simple memory makers .......

• one of the blessings of our countries falling into
• a recession is that folks are starting to see the need
• for simple living and that life is full of good moments
• that grow from simplicity
• --------some ideas I/we do : when grand-kids are staying-
• movie night and using some of our own movies
• and making popcorn and sharing the popcorn
• by passing the bowl
• some times just putting a blanket on the floor
• and having supper as a picnic
• community scrabble-this is where we put out the board
• and 10 letters and anyone can add a word as they come and go-
• baking cookies and eating them asap
• making pancakes in shapes of letters that spell
• your name- just free hand with a soup ladle
• simple things but memory makers
• and I forgot another one which is a favorite --
• making note cards or book marks from old cards-
• ____________________-
• there are so many little things
• that we can do as entertainment rather
• than going out to spend money we
• need for other things or even worse- adding
• to a charge card and then losing sleep
• later in the month -
• I am looking for ideas to add to our list
• hugs from Meme

Meme was playing ---..

• with her settings and accidentally set the comments on moderation
• so if you think you goofed ---
• you didn't - meme did
• but has reset you and me back to normal comments
• today I did nothing around the house - and
• Miss Ashley said--''that is a good thing-''
• but I did go down to the church and help
• make our pancake supper
• the original lady was too upset
• to do it as she has to place
• her mom in a nursing home due to a stroke
• and mama does not want to go
• but right now she cannot walk
• she is 91 and was able to drive her car
• up to the stroke so mom is feeling
• a lot of loss right now and
• daughters are not understanding mom...
• we had 68 plus come to the lent supper
• and nearly ran out of pancake mix but we
• did manage to feed everyone
• I started the dinner alone
• and then a couple of ladies came in later
• to help and we snagged two men
• to do the dishes-
• I am eating a chocolate bar and
• thinking of giving up my chocolate
• for lent-
• chocolate and me go together
• I must do a study on lent as I
• really do not understand it or
• why of the giving up ----
• but I am willing to do it
• but I want to give up something
• to the glory of God rather
• than using legalism
• I will go study it now
• and see what the Lord shows me
• we did not do this at our church
• until the new pastor came
• huggs from Meme

pizza pizza?

• the grand-kids were here on the week end
• so Meme tried to make a pizza
• but Meme is blond in this area
• but found a dough recipe which
• I could handle as I do make bread
• now and then
• so we made a hamburger and cheese
• pizza one day and a chicken and cheese pizza
• the next day-
• I made too much dough for just one..
• both meats were precooked
• and it was just the sauce and the cheese and the meat
• as we had to build with what we had on hand
• our only problem was that the pizzas
• stuck in the middle of the pan?
• have no idea why....so it
• was pizza with a fork -----lol
• now Meme has never eaten pizza-
• sigh- as Meme had never understood
• mixed up foods--
• however in order to get one child
• to taste Meme's cooking I had to
• take a bite and make a comment
• sigh-
• well, it was good so Meme ate
• the whole piece both days
• this sent the g'kids into shock as they
• have never seen pizza
• pass Meme lips before and it
• has never happened before
• maybe I can do this more often
• for the Miss Ashley and I
• as we are not into cooking a lot
• of real meals and according to some
• survey somewhere at sometime
• pizza can be considered a balanced meal?
• could this be true? hm-mm
• need to add some vegetables
• and find a non sticking pan?
• we added the cooked chicken first
• and then the cheese and the meat did
• not dry out like Meme thought
• it might do.......
• I need pizza ladies advice
• hugs from Meme
• is still growing up

daddy cooking dinner

• sometimes daddy would cook- if mama was away or out in the garden
• our big garden was quite away from the house so it was
• nice for mother not to have to walk back and forth
• his favorite was a western sandwich
• made
• his way on the given day
• he would use 6 eggs - beat with a fork until mixed
• into a hot fry pan with bacon grease
• and add some chopped tomatoes and potatoes
• some green onion- and even cooked carrots
• and maybe some crumbled bacon or cold beef or ham
• sprinkle the ingredients on top of the eggs- but do not stir in-
• cook until nearly done on bottom and flip over like a pancake
• and finish cooking=this side will be less time-
• cut into 3 and make up 3 sandwiches
• this does sound a lot like an omelet but there is no folding over
• and it is not as light........and
• both sides were a golden brown
• some folks call them a denver rather than a western sandwich
• but we stuck with the name '' daddy's sandwich''
• he did not toast the bread as it was home made
• do not stir while cooking or you end up with scrambled eggs
• we always had eggs as we raised the chickens from birth
• I hate to think this now but I guess we ate the chickens
• later on after they were old hens- sigh-
• mama did not like eggs so she would find something
• for herself......she did not mind......as she tended to eat
• at odd times in the summer due to her garden-
• huggles Meme

simple treasures

• because I am in a place where I have to make decisions about the things of papa hubby's I am noticing that it is the simple things he had that I find are treasures- what was his was mine and what was mine was his but we all some things that are just a part who we are--
• here is a small list..
• 1. his small plainer ( hope that is correct spelling) that he used when he was making the diamond willow walking sticks and canes-- it is now a paper weight-( he made the canes and sticks and sold them at the farmer's market)
• 2. his belt buckle that he bought shortly after accepting Christ as Lord in his life- it says - Praise the Lord
• 3. he had 2 soup mugs that he used in the last months at home as they were easier for him to use- and he loved chicken noodle soup for breakfast and dinner and supper- he called it his ''special''-
• 4. a small dog blanket that he bought for Dogman but we used it to put under his arm that had the pic-line in - Dogman had no problem sharing -
• His pic- pockets that the chemo nurses gave- they covered the pic-line when it was not being used for chemo and helped keep the ports from poking his arm-
• twin hammers- he found these short hammers at the hard-ward and bought one for me and one for him - for just using in the house- a hammer for mama and one for papa too
• his little bottle of opal that he kept with water in it and loved to show the colors to his friends-
• His special cane that he made for himself - and used so much on his cancer journey-
• his special forks- he was ocd about his forks- he just loved to use them and we did have 6 so we were able to keep him fed- they have a shorter handle than a normal fork -
• his bent spoons- when ever we had soup( before cancer) he always would bend the spoon so we have a lot of spoons with bends in them as he would bend it back to normal when supper was over- and no - it was that the soup was like cement--LOL-
• and his stuffed frog that he kept with at the hospital because when the nurses woud ask him about the frog he could tell them that it stood for ''FULLY RELY ON GOD -sometimes he got the word rely mixed with relax or reach but it was a seed planter no matter what word he used- I have to admit that the frog is ugly but he fit papa's personality....
• -- these are some of the things of papa- there of course is so much more and I will share with kids etc but these odds and ends will remain with me-

hugs from Meme

BUFFALO STEW

• I was raised on farm in the 1950s - and in our area most folks lived as homesteaders as we did not have running water in the house- electricity- or an in door bathroom- and our heat was wood with some coal to supplement- we lived off the main road half a mile west and anyone living off the main did not have these blessings- until the early 60s.
• --------------
• when we went to grandpa's house a few miles away he did have electricity as he lived on main road- and we could go out to his field and find arrow heads as his farm was once an Indian camping ground-
• the buffalo - were of course- all gone- but we often saw buffalo skeletons close to the river-
• this recipe reminded of those days gone by- they were plain and simple but they were also very hard work for the homesteader- especially the women- the good old days were tough- and more romantic in books than real life.
• **************************
• Buffalo stew--
• one buffalo, medium sized
• Rabbits- (optional)
• salt and herbs - to taste
• *********skin the buffalo and cut into bit sized pieces- add enough water to cover- simmer until tender-could take days......
• add rabbits , - but be careful as people do not like to find a hare in their stew--
• *LOL* (did I get you?)
• this reminds of my life right now- I am trying to cut the buffalo(life) into bite sized pieces so that I can make the stew
• I am doing ok.......I was raised in hard times so I know how to be strong but I do not know how to be lonely-
• ==but this I know.
• Jesus loves me, This I know,
• For the Bible tells me so.
• Little ones to Him belong;
• They(I) are weak, but He is strong.

hugs from Meme

simple pleasures

1. sunshine in my kitchen
2. clean sinks
3. left-overs for supper
4. Dogman wags
5. time to drink a cup of tea
6. stains that come out of clothes
7. a good book to read
8. warm hands
9. heavenly peace
10. happy news reports
11. and knowing that tomorrow will bring more simple pleasures
12. and that today held more simple pleasures than I can report

huggles from Meme

company is here cake recipe.......

• when I was growing we had no pre warning of company unless they were someone who you had pre-invited- but folks would drop in now and then and no one minded .......
• so mother knew how to add another potato to the pot etc.
• most company did not come with supper or dinner on their mind
• but sometimes mother would invite them to stay for our next meal
• ------------if there was time she might make this quick cake
• I found this recipe that she often used - taken out of a magazine
• back during the war 2- this was a recipe used to save on eggs and sharing the sugar was a gift as sugar was rationed during the war--
• ------------
• egg-less chocolate cake recipe
• ****************************
• 1 and 1/2 flour
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup water
• --*** Mix the flour- cocoa- sugar- salt and soda
• - together in greased 8 by 8 cake pan-
• make large hole in middle of mixture and add vinegar,
• vanilla and oil and then water
• and beat with a fork until all ingredients are mixed-
• --bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes-
• serve warm with cream or whipped cream-
• no need to even take out of pan - until serving
• these were ingredients that we always had, it was an easy and quick
• recipe
• *******************
• hugs from Meme

Mama's biscuits......

• Mama usually made biscuits once a week as sometimes the bread she baked did not quite make it through and she like to bake her bread on Tuesdays-
• she did not have a lot of time to fiddle fuddle with rolling out the dough so this recipe is how she made them- sometimes daddy made them for us-
• ---------------------
• Beat and drop Biscuits
• 4 cups of flour- do not pack
• 4 teaspoons. of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten with fork
• 1 cup of milk- our milk came straight from the cow so I would suggest
• whole milk
• ********
• Put dry ingredients in bowl and shred the butter into flour mixture and mix well- then add the beaten eggs and milk and mix but briefly
• do not over mix or biscuits will not be light--
• Drop on a lightly greased cookie sheet- and bake until golden brown
• at 425F approx. 15 minutes-
• the temp and time again are a guess so I checked some biscuit recipes and this seemed about right - daddy made big biscuits and mother's were smaller but we enjoyed either baker's biscuits........
• sometimes mama would sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of half the pan-
• -mother would wrap leftover biscuits in a damp tea towel-( this was before plastic wraps etc and she had certain tea towels reserved for wrapping or covering food-)- and then pop them back into the oven-(-just to reheat)- at breakfast time and we had pancake syrup on top or heated fruit from her own canned fruit- peaches were the best...
• the recipe made about 2 dozen biscuits and would be our meal served with homemade soup-

supper for Mrs. Ford--recipe

• when I was a child we had a friend named Mrs. Ford
• her husband had died and she lived alone
• there was no money from SS or government for widows
• so she was very poor
• and often had to walk and visit neighbors just because
• she needed to eat........
• we never knew when she would be coming as
• there were no phones in the district
• mama tried to make this meal for her
• because Mrs. Ford liked it......
• then she would spend the night
• we had enough blankets to make a
• temporary mattress
• and cover her-
• we did not have the extra bed or couch
• but she just loved sleeping on the floor
• by our kitchen stove
• she would leave after dinner the next day and
• mother would send her off with food
• to help keep her eating for a few days...
• many others in the district did the same thing
• although some would not let her sleep at their house
• she lived about 3 miles away from our house
• so here is the meal mama made when she could
• ---------------
• 6 potatoes * note - our potatoes and carrots were not small so I am guessing that it would be about 6 cups of each...
• 6 carrots
• butter a 9 by 13 cake pan
• and slice potatoes and carrots
• put in pan and add one can of tomato soup
• plus one can of water---mother would use a cookie
• sheet to cover for the first half of baking time
• bake in oven around 300F degrees for
• for approx. one hour--
• boil eggs and when dish is ready- peel while hot
• and place sliced or mashed eggs on top and
• serve with biscuits and milk
• I can only guess at the temp. and the time
• as mother used the wood cook stove
• sometimes mother used hot milk in place of the soup
• ( I am
• guessing about 3 cups )
• I remember we all enjoyed it.....
• and also enjoyed Mrs. Ford's visit
• I am going to try this recipe soon to see
• how my memory held out...
• hugs from Meme

FALSE CABBAGE ROLLS

• I used to make this recipe when the kids were little and time was not always on my side-it makes a nice dish for blessing suppers at church
• ----------------
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small to medium cabbage--sliced
• 2 cans of tomato soup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion (optional)
• you can also add 1/3 cup of sour cream mixing in to pot- just before serving-
• ---------
• Brown ground beef in cooking pot- drain fat--
• add sliced cabbage- tomato soup- and spices- (do not add water to the soup)
• cover and simmer until cabbage is done or place in oven at 325 F for 40 minutes- this can be served over rice or noodles or mashed pototoes-
• I prefer the oven method over stove top--but both do work-
• this recipe can be doubled re ground beef and cabbage but only use the 2 cans of soup but add 3/4 can water-

COOKING WITH CENTS

• I thought that with the way our economy is swaying-
• I would start digging out recipes that are old and true and have stood the test of time- I am slowly teaching my Miss Ashley that we do not go to the store in between grocery shops-
• I will try to share some of the recipes that I find brighten our day-
• when we were kids mama made puff wheat squares about once a month- now I see these squares selling in tea shops for over 2 dollars for one piece- (kids can have fun making the mixture into balls similar to popcorn balls for their bag lunch-)
• -------------------
• PUFFED WHEAT SQUARES
• --------------------------
• 1/3 cup margarine-
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tables spoons cocoa-- and
• 8 cups of puffed wheat
• cook margarine, corn syrup, brown sugar and cocoa just until bubbly= if you over cook the mixture it will be quite hard to bite into the squares
• pour over the puff wheat and pack into a greased 9 by 13 pan. allow to cook before cutting-
• have fun-
• hugs from Meme

OLD HOMESTEAD RECIPE

I ran into this recipe while cleaning--this is an old homestead recipe put out in 1906- written as is...and no, I am not quite as old as this recipe--
.
Johnny Cake== Put 2 breakfast-cupfuls flour, 1 teacupful sugar, and 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder in basin.
Mix well, rub a piece of butter size of walnut, add 1 teacupful of any fruit liked, such as sultanas, or currents, or peel or preserved ginger, or grated coconut, 1 egg(well beaten) and a cupful of milk. Pour into greased tin and bake about 1 hour. Oven should be medium hot, test heat with hand first. Keep fire going with green wood.
Have fun- I am going to try this recipe soon with out the wood-LOL--remember a breakfast cup and a teacup are not the same size--a teacup is about 2/3 of a cup and breakfast is about 1 cup
huggles me, Meme :-)