It is funny to me how something very insignificant can trigger a memory. With Valentines’ Day close by, the stores are inundated with candy — one of my favorite things. I love all things chocolate, and caramel is also another favorite. I really enjoy what I call “kid’s candy” — Starburst, Skittles, gummies and Airheads. I keep a treat basket in my classroom that is full of candy and suckers that my sixth graders like. I also tend to sneak a piece every now and then.
Sometimes I just know I have too much teacher in me, especially when I go shopping. It is bad enough to have to go to the grocery store, but to have to deal with other people’s unruly children running through the store and pushing carts all over the place is just almost more than I can stand. I want to give them a “time out” myself.
When my son, Steven, was small he knew that if he behaved in the store, he would get a special treat at the end of the trip at the checkout. It worked like a charm. This is a small price to pay to save the family name as well as Mama’s sanity. As I checked out of the grocery store last week, I was looking at the candy at the checkout and there they were — Starburst, my son’s absolute favorite candy.
One day we were at the grocery store checkout and he asked for some Starburst candy. I told him that he could have some, and I proceeded to unload my cart. As we were headed home, he pulled the candy out of his pocket and began eating. When I realized what he was doing, I asked him where he got the candy because I knew the grocery bags were in the trunk.
He reminded me that I told him he could have the candy. I assumed he had put it in with the groceries, and he assumed I had just paid for it.
He burst into tears and cried that he had stolen from the store and was going to jail. I calmed him down and told him that I would just pay for it the next time I was in the store and not to worry about it. It was an honest mistake. He stayed a little nervous for a while. Every time we saw a police car, I prayed that we wouldn’t see blue lights.
The real kicker to this whole story is what happened when I tried to pay for the candy on my next visit. As I was checking out, I explained to the lady that I wanted to pay for a package of Starburst candy that my son had gotten the previous week that I had not paid for due to a misunderstanding. She just didn’t get it. At first, she thought I had paid for the candy and didn’t get home with it. I kept trying to explain that I just wanted to pay for the candy, but not take it with me. She rang up the candy and put it in my grocery sack apologizing for not getting the candy on our previous visit and hoped we would shop there again. Once again, I tried to explain what I was doing, and she just didn’t get it!
I finally gave up. My ice cream was beginning to melt. When I returned home, Steven asked if I had paid for the candy. I told him I did and handed him over another package of Starburst. I guess honesty does pay after all.
Hope you enjoy today’s variety of recipes. Thanks for reading.
KIM’S PECAN PIE
(This pecan pie is my absolute favorite!)
1 cup sugar
½ cup white Karo syrup
¼ cup melted butter
Mix well and add 3 slightly beaten eggs.
Add:
1 cup chopped pecans
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Then turn the oven down to 300 degrees, and bake for another 25 minutes.
FRENCH-STYLE CROCK-POT CHICKEN
(I love anything you can use the Crock-Pot for.)
6 medium chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Paprika
½ cup white wine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4-ounce) sliced mushrooms
1 cup sour cream, mixed with ¼ cup flour
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika. Place chicken in Crock-Pot. Mix white wine, soup and mushrooms until well combined. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Remove chicken, and stir in sour cream with flour during last 30 minutes. Serve sauce over rice and chicken.
EX-GIRLFRIEND DIP
(I love this recipe name. It is what first got my attention.)
1 pound Velveeta
2 cans diced Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 pound ground chuck
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 small package saffron rice, cooked according to directions
Melt the cheese, and stir in tomatoes; set aside. Cook meat with taco seasoning; drain well. Mix together the cooked rice, cheese mixture and ground beef and put in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until bubbles in the middles. Serve with Tostitos or Frito Scoops.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
