dinners and what to take

When we were young and poor (now we are old and poor, but I can afford better pot luck meals. LOL)
I had to take a "salad" to someone who had had a baby or something. It was thru my church, The Presbyterian Church in Elko, NV.....and since we were poor, the only thing I had in my fridge were carrots and I had some raisins in the cupboard.
So I made carrot and raisin salad.

Who the heck takes carrot and raisin salad to someone? Most people don't even like it (do you?).
It was all I had.

the best meal brought to me was when Dustin was born......so this meal will be 24 years old on the 1st of August. That was the first time I had it anyway...
hamburger Soup
Jell-O
French bread.

The soup is in the FF soup cookbook (for those of you who don't have one......call me). It was just a good beef soup made with ground beef and barley.
and the Jell-O? The lady (her name was Faye Carrillo) put a touch of cinnamon in it. It was just red Jell-O with fruit cocktail and a hint of cinnamon.

So, when I think of taking someone something, that is the meal, I always think would be the best. It was good and easy on the stomach and....GOOD. Not very fancy, but good. :~)

I asked this question because Traci is taking dinners to her friend/cousin who is going thru chemo treatments. Traci is organizing a group of women to do it.

from Traci Marques in Los Banos:
I would really be interested in these answers.........thanks! :0)

I took Linda&Dean a bbq'd tri tip, wild rice, green salad and rolls last week. I think the next time I take dinner it will be pork of some kind. Linda can't handle anything greasy or fried at the moment.

from Meghan Stone in Livermore, CA:
hmmmm.meatballs in a sauce? and dried pasta? that way they can use right away or easily freeze for later...soup is always good, hard to bring to someone tho, to get a disposable container big enough... there are these tubs I want --they are 32oz, or something - perfect for sharing soup, they sell at a restaurant supplier by the case - 250 are like $60,,, but worth it, they are heavy duty plastic with a tight lid, two tubs of soup would be the perfect share.


from Laura Gunter in Elko, NV
WHO, incidentally probably received the same dinner from Faye Carrillo since we had our babies on the same day and we both went to the Presbyterian Church...
Laura:
It is easier for me I think because when we take something to is sick, just out of hospital, new baby etc, we do it as a group. I get a call telling what is needed and I “volunteer” for one item…But if it were me all by myself then I would take spaghetti or lasagna with a salad-even the bagged kind-and rolls, or my personal favorite, boneless fried chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy, a veggie and rolls, or something like that so they could have leftovers. (When I am a part of the “group” that delivers, one usually bakes a ham, a second person takes a salad, another a veggie, there is usually a potato casserole of some type and rolls. This way, they can munch for a couple of days…then if it is needed…a 2nd set of people will contribute in about 3 days so they can start all over again.)

When we do pot luck…I usually take a desert. I am a better desert cooker that anything else cooker…or I will take Connie Bell’s Taco Salad. Always my fear that what I take will not be interesting or tasty enough and I will end up taking home as much as I took to the event…Taco Salad & deserts so far haven’t failed me.

from me/debbie:
you know how someone will say "it's a small world"?
Well, in Friday Friend land...it's a small world too. The "Connie-Bell" that Laura speaks of.....is Faye Carrillo's ex-daughter in law. I have her taco salad recipe too!! Connie-Bell's that is.

from Gina Jones, Winnemucca, NV:
I usually take lasagna or spaghetti to someone who is sick or had a baby. Its easy to make and can last a couple of days.

Pot lucks are pretty varied for me. Depends on how busy I am or if I have a new recipe I want to try out etc. I range from pasta dishes to appetizers.

from Barbara Brown, Buckeye, AZ:
I must be a lousy person, as I don't remember taking any food to someone who was sick, etc. I need to change my ways!The last potluck I went to here at Festival, I brought a cold rice salad with artichokes. It's really delicious. I think usually I stick with the salad category. It's hard to bring warm/hot stuff, as it isn't always easy to keep things at a warm temp when going to a potluck.Another thing I make is Chinese Chicken Wings. They are yummy hot cold or lukewarm.Speaking of lukewarm, how's the married guy, Luke, doing?!

from me/debbie:
LOL...I told Barb he was doing good. I called him on Sunday night at 9:00, our usual calling time, but he was "getting ready for bed". Mara was in brushing her teeth....he said "can I get back with you tomorrow mom?"
Barb said he sounded like an old married person..... actually what she said was this:
That's pathetic. That's when I go to bed!! He should be ashamed. Unless, he's not going to go to bed to sleep.....................................

me/debbie
I thought he was looking for some action and wanted his mama off the phone.
He laughed when he called today and said it was because they get up at 4:00 to go to work.
goes to show what we know!! LOL

from Diana Elwess, Elko, NV:
To potluck, potato saladtaking a meal would be a casserole or lasagna


from my mom Bev Hambelton in Kennewick, WA:
1) meals to sick people and their families ( or people who've had operations or some such thing) I take a complete dinner, like a casserole, salad, veggie or rolls and a dessert

2) pot lucks I take a really good recipe of mine like a salad or dessert (cake) or a meat dish which I hope I get a lot of compliments on.


from me/debbie:
my mom was always big on taking TP too. Like when there is a death in the family..... it sounds weird, but you would be surprised at how much it is appreciated and needed. No one thinks of things like that when a tragedy happens. And it would be just my luck to have to stand up at Rich's funeral dinner and tell everyone I had to run to the store to buy toilet paper!!!
So....really....it's a good thing.

from Betty Butner in Enterprise, OR:
Baked ham, baked pork chops, meat loaf, scalloped potatoes, plain creamed potatoes, Jell-O dishes, creamed peas & carrots, green salad, puddings and cake.

from Jolina Adams, Winnemucca, NV:
soup for the sickos I make a pretty good chicken noodle, and a good potato soup too, but it's pretty rich, so not for the sick ones - perhaps for the potluck.depends on the theme for the potluckare there kids? that changes things too.

from Theda Larson----OMG, I wrote Larson--ahahahahhahaaa, she hasn't been a Larson in 26 years--TOMORROW. Tomorrow it will be the big 26 for Theda and John PANSEVICIUS.
lol
from Theda Pansevicius in Tualatin, OR:
Guess I have healthy friends or no friends. I really have not taken anything. Actually I have a co-worker who is new to our office and works across from me-- she has cancer. This is her 3rd time with colon cancer and she also has liver cancer.
It all happened so fast her boss did not set up anything. Perhaps it is different when people live all over. I felt bad that we have not done anything but she is new to the office and has close family and friends.

As for pot lucks I don't just bring. I have to be given a direction: main dish, dessert or a salad. I think that I usually try for dessert. Here in our cul de sac we do have lots of "pot lucks". Mainly we just bring our own meat and beverage and whatever else. We sometimes will say "you bring this" or "that" but we don't end up with 5 of the same salads. For the 4th of July we had lots of food and not one was the same thing. We each brought a dessert and not one the same. We had 7 different desserts, yum.

Happy day to you. I am painting the back of the house and have to move outside. But first I will check a few more of your emails.


from me/debbie:
that is so funny, because when we have get togethers and they say, "bring appetizers" it always happens that, in our little group, 3 of us show up with the same appetizer!! It happened with artichoke dip on winter. And that is not a common appetizer, is it?
They were all good, but when there are only 7 couples invited and 3 of the 7 apps are the same, it's a bit disappointing. Funny, but disappointing.
it has happened a few times, but the artichoke dip was the first time and there just was not a lot of variety there, I mean in the remaining 4 appetizers, LOL
I wish I lived in a cul-de-sac that had get togethers. I'm a horrible neighbor person.

But I do have a new best friend....he is five and he lives next door. His name is Issac or Issahia or something like that. He was riding his bike and he asked if he could drive in my cement and I told him sure....but then I couldn't get rid of him!! He followed me around while I was getting cobwebs and he even came into my backyard with me.
Guess what? His last name is "Wilson" (his dad is tony and he works at Valmy--where Gina works)
April thinks it ironic that the name whom Dennis the Mennace mennaced was Mr. Wilson.
She thinks it's somekind of cosmic payback for me or something.
HA

3 things

Three things for the FF Blog.....

http://thefridayfriends.blogspot.com/

1) is that when I left Winnemucca on Saturday the 7th and we had the huge, huge fire (we did make CNN news, but I didn't have time to tape it )
Rich told me that the Lieutenant called he and John Milton dorks.
There they were, a city councilman and a country commissioner, at the command post (the park at the end of my street) standing there in their shorts and sandals with their mouths open watching a fast moving fire, which was coming right at them!
Lt. Waldie looked at them and told them they had no sense and looked like a couple of dorks.

why is it men seem to take these things as a compliment?

2) I've mentioned that LeAnne and I both don't care for flying..... we used to hate it, but I think now we're okay. But we were so nervous and silly about the whole thing....when I called Rich on Monday when we go to Richmond, he said that it was on the news that two old ladies got kicked off a plane in Denver for---acting too stupid/scared/etc.
I laughed and he said when he and Mark and Sadie were having dinner, he was telling them this and Sadie looked up and said, "I thought they had a direct flight?"

HA HA HA---daughter in law!! We're not that weird! We didn't get kicked off....just held hands during take off and had rum and cokes for our nerves.

3) I guess e-mails will have to be. I have this really cool blog, that no one will remember to check out......

from Tyler, my other son:
I prefer the e-mail, I'm not sure I can remember to check the site every three hours for the updates!

but first he said: Oh dear lord, please help us, she has finally lost control.

me/debbie/his mom:
HEY!!! I was trying to be considerate.....not bugging everyone all the time.

from my mom, Bev:
I DON'T LIKE BLOG! JUST WANT TO READ D-MAILS!!

me/debbie:
it's "d" mails for Debbie e-mails!!!
wow....how cool is that?

Get your Sunsets

GO BUY A SUNSET MAGAZINE!!

I got mine in the mail today, and there, on the front cover story of "Best Cool Getaways", there is a picture of....................
.....................of...............
..........Wallowa Lake!!
Where my parents have their cabin. Where the Friday Friend reunion will be held!!!

Here is the thing about Sunset magazine.....cover stories are different depending where you live. This might not be the cover story and article in Arizona or Washington.
Sunset breaks up their "living in the west" magazine into 5 different covers and cover articles depending on which region of the west you live in.
How do I know this you ask? From a Nevada Commission on Tourism Rural Round-up Trip I took a few years ago. During the "dinner" I sat by an editor of Sunset magazine, and I asked him how/why they did that.
And they do it by closest mailing address....
so IF I moved to Connecticut and wanted to receive my PACIFIC NORTHWEST Sunset magazine, they would probably send me the COLORADO ROCKIES edition. Because it's closest to Connecticut.
He saw no way around this at the time of our dinner.
Maybe by now they have remedied this. All because of me. LOL

Anyway, beautiful Wallowa Lake--on the Cover!!!
Sunset thinks it one of the ten best getaways in the west!!!
(even if the Nobles had a bad experience there once.....the ONLY time they went, and are hesitant about going back. They went on memorial day and camped with a baby and it rained the whole time and the bathrooms were plugged -----Come on Nobles, Sunset Magazine cannot be wrong........)
Top Ten Lakeside resorts.....
chime in all yee who have been there!!!!

anyway, check out Sunset magazine August 2007 issue. Oregon's Wallowa Lake on the cover.

Now, this might get kind of confusing....
but I have made a "blog page", so every morning, you can go and check it out:

http://thefridayfriends.blogspot.com/

I thought this way I wouldn't be bugging everyone. BUT the confusing part is the "interactive" part of my blog.... you know, your answers and comments.
so unless you take the time to "comment" on the blog...... well...... this just could get confusing
Unless you've read my blog for today, you won't understand....
this:

from Theda:
Sweetened Tea!!!!!!!! I think that it is wonderful. Last year when I was at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel there was sweetened tea and it always came with a "Mam" I loved it. This morning on the Today show they were showing America's great places - or something like that and they were in South Carolina (I think). Anyway with lunch the waitress said that he had to order tea - sweetened tea. She said that it was the south's version of wine. I smiled and remembered back to last year and longed for the south. But then I do add sugar to my tea. Never as much as the sweetened tea has though.

from Traci:
I'm going to have to check this site out more tonight at home. :) So you had storms in Washington and Atlanta???? Yikes, that does not make for a fun trip. How long was the flight? The longest one I've been on was 7.5 hours...... my butt was so numb I could hardly wait to get off the plane.

I haven't had sweet tea in years, my Dad's family ALWAYS had sweet tea. I too drink my straight or with a little Sweet & Low every now and then.

from me/debbie:
only storms in Georgia....well, all the east coast, but they left as soon as we waited them out and then the storms never came back. We were lucky and had great weather the whole time. Not much humidity at all.
to be fair and honest, the waitress asked me if I wanted "Sweet Tea" and LeAnne and I both went...."oooooohhhhhh", in that high-pitched, isn't that sweet, we are in a different region, kind of voice.
And then I ordered it.... I said sure,I would try it. And I'm glad I did. I just didn't like it. Because I don't take sugar in my tea. It was way to sweet for me.
That's all.
But I did like the "idea" of it. :~)

Theda gave me some fruity tea for Christmas last year and I really liked that. It was good. I can't remember what kind it was or where it was from, but it was very good.

And yesterday, when writing about the dead tress and "buses" in people's yards.... I got a bunch of smart alec replies.
of course I meant bushes!!!
And ash that Rich didn't wipe up ANYWHERE... well, I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen last night. No more grit. :~)

from Dustin:
The trees and buses are all burned how will the kids get to school--dustin21

from Darleen: (Rich's aunt)
MEN ARE JUST SO DAMN "HELPFUL" AREN'T THEY??? Rich DID clean it all up though, DIDN'T HE???

Of course Rich didn't clean up...duh...what COULD I have been thinking?? Sounds like you had a great time. I love Virginia. I think it is one of the most beautiful states there is. So LUSH. Yes, there is SO MUCH HISTORY on the east coast. The battle fields are amazing. One time in Charleston, SC, we went to the Slave Market. Yes, where they actually SOLD people. They have swap meets there now, but the history is still there, plus all the cannon balls everywhere, etc. And so many stone barriers (like fences between the yards). I still love the west coast the best. Us Heathens all live out here!!
Love you too!!

from Tomi:
I'm glad to see you're back. I missed not hearing from you. It sounds like you had a great time. We went to the historic triangle when we went to visit Zach last December. It's such a cool area isn't it. I think Williamsburg was my favorite. I would love to go back again and see all the places we didn't have time to see. Just the museums alone can take days or weeks!

Evalynn is beautiful. Her eyes look like Dustin's I think. I bet it was hard to leave her. (But it's nice going home isn't it.)

from Barbara B:
There's nothing worse than a dead "bus" in your yard.......................Unless it's a stupid husband who leaves an ash mess for you to clean up. He needs his "ash" kicked.Did I ever tell you about the time Gary Erovick decided to heat up some sauerkraut, and rather than open the can, he just put it in a pan of water on the stove, forgot about it, and it blew up all over the ceiling and walls. Of course, he left it for me, and by the time I got home from work it was all dried and stuck.

from Kevin:
Debbie is no longer allowed to leave. We almost lost that whole neighborhood. If one house had gone, I think a bunch would have followed, I was so mad & scared & 40 miles away. It was as awful as all the other fires I have witnessed, because I have so many friends in those areas.
Of course, I was unaware that so many people up there owned buses.
The baby is beautiful.
Glad you're back,

from me/debbie:
buses---smushes. ahhahahaahaa

Virginia was flat. We couldn't see anything. It was very green and lush and pretty where we were and it all blocked my view.
But I found out that we were in Tobacco land, and it IS all flat. There are other parts of Virginia, which are hilly. We would have liked to see that part, because we felt very...claustrophobic in a weird way.
The highways and all along the train tracks were hidden with bush/trees. Trees and bushes only high enough to block our view. Even in the forest filled areas of Oregon and Washington and Idaho, Montana, one can "see" hills and mountains---you can see into the distance, rolling hills. I have never encountered the blockading view of so much green stuff.
I was excited about the train ride on Amtrak from Richmond into Virginia, to see the countryside, but all we could see were trees and bushes and nothing above them...and they were only as high as my lilac bushes...just high enough to block our view.
Having said all that, tho.... we did love it and would go back in a minute--for a visit. I don't know that I could live there...in that flat part.

The Fridays have varied and different "friends" and points of view, as you know, and one of them is the LOVE of Virginia.
Darleen lived there and loved it
Mitzi lived there and loved it
April lived there and loved it
I found it to be most interesting to VISIT, so much history and stuff.
I do get a little annoyed tho, that they NO NOTHING about the west. It's like we don't exist to most of them. I want them to enjoy us and much as we enjoy them.

I did find out that I could be a traveler. (home "is" always the best tho ) I like to see the different places and learn different things....new experiences. LeAnne and I would ask the waiter what they suggested, etc. Instead of just ordering a hamburger....to try to get the flavor. I had crabcakes (I think Maryland is better for crabcakes). I wanted BBQ because we were in the south, but LeAnne doesn't care for it and it was never convenient---next time.
I guess I'll have to get my taste buds set for "new england boiled dinner" if I'm going to Connecticut!! mmmmm.....mmmmmm......mmmmmm
(I actually really like it)

Virginia (and Evalynn) here we come

I remember that movie, "planes, trains and automobiles", and that is kind of what my trip was like. Our trip I should say....LeAnne and myself. LeAnne, my sister in law....one of my favorites. :~) We went to see my grandbaby, Evalynn Alexis Stone.
On Saturday the 7th of July, I drove up to Kennewick, Washington, to visit my parents. As you know, Winnemucca was on fire, so it was quite a hectic evening for me. Exciting, but not in a good way. I have a lot more sympathy for victims of fire now...it's just a really weird feeling, even thinking you "might" catch on fire. Your home, that is. It's hard to describe and I'm sure for people who have lost their homes in a fire, no way to let anyone understand how you feel.
On Monday after LeAnne got off work, we drove up to Auburn, WA, to spend the night with Cherrie and Mike. They have such a cute house! Loved her bathroom.....she has an old claw-foot bathtub. And it's decorated very cute----her bathroom.
Tuesday morning 6:00 a.m. off to the airport, where we boarded a plane headed to Atlanta.
The funny thing about me and LeAnne....we both hate to fly, but for different reason. She gets claustrophobic, and can get panicky about it. To quote her "THEY'RE SUCKING MY AIR!!" It's really difficult for her. Me, on the other hand, worry that the plane won't make it off the ground--I HATE TAKING OFF. And then every little sound I hear, I know THE PLANE IS GOING DOWN!!
So, we were a very happy/funny couple----imagine Laveren and Shirley. I couldn't get my headphones to work and LeAnne had to help me, and we held hands during take off. The very "unfriendly" man next to us kept sighing and rolling his eyes.
We were delayed in Atlanta for a thunderstorm....stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours. LeAnne took an anxiety pill and feel asleep, I stayed awake and prayed.
Really, our flights were both fine, just long...and when we got to Richmond, there was Dustin and Ashley and Evalynn waiting for us!! She loved her grandma right away!!!
We went to eat dinner before going home to their apartment, and LeAnne and I took turns holding her. She kind of slept thru it all. :~)
I ordered Iced Tea--- and they brought "sweet" tea. It was gross! I want to sweeten my own tea, thank you very much. And actually I just drink my tea plain. The sweet tea was WAY TOO SWEET, for me that is.
I had forgotten I was in the south. :~)

more later.......