Cooking in the West

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Another one of my teaching colleagues, Alice Bassett, has passed on to that big school in the sky where there is eternal duty free lunch. Alice's husband, Charlie Bassett, was my teaching partner for 23 years, and I taught with Alice until she retired. Alice was an amazing kindergarten teacher who suffered from very severe arthritis, which forced her to take early retirement. Although she lived with daily pain, she had an indomitable spirit.

Before she came to Big Timber to teach and eventually marry Charlie, she had been a Catholic nun. Perhaps it was the faith of her convictions, but she had an astonishing outlook on life. One day after she had been diagnosed with cancer many years back, I was having a philosophical discussion with her in the Post Office parking lot, which is where a lot of those types of conversations take place in a small town. I said that if I had gone through all that she had, I would be asking God, "Why me?"

She looked at me with her sweet smile and said, "I ask, 'God, why not me?'" That was Alice in her own words. She was strong, determined, and full of faith even when her body was tormented with arthritis and illness. She was the inspiration for a column I wrote years back about my bucket list. This column is my tribute to Alice Bassett. . .

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 in 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 buying time. "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 teacher 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 on how to live life, 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 casserole. Brown and drain burger. Slice potatoes and layer in bottom of 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 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 9 X 13 pan. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Pour batter over cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 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 double in bulk. Punch down dough, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Dough will keep up to 2 weeks. When you are ready to bake them, make out the rolls, let them rise until double, and then bake them at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.