Friday Friend Blog posts #319 and 320

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends. At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 21 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? Said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to these... recipes #319 and #320

My Vegetable Strata and Vodka Slush

(and a good book to pass the time)

Truthfully, I don't remember ever making this vegetable strata before, BUT, make it I did, and I really liked it. 

I used fresh vegetables.

This would be a great meatless dish if you were doing a vegetarian dinner.

We added a pork chop to the menu and ate on the patio, and washed it down with this vodka slush.  You can't go wrong with a slushy.

I only have a couple more recipes in the countdown, which is weird, because I thought I'd never get this done and I thought I was running out of stories, but now I have all these memories running around in my head.

It's about to explode with tales to tell. I hope I can do them justice.

First of all---click here if you want to see any of my 25 recipes in the countdown. Here. Right here.

My tale today is about one of my oldest and best friends Susie.

I think she goes by Sue now, but I just can't. Because she is Susie.

Susie actually has one official recipe in this countdown--it is FF recipe #5.  Yes! Number 5. And now I'm on #320. Wow.

Anyway, it is a cherry dump cake--- you can check that out here.

Just click.

Since she turned in a dump cake as her only official recipe (she hates to cook) (although, I do have a couple cookie recipes of hers that are great and whenever I make chicken and noodles, I think of her), I am going to do a photo dump of she and I.

Since she  lives in the Olympic rain forest of the Pacific Northwest and I live in the Great Basin high desert of Northern Nevada, AND she has three adult children, and I have 3 adult children and she has 10 grandchildren and I have 15 grandchildren, we don't get to see each other as often as we would like--Life happens and ---it happens fast and before you know it, some years have gone by and you haven't see one of your best friends in quite some time.

I need to retire. (sigh)

But wait!  My photo dump!

Here is the last known photo of she and I together.

She and her husband Kelly came down for our motorcycle festival/rally, Runamucca a few years ago.

They rode their Harley.

And this is the first photo that I can find of us together.  Circa 1980

On River Road, Wallowa Lake, Oregon.

But the thing is---she has not changed one bit! Not one bit.

I, on the other hand, am 2x the girl I once was. 😂

We hike in the mountains--Wallowa Lake.

We used to have these trendy maternity shirts in 1981 that announced our pregnancy to everyone! 

I have so many stories, I don't know if I can "dump" them all out and make sense.

We've known each other since we were 17. 

We are the Godmother's to each other's children.

My children call her "Aunt Susie".  

We lived next door to each other in a duplex, like Lucy and Ethyl. And Ricky and Fred.

When she was going to the hospital to have her first child, her husband knocked on the wall and said, we're going to the hospital now.

(I don't think we could really hear him thru the walls, that would be weird, but really, we did get a knock on the door)

We saved for a Disneyland vacation by charging our husbands $.50 each time we did 'it'--and we could never say no.  That was the deal.

We could never, ever say no.

I will leave the 'it' to your imagination, but we did end up going to Disneyland about 11 years after we made that deal.

We have had so many trips and visits over the years, the lake, the ocean, each other's backyards, weddings, funerals, a concert.

At bookclub the other night we were talking about a ride or die kinda friend--she's my ride or die.  We may not see each other as often as we'd like, but if we needed each other--we'd be there.

She knows all my secrets.

All. My. Secrets.

And I know all hers.

We have to take them to the grave. And I'm not kidding!

Just ask her.

(but she'll never tell)

Kelly, Susie, me and Rich

I just have to add this side note:

This wonderful guy, Susie's husband --- is the not Fred of the Ricky and Fred, Lucy and Ethyl living next door to each other in the duplex.

(and I'm holding a dog toy--it took us all a while to figure out what that was)

This is---Fred. 

Actually, it's Tom, Susie's first husband. He is the Godfather to my children.  He is Rich's ride or die.  

We are so happy to have kept them both in the divorce. 

They are both still are friends--and that doesn't happen often. 

We love them both--and now we love Kelly too!

I may not have those early memories with Kelly, BUT I do have a whole Elf story to tell sometime.

With photos!  Of Elf ears! 

Stay tuned.

I could maybe blackmail him with an Elf ear photo!

Oh wait-- his wife knows all my secrets.

Darn it!

My friends I bring to you recipes #319 and 320.

Only 47 or 36 left to go! 

(I'm so confused now! 😂)

(Because if you remember, I counted wrong---but I'm 99% sure I only have 37 more recipes to post.)

Friday Friend Recipe #19 Layered "Taco" Dip

I feel as if I always need to explain myself  (the 3 people who read this blog might get tired of this explanation, BUT, I live in fear that a new person might happen along and say  WTH is she talking about!  so.... )

I know that my blog has an interesting name.  A name/title that no one gets, because there are no 'friends' writing posts every week. There is only me. 

Long before I knew what a blog was, I had a group e-mail forum that included my friends from near and far...and originally I would ask them a question on Fridays, cut and paste their answers and  share with all.
We made a cook book---yada yada yada.....

and I am making all the recipes from it!

Now, to get on with my post for the day....

Friday Friend Recipe number nineteen!! 

from Barbara Brown---who happens to be the editor and publisher of the cookbook  (I compiled and begged for people to send me recipes.  Some sent many, some sent one.  She typed them all up!  Man, what a job!)

Where was I?  Oh yes, Barbara Brown  (see ALL Barb's FF recipes, so far,  here) called this Layered Dip, but I added the Taco to it, because it is a taco dip.

Some have called it  7-layer dip, some call it  walk-away-taco dip, but whatever you choose to call it, this is a good one!

Layered 'Taco' Dip

FF Barbara Brown, Buckeye, AZ

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1 tub guacamole (homemade is best)

4 oz can chopped olives

4 oz can diced green chilies

1 small bottle of taco sauce

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 chopped green onions

1 cup shredded jack cheese

3 med tomatoes, diced

sour cream

Mix taco seasoning with beans and spread on platter or in baking dish.  Next spread guacamole over beans. Sprinkle with olives and chilies.  Layer on remaining ingredients, dividing taco sauce in half or thirds.

End with sour cream on top.

Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. 

Serve with taco chips.

**I got a bit out of order with the layering AND I dotted the sour cream.

As well as used olive wedges instead of chopped.

Forgive me Barb. 

It's soooo good!

My good friend Barb!

Game player, quilter, beach lover, book reader.

Good cook too!

Fun fact?   She has two kids, but they are 18 years apart in age.

Here she is 2nd from the left.

With other Friday Friends at Wallowa Lake, OR.  Summer 2011

Susie, Barb, Mitzi, Sally

(this is the first time, and only, they have met---It was my 'near and far' Friday Friend forum, get together)

They live in: Washington, Arizona, Minnesota, Pennsylvania.

(just for the record)

I am also linking this to Weekend Cooking.  

At Beth Fish Reads.

Friday Friend Cookbook Recipe #5, Cherry Dump Cake

I know that everyone has made a 'dump' cake, and that this is nothing new, but...it is number 5 in my FF cookbook countdown. (YAY!)  

I remember the first time I tasted this tho...I thought it was delicious.  Just so yummy!  I had to have the recipe, so my good friend Susie Taylor gave it to me.
Sometimes I get so busy trying to make new trendy things, I forget how good something old and trendy ---for it's time and for home cooks---tasted.
This is one of those things....

Susie Taylor.  Hmmmm....  if I were counting down in order of how long I've known each of my 50 Friday Friends,  Susie would be counted as my 2nd oldest friend  (some family not included of course).
We met when we were 17.  Both of us worked at JCPenney.  She was on the "Fashion Board",   I wore a green and navy blue polyester uniform and worked in the snack bar.  (yes, JCPenny's had snack bars once upon a time).  But that is not the reason we met.  We met because our boyfriends (who also worked at JCPenney) were roommates.
Long story--short version.   We married those roommates and have remained close, close friends ever since.   We did a short stint as  Ricky and Lucy and Fred and Ethyl  ---living in the same apartment building.  Altho it was  a duplex and we shared a bedroom wall.  
I am still married to my JCPenney boyfriend, she is not. (but it's okay.  Everything works out in the end)

She is my children's Godmother---their Aunt Susie
Cooking is not her thing, but when I tasted this dump cake for the first time, I thought it amazing.  Just like her.  We've shared many, many adventures in the past 37  years.

*(notice my cool coffee cup?  It's the Best of Coffee cups, it's the worst of coffee cups.  It has the greatest 'first lines ever' of classic novels on it)

Cherry Dump Cake

2  16 oz. cans cherry pie filling
1 box white cake mix
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 sticks real butter

Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam.  Dump in pie filling. Sprinkle dry cake mix over filling.  Do the same with the coconut and nuts.  Melt the butter and pour over the top.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or just plain is good too.

And now, I give you Friday Friend,  Susie Taylor  with husband Kelly,
and...oh....there is a story about the Elf Ears.  Will explain later.
And it's a side view picture.  People had side view pictures of themselves (sorry Suze), but the elf ears will come into play, and it's a big, big cookbook, so there will be another picture of her somewhere down the line)