Week in Review: This week we focused on celebrating Stormy as she prepares to leave for Pennsylvania in the very near future. Instead of a goodbye party, Stormy wanted to go on a farewell tour of our hometowns. So, on Friday evening, we drove over to LaPorte and met her brother Danny and his wife, Jane, and her niece, Judy and husband, Greg. We went by Stormy's old elementary school in Galena Township, which is now a banquet center. The school is in the country and there was a nice hill behind it that the kids used to sled down. (I was a little envious because my school was on the prairie) Apparently their school mascot was the Galena Midgets. (I know) We visited her parents' grave site and went by both of the homes she lived in, although one is completely gone, and so is the library she used to walk to. She checked out one book (Betsy, Tacy, and Tibb) so many times that the librarian gave it to her! We ate dinner at a renovated restaurant that used to be Duffy's Bar, Stormy's favorite place to trick or treat because they handed out regular-sized candy bars - Snickers, she thinks. We spent the night with Judy and Greg and the next morning we stopped by the outlet mall at Michigan City and purchased some Le Creuset cookware.







After that, we headed south, down Interstate 57 to Effingham, Illinois. Here I am standing in front of Funkhouser Grade School - "Little Schoolhouse with Three Baseball Diamonds on the Prairie." Only three classrooms too. This is a song that we wrote about our school when we were in the fifth grade. It's sung to the tune of "Way Down Upon the Swanee River"



"Way down the road to Old Funkhouser
School of our dreams.
There we work and study, playing never
At least that's the way it seems.
All the day is gay and happy
We love and mind each rule.
And if, to you we seem a wee bit sappy
The reason is the Funkhouser School."

We went by my old house and the house that Bob and I lived in right after we got married. We stopped by and visited briefly with Bob and Darlene and then we took Maw-Maw out to dinner at Tuscany. We spent the night with Maw-Maw and on Sunday afternoon, we met Lindsey at a spa in Carmel and got pedicures. Then we drove back to Kendallville.


Stormy's favorite Mother Ferguson saying:
"We came here for a treat and we got a treatment!"



My favorite Maw-Maw saying:
"Who do you think you are, Joey Chitwood?" (she said this when we drove too fast)


The Book Babes hosted a farewell dinner for Stormy on Wednesday night. I'm not going to say where we ate or what we ate, but I will say this: Never, ever, make the mistake of patting a large, loud, man (with workman's cleavage) on the arm when you go over to apologize sweetly and retrieve the wine stopper that went flying over to his table because you were spinning a bottle of Pinot Grigio in ice to get it cold because the establishment served you warm Pinot Grigio. Never do that.



From the Archives: Lindsey as the flower girl with Cody, the ring bearer, and Amy, who married my cousin Richard in 1986. Lindsey really kicked up her heels at the reception. My, how she danced!

"In the future, could you look like someone who enjoys his own gardening but could afford a gardener if he wanted to?"

Hyacinth to Richard

Recipe of the Week:

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

6 tablespoons melted butter

Combine crumbs and butter and press into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

1 - 14 oz. package Kraft caramels

1 - 5 ounce can evaporated milk

1 cup chopped pecans

2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted

In a saucepan, melt caramels and milk over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour over crust. Top with pecans. Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate; pour over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Garnish with shipped cream and addition finely chopped pecans, if desired.

"If you had a school for professional fireworks people, I don't think you could cover fuses in just one class. It's just too rich a subject."

Jack Handey

Week in Review: All the Book Babes were on hand to witness the marriage of Sandy and Jan on Saturday. Beautiful wedding. Great food. Good times. Here's the happy couple. We also attended a bachelorette/bachelor party in their honor on Thursday evening.




"There was something in the air that night,
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me,
For liberty, Fernando"


On Friday night Bob and I drove down to Conner Prairie to get our Mother's and Father's Day gift from Brent and Lindsey, a night at the Marsh Symphony on the Prairie. We took Stormy along with us. The featured performance was Abba The Hits, a tribute band backed up by the Indianapolis Symphony, with special guest Ulf Andersson, the original saxophonist for the REAL ABBA! In this picture, Bob and Brent are deciding whether or not they're going to trot down to the stage and shake their groove things to "Dancing Queen." They decided to stay where they were and have another piece of cake.

Speaking of Bob, he is not happy with me because on Wednesday he looked out the kitchen window and saw three groundhogs shuffling through the yard. I'm guessing that Hans told the other hogs in the Hickory Hill Hood about how he had just been sitting in his hole one afternoon, thinking about how nice it would be to have an apple, and POW, one hit him right on the head ( See previous post) Anyhoo, apparently that's too many groundhogs and he's thinking maybe I shouldn't feed them anymore. Perhaps. Perhaps.





Stella has been in the dog house lately for, once again, failing to demonstrate her dog skills by alerting the family to possible trouble. Last year she allowed raccoons to break in and this time she ignored a flood in the basement. STELLA!!!!!









From the Archives: 1958. There's nothing we enjoyed more than eating sandwiches in the back of a truck.








Recipe of the Week: Here's the recipe for the yummy crab cakes we enjoyed at our April Book Babe meeting.


Crab Cakes with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce
1 lb can crab meat
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 jalapenos (seeds removed)
1/2 small yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups saltine cracker crumbs

Remove shells from crab.
Pulse peppers (including jalapenos) and onion in food processor to medium dice and add to crab. Add cilantro and toss to distribute.
Add mayo to crab mixture, then egg, Dijon and cayenne. Toss to distribute evenly. Mix with cracker crumbs and let it rest a few minutes.
Form desired sized cakes. Place on buttered cookie sheets. Brush with butter and sprinkle with lemon pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, rest for 5 minutes, turn and serve.



Jalapeno Tartar Sauce
3 fresh whole jalapenos
1/2 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons honey
3 cups mayonnaise

Process jalapeno peppers and onion until fine. Add mayo and blend. Drizzle honey and blend slightly.






"If there was a big garden convention and you got up and gave a speech in favor of fast-motion gardening, I bet you would get booed right off the stage. They're just not ready." Jack Handey

Week in Review: Good Hans Hunting
I had not seen Hickory Hill Hans since his altercation with Maddie a few weeks ago, so I decided to try and flush him out. On Tuesday I took some carrots and an apple down to his hole to see if he would come out and eat them. The wheel in the picture is the trailer that Rob's jet ski sits on. For some reason it is backed down here in the woods. (This must be annoying to the groundhog). On Wednesday, I went back to the hole and I just happened to take my camera along, which was very fortunate, because THERE HE WAS! He jumped and started to head back down the hole, but then he just sort of froze and hung there. Look. You can even see his little ears . I tried to get a little closer after I took this picture, but he headed down into the hole. I noticed that he had eaten the apple, so I went back to the kitchen and got a few more. When I dropped them by his house, one of them rolled down into the hole. I wondered if it had hit him. I guess you could say it was a pretty slow week here.


And I had some time to compose this:

My Rant Against the Pit Bull (and other mean dogs)
I am so tired of reading and hearing about Pit Bulls attacking people. "7-Year Old Attacked in Cleveland," "Animal Control Officer Hurt in Pit Bull Attack in L.A.," "Baby Mauled by Family Pit Bull in Flint." Now, I know that this is America, and if you want to own a pet that might one day kill you and your loved ones, you have every right to do so, but, honestly: Is a Pit Bull the kind of critter you want curled up at the foot of your bed at night? And, can this dog really be anybody's best friend????


Often, after one of these attacks, somebody will speak out in defense of the Pit Bull and say that this breed is really very loyal and family-friendly, and that all dogs have the capacity to attack. Well I just want to know: When was the last time you read about a jogger being taken down by a pack of Poodles? Never. It wouldn't happen. First of all, no self-respecting Poodle would ever run in a common pack. It's beneath them. And, have you ever heard of anyone being attacked by a Shetland Sheepdog? No. Maddie and her kind want to HERD you, not HURT you.

We must make an effort to keep these mean dogs out of our neighborhoods and away from children, joggers, old people on riding lawn mowers, middle-aged women waiting on the mail man, etc., etc. I PITY THE PIT BULL THAT COMES PUSSYFOOTIN' PAST OUR PROPERTY, because I'm sure Bob would not put out the welcome mat. Thank goodness there are no Pit Bulls in our neck of the woods. Oh, we've got a passel of Pugs, and we've got Shih Tzus out the wazoo, but I've not seen a Pit Bull to date, and folks, let's keep it that way.






From the Archives: Grandpa Robert meets his seventh, and last grandchild, Baby Robert, 1989. Happy Father's Day!






Recipe of the Week: A few years ago, I taught some cooking classes to middle school students and one of the sessions was on "Comfort Foods." They really liked this baked macaroni and cheese. I don't make it very often, but when I have, I've usually paired it up with Julia's Presbyterian Green Bean Bundles. (See 2007 posts) Add some bread and you've got a very filling, and very comforting meal.

Macaroni and Cheese
16 oz box of elbow macaroni
1 stick butter
salt
pepper
8 oz grated mild cheddar cheese
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz grated Velveeta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk
paprika

Boil macaroni and drain. Add butter or margarine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cheese to the macaroni. Add eggs and milk. Sprinkle paprika on top and bake at 350 degrees till browned.



"If you're ever stuck in some thick undergrowth in your underwear, don't stop and start thinking of what other words have 'under' in them, because that's probably the first sign of jungle madness."
Jack Handey

Week in Review:

No Triple Crown
For Big Brown.
New York was hot
And he did not.........

Want to run.








Stormy had her moving sale on Saturday. She sold a lot of great stuff for peanuts. I helped her or rather, hung out with her, until I had to go get my hair cut at 12:15. I got some good buys myself - a fertilizer spreader (which I think will make a very nice anniversary gift for Brent and Lindsey) a jelly cupboard, a big stone crock, some wooden British soldiers, and an old Schwinn bike. Here's a picture of Stormy demonstrating her quality products and trying to bring in some business. She let that ladder go for ten bucks!! On Sunday evening, we went to see Sex and the City. I hadn't seen a movie at the theatre since Ratatouille, and that was almost a year ago. It was nice to see the Sex and the City girls again, but really, the movie was pretty lame. Big couldn't get out of the car and go through with the wedding ceremony???? Please. The best, and most believable part, was when they were in the street and Carrie beat him over the head with her bouquet and Charlotte screamed at him like a banshee.


From the Archives: From about ten years ago, this is Bob pretending to be the escaped gorilla at the Bubble Room on Captiva Island. Love those Carolina Moons and that Key Lime pie.







"I hope you're not going to spoil things with lower-middle class humor."
Hyacinth Bucket









Recipe of the Week:
I catered a luncheon on Sunday afternoon and for dessert I made two Pavlovas and some brownies. I wanted to find a really good brownie recipe, so I looked to the Internet for help. This recipe came from the About.com website, and these "ultimate brownies" are definitely winners. The recipe calls for 3 cups of sugar and 5 eggs! I promise that you will LOVE these brownies, and do remember, as noted before, to toast your walnuts.



The Ultimate Brownie

8 -1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (TOASTED)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.
Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat; set aside. In a mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla at high speed for ten minutes. Blend in melted chocolate, flour, and salt until just mixed. Stir in the nuts.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (Don't overbake)




"If doctors ever tell you that you've 'flipped out,' don't believe them, and just keep on doing whatever you were doing, because something tells me 'The Man' is behind this." Jack Handey

Week in Review: Whoa, did we have an exciting weekend. On Friday evening, Bob and I went to Indy to celebrate Lindsey's birthday and to help Brent and Lindsey with some tree-trimming and yard work.




"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now.
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen.
Dear lady can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know,"
That limb's gonna fall on your neighbor's fe-ence
"Ooh, and it makes me wonder."

See, there was this broken limb, caught in another tree that had been swaying precariously above their neighbor's fence for some time, so the main goal was to get that down. Bob had the idea that he could maybe tie a rope around it and he would do some sawing and pulling and "voila."


Oh, and Bob cut down three more of their trees too (one, unintentionally, but that's another story). In this picture, Bob is telling Brent just how he's going to do something or other. Brent listened attentively.




After some major sawing, Bob's Stihl chainsaw quit running, for some reason. Then, when he was up in the tree, working on the precarious limb, the Poulan chainsaw got stuck in the limb. Brent was pulling on the rope from the ground. Then Bob did some kind of pulling maneuver in the tree, and the limb came down right at him, taking the hat right off his head and pinning it to the tree trunk, as seen here. I swear, this is how close I came to driving back to Kendallville alone.


That night, over some double-cheeseburgers and onion rings at the Culver's in Anderson (Hey, it's good to be alive) Bob vowed that he would never go up in a tree with the chainsaw - no, wait, he will go up in a tree, but he will NEVER try to take down anything that's over his head. That hat was ruined.


I also need to back up to the night before we almost lost our Bob, because it was exciting in its own right. We met Justin and Rachel at the Weber Grill downtown for a tasty dinner, then we went to the Rathskeller to check out the beer garden. Unfortunately, it began to storm just as we arrived, and people were scurrying in from the beer garden. We stayed a bit, then decided to drive back to Brent and Lindsey's for cake. Well, a sort of tornado had gone through the eastern part of the city. We got off at 56th street and drove into some very high water on the exit ramp. Brent managed to keep driving and our car didn't stall, but there were other motorists who weren't so fortunate. Power was out in much of the Lawrence area. We even had to drive around a trampoline in the road. Here are Brent, Lindsey, Rachel, and Justin, enjoying cake after our wild ride home.


From the Archives: My brother, Jeff, and I, on a ladder in, oh, 1958 or 1959, I'd guess. There's some story about this picture, but I can't remember what it is. Either, he wants me off the ladder, or he's getting ready to throw me off the ladder, or after the picture was taken, he did throw me off the ladder. I can't say for sure. Maw-Maw would have to weigh in on that. At any rate, the look on my face indicates that I am oblivious to any potential trouble.




"I've got the horse right here,
The name is Paul Revere,
And here's a guy that says
If the weather's clear,
Can do, can do
This guy says the horse can do.


GO BIG BROWN!!!!!





After such an exciting Friday and Saturday, our Sunday at home was pretty low-key. Bob continued working on the shed, and I pulled some of my own weeds. We had a pork roast for Sunday Night Supper - and for dessert..."Bob's Darned Lucky to Be Alive, Strawberry Shortcake."



Recipe of the Week:
This is the fruit salad recipe I mentioned a couple of blogs ago. The glaze is delicious and people really seem to like it. It makes a ton (hence the name), but it's easy enough to reduce the amount by two-thirds. I got this recipe from my dear friend, Karen Hamilton, in Mt. Vernon, IL. In fact, she made it for Rob's baby shower.


Karen's Punchbowl Fruit Salad
Mix in large punch bowl:
3 packages vanilla instant pudding
3 cans chunk pineapple with juice
3/4 cup Tang instant breakfast drink
Stir to dissolve pudding. Mixture will be thick
Add:
3 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
6 bananas, sliced (add these last)
grapes
strawberries
kiwi
peaches - whatever's in season



"Most of the time it was probably real bad being stuck in a dungeon. But some days, when there was a bad storm outside, you'd look out your little window and think...'Boy, I'm glad I'm not out in THAT."
Jack Handey