Steve knew three things about me before we got married 42 years ago: I don’t have an athletic bone in my body; I don’t like the outdoors; and I don’t do yard work. He is the exact opposite.
People say that opposites attract, so maybe it is true. He plants my flowers around the house and pool yard, and I keep them watered. That is the extent of my yard work.
I love plants in my home. My brown thumb, however, does not help me to keep them looking pretty for very long. I eventually just replace them. My sister-in-law gave me a zuzu plant and told me they were easy and that I would not be able to kill it. She said they are foolproof. After about three months, it is thriving. We shall see.
One year when Steve was farming, I decided to help out and mow the yard. He was extremely busy with irrigation, and the yard was about to drive him crazy because he didn’t have time to get it mowed. I thought that any idiot could jump on the riding lawn mower and mow the yard. I decided to surprise him and mow the yard myself. After two hours of my meticulously mowing, he pulled up in the driveway. I was so proud of myself. I noticed that he just looked at me and shook his head. It seems that I had failed to put the blade down! I also did not have throttle at full speed, so it was not cutting cleanly. I thought it was cutting a bit high. He thanked me for my effort and asked me to please never get on the mower again and never, never touch the weed eater. I have kept that promise.
Now, I tell you that to tell you this. For Mother’s Day this year, we planted caladiums and petunias for my mom at her home. As we were leaving, she told me she wanted a fern for her porch table. I told her I would get one the next day. I found a beautiful fern the next day at Gore’s Market in Benton. I put it in the car on the back seat and planned to surprise her when I got home by secretly placing it on her porch so she would see it the next morning.
Well, it was about 1:30 p.m. when I parked the car at school. It was graduation night, so we didn’t leave school until about 8:30 p.m. By the way, the heat index that day reached 105 degrees. As we left school seven hours later, Steve asked me why in the world I bought this brown fern. It was as brown as it could be and was shriveled up like a prune. I didn’t think about the fact that it was in the broiling hot sun with no ventilation for all that time. Steve just shook his head. My only reply was that for the first time I had killed a plant before I ever got it home!
I hope you will give this week’s appetizer recipes a try. Thanks for reading.
DILL PICKLE DIP
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup chopped dill pickle
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Stir cream cheese in a bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in dill pickles, onion, pickle juice, dill weed, salt and pepper until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for several hours before serving with your favorite crackers or chips.
I like the combination of cucumber and dill, so I usually include some cucumber slices along with crackers.
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
2 (10-ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
¾ cup pepper sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
For Dipping:
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4-inch pieces
1 box chicken-flavored crackers
Heat chicken and hot sauce over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Stir until well blended and warm. Stir in half the cheese, and transfer to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover and cook on low until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers and celery.
BALSAMIC BRUSCHETTA
1 loaf French bread, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush French bread slices on both sides lightly with the tablespoon of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, and toast until golden — about 5-10 minutes. Turn the bread slices halfway through. Toss together the tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese and garlic in a bowl. Mix in balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Spoon mixture onto each toasted bread slice and serve immediately.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
