THE THREE R's

It’s getting to be that time of year when we batten down the hatches and make ready for Old Man Winter. I have been doing just that this past month by putting things away in the potting shed, where I store my garden tools, hoses, pots and watering cans. The shed also holds a fair share of non-gardening items, like Christmas lights, sunflower seed and suet for the birds, burlap potato sacks, picnic baskets, even my old loom which ceased to live in the house after my frustrating weaving experiences. So much for becoming a hippie.

I had completely forgotten an old milk can that was also among the bric-a-brac, covered as it was by a mountain of clay pots. There it was, my Home Ec. project from high school. For a home improvement unit, we were to Reclaim and Recondition an item to Reuse. The three R’s. I confiscated the can from my Dad’s pile of stuff in the machine shed and decided it would be fun to paint and fashion it into an ashtray, since most people I knew back then were smokers. I personally preferred to get my smoke quota by burning incense in my room. My favorite scent was “Campfire.”

To complete my school project, after thoroughly cleaning the can, I painted it blue with an “antiquing” overlay, all the rage in the 70’s. I then cut and pasted flowers out of wallpaper leftover from what I had on the walls in my room. Lastly, I sealed it with a protective coating and placed a dish in the cover for incense ash. It was well received at school by all who saw it but garnered an “F” from my teacher. She wasn’t fond of me, I guess. I protested and won. The grade was changed to an “A,” but she contended that my attitude was questionable and therefore felt I deserved what I got the first time around. All that creative energy, passion and ambition. Sprinkled with just a touch of rebellion, I guess.

I used and enjoyed that handy-dandy household item throughout high school and college and must have liked it well enough to keep it around for 40 odd years. As I remembered where that milk can/ashtray sat at different times in my old bedroom, I pictured my dresser, matched by my skilled paintbrush with the same blue antiquing, the mule deer mount above my bed, the birch branch with the bird’s nest in the corner, the steamer trunk upon which sat my stereo blaring my favorites, Carole King, Boz Skaggs and Neil Young, along with some occasional Gypsy. On one wall was a portrait of an Indian Chief I painted in art class and, above my dresser, my mirror was draped with hippie beads, headbands and feathers.  Just above that, hung a slab of wood (we were all about something from nothing back then) upon which I mounted the railroad spike I put in the tire of Dad’s ’69 Dodge truck. I still have that, too. It was a symbol to me of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, what that meant to me and what He’s done in my life: Reclaim, Recondition, Reuse.

POTTING SHED SUNFLOWER SEED COOKIES

1-1/2 cups butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 cups flour

1 cup coconut

1 cup sunflower seeds

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add baking soda, baking powder and flour. Mix well. Stir in coconut and sunflower seeds. Shape into 1 inch balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

HOME EC BAKED POTATO SOUP

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup flour

5 cups milk (can use half chicken broth)

7 pounds baked potatoes, peeled and cut up

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces cheddar cheese

4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (save a little for garnish)

1 cup sour cream

Fresh parsley

In a stock pot, melt butter. Stir in onions and celery. Saute. Sprinkle in half the flour and stir well with a whisk. Gradually whisk in milk and the rest of the flour. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Stir in potatoes, then add salt and pepper, cheese and bacon. Once heated through, stir in sour cream, stir and serve. Garnish each bowl with a sprig of fresh parsley, a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese and a few bacon crumbles.

HIPPIE BARS

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups brown sugar

3 cups peanut butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup coconut

1/8 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts, lightly chopped

1 cup pistachios, lightly chopped

1 cup almonds, lightly chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Blend in peanut butter. Stir in baking soda. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Stir well. Mix in all other ingredients. Press into a sheet pan. Chill for 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into bar