Cooking in the West

This week, most parents are celebrating the fact that their children are going back to school after the longest summer break on record due to the Coronavirus. The exceptions to these celebrations are usually the moms of kindergarteners and the moms facing an empty nest as their last child heads off to college. Both of those moms feel like they are sending their babies off into the scary unknown, and they usually shed a lot more tears than their offspring do under the circumstances.

Kindergarten wasn't a big step for me, because since I taught school in the same building, my kids were just down the hall. When we sent our oldest off to college, it wasn't too traumatic mainly because we filled her room with another kid, Andy Sandmeier, but when our youngest child and Andy left home in the fall of 2007, the house was too empty.

All I could think of as I packed Bret up for college was how I had felt 30 years before when I had gone off to college. The first day was a very scary experience for me. I had gone to elementary school and high school in small schools in Augusta and Melstone, Montana. Back in those days at Montana State University, everyone had to pay fees at the Fieldhouse the day before classes started. As I stood in line with 10,000 other students, I was terrified. My parents waited for me in the parking lot, and somehow I found the right lines and made it through the process and then found my way back to the car. I am sure I looked as though I had crawled through a firing line on my hands and knees, because that is how I felt. I had decided to tell them that college was not for me, but since they had not gone to college, they were looking at me like the future of the entire universe was riding on my shoulders. I remember sitting forlornly on my dorm bed watching my mother unpack my stuff and thinking that I had made a horrible mistake in thinking that I wanted to go to college. Eventually she finished unpacking, and it was time to say goodbye. I tried really hard not to cry as I watched them drive away, and then that is all I remember about being terrified and feeling alone. Armed with the knowledge that the separation experience passes fairly quickly, I knew that I could somehow find the fortitude to send my youngest off to college.

The mother of Bret's roommate, Martha Sargent, and I both feared we were going to suffer from Empty Nest Syndrome even though Martha's nest was only half empty as she had a daughter left at home. Now, I must emphasize that we were not the typical pathetic smother mothers who actually go to college with their children. We were not that good at planning ahead!

We had dropped the boys off and made sure they had everything they needed. We had survived the goodbyes without having complete breakdowns, and we were feeling pretty proud of that. Once back home, however, we both felt sure the boys were missing us as much as we were missing them, so on the phone we hatched a plan that we should just drive down and see how they were doing. At first we thought we would sneak around campus covertly spying on them, but then we formulated a better plan that would not involve jogging and disguises.

Since it is a long ways down to Powell, Wyoming, we decided we should plan to spend the night or maybe the week or maybe the semester--who knows? I volunteered our camper, which is a 1960 something Bell with extensive hail and rust damage and all the amenities except plumbing, refrigeration, and a stove that works. Martha saved the day though, because she actually owned a camper that had a bathroom and carpet. I mean the last thing we wanted to do was embarrass those boys!

We decided we would park back behind their dorm instead of out in front, so we wouldn't be too conspicuous. We would keep our "We Love You, Wes!" and "We Love You, Bret!" banners tastefully small so as not to draw too much attention to our mission of love and derangement. Unfortunately, we would undoubtedly attract a little unwanted attention from other coeds, because we probably look old enough to buy beer. We figured if we set up a barbecue and served a lot of Sargent Ranch beef (my idea not Martha's) and baked a lot of cookies, we just might become the most popular helicopters on campus. (Helicopter is a teacher code word for those mothers who are always hovering nearby. It is a term generally reserved for mothers of pre-school or primary children.)

We looked all through the college literature and could find no regulations specifically forbidding camping out in the dorm parking lot. In fact, parking is free, so that seems to be an open invitation to us. Our plan seemed flawless, so we made a tentative vow to put it into action as soon as we could both clear our schedules. Fortunately for the boys and us, we never actually headed down to Powell, but I am certain it would have been a surefire way to cure any twinges of homesickness those boys might have been feeling!

My featured cook this week is my former teaching colleague at Big Timber Grade School, Marion Beley. These recipes are great for back to school treats or even care packages! Thanks, Marion!

Marion Beley's Carrot Cake:

Sift:

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

2 t. soda

2 t. cinnamon

Add:

4 eggs (one at a time, beating after each)

3 C. grated raw carrots

1 t. vanilla

1 1/4 C. vegetable oil

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes in a greased 9 X 13 pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

16 oz. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla.

Mix well until spreading consistency is reached. Frost cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts if desired.

Marion's Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 C. butter flavored Crisco (add 4 t. water

1/4 C. white sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla

3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding

2 eggs

2 3/4 C. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 bag "big" chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients adding chips to the batter as the last step. Bake at 375 degrees until brown on the bottom as baking times will vary.

Marion's Frozen Yum Yum:

(Note that this recipe contains raw eggs.)

2/3 C. butter

2 C. powdered sugar

3 eggs yolks, slightly beaten

2 sq. melted chocolate

pinch of salt

1 t. vanilla

1/2 C. chopped nuts

3 eggs whites, well beaten

2 C. graham cracker crumbs

1 quart vanilla ice cream

Grease 9 X 13 pan and pat crumbs in the bottom. Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add egg yolk, melted chocolate, vanilla, and nuts. Fold in egg whites. Pour over crumbs and freeze at least two hours. Remove and spread vanilla ice cream over top. Freeze solidly before serving.