By Barbara Rigsby

The Cullman Times



I have received so many lovely get-well cards and messages and all have meant so much to me, but last week 20 lovely hand-written letters from Glenda Harbison’s East Elementary School class arrived in a thick packet. I made a cup of tea, sat down in my office and spent much time on these special letters.

They had been making their mothers cookbooks for Christmas and cut my recipes from the paper. The letters told of how much their mothers like their cookbooks. Some of them described their own cooking and what they like to fix, and how great things are in the microwave. They all extended their get-well wishes and shared some of their own accidents and breaks with me. Many questions were directed to my new book, “Taste A Memory,” and they had many questions about how it was done.

In the spring, I visited the class and explain all about my new cookbook and how it came to be. The students seemed to know of my dog, Mei Ling, and my cat, Muffin. They were interested in how they were doing. Mei was recently bitten by a black widow or a brown recluse spider and was taken to Dr. Steve Murphree, their veterinarian, for treatment.

Dr. Murphree operated on Mei, installed drains, gave her a shot of antibiotics and put her in an Elizabethan collar to prevent her from pulling out her stitches. She stayed at the vet’s for nearly a week, but is home now with her hair shaved off. This type of weather is not good for a hairless pup, but hopefully she will get her white fur coat back soon. She is keeping warm in a little red sweater.

I answered the students’ letters and have filed theirs away in my keepsakes. It makes me happy to see young people writing letters and doing such a good job of it. They will become my pen pals for sure. Glenda does such a splendid job for these young students and I can’t wait to go visiting them.

Computers have made handwriting somewhat obsolete. Many people call that type of communication “snail mail,” but, believe me I would rather have a penned missile than an e-mail any day. They mean so much to you when you receive them, really something extra special. So, thank you to Samuel, Andrew, Laae, Cassidy, Jack, Dustin, Bailey, Anna, Nikki, Sara Claire, Nic, Jordan, Eli, Sydney, Allison, Chris, Josh, Tyler, Baylor and Josh. Keep up the good work and I will see you soon.

My desk is piled high with some good new recipes and it is time to share them with you. Hope you will enjoy them.



Slow-Cooked Pork Barbecue

1 boneless pork loin roast

1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

2 garlic cloves, cut into small slivers

1 c. of good barbecue sauce, purchased or homemade

1 c. cola

Cracked black pepper

Cut roast in half and insert the garlic slices into the meat. Sprinkle with the seasoned salt and the pepper and place into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until fork tender. Remove from slow cooker. Remove the fat from the meat and shred with two forks and return to slow cooker. Combine barbecue sauce and cola and pour over the meat. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours. Serve on sandwich rolls. Reserve and heat the sauce. Serve slaw, Kosher dill pickles and chips. Good and very easy.



Reduced Fat Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb. large elbow macaroni

1/4 c. flour

2 1/2 c. nonfat milk

1 T. margarine

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 lb. reduced fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 large ripe tomato, sliced

2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a screw top jar, combine flour with a 1/2 cup of milk to form a smooth paste and set aside. In a pan over medium heat, melt margarine, add remaining milk, paprika, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper while stirring constantly. When milk is hot, gradually stir in the flour paste mixture and stir constantly until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add the Cheddar cheese, stir until melted. Stir in the macaroni into the cheese sauce.

Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish. Arrange tomato slices over the top. Push the edges of each slice into the macaroni. Bake uncovered at 350º for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve. —“The Road to a Healthy Heart”



Italian White Bean and Spinach Soup

1 T. canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 c. water

1 14 1/2 oz. can of reduced sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1 bunch spinach (about 10-12 oz.), trimmed

1 T. lemon juice

Freshly ground Parmesan

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery, cook while stirring until celery is tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds. Do not let it brown. Add beans, water, broth, pepper and thyme; heat to boiling over high heat and reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Roll up several spinach leaves together, cigar fashion and cut crosswise into thin slices. Repeat with remaining spinach. With a slotted spoon, remove 2 cups beans from the soup mixture and reserve. Puree 1/4 cup of beans at a time until smooth and pour puree into saucepan and heat to boiling over medium high heat. Stir in spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Top each serving with the Parmesan. —“The Supermarket Diet”

Cook’s note: Be sure to add the lemon juice to really perk up the flavor. Serve in warm bowls. Only 330 calories per serving.