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I was raised by parents who, by example, are really good neighbors. At the drop of a hat I remember them helping out friends and strangers alike. Whether it be a burning house—and there were several as most people heated with wood stoves—or someone facing illness, my mom and dad offered to help out in any way they could.
Back in the days of CB radios my mom stayed up all night once helping travelers find their way around a flooded Highway 61 on back roads so they could get home. Her handle was the "Lazy Lady."
My dad would bring home stranded travelers to spend the night until they could get their cars fixed. More than once I remember stepping over sleeping strangers on our living room floor and sharing my breakfast with people I’d never met.
They are just the kind of people who like to help out. Of course this goes both ways. They have great neighbors who are there when my parents need a hand too.
I thought of this the other day when I was discussing religion with a friend. (I know, taboo, sort of like politics, but I like to ride the edge.) I said I loved God but not religion. I developed this theory at an early age. As a child of about ten I attended church with a friend for fun one weekend. At this particular church the pastor said attendance at Sunday service was a must. If you didn’t go to church you would go to hell, as simple as that.
I found this to be very scary though, as it is well known, my dad limits his attendance to baptisms, wedding and funerals. This bothered me for weeks until I talked it over with my Grandma Barb, another neighbor whom I love and respect. She said that was the silliest thing she ever heard. Good people go to heaven because they are good people not because they check in every Sunday like roll call. Thisone sentence changed my view of religion forever.
My husband and I want to be good neighbors like my parents but so far no homes have burned in our area (thank goodness) and CB radios are now antiques, so we jumped at the chance when we got a call from our neighbor who needed help with her vacuum. "Jersey Girl" is an East Coast transplant and let’s just say Little House on the Prairie was not her favorite show. All these wild animals, with the exception of bunnies, give her the shivers. It seemed she had sucked up a mouse with her Dyson and now the little dead creature was making a terrible stink. She couldn’t watch and went into the house as we carefully unscrewed the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. I was a little squeamish myself but Mike took the lead and took the vacuum apart. There was the poor thing—a very mangled ham sandwich! I have to admit the smell was awful. We brought it in the house to show her "the kill." She will never live this down. City girl sucks up a sandwich! But hey we were there for her, good neighbors and all.
If a man write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, though he builds a house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Tastes Like Home columnist, Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus, lives on an alpaca farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
Good ideas for ham other than making sandwiches…..
Crockpot Black Eyed Peas and Ham
Ingredients:
1 pound frozen black-eyed peas
1 cup chicken broth
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch (6 to 8) green onions, thinly sliced
6 ounces diced ham
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Ham and Pickle Roll Ups
Ingredients
3 packages cream cheese, softened
1 pound ham, thinly sliced
1 quart whole dill pickles, drained, patted dry.
Directions:
Place pickles on a paper towel to dry off some of the juice. Carefully spread the cream
cheese on 2 slices of ham. Roll a pickle up in the ham slice and roll again with the other
ham slice. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Repeat as necessary. Refrigerate at least 2 hours
before serving.
Deep Dish Ham Pie
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
2 1/2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Pastry for single crust pie, 8-inch
Directions:
Melt butter in saucepan; stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth. Gradually
add milk and onion; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring
for about 2 minutes longer, until thickened. Stir in ham, peas and hard-cooked eggs.
Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. On a floured surface, roll pastry to fit
top of dish; place over filling. Seal and crimp edges; cut slits in the top. Bake at 425° for
25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Serves 6.
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