Good Day to Bake

Since the weather is not cooperating so that I can go to the farm and help Larry cut wood, I'm going to get some baking done. I found this recipe last week on the Betty Crocker website. I made a double batch and added craisins instead of raisins--they were gone in 3 days after I sent some to mom's and also with the girls! I'd never tried making "cake mix" cookies before--they turned out great and best of all only require one bowl to mix them in!


Mix-Easy Oatmeal Cookies
1 box SuperMoist yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco stick shortening)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg
2 cups quick cooking or old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup raisins or craisins
Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, beat cake mix, brown sugar, butter, shortening, water, cinnamon and egg with electric mixer on medium speed one minute until smooth. With spoon, stir in oatmeal and raisins or craisins.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls (I use my cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes (centers will be soft). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
Makes about 3-4 dozen (depends on how big you make them).

Spring???

It's supposed to be Spring--yeah right! This is what it looked like at 7 this morning. The weather guy says it's supposed to warm up by Thursday--I sure hope so as I'm ready to put the snow shovel away!!

The bushes on the south side of my driveway--it was still snowing when I took this photo!

Trees in the back yard.

Good thing I have the laundry caught up--won't be hanging clothes out today!

Another shot of the bushes along the driveway.

Area Band Festival

Yesterday the Area Band Festival was held in Avon, which is about 10 miles west of here. Kids from Bon Homme, Avon, Viborg, Scotland and Menno participated in the festival. The kids were selected for the Festival earlier this fall and have been practicing their music since then, besides their regular band lessons and practice. It was a full day of music and learning for the kids, capped off by a concert that featured the Jr. High Band under the direction of Gwen Van Gerpen, who was Becky and Katy's band director at Scotland when they were in school, and Chad Dean, who was band director in Avon several years ago. The kids did an awesome job! As Mr. Dean said, it's nice to see the kids cooperating with each other instead of competing against each other!


Here's a few photos I took at the concert last night!

Zane and Grandma Shirley (my mom) before the concert.

Bon Homme High School representatives at Area Band Festival with guest conductor Chad Dean.

Bon Homme Jr. High band representatives at Area Band Festival with guest conductor Gwen Van Gerpen.

Always have to have one "goofing off" photo!

Jr. High Band 

Zane playing his tuba--Grandpa Wayne would be so proud of him!

High School band

Our band director, Kevin McLouth, assisting during the high school band portion of the concert.

Warm Weather and some more recipes

Spring has finally arrived! (I hope!!) I've had the heat shut off during the day and the windows open airing the house out! It's been in the 50's and 60's!! There is mud everywhere--but after the cold, ice and snow, I'm not complaining!! Thankfully we don't have a major river or creek running through the county so we don't have to deal with the flooding they are predicting on the Big Sioux and James rivers.


We said goodbye to Uncle Frank Ogan today. His funeral was at our Presbyterian Church this morning. Uncle Frank was married to my dad's oldest sister, Esther, who passed away in 2004. They moved to Tyndall in 2002 after living in California for 48 years. I will always remember Uncle Frank with a camera in his hand when they came back to South Dakota to visit, and all the slide shows we had at Grandma Sutera's house. Rest in peace Uncle Frank--we'll miss you!


Needing to take something to the funeral for the lunch, I made poppyseed cake. It just isn't a "Bohemian" funeral lunch without at least one poppyseed cake!! I tried a different recipe this time instead of my "old faithful" recipe that requires separating eggs, etc., and I think I like this one better. I actually didn't get to try it, but it must have been good because I came home with one tiny corner piece in my pan!


Poppyseed Cake
1 white or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup poppyseed soaked in 1 cup water for 1/2 hour
3 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
Soak poppyseed in water for 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Combine cake mix, soaked poppyseed, eggs and mayonnaise. Mix well. I stirred it by hand with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with toothpick--may need to bake 5 minutes more.
Cool to room temperature and frost with cream cheese frosting.


Larry's aunt Rose made the best hotdish for the funeral lunch--Zane thought it was "the bomb" so I had to make a pan of it for supper tonight to go with the barbecued ribs that we had. Needless to say, between Becky, Zane and I, we cleaned the pan!


Corn Casserole
1 can whole kernel corn--juice and all
1 can cream style corn
1 cup dry elbow macaroni
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch square pan with non-stick spray. Stir together both cans of corn, the dry macaroni, grated cheese and melted butter in the pan. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.


I also made coleslaw to go with the ribs--with the weather warming up it's time for the "summer salads"! I got this recipe from Sue Souhrada--her parents used to own the Czech Inn in Tabor when we were growing up.


Czech Inn Coleslaw
1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bottle Kraft coleslaw dressing
Salt to taste (I don't add any)
White pepper to taste
1 head cabbage shredded--not too fine
2 carrots, shredded
Note: Can use 1 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix--that's what I usually end up doing if I don't have time to shred cabbage and carrots.
Mix vinegar, sugar, coleslaw dressing, salt and pepper. Let set in refrigerator about half an hour or longer so flavors blend. Then add the cabbage and carrots. Stir together and serve.

Easy Lemon Bars

We've been dealing with snow and cold and more snow and cold--the calendar says only 13 days 'til Spring but I'm wondering if it's ever going to get here!


I hadn't made these bars in ages and decided that since I had the two necessary ingredients on hand, I'd make a pan.


Here's the recipe:


Lemon Bars
1 - 1-step angel food cake mix
1 can lemon pie filling
Mix dry cake mix and lemon pie filling together--stir well. Spread in greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting--otherwise they are great plain! 


That's all there is to the recipe--nice and simple and fast!