We really thought this time of the year that we would not be experiencing any more snow at least until fall. It wasn’t that we hadn‘t had enough during the winter months but on Wednesday evening along with the rain came the snow. At least it didn’t accumulate and melted almost as fast as it hit the ground except by morning there was white layer over the grass that appeared to be more ice than snow. A bit of sunshine and that too was gone.
On Saturday we attended Devin’s graduation at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. The ceremony took place in the student center and on a flat floor there really isn’t a good place to sit except just behind the graduates. There were two large screens so we could watch from a distance. I tried to take her picture as she walked across the stage. I thought I had everything ready except just as I was about to take her picture someone closer to the stage walked across my view. We did take lots of pictures later with the family in attendance. She recently had a conference phone interview with a Principal and Assistant Principal from Pensacola, FLA. It was during her last track meet at NWC so she wasn’t able to converse with them very long but enough time to set up an appointment for a more formal interview. Her major is elementary education. It will be interesting to see where she actually has a job this coming fall.
I went to Mark and Lori’ for lunch and had brats, fruit, cheesy hashbrown potato casserole. Mark had recently purchased a half of a hog from their son-in-law and had a quite a bit of it made into brats. Really good with just a hint of spice. They cooked them in a broth and then put them on the grill just long enough for a few grill marks. For dessert, we had Dairy Cream ice cream with grated Butterfinger candy (provided by Prof). Prof is a very good friend of the family and is now retired from teaching at NWC. He received a well deserved honorary doctor’s degree at the graduation ceremony. He made it a point to host many students, well over 2,000, at his home for pizza and ice cream during the years and continues to do so to this day.
On Sunday my cousins and sister went out for lunch and later for fresh strawberry pie at Karen’s. She is home from Kenya to attend her nephew’s graduation. My family called or we saw them on Saturday. Ruth said they had had five inches of rain in four days but no other storms. We had heard there was lots of flooding in Houston but they live on the north side and didn’t get as much. When you have family scattered as we do we like to watch the national news and with the internet, phone service, etc. in just moments we can contact them for the latest information.
They also had green beans from the garden for supper.
Baked Spaghetti Casserole
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup
10 3/4 cup cream of mushroom
1 teaspoon chili powder
Water
16 oz. package spaghetti, cooked
1/3 cup catsup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup and one soup can of water; simmer 30 minutes. Place cooked spaghetti in an ungreased 13”x 9” baking pan; top with beef mixture, stirring to combine. Spread catsup over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.
Crunchy Broccoli Salad
1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved
1 bunch seedless red grapes, halved
1 bunch broccoli finely chopped
1 red onion, chopped
8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
Garnish: Sesame seed
Mix all ingredients together, except sesame seed, in a large mixing bowl; toss well with dressing. Top with sesame seed just before serving. Makes about 4 servings
Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cider vinegar. Whisk all ingredients together.
Pineapple Orange Cake
1 package yellow cake mix
1 can mandarin oranges, undrained
4 egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Topping:
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (8 ounces) whipped topping
In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, oranges, egg whites and applesauce on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
In a bowl, combine the pineapple and pudding mix. Fold in whipped topping just until blended, spread over cake. Refrigerate for a least 1 hour before serving. Yield: 15 servings.
