Thursday, April 17, 2014

Cookbooks anyone??


A Dollar’s Worth
By Alisa Dollar

I was cleaning out my pantry and found a cookbook that made me smile.

First, to understand completely, one has to understand there’s a kitchen because it came with the house. I didn’t win the Betty Crocker award like sister Gerri. And even though other sister Nancy didn’t win that award, she must have made a better grade in home economics than I.

I don’t read cookbooks like my friend Kay. I still can’t get that through my diet coke ridden brain and Cheetos stained fingers.

I’ve collected many cookbooks over the years and I’m unsure why. Some were mothers and some I bought from various churches and organizations in towns we’ve lived. And yes, I bought them out of guilt and with hopes these people thought I cooked and with higher hopes they’d never come to dinner.

As I was rearranging and trying to figure out what I was going to do with all these dusty and mostly unused books, I found one in the corner of the pantry, on the floor and behind an unused bread maker. This is how often I use cookbooks. This one in particular made me smile.

It’s by Frankston’s very own GeGe Selman.

I (REALLY) Hate to Cook Cookbook.

I bought this one knowing I would have a familial bond with the author, especially after I met her. And even though her grocery had the neatest shelves ever, I knew she spoke “Alisa cook”.

I must have totally forgotten this bond since it was shoved with all my cookbooks of cooks who must have liked to cook. This particular one had really gone to the wayside.

It must have known I was “really” a lost cause.

I put it in my stack to keep.

There’s a happy ending to this

I made bread in the bread maker. It still had the directions inside. How lucky for me. I made a loaf for communion and no one gagged or keeled over, so it must’ve been okay. Either that or God was smiling favorably on me; or them.

I kept all the cookbooks. I’m not sure why.

I figured if my sisters looked in the pantry they’d see them all lined up in order of height, Ge Ge’s being the tallest.

Of course they are still on the floor and I’m guessing they’ll wonder why they aren’t eye level.

The answer’s easy.

That’s where the Cheetos are.

 

 

Friday, February 7, 2014

Dory is a-okay


A Dollar’s Worth
By Alisa Dollar

We have early service at our church, then Sunday School and are usually home by 11:45ish because we generally have lunch or a late breakfast.

When we Skype with our son and family in Istanbul, we get home as soon as we can after 11:00 a.m. because of the time difference. It is cutting the edge because of 2 year old Kyla’s bedtime.

This week we caught them late and she was wound up!

Mr. D and I were talking about how she and our older grand’s don’t think one thing about visiting online and how we have kept up and know our grandchildren through modern technology.

Of course we would love to be able to touch and hold, but that’s not been possible; therefore we are thrilled to have the next closet way to visit.

The first thing Kyla did was put her hands palm side up and say “I been naughty. Santa not coming. Going to timeout.”

I tried to not laugh and said “Surely you haven’t been naughty!”

And she said “Yeah.”

Pop came in then and all the attention went to him and I have to say it is fun to watch her perform for him and giggle and play. It is heartwarming because when we do see them again, she will pick up from the last Skype.

“Mom, you can tell she has a lot of you in her.”

“How’s that son?”

“She will be talking nonstop about something and without warning will change the subject and assume you’ll understand what she’s done and follow the topic.”

I got quiet. “Well, what’s wrong with that?”

This is the same kid that told me I reminded him of Dory in “Finding Nemo”.  I had to watch the film before I understood what he meant.

Have you seen the movie? Dory is kind of a dingbat. Oh I know she’s left behind and she loses her memory and doesn’t know where she is going and talks to complete strangers, etc.

I asked him if he thought I was a dingbat and the fact he hesitated was interesting before he said, “Well mom you talk to people you don’t know; you get lost all the time; but you’re not really a dingbat.”

Believe it or not, I took that as a compliment. I had to. What he said was true.

I’ve decided Dory is a rather endearing character.
 
And so is Kyla.