Today Aug. 6th, is Andy Warhol's birthday, so I thought it would be fun to dig out this old picture of my Campbell's Soup paper dress.  Yes, the dress was made out of paper, and I wore it for Halloween, in 1968.

Mom has always enjoyed finding fun things to buy, and Campbell's had a promotion selling the dress, and the bag I am holding.  I don't remember what I thought about it then, but now I wish I still had the dress, maybe it would be fun to frame and hang on the wall.

The 60's were a great time to be alive, and I feel sorry for any of you who missed them.  It seemed as if the world was coming alive, and doing so in living technicolor (except this picture).  I remember getting brightly colored clothes, dangling earrings, and for the first time in my life, my straight hair was in style, YES.
by Desiree Hedger

Walk in the Woods Ketchekan Alaska

The more I do, the more I can do, and the more I want to do!  The more I create, the more I can create, and the more I want to create.

I have a very bad habit, I want to do everything at once, but small steps are getting me much further along the road to where I want to be.
by Desiree Hedger

Folks, I'm scaring myself.  I fixed myself a very nutritious lunch, and I liked it.  I went out into my garden, and picked a big ripe tomato, and a few sweet basil leaves.  I cut the tomato in half, sprinkled on the chopped basil, a little bit of feta cheese and placed them in the broiler for a few minutes.  I added some avocado on crackers, and some cantaloupe. IT WAS GOOD!

 When I think about making changes in my life it is so easy to fall into the trap of making big changes.  Big changes just hurt my brain, and I don't get anywhere.  I am trying to make small changes, slow and easy, and I hope it works.  So far, so good.
By Desiree Hedger

I Take a Vacation and End Up at the Local Cemetery

By Desiree Hedger
Call me a ghoul, but I love graveyards.  Old graveyards, with huge ornate marble monuments, not those soulless new ones with those mower friendly flat stones.  I want to walk amongst cherubs, obelisks, mausoleums, and dinosaurs.  That's right, I said dinosaurs.  Recently when my equally ghoulish son and I visited the Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie, Wyoming,  I was surprised and delighted to find this grave with a simple handmade pyramid, and graced with a plastic dinosaur. 

Is this a grandchild's forgotten toy, or a playful tribute to someone's life?

The University of Wyoming now surrounds this beautiful cemetery in the heart of Laramie, and if you are mood for a nice stroll you can stop in at the office and pick up a booklet that will introduce you to some of the cemetery's more notable residents.  But, let's leave the upper crust for later and have a look at Bob.  The booklet "Welcome to Greenhill Cemetery," tell us that no one remembers who Bob was, but this simple cross tells part of the story.

 

It simply states, "BOB. CHARLIE LEFT YOU HERE  MAY.10.1894"











We spent a few minutes with Bob, but like Charlie, my son and I "left him there", and then we went to hold court with a local Madam Christy Grover.  Christy, found her way into the cemetery when according to the booklet she may have committed "suicide" with the help of her husband. 


While visiting with this notorious "soiled dove," I began looking around at some of her neighbors.  I spotted a grave with the name "Westbrook," and thought to myself, "I'm related to some "Westbrooks."  Sure enough a closer look let me know that I had found the graves of my own Great Aunt Midge and Uncle Lon.  We spent a few minutes "catching up," with Aunt Midge who lived to be 102 years old.  Way to go Aunt Midge.



Sugar Cookies

I love sugar cookies.  I can't make them without having some sort of memory flashback, to my mom's kitchen and our old yellow and chrome kitchen table.  It seems as if we made sugar cookies for every holiday and mom had a huge box of cookie cutters.

I do remember trying to recreate that experience with my kids, rolling out dough, and finding a dusting of flour on every conceivable surface in the kitchen.  We used trowel a thick layer of icing on every cookie and top that with a mound of sprinkles. 

My cookies are much simpler now days, no frosting, no sprinkles and I don't even cut them into pretty little shapes.  I pat the dough into the bottom of a cake pan, and make them into bars.  I take them to school with me in my lunch, and every bite is still pure bliss.

So, today's recipe from Aunt Susie's cookbook is good old fashion sugar cookies, nothing fancy just flour, sugar, eggs, and butter (real butter not that fake stuff).  You can't buy cookies that taste like homemade and they sure don't take you back home.  

Sugar Cookies

2 cups flour
1cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp. baking power
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp.. vanilla
1 tbl. milk

Mix flour baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl cream together butter and sugar, beat in egg, vanilla and milk.   Gradually stir in the flour mixture (this is where you kiss the Kitchen Aid mixer).  Press this mixture into the bottom of an ungreased cake pan, and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

Salmon Casserole

Tonight,  I tried preparing my first recipe from Auntie Sue's 1945 cookbook, and I am happy to report that we both survived the attempt.  But really, it wasn't half bad, Auntie liked it.  I made the Salmon Casserole, and  I have to admit for something fishy it was ok. 

 I am not the most accomplished cook and despite trying to have everything measured and ready to go, soon the kitchen seemed to be filled with puffs of flour and general chaos.  There were only a one small foul up ( I forgot to get the carrots ready).  This called for some rapid chopping and a few oaths quietly uttered so that Auntie wouldn't  hear! 

The recipe called for two cups of white sauce, and my Grandma Ethel's voice soon filled my head as I stirred the flour into the golden butter melting in the pan.  Grandma Ethel, taught me how to make a white sauce years ago, and if you pictured her standing next to me patiently instructing me in the art of making a fine white sauce you have never met my Grandmother.

It is more like trying to learn how to cook while a drill sergeant stands behind you shouting orders.  I can guarantee I learned the lesson, and thanks to Grandma I can make a smooth white sauce without any lumps. 

   

Good? Food

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that a lot of name brand food products just aren't as good as they used to be.  The portions keep get smaller, the prices keep going up, and I feel less satisfied after I eat them. 

I have never been a great cook, but I am tired of eating food that tastes like sawdust!  I went to the cupboard and I dug out the cookbook that Aunt Susie got for a wedding gift in 1945.  I thought if might be fun to try some of the recipes and because I still remember how good food used to taste.

The recipes in this cookbook all predate most prepared foods, but are modern enough that most ingredients are still available.  I have been wanting to create more food from scratch, and it could be fun to rediscover some old favorites.

I am still trying to figure out how to work my way though the recipes, I don't want to go chronologically because I don't want to eat 80 egg dishes in a row!  However, I don't want to just pick out what sounds good, because I want to try most of the recipes, even ones the ones that sound kind of; well, yucky or weird.  So if anyone has any suggestions I am willing to listen.  I want this to be an epicurean adventure, and I hope to discover some new favorites.

This morning I started out nice and easy and "coddled an egg," this is actually a very easy way to cook an egg with out frying it, and it is easier then poaching it.  Simply bring some water to a boil, and then turn off the heat. Crack open an egg in a bowl, and then carefully slide the egg into the water, and put a lid on the pot.  Leave the egg in the hot water for 3 to 5 minutes and then take it out with a slotted spoon. 

I had it for breakfast this morning with a few grapes and a less then desirable store bought English muffin, it was good!  I not ready to make the English muffin from scratch, but oh well I will keep taking small steps.