JOPLIN, Mo. — The start of school this week brings back a lot of memories, mostly because I can remember 50 years ago better than I can remember yesterday.

I remember our family having breakfast together every morning, and my mom always switching it up. Sometimes pancakes, sometimes eggs, sometimes cereal and hot rolls. One of my favorite breakfasts was biscuits slathered in butter then drenched in hot maple syrup. After school I came home so hungry, I wasn’t sure I could make it to the front door without collapsing. It was hard to not spoil my dinner because I wanted to eat everything in sight. As I’ve shared before, one of my favorite snacks wasn’t the cake my mother had baked, it was the graham cracker sandwiches she made with the leftover frosting. Yum!

What else to do with leftover frosting? While looking for ways to get just a small shot of sweet instead of a sugar overload, I found some great ideas on eat.com. One idea was to use the leftover frosting for cake balls, making a bite-size treat for your sweet tooth. Crumble any flavor of cake Ñ pound or angel food would be perfect Ñ into the frosting then form balls. Chill and eat plain, or drizzle with melted chocolate. There were suggestions for dipping chips and pretzels because, as we all know, mixing sweet and salty is a perfect combo. Fix your own Dunkaroos for school lunches or snacks by serving up some of the frosting with Teddy Grahams. Leftover chocolate frosting? Spread it on banana slices or melt it in the microwave for ice cream topping. If you have some slice-and-bake sugar cookies on hand, the frosting will make them special. Or just place the frosting in the fridge for a little bit and get a treat that will rival fudge. One contributor made truffles by rolling chilled frosting into balls then rolling in cocoa. A sprinkle of sea salt would provide that favorite sweet and salty mix. These are all good ideas, but ones I will rarely use because I think a cake isn’t done unless all the frosting has been scraped from the can or bowl, or eaten with a spoon.

My friend, Erma Coble, and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Sandstone Gardens a couple of weeks ago, and I’m still telling people how nice it was. We had delicious tortilla soup and chicken enchiladas as well as fiesta cornbread muffins that disappeared first. This was one of the daily specials that could be ordered with or without dessert. Guess which one we chose? Erma had the hot fudge brownie sundae, and I had the peach cobbler a la mode. Hungry for meatloaf? Visit on Saturday or Sunday for their fabulous family recipe. Food is available seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They will take good care of you, and your taste buds will thank you.

I had so much fun Saturday judging the cardboard boat races at the Shoal Creek Water Festival. This was my first time attending, and I was so surprised by the quality of the boats. I was excited as each of them made their way down the creek. I can’t wait until next year for this daylong event that’s both fun and informative. My grandson, Atlas, will tell you it’s a perfect day for kids.

Today’s first recipe comes to me by way of Ed Scorse, of Joplin. We think this is the chili recipe that was used at Bill’s Drive-In in Webb City for many years. I remember when Bill’s was open and how much I loved eating lunch there when I worked at MSW Inc.

I had trouble deciding on the pork tenderloin or the foot-long with chili so most times, I often ordered both. They were always busy, and for good reason: lots of good food for the price. This recipe is quite different from the one I recently shared that was said to be similar to the Fred and Red’s chili recipe. It calls for a better cut of meat, contains tomatoes and oatmeal, and the grease is removed. I haven’t made this yet, but I intend to try it and see if it’s the familiar taste I remember.

For an after-school snack or lunchbox treat that’s sure to please, try the maple glazed snack mix. It’s a different twist on the traditional Chex mix we look for at parties. Also, from the Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook comes the corn and broccoli recipe. I fixed it last weekend, forgetting to add the shredded cheese. But it was plenty cheesy, and the combination of corn and broccoli was a good one. Have a great week and happy eating!

 

Montie’s chili recipe

2 pounds ground sirloin

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons white pepper

2 teaspoons cumin

4 tablespoons onion flakes

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 packets Williams chili seasoning

1 cup oatmeal

2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

4 (16 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

4 cups water

Brown meat with 2 cups water (makes meat fine) and all other ingredients except oatmeal. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring frequently. Add 2 more cups of water and the oatmeal and simmer for 1 hour. Scoop off any grease that floats to the top. Put in fridge overnight. Heat when ready to serve.

 

Maple-glazed snack mix

2 cups corn Chex

2 cups rice Chex

2 cups honey-nut Cheerios

1 cup miniature pretzels

1/2 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the cereals, pretzels and nuts. In a small microwave-safe dish, combine the maple syrup and butter. Cover and microwave on high for 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a 10-by-15-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in airtight container. Yields 71/2 cups.

 

Corn and broccoli in cheese sauce

1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn, thawed

1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed

4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 cup milk

In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine the corn, broccoli and cheeses. In a small bowl, combine soup and milk; pour over vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until heated through. Stir before serving. Yields 8 servings.



Address correspondence to Cheryle Finley, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.