July 24st 2009

Editorial

Hi there… I can’t tell you how glad I am that I was able to attend my grandmother’s funeral. It was a sad event, but in a way it brought me closure and made her death more real for me.

Since then we’ve been visiting with my parents, other grandparents and my sister.  The weather has been mostly cool and rainy which we didn’t mind. It’s a nice change from the hot weather we’ve had in Rock Hill the past few weeks.

My daughter is getting spoiled rotten by my mom and dad and is thoroughly enjoying the visit which for her is including plenty of ice cream and trips to the local aquatic center.

I’ve enjoyed getting away from working on the website and the newsletter a bit (which I’m sure you’ve noticed). I’m recharging my batteries and will have plenty of new things to share once we had back home in early August.

I hope you are able to enjoy some quality time with your family as well and get at least a little bit of a break from work and chores.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

P.S. We have quite a few “I’m Looking for” requests. Read through them and if you can help out a fellow HBHW reader.

THANK YOU!

Sponsor

Grab yours at www.hillbillyhousewife.com/livingonadime.htm
Inspirational Quote

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reader Question

I saw a posting about a borax and water mixture to clean the black gunk that builds up on baking trays etc. Could someone please give me the directions for that? My pans are getting darker and darker.
Annette M.

Hi Annette,
you can do it two different ways. Either wet the pots and pans, then sprinkle borax on them and scrub away, or put the pots and pans in the sink with a little water, sprinkle borax on them and let them soak before scrubbing.

We are moving into a 29 year old home with the original kitchen cabinets. The outside of the cabinets look pretty good but the inside is dark and dreary. What could I put on the shelves to brighten up the interior? Is there anything other than contact paper? Thanks for your help. I really enjoy your daily tips!
Arlene K.

I have a few ideas and I’m sure our readers will help out with some more. The first thing that comes to mind would be to paint the interior of the cabinets, both the bottoms and the sides. It would probably brighten it up the most.

You could also use some thick wall paper and cut liners out of it. You may be able to get the wall paper for free or very inexpensively if you ask for remnants at a place that sells them. If you know someone that wallpapered recently, you may be able to get their leftovers as well.

Another option would be to use one or two layers of either newspaper or butcher paper. I’ve also seen people use a thin type of cork with a glue backing on it. Of course another option would be too buy one of the many liners available in stores like bed bath and beyond. Some of the most common ones are ridges in life liners and Cushycupboards.

Just wondering if you know if you can use silicone bakeware in a crockpot ? My silicone bakeware says suits microwave oven fridge and freezer safe and suitable to high temperatures. Any ideas?
Gayle

I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to use it in a crockpot since silicone bakeware is able to withstand high temperatures in an oven.

I’ve looked and looked on your website to see how to soak beans overnight and i can’t find it. i’d love to make the butter beans but i don’t know how to go about soaking the beans.
thanks Amanda

Here’s how to soak beans overnight:

1) Pick through the dry beans to make sure there are no small rocks etc. in them. Also remove any beans that don’t look good (they are usually discolored).

2) Put the dry beans in a pot and cover them with plenty of cold water. Put a lid on the pot and leave them sitting on the counter overnight.

3) When you are ready to cook the beans, pour the soaking water out and replace it with fresh cold water and cook your beans.

News From The HBHW Club

This is a new section of the newsletter. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club. As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here:

http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Kids-Come-Running Broccoli Cheese Bake

* 2 (10 oz) packages frozen broccoli
* 2 cups bread crumbs
* 2 tblsp butter
* 1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
* 1 cup milk (mixed into cream of mushroom soup)
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the frozen broccoli in boiling water until just cooked through, about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.  In separate sauce pan, heat together bread crumbs and butter over low heat, and set aside.  In separate bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup and milk and set aside.

Now assemble casserole:  In large greased oven casserole, place about 1/3 broccoli, top with about 1/3 of the buttery bread crumbs, pour about 1/3 soup and milk mixture over the top of casserole, then sprinkle with about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese.  Now repeat the layers: 1/3 each broccoli, buttery bread crumbs,  soup and milk mixture, then Parmesan cheese.  Finish with final 1/3 of each, broccoli, bread crumbs, soup mixture, and finally Parmesan cheese.  Dot with a couple pats of butter if you wish, then put in oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

Kids love their broccoli when it’s covered in cheese, but this is also fancy enough for a family dinner or special company.  Grate a little onion into the soup mixture if you want it to be more savory for adults, and add a bit of freshly ground black pepper, too.

• Summertime Chicken Salad
• Right-Out-Of-The-Freezer Vegetable Bake
• Triple Play Hamburger Bean Casserole
• Chili Cheese Beef Casserole
• Creamed Corn Bake
• Creamy Beef Curry Over Rice
• Classic Amish Cookie
• Big-Family-Dinner Refrigerator Potato Casserole
• Subgum Chicken-Beef Chow Mein
• Sweet Lima Bean Chili Casserole

All in all, we have over 150 new recipes in the member area already.

This week we’ve been talking about future resource reports, making perfect pie crust and canning veggies. We’re also comming up with ideas for homemade Christmas presents and are sharing what’s available where for free (i.e.  Free Mocha Monday’s at McDonalds).

Ready to join us? We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

I don’t cook quite as much during the hottest summer weeks to try to keep the house at least somewhat cool. It’s also when we spend even more time together as a family than the rest of the year. As a result, I rely a little more on store bought convenience foods then the rest of the year and some are quite simply a better buy than making them from scratch. Here’s an article on those types of food.

Store-Bought Convenience Foods that are usually Good Buys

Frugal Tips

I watched Paula Deen on food network this morning. She made an easy candy
as an after school treat that is no-bake.

She melted a lb. of white chocolate candy coating, stirred in 3 cups of
broken pretzels and 2 cups of peanuts. Stir to blend. Spread it onto a cookie sheet that was lined with wax paper. Let it harden. Then break it into pieces to eat. Keep covered in fridge.
(the candy coating is easy to melt in the microwave in a glass bowl, in 30 second increments)

I KNOW you can take the white chocolate candy coating and melt it and
stir in 2 cups of broken, smashed
peppermints, soft or hard candies, and spread it onto a cookie sheet. i
have done this many times but i spray my
cookie sheets with no-stick spray instead of using waxed paper. after
this hardens, break it off into pieces. keep covered in fridge.
this makes a really nice CHRISTMAS gift to give to someone in a pretty
tin. and it’s well received.

last, but not least, i used to melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl in
the microwave and then pour in some mini
marshmallows, some peanuts and stir to blend. drop off by teaspoons onto
a cookie sheet sprayed with no-stick spray.
it’s very similar to rocky road candy. in hot summer, i’d keep this in
the fridge in a covered container.

for something not sweet!, in the hot summer, we eat a lot of baked
potatoes cooked in the microwave.
i’ve heard you can cook fresh corn on the cob in the microwave, too.

you can make sandwiches out of flour tortillas. spread softened cream
cheese over the tortilla, rather thinly and not
quite to the edge, then sprinkle over chopped veggies. i like green
onions, green peppers, grated carrots. then roll
the tortilla up tightly. i put mine in a plastic box in the fridge to let
them set up. you can cut them into halves when
you are ready to eat but we like them sliced about 3/4- 1″ thick. it
looks pretty on a plate that way. you can also
substitute any fresh veggies you like or have on hand. you just don’t
want to overload the tortilla. you need to be able
to roll it up tightly. you can also put a thin slice of deli ham or
turkey on top of the cream cheese, sprinkle on a few
veggies and then roll it up. shredded cheese also works. just a few ideas
for the hot weather that’s coming.
ENJOY! Sharon G.

I live in a high altitude, very dry climate. I was having some of the same
problems as Barbara. As I was trying to figure out how to fix the problem, I
learned that you need less yeast in a dry climate and high altitude.
Apparently there is more in the air. Also, for high altitude bread dries out
more quickly so I have to start with about 2 cups less flour than the recipe
calls for. I add a little more as I am kneading it. I don’t know if this
will help but it has made a world of difference in my bread. Thanks!

Jamie

Recipes

This week’s first recipe was submitted by HBHW Reader Jennifer and is for an Oven Waffle or German Pancake. It’s a great special occasion breakfast treat.

Oven Waffle Recipe

This week’s second recipe also comes from a loyal reader and is for a great peach cobbler. What a delicious summer treat. Thanks for sharing SK.

Super Easy Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, email it to me and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and will also post any suggestions other readers of the newsletter come up with. So take a moment to write me your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to send me that as well.

Here’s this week’s requests:

Hoping maybe you can help me. My husband’s aunt used to make a prune cake with a buttermilk icing. She has since passed away and no one seems to have the recipe. I was hoping maybe someone might have one they can share.
Michelle T

I wanted to know if anyone has recipes or instructions for using a electric roasting pan instead of the regular oven. My friend has done this during the summer while she is at work. She sets it on her deck (only during a sunny day) and has dinner when she gets home. Her house is not heated up by the big oven being used. Which makes the AC run when she uses it. I wanted to try this as I just got a great deal on one myself. She said you can even bake a cake in it. I am a regular crock pot user, I have 2 little ones and one big one. I would however like to make meals that I would normally cook in the oven. Any ideas would be great. I am planning to do a roast chicken today, while I am home to check the process. Thank you for the wonderful site and all the great work everyone does.
Barb

Hello…i love your newsletter i have been searching for a recipe for “Ruhbarb cake”…my friend says his grandmother made the best but cannot find the recipe i would love to try it for us but i cannot find it either do you think you could help me.
Thank you
Linda

When I was a child (many moons ago), I would visit a dear aunt who I thought was the absolute greatest.  She didn’t have any children, so her nephews and niece (just me) were her children.  Anyway, she had a lady to come in once a week to help her out.  This lady made the most absolutely delicious BBQ chicken (and pork chops).  The meat would almost be black (not burned) but black from the BBQ sauce.  I cannot for the life of me duplicate that recipe.  Both these ladies are gone now, but I would love to be able to have some of that chicken or pork chop like that.  That was in the mid to late ’50’s so it would be with ingredients from that time.
Thank you.
Donna B.

I do have a couple of questions I hope someone can help me with.  Someone gave us 2 wild turkey breasts a while back and I froze them as I’m not at all sure the best way to cook them.  Do I need to marinate them in something to take the “wild” taste out (as I’m not sure if we’d like that or not)?

Also, I’d like a really good recipe to make my own organic shampoo.

Thank you for your info.
Donna Brown

Many years ago I had a recipe for 5 grain bread and seem to have lost it along the way. I wonder if any other members might have it. I know that it contained white flour, wheat flour, rye flour, oatmeal, cornmeal. It also used only molasses, water and yeast. But what I don’t know is how much of each for the recipe. It is wonderfully delicious bread and would so love to find the recipe.
Blessings,
Ann C.

We are looking for any advise for my mother who suffers from restless leg syndrome. Anyone out there have any suggestions on what she can do to relieve her symptoms? It would be appreciated.
Julie

My husband is an over the road truck driver and they/ you have any ideas of things i can do to feed him out there. So far his choices have been eat at a truck stop restaurant that is REALLLY expensive and every thing is un healthy or he buys crap food like can ravioli ramen noodles veinia  sausages and just over all bad things. there is no fridege in the truck and at this point no room for one. he often has acess to a mircrowave at the truck stops as well as hot water. So if any one has any ideas for me PLEASE let me know. I reall love your site and news letter. thanks
Dana in missouri

We’re also still looking for ideas for the following:

Thak you for writing the hillbilly housewife. If I may ask… I’m
looking for an herbal quick bread recipe. Uses no yeast and tasted
great with cheddar cheese and mustard. Made it for Christmas presents
a long time ago, maybe 20 years or more.
Irene

Looking for a recipe of a peach pie I had years ago. It had some type of soft cream filling, almost a pudding consistency, and peaches inside. It was in a regular pie crust. I cannot remember if it had a top crust.
Joconna,Ohio

I’ve been trying to find a home-made recipe for Cream of Tomato Soup made with canned tomatoes, milk & some cream with baking soda added. It was almost sweet ; it tasted that good.
redskin.

And here are last issue’s requests followed by the recipes and ideas submitted since then:

Do you know if any of your coffee mix recipes will work to make blended
coffee drinks like frappochinos ?
Jenadina

Here is a really great frappachino recipe!

Blend in a blender for 20 seconds

4 ounces milk or half and half
4 ounces of strong coffee or espresso
1-2 Tbl sugar to taste

Then add 1 1/2 C ice and blend until slushy. You can also add chocolate syrup for mocha frappachinos.
Jeni

I have a recipe, it’s not a dry mix, but it’s my solution to my husband’s Starbucks bottled frappuccino addiction.  I suppose you could use dry milk and make a dry mix.  This recipe is for about 7 8oz.servings, so just divide by 7 (or 8, if that’s easier, it’s close enough!) and add boiling water.  Not sure how that would turn out with the gelatin though, I always have trouble getting all the gelatin dissolved.

I use a half-gallon milk jug to mix it in.

Ingredients:
2 c water
5 c milk
1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract (real vanilla, you’ll need more if you use immitation)
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp plain gelatin

Start heating water to boiling (I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup in the microwave).  While it heats, put milk and sugar, and vanilla in half-gallon jug.  When water is boiling, stir in coffee and gelatin, mixing fast and well to get gelatin dissolved.  Pour into milk mixture.  Depending on your container, stir or shake very well.  I like to use the milk jug, because then we can shake it each time we get it out to serve some.

If you like this kind of drink with ice chunks in it, you could use less water and add shaved or chopped ice.

Note: I have seen recipes online that use pectin instead of gelatin.  We tried it, and thought it tasted super-weird.  Either ingredient is just for thickening.  If you don’t care to match the Starbucks texture too closely, you don’t need them.

Megan

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Hi, I’m looking for recipes that have infant cereal in them. I have a ton
of baby cereal and I don’t know what to do with it.
Jen

Many years ago, while raising my 14 children, I had much baby cereal left in the boxes… Some hated the stuff…
I found it was good as a flouring for meats, potato cakes and such..Just make whatever size and flour each side with the cereal… Have your pan hot, so it will not be soggy before it browns….. Now was this cheap or what?
Betty in SC

I saved this sheet from Wright County Community Action (MN) even though we no longer have babies in the house because I thought these were versatile (and in a tight time I’d be willing to take a box of this stuff off someone’s hands)

Molasses Cookies

1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
1/2 c. butter or marg.
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal infant cereal
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
**oddly enough, molasses was omitted from this list (but mentioned in directions), so when I made these, I added 1/3 c. molasses**

Mix brown sugar, applesauce, butter/marg, molasses and egg. Mix in flour, oatmeal infant cereal and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Heat oven to 375*. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfulls into balls. Dip tops in granulated sugar (optional). Pleace balls sugared sides up about 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake just until set – 10-12 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet (makes about 4 doz)

——————————————

Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. dry oatmeal infant cereal
1/2 c. milk
2 tb. oil
2 eggs, beaten

In large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and infant cereal. Add milk, oil and eggs and stir only until blended. Spoon batter into 8 greased or paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 425* for 20 minutes. Makes 8 muffins.

Jenny
www.frogmamasfindings.blogspot.com

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I’m trying to find a recipe for
marshmallow ice cream topping. I tried just spooning on marshmallow
creme – just got a sticky white glob. Will appreciate any help.
Marlene Seawar

In response to Marlene who wanted to know how to make marshmallow sauce for ice cream. When I was growing up (many years ago) my father used to make us an ice cream concoction on Sunday nights, that he said was called Jersey Mud when he was growing up. One of the toppings was marshmallow sauce. Dad would take a large tablespoon of marshmallow fluff, and put some water with it to thin it. He would take a regular dinner fork & quickly stir this until it was a consistency that he could drizzle it over the ice cream. I am not sure on the amount of water, I would try just a little and then add more until you have the consistency that you would like. Hope this helps.
Dona

My mother always used marshmallow cream from the jar but put some in a bowl or cup with a small amount of “hot” water and stirred to desired consistency, add more “hot” water as needed and then pour over ice cream. Very yummy!
Nancy

This is for the person than wanted a marshmallow topping for her ice cream.
I put about four tablespoons of white syrup into a bowl and heat it in a microwave for about
30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add about 1/2 cup of marshmallow creme to the warm syrup.  Stir well.  (The syrup can get very hot so watch closely.)  Then put it on your
ice cream.  It will not get glumpy on your ice cream.
Good luck,
Judy

I used to work for a restaurant that specialized in ice cream.  For the marshmallow topping, we simply would mix boiling water in with the marshmallow cream until it reached the desired consistency.
Jackie S

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Dear Susanne, I am looking for a molasses cookie recipe. The recipe I have makes flat cookies. I’m looking for one that makes cake-like cookies.
Pegge W

This is for the lady looking for a cake-like molasses cookie recipe.
This was my great-grandma’s recipe, passed down to me from my grandma
and is a family favorite.
Stephanie

Grandma’s Molasses Cookies

1 cup sugar 1 tsp ginger
1 cup shortening 1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup molasses 4 tsp baking
soda, add to molasses
2 eggs 2 tsp
cream of tarter
1 cup sour milk 5 cups flour

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses, eggs & milk. Mix
well. Combine ginger, cinnamon, cream of tarter and flour in another
bowl. Stir into wet mixture. This makes a VERY soft dough, but if you
find it’s too wet, add more flour (my grandma has recently been
experimenting with adding less milk). Chill dough for several hours.
The original recipe calls for rolling out and cutting the dough, but I
usually drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet and flatten
slightly with a glass (dust the bottom with flour to prevent sticking).
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Ice with powdered sugar icing when cool.
Un-iced cookies freeze very well.

Pepper D.

Here is a recipe in response to the reader request for a cake-like molasses
cookie recipe. This is my mom’s recipe that she would always make in
gingerbread man shapes for Christmas and big turkey shapes around
Thanksgiving!

Soft Molasses Cookies

4 1/2 c + 3 T all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ginger
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
3/4 c shortening
1 c sugar
1 c molasses
2 eggs
1/2 c sour cream (not fat free)

Cream shortening and sugar. In another bowl, combine flour, spices, baking
soda, and salt.
Add molasses and egg to shortening/sugar mixture.
To the sugar mixture, alternate adding the dry ingts. and the sour cream.
Chill at least 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375.
Roll 1/4 inch thick on floured surface.
Cut and place on greased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with white sugar.
Bake 6-9 minutes, depending on side. Watch carefully, edges should just
barely brown.
Cool on rack.

These are the best molasses cookies ever! Enjoy!
Caitlin, VA

This is for Pegge W., who was looking for a chewy molasses cookie recipe.

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cloves
1 t. each cinnamon & ginger
granulated sugar

Mix wet & dry ingredients separately (except granulated sugar), then combine. Chill.

Heat oven to 375. Roll dough into 1 1/4″ balls. Dip the tops into the sugar and place 3″ apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with 2-3 drops water. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Makes about 4 dozen.
Karen K.

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I bought some poblano pepper plants this year as I like to try to grow something different.  I also have the sweet green pepper plants but I was wondering if anyone had some creative ideas to use the poblano pepper for.  I know it’s traditionally for chili rellenos but I just may need some other ideas.  I know they’re pretty expensive in my grocery store and I thought I might as well try to grow my own and I have 4 plants, so I may have quite a few.  Are these the “green chilis” we get in the can?  I did think of maybe roasting them and freezing them to add into my chili and such but other than that, ???
Rachel, Iowa

About the poblano peppers, we LOVE them!  Although we don’t grow them, we buy them on a regular basis as regular bell peppers run between .50 and 1.00 each, but poblanos run around 5 or 10 cents! We substitute them everywhere, especially doing stuffed peppers with beef and rice! They are a flavorful substitute, including for stir fry, kebabs, or on the grill together with your burgers, then slice in strips and use as a topping!  We do also slice them up fresh, freeze and bag for later easy use!
Dia in Texas

This recipe is in response to Rachel, who was looking for a recipe for her
poblano peppers. It’s a sauce called mole, for which every Mexican
housewife has her own recipe. It’s not uncommon for these recipes to have
30 different ingredients and many different types of peppers, but this is a
simplified recipe to start with and then build on and experiment with.

MOLE POBLANO, the easy way:

4 poblano peppers

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp lard

½ large onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 cloves minced garlic

2 squares baking chocolate

¼ c peanut butter (the kind with no sugar is best)

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ c finely chopped cilantro

2 tbsp tomato paste

Salt & pepper to taste

Quarter the peppers lengthwise, remove seeds and membranes. Lay skin side
up on a broiler pan and brush with oil. Broil until the skins are charred
and blistered. Remove skins and discard, then chop peppers finely.

Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in lard until onions are tender. Reduce
heat to medium-low. Add chocolate, peanut butter, cumin, cilantro, tomato
paste, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for an hour or so, stirring
occasionally.

Serve this sauce over chicken or enchiladas with a spoonful of sour cream.

Summer

And here are some responses to older requests that came in since the last issue of the newsletter.

I used to have acid reflux a lot until I started medication and I still have bouts of it even on the meds. Here is my remedy: Mix some baby cereal with milk – make it thin enough to drink but with a little texture. I actually drank this when I was pregnant with both my kids and it really relieves the pain.
The coolness of the milk and the thickness of the cereal coats the
throat and stomach and eases the pain. I had forgotten about this until
I read the article about the lady who was looking for something to do
with all her baby cereal. Perhaps these two could get together.

Anyway, this is a good stop-gap measure and you can take it often. No
residual effects. If you are lactose-intolerant, use lactaid.
Pepper D

Tracey asked for a large batch muffin mix to make up yourself.

Tracey – you can always take your favorite muffin mix and put the dry ingredients in a jar. Then all you have to do is add the liquids. Double it, triple it or whatever for your size family. Be sure to label the jar with what you would need for wet ingredients to make up the muffins. That is what I do to make my “mixes”.
Sue
The gal who asked about the turkey and peas in a cream sauce. My mom made this meal after the holiday turkey feast. She called it Turkey a la King. Just before serving it she sliced thinly iceberg lettuce and stirred in the al a king and then served it over toast she buttered and cubed. This was the family favorite. Then when the turkey was just a carcass she made homemade turkey, vegetable noodle soup. Nothing was wasted in our home. Mom always made Mustgo soup, casseroles. She would look in the fridge and start pulling leftovers out saying mustgo mustgo mustgo soup/or casserole today. We grew up thinking mom was using a recipe not realizing she was using up leftovers.
Becky

This is for the person who wanted a recipe for wilted lettuce. My Mother
calls it bacon and egg dressing.

Bacon and Egg dressing

Fry 3 slices of bacon, reserving 3 tablespoons of fat in the skillet,
discard the rest of the fat.

meanwhile, while the fat is cooling off a little,

mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 large egg (or 2
small), 3 tablespoons of water in a jar and shake well.

add the jar mixture to the fat in the skillet and bring to a boil, cook
about 2 minutes, remove from heat. Cool a minute and pour over your bowl of
lettuce and toss.

Sharon

Inspirational Story

THE FATHER AND HIS SONS
By Aesop

A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.

When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily.

He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

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