Bumper stickers are everywhere. I always enjoy reading them in my daily travels. The stickers tell fellow drivers everything from where we vacation to our favored political candidates to our favorite college teams.
People have been putting messages on vehicles long before the invention of the car. Advertising slogans were on canvas wheel covers, horsefly nets and painted signs. These all laid the groundwork for the bumper stickers we know today.
Before 1927, there were no bumper stickers on cars because cars had no bumpers. Once the Model A was introduced with safety bumpers, people began to decorate their vehicles with flag-like signs attached to the car with wires and strings.
Forest P. Gill is credited for the first bumper sticker in the 1940s. He was a silk screener from Kansas City who first created bumper stickers for advertising tourist attractions.
The record for the most bumper stickers collected is 4,131 different stickers.
Here is what some of my favorite bumper stickers say:
• I hate bumper stickers.
• I used to be cool (seen on a family mini-van).
• Please don’t hit me. I’m not 100% sure about my coverage.
• Honk if you like noises.
• Be nice to your kids. They’ll choose your nursing home.
• Marriage is grand. Divorce is 100 grand.
• Yes, this is my truck. No, I won’t help you move.
• Driver carries no cash. He’s married.
• Nobody cares about your stick people family.
• The closer you get, the slower I drive.
• You’re so close you might as well get in.
• Not drunk. Avoiding potholes.
• Go around me. I left on time.
• If you don’t like the way I drive, then stay off the sidewalk.
• I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go.
• Watch out for the idiot behind me.
• You’re right. I do park badly.
• I’m tired of bumper stickers.
I hope you will give this week’s recipes a try. Thanks for reading.
SLOW COOKER CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN CHILI
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 (11-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-ounce) can diced Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped cooked bacon
1 (1-ounce) packet ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, seasonings and bacon. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top of chicken. Cover with lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Return to cooker, and stir in cheddar cheese.
EASY TAMALE CASSEROLE
1 pound ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, chopped
2 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (6-ounce) box cornbread mix (can use Mexican style to make it a little spicy)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet on stove, and brown ground beef and onion. Drain, and discard grease. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in pinto beans and crushed tomatoes. Mix the corn, cornbread mix and egg together, and spread over top of the ground beef mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted and cornbread is set in the middle.
DIFFERENT CHICKEN DIVAN
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast meat
1 pound fresh broccoli, cooked and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (6-ounce) can french fried onions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread chicken in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with broccoli. Mix mayonnaise, curry powder, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, salt and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and both soups, and mix well. Pour mixture over broccoli, and sprinkle with remaining cheese and french fried onions. Bake for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
