Brrrrr! It's cold outside. Christmas is over. I am ready for spring. I have never liked cold weather. Growing up, Mother would send my brothers and me outside to get us out of her hair. Each of them had on a jacket, toboggan, boots and gloves. I was shrouded in a sweater, “ski pants,” heavy coat, toboggan, big scarf, boots and mittens. That made me the last one out the door.

Most every cook has a favorite recipe for scrambled eggs. Some add cheese. Some add milk or cream. I add a white sauce. You know, make a flour and butter roux, then add milk and cook until thickened. Do this when there are more than two or three for breakfast. It is a good company dish.

Just recently, a dear friend gave me a starter for Amish Friendship Bread and a loaf of Amish Friendship Bread. I was so excited. I remember my mom making this bread when I was younger. As a teenager, the lady who is now my mother-in-law would make this, also. My mother-in-law frequently made hers in muffins and my mom made loaves of bread. Either way, it is delicious.

Ok, so this doesn't look like my dad. If I hadn't said that, you might have thought my dad had a full beard and was portly, as they said back in the day. He really was skinny as a rail. Dad passed away on Armistice Day, what we now call Veteran's Day, November 11, in 1951. Armistice Day was to commemorate the signing of the end of World War 1. When I was growing up, that was a very important day in our house. After all, Dad was a veteran.

Do you like Chocolate Chip Cookies? Am I the only one who doesn't? The problem with me is the chocolate. We don't get along. If you need to send a batch of cookies to school with your child, you can't go wrong with Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Fried apples are an old timey breakfast treat. Back in Depression days before WWll, fresh oranges and bananas, for instance, were out of reach for most farm families. You made do with what you had. We usually had apples.

Bread pudding is an old fashioned dessert. Back in the day you made do with what you had. Going to the grocers more than once a week was unheard of. Bread pudding was my first attempt at making a fancy dessert. It was at my second job. I made ten dollars a week plus room and board.

It seems that hard times are around for some of us sometimes and for others all the time. What made me think of that? Cream Style Corn in the 16-oz can. I received several cans from my son who doesn't like them. Whole kernel corn is fine for him, but not the creamed variety.

I have a recipe for Mincemeat Fruitcake. There was a time when the amount of spices in your mincemeat showed off how much you could afford. Not me. I buy the cheaper store brand. There is no meat in mine either, just green tomatoes. The Puritans would have liked mine. It is booze-less. I am always looking for a way to save money. Meat and candied fruit are expensive. Green tomatoes aren't.

What is the easiest and cheapest nut to gather? Walnuts, of course! When my kids were in grade school, I would drive along country roads looking for walnut trees that had dropped their nuts. I figured if the nuts fell between the farmer's fence and the roadway, they were fair game. Most of the time I was right. Other times, with the farmer screaming and running after us, I hurriedly loaded my kids in the truck and sped off.