Laundry is a large load of a mother’s time; it is time spent bending over, gathering from the floors of bedrooms and bathrooms, lugging hampers and baskets from room to room, some going into the basement.

On a dry and breezy warm weather day, clean laundry, spun dry yet still heavy, is carted by two-handed basket out the door to the backyard clothesline or simply passed from one appliance to the other.

There is even more time looking over each dirty laundry item, paying close attention to T-shirt fronts and to the knees and bums of britches large and small. To be honest, my close attention is directed to the laundry detergent cup when pouring my product, dispensing the liquid fabric softener, and the water level and temperature dials. I fail at detecting stains prior to washer filling, I rely on a good product to seek and tackle stains.

There are no ground-in-dirt game players in this family anymore and there are no more sitting in the sandbox diggers, no more driveway squatters pushing Tonkas across the stones, and grassy hill rollers gave up the sport many years ago.

Food stains are fewer unless of course you eat your pizza or ice cream while sleeping in your recliner chair; and as always, you would be wearing your favorite white racing T-shirt. But a little laundry magic and the shirt is good to go again, unless a bird decides to perch itself on a branch hanging over the laundry line. The process repeats.

Oil and grease stains, food and automotive are repeated spots requiring pretreatment; obvious by the blue collar uniforms hook hanging and ready-to-wear clean in my laundry room. And while our son’s second job is a deep-fry cook and wears a chef’s shirt while cooking, greasy stains get wiped off his hands onto the front of his jeans and summer shorts. An apron would be better my dear to prevent the good jeans smear; deaf ears.

I love the smell of the fabric softener as my dryer tumbles. The dryer vent is located right outside my kitchen window; I breathe in a fragrant commercial scent. But the outdoor freshness that only Mother Nature can give is the best. I push my face into rolled up bed sheets and deep, deep breathe.

But, Mother Nature’s timing is not always in sync with my laundry day; manure spreaders do their job way too well. The aroma may increase the line dry time into an overnight shift. And on occasion, more laundry moving muscle is needed in repeated action; tugging laundry from the line; storm’s a comin’, grab-and-go!

Send your summertime recipes to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. Emails are always welcome to thewritecook@sssnet.com.



Dirt Pie with Worms

2 to 3 quart flower pot

1 dirt trowel

1 bunch plastic flowers

1 package gummy worms

2 packages vanilla pudding

2 pounds Oreo cookies

3 1/2 cups milk

8 ounces cream cheese

12 ounces Cool Whip

1 1/2 cups confectionery sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the pudding and milk, then whip in the cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla. When mixed, fold in the Cool Whip. Crumble cookies in processor. In the flower pot, put piece of foil in bottom to block holes. Then put a layer of cookies, then pudding and worms. Repeat until all the ingredients are used. Top layer must be cookies. Put bunch of flowers into pot. Serve with the trowel.



Mississippi Mud Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup Crisco

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cocoa

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy and light. Add eggs, beat at low speed until well blended. Combine salt, cocoa, and flour in separate bowl. Add to creamy mixture and blend well. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into a 13-by-9-by-2 inch greased and floured baking pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 325 degrees. When toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, cake is done. Remove from oven and sprinkle marshmallows evenly on top. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until marshmallows are melted. Cool in pan and frost.

Mississippi Mud Frosting:

4 1/2 cups (16 ounces) powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup melted butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk or half & half

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine sugar and cocoa in small mixing bowl. Add butter and blend well. Add milk and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in nuts.



Sandy Dessert

1 new sand bucket and shovel

1 (20 ounce) package crumbled vanilla wafers

1/2 stick butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

2 (3 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding

3 cups milk

1 (12 ounce) Cool Whip

Crumble vanilla wafers well. Cream together the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix with vanilla wafers. Set aside. With a mixer blend well the pudding and milk. Fold in the Cool Whip. In a sand bucket put 1/2 the crumbled vanilla wafer mixture. Put the pudding mixture next. Then put the remaining vanilla wafer mixture. Serve with a sand shovel.



Texas Crab Grass

1/2 cup butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

7 ounce crabmeat

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Melba rounds or crackers

Melt butter slowly in heavy saucepan. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add spinach to onion mixture and add crabmeat and cheese. Transfer to chafing dish and serve with Melba toast or favorite crackers.



Sawdust Pie

1 1/2 cups coconut

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup egg whites, unbeaten

1 unbaked pie shell

Combine all ingredients with egg whites. Pour mixture in pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Top with ice cream or Cool Whip.



Sticks & Stones

1 (6 ounce) chocolate chips

1 (6 ounce) butterscotch chips

2 cups miniature marshmallows

3/4 cup broken thin pretzel sticks

Melt chips in microwave. Add marshmallows and broken pretzel sticks. Stir and roll in small balls and chill.



Rock Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

1 pound dates, cut fine

1 1/2 cups black walnuts

4 teaspoons sweet milk

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

Drop and bake at 300 degrees about 15 minutes.



Dirty Rice

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup broth (can use beef or chicken bouillon)

1 package chicken livers

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup green onions

1/2 pound ground beef, browned

1 very small eggplant, boiled and chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 package chicken gizzards

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup green pepper

1 cup long grained rice, cooked

In Dutch oven make a roux. Add white onion and stir until brown. Add remaining ingredients (except rice) and stir. Cook 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Cover Dutch oven when cooking to allow thorough flavoring. Now fold in rice along with meat and eggplant mixture. Simmer slowly. Stir occasionally. If too dry, add 1/4 cup water, if too moist, leave uncovered.



Toad- in-the-Hole

Batter:

2 eggs

2 egg whites, if desired

1 cup milk

1 cup flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 dozen brown-n-serve sausage links, thawed

Butter (optional)

Jam (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare batter; dice sausages and arrange in large soufflé or baking dish. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove and immediately pour in batter. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Toad-in-the-Hole should be very crispy and browned. Serve immediately with butter and jam.



Green Slime

40 soda crackers

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 small packages regular lemon pudding

2 small packages lime Jell-O

1 cup evaporated milk

2 cups cold water

Melt and mix together first 3 ingredients. Pat in 9-by-13-by-2 inch pan. Bake until browned at 325 degrees. Mix pudding according to directions on package. Sprinkle Jell-O into hot pudding and stir until dissolved. Add milk and water and stir. Pour “slime” over baked crust and refrigerate until set.