Friday Friend Recipe #125 -- Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Friday Friend Recipe #125 -- Sandy's   Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook: I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county). 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."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

 

Which brings me to this... recipe #125

 

Sandy's

Broccoli and Cauliflower  Salad

This salad is so good!  I figure it's because it has mayonnaise, bacon and sugar in it. Oh, and cheese.  The Veggies are just a garnish mixed in---although I happen to like broccoli and cauliflower--a lot!

You can make this the day before, so it's easy to make for potluck and picnics.

I can't believe that on recipe #125, I am introducing a new Friday Friend, but here she is. This is Sandy.

Sandy and I met about 25 years ago-- her husband worked for K-mart, and the Handyman (at the time) JCPenneys.

We both knew all about the traveling, corporate life and being away from friends and family.

Sandy is originally from Iowa, me from Washington State, and we met in California.

We became fast friends, because we both lived far away from our families. It's like that in the nomadic way of life--you meet people, form intense relationships (cuz your holiday spending family lives way far away) and then you get transferred and you move on.  But always remain friends of course.

While I tried my best to get Sandy to answer Friday Friend questions--she never did, altho she read the forum faithfully every day-- So Sandy is a Friday Friend Enigma!  She is funny and fun to be around and one of the most positive people I know.  He glass is never half full--it's full to the top!  Her glass is brimming over!!

During the five years we both lived in Los Banos, California, each summer Sandy would host a "Rhubarb" party.  This was due to most of the neighbors had never heard of rhubarb, but being from Iowa, Sandy ate it-- a LOT during the summers when she was growing up. She decided it was a 'taste' that everyone needed to experience.

So, a few of us would make a couple of rhubarb desserts, (pies, crisps, crunches) and homemade vanilla ice cream and the neighbors would come have a blast!

Did I mention that most of the neighbors were in their 80's?

They loved Sandy and her sparkling personality.

Me too!

I've  never helped with a rhubarb party since, but to this day I make the best Rhubarb Crunch in the world. It was my specialty.

(yes, I know it's an acquired taste---but even the Handyman who doesn't like rhubarb, likes my rhubarb crunch)

Also, Leo and Sandy were Front Porch sitters, not backyard people.  They liked to visit with their neighbors!  They had a lovely front porch area and we would sit out with them on summer evenings and visit until it got dark.

Good memories!

Below are a couple of photos of Sandy and I and our 'always ready for a new  career adventure, traveling' husbands,

Leo and the Handyman.

About 20 years ago.

(but I think we still look the same)

And that's my Sandy story!

Her 1st recipe down, a couple more to go.

Recipe #125 out of 298

Friday Friend Recipe #124 --Fresh Fruit Dip

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

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 17 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 #124 My Mom's Fresh Fruit Dip

FRESH FRUIT DIP

Beverly Hambelton

Kennewick, WA

3 T lemon juice

2 C. cream of coconut mix

(not coconut milk, but cream of coconut, you can find it in the liquor section of the grocery store)

8oz Cool Whip

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding

Mix all together and refrigerate. This is good with all fresh fruits!

This really is good! 

This is my mom's 20th time in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown!

As I've said before, it's getting harder and harder to think of stories about people--even tho she was my mom!

Let me see what I can come up with.....

My Mother: Naughty and Nice!

I came from a split household. 

Divided right down the middle.

My dad was  a reader--my mom was not.

Once I asked them if their parents were readers--if they had books around the home when they were growing up.

My mom said: There were always books around my house.  My parents read all the time especially as they got older. The only book I ever read of my parents was "God's Little Acre" because it was naughty!!!

They read anything they could put their hands on.

I always remember my mother saying that, so a couple of years ago, I found that book at the Boise Library Sale and I picked it up. I've never read it, but HOLY COW, look at that cover!  It really was naughty!!

 My dad answered:

My parents both read quite a bit, but usually paperbacks or mysteries from the library.  We had no reading room or library--just the bathroom (my dad thought he was so funny)

I don't remember any specific books.

My dad was a lifelong reader and my mom learned to put up with it, eventually even learning to like to read a bit herself.

Here they are on their honeymoon.... 

And again, 15 or so years later.

My mom talks about sneaking 'God's Little Acre', from her folks, but little did she know, I was sneaking books from their night stand too...

Valley of the Dolls

Coffee, Tea or Me!

There was some naughty stuff going on in those books too!  But the cover was mild compared to God's Little Acre.

For some reason a year later, I asked them another book question --

What is your favorite book? What one book have you read over?

My mom said:

Think about that question!  This is your mother! (sigh) I suppose the book that I have read over and over is "God's Little Acre" back when I was in school.  It was considered a 'naughty' book and I suppose that is why I read it!

Anyway, I should say that my favorite book is the Bible, but I have only read it clear thru once, and some of it was....confusing.

I have read all of Erma Bombeck's book and liked them, but as you know, I'm not much of a reader.

My dad answered:

Boy, how do I answer the question, 'what is your favorite book?'

I have read Hawaii many times and I really like James Michener's books. I like 'The Shining' by Stephen King.  I guess I don't know if I really have a favorite  (we should always say The Bible, and although I don't read it much, it is probably my favorite)

I own my books and rarely go to the library and when I read a good book, I tell people about it.

Books like movies though, everyone has different likes and dislikes.

They both mentioned the Bible as a favorite.

I find that nice, but funny that my mom could go from

God's Little Acre to the Bible in one sentence. 

And then Erma Bombeck---because---Erma, you know.

That was my mom--very multi-layered.

Naughty and Nice!

And she was very comfortable with that.

*****************

I ended up with a bunch of family bible's.

My dad's.

My grandma's

and

some ancestor named Louisa who got the red one in 1830 when she was born or 1847 when she got married.  (the copyright date is 1811)

Then it made it's way to my great-grandmother, Mrs. OD Shaver.

I did not end up with my mom's bible---my brother has that one.  He probably has others too.  When my parents passed away we uncovered many many in  the basement.  Old family bibles and one cannot get rid of them.  I mean, how?

Anyway, that's my story!

Recipe #124

out of 298

Friday Friend Recipe #123 -- Spicy Siclian Chicken

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

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 17 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 #123 Meghan's Spicy Sicilian Chicken

Please forgive my photographs---it was hard for me to as everything was colorless!

Colorless but not tasteless.  My sister-in-law, Meghan is a great, GREAT cook, and she would never make bland noodles as a side dish--especially if she were taking photos. But...that's just what I did.  I have no excuse really, except that I was trying to get a meal on the table for the demanding handyman.

(you know that's a joke right---the Handyman is the most 'un'demanding man in the world.)

This wonderful chicken dish has both artichokes and green olives in it--two things the Handyman could gladly leave behind, BUT, he's a trooper and gave it a try and guess what? He really liked it. And if the Handyman likes it, its gotta be good.

So don't be put off by a bland color, just try it--it's really good.

This is Meghan's 6th time in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown  (if you click on the tag at the bottom of this post you can go to all her recipes if you'd like--everything is great!)

I have 10 sisters-in-law, and she ranks right up there at the top of my favorite list!

On reason is that she is always the life of the party (fun, generous, involves everyone, etc). Life of the party, yes, but it's usually her party!  She loves to host and have people over for dinner parties.  She's usually the chief cook and bottle washer, but recently at Grandpa's 85th birthday part--she didn't have to be the hostess, she just got to sit back, relax and enjoy herself.

My story will meander here a bit--which is so totally unusual for me, right? -- because while the funny story I usually tell  when I feature a cook for the FF Cookbook countdown is about Meghan and my beautiful niece, Devin, (who happens to be her daughter,)  I first wanted to tell you a bit about Grandpa's 85 birthday party.

Grandpa's chosen career was as a chemist.  He worked with other chemists and they made bombs.

That's the short version.  There is a much longer version, but we don't have the time here.

Here are all the old chemists who made bombs together at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories in Livermore CA.

When the Handyman was 12 years old, he went out on the golf course to caddy for his dad and Jim Evans.  Mr. Evans uttered the 'f' word when he had a bad shot.  This was back in 1964 and the Handyman had never heard that word before in his life.

Here he is reminding Mr. Evans of that incident:

Poor Mr. Evans did not remember that.

(but he got a good laugh out of it)

We got some great photos of  Grandpa and his 3 sons--and that silly son-in-law, who jumps in all the time....(the one with his arms around everyone)

We got pictures of Grandpa and all 9 of his children

We got a photo of all  the rest of us taking  a photo of Grandpa and all nine of his children...

Then we had to get a photo of all the outlaws--(in-laws) people who are not related to Grandpa by blood at all..

(we are goofy like that)

 And of course we took pictures of Grandpa with grandchildren and great grandchildren, but there are soooo many of them, I'm not going to share their cute little faces right now.

Speaking of outlaws, here are two of them back at the party... laughing at blackmail photos they are acquiring  of the family maybe?

 We told nice stories of Grandpa, ate good food and laughed and visited and had a great time!

Which brings us back to Meghan, one of my favorite sisters-in-law, who is a great cook!  Just  look at this cookbook countdown!

 Here is my funny Meghan story.

Towards the end of Grandpa's 85th birthday party, some of us were talking and the conversation took the turn to how well or not our children minded us. Some of us were complaining, some of us laughing, some of us doing soul searcher, when Meghan piped up that her kids would do anything she said.

We all kind of laughed and she said, no really---hey Devin!

(this is my niece Devin, who is 15)

go steal that golf cart out there!  Just take it for a joyride in a little circle there.

Um....really mom?

YES!

(here she is wanting her big brother to go with her... he didn't.  but her little cousins did)

And the family looked on.

 None of us know why Meghan challenged her daughter to joy ride...not even Meghan (okay, it could have been the wine), nor why Devin agreed (hopefully no wine was involved there), nor why the guys whose golf clubs were on the back of the card didn't get ANGRY, (except they were young men and she was cute AND beer was involved with them, as they were in getting a beer from the bar and had left their golf cart right outside)

That's my Meghan story!

Meghan mind control?

Like I said, no one really knows.

Recipe #123 out of 298.

Friday Friend Recipe #122 -- Savory Pepper Steak

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

What is it, you may ask?

In a nutshell...
About 17 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 #122 MY Savory Pepper Steak

I cannot tell a like, I got this recipe years ago, from my mother-in-law, but I make it all the time (or I used to) and the Handyman loves it (maybe because it  was his mother's?), and it was inexpensive and in the crockpot (2 deal breakers when I had a young family ), also I was the one who turned it for the Friday Friend Cookbook---so I am claiming it.

This is good and easy!  If you don't like peppers, just don't eat them.

Tasty strips of round steak are seasoned (I think I seasoned them first) and then slow cooked with peppers (I always use green peppers, but red would work) and stewed tomatoes. 

I serve it with/over rice, but egg noodles would be just as good.

Oh...and the muffins.  Blueberry muffins out of a box--the cheapest I can find, because that's how I did it 30 years ago when the boys were little and we had no money.

It's a fall/winter nostalgic meal for me.

And now MY story (with a gazillion photos)

After 122 times of cooking and posting I have trouble thinking up stories about people--and this one is about me--so I started thinking 'what I am all about?'

And... I think I'm about groups.  Or Tribes!

I just read a book on why tribes are important to our psyche.  We want to be with people who support us and surround us and, well, the definition is:  a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect.

I like my tribes!

I like structure.  I like things to happen a certain way.  I don't like spur of the moment things. 

My friends tease me about this all the time.

Boring? Nah 

Look how much fun I have with my people!

I like Friday Nights with our Friday Night Friends....

and sometimes we go other places than just our homes!

I like 6am Bible Study on Thursdays with my 6am friends.....

at which we never take photos because we are usually in our jammies, but we also put Christmas in a shoebox this year for Operation Christmas Child, so I did take a few photos of that.  And we took our old Pastor out for breakfast before she moved a couple of times, so there are those photos, but mostly its' our jammies, our coffee and a bible study.

I like Girlfriend Tuesdays (the Handyman named it this) with Debbie Engstrom every Tuesday (again at 6am).....

 We were so young here!

And since we have coffee at 6am and we do always have our jammies on---there is no way that we have ever taken a picture of us at that time. 

This is the closest we have come:

And here we are now, but not at 6am  Tuesday Girlfriend Time.

This is from Tequila time!  (or cooking club--you will notice there is some overlap of friends from group to group here. Small town friendships and all)

I like ALL my  different book clubs once a month.....

I like Cooking Club  4-6 times a year.....

I like Wednesday lunches with these characters (we are doing EVERY restaurant in town this year and rating them).....

I like my 5x5 (which used to be a church group, but now isn't anything resembling 'church' at all-- we still all attend the same church-- it's just that what happens in the 5x5 stays in the 5x5) who get together 4-6 times a year.....

we used to  be a 6x6, but one couple moved away. We've been getting together for over 10 years!

We also made Christmas shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child this holiday season!

I like the "Clique".  Old friends who have been  meeting for coffee in the morning and then later in the day going to lunch every Friday for a gazillion  years......

We even have a CHICK CLIQUE frame!

Besides lunch, we always did birthday celebrations too!

I like this structure!  I like knowing that I have these friends and they have my back!

I love these people.

Then, last but not least--never least--I have the whole Friday Friends group, whom have all contributed to this cookbook in one way or another!

And that's who I am!

And that is recipe #122--

--out of 298!