Column from July 9, 2009

Sharing a fun time and a great recipe

Another SunFaire 4th of July celebration here in Othello has come and gone. The next big event is the annual car show and Spud Run on July 18 and 19.

There is now some concern about classic cars with the new “Clunker” law. As people trade in their old cars – pre-1985 – for a $3,000 trade-in credit, those cars will be sent to the scrap heap to be crushed.

This issue has some car enthusiasts worried.

Many cars and trucks once coveted by car lovers will be no more. And those who have classic cars will begin to find parts scarce.

That’s why the government has been asked to include a car collector on the board for the new law. Good idea, I’d say.

I remember many of the great hot-rods that began to become popular when I was a teen. Many were the early 1950 and 1960 Chevy Impalas. Those are also fancied today, along with Fords, Chryslers and the muscle cars of the later 1960s.

Add to the mix the newer Hondas, Acuras, etc., the younger people are sprucing up these days and you can see why the car show here is such a popular event. There is even a category for tricked-out bicycles!

Kiwanis Park is a great place to show off these cars. It’s much better – and safer – than on the streets where drivers, both young and older, take the chance of being stopped for speeding or squealing their tires by local law enforcement.

Even though these drivers feel wronged for having what they might consider “harmless fun,” they are breaking the law and subject to a ticket.

I’ve ridden with the area agencies on more than one occasion. I was able to sit in the front seat of patrol cars from the Othello Police Department, Adams County Sheriff and the Washington State Patrol. It’s amazing the excuses people come up with when they are doing inappropriate behavior while on public streets.

One of the first officers I rode with when I first started writing for The Othello Outlook many years ago was Dave Boothman. He was a deputy with the sheriffs office and has since retired.

We had great fun that night as we tried to track down a DUI offender.

Dave’s mother Linda Boothman recently sent me two recipes for Table Scraps and I’m going to use one of them this week.

Hopefully, this will be an encouragement for others to share their recipes.

Linda said she first tried this delicious and unique cake while they were searching for a ranch to buy in southern British Columbia, Canada.

“The owners of this remote ranch opened their home to us and fed us a hearty lunch of fresh mountain trout and this yummy cake,” Linda said.

Macaroon cake

½ cup butter

½ cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer, then add egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, soda and baking powder together and add to first mixture. Beat well and spread in an eight-inch greased pan.

Topping:

2 egg whites

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup sweetened grated coconut

Beat all three ingredients together until stiff. Spread carefully over batter and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done and topping is golden brown in color.

Thanks, Linda, for this great recipe.

Remember, anyone who has a recipe to contribute can email it to labordi@hotmail.com