hoping the same this time. However, Bruin thinks that Life is not fair. Here he is, almost 20 human years old, blind in his left eye (cataract), deaf as a post, skinny as a rail and suffers greatly from arthritis but he still keeps going and eats and drinks and poops and pees like a race horse! John says he probably will outlive Bobette and maybe even the kitten whose name, by the way, is Jacob after Johns grandfather. John always insists on naming our cats. I would have given him a non human name myself but there it is. Butch Kings mother, Midge, gave M.E. this recipe some time ago. It is so easy to make and really delicious. It gives a light peanut butter taste. I am not fond of peanuts nor its butter but this I do like. (I know. Not liking peanut butter is just Un-American and weird! I do not care for apple pie either, so there!)

CHEESE PUFF

Many of you readers will recall Rose and Ben Wilfong, children of Steve Wilfong, a former student of mine and Johns. They all live at the honey place in Boggstown, Indiana. It is extra special to keep in contact with former students. Steves wife Dorothy will e-mail M.E. what the young ones are up to periodically and one particular time I laughed so hard I nearly fell off my chair! It happened that Rose had a birthday in June. On Flag Day. (One day she just might assume that the flags are flying for HER! ) Anyway, Roses Grandma Ruth (her daddys mommy) gave Rose a special present. The birthday girl was told that the gift had to be opened VERY carefully because it was fragile and a collectible. There was a serious discussion with Grandma Ruth on what the word collectible meant---DONT TOUCH! This special gift turned out to be a doll from the Marie Osmond Fine Collectibles Collection called Princess Rose Bud. The doll had an ivory lace dress and dark hair, very lovely but breakable, so it was viewed from afar. A couple weeks later, Dorothy looked at a pile of clothes, a dirty shirt, shorts and underwear, lying beside Bens bed! Of course, Dorothy asked the young man why those clothes were there on the floor. His response---Mom, they are COLLECTIBLES! This recipe comes from Ellen Sauer, my special friend from up in northern Minnesota. She is one of those rare women who can do ANYTHING. Whatever craft she would take up, she would excel in. She has been a successful business woman as well. She is one of those cooks whom you just know whatever she serves you will be wonderfully delicious. I think that this recipe is made special with the use of green onions. This is for only two servings, but one can easily double or triple the recipe as needed.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

In May, Mattie purchased one of those wonderfully delicious sweet golden pineapples. She was going to wait for it to fully ripen when the leaves would pull out easily from the top. The thing was setting down low where Isaac could talk to it. He informed his mommy that the pineapple was his friend and she could NOT cut it up and eat it. (Shades of his Grammy when the crippled chicken who had befriended her finally ended up on a platter one day---the only time Grammy did not eat fried chicken!) Anyway, the time came for some fruit eating at the Krautheim household so when Isaac was not around, the thing got butchered. Stephen and Mattie were eating some pineapple later on and Isaac, being the fruit hound he is, wanted a bite so Mattie put a piece in his mouth. He began to chew, then looked down to where the fruit used to set, covered his mouth with both hands, looked up with big eyes at the parents and said, Oh! THAT is my fawend! There was a pause and then, still chewing, the tyke said,Oh, but my fawend is verwy dewishus! There are probably as many versions of this cake as there are cooks but trust M.E., this is a winner. My husband likes this cake to be done in layers which is more trouble but much prettier. It is so light tasting that you are not even conscious of ingesting all those calories. (It cannot be TOO calorie laden with all that fruit, right?) Treat yourself and your loved ones to a real taste treat by fixing this cake soon. We can all thank Norma Carson of Rockcreek Township in Bartholomew County Indiana for this one.

SWISS APPLE PIE

Hooray! The local fall apples are here and Beulah Schrader of Franklin, Indiana, knows a VERY delicious way to use some. In fact, she came up with a prize winner. I mean this literally. Beulah won a blue ribbon and Reserve Champion with this recipe at the Johnson County Fair last July. This is a different kind of recipe as it is more like the type of pie one would get served in Europe. I am sure that your friends and family will consider YOU a prize winner when you make this for them.

MARGARETS CRANBERRY SALAD

When my nephew and his wife, Steve and Ellen Garner, invited us up to their lovely home in the Noblesville area to a familiy reunion and pitch-in, I thought the thing to bring was Steves moms cranberry salad. It is fantastic. I think It brought back memories for the Garners attending and requests for the recipe. Here it is for you to try and just in time for Turkey Day too!

PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE

FINALLY the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie hit the theaters and as soon as they could, the Krautheim family attended. Nate and Isaac insisted on wearing their priate hats from their Halloween costumes of two years ago. The swords and daggers had to stay home, of course. When they got to the ticket seller, Mattie asked him if he had any idea what movie they had come to see. Four tickets for the pirates movie! was quickly announced and tickets were handed over. All Nate could remember of his Grammy was that she wore her hair short and straight. Well, I got tired of that look and decided to go back to Fred Hornsby and have him give me one of his fabulous perms. A couple days later, John and I went out to our old house and I figured that Isaac, who always sees and remarks on EVERYTHING would say something about my hair. But no! It was the usually unobservant day dreamy Nate who looked up at my head and exclaimed, Grammy! Why is your hair so CRAZY? I guess that WAS an apt descriptiion for hair that was straight as a stick one day with big soft curls the next! Here is another really delicious recipe from the late Fleta Johanson of Columbus, Indiana. She was one of those cooks one could always depend upon receiving really good recipes.

TOMATO BASIL DROP BISCUITS

My right foot began to hurt horrifically so Dr. Gibney ordered x-rays. They showed that I had a fracture but it was no ordinary one, oh, no! It was a fracture with a name (Jones) which the good doctor told M.E. was bad. It was named after a British doctor who did this fracture on his own foot while prancing merrily around a May Day Pole at the turn of the 20th Century! When a Terminator Boot was placed on my right foot, I informed Dr. Gibney that I was going to have to work on building up a genuine sounding German accent. He came back with, Well you will have to move to California for THAT! A Terminator Boot would not mean anything to our little ones, so I told them I was wearing a Star Wars boot and they were MOST impressed! I was so very grateful we had moved into our CSI one level home that has extra wide doorways for my wheelchair. The worst part of this fracture was the fact that I was unable to drive. You might know it would be the right foot that was affected! Charlene Rupp is a member of the Central Indiana Unit of the Herb Society of America. She sent me this recipe that I made and served with the Ravioli soup The recipe for which I shared with you all last week. The dried herbs are all right I guess but there is NOTHING to equal fresh so use fresh if you can.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH WHITE BEANS AND PECORINO

It is a sad occasion when a pet dies but when one watches a pet get killed, the situation becomes VERY traumatic. Such was the case for almost eight year old Nate last April when his cat, Milhouse, was hit by a car. The neighborhood woman could not avoid the cat rushing across the street in front of her. Mattie has decided that Milhouse will be the last outdoor cat they are going to have. I think that is a good lesson was learned here. It really broke my heart when Nate looked up to me with those soulful brown eyes of his and said, Grammy, when I die and go to Heaven, I WILL see Milhouse again, wont I? Barbara Kings brother, John McGraw and his lovely wife, Susie and daughter Bailey, live in Ft. Wayne. They invited John and me to Thanksgiving in their wonderful home again last year. The members of this family are ALL a lot of fun to be around. They make us feel as though we are a part of their family as well. John cooked this dish after our arrival and the smell of it made the salivary glands begin working overtime so it is all Johns fault that I over ate! (Gotta lay the blame SOMEWHERE!) You will never regret making this dish and your family and friends will be forever grateful to you as well.

RAVIOLI SOUP

In the summer at our church, Sunday School for the little ones is rather laid back and they are all in one group. This is during the regular church service after the special sermonette up front with the minister. One Sunday in July, Nate got into DEEP trouble with the Parents. It seems that the children were given a picture of a car that had a license plate on it that read, I love Jesus. Nate, however, thought otherwise for he scratched out that message and wrote one of his ownI love Star Wars! Hearing his big brother being chewed out right royally, Isaac straightened up his little body, looked up to Stephen and Mattie and pontificated in a MOST cherubic manner, Well, I wuv Jesus! I was a long time in getting around to fixing this soup given to M.E. by Izetta Brokering who attends our church. She said it was easy and good and she was not wrong on that score. I even had the nerve to serve it to guests, letting them be my guinea pigs! It was deemed delicious by Alice Hughes and Jean Coleman and the recipe was even requested!

APPLE DUMPLINGS

When Nate got home from school on Columbus Day, he informed his mother that there was a girl on his bus that morning who was really, really angry! Mattie asked him why she felt that way. It seems that she was angry because her dad was home from work and SHE had to go to school! Mattie then remarked that her daddy must work for the government. Nate wanted to know how she would know that and his mother informed him that it was Columbus Day, a holiday when the post offices and government buildings are closed. Then, in one long sentence and in one breath Nate said, It is Columbus Day? When Columbus sailed over and discovered America with the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria? He had learned this fact a couple years ago and had never forgotten. This recipe is not one of those quick n easy ones but the trouble you go to and the love you put into it will be greatly appreciated by your loved ones. I got this many years ago from Pat Helm who ran the library and taught English at Hagerstown High School. Pats husband, Warren, taught math and Industrial Arts. The couple left in 1963 to live and teach in Carmel, north of Indianapolis. Warren passed away a few years ago. Betty Kerrigan of Greenfield, Indiana, requested a good apple dumpling recipe. That made M.E. realize that I should share this delicious recipe with all of you as well. Enjoy!

HOT PECAN DIP

When Mattie picked up Isaac from kindergarten the first day, Ike could not understand why Nate couldnt come home as well! He did not want to leave without his big brother. The second day, he informed his mother that he did not want to come home because he wanted to go with some of his new friends to Cake Club! Come to find out, his school has a K Club for kids in kindergarten whose parents work. Ike thought they served cake. So, finding out there was no cake to be had, he quickly decided it would be MUCH tastier to go home with Mommy! This dip is something you might want to fix over the holidays. Betty Johnson, a member of the Columbus, Indiana, Herb Society, brought this to a meeting. It didnt last long. Betty is one of the nicest people. She has a bubbling personality and her always positive outlook on Life is helping her fight non Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer. I am very happy to report that Betty is doing well. When I think of her, the Eveready Bunny comes to mind, for she is always on the go!

COBBLESTONE SPREAD

Our kids are building an Indiana farmhouse much like the one Johns Grandfather Retherford built at the turn of the 20th Century. They decided on a soft yellow for the house and a green roof. Green is Nates favorite color. Blue is Isaacs. So, guess whose nose was REALLY out of joint? Ike fussed and fumed and moaned and groaned because the roof was not going to be blue. Then, wise beyond his years, Nate reminded Isaac that to get green, one has to mix yellow and BLUE! Knowing that there was blue somewhere among the green shingles, pacified the five year old. Of course, Nate thought the whole house ought to be green, but he is satisfied with at least having the roof being his favorite color. Mattie told me that one afternoon, she happened to look into Isaacs bedroom and noticed that his bed was made! She began to praise the little person who does NOT like this onerous morning chore. She told him what a good job he did and asked him if he put the pillows on the bed? At least the kid was honest and admitted that Bubba had made the bed. Nate came into the room just then and informed his mother that Ike was crying that morning because he did NOT want to make his bed, so he made it for him! Would you agree with M.E. that Isaacs big brother has him spoiled? My sister Anne was also having trouble with managing the stairs in her house near Louisville so she began to look for a place on one level about the same time we were doing so. She found exactly what she wanted so got with a realtor and put her house on the market and moved into her new home. She is close to everything she wants to go to for grocery shopping, banking and good restaurants. Her home is in a big development called Cobblestone Estates. Her furniture looks so much better in the new place than it ever did in her old home. She sure is one happy camper. In fact, I wondered if she would be able to tear herself away for her annual week in Tennessee but she did and had a great time with our nephew Steve Garner and his wife Ellen. Anyway, there was a huge pitch-in picnic in the subdivision and Anne came away with this yummy and very easy to make appetizer.

CRUSTLESS SAUSAGE QUICHE

Gathering into a huddle is not only for players of the game of football, oh no!!! The three Krautheim men will gather into a HUGGLE (Isaacs name for it and so that is what they call it) by putting their heads together and arms around each others shoulders. Then all of a sudden, they break loose and attack Mommy and tickle her. That is SO much fun. Recently, however, the Mommy got the idea for her and the two little boys to make a Huggle and attack and tickle the Daddy. That was just as much fun!!! Here is an easy to make and delicious dish you might want to fix for your family some time over the holidays. Barbara King of Beech Grove, Indiana, kindly shared this recipe with M.E. and it is too good not to pass on to all of you.