I don’t often venture into my kid’s bedrooms. For one thing,
I don’t have any reason to but also, it is a painful reminder of how fast they
fled the premises and how vacated those rooms feel. Just the other day, I was
looking for a book in Haakon’s room, when my eye landed on the arrow he split
with another arrow on one of his earliest target shoots. He sliced it right
down the middle and the arrows remain stuck together. We kept it for its
William Tell bragging rights.
But why wouldn’t he be a great shot? I chuckled as I
recalled all the practice he got. When he was probably in junior high, he and I
were home alone a lot. The girls were off in college and Walt was working out
of state. I would make dinner (always Haakon’s favorites or I’d be eating
alone!), then we’d watch the outdoor channel and then he would do some
shooting.
Here is where I get “Mom of the Decade” award. He would
stand at the far west wall of our house and shoot through the entire length of
our house, through the family room, kitchen, entryway and garage. At least 75
feet. This target practice could go on for an hour or two, as he shot at a
target affixed to the trash dumpster. I really couldn’t sit still so I would do
chores around the house, mostly in the kitchen or laundry room but would have
to be absolutely alert for the archer at the other end of the house. Every time
he was about to let an arrow fly, he’d holler out, “SHOOTING!” That was my cue
to hunker down until I heard the “whizz” and then the “thunk” as he hit the
target. He only missed once, and there was an arrow-sized hole in the garage
drywall until we finally decided to repair it.
I am glad, for both of our sakes, that he never hit me. That
I remained alert enough to listen for the verbal warning call and lie low each
time. All that practice paid off,
Haak became an expert hunter, we bonded like Krazy Glue to human skin and I
have great memories of our years together, as I hope he has.
HUNTER’S MEAL IN A PAN
8 venison steaks or pork chops
1/4 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can water
6 large potatoes, sliced
4 carrots, sliced (peels on)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a skillet, brown meat with onion. Grease a 9 by 13 inch
pan and spread half the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt,
pepper and flour. Add carrots. Put meat on top of carrots and cover with
remaining potatoes. Pour soup and water over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees
for 1hour. Uncover and bake 1/2 hour longer.
STRAIGHT SHOOTER’S SPUD SOUP
6 to 8 potatoes
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 large can evaporated milk
2 cups water
2 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
Fresh parsley, chopped
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Green onions, diced
Bake potatoes. Skin and set aside. In a large stockpot,
brown mushrooms, celery and onion in butter. Add broth. Whisk flour and
evaporated milk together to make a roux. Stir in to broth and vegetables. Then
add water. Dice potatoes and add to pot. Stir in bacon and parsley. Heat all
together and serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and diced green onions on
top of each serving.
BULL’S EYE COOKIE STIX
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugars, egg and
vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to sugar
mixture. Divide dough in half. On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion
into a 15 by 3 inch rectangle, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle chocolate chips
and nuts over dough, pressing them in lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9
minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into 1 inch strips with a pizza cutter.
Remove to rack to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.
