Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dialoging with readers

8/26/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Looking back on my brief 13-year newspaper career, I find that I’ve covered a lot of ground that I never anticipated. After I left the front office of the Cottage Grove Sentinel, I moved into the newsroom. There I began writing three weekly columns —The Chatterbox, Cook’s Corner and Neighborhood News — covering news stories, writing a ‘society page,’ composting and editing a faith page and more.

Different times, different owners, different management styles, different editors and retirement dramatically changed all of the above. About the only thing in my writing career that hasn’t changed is my interaction with readers. I still enjoy dialoging with the reading public whether on the telephone, via email or chatting in the aisles of local shops!

Certain columns evoke more responses than others. A mistake in a Cook’s Corner recipe is sure to bring a few phone calls. I sometimes forget to include exact quantities in a recipe ingredient list. More than once I’ve had a phone call at 5 p.m. asking me how much evaporated milk to put in a quiche or if I really meant to put ‘that much’ chili powder in something.

This year’s Mother’s Day column mention of Bullock’s department stores garnered interest and triggered memories from men and women alike. One reader, Donna, fondly remembers taking the Red Car from Long Beach to shop at downtown Bullocks. Many readers had fond memories of the tearooms and we all nostalgically agreed, “Those were the days.”

My friend Lynn informed me that her college roommate had been a ‘gloves buyer’ for Bullocks. Of course, that was back in the day and in a climate where we wore gloves to look good rather than keep warm. We collected them in white, black, brown and cream colors; wore short and medium lengths to church and luncheons; longer ones to the theatre.

Gretchen Hill shared an employee viewpoint of the organization. She and her mother worked for Bullock’s Wilshire where the elite shopped. Her mother was a buyer in children’s wear in the late 1920s and 1930s in an era when women seldom worked outside of the home. In fact, it was simply an assumed policy that as a woman, no employee should be dependent upon her earned income!

Thanks to her mother’s connections, Gretchen was hired at the age of 16 as an office employee to work after school, weekends and summers. She began in the training office and worked her way up to becoming a relief executive secretary to Virginia Knox who was the only female manager of a large department store in the United States.

As an impressionable young girl she remembers many of the company’s genteel ways. It was suggested (but not demanded) that employees wear navy blue. Days off were called a day ‘away.’ Vacations were referred to as ‘holidays.’

Women of high society would schedule annual or seasonal shopping sprees at the store, staying overnight at the Biltmore Hotel. In the personal shoppers office, she and others would contact customers all over the nation about the event. Long before email, they would give fashion updates and introduce the latest styles such as Capezio shoes.

This summer between a woodborer infestation and the voracious deer, my 125 rose bushes began dying. So, we amped up our two strands of electric charged wire fencing; then we strung wire across the walkways; overturned tomato cages for another physical barrier and put sparkly stuff everywhere. The deer kept coming.

My frustrated “Dear deer” column garnered a variety of sympathetic responses. The suggestions were divided into two camps: One side wanted to erect a physical barrier. The other side recommended potions to make the foliage repulsive.

I received the first suggestion from my neighbor Susie who said to try “Deer Away,” a commercial product developed by Weyerhaeuser. She said that it was expensive but the only thing she had found to keep the critters from eating her flowers.

A homemade hot sauce repellant was very popular. A sweet lady outside Wal-Mart shared a recipe that went something like this: Mix together 1 egg, ½ cup milk, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, dish soap and hot sauce. Add one-gallon water and shake well. Spray or sprinkle on plants every two weeks or after heavy rain.

Other suggestions included scattering blood meal or mixing it with hair clippings in muslin bags; deodorant soaps and spikes in the ground were frequently mentioned. And almost everyone agreed that a gigantic fence was the best deterrent although not aesthetically pleasing!

Because I didn’t want my roses to smell like rotten eggs, we went with the “Deer Away” repellent idea. Chuck sprayed the product around on the ground outside of the rose beds. So far it’s working. We have now removed most of the fortress cages and the roses are almost looking healthy. Now if we could just get rid of the woodborers!

The column on Steve Lopez and helping the homeless population elicited minimal response. I think the subject is so overwhelming that there’s little we can say or do. In fact, Lopez, who became involved with Mr. Ayers, the mentally ill musical prodigy chronicled in his columns, book and movie “The Soloist,” suggests that help is best left to the professionals.

Mike, a reader of my archived blogs, lives in Guam and wrote to echo those sentiments. “We, too, would like to do something, but what?” he wondered. He went on to say that his wife approached a panhandling woman with an offer of food. The woman became extremely hostile saying she wanted money not McDonald’s! And there you have the age-old dilemma: what to do when offered help is not enough? I guess we just do our best and leave the rest up to God.

Isn’t it nice to know that we’re all in this thing called ‘life’ together? Thank you for your emails, cards, phone calls and sharing your stories. Keep them coming!


Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.
Read her weekly columns in the Cottage Grove Sentinel

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Blackberry Bliss

8/19/09 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

It’s August and blackberry mania is open us! The first sign of it is when you pass a group of people with purple hands and clothing clustered together in an obscure rural location. Adults, teens and kids will be standing in ditches (barely out of the traffic pattern) and intently peering through towering thickets of fruit. Swinging their berry buckets, they risk life and limb as they reach around thorns and through spider webs to harvest the season’s first berries.

Wild blackberries are seasonally plentiful in Oregon and we all know the drill. Most of them are not native to the area. Most were brought in from Europe and are considered to be invasive weeds. Truly, the Himalayan and evergreen blackberry are pretty obnoxious plants. They have tall, thick and stiff canes that seem to grow 20-foot long lengths overnight. You can get whipped to death if you trip over them!

So unless you’re trying to discourage trespassers I don’t suggest that you try and cultivate “just a few berry vines” in your garden. It doesn’t work. Trust me. I tried. My husband (the master gardener) warned me but I didn’t listen. We had one year of a nice self-contained berry patch and about five out-of-control years trying to get rid of them. Never again!

Native blackberries are better behaved. The problem with the natives is that they are small, harder to find and harvest; quick to mold. Believe me, you do not want to ingest a moldy blackberry. So we all eat from whichever bushes are handy. Usually, its the non-native berries that are more prolific, have larger fruit and are better keepers.

We have a favorite ‘secret’ spot where we go in late August to pick berries and bring them home to gorge on. The Himalayans seem to be the most prevalent. Some go on cereal, others go into pies or cobblers, jams, cakes and muffins; most go into the freezer.

Here are a couple of hints about picking berries. First, try and be sure that you’re in a ‘no spray’ area. You don’t want to be eating pesticides. Then, wear sturdy shoes and long pants. I nearly had a heart attack one year when a snake slithered across my feet! I have even been known to carry a hoe so that I can grasp berry vines that would otherwise be out of my reach. Finally, only pick dark berries that slip easily off the stem. Red ones aren’t ripe. Squishy, dull ones are dead.

When you get the berries home, separate them into small batches and refrigerate as soon as possible. Do not wash until you’re ready to use them. If freezing, cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper, spread the berries in a single layer and freeze solid. Pack them in plastic bags or containers and use as needed.

Berries should be removed from the freezer an hour or so before using. Wild berries will need to be washed in a couple of changes of cold water. Remove the stem caps, drain and discard any that show signs of mold or decay. Drain well.

The following recipe looks a little tedious but it’s not. Be sure and read through it first so you’re prepared for the torte’s three layers: crust, berries and custard. It’s garnished with whipped cream and more berries. Delicious and best when served slightly warm. The second recipe is similar to the first but very fast and simple. Enjoy!

Fresh Blackberry Custard Torte

4 cups fresh blackberries, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Crust (recipe below)
Custard filling (recipe below)
Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Crust:
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Cup flour
1 large egg
(1) 9-inch springform pan, ungreased

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients; using a pastry blender cut in butter into small particles. Stir in egg until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and 2-inches up the sides of the springform pan. Set aside.

Custard Filling:
4 egg yolks
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the egg yolks slightly; add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.


Whipped Cream:
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream until almost stiff in a chilled bowl. Slowly add sugar and vanilla. Beat until cream holds peaks. Refrigerate.

Put it all together:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Lightly mix the blackberries, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Place the blackberries over the prepared crust in a single layer. Reserve remaining berries in the refrigerator for garnish.

Carefully pour the custard over the blackberries in the pie shell.
Place in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil to catch any drips. Bake 60-90 min. or until center is almost set (test with a cake tester). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Don’t worry when the center of torte falls. It’s supposed to!

To serve, remove sides of pan and place on a serving platter. Cover with whipped cream and remaining berries. Alternately, it can be cut into serving pieces and garnished individually. Serves 8 generously. Refrigerate leftovers.

Blackberry Crumb Pie

1 cup sugar
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
Dash salt
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine first 4 ingredients; stir well. Place blackberries in unbaked pastry shell; sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over berries. Spread sour cream mixture over berries. Combine breadcrumbs, sugar, and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center of pie is firm.


Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.

Forever Friends


8/12/09 Chatterbox
Best friends are forever treasures
Betty Kaiser

Some childhood relationships are transient and fleeting. Others are lifetime treasures. I was reminded of this when I received a phone call that Leota Daniel, my “other” mother had died. She was the beloved matriarch of a family from my childhood. Born in 1900, at her death she was 99 years old but in my heart she is forever young.

Her daughter Carol and I have been best friends for 65 years. Her sister Alaine and my sister Joanne were also best friends. We were neighbors in Los Angeles and schoolmates from grade school through high school. Over the years we cemented our budding friendships through shared secrets, laughter and tears. Friends do that.

We girls lived in the days of innocence. We carefully coordinated the simple little dresses or skirts and sweaters that we wore to school so that no two outfits were worn in the same week (no jeans or slacks). At night we slept with our hair in spongy rollers so that we would have ringlets the next day. No messy, bed-head looks for us.

After school, we came home, changed our clothes and ran outside to play. We rode bikes, giggled through countless games of hopscotch, jacks and jump rope. We nearly wore out our roller skates before we outgrew them. In those days the skates were metal and you used a key to loosen or tighten them. They were hard to wear out!

Carol was there the day that I was racing a neighbor boy down the street on our bikes. My bike hit a bump; I took a tumble and gasped at the pain. One look at my crumpled, broken arm and I turned gray. She ran to get my mom. I limped into the house where I laid down on the couch and Carol sat crying by my side. Friends do that.

During the summer, Mrs. Daniel would invite my sister and me over for lunch. She always wore a nice apron over her cotton dress and served us girls in the dining room. Canned tomato soup with a pat of butter on top and a grilled cheese sandwich never tasted so good.

In the evening the whole neighborhood turned out at dusk to play hide and seek. We hid in the shadows and played until our parents called us in with “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free.”

The thing that I remember most about Mrs. Daniel is that she always treated us girls with great respect. Her touch was sweet and gentle and her advice kindly given. She never put on airs or talked down to us. We always knew that she genuinely respected us. We were loved. Friends do that.

Together, Carol and I double-dated, got engaged, married and were bridesmaids at each other’s weddings. She worked as a dental assistant and put her husband through college while I started having babies. Her family moved to Glendora, Texas, Nevada and back to Calif. Ours moved to Ventura and then Ore.

Our friendship became long distance instead of next door. But we stayed in contact as best we could by burning up the phone lines and sharing snail mail letters. Fortunately, we were young, our children were our life and adventure was on the horizon.

Fortunately, one of the great blessings of youth is that none of us could foresee the tough times and heartaches that lay ahead.

Like the rest of the world, we had some bumps in the road: a few financial setbacks, the early death of Chuck’s mother, a near bankruptcy and some major health problems. But we were blessed to have each other and the joys certainly outweighed the sorrows.

Sadly, Carol and her first husband divorced, leaving her with two children to raise. Mr. Daniel died in a tragic one-car accident and they lost their house. Mrs. Daniel went back to work as an executive secretary at 60 years of age. She worked for 20 years and loved it. Never once did she complain or say, “Why me?”

In January 2004 I wrote about Alaine in a column on smoking. She had become a three pack a day cigarette smoker and an alcoholic. Her voice box and vocal chords were removed in a horrifying and disfiguring surgery. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, bone cancer and lung cancer. Voiceless and bedridden, she depended on oxygen, medication tubes, a ventilator and nurses.

Alaine died in April. She had spent the last years of her life in the hospital. Ironically, her husband died of lung cancer the year before she did.

Along the way, Mrs. Daniel, in her mid-90s and living alone, began to exhibit signs of her age. She had to give up driving (!), going to the grocery store, fell often and needed a walker to get around her apartment. Did she complain? No. Instead, she encouraged her daughters.

For five years, my friend Carol drove 150-mile round-trips from her home (sometimes daily) to attend to the needs of her sister and mother. She was exhausted beyond belief. Family does that.

And last Monday, as her wonderful mother’s life ebbed, she was by her side. “It was such a gift,” she said, “to be able to hold her hand and kiss her goodbye.”

After my mother died, I found a most crumpled photograph at the bottom of a desk drawer. It shows our two families at a restaurant. It seems like yesterday. We were all so young and full of life. Once there were eight of us. Now, there are three: Carol, Joanne and me.

Special people come into your life for a reason and season. A few are forever treasures. Their physical presence may come and go but their spirits always have a home in your heart. The Daniel family forever lives in mine. Who lives in yours?

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her via email at bchatty@bettykaiser.net

8/12/09 Chatterbox
Best friends are forever treasures
Betty Kaiser

Some childhood relationships are transient and fleeting. Others are lifetime treasures. I was reminded of this when I received a phone call that Leota Daniel, my “other” mother had died. She was the beloved matriarch of a family from my childhood. Born in 1900, at her death she was 99 years old but in my heart she is forever young.

Her daughter Carol and I have been best friends for 65 years. Her sister Alaine and my sister Joanne were also best friends. We were neighbors in Los Angeles and schoolmates from grade school through high school. Over the years we cemented our budding friendships through shared secrets, laughter and tears. Friends do that.

We girls lived in the days of innocence. We carefully coordinated the simple little dresses or skirts and sweaters that we wore to school so that no two outfits were worn in the same week (no jeans or slacks). At night we slept with our hair in spongy rollers so that we would have ringlets the next day. No messy, bed-head looks for us.

After school, we came home, changed our clothes and ran outside to play. We rode bikes, giggled through countless games of hopscotch, jacks and jump rope. We nearly wore out our roller skates before we outgrew them. In those days the skates were metal and you used a key to loosen or tighten them. They were hard to wear out!

Carol was there the day that I was racing a neighbor boy down the street on our bikes. My bike hit a bump; I took a tumble and gasped at the pain. One look at my crumpled, broken arm and I turned gray. She ran to get my mom. I limped into the house where I laid down on the couch and Carol sat crying by my side. Friends do that.

During the summer, Mrs. Daniel would invite my sister and me over for lunch. She always wore a nice apron over her cotton dress and served us girls in the dining room. Canned tomato soup with a pat of butter on top and a grilled cheese sandwich never tasted so good.

In the evening the whole neighborhood turned out at dusk to play hide and seek. We hid in the shadows and played until our parents called us in with “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free.”

The thing that I remember most about Mrs. Daniel is that she always treated us girls with great respect. Her touch was sweet and gentle and her advice kindly given. She never put on airs or talked down to us. We always knew that she genuinely respected us. We were loved. Friends do that.

Together, Carol and I double-dated, got engaged, married and were bridesmaids at each other’s weddings. She worked as a dental assistant and put her husband through college while I started having babies. Her family moved to Glendora, Texas, Nevada and back to Calif. Ours moved to Ventura and then Ore.

Our friendship became long distance instead of next door. But we stayed in contact as best we could by burning up the phone lines and sharing snail mail letters. Fortunately, we were young, our children were our life and adventure was on the horizon.

Fortunately, one of the great blessings of youth is that none of us could foresee the tough times and heartaches that lay ahead.

Like the rest of the world, we had some bumps in the road: a few financial setbacks, the early death of Chuck’s mother, a near bankruptcy and some major health problems. But we were blessed to have each other and the joys certainly outweighed the sorrows.

Sadly, Carol and her first husband divorced, leaving her with two children to raise. Mr. Daniel died in a tragic one-car accident and they lost their house. Mrs. Daniel went back to work as an executive secretary at 60 years of age. She worked for 20 years and loved it. Never once did she complain or say, “Why me?”

In January 2004 I wrote about Alaine in a column on smoking. She had become a three pack a day cigarette smoker and an alcoholic. Her voice box and vocal chords were removed in a horrifying and disfiguring surgery. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, bone cancer and lung cancer. Voiceless and bedridden, she depended on oxygen, medication tubes, a ventilator and nurses.

Alaine died in April. She had spent the last years of her life in the hospital. Ironically, her husband died of lung cancer the year before she did.

Along the way, Mrs. Daniel, in her mid-90s and living alone, began to exhibit signs of her age. She had to give up driving (!), going to the grocery store, fell often and needed a walker to get around her apartment. Did she complain? No. Instead, she encouraged her daughters.

For five years, my friend Carol drove 150-mile round-trips from her home (sometimes daily) to attend to the needs of her sister and mother. She was exhausted beyond belief. Family does that.

And last Monday, as her wonderful mother’s life ebbed, she was by her side. “It was such a gift,” she said, “to be able to hold her hand and kiss her goodbye.”

After my mother died, I found a most crumpled photograph at the bottom of a desk drawer. It shows our two families at a restaurant. It seems like yesterday. We were all so young and full of life. Once there were eight of us. Now, there are three: Carol, Joanne and me.

Special people come into your life for a reason and season. A few are forever treasures. Their physical presence may come and go but their spirits always have a home in your heart. The Daniel family forever lives in mine. Who lives in yours?

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her via email at bchatty@bettykaiser.net

Cool meals for hot summer days

8/5/09 Cook’s Corner
Simply super summer meals
Betty Kaiser


It’s summertime in Oregon and as I write this, the weather is sizzling hot. The thermometer on my deck reads 108° F. That’s hot. Too hot to cook. In fact, except for the fact that we need to eat, it’s too hot to even think about cooking.

Every year at this time I become a minimalist. Eating becomes a simple biological function. Plain is good. Multiple dishes and fancy sauces are unnecessary. Meals are usually a last minute afterthought and the key to any successful offering is a well-stocked garden, pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

If you’re prepared, it’s easy to put together something tasty from canned meats, beans, olives, pasta and salsa from the cupboard. A variety of cheeses, tortillas, fresh fruit and salad ingredients from the refrigerator will make a nutritious lunch. And meat patties, chicken, steaks or boneless pork chops from the freezer can go directly to the grill with a minimum of effort.

The garden or a nearby vegetable stand is, of course, a wonderful resource for dressing up a simple supper. Just adding an ear of freshly picked corn will make that plain piece of chicken taste mighty good. And nothing beats the taste of homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes or even the prolific zucchini, steamed and seasoned.

This is also a good time to rummage around in your bookshelves and find those cookbooks that say “Five ingredients or less main dishes.” They can be a gold mine of ideas for last minute cooking.

Pasta salads are a great main dish if you have time in the morning to assemble the ingredients and let the flavors meld in the refrigerator. It’s often best to add the meat just before serving or as a garnish.

Sandwiches that are served wrap-style are a great treat on a warm night. You can combine a variety of meats, beans, dressings and lettuce with your favorite dressing in either a large lettuce leaf or tortilla. Pre-cooked taco shells and pita bread are also handy containers for sandwich entrees.

If you’re serving sandwiches for dinner, you’ll need something to balance out the plate. Be sure to include a nice, crisp green salad with garden fresh cucumbers and tomatoes if the sandwich is meat based. An old-fashioned cold bean salad is a great choice for adding vegetables and protein. Dessert can simply be an ice-cold slice of cantaloupe or a wedge of watermelon.

My husband’s favorite sandwich is a vegetable concoction straight out of the garden. He starts with whole grain bread, adds cream cheese and then starts layering the veggies. Try it! You’ll like it! And remember, now is the time to eat the fruits and vegetables of the season. Enjoy!

Chuck’s Perfect Summer Sandwich
Serves 4

1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cucumber, partially peeled and sliced
1 red onion, sliced, separated into rings
1-2 tomatoes, sliced
Bean sprouts
Butter lettuce leaves (optional)
Low-fat cream cheese, softened
Hearty, whole grain bread

First, soften the cream cheese and spread on 8 slices of bread. Layer 4 bread slices with cucumber, avocado, tomato and onion. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add bean spouts and lettuce (if desired). Cover with top slices of bread and cream cheese; cut in half and serve with lots of napkins.

Note: Whipped cream cheese spreads easier than the block and makes more servings. Also, if you like a little more protein, add a slice of Muenster or other semi-soft cheese.


Shrimp Tacos
Makes12 tacos

1-1/2 cups sour cream
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons chili or seafood cocktail sauce
1 red onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 lb. shelled deveined cooked medium shrimp
12 store bought taco shells
Butter lettuce leaves, torn
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup shredded CoJack cheese

In small bowl, combine sour cream, cucumber, half of the chili sauce, red onion, avocados, red bell pepper, and lemon juice.

In small bowl, mix remaining chili sauce with the cooked shrimp and add to sour cream mixture. Fill taco shells with shrimp mixture, lettuce, salsa, and cheese.

Old-Fashioned Cold Bean Salad Recipe

1 can whole green beans (16 oz)
1 can red kidney beans (16 oz)
1 can garbanzo beans or chick peas (16 oz)
1 small jar chopped pimentos
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup wine vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper, coarsely ground

Drain the three cans of beans in a colander and rinse well.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, pimentos, and onion.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Then, pour over the beans and toss like a salad.
Seal in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Make it the night before and have it ready for the next day.

Southwest Chicken Tostada Salad
Serves 4

2-4 chicken breasts, seasoned and grilled
6-8 cups romaine and iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup black olives, drained
2-4 whole wheat tortillas, cut in half, then into strips
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup red onion, minced
Dash cumin
1 cup CoJack cheese, shredded

Mix dressing, onion and cumin; set aside. Spray microwave safe plate with cooking spray; add tortilla strips and microwave 1 min.; set aside. Combine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and chicken in large bowl with salad dressing. Distribute among plates. Top with olives, tortilla strips and cheese; garnish with a dash of paprika or seasoned salt.

Serve with salsa and tortilla chips or warmed flour tortillas.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.