Cooking in the West

The Melstone High School All-School Reunion is looming up this June, and I find it quite amazing that I have been out of high school for 45 years. Where did all that time go? The last All School Reunion I attended coincided with my thirty year reunion, which was an event that inspired me to come home and make a bucket list. At that time (fifteen years ago) I did not feel old, but I couldn't help but notice that all of my peers were looking a little more trailworn than I remembered them. In my memories they were forever 18. That reunion underscored my realization that today is the first day of the rest of my life, and I am burning daylight! I actually looked up the actuarial statistics on life span and found that women live an average of 80.5 years. I did the math on that and decided I had no time to lose on checking things off the bucket list I was going to compose.

When we first walked into that reunion in 2007, which was held in the severely hail damaged Melstone High School gym, I saw none of my 12 classmates, so we picked a table where Dan Brewer (who is SEVERAL years older than I am) happened to be sitting. In your hometown you cannot write a weekly column and expect to stay under the radar. Dan announced that he was positively delighted to finally meet my husband, because he has read about him in columns and feels really sorry for him. He kept saying that he has always wanted to meet Remi, because he must be a heck of a guy to put up with being featured in my columns. Note to self: Do not sit by Dan Brewer this year! (Just kidding, Dan Brewer!)

As the night wore on, and we all reminisced, there were several fears voiced that some of those memories might end up in my column. Although I hate to pass up good stories, for the sake of continued relationships, I promised solemnly that those slightly glamorized recollections of teenagers whooping it up thirty years ago in Melstone, Montana would go to our graves with us rather than become column material.

The reunion committee did a great, thankless job, but I do have one suggestion for them. Perhaps each name tag could be color coded to help with opening the lines of communication. If the attendees are divorced, maybe their name tags could be a different color than those that are still single or those that are still married. If they have been divorced more than once, perhaps that could be indicated with little Roman numerals. This would eliminate awkward conversations that begin with questions such as, “Well, how is Karen?”

This greeting is followed by a short uncomfortable pause and then the admission, “Good-- I guess. I don’t know. We’ve been divorced for seven years.”

It is really difficult to land on your conversational feet after a start like that—even after a prolonged happy hour.

Anyway I digress as usual, so back to my bucket list. After I went home from that reunion, I was thinking about my bucket list as we were driving down the interstate in the midst of a bunch of bikers headed to Sturgis. "I have been thinking about my bucket list, and I think it might be fun to become a biker chick," I said without weighing the consequences of this revelation, which was an eruption of hysterical howling from the other occupants of the car.

“I’ve seen you drive the four wheeler, Mom. You would need training wheels on a Harley. Have you ever even ridden a motorcycle?” Bret asked.

“Mom, are you sure they make leather pants your size?” Brooke asked. “Maybe you could save money with those old red chaps down in the barn and that white leather Elvis jacket of Grandma’s!” Brooke laughed.

“You probably should start out with a Honda 90 and a wash-off tattoo. By the way, when are you heading out?” asked Remi hopefully.

“At your age, you would probably technically be classified as a Biker Hen, Mother. Do you actually know any Biker Chicks?”

“Of course,” I retorted. “Uh, well, there's Alice Bassett!” (At the time, Alice was a middle aged, former nun, former kindergarten teacher, who loved taking trips on the back of her husband's motorcycle.) “Alice is a Biker Chick from Hades!” I exclaimed triumphantly.

“Since she was a Catholic nun not an ancient Greek, she's more of a Biker Chick from Purgatory,” Remi reasoned.

“OK, but you can bet my leather chaps, you three just blew your chances of having your names tattooed on my . . . uh . . . tattoo area!” I retorted. “I've got 50 bucks saved up, and I might just cash out my retirement, and then it’s the open road for me!”

“Just make sure you wear a helmet,” Remi cautioned, “because you have obviously hit your head one too many times!”

One of my favorite casserole recipes is from that Biker Chick, Alice Bassett! Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration, Alice!

Alice Bassett’s Shipwreck:

3 to 6 med. potatoes

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 med. onion

15 oz. can kidney beans

1 can tomato soup

2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

Grease the casserole. Brown and drain burger. Slice potatoes and layer on the bottom of the casserole. Cover with burger, salt, and pepper. Slice onion over burger. Spread beans on top. Pour undiluted soup over all ingredients. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes. Top the casserole with cheese if desired and return to the oven for a few minutes to let it melt before serving.

Pop-Over Pizza:

1 1/2 lb. hamburger

27 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

16 oz. Mozzarella cheese

Batter:

1 C. milk

1 T. oil

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 C. flour

1/2 t. salt

Parmesan cheese

Brown and drain burger. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine milk, oil, and eggs. Beat at med. speed for 1 min. Add flour and salt and beat another minute. Pour hot meat mixture into a 9 X 13 pan. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Pour batter over cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees until puffed and golden brown.

Easy Refrigerator Rolls:

2 C. warm water

2 pkg. active dry yeast

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 C. oil

1 t. Salt

1 egg, beaten

6 1/4 C. flour

Blend together warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt. Stir in egg and flour. Mix well and place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Loosely cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Dough will keep for up to 2 weeks. When you are ready to bake them, make out the rolls, let them rise until doubled, and then bake them at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.