Rice Pudding and the Only Brother

This is my brother Ellis as a young cowboy on the back of a horse, and now as a doting grandfather with one of his adorable grandsons.

Ellis (or Ed as he prefers) was the only son of Ed and Theresa Dickinson, so, pretty spoiled indeed. He has always been a kind and thoughtful brother. But I do have a few wild stories I could share.....

I know Ellis loved to eat my mom's rice pudding, so this recipe is for him.

Theresa's Rice Pudding

Scald and cool 2 cups milk

Beat slightly to Mix:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Cooled - scalded milk
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Pour mixture into a 1 qt. casserole dis and set in a pan with 1" of water. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Dish into small bowls and sprinkle with nutmeg and add a handful of raisins. 

The Silage Pit

For some reason I have been thinking today about the old silage pit that was on the farm in Chester. It looked a lot like this one.

Every fall, my dad would cut the corn, turn it into silage, and fill the pit to the brim! It made a great place for Carolyn and I to play, we spent hours running up and down the newly-made mountain of corn, tarp, and tires, which now laid claim at our farm

But, aside from the fun, there was something that was added to our farm --- that terrible smell! It was horrible, at least until your nose got acclimated to the smell and then it was hardly noticeable --at least to us. But as the school bus came down the road, everyone would hold their noses and say, "EW! We must be at the Dickinsons!" We didn't care one bit, we just hopped off the bus and headed to the silage pit to play until we were called in for dinner. Dinner! We were always excited to see what yummy food mom had made for us that night, things like Goulash and homemade dinner rolls.

Hungarian Goulash

1 T. oil

1 chopped onion

1 clove garlic

Cook the onion and garlic in a frying pan until the onion turns clear. Take out of the pan and set aside.

1 lb ground beef

Cook the ground beef until brown and drain the fat. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of chili powder.

1 can tomato paste

1 or 2 cans

tomato sauce

Coat the ground beef with one or two cans tomato paste and sauce. Add some Italian seasoning and paprika. 

1 1/4 cup water

1 ½ cup elbow macaroni (uncooked)

Add the onion mixture into the hamburger and mix. Add the water and macaroni to the pan, stir and bring to a simmering boil. Let the mixture cook until the pasta is tender.

1 c. Cheese

Sir in the cheese.

I loved making homemade making homemade root beer with my mom in the fall months! This colder weather is reminding me of some great evenings sipping that homemade root beer and playing the game "Does She Cackle?"

Ingredients

1. 6 cups white sugar
2. 3 1/3 gallons cold water
3. 1 (2 ounce) bottle root beer extract
4. 4 pounds dry ice

Directions

1. In a large cooler, mix together the sugar and water, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Stir in the root beer extract. Carefully place the dry ice into the cooler, and cover loosely with the lid. Do not secure the lid, as pressure may build up.
2. Let the mixture brew for about an hour before serving. Leftover root beer can be stored in one gallon milk jugs.

Butterscotch Caramel Sauce

I just found this recipe for Butterscotch Caramel Sauce written in Theresa's own hand.

When I get a minute, I am going to make some of this delicious magic!

I remember my mom pouring this on ice cream, popcorn, or simply making it into some small caramel balls ready to pop into your mouth. One time, we cooked it a little too long and she quickly put the balls on a stick-- making delicious caramel suckers. 

Theresa never let things get her down, she just went with it, and worked with what she had.

Theresa, Jean, Ellis, Sheila

Each time I clean a new box, I find another simple reminder of my wonderful mother, and know that she was such an amazing human being.

I miss her...