Why does fruitcake get such a bad rap? They aren't all hard and tasteless. I like mince pie and I like fruitcake. To me they are in the same class of food. To prove it, I have a recipe to share with you for a Mincemeat Fruitcake.

We sold my dad's farm to some folks from Chicago. I shouldn't say that these Chicago people were different, but they were. They had never farmed before. This was to be an adventure. Yeah right, adventure! It was hilarious watching those city dudes adjust to country living. They stood out on a goat farm in a county that didn't do goats. We couldn't give them any advice on how to raise goats. We recognized a picture of a goat when we saw one. That was about it. Fortunately, for the goats, their enterprise thrived.

We all have our own recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. I have mine and will share it with you. Green tomatoes fresh from the garden are best, but nowadays, you can buy them at the grocery store. I buy a couple whenever I see them, even though they cost the same as the ripe ones. Do you think, like I do, that they should be cheaper, since they're not ripe? Oh well.

To eliminate the need for frosting and/or to have the cake ready to eat as soon as it is cool enough, some cakes can be made with a topping spread on the batter before baking. They are quick and easy to make and eliminate the necessity of frosting the cake after baking. Baked toppings are best on cakes baked in square or oblong pans. The following recipes will make enough topping to frost them. If you are making a cake in a large jelly roll pan, double the recipes.

BAKED CHOCOLATE - NUT TOPPING
1 cup grated semisweet or sweet chocolate
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Have you ever eaten goose for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? It was an old timey delicacy. Back in the day, many farmers raised ducks and geese. What about the wild Canadian geese we see on the Fountain City Pond in wintertime? I know someone who caught and roasted one, but that is another story. I am talking about the domesticated kind of geese.

Years ago I wrote a Christmas play for small children at our church. Since my name is McMurtrie, I wrote about the adventures of the McMouse family at Christmas time. We had a lot of fun with the concept of mice celebrating Christmas. Why not? Sometimes the easiest way to get an important meaning across to children is through cartoon characters. It works for adults as well.

When I roast a turkey, everyone in my family goes for the white meat. I am the only one opting for the drumstick or thigh. That is, until I fix Turkey Legs and Gravy. Years ago in the 60s, turkey legs in the meat case at the store went for thirty-nine cents a pound. I could afford that. The problem was to figure out a recipe that my family would eat.

We have gotten away from the club sandwich. McDonald's and Burger King have spoiled us with their tasty hamburgers and fries. I remember seeing my first Mickey D's. There was no going back to just plain sandwiches, or even club sandwiches. Back in the day, every lunch counter had their specialty club sandwich. They were made fresh as you watched the counter girl pile on the goodies. Most homes didn't have fresh tomatoes or lettuce out of season. What a treat!

This is a good dish to make at Easter time when you have an abundance of decorated hard boiled eggs. Don't use any that have been out of the fridge over a few hours. This is a good dish to serve on toast or hot biscuits for lunch. Sometimes we forget how versatile eggs can be. Don't let hard boiled eggs go uneaten. Fancy them up either as Deviled Eggs or Creamed Eggs.

These days, there are a number of types of chocolate to use in our dessert making. For instance, we use Baker's Sweet Chocolate for making German Chocolate Cakes. A variety of chocolate chips find their way into our candy and cookie recipes. But I like baking with cocoa.

Back in the day, cocoa was cheaper than chocolate baking squares. On a limited budget, cost was everything: almost. I could get more mileage from a box of cocoa than I could from those skimpy chocolate squares. It had a longer shelf life as well. That made cocoa a winner for me.