Friday Friend Recipe #203 - Oreo Cheesecake

Come with me as I continue to countdown my Friday Friend Cookbook!

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 19 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--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 me to recipe #203

Theda's Oreo Cheesecake

Mouthwatering! 

Delicious, creamy, smooth, divine!

I have no more words.

It's really, really good!

Theda, my oldest friend in the whole wide world-- not in age, but in longevity--I just like to call her my oldest friend (It makes me smile)--went on a road trip a few weeks ago.

One stop was Pullman, Washington, home of Washington State University, which has a bookman sculpture on it's grounds. John (Theda's husband) said "oh we HAVE TO send a photo to Debbie".

He knows I love books.

Then fast forward to a trip they are on now....(she sent these pictures yesterday)

They found a really cool post office in Port Townsend, Washington.  So, they sent me a photo of Theda on the steps. She sent many photos of it--it's quite impressive and on the National Historic Registry.  It was once a customs office.

They know I love snail-mail, letters, and post offices. 

I bet those postcards in her hand are for me!

We have known each other since Junior High and BFF's since high school.  And even tho we don't get to see each other often, she lives in Oregon, me in Nevada--We keep in touch, see each other whenever we can and we have been known to meet up in the strangest places.

A couple of weeks ago we were both traveling with some of our grandchildren.

GRANDCHILDREN!!

How in the world did this happen?

Anyway, it dawned on us that we would be passing thru the same town on the same day

--so we met up for a quick moment in time--and tried to take a selfie with the grandchildren we had. 

We told them the story of how we met and  how we became best friends--not sure they were that impressed. 

And then one of just us.

My grandchildren were also not impressed when I told them that if it wasn't for Theda--Granddad and I might not be married.

Theda and I were going to a drive in movie and the Handyman invited himself.  When I told Theda that he was going also, she said "if he goes I'm not going".

He did, she didn't. 

The rest is history.

(I swear she grew to like him and really still does.)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This is recipe #203 only 164 left to go!

Friday Friend Recipe #202 -- Greek Pasta Salad

My Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown #202

(#willreallyfinishthissomeday)

Ashley's  Greek Pasta Salad

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!

This is a great Pasta Salad!

Serve along side some grilled chicken and a fruit salad and it's a perfect summer meal.

I don't have as many photos of Ashley as I'd like to.  She moved away before cell phone photo taking was common. 

Here are  a couple that I found of the Chamber of Commerce Crew working the concession stand at the fair grounds for an event they brought in years ago. Years ago.

I did not help--I just took a couple of photos.  I did not work for the Chamber of Commerce at the time and there was no way I was going to stand over a hot grill in the heat of the summer if I didn't have to.  

(now I have too, but I get paid for stuff like that--and thankfully, we/chamber doesn't do events where any of us have to stand over a hot griddle anymore)

These are all volunteers. ( Look how happy the Handyman looks!)

Ashley always was involved in her community.

She set her feet down in a place and claimed it as her own--loved it, cared about it, understood it.

The only trouble was---she moved on---a couple times.  Maybe not easily. She always said that her husband had to drag her to Winnemucca kicking and screaming and now the only way she was going to leave it was kicking and screaming.

She kicked and screamed her way up into Idaho and has done great for herself!

Long before she was the owner of 5 restaurants, she was showing people how to use a hot grill. 

At this event the Chamber brought to town.

What event?

BULLS ONLY

( a bull riding event)

Say what?

We're outta here!

The arena is bigger than it looks here, I was  trying to get a close up.

Interesting Bull Rider fact:

Where we assume that because they are cowboys, they listen to country music before they ride.  NO, they listen to hard rock music.  It was blaring from the stalls-- it gets the adrenaline going and stokes them up for their 8 seconds in the saddle.

You want to try it?

This is recipe #202 only 165 left to go!