Debber

about me

Christian wife & mother of seven (four adopted foster children grown up now & three biologicals--one in the US Army infantry stationed in Italy/Afghanistan, the other two still at home (a senior in H.S. and an 8th grader) ... plus four grandkids (ages 2 - 17 y.o.); been married over 30 years now to the* same wonderful man.* Love cooking and being the happy little home-maker. One of the greatest accomplishments of my life (so far) was to home-school our three youngest to high school and middle school age; now that they're all "in" school, I've moved into the next stage of life, too, albeit with a bit of regret (home-schooling was a challenge, but oh-so-fun to spend those days with young people full of life's joy and hopefulness!), and back in the work force helping to reduce our debt working as a receptionist/office assistant. Enjoy quilting, writing, flower-gardening, and home-organizing, ...and very active in our church and private school, singing alto in choir, and teaching Sunday School. Live in a charming old farmhouse (read: "needs work") on five acres in very rural Wisconsin, surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans and hay...with a very charming view out every window (coulees in the unglaciated part of Wisconsin).

***God is good!***



I entered my Finger-Lickin' Knuckle-Suckin' Chin-Drippin' Good BBQ Sauce recipe in this contest, and LOOK ~ ! I tied for first place in the Family Friendly category. Wouldn't MIL be proud---it's actually HER recipe! Whoohoo!!!






My gastronomically GROOVIN' team mates are the lovely and talented Team Captain: CraftScout #463202, our equally talented & hip CookBook Guru (staying in the 70's mode) JackieOhNo! #386585, and a slew of Gnome-warriors including Gandalf The White #167236, Az G 946146, kellychris #416985, luvcook'n #308434, Axe #310749, NELady #743849, and sarahubasics #744296


WE TOOK 5TH PLACE (no thanks to me---I was along for the ride, but unfortunately didn't get to participate very much--with an emergency trip to Montana!)!!!!

My fellow "hagsters" included AmandaInOz,
CaliforniaJan, DreamoBway (Christina), JanuaryBride (Jen), JCC (Janice), jkoch960 (also Janice!), megnbrycesmom (Holly), Queenofcamping (Karen), and our lovely team captain Leggy Peggy.


My floozeriffic Fantabulous Friendly Foodie Floozy team-mates included captain Auntie Jan (Iowa), Kim D. (Texas), Sharon123 (No. Carolina), Dienia B. (Nebraska), Tina Chef Mommie, Mulligan (Colorado), Toni in Colorado (Colorado), Heydarl (Australia), and Leanne Chef at Heart (Canada). ...June/July 2007

My themes were "Ruh! Ruh! Rhubarb!" and "Sparrow Guts!" and "Quick Fix: Pizza For Lunch!" (Rhubarb, Asparagus, Pizza variations)

MY THREE CHEFS '07
My themes were
*Picnic & Lunch Box Snacks* (Wow This is the Best BLT Dip I Have Ever Had, Fiesta Dip, Lunch Box Fillers - Carrot Stix) and
*Canning Up Summer's Bounty* (Antipasto, Apricot Honey Butter, Kiwi Strawberry Daiquiri Jam) ...June 2007

PAC Autumn '09

My children were CookETC and periwinklejenn; my mother was breezermom.

PAC Spring '09....

I adopted CabinKat and Val's Home. I then had a late-in-PAC baby named KT~Lynn.... And I was adopted by Mom2Rose!!!

PAC Autumn '08 ...

My small family included Indynana; and then I got myself adopted by iewe(my sheep-mother, NOT my step mother!). :rofl:

PAC Spring '08 ...

My children WaCookinFool, GrammyK2897, **Tinkerbell**, Mrs Bricker, Cook-a-holic & CrazyJezebel and from the preemie nursery I picked up Waffles and I'm a Cookin' Fool. Charlotte J was my little mother!

PAC Autumn '07 ...
My children were Xiola Blue from KY, sassafrasnanc from NC, Rae England from TX...and from the newborn nursery @DRiENNE and chefette36, and my littlest one is idol_ko_si_rachael_ray all the way from the Philippines! And I was adopted by Aaliyah&Aaron's mum over in Norway! She took the MOST beautiful pictures of my recipes!!!

PAC Spring '07 . . .
My children included MarthaStewartWanabe, msGigi, gran, ~kdp, Anda from the Newborn Nursery, ~Robyn~, KJK #5, Kate's Kitchen, CountryMama, and F-16 momma. ... I was adopted by VickyJ

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Favorite Foods:

Kneading bread, fussing with stir-fries or lasagna, special sauces; presenting the meal--no matter what it is!--I love doing it out of love for my family.

Canning or preserving our own food (after it's done is when I REALLY enjoy it!), making my own home-made mixes, preparing large batches or doubling recipes for the pantry or freezer (my own version of Once-A-Month-Cooking)...I was doing it l-o-n-g before Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch, and Martha Stewart started calling it "good things!"

Hubby and The Peanut Gallery are my willing taste-testers. As much as possible I make everything from scratch. "Love" is the secret ingredient in every meal! And I really do have a little jar of it!!

Favorite restaurant? My own dining room table. A close second would be Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster.


****** IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING, WE PRESENT: Summer Picnics
Midwest USA Food Traditions *******

Naomi: "Lily, we're not talking about muffins here. This is a gingerbread house from scratch, it's hard. Remember childbirth? This is harder." ~ Tv show "Once & Again" set in Chicago, Midwest Living magazine, December 2006

"There are no dinners like that anymore: every item from the farm itself, with no deep-freezer, no car for driving into town for packaged food. The pies had been baked the day before, pumpkin, apple, mince; as we ate them, we could look out the window and see the corfield whre the pumpkins grew, the trees from which the appleas were picked....As my aunt hurried by I could smell in her apron the freshest of all odors with which teh human nose is honored--bread straight from the oven." ~ An Iowa Christmas, Paul Engle *Christmas on the Great Plains*, Midwest Living, December 2006



~~~~~~~~ FAVORITE QUOTES (from the Holy Bible, revered matrons & maids, authors and poets) ~~~~~~~~~

F O O D R E L A T E D

"Quick! Give me some of that red stew; I'm famished!" ~ Esau to his brother Jacob, when E. sold off his birthright for a bowl of lintel soup!

"It's food too fine for angels; yet come, take and eat thy fill! It's Heaven's sugar cake." ~ Edward Taylor

"At Christmas be merry,
and thankful withal,
And feast your poor neighbors,
the great with the small."
~ Thomas Tusser


"Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want." ~ Mark Twain

"Heap on more wood!--the wind is chill;
but let it whistle as it will;
We'll keep our Christmas merry still!"
~ Sir Walter Scott

"How many observe Christ's birth! How few, his precepts! O! 'Tis easier to keep holidays than commandments."
~ Benjamin Franklin

"O Christmas Day, Oh! happy day,
A foretaste from above,
To him who hath a happy home
and love returned from love!"
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Scanning the heavens I am reminded of another star from long ago." ~ Galileo Galilei

"In memory everything seems to happen to music." ~ Tennessee Williams

"The good things in life are not to be had singly, but come to us with a mixture." ~ Charles Lamb


"I want my home to be a place where friends and family can relax without worrying about messing up the pillows on the couch." ~ Me!


~~~~~WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT~~~~~~


midwestliving.com/cookies and /menus

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M4982