Why I keep meals in the freezer........

O.K. I am officially sick. Ear ache, stopped up head, and sore throat; can you say THE PITTS!
This is one of those “freezer meal” times. Fortunately I roasted a chicken earlier this fall, and after cutting what meat I could off the bones I boiled the bones,(O.K., I have to interject something here. THIS is a true Mother, depression era thing to do, boiling bones. It removes all the little tidbits of meat off those bones, and if you don't add too much water, makes more rich chicken broth. I have seen women take turkey and chicken carcasses after a meal with a goodly amount of meat on them and throw them away, I cringe, because my mama taught me not to waste that meat, or the good broth that comes from those bones, and bits of meat). I then added the broth from the roasted chicken to the liquid from the boiled bones, and put it over the meat in the container, and froze the whole thing. Thus, all I needed to do was thaw it, bring the whole thing to a boil, and add the noodles. I then fixed instant mashed potatoes (yes I said instant, this is not a sin, especially when you feel like I do), and TAADAA! Chicken and noodles!

Not to brag, but anyone who has had my roasted chicken will tell you it is outstanding, and it is all in the Sweet Basil Rub that goes on before the roasting. It is a recipe I found on the back of a Butterball Roasting Hen I bought. I tried it, and haven’t roasted a chicken or turkey without it since. Like I said it is the best. Word to the wise; don't start with anything less than a 5 lb. bird.

Here is the recipe:

Sweet Basil Rub
1 T. Salt (can reduce, if wish, but not too much)
2 t. Sugar
¼ t. Garlic Powder (not garlic salt)
¼ t. Onion Powder (not onion salt)
¼ t. paprika
1/2 T. Lemon Juice
½ t. Black Pepper
1 T. Whole Basil
2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix salt, sugar, garlic, onion, paprika and lemon juice together. Next, add black pepper, basil and olive oil. Mix into paste. Rub paste(with your hands)over washed and patted dry hen, inside and out.

For the best gravy, save drippings from roasting pan.

Now to cook the bird
1.Preheat the oven to 350
2.Remove giblets
3.Wash and rinse bird, pat dry
4.Rub with Sweet Basil Rub
5.Place bird breast side down, (yes, I said down, your white meat will be moister) and tent foil over; remove for last 10 min. of cooking to brown nicely.
6.Roast in oven to an internal temp of 170 degrees or till juices run clear.
7.Remove roaster, allow bird to stand 10 min. (actually the bird is past standing at this point, so just let it lay there :) before carving.

For every 1 lb. of bird weight cook approximately 20-25 min.

5 lbs – 1 ¾ hrs.
5 ½ lb.s – 2 hrs.
6 lbs.- 2 ¼ hrs. etc.

If you are not going to serve the bird right away and want to make chicken and noodles, remove all meat from the bone and place in a freezer safe dish. Then take the larger bones, place in large kettle, and JUST cover with water; bring to boil. Cool, and add drippings from the chicken roaster, pour all over the meat in the freezer dish, cool completely and freeze. I use those noodles in the bread isle, the ones that are the closest thing to homemade I can find. There is a awesome brand of potato buds that I find at Sam's that are the next best thing to real mashed potatoes. The company that makes them is from Idaho--need I say more?

The Gin Game

Roger and I watched the movie The Gin Game last night.
I had seen the original taping of the Broadway Play staring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy years before when we still lived at Rinker; yea that was a loooong time ago. I remember laughing at it, but didn’t remember the story other than it was about two elderly people living in a retirement home who played game after game of gin rummy. She kept beating him, and his frustration, albeit expressed mostly with swear words, was comical. That remembered, I rented it.
Funny what time and experiences do to your perception of something? There are many poignant moments in the movie, downright sad if you are my age, and have taken care of an elderly parent. Mother had many of the same conversations with other residents that she lived with at the manor, and when she was in the rehab center we both saw firsthand the things depicted in the film; odd there didn’t seem to be that much humor in them, either when they are happening, or being observed.
One thing I noticed this time that completely escaped me the first time was the utter frustration they both expressed at their circumstances. Living too long, out living their resources, neglect from family and friends, aches and pains; easily depicted on stage, but oh so different when going through them in real life.
Mother and I had many a conversation about some of the same issues raised by that movie, and watching it brought back a lot of memories for me of those talks. The remembrance of observing someone you know and love go through the things that before were only words on a piece of paper, or lines in a play, no matter how well “written”, are never fully captured. As much as we tried to find the humor or steel ourselves to the inevitability of it, it was real, and palatable, and wouldn’t be ignored.
Mother kidded a lot about "old age isn't for sissy's", and everyone living within earshot of her agreed with her; usually through a resounding "You're right about that!" Knowing and acknowledging it are one thing, accepting it is something completly different. However, Roger Closson, the director of Presbyterian Manor, has stated time and time again that the resistance to getting older is, sure enough, what keeps many people alive longer than they or anyone else expected. But he is quick to add, those who do it with bitterness, and anger, don't enjoy the ride, as much as those who can laugh at the changes and embrace the opportunities that come along with them. He then proceeds to tell a joke along those lines -he knows them all-:).
I'm not big on change, I've had about enough of it this past year, thank you very much, but I was made aware of my attitude toward it while watching that movie. It is going to be with me the rest of my days so I better decide how I am going to respond to it, or I am going to be very frustrated, and swearing when I don't win the game.

Horack's Judging Rated High At State Contest

Since we are writing about our folks high school years, I thought this might be a good time to interject a little story about Daddy.
Apparently when Daddy was in High School, he was in the school Farming Association (FFA I’m thinking), and as part of the requirements they learned about livestock, how to care for, and judge it.
Following is a newspaper article that appeared in (what paper, Mother and I never knew). Apparently, Daddy was good at what he did in FFA, read on………………

Horacks meet Deets (cont. from Watch God Work)

Notice the signature, A.J Deets, that was Leonards Dad
1937 graduating class of South Haven High School. Mother, first row third from left, Leonard behind and to left, Katherine, third row, third from right.
When Anna Mae was in high school, there was a boy a grade ahead of her named Leonard Deets. His mom was Anna Mae's Sunday School Teacher. I think it was her Junior year in high school that a girl came to their school named Katherine Kirk. She moved up from Oklahoma to live with her brother and attend high school. He lived where our Uncle Henry and Aunt Betty later lived and still owns.
One day Ernest came home and told Anna Mae that he heard the place across the road west had sold to some people named Deets. Anna Mae replied that she wondered if they would be related to the Deets she had known in high school. She was thrilled to learn that it was Leonard and Katherine.
Katherine & Mother in St. Louis
Leonard & Daddy at New Salem Park
Ernest and Leonard first met when Leonard got a phone call to grab a bucket and meet Ernest at the end of his driveway because Rigg's barn was on fire. Leonard later put two and two together when he saw Ira's threshing machine in the machine shed at Horack's. He recognized it as the machine that had threshed his Dad's wheat years earlier.
Stories with the Deets would be a complete other Blog. They have been such a big part of our lives and still are. There is not a doubt in any of our minds that God put out families across the road from each other. For which, we are forever grateful.

In Remembrance

I was reminded as I was paying bills yesterday that it is one year ago Sun. that Mother passed away. The 8th is when she fell. In remembering those days, I was reminded of the great “going home service” my sisters planned. I thought it would be fitting to put two of Mothers favorite songs on our music box. These two that were played during the funeral service. Tennessee Waltz, (I really liked this rendition as it is a piano solo and made me think of times when Mother would request that we girls play something she specifically liked on the piano), I think she would have like this rendition. The Orange Blossom Special, which closed the service, causing everyone to leave the sanctuary with a smile on their face isn’t the Flatt and Scruggs version I prefer, but you can’t go wrong with Charlie Daniels either.

New Years with Aunt Doris and Uncle Harold, Jean and Donna

Alane called yesterday and we started talking about New Years and our wonderful memories of spending it with Aunt Doris (mother’s oldest sister), and Uncle Harold Haines in Wichita. We talked of the similar things we remembered, and with Alane being older than me she was able to more clearly remember how we spent our time after those delicious meals. This will no doubt be the first of many blogs to include our Aunt Doris and Uncle Harold. Their influence in our lives was enormous, and as we write about them you will understand why. Jean and Donna, their two daughters are our “other” sisters. Times at their house were always “the best”, or as my kids say “good times, good, good times.”…………



I woke up New Years Day I started thinking about our New Years Days we spent with the Haines family. We would get up early enough to get to Wichita in time to watch the Rose parade on TV (in black and white no less). Of course we didn't know the difference and the announcers did a really good job of describing the floats. After the parade we always had a wonderful meal. This included black-eyed peas with ham. That is always a necessity for good luck.

We would play pinochle with Uncle Harold and Daddy and I think Mother and Aunt Doris were in the kitchen visiting & and I’m sure cleaning up the kitchen. When Daddy and Uncle Harold would decide to watch football or take a nap, all the girls went downstairs. We would sharpen our skills at ping-pong and then listen to records and dance. Jean and Donna had a great Connie Frances record collection and we would sing along. (I'm sure that is why we were in the basement) :)
Andrea remembers Aunt Doris' house (ALWAYS) smelling like ham and coffee. I remember the coffee. I always thought it smelled sooo good and I couldn't wait until I was old enough to drink coffee. What a disappointment!! Oh well, it is an acquired taste.
I'm not sure when or why the New Years tradition started, but I'm sure glad it did. It makes it easy to understand why Jean and Donna are just like our sisters. I think our Mothers were hoping for that and I am sure they were very happy with the outcome.
Jean, Anita, Donna, Alane, and Uncle Harold
Donna, Jean, Anita, Amy
We still have black-eyed peas on New Years Day. This year Steve found a recipe for Black-Eyed Pea chili. We tried it and it is really good.
You will find the recipe below if you would like to try it. We will be having it more than once a year. I double the sausage but the rest is the same. It makes it extra thick and meaty, the way Steve likes it.

Black-Eyed Pea Chili

1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, un-drained
1 (14 ounce) can diced unsalted tomatoes, un-drained
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, un-drained
2 tablespoons chili powder

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until
no longer pink, stirring constantly. Drain sausage on paper towels;
discard all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings. Add onion and celery to
pan; cook until onion is translucent, stirring constantly.

Add black-eyed peas, tomatoes, tomatoes with green chilies, and chili powder.
Stir in sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
Serves 10. This makes a large amount and I froze the leftovers in zip-lock bags.

Hope you like it.

(just an interjection at this point--Andrea isn't in the picture above, cuz ahem.....she wasn't here yet ;)

For Kids.....large and small...Merry Christmas!

I inherited the nativity scene that we grew up with. I remember rearranging the figures, and playing out the Christmas Story of how Mary and Joseph came to be in the stable. I love nativity scenes, now with Mother's we have two. They are the central focus of our Christmas. I found the following both amusing, and touching, and know the younger crowd will probably enjoy this short "cartoon". Oh, you'll need to pause the music.