Column from October 22, 2009

An Italian meal can make an evening special

We sure had fun at the annual Old Hotel Art Gallery auction.

It’s been four years since I last attended and there were lots of new faces. It was great catching up, seeing old friends and meeting new folks.

Our city administrator did a great job, as usual, as the emcee. And the Bookers kept the floor alive during the auction.

There were door prizes and games, plus a great Italian buffet complete with wine and dessert.

What a super way to spend a Saturday evening in Othello!

I won a couple items at the silent auction – a photo collage picture frame that I will fill with some of my wildlife photos and a basket of kitchen items, which I plan to give to my sister for Christmas.

My mother never cared much for cooking. She was a great cook, she just didn’t like doing it.

But her four daughters all learned to cook and enjoy it.

So anything that has to do with the kitchen makes a nice gift for any of us.

The basket I bid on contains note pads, recipe cards, a pocket calendar, dish towels and a recipe box. I know my sister will enjoy using those items.

She’s always been praised for her excellent meals. Years ago, she put together a recipe book for us. That was in the days before computers, so it’s all type written.

Not long ago, I told her I still had it and she was surprised it’s survived this long! Well, of course, I do refer to it now and then because these are some great meal items.

There is no way I could go wrong mixing up one of her recipes. Here is one of her favorite Italian recipes.

Rotelle with creamy tomato meat sauce

1 pound spiral noodles

2 tablespoons margarine

1/2 cup diced onion

1 pound ground beef

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 of a small can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles as directed on package in boiling salted water.

Melt margarine in skillet; add onion and cook until soft. Add ground beef and cook until done.

Add whipping cream, tomato paste, salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often, until cream sauce thickens and reduces slightly. Stir in parsley.

Drain noodles. Pour sauce over noodles. Serve cheese separately.

Column from October 15, 2009

Discover a new old book this month at the library

Most of my friends know I’m a voracious reader. When I’m not writing, that’s what I’m typically doing in my spare time.

In fact, I never go anywhere without a book. I’m currently reading Across the Endless River. It’s the new fictionalized story of Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea, by Thad Carhart.

The novel tells the tale of Baptiste’s life after the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery.

I read just about anything, from non-fiction to history to memoirs to fiction novels. That’s why I made sure to get my free copy of “The Maltese Falcon” at Othello Community Library.

Everyone is invited to stop by the library and pick up their copy. It’s a great opportunity to read (or reread) an old classic. The book was selected by Mid-Columbia Libraries as part of the nationwide Big Read event. The purpose is simple … to get folks reading!

There are several activities planned here at the Othello library to coincide with reading the book. Stop by the library for a current schedule or call 488-9683 for more information.

At one point in the story, the main character Sam Spade is having a light supper with Brigid O’Shaughnessy. They are enjoying a loaf of freshly sliced French bread and some liverwurst spread.

I’m not a fan of liverwurst, but I do like appetizers for a light snack every now and then. One of my favorites, which I don’t get very often so they are always a treat, is stuffed mushrooms.

If you’re getting together with friends to discuss “The Maltese Falcon,” you might want to whip up a batch of these.

Sausage-stuffed mushrooms

12 to 15 large fresh mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces bulk Italian sausage

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Remove stems from the mushrooms; set caps aside. Finely chop stems; place on a paper towel and squeeze to remove any liquid.

In a skillet, heat 4-1/2 teaspoons of the butter. Sauté stems and onion until tender. Add lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool. Add sausage and parsley.

Stuff into the mushroom caps. Combine crumbs and cheese; sprinkle over stuffed mushrooms. Dot each with remaining butter.

Place in a greased pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Serve hot.

Column from October 8, 2009

Blowing our own horn

What fun it was to attend the annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association convention and awards dinner this year!

Not only did the staff at The Othello Outlook bring home some great awards – including being selected as the second-place best newspaper in the state for our circulation size – it’s also a great opportunity to network with other journalists, publishers, editors, advertizing representatives in the industry.

Judging is done by fellow newspaper people, so it’s a super pat on the back to win the awards.

Also, congratulations to the folks at the Othello Independent for the advertising awards they garnered. This was their first year entering the competition so the kudos are a great boost for their egos, too!

It’s been about four years since I’ve been to the convention, but I still recognized many of the folks there. It was fun catching up and finding out what everyone has been up to.

On the way home, we took Highway 410 through the Mount Rainier National Forest. We love that drive and even though the weather was cloudy and we couldn’t see the mountain, it’s still beautiful scenery.

Up at the top of Chinook pass, we encountered snow for quite some time. Yes, I did say snow! It came down pretty hard for a while there. I said we needed to find a place to pull over and take a picture because no one would believe us, but there aren’t many stops through that area. In fact, they post signs not to stop on the highway because of avalanche danger.

Of course, it is October, so it’s not unusual to see snow starting in the mountains.

When we got to the bottom, we stopped at one of our favorite places … Whistlin’ Jack Lodge … for dinner. They treated us to a sampler of their delicious corn chowder, which sure hit the spot after driving through snow.

I don’t have their recipe, but here’s one that uses many of the same ingredients.

Corn chowder

½ cup diced bacon

4 medium potatoes, chopped

½ medium onion, chopped

2 cups water

2 (12 ounces each) cans cream style corn

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

2 cups half-and-half or light cream, scalded

Sauté bacon until browned and crisp; add chopped potatoes and onions. Add water, corn and seasonings; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in half-and-half; heat through but do not boil. Serves four.

Column from October 1, 2009

Celebrating a special day

Saturday, we helped friends celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary. Their kids put on a great feast and we spent the afternoon visiting and catching up, as well as reminiscing about old times.

We really had a lot of fun and I’m certainly glad we went.

Eric and I have been married for six years, so it’s hard to imagine a 40^th anniversary. Of course, by that time, we will be quite old and may not even remember who we are, much less how long we’ve been married!

We did have a fun sixth anniversary. We spent a couple days in Astoria and visited some of the tourist stops there. Then, we traveled down the Oregon coast and stayed at Newport Beach.

After that, we went to Eugene, Ore., to be with my granddaughter, who turned 6 years old on July 5. It was the first birthday I was able to spend with her, so it was very special.

Can you imagine? Jasmine was born just two days after we got married. Makes it easy to remember either how long we’ve been married or how old she is … whichever one we’ve forgotten!

I’m not sure if that will help 33 years from now, though.

One thing I really enjoy about talking to couples who have “put up” with each other for many years is the great stories they tell about their lives together. They always have some humorous tales to share.

In fact, our friends' children put together a great DVD of pictures from throughout their lives together. There were some photos that made everyone laugh, which brought to light some of their stories.

It was a beautiful gift and one they will surely treasure for many years to come.

And the food the kids shared with us was also super … barbecued flavor sloppy joes, beans, salads and cake for dessert.

I really enjoyed the beans. They were some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the recipe, but I do have a favorite I’ve used for many years and I’m going to share it this week.

Calico beans

6 slices bacon

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup catsup

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons vinegar

16-ounce can pork and beans

16-ounce can kidney beans

16-ounce can lima or butter beans

1. Cook bacon until crisp; drain; crumble.

2. Cook beef in same skillet. Add onion and sauté until tender.

3. Combine beef, onion, catsup, salt, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar in three-quart baking dish. Partially drain all the beans; add to baking dish, stirring gently to mix. Sprinkle with bacon.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Makes eight servings.

(Note: I sometimes substitute a package of hotdogs, thinly sliced, for the beef and bacon.)

Column from September 24, 2009

Making up for all that fair food

I hope everyone got the chance to visit the Adams County Fair last week.

I was out there quite a bit covering some of the activities for the newspaper. Plus, I walked through the exhibits and saw all the wonderful items folks here entered and won ribbons for, played a game at the carnival and ate some great fair food prepared by local groups.

My favorite part of the fair, though, is running into all the people I know. What a great way to catch up on what everybody has been up to lately!

I love watching the children, too. They have such a great time and there is so much activity going on to keep them enthralled.

Their little eyes light up when they see the animals and carnival rides.

And, they get to eat fair food, too. Most parents don’t typically feed their children “unbalanced” meals, so fair time makes for a great opportunity to take a break from the rules.

A 4-H burger, Lions pizza or Rotary chicken are just some of the pleasures that await fairgoers. Add to that elephant ears, ice cream cones, popcorn, cotton candy, etc., and the results are a true step away from that food pyramid for a day.

If you look, you can always find something to round out a meal. The 4-H booth also has great baked potatoes and a slice of fruit pie can kind of substitute for that portion of vegetables.

I’m not saying kids – or adults, for that matter – should make it a regular habit to eat this way, but a day once a year won’t cause too much damage.

You can always make up for it and here’s a great recipe to add some vegetables back into your menu. It makes its own cheese sauce, which most kids enjoy, so they should gobbled this up.

Tomato, corn and broccoli

1 bunch (about 1-1/2 pounds) fresh broccoli, cut up (about 5 cups), OR 1 package (20 ounces) frozen broccoli cuts

1 cup water

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed Golden Corn Soup

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil OR 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed

Generous dash pepper

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

In 3-quart saucepan, combine broccoli and water. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 8 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp, stirring often. Drain in colander.

In same saucepan, combine soup, cheese, milk, basil and pepper. Return broccoli to saucepan. Over medium heat, heat through, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes.

Makes about 5 cups or 8 servings.