The end

 

...about 25 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to recipes #355, 356, 357 and 358

THE END!

I did it! I showed him, didn't I?

What exactly did I show him?

Hmmmm--well, lots of good food and fond memories for a couple things.

And remember how I said that thinking of stories was so hard to come by and I struggled with it after recalling so many of them thru the years?

Well--now tons more memories come flooding back into my brain.  I have so many stories left to tell!

I am relieved and sad... but more about that later. 

For now, here are the last four recipes of the whole cookbook.

I held these until the very end for my own reasons.  They are from 

Traci Marques--because her's was the very first recipe I made for the cookbook.

Shelly Noble--because she has made me beautiful 'cookbooks' of all these blog posts from Shutterfly

and

Barbarba Brown, who typed up and printed the original Friday Friend Cookbook.

(she was the editor and chief) 

Let's start with a little appetizer from our Editor Barb.

Barb and her husband Doug.

I was going to say Barb and her better half, but everyone knows that Barb is the better. 

(sorry Doug)

All of Barb's recipes can be found if you click here

Do it now!

And then we'll also have some beverages to go with our appetizers,

 Traci Marques' champagne punch.

(and yes, we had this entire menu as our meal--it was great)

Traci and her husband Larry.  She too is the better half. 

Larry has to know that, right?

LOL

All of Traci's recipes can be found by clicking here--right here!

Do it now!

  

And the main dish--spaghetti from Shelly Noble!

Which in a way is fitting because we have a total of 26 spaghetti sauces in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown.

Twenty-Six!  

I begged the Friday Friends to turn in their spaghetti sauce recipes.  I've always found it funny, how you can take the same basic ingredients, and they all turn out so different.  And they did.   All were good--but how can you go wrong with pasta and sauce?

But Rich (I just said his name!  I've called him the Handyman or the Mayor during the past 11 years of this project.) and I do have a couple that stand out as the best for us. 

We don't feel we are prejudiced, but his mom's and my mom's spaghetti are it for us!

And finally, Lorin and his better half Shelly!

I got that right, didn't I?

And you can find Shelly's entries right here--click now.

And to end this fabulous meal we have some of Traci's 

Saltine Cracker Cookies

(which I call Toffee with a Twist)

Wa-Lah!

I'm done.

No more!

I can't even think of a funny story right now.

I think I deserve a prize!

That was a lot of stuff to make-- and a lot of $$$ just to prove my husband wrong.

It's only taken me 11 years.  My first post was in September of 2013.

I wrote this:

I know that my blog has an interesting name.  A name/title that no one gets, because there are no 'friends' writing posts every week. There is only me. 

Long before I knew what a blog was, I had a group e-mail forum that included my friends from near and far...and originally I would ask them a question on Fridays, cut and paste their answers and  share with all.

So there is the history of my name.  Well, not MY name, (that would be 1950's Debbie Reynolds popularity) but rather my blog's name.  It started as a joke, when I thought that only they would be reading this blog.  Now, over 800 posts later, a few other people do read my blog.
It's nice to have made other friends thru this.  But too late to change my name (my blog's name ) to something catchy like " Debbie's Dishes"  or  "Dining with Debbie" or even "Debbie is a hot dish".   Okay, we can leave the last one out, but you know what I mean....you are stuck with the Friday Friends.

I have about 50 of my closest friends on the e-mail forum.  At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions,  exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts,  had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.
AND,  we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? said, "you'll never, EVER do that."

The reason I said I was relieved and sad at the same time is because

1)  Relieved that I hit a goal

2) Sad because it was fun to 'remember' all those fun times and write them down.  No what'll I do?

3) Sad because a few of my FRIDAY friends and family are no longer with us.  But what great and fun memories I have.

I'm going to pick a new goal.

I think I mentioned that I stole my mother-in-law's recipe box when she passed, and we were cleaning out her home? 

She has index cards with menus on them!

Maybe I'll make the Mayor some of his childhood menus!

They were written back in the day of four:

1. main dish/meat

2. veggie

3. a starch -- potatoes, rice or noodles with every meal.

and 

4. a salad.  My MIL would write 'green' salad or 'tossed' salad

I wonder if she had a difference.? 

I am meandering now....

but this is it--I'm going to recreate and modernize my mother-in-law's menus 😁😁

As I've said before---this feels like I'm saying goodbye to my friends.
I am so sappy sentimental!!

It's ridiculous.

Anyway--this has been fun!

Bye!

Friday Friend recipe #354 Crock Pot Stew

 

...about 24 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to recipe #354

(ONLY FOUR MORE TO GO!!)

Someone's Crock Pot Beef Stew.

I say someone BECAUSE they didn't put their name.  I have a feeling it was either Barb or my mom.

Whoever it was, it was really good.

It's not very 'soupy"

Rich likes his stews soupy, but I like mine not soupy just brothy.

So, how do I write a story about "Anonymous"? 

What do I say?

Let me just share with you this anonymous person who keeps jumping in front of my photos!  And has for the past 47 years.

It's like he never hears,  'stop! I'm going to take a picture.'

He just keeps on going, ruining the beauty of the scenery.

For example, here on the Columbia River--a beautiful sunset and I want to capture it with the lighthouse too.

Look at him! Whoever he is!

I don't know if you can see this, but he has a camera or phone too.  His picture is probably perfect.

    BECAUSE no one is standing in front of him!

And my tree. Where the Wallowa River empties into Wallowa Lake. 

I loved this tree--and it is gone now.  Felled by a storm, it no longer stands.

Yes, I have a gazillion photos of this tree throughout the years, in all kinds of weather and seasons, but the point is--he knows I always take a picture and still gets in front of me!

Okay, we were hiking and perhaps I'll give it to him that I just couldn't keep up and needed a 'breather' but still....

(do you think he's shading his eyes looking towards our route? Like Lewis from Lewis and Clark--one of our more famous arguments was about Lewis and Clark.  No kidding!!  Or do you think he's putting his hands on his head in frustration that I am so slow?)

Again, back at the lake.

It's such a pretty place to walk and take nature photos.

BUT NO!

I get the Handyman's backside!!

I told you; he either can't hear "stop" or doesn't understand what it means. 

Okay, this one-- he didn't actually get in front of me, I was just taking pictures of the backyard and he was fixing the roof of the patio.

I thought it apropos because he is as ass for getting in front of all my photos.

(cue laughter from the crowd!!)

Back to the Lake/cabin.  I wanted to take a picture of the dear, but with Rich and the dog, it wasn't happening. 

Checking to see the last sighting of bear or mountain lions.

Okay, fun fact.

I really do know who this is.

I was going to write the love of my life (which he really is) but I hate, HATE when that is splashed all over Facebook/social media.

PDA are not for me.

We get it people--you love your spouse (sigh).  You should!

We get that they are your everything (sigh).  They should be.

We get that you can't live without them (sigh).  

Wow!  I'm reading those lines and it's kind of how I feel about him.

Who'd a thought?

Please do not tell him--he doesn't read this blog so I'm safe.

He really is a good guy,

He puts up with me, knows how weird I am and still likes me. 

He might, in his words, know me better than I know myself!

He never thought I'd do this countdown tho--I did it to spite him and I'm going to hold it over his head for a long, long time.

Now he's reduced to making dumb jokes about  "oooh, I should have challenged you to do  blah blah blah (could be a bit risqué) 🙄🙄"

Like I said, he really is a good guy,

even if he can't hear the words, stop I'm going to take a picture.

And that my friends is recipe #354!

I have 4 more to go!

I'm gonna get this done. 

I really am.

Four more!!

It's only taken me 10 years to complete.

That's 36 recipes per year--so I made an average of 3 recipes a month from the Friday Friend Cookbook.

Who are the last 4 recipe contributors?

Who have I not said "good-bye" to?

The suspense is killing you, right?!

Let's see......

(and for your viewing pleasure… More of the mayors backside 🤣)

(I could go on forever)

(but I won’t… It just seems like I did)

Friday Friend recipe #353 Chipped Beef and Chicken

 

and you know all the whys and wherefores of this countdown, right? Homemade cookbook, friends contributed, Handyman said I couldn't/wouldn't do it, I'll show him, yadda yadda yadda....

...and the rest is cookbook history!

Just remember, the countdown is not all about pretty food and food design---it's about the people and the stories.

And (the most important thing) proving my husband wrong--and that I can and WILL make every recipe in this cookbook.

Which brings me to recipe #353

My mom's Chipped Beef and Chicken

Loved my mom with all my heart---but I don't think I'll be making Chipped Beef and Chicken again.

Just sayin'

I had to have the baked potato because my mom said the sauce was good with it.

It was.

I just had to show you my chipped beef--it comes in a jar and is round.  

Who the heck still buys this?

Me, I guess.

(and it is not cheap--considering)

This is my mom's 51st recipe in the cookbook countdown.

(you can check them all out here--just click)

You know how I feel about ending this cookbook countdown, right? 

It's extremely satisfying to have cooked 353 recipes--358 when I'm finished--but at the same time I feel as if I'm saying goodbye to old friends and family.  For good!

Weird, I know.

And on the other hand, what more can I say about my mom?

She's been gone (really gone) for 10 years, so it's hard to have a new story 😀 (sorry, but she would think that was funny)

I've gone from telling you about my parents living on the same street when they were growing up.

started first grade together

had their first kiss together 

first everything together!

To their old age together (altho they never really got old, they passed away in their late 70's) throughout the 50 recipes and stories of her.

One thing that was always consistent in their 50+ years together is that they had fun.

My mom more so than my dad--she was good for him.

She was the most positive, accepting, kind person I have ever known, and she drug him along for the fun--and he followed, because he was head over heels in love with her--always had been. 

I was going thru an old box of "stuff to throw away most likely" and I came across this email which I had sent to a couple of my friends.

It was dated April 17th, 2006

and the subject was: Easter Fun

On Saturday night after we had had a bbq, we played cards with my mom and dad. It was fun. We played a few games thru-out the Easter Weekend...but that was not the "fun."

My dad's neck was hurting while we were playing cards and I guess they have been using this muscle medicine similar to Ben Gay, that you spray on.

It comes in a little spray bottle.

So, my mom runs upstairs to get the spray medicine out of their suitcase.  Comes downstairs and sprays it on my dad's neck.  We continue to play cards, but my dad says, 'this medicine isn't feeling the same as it usually does.  He says it usually gets icy cold and then warms up and feels really good on his sore muscles.

He asks if the bottle might be getting old.  My mom says no, it's a brand-new bottle.

We continue to play cards and we have a nice time.

When the card game was over and we were sitting around the table chatting, Rich reaches over and grabs the bottle just to look at it---he turns it around and he and I both notice at the same time the bottle says "PAUL MITCHELL" ...and I'm wondering when Paul Mitchell hair products started making medicine.

So, we both say....mom! This is HAIRSPRAY!!!

She just grabbed the first think that looked familiar to her. 

hahahaha--and my dad was wondering why the hell it wasn't working.

We laughed so hard! 

I went to bed laughing and woke up laughing.

And then I thought---these are the genes that have passed to my children!

And that sums up my parents' marriage!

And that my friends is recipe #353!

I have 5 more to go!

I'm gonna get this done. 

I really am.

Five more!!