Macaroni and Freeze

by Christine Wenger

  “Ty, no. Just take me home. I’ll snuggle under quilts and drink hot cocoa. I’ll swim in my tub in hot water.”

  “I’m taking you to Syracuse. There are three major hospitals right off the interstate. This monster will get through anything, and it has four-wheel drive.”

  So he drove us in his monster of a car through a monster of a blizzard on a closed interstate highway. I slept most of the way except when I heard Ty swearing under his breath.

  I remember being cranky with the bright lights of the emergency room and got even crankier when a needle went into my arm for an IV.

  The next thing I remember is ringing my buzzer to go to the bathroom and seeing Ty asleep in a chair next to my bed. He stayed with me for four days straight.

  I insisted that they take a look at Ty’s chest and his head. If bullets hitting a bulletproof vest can knock him down so hard that he hit his head, he should be checked out.

  So the doctor checked his head and eyes and looked at his chest, and I got a nice look, too. It made me feel a whole lot better.

  Thankfully, he was okay, other than four angry-looking black-and-blue marks marring his sculpted chest.

  And I was going to be fine. All my fingers and toes were nicely recovering.

  And after what I’d gone through and worrying about my toes, if my pal Antoinette Chloe didn’t get herself some socks and a pair of boots, I’d get them for her and duct-tape them onto her feet!

  I did find it interesting that I was almost within spitting distance of Jill. She was in the Syracuse Public Safety Building Jail due to the fact that Sandy Harbor didn’t want the likes of her in their jail.

  After all, Antoinette Chloe had decorated the two cells there with her very special decor: a salute to red, white, and blue polka dots and purple cabbage roses for the women’s cell, and “Let’s go to NASCAR and along the way let’s stop at the WWF” for the men’s cell.

  Jill just wasn’t suitable enough to enjoy the comforts of the superbly decorated Sandy Harbor Jail.

  Epilogue

  E-MAIL TO AUNT STELLA

  I hope this e-mail finds you well. If I remember right, I think you’re on another cruise. I figure you’ll get around to reading e-mail sooner or later.

  Winter has come early to Sandy Harbor, and with it, a lot of fun and a lot of craziness.

  The craziness came when the library’s roof collapsed from snow, sleet, and whatnot. What a mess. All those beautiful books—gone! I was named cochairperson of a fund-raiser to help replace the books, along with Megan Hunter. We decided on a macaroni and cheese cook-off (because everyone does chili!).

  Megan Hunter asked Mabel Cronk, your old Gamma Gamma Gamma sorority sister (who was none other than the famous Priscilla Finch-Smythe), to be the judge of the contest since she’s a TV personality and cookbook author. She graciously accepted.

  We had a delightful parade through town for her. She was a hoot in my friend Sara Stolfus’s Amish wagon. We had the high school’s marching band along with the Scouts, the Elks, our one fire truck, Hal Manning’s vintage hearse, and our two snowplows.

  You know how much Sandy Harbor loves their parades—even in the middle of winter!

  Then Priscilla came over to the Big House for a tea party in her honor. The Tri-Gams and I made it special for her with your silver trays and fancy punch bowls and exquisite crystal. We had three different types of punch and lots of hors d’oeuvres and whatnot. The house looked beautiful.

  Priscilla also asked for a breakfast and a dinner special at the Silver Bullet to be named after her. I did a dinner special named for her along with “Priscilla’s Potato Pancakes” for the breakfast. She seemed happy about that.

  Priscilla brought her assistant, Jill Marley, and her stepson from one of her marriages, Peter McCall, along with her in her huge motor home.

  Those two are another story. Someday I’ll tell you all about it.

  When you get a chance, you’ll have to come and visit so we can catch up on all our adventures. I have lots to tell you, but it would lose something if you just read it in an e-mail. Besides, I miss you. I know you get a subscription to the Sandy Harbor Lure in Boca Raton, so try not to read it or get too upset until we’ve talked.

  Like I told my parents, I’m fine, really. Oh, and all my body parts are still intact. HA!

  As for the library, there’s a committee to write up grants, and more fund-raisers are scheduled. Because of the historic value of what’s left of the building, there are strict guidelines that must be followed to restore it to its former glory.

  And, yes, I’m a member of the committee—but not the chairperson!

  Oh, all right, I’m a cochair along with Antoinette Chloe Brown. Someone has to stop her from decorating the library with polka dots and cabbage roses.

  In your last e-mail, you asked about Ty Brisco. Well, Aunt Stella, he’s turned out to be quite a good friend. He drove me to the hospital in a raging blizzard and he never left my side while I was there. He even did his follow-up reports from my room. Actually, we both had to do a lot of report writing.

  But don’t worry about me.

  All my love,

  Trixie

  P.S. I was inducted into the Tri-Gams!

  Family (and Friends’!) Recipes from the Silver Bullet Diner, Sandy Harbor, New York

  Aunt Gen Bielec’s Christmas Eve Punch

  Aunt Genevieve Bielec loved to entertain and loved it when people stopped in for the holidays. This punch was always on her counter for every event: showers, weddings, baptisms, birthday parties, and cocktail parties. Everyone was always welcome at Aunt Gen’s house, especially on Christmas Eve!

  I served this punch at Priscilla Finch-Smythe’s tea.

  2 quarts “real strong” tea

  1 32-oz. can pineapple juice

  1 12-oz. can frozen orange juice

  1 12-oz. can frozen lemonade

  1 2-liter bottle ginger ale

  Wine (if desired)—“must be Manischewitz” according to Aunt Gen!

  maraschino cherries

  Make tea a day ahead and chill it. Thaw the frozen juices/lemonade and mix with the tea.

  You can freeze some of this mixture in ice-cube trays and decorate the cubes with maraschino cherries.

  Add the wine (if desired) to the punch. Add ginger ale to taste.

  Darlene’s Pink Champagne Punch

  Darlene was an avid reader and could always be found with a book in her hands. I had lunch with her several times when we worked at the same place. She was the nicest person you’d ever want to meet. Darlene passed away much too early, but I always make her punch on special occasions and drink a toast to her.

  1 750-ml. bottle pink champagne, chilled

  1 2-liter bottle ginger ale, chilled

  1 6-oz. can frozen lemonade, thawed

  1 qt. raspberry sherbet (or any kind of sherbet)

  Mix first three ingredients together.

  Let sherbet float on top.

  Cheese-Olive Puffs

  Sue Lewandowski Szmanoski, who is a Tri-Gam, serves these simple puffs at cocktail parties. She says she makes a triple batch and freezes them, pulling out what she needs for parties.

  She brought them to Priscilla Finch-Smythe’s tea, and Priscilla begged for the recipe. Sue wouldn’t part with it, but she’ll share it with you!

  2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

  ½ cup butter, softened

  1 cup flour, sifted

  ½ tsp. salt

  1 tsp. paprika

  48 stuffed green olives, drained and dry

  Blend cheese with butter. Stir in flour, salt, and paprika and mix well.

  Wrap 1 tsp. of mixture around each olive, covering it completely.

  Freeze firm on baking sheet, then place in at least two plastic bags. Return to fre
ezer for at least one more hour.

  Bake frozen for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

  Ann Williams’s Quick Coffee Cake

  Ann loved to bake and created this recipe in case friends or family dropped in on her unexpectedly. At a moment’s notice, Ann would make this cake.

  1 cup flour

  1 cup sugar

  1 Tbsp. baking powder

  crack 1 egg into a measuring cup and add milk to make one cup

  pinch of salt

  1 Tbsp. butter

  ½ tsp. vanilla or other flavoring

  cinnamon, to taste

  sugar, to taste

  Mix all in bowl and pour into an 8"x8" pan sprayed with Pam.

  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

  Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar when done.

  Michele Goldstein’s Luchen Kugel

  Michele is a Tri-Gam who used to live by the Gas and Grab on Route 3 in Sandy Harbor, but left for the balmy weather of Syracuse, New York! Michele says that this recipe is sort of a Jewish mac and cheese, and it’s definitely a comfort food! She serves it as a side dish to break her family’s fast on Yom Kippur.

  1 lb. wide egg noodles, cooked

  1 cup sour cream

  1 lb. small-curd cottage cheese

  ½ lb. cubed Velveeta (yes, Velveeta!)

  ¹⁄³ cup plus ½ cup sugar, plus additional for topping

  1 stick butter, melted

  4 eggs

  1 tsp. vanilla

  1¾ cups milk

  cinnamon, to taste

  sugar, to taste

  Mix together egg noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese, Velveeta, ¹⁄³ cup sugar, and butter.

  Place mixture in a greased 9"x13" pan.

  Beat together eggs, ½ cup sugar, vanilla, and milk.

  Pour this over the top of the noodle mixture.

  Sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mix on top, if you’d like.

  Cover with foil.

  Bake at 350 F. degrees for 75 minutes.

  Apikian Family’s White Bean Salad

  This recipe is from my friend’s (Donna M. Coyle’s) Armenian family. Donna said her mother always made this salad by eye and taste and that most Armenian cooks pass down their recipes by watching food being prepared and by word of mouth.

  In fact, Donna revealed that this is the first time her mother’s recipe has ever been written down!

  2 8-oz. cans great northern or cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)

  1 small sweet white onion, chopped

  2 to 3 Tbsps. chopped parsley

  juice of ½ lemon (more or less, no seeds)

  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (more or less to taste)

  salt and freshly ground black pepper

  In a medium glass or ceramic bowl, combine the rinsed beans, onion, and parsley. Add the squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix carefully so as not to crush beans.

  Chill before serving.

  Juanita’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

  Juanita likes her mac and cheese spicy hot. She adds jalapeños and chili peppers when no one is looking!

  2 Tbsps. oil

  1 lb. dry macaroni (16 oz.)

  8 Tbsps. plus 1 Tbsp. butter

  ½ cup Muenster cheese, shredded

  ½ cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

  ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese

  8 oz. processed cheese food

  1½ cups half-and-half

  2 eggs, beaten

  salt and pepper

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the oil and the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (or until al dente if you like it that way), drain well, and return to clean cooking pot.

  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni.

  In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well (feel free to try other cheeses—like Mexican or other blends!).

  Add the half-and-half, 1½ cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Mix into the macaroni.

  Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2½-quart casserole dish.

  Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of cheese mixture and remaining butter.

  Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges.

  Trixie’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

  I add sliced kielbasa to mine and everyone loves it. I also add drained, mild salsa to my cheese mixture. ACB adds shrimp, scallops, or other types of fish. It all works!

  8 Tbsp. butter

  1 medium onion, diced

  2 Tbsp. flour

  1½ cups whole milk or half-and-half

  salt and pepper

  paprika or other preferred spices

  1 Tbsp. mustard (optional)

  3 8-oz. packages of whatever kind of cheeses you like (Velveeta is good, too!)

  1 8-oz. package shredded cheese (reserve for top)

  1 lb. macaroni, cooked and drained

  2 Tbsp. margarine (or Pam spray) to grease pan

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion for 2 minutes.

  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and thickens.

  Lower the heat. Add the cheeses to the milk mixture; stir constantly until cheese melts. Be careful that it doesn’t burn.

  Combine macaroni with the cheese sauce in a large baking dish (or aluminum pan) that is greased with margarine (so it doesn’t burn); mix well.

  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes on middle rack, or until hot and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

  While it’s cooling, sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.

  Note: You can sprinkle buttered panko crumbs, crushed potato chips, crushed crackers, or just cheese on top while it’s baking (about halfway through).

  Trixie Matkowski’s Split Pea Soup

  There are many ways to make split pea soup. This is my favorite way and I make a bucket of it!

  2 bags split peas

  2 medium onions

  3 32-oz. cans chicken broth

  2 grated carrots

  ½ lb. cubed ham chunks (optional)

  ½ quart half-and-half or regular milk (optional)

  Put all ingredients except half-and-half/milk in a five-quart pot.

  Boil, then reduce temperature and cover.

  Cook on low until peas break down. Stir frequently. When done, put some into a blender until entire contents are blended. You’re going to have to use another pot.

  Variation: If you like it creamy, use the following instructions:

  When done remove from heat and add half-and-half/milk and pour some into a blender until it’s the consistency and color that you’d like. Keep blending until entire contents are done. You’re going to have to use another pot.

  Grandma Bugnacki’s Polish Potato Pancakes

  My grandma, Sophie Bugnacki, used to grate the potatoes by hand and fry them in her big cast-iron frying pan. Now people use a food processor. I don’t think the potatoes come out fine enough in a food processor and they seem more like latkes.

  6 to 8 medium-size potatoes, peeled (white potatoes work well)

  1 onion, peeled (optional)

  1 egg, beaten

  2 Tbsp. plain flour

  salt and black pepper

  oil for frying

  Using the fine side of a box grater, grate the potatoes and place them into a colander over a bowl with very, very cold water. (The water he
lps keep the potatoes from turning dark. You could also add a little vitamin C powder or a crushed vitamin C tablet.)

  If you like, you can grate an onion on the fine side of the grater and add it to the potatoes. Grandma B didn’t do this, but you certainly can!

  Really, really squeeze out the water when you are done grating!

  Put the grated potatoes (and onions) into a bowl. Add egg and flour and season with salt and pepper. Stir.

  The mixture should be thick.

  Heat a little vegetable oil in a large, flat frying pan. Drop three or four mounds of the mixture into hot oil and flatten to make small pancakes.

  Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer the pancakes to a plate lined with a paper towel.

  Repeat until all the potato mixture is used, adding a little fresh oil if necessary.

  You can serve the pancakes immediately, or keep them warm in oven on low, wrapped in tinfoil.

  Makes about 12, depending on size.

  Read on for a sneak peek at what’s cooking

  in the next Comfort Food Mystery,

  IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE

  Available in February 2016 from Obsidian.

  I just love Christmas.

  At times, the holiday season might be stressful. Yes, there’s never enough time to decorate, bake, shop, write out thoughtful messages on cards, entertain and enjoy the numerous events, but it’s a busy, crazy and wonderful time of year.

  I am a big list maker, and intentionally I write “Stop, sit down, relax and smell the cocoa,” and I make my cocoa with real chocolate, milk instead of water, with whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, and a candy cane for a stirrer. . . .

  I was looking forward to making cocoa in a big mug, my special red Santa Claus mug that Grandma Bugnacki bought me one year when we visited Santa’s North Pole Village. I’ll sit down with a big plate of my mom’s Snowball Cookies with a fresh dusting of powdered sugar, and wash them down with the cocoa and then maybe squirt some more whipped cream, and maybe heat up more. . . .