Shirley McMurtrie
I'll stick to real conversations and writing letters
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 01/18/2023 - 09:03With cell phones and the Internet, few people write letters anymore. Most would not know how to compose an interesting letter. They are so used to sending short blurbs. A detailed letter would almost be like writing a book for them. Another thing—very few people use cursive anymore. Printing is the norm.
I remember my grade school days. I could ace every subject except Penmanship. The old Palmer method was beyond me. Some days I couldn’t even read things I had written a few days before.
Smoke no more
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 01/11/2023 - 16:10I 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.
Chicken Parmesan Pasta Casserole
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 01/04/2023 - 11:49Tom's Cinnamon Sticks
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 01/04/2023 - 11:48Did you always like the lunch your mother packed for you during those long-ago school years? Did your classmates’ lunches look better than the same old boring stuff you pulled from your lunch sack?
If so, you were not alone. But there was a solution. Let me tell you what my son Tom thought up.
If Tom had paid as much attention to his schoolwork as he did in goofing off, he might have been a rocket scientist or at least the vice president. Not so. Goofing off was his specialty.
Dad and the pulp westerns
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 12/28/2022 - 19:52My father was a reader. But during the Great Depression books were hard to come by. We didn’t live near a library. Gas to go there was expensive when he only earned forty dollars a month working on a farm, doing the milking and field work. But there was some reading material available at a low price. The pulp Western novels, costing ten or fifteen cents, filled the bill. We couldn’t even afford a newspaper subscription.
Croutons
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 12/28/2022 - 19:45What do you do when you need croutons for salad or a dressing? Do you shell out good money for toasted stale bread at the store? You don't have to do that. Croutons are easy to make. You can use any kind of bread you like. Let's face it, the bread you buy is at least a day old when you buy it. Open it and it's on its way to being too stale to use for anything other than toast or croutons. So you do have stale bread at home. Don't throw it out. Make croutons. You might add some dried spices for different flavors.
Chicken dinner
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Thu, 12/22/2022 - 16:48Back in the day, when we lived on the farm, if I wanted to prepare a Sunday chicken dinner, there was a lot of prep work to do. We only did this if we had company coming. We couldn’t go to Food City and select a package of chicken parts from the meat counter. Nope! Na! Na! No way! In fact, in those days the only chicken I might find at the meat market was a sorry looking whole chicken. Separately packaged breasts or drumsticks were far in the future. I prepped my own.
Corn flour tortillas
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Thu, 12/22/2022 - 16:34Ice tea
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Wed, 12/14/2022 - 09:17Turkey Leftover Casserole
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Sun, 12/11/2022 - 13:54Marinated vegetable salad
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/29/2022 - 18:21This salad makes a big batch. It keeps well in the fridge. I make it and much on it for several days. Very good..
In small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, oil and salt.. Bring to a boil over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add dressing. Toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve with slotted spoon. Makes 25 servings.
Thanksgiving
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 09:13Was your Thanksgiving dinner when you were a youngster different than what you celebrate now? Mine was. Mother and Dad are gone as are my two brothers. Back in the day that was it, just the five of us. We seldom had company during the dark days of the Great Depression. It was just the five of us and Banjo, our supposed Beagle.
Impossible turkey pie
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 09:12Knob and tube electrical wiring
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/15/2022 - 12:35Baked chili and crackers
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/15/2022 - 12:32Need to fix supper in a hurry? Try this recipe. Supper in half an hour.
Butter a 10 by 7 inch baking pan. Spoon a third of canned chili into bottom of dish. Arrange half of round crackers over chili. Sprinkle half of shredded cheese and seasonings over chili. Repeat layers. Top with remaining chili. Bake in preheated 400 F. oen for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
PHONE SURVEY
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/08/2022 - 01:15Back a long time ago when I was much younger, I participated in a United Way phone survey. We had high hopes that the survey would yield good results. It helps to know where the emphasis should be for the most effective use of donated funds. A phone survey would be a good tool.
I was an active participant in the local United Way, working on the Speakers Bureau, for instance. When someone suggested a Phone Survey. I volunteered to head the project. That meant finding people to do the survey as well as formulate questions to be asked.
Hawaiian carrots
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/08/2022 - 01:11Chicken Noodle Soup
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:52When a cold west wind is swirling snow around the yard, I think of "Chicken Soup". You may think of skiing at Gatlinburg; I think of soup. There is no way I am leaving the house unless it’s going to church or I need groceries. If it can wait, I’ll get my groceries after church. I'll open the door only to feed the birds. Anne will drive down to the mailbox to get the mail rather than walk. That is more than I will do on a cold snowy day; but I will make soup. I have lots of soup recipes. Some take a while to make. Some are quick.
Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Submitted by Shirley McMurtrie on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 14:52I remember my Grandma’s chicken noodle soup. It was delicious. I have made noodles all my married life. I think I’m pretty good at it, but Grandma had me beat by a country mile. Let me tell you about her noodles.
As a child, I would watch in awe as she performed her magic with the rolling pin and dough. I never saw her stir a batch together, just the rolling out and cutting process.