|
Hearth & Home
Country Neighbors
Yard-to-yard neighbors we do not have. Our neighbors are one cornfield and a woods east, a cornfield and soybean acres west, and a deep woods north to the next back road. Even though we cannot see their houses, not even a hint of their roof, we know they are there. We hear the moo of their cows, we hear the laughter of their children, we hear the hums of their tractors.
We have no complaints about their fallen leaves blowing into our yard. We have no grumbles because a critter dug into their trash before pick-up. We do not gripe because their dog barks all night long, to us it is only a muffled echo. And on occasion, when the invitation is timely we have been known to house the neighboring tomcat in our barn. He eventually packs up and leaves.
We are fortunate to have a decades long neighborhood watch program. A respect that is unwritten yet enforced. This agreement is not discussed ahead of time; it just comes with the township territory. We keep an eye for each other, our families, and our properties. This is a benefit that is free to our friends and neighbors across the highway or back the farm lane, even a mile or two up or down the road.
I’d like to thank our neighbors across the road. They have wheeled their wagon back our lane to deliver fresh picked sweet corn. We have left tomatoes on their porch. They gave work to my husband when he needed a little extra. And when their boys were too young to mow grass or weed-eat around the manure pit, they hired our teenage son.
You’ve heard the old saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure”, when their farm shed or barn gets a good clean out, they call me first. And this same farmer has pushed away snow piles left behind by state plow trucks, so our mail could be delivered. I like to bake, so I give thanks with plastic-wrapped paper plates.
The neighbor lady across the road, she has plenty of family providing daily visits to her home. When the leaves have fallen and we spot trouble at her little house I am quick to get on the phone. And fortunate for her and all of us living nearby, she shares that same farmer neighbor; her home place is just a short distance west of his farm. Too bad the Cochran Family doesn’t neighbor everyone. However I do know that’s how they live their lives; by neighboring even those that don’t live nextdoor.
Too many tomatoes, too much corn, cucumbers and zucchini taking over the garden plot? Share your recipes for fresh produce; Hearth & Home, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails: thewritecook@sssnet.com
Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Daphne Ross)
3 (10 ounce) boxes frozen broccoli
5 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 (10 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted but-ter
Cook broccoli 5 minutes and drain very well. Arrange in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange chicken over broccoli. Mix well the soup, mayo, onion and lemon juice. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle cheese over mixture. Mix breadcrumbs and butter. Sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Yield: 10 servings.
Carrot Bars
(Rindy Morphew)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups oil
1 (4 1/2 ounce jar each) baby food carrots, applesauce, apricots
Mix all ingredients to-gether. Put in ungreased 15x 10 inch pan. Bake at 350 de-grees for 20 to 30 minutes. Frosting: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, 1 teaspoon va-nilla, 1 stick margarine, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
(Daphne Ross)
1 1/2 tablespoons marga-rine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups unwashed pumpkin seeds
Combine margarine and seasonings. Add pumpkin seeds and mix thoroughly. Place in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Green Tomato Strawberry Jam (Daphne Ross)
2 cups sugar
2 cups green tomatoes
1 (3 ounce) package) strawberry jello, or black rasp-berry jello
Mix sugar and tomatoes which have been cored and liquefied in blender. Boil for 2 minutes. Add box of jello. Bring to a boil again and boil for 2 more minutes. Put in jars or small freezer containers. Really is yummy!
Perfect Apple Cobbler
(Rhoda Ressler)
3 cups apples, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup biscuit mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
Put apples in an 11x7 pan. Sprinkle lemon juice over ap-ples. Mix sugar and biscuit mix in a bowel. Beat egg well. Mix with dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Serves 6.
Crock Pot Beef
(Geneva Horst)
1 round steak, cut in serv-ing pieces
1 can tomato soup
1 can or quart home canned green beans
Put meat in crock-pot and cover with tomato soup and beans. Cook all day on low.
Ice Cream Sandwich Des-sert (LaDonna Bumb, Bellevue)
2 boxes ice cream sand-wiches
2 tubs (8 ounces each) Cool Whip topping
Chocolate syrup or hot fudge
Heath Toffee pieces (sprinkled on top)
Layer ice cream sand-wiches in the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass dish. You may need to cut them to fit. Add a layer of Cool Whip topping. Repeat layer of sandwiches and layer again with Cool Whip. On the top drizzle the syrup or fudge and sprinkle the toffee pieces. Freeze overnight and enjoy!
Chunky Applesauce
(Carolyn Warren)
8 apples
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinna-mon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup maple syrup
Peel and slice the apples in large chunks. Stir together with the water and sweetener. Pour into crock pot. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or high 3 to4 hours. You may substitute red hot candies for the cinnamon sugar. Don’t use over ripe ap-ples.
Pumpkin Cupcakes
(Emma Stutzman)
1 1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin
Combine shortening and sugar. Add eggs. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. Batter will be thick. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.
|
|
|
