Because of the size and arrangement of our farmhouse kitchen, our refrigerator cannot be a side-by-side. When I recently went out on my own to buy a new one, I dreamed of buying the most innovative model on the showroom floor. I came home with a basic appliance, white has always been my choice; it comes back to my farmhouse kitchen style.

I noted the measurements of the previous fridge, made measurement of the space, and when it came down to the final decision, I did choose a larger fridge, one inch wider, it was as far as I dare go.

I amused myself as I was examining all the refrigeration options before me. I would open a door, study the design, shut the door, move on to the next model. After this repeated action, I realized my decision effort was too much work; I didn’t need to shut each door as I moved down the inventory line. I could open all the doors, stand back and then decide. The unison voices of my parental upbringing to “shut that door” could be ignored; there was no escaping chill from these refrigerators.

I opted for glass shelves over solid plastic, figuring the visual overview as one would examine the contents of the fridge would be better than the seek-and-find dig my family was accustomed to. The interior shelving design on the doors was deeper, clearing larger inventory from the straight-in shelves and finding new placement elsewhere.

But the search habit for certain items did seem to take a little longer to undo. The butter sticks found a new spot, the pickles were now on the door; lunchmeat and cheese graduated to their own see-thru drawer (though this proved to be a change for the better).

Now I will share how the refrigerator is the center of our home, almost literally. You need to pass through our kitchen to get to the living room, to get to any exit to the outside. You need to pass through our kitchen to get to the bathroom and to get to the stairway that leads to our bedrooms. To the basement, depends on where you start from, but you get the idea.

Our refrigerator silently calls to each one of us, but the silence is measured differently for each family member. Personally, I hear a faint shout for the release of the fridge door seal, yet I hear the desperate cries for help from the ice cream cake in the freezer. For others, the call is louder, much louder. A hard-working man and an over six-foot teenager, they hear the voices quite clearly.

Sarcasm is a verbal action that occurs in this house daily. It is expected, it is mumbled and it is clearly spoken; most times it is ignored, well maybe not. I often hear the words, “there isn’t anything in this fridge,” but I know that it truly isn’t so. The refrigerator isn’t just for leftovers, milk, and condiments; the fridge is full of ingredients, but they just don’t see that. I better get cookin’.

Great food doesn’t always start with a recipe card or a cookbook page; great food comes from the heart and soul of the person holding the spoon. Are you holding that spoon? Send recipes to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster 44691. Emails are always welcome at thewritecook@sssnet.com



Apple Turkey Potpie (Georgia MacDonald)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

3 cups cubed cooked turkey

1 large unpeeled tart apple, cubed

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pastry for single crust pie (9 inches)

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add the soup, turkey, apple, raisins, lemon juice and nutmeg; mix well. Spoon into an ungreased 11-by-7-by-2-inch baking dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to fit top of dish. Place over filling; flute edges and cut slits in top. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.



Mini Butter Biscuits (Beverly Raleigh)

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup cold butter or margarine

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Place flour in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream until mixture holds together. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into ungreased miniature muffin cups. Bake at 450 degrees for 11-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.



Herbed Broccoli Spears

1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into spears

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

Place 1 inch of water and broccoli in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until crisp tender. In a skillet, sauté the tomato, garlic, onion salt, basil and oregano in oil for 1 minute or until heated through. Drain broccoli; top with tomato mixture and stir gently.



Corn Chowder (Kristy Knight)

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 1/2 cups hot water

2 cans (14 3/4 each) cream-style corn

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

Minced fresh parsley

In a soup kettle or large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add the water, corn, and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 16-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the milk, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with parsley.



Chive Buttered Carrots (Opal Snell)

2 1/2 pounds carrots, diagonally sliced 1/2 inch thick

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 1/2 teaspoons minced chives

Place 1 inch of water and carrots in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add seasoned salt, pepper and carrots; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until carrots are tender. Sprinkle with chives.



Chocolate Pecan Fondue (Suzanne Cleveland)

1/2 cup half and half

2 tablespoons honey

9 ounces semisweet chocolate broken into small pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh fruit and shortbread cookies

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine cream and honey; heat until warm. Add chocolate; stir until melted. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Transfer to a warmed fondue pot or small slow cooker and keep warm. Serve with fruit, cookies, angel food or pound cake chunks.



Reuben Chicken (Dana Chandler)

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 cup Thousand Island salad dressing

1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

6 slices Swiss cheese

Pound chicken between two pieces of waxed paper to flatten. Place in a greased 13-by-9 inch baking dish. Spoon salad dressing over chicken; cover with sauerkraut. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.



Nacho Popcorn (Kay Young)

10 cups popped popcorn

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place popcorn in large bowl. In a small bowl, combine butter, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss again.



Coffee House Slush (Shannon Wade)

6 cups strong brewed coffee

2 cups sugar

2 quarts milk

1 quart half and half cream

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped cream

In a 5 quart freezer container, stir coffee and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk, cream and vanilla. Cover and freeze overnight. To serve; thaw in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours or until slushy. Spoon into glasses; garnish with whipped cream.