ONE HUNDRED AND ONE MICE

Maybe it was all the cute Edna Miller books I read to my children. “Mouskin’s Golden House” was their favorite. Perhaps it was Beatrix Potter’s, “The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse.” Or maybe it was the Brambly Hedge series. Or something by Arthur Scott Bailey. At any rate, our shelves are laden with cozy, endearing stories about mice. And I love them.

However. When a late night visit to the chicken coop revealed that there were 50 or more mice scrambling for cover at the flick of the light switch, I knew serious action would be in order. A hole had been chewed in the wood floor and feed was disappearing at an unprecedented rate. I was just glad the rats weren’t back, but something had to be done.

We decided that we would place live traps in the coop and, upon catching the mice, would move them to the field at the end of the driveway. That way we would avert killing them and they would be deterred from finding food and shelter with the chickens. After trapping nearly 100 in two weeks, I am pleased to report that all three traps were empty this morning allowing me to believe (though I have been scorned for my view that they won’t return) that they have sought a home elsewhere and I have a clean conscience regarding the demise of legions of mice.

I will say this, though. Even though I am hard pressed to kill a mouse in the out buildings,  I have a no tolerance policy regarding mice in the house. The old lake cabin harbored hundreds of mice over the years and I remember the smell and sight of everything mouse. And suddenly, mice lose their charm and all out war prevails. My heart is only SO soft.

CHOCOLATE MICE

4 squares semisweet chocolate

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, plus 1/3 cup

1/3 cup powdered sugar

24 silver dragees décor for cookies

1/4 cup sliced almonds

12 pieces long red string licorice

Melt the chocolate in a saucepan. Stir in sour cream. Stir in 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until firm. When chilled, roll dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. Mold to a slight point at one end for the nose. Roll dough in powdered sugar for white mice and chocolate crumbs for brown mice. On each mouse, place dragees for eyes, almond slices for ears and licorice for tail. Refrigerate for two hours before servings.

FARM MOUSE COOKIES

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Peanut halves

Chocolate mini chips

Black shoestring licorice

In a mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour or overnight. Roll into 1 inch balls. Pinch one end forming a teardrop shape for mouse body. Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press to flatten. For ears, press two peanuts into each cookie near the pointed end. Press chocolate chips into dough for eyes. With a toothpick, make a 1/2 inch deep hole for the tail in the opposite end. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. When cookies are still warm, insert licorice for tails. Cool.

CANDY MICE

30 Oreo cookies, halved

30 large maraschino cherries, with stems

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

30 Hershey’s chocolate kisses

30 almond halves

Red decorating gel

Split the Oreo cookies in half, reserving the half with cream filling. Unwrap kisses and set aside. Drain cherries and dry on a paper towel. Melt chocolate until smooth. Dip a cherry in chocolate until coated and set it on the Oreo cookie half with the stem going sideways for the tail. Place a chocolate kiss, pointed side out, on the opposite side of the cherry for the nose. Place two almond halves on top of the cherry for the ears. Put two red dots on the cherry body for the eyes.

DOG DAYS OF MY LIFE

I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life…at the present time we have four here at Cricket Meadow: Buck, Lily, Ruger and Nelli. I have a special place in my heart for each one. And, with advancing age and recent health issues for all but the latter, I am reminded that I may have to part with them sooner than later. Which reminded me of all the canine friends I have said goodbye to in my life.

The dog I remember best from my childhood was Smokey, a beautiful border collie mix with tan and white accents on his smoke-colored fur. He was really the mainstay of my youth in that we got him when I was four years old and he lived for almost 12 years.

We never had housedogs back on the farm. Our dogs were lavished with love, fed and sheltered well, but never set foot in the house. Smokey had a doghouse nestled in the lilac bushes in the backyard and was fed table scraps from an old iron skillet. He trailed us as we did our chores and followed us as we rode our bikes, always staying at the end of the driveway. My Dad had a  “no chasing cars” policy and somehow got the dogs we owned to refrain from tire biting and running in the road.

We all loved Smokey, who possessed a gentle personality but gave a firm bark to any stranger who drove in the yard. In the wintertime, Dad tucked his house right next to ours so he was sheltered from the wind and feeding him was easier when the drifts mounded up in the lawn.

One night during an ice storm, for some reason, Smokey sought shelter in the haystack near the barn. When Dad noticed him missing for morning chores, he discovered Smokey’s lifeless form under some fallen bales. We were as crushed as Smokey had been, and mourned for weeks over the loss of our beloved pet. Though we know going into pet ownership that it is a fleeting thing, it doesn’t make the loss any easier. We did have dogs that followed Smokey. But he was our first real dog love and none of us have ever forgotten him.

ICE STORM STEW

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound boneless pork, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups vegetable broth

12 ounces beer

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, cut up

1-1/2 teaspoons thyme

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 apples, cored and cut into wedges

In a plastic bag, combine flour and red pepper. Add pork and shake to coat. In a 4 quart Dutch oven, cook meat and garlic in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in broth, beer, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, thyme, brown sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and apples. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.

CANINE CRUNCH (FOR PET OWNERS)

1 cup rice cereal

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup dried apricots, diced

16 ounces almond bark

In a large mixing bowl, melt almond bark in microwave, stirring until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add other ingredients. Combine well and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill. 

HAYSTACKS

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup salted peanuts

2 cups chow mein noodles

Place chips and peanut butter in a large bowl. Stir. Add peanuts and chow mein noodles. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until chips are shiny and soft. Stir and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool until set.

GHOSTLY FORESHADOWING

All of these glorious moonlit nights have reminded me of a story my mom once told of an incident forever a mystery to her.

Back in the early homesteading days in Meeker county, Mom’s grandparents, Nils and Ellen Martinson, Swedish immigrants, farmers in Swede Grove and sturdy, level headed, practical people were leaving a neighbor’s home, where they had shared a meal, a few miles from their farm. The October night was luminescent, with dry leaves swirling in the air and the only sound that of the horses’ hooves as they trotted back home to a warm barn filled with oats and hay. It was mid-October and there was a definite chill setting in as they traveled the lonely dirt road.

Suddenly the team stopped dead in their tracks and Nels was unable to get them to move. Out of nowhere, and I share this tale with a great portion of skepticism, two apparitions appeared in the middle of the narrow road. My great-grandparents, staunch Bible-banging Baptists, hearty, no-nonsense pioneers, knew them to be spirits. They were stunned speechless and later would liken the experience to that of Balaam’s donkey in the Old Testament book of Numbers.

Though it seemed an eternity, in a matter of seconds what they both saw was gone as mysteriously as it had appeared. And the horses proceeded as though nothing had happened. The couple was shaken by the experience, however, and wondered if God had sent the sign as a forewarning that night.

Within just a matter of days, my great-grandfather developed a blood clot in his leg and died shortly thereafter, on October 21, 1891. He was 49 years old and left behind 6 children between the ages of 12 and 2. My great-grandmother, no stranger to hardship, had lost her first three children in one month, a dozen years earlier, to the diptheria epidemic that swept the County in 1879. She held fast to her faith, never wavered in her resolve to live out her days a woman of God and a solid gold example of how to exemplify beauty from ashes. She had 50 more years to bless all the lives of those who knew her. Including my Mom. With whom I pondered this story from time to time. Who’s to say what really appeared on the road that dark fall night? It remains just one more unanswered question in our family’s legend book.

GREAT GRANDMA’S HARVEST MOON ORANGE CAKE

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of one orange and zest

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Stir in buttermilk. Beat in egg. Add flour, soda, spices and orange juice and zest. Stir well. Fold in raisins and nuts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 or 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar over top before serving. 

HOMESTEADER’S SWEDISH APPLE CAKE

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3 cups raw apples, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients. Add apples and nuts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

GHOSTLY WHITE COOKIES

2 cups flour

1 cup butter

1/3 cup whipping cream

Sugar for dipping

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, butter and cream. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll 1/3 of the dough at a time on a flour-covered board. Cut into small circles with a cookie cutter. Dip each circle into sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Pierce each cookie with a fork a few times. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, until set but not brown. Remove from oven and cool. Combine frosting ingredients together and, when cooled, frost between two rounds and layer to make sandwich cookies.

FROSTING

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Harvest Orange food coloring and flavoring (if desired)

AUTUMNAL THERAPY

Today is a perfect day to do some fall cleanup projects around Cricket Meadow. The sun is shining brightly in a beautiful blue sky, the maple is turning red and everywhere I look I see work. But I love being outside in the glorious weather, pulling stakes away from the hollyhocks and delphiniums, filling the bird feeders, cleaning debris out of the flower beds, properly disposing of a dead snake in the perennial bed, and finally, harvesting produce from a slightly overgrown and a bit neglected garden.

First the tomatoes and peppers. Hopefully, there will be enough for one last batch of salsa. Then I survey the herbs. Mountainous lemon balm plants. Spiky fragrant rosemary. Thick hedges of thyme, borders of basil and shrub- sized sage. I grab my largest basket from the shelf in the kitchen and head out with a shears to begin snipping. When my dehydrator is full, I place the rest on a screen in the garage, topped with another screen, allowing air to move freely around the herbs for proper drying. After a week or so, I begin crumbling the dried plants into canning jars and, covered and labeled, they rest in my pantry or on my kitchen shelves until I need them for cooking.

When winter has its grip on my soul, I reach for a jar of summer elixir, drop some lemon balm leaves in a china cup, pour boiling water over, steep and breathe deeply before sipping a bit of joy. And I can face the worst winter has to offer.

HERB GARDEN PESTO

4 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

Place all ingredients in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Add salt to taste, desired. Place in jars. Cover and freeze.

HERBED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon chives

1 tablespoon dill

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold butter

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, chives, dill, baking powder, sugar, soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Yield: 24 biscuits.

SAVORY HERBED TOAST SQUARES

4 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons dried savory

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Stir together all ingredients and mix well. Cut the crusts from a loaf of your favorite bread, butter each slice well, sprinkle with herb mixture and cut into 4 squares. Place on cookie sheets, bake at 250 degrees until slightly brown, about 1 hour.

LEMON BALM COOKIES

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups white flour

1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. When fluffy, add egg yolks, vanilla and herbs. Stir in flour. Use a cookie press to make desired shapes on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.

FISHIN' FOR MORE SUMMER...

I’m sitting on the dock as I write this, marveling at how fast the summer went. Flocks of seagulls are holding their late summer rendezvous, acorns are dropping on the wood steps, tree frogs buzz, campsites empty and cabins are vacated. The same as every year, but it always catches me by surprise and makes me a bit melancholy. Life without children in it is something one should adjust to, and I have, (time for grandchildren?) but I still miss my kids a lot when I am at the lake, remembering the fun years of endless water sports, biking and playing with friends. And fishing with Grandpa.

I am reminded of just that this morning. A few yards from shore, anchored in a prime fishing hole, is a pontoon filled with six kids of all ages with their grandpa. He has set them up with drop lines, poles and nets and they are pulling in sunnies as fast as he gets them off their hooks and into the basket. 

They are all chattering with excitement and buzzing with competitiveness. Grandpa patiently answers all their questions, assists them in their every need, and exclaims with enthusiasm over each of their observations and successes with the fishing experience. They exclaim over the tin of cookies Grandma packed as well as the jug of lemonade and cooler of sandwiches and fruit.

And I can still see, and hear, my own kids with my Dad in his fishing boat, just off the dock in the same spot, helping them bait their hooks and remove the fish which swam in thick schools in the fishing weeds just on the edge of the drop-off. No one in our family ever goes far without packing a lunch either, and my Dad patiently handed out sandwiches, cookies and beverages to his fishing buddies.

Maybe before TOO long, we can pass the tradition of fishing with grandkids to some of our own. Hurry back, Lucia!

SUMMERTIME STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

1 cup fresh strawberries

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water boiled and cooled)

7 to 8 cups water

Combine first 3 ingredients in a blender. Puree. Stir in water. Serve iced with fresh strawberries and mint.

CHOCOLATE- CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter

1-1/2 sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Stir in cocoa. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie  sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

TACKLE BOX BARS

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 package chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, and vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 by 13 inch pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven to melt. Cool. Melt together chocolate chips, peanut butter. Stir in cereal. Spread over cooled bars.

FISHING HOLE SNACK CAKE

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups raw apples, peeled and coarsely grated

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in apples, nuts and raisins. Spread into a greased 8 by 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle powdered 

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?

I love summer, I love hot weather. I can even love humidity as long as the air conditioning works.

I stopped by my cousin’s rustic cabin (which is adorable and loaded with charm) to visit one day recently and was reminded of growing up without air conditioning. And I was reminded of how life used to be when we tried to cool the house with shades and fans. And lots of big trees near the house. I remember how sticky everything felt and how hard it was to cool off. How miserable it was to sleep, how you’d keep flipping your pillow in the quest for relief in your sweat-soaked pajamas.

Back then, Mom would always make sure the freezer was stocked with popsicles and ice cream.  We ate cold cereal, egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad. Did I mention watermelon? Cold food was requested at every meal. We even enjoyed the forays into our farmhouse basement, damp and unfinished, just because it was about 10 degrees cooler. On the very hottest days, when evening chores were finished, we piled in the car (another miserable experience with hot, sweaty, kid bodies packed in on top of each other) rolled down all the windows (manually, of course) and, with wind whipping through our hair, headed to the lake for a swim. Nothing spelled relief more to us than G-R-E-E-N L-A-K-E. Nothing does still.

So, while we continue eating egg salad and root beer floats so, too, we continue to drop our flip-flops and sunglasses on the dock and jump into the crystal clear water to cool off. And we are pleased beyond belief that the air conditioner is alive and well, forever keeping us cool through the long, hot summer nights.

HOT SUMMER NIGHT SHRIMP SALAD

1 large box macaroni shells, cooked and cooled

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup radishes, sliced

1 large bag cooked, frozen shrimp

3/4 quart mayonnaise or salad dressing

Fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley sprigs

Paprika

Blend shells with vegetables and shrimp. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over all. Stir in mayonnaise. Toss. Season with salt and pepper and top with parsley and paprika. Chill.

MOM’S POTATO SALAD

8 large potatoes, cooked, peeled, diced

6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced or wedged

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup onions, chopped

1/4 cup radishes, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley sprigs

3 raw eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 cup mayonnaise or unsweetened cream, whipped

Combine vegetables and cooked eggs. Season with  salt and pepper. In a medium saucepan, cook raw eggs with sugar, vinegar and dry mustard. Stir in salt, pepper and celery seed. When cool, whisk in mayonnaise or whipped cream. Fold into potatoes and vegetables. Garnish with fresh parsley, paprika and more hard-boiled eggs. Keep refrigerated.

50’S TUNA SALAD MOLD

1 small package lemon jello

1/2 cup boiling water

1 can tuna, drained

1 can chicken gumbo soup

2 tablespoons each: green pepper, green onions, celery, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/2 cup cream, whipped but unsweetened

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

In a medium bowl, dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in all other ingredients, except cream. Chill until partially set. Then whip cream and fold into jello mixture. Chill in a mold overnight or for several hours. Serve unmolded on lettuce leaves.

ANOTHER TREK, ANOTHER SUNDAY (WITH THANKS TO THE DOOBIE BROTHERS)

Somewhere, somehow, my Dad, who was always scoping out new ideas, found out that there was a pastor at a small country church near Upsala, Minnesota named Leonard Bergstrom. He was sure that we were shirttail relatives and, that was all it took, we were northbound that next Sunday and on a quest for a new church destination.

The rest of the family wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. We kids hated veering outside of our comfort zones. Mom hated missing a Sunday in her home church in Grove City with family and friends. But we acquiesced. And off we went. Aside from the fact that we weren’t excited about worshipping in an unfamiliar setting, we equally loathed the idea of cramming into a car, charting new territory, scoping out farm fields for crop comparison, bouncing in the un-air conditioned vehicle on dusty back roads. Never mind the inevitable polka music and cigar or pipe smoke on the trip back. We’d almost choose the dentist, if given the option.

To add insult to injury, Dad was always shocked and somewhat hurt when we griped about meeting the kids in the family. Whatever was he thinking?? Most pre-adolescents aren’t particularly taken with the prospect of developing relationships in an afternoon. Trying to fit in with new pals. Enduring being snubbed. “Can’t we just go to the service and leave?” We begged. But no. We knew full well (from copious experience) we’d be there the better part of the day, dining with the pastor’s family, playing (or not) with the new kids, wishing to go home.

As it turned out, I loved the day. Lynn Bergstrom, a willowy blonde my age, with ice blue Nordic eyes and funky black glasses, turned out to be my sister in Christ! We hit it off right away, on the steps of that little white country church. My brothers found her brothers to be equally interesting. I loved her dad, Reverend Bergstrom…his preaching was engaging, even to an 11-year old. Mrs. Bergstrom whipped up a delicious Sunday dinner and she and Mom traded tales of tomatoes ripening, Ladies Aid, school bus drivers and the county fair.

Lucky Dad, not a one of us chomped our bits to leave or belly-ached on the way home. As I recall, we even looked forward to our next visit, which we knew was forthcoming. Even Mom. As it turned out, Dad and Leonard were NOT related. But, no matter. They were brothers in Christ, just the same. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

And I mean that.

SUNDAY DINNER LIME JELLO SALAD

3 ounce box lime Jell-O

3/4 cup hot water

1 cup whipped cream

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup crushed pineapple, with juice

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a medium bowl, mix gelatin and water together, stirring until dissolved. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into a greased mold. Chill until set. Serve on an iceberg lettuce leaf, for a trip down memory lane. 

SUMMERTIME BARBEQUED MEATBALLS

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

12 ounces evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

SAUCE

2 cups ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup chopped onion

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mixture will be soft. Shape into balls. Place in a single layer on waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Freeze until solid. Store in freezer until ready to cook. To make sauce, combine all sauce ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. When ready to bake meatballs, place them in a 9 by 13 inch pan. Pour sauce over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

SUNDAY COMPANY RASPBERRY DESSERT

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

10 ounces raspberries, frozen and thawed

1/4 cup cold water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup cream, whipped

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Combine crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. For filling, drain raspberries and reserve juice. Set berries aside. In a small saucepan, combine juice, water and gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cook and stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add berries and gelatin mixture; beat on low until thoroughly blended. Chill until partially set. Gently fold in whipped cream. Spoon into crust. Chill for several hours. Top with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.