Frances and I were friends for over fifteen years. We exercised together at the YMCA water aerobics class and the last five years we went to Old Hickory Art Center together. Frances was a wonderful oil painter with a style similar to Kinkade. We rode to Old Hickory together every Tuesday and always enjoyed each others company. Frances was also a very good cook. On our last painting day drive, we talked about our bucket lists and things we still wanted to do. Frances said she had always planned to write a cookbook. Her Christmas present to my husband, who is the cook of the family, was several of her recipes. I have my pottery at Inside Out Markets in Gallatin. There are over 40 vendors there and each month there is a theme to bring cohesion to the shop. This month the theme is legacy. Frances certainly left a legacy of love, gentleness, sharing, listening, supporting and cooking. Following the recipes I will include images of my legacy pottery which is featured at the Inside Out Markets.

Macaroni and Cheese

Every second Tuesday of the month, the Old Hickory artists had a birthday luncheon for anyone that had a birthday that month. Everyone wanted Frances to bring her Macaroni and Cheese dish. I am not crazy about Mac and Cheese, but I always had second helpings of this dish.

• 8 oz. elbow macaroni (Barilla Brand)
• 16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 can mushroom soup (Campbells)
• 1 small onion grated or chopped
• 1 cup Helman’s Mayo
• Topping is one sleeve Ritz crackers crumbled and tossed in 1 stick of melted margarine

Cook the macaroni and drain. Mix this with the next 4 ingredients. Spread in a 9 x 13 dish. Top with the Ritz cracker/butter topping. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meatloaf

• 3 lbs. sirloin ground beef
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
• 1 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 green pepper chopped
• salt and pepper
• ————-mix the ingredients below and spread on top of the meatloaf
• 3 heaping Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. This makes a large meatloaf.Can be frozen in two parts, or bake one and freeze the other one uncooked. Then take out and thaw and bake.

Squash Casserole

• 3 squashes sliced
• sliced onion
• sour cream
• ritz crackers
• butter

I do not like squash, but I loved her recipe. This was also a favorite of the Old Hickory artists when we had potluck lunches once a month. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, slice 3 squashes. Then add water and a slice of onion on top. Put in the microwave to soften the squash ( about 2 minutes). Make sure the water is out. Spread sour cream on top. Crush Ritz crackers and add to melted butter. Cover the squash with this mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Broccoli Casserole

• 2 boxes frozen broccoli
• 1 cup Helman’s mayonaise
• 2 eggs well beaten
• 2 Tbs. chopped onion
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup (1 sleeve) Ritz cracker crumbs
  • 1 stick of butter

Cook broccoli in boiling water with little salt. Drain well. When cool, mix other ingredients. Mix cracker crumbs with i stick of melted butter. Put that on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

Cola Chicken

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup ketchup
• 12 oz. can of diet coke

Put chicken is a nonstick skillet. Pour catsup and cola over top. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes. Uncover and turn up the heat and continue to cook until sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken. This is the most incredible BBQ sauce.

Pecan Pie

• 3 eggs
• 1 stick of melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla flavoring
• 1 cup Karo white corn syrup
• prepared crust
• 1 cup toasted pecans

Cover bottom of crust with toasted pecans. Pour in filling ( all ingredients listed above mixed well). Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Reese’s Goodies

• 4 cup Rice Krispies
• 10-12 oz peanuts
• 6-7 oz marshmallows
• 20-24 oz white chocolate (melted)
• 1/4 tsp. almond flavoring
• 1 cup peanut butter

This is a recipe that Frances would fix for Charlie as a Christmas present. It was his favorite and he did not share. Mix the Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and peanuts in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients in another bowl. Pour this mixture over the Rice Krispie mix. Drop by teaspoons on a pan lined with wax paper. These are ready to eat once they cool.

Legacy Pottery

When I think about legacy, I think about the legacy that our parents and grandparents leave as well as the legacy that we leave for our children. I suppose the legacy that I will leave is my love of art and creativity. My pottery for March at Inside Out Markets centers around people and especially families and older adults.I created the 8 figures in the wooden block to represent the different ages of a family. I have to admit that the project was much greater in my head than how they actually turned out. There were some firing issues where glazes turned out darker and the wire support for the figures bent and some of the figures stuck together. The big question was : “So what do you do with them?” I decided they would make a conversation piece as a” Plant Sitter”. Goodness knows, any plant I have could definitely use a plant sitter ,as I generally forget to water plants. However, the 3 sculptures of the Old Folks turned out better than I had visualized. I especially like the expressions that are on their faces.