First, I was able to taste it and enjoyed it so much that I was thrilled when Jeanne Haynes sent this recipe for her Aunt Lydia’s cake. Jeanne said: “She was a relative on my mother’s side. The farm they developed when arriving in Hancock county in the 1800s is still in the family and the black walnut trees were in the woods which was originally close to the houses.” Black walnut cake 2 C brown sugar 1/2 C lard, butter or oleo 2 eggs unbeaten (add 1 egg, beat in, add second egg, beat) 1 C sour milk or…
Author: Melanie Behrens
Try this for your next dinner! Cornbread casserole 1 lb. lean ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped 1 can (15 oz.) enchilada sauce 1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 pkg. (8.5 oz.) corn muffin mix 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Mexican-style shredded four cheese with a Touch of Philadelphia Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat with onions and peppers in large skillet. Stir in next 4 ingredients; cook and stir 3 min. or until heated through. Spoon into 13×9-in. baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.…
In the past, I have talked about crazy things my friends do. Most recently Jill has been the subject of escapades gone wacky. Now my friend Susan, usually a sane person, has entered the arena. To begin the story, Susan has a screened porch near the entrance to her home and she stores a key under a cushion there. It’s been there for many years and she has shown it to me several times. This prevents her from being locked out, well usually. One afternoon, Susan returned home. She had her arms loaded with packages, and retrieved the house key…
Soup is good anytime. These recipes are all a twist on some old ones. Beef barley soup with spinach 2-1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-in. pieces 5 C water 1 pkg. dry onion-mushroom soup mix 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 C medium pearled barley 4 C loosely packed fresh baby spinach Combine beef, water, soup mix, thyme, salt and pepper in stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 60 minutes. Stir in barley; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; continue simmering, covered, 45 minutes to 1 hour…
Her name is Ginger. She is cute, blonde and everyone loved her. She lives at the home of Mike and Jenn, Cole and Margie. A mix of Bison and Yorkie, Ginger is 10 years old. By all accounts she has been a wonderful dog. She is loving and smart, and as with most dogs, she was always glad to see the family when they came home, wiggling all over. Her sad story began on a very cold night. As usual, before bedtime someone let her out the back door for her bathroom stop. Nightly, she would go out and return…
While at a restaurant in Madison, Indiana recently, I enjoyed this dessert. I had to bargain with the owner of the restaurant for the recipe. I traded him for one of mine. I know you will love it. Salted caramel Oreo pie 1 pkg. (about 36) whole Oreos 1 C (16 TBS) butter, divided 2/3 C packed brown sugar 1-1/4 C heavy whipping cream, divided 1 (12 oz.) bag dark chocolate chips Finely crush Oreos with a food processor or blender. Stir crumbs together with 8 tablespoons melted butter until well combined. Press into bottom and sides of a pie…
Not long ago, I wrote about what I perceived as rude cell phone use. I called that my pet peeve of the moment. I also admitted my biggest shortcoming is being impatient with the world and those people in particular. Recent events have brought my attention to another thing to be peeved about in our society – customer service. What happened to it? Doesn’t anybody care anymore? It now seems that service is often based in India and the Philippines where people working there use poor English with big accents making it difficult to understand them! I recently had to…
Here it is – comfort food! Granny’s ribs 5 TBS flour, divided 1 TBS smoked paprika, divided 4 lbs. beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat 2 TBS oil 1 pkg. (8 oz.) whole mushrooms, cut in half 1 onion, coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1 C fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth 3 TBS Worcestershire sauce 1 C sour cream 1 pkg. (16 oz.) egg noodles Mix 1/4 cup (4 TBS) flour and 1 tsp. paprika. Add to ribs; toss to evenly coat. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add ribs; cook 5…
Mother (muhth-er) – One person who does the work of 20, for free. Mother’s Day is almost here. Whether your mother is still with you or just a great memory, there’s lots to be said about our mothers. Mothers work hard! They are the cook, laundress, maid, chauffeur and child psychologist. They are usually the first person to cope with their child’s daily needs. It has been said that the quickest way for a mother to get her child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable. My friends have recently shared thoughts about mothers and it made me remember…
It would be safe to say that I am not the most patient person in the world. In fact, I’ll bet anyone who knows me would say that’s my biggest shortcoming. Now that I’ve admitted that I’m not at all perfect, here’s the thing My biggest complaint is people who use cell phones in public places in an over-the-top voice. Sometimes it’s so loud I can’t have my own thoughts. I’m not talking about an emergency situation, but just rude use! This is what set me off! I was recently in the airport sitting in the boarding area and the…
Tired of the same old side dishes? These are really interesting ones. Roasted squash 4 pieces bacon 2 tsp. maple syrup 1-1/2 C butternut squash, diced into 1/2-in. chunks 1 tsp. olive oil 1/8 tsp. sea salt 2 C packed spinach 1 C cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 C sour cream 1/2 C Feta cheese 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1 C Monterey Jack cheese, grated Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Lay bacon on top of rack and baste both sides with…
When she joined the Leadership Institute, a monthly, year-long series of classes, she knew it would be interesting and bring a deeper appreciation for how our community works. Roberta Behrens was one of 26 people involved in these classes. They were divided into groups of four or five, each with the responsibility for putting on programs about the community. There were groups representing areas like economic development, education, health and her assignment, safety and justice. In these monthly meetings, they learned more about our hospital and schools, and when it came time for Roberta’s committee to be in charge, everyone…
Corn chowder 6 cobs fresh corn, shucked 8 slices of bacon cut into ½ inch pieces 1 large onion 1 TBS garlic, minced 1 TBS butter 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into ½-in. cubes 1 C white wine preferably a Sauvignon Blanc 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp. ground cayenne 4 C whole milk 3 C cream 1 red pepper diced ¼-in. cubes 6 green onions thinly sliced on bias Remove kernels from cob. Reserve kernels and keep cleaned cobs for later. Take now-cleaned cobs and scrape each cob over a bowl to remove juice and…
He’s only a freshman in college and is already an entrepreneur. He is learning business through Young Entrepreneurs Across America (YEAA). Caleb Rausch is a 2015 graduate of Maryville High School and now a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, where he is studying operations management and finance. This summer, YEAA has hired him as an intern to run a business called Student Painters. It only involves exterior painting and he will serve as the branch manager, hiring as many as 10 people while practicing his interview skills as well as other basics of business. Caleb has a lofty goal…
All these recipes feature beef used in very different ways. Stir fry 2 beef ranch steaks, cut 3/4 in. thick (about 8 oz. each) 1 pkg. (10 oz.) fresh vegetable stir-fry blend 3 TBS water 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 C prepared sesame-ginger stir-fry sauce 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper 2 C hot cooked rice or brown rice, prepared without butter or salt 1/4 C dry-roasted peanuts Combine vegetables and water in large nonstick skillet; cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain vegetables. Set aside. Meanwhile cut beef steaks into 1/4-inch thick strips.…