I'm Telling

  • By Daphne Ross
  • September 28, 2011
  • 309
                        
Column Summary Opportunities present themselves often, but acting on those opportunities are not always good decisions. Childhood lessons are learned by innocent behaviors turned oh so wrong. Now that my secret truth has been revealed through three different newspapers, covering cities, towns, villages and country sides (all thanks to my darling husband), let me just tell you, if you hadn’t read it already, I am no longer 49-something. I have crossed the line. I am not being sarcastic towards my best friend, he is indeed a darling, and for my birthday my mom says, “He did good”; I agree. I figured this is my opportunity to come clean so to speak, share details of other secrets I have kept. My little brother may think he has some good ones on me, and even though I had moved out before his secrets were worthy to me, I do have a couple good ones about him. I’m just saying. My sister, I got nothing. When I was in kindergarten the neighbor boy and I, we were six, would sneak into the Maibach’s Furniture Store warehouse in Sterling. We lived just a few houses south of the store. The caretaker, a grouchy old man wearing Captain Penny overalls and engineer hat, would occasionally catch us and shoo us out. But most of the time we snuck in unnoticed. We would climb the ceiling high carpet rolls; try to keep quiet, holding in the snickers as we watched customers and salesmen walk about below. We would rock the recliners, jump on the mattresses, and hide under the beds. But one day our fun came to an abrupt end. With safety scissors in hand we proceeded to clip off all the hangtags from dozens of Lazy boy chairs. We got away, but we got caught, at home. Our parents discovered our new collection and well, the punishment began with a march to the store an apology given to Mr. Maibach himself. It was hard, our eyes were red and swollen, and our bottoms red, too. My six-year-old lesson, a personal apology and a few days can get you back into the best candy store in town. Fourth grade was the highest grade in the Smithville Elementary School. We were the big kids; we thought we were the best of the whole school. Unfortunately my fourth grade year was more memorable than boys-chase-the-girls and vice versa, playing wild horses, and spinning the merry-go-round beyond its manufactured performance. On a family trip to the Kroger grocery store, as I stood in the check-out line with my mom, my hand decided to help itself to a pack of gum. I got away, but I got caught, in the car. My little brother smelled gum. Dad asked, “Who has gum?” I confessed, and was marched back into the store. I gave apology to the gal at the register, her heart sank; my crying face dealt the sympathy card. Back in the car, my dad asked, “What did you learn in Sunday School?” My best answer, “We didn’t have that lesson yet.” Yep, that’s what I said. It was not a happy ending. My fourth grade lesson, never snitch a pack of Dentyne gum, the cinnamon will give you away. Other confessions include; my use of Duct Tape instead of needle and thread, my nearly burning of ground turkey to appear as ground beef, and my list of fibs to telemarketers as to why I can’t purchase their deal. And there’s more; I use cheese as a cover-up on leftovers, I always use more onions than I say, and even though I my alarm is set for 5:30 a.m. I sometimes press my snooze button more than once, more than twice, three times? And there you have it; it’s just criminal. (Thanks to all who sent me birthday greetings, quite an overwhelming response, thanks dear.) The best cool weather warm-ups are those you can wrap your hands around; mugs of soup, coffee, hot tea, even a campfire hotdog hits the spot. Send your warm and toasty recipes to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd. Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome: thewritecook@sssnet.com Chicken Dumpling Soup 12 green onions, chopped 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup flour 10 cups water 1 package (20 ounces) frozen peas and carrots 2 cans (10 ounces each) chunk white chicken, drained, divided 1/3 cup chicken bouillon granules 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided 5 cups Biscuit Baking Mix (see following recipe) 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes 1/3 cup milk In a Dutch oven, sauté onions in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add water. Stir in the vegetables, one can of chicken, bouillon and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to boil. In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, parsley and remaining pepper. Stir in the milk just until moistened. Fold in remaining chicken. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean. Yields: 20 servings (5 quarts). Biscuit Baking Mix 9 cups flour 1/4 cup baking powder 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups shortening In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place or in the freezer for up to 8 months. Yield: 12 cups. Flaky Italian Biscuits 2 cups Biscuit Baking Mix 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/2 cup milk Place mix and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Stir in milk just until moistened. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 to 15 times. Pat or roll out to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 8 biscuits. Macaroni and Cheese Soup 3 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets 1 cup cauliflower 1 cup sliced carrots 2 cups prepared macaroni and cheese 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta) 1 cup cubed cooked chicken In a large saucepan, combine the broth, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the macaroni and cheese, whipping cream and process cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add the chicken and pepper; heat through. Yield: 8 servings. Chili Dog Spaghetti (Sharon Crider) 6 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder ¼ Teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 cans (one 26 1/4 ounces, one 15 ounces) spaghetti 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) chili without beans 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided In a large skillet, sauté the hotdogs, onion, garlic powder, and pepper in oil. Add the spaghetti, chili, and 1/2 cup cheese; heat though. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Mac & Cheese Salad (Doris Moore) 1 1/2 cups leftover mac & cheese, chilled 1/2 cup chopped cucumber 1/4 cup sliced radishes 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped onion 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 1/8 teaspoon dill weed In a serving bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 to 3 servings. Cherry Cream Sensation (Victoria Hahn) 10 ice cream sandwiches 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen shipped topping, thawed Chocolate sprinkles Arrange ice cream sandwiches in a single layer in a 13 x 9 inch dish. Top with pie filling, whipped topping, and chocolate sprinkles if desired. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm. May be frozen for up to 2 months. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings. (Red raspberry pie filling is a good pairing with chocolate and ice cream, too.) French Toast Sandwiches (Eleanor Smith) 1/2 cup peanut butter 4 slices whole wheat bread 1 small firm banana, sliced 2 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon butter Honey, optional Spread peanut butter on 2 slices of bread. Top with banana slices and remaining bread. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Dip both sides of sandwiches into egg mixture. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat; grill the sandwiches on both sides until golden brown. Serve with honey if desired. Yield: 2 servings. Blueberry Oat Waffles (Nancy Zimmerman) 2 cups buttermilk pancake mix 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 cups milk 1 egg 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries In a bowl, combine the pancake mix, oats and sugar. Whisk the milk, egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in berries. Bake in a preheated waffle iron. Yield: 6 to 8 waffles. (If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.)


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