Tomato Crostini

Prepare French bread. Cut into 11/2-inch slices. Toast in 350 f. oven until lightly brown and crispy. Remove to cool. Set aside. Prepare topping: Mix tomatoes, minced red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Rub toasted French bread slices with garlic. Then spoon on tomato topping. Add a few basil leaves for garnish.

I Hit a Deer

I hit a deer on the way to work on the Clinch River near Clinton, Tennessee. I was working the night shift, relieving Anne. There were two twelve-hour shifts there. The back way into Clinton is a curvy winding country road. There was little traffic in the late evening hours.

Cranberry Cherry Punch

Very pretty and tasty Cranberry Cherry Punch, Place 2 to 3 cranberries and a piece of lemon in each compartment of an ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze. In a pinch bowl, dissolve a 3-ounce pkg cherry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Stir in 3 cups cold water, 6 cups chilled cranberry juice and 3/4 cup thawed lemonade concentrate. Just before serving, stir in 1 liter ginger ale. Serve over the cranberry-lemon ice cubes. Makes 3 1/2 quarts.

Tangy Mustard Deviled Eggs

Some say deviled eggs are just deviled eggs. Not me. There are many ways to season them. Try this one. Cool and peel hard boiled eggs. Halve lengthwise and remove yolks. Lightly mash yolks. Stir in seasonings and half the bacon. Spoon mixture into washed and dried egg white halves. Top with remaining crumbled bacon. Chill until ready to serve.

The Interurban Line

What is an Interurban? If you were not around during Depression Days, you would not know. Oh, you might notice the raised track bed out towards Parma or Grass Lake in the other direction. Probably a discontinued railroad line, you say. Nope. It was the remains of the Interurban line that ran between Chicago and Detroit.

Peach Cobbler

Here is a tasty way to prepare a peach cobbler. You have everything in your pantry. Appreciate the idea of using both peaches and pears. That is a tasty combination.

In saucepan over medium heat, combine peaches with syrup, 1/3 cup sugar, the spices and cornstarch. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. Add margarine. Stir to combine. Pour into ungreased 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Prepare drop biscuits, except add 1/3 cup sugar to dry ingredients. Drop biscuits from tablespoon onto peaches. Bake at 425 F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.

Date Filled Coffee Rings

Refrigerated biscuits are fun to work with. Then have a slightly different texture than homemade biscuits. Surprise everyone with their date centers. Fun to make. Your kids could help you. Set aside 1/2 of melted butter. Divide rest between two 8-inch ring molds, coating sides well. Put 2 tablespoons syrup in bottom of each mold. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds. Set aside half of this mixture. Sprinkle rest in the molds over syrup. Pit dates ...

Cotton Mouth Snakes

There weren't supposed to be any water moccasin in East Tennessee. Supposedly, the winters were too cold here for them to survive. Timber rattlers and copperheads abound in this area, especially where the ridges are undisturbed. We were told not to worry because there were no cottonmouths this far north. Not so. Let me tell you about it.

Smoke No More!

I began smoking cigarettes when I was fifteen. It seemed like the sophisticated thing to do. Lord knows, I wanted to fit in. It soon became a habit. I would hunt for my glasses so I could find my cigarettes. I was noted for searching through the ashtray, sorting out the longest cigarette butts. It was hell to run out of cigarettes. We were living on Lee Road east of Michigan Center, Michigan. Extra money was hard to come by, trying to build our house. Every spare cent went into buying materials. Almost every cent, that is.

No Egg Bread Pudding

Since I am allergic to egg yolks, I am always looking for a recipe without them. Try this one

No egg bread pudding
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounce can evaporated milk
3/4 cup fat free milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups day old whole wheat bread, Cut in 1-inch cubes