COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019 | 5A
Pet Tips
‘n’ Tales
Cook’s Corner
Getting the most from green beans
By Betty Kaiser
G
reen beans are the
king dinner vegeta-
ble at our house. So, every
year at this time I get a lit-
tle apprehensive when my
home-canned supplies are
running low.
Right now, I have about
a dozen jars of them in my
pantry — and far fewer
jars of peaches, pears and
tomatoes. So, I was hap-
py to see that Hendricks
Farm’s bean crop is now
ready for orders.
I was probably in my 30s
when my neighbor, Sally
Tillman, introduced me
to canning fresh fruit and
vegetables. Every summer
Chuck had a tiny little gar-
den in our backyard that
produced dozens of to-
matoes. We couldn’t eat or
give away all of them.
What to do?
Sally, who was a prod-
uct of the Great Depres-
sion said, “Let me show
you how to ‘put them up.’”
That was the beginning of
a beautiful canning rela-
tionship.
Shortly after I began
canning Chuck’s garden
offerings, I discovered the
bounty from neighboring
orchards and have been
canning ever since.
Some 40-plus years lat-
er, it’s still one of my win-
ter joys to open a can of
summer sunshine. Now,
canning and making jam
are somewhat of an addic-
tion for me.
It’s not so much that I
like the process but that I
like the products.
Right now, I’m also
looking for ways to eat
them fresh. A dinner
menu at our house usual-
ly includes a lean protein
(chicken, fish, or pork)
and two to three small
sides: a starch, a simple
vegetable and a salad.
Summers we eat a lot of
beans, tomatoes and zuc-
chini, so I look forward to
new recipes.
Here’s how I prepare
fresh green beans: Al den-
te is good but the South-
ern girl in me still likes
them
cooked-to-death
with onion and salt pork.
I also know that’s way too
much fat. So, today’s first
recipe is a substitute.
Fresh green beans with
bacon is almost as tasty as
the old-fashioned way.
Most of us agree that ba-
con makes vegetables taste
way better. In this recipe,
you sauté the bacon and
then use a little bit of ba-
con grease left in the pan
as a substitute for butter or
oil. It’s so good it may even
entice finicky appetites to
eat their veggies.
If you like, add a little
garlic at the last minute.
The second recipe for
Roasted Green Beans is
for those who like their
veggies al dente. Again,
it doesn’t call for a lot of
ingredients and can be
put in the oven the last 25
minutes or so with what-
ever else you’re cooking
that night.
It’s quick, healthy and
tasty.
And finally, for those
of you who are craving
something different —
check out the Philadelphia
Cheese casserole below.
It’s creamy! It’s also quick
to put together. It makes a
great potluck dish, or you
can cut the recipe in half
for a small family. Enjoy!
Now if you’ll excuse
me, I have canning to do...
Place beans in a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil
and add seasonings. Toss
well. Spread into a single
layer on a greased baking
sheet. Roast beans 18-
22 minutes or until ten-
der-crisp. Add more olive
oil if needed. Broil 1 min-
ute if desired. Serves 4.
Green bean casserole
(Philadelphia Cream
Cheese)
• 2 lbs. fresh green
beans; trimmed, cut cross-
wise in half
• 1 (8 oz.) package
cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to
taste
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic,
minced, divided
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup panko bread
crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Spray 2-quart casserole
dish.
Cook beans in boiling
water 3 min. Meanwhile,
whisk cream cheese, milk,
pepper and half the garlic
in large bowl until blend-
ed. Drain beans. Add to
cream cheese mixture;
mix lightly. Spoon into
prepared casserole.
Combine remain-
ing garlic with almonds,
bread crumbs and butter;
sprinkle over bean mix-
Oven roasted green
ture. Bake 30 minutes or
beans
• 1 lb. green beans, until beans are tender and
washed and trimmed
crumb topping is golden
• 1 tablespoon olive oil brown.
(you’ll need more!)
Note: Serves a crowd—
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned 16!
salt
• black pepper to taste
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic Coo’k’s Corner at 942-1317
powder
or email her at bchatty@
Preheat oven to 400°F.
bettykaiser.com
Fresh green beans
with bacon
• 1 1/2 to 2 Pounds
Green Beans washed, ends
trimmed
• 6 slices of raw bacon
chopped
• bacon drippings
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and black pepper
to taste
• lemon wedge
Place chopped bacon
into a frying pan and cook
until crispy. Remove ba-
con and set aside on a
paper towel lined plate.
Remove excess bacon
drippings leaving about 2
tablespoons in the pan.
Turn heat to medium.
Add Green Beans to
pan and cook until they
are lightly browned, stir-
ring occasionally (about
8 minutes). Add salt and
pepper, garlic and bacon.
Squeeze the lemon wedge
over the beans.
Toss and cook for 1 min-
ute more. Serves about 6.
LORANE NEWS
Contributed by
Lil Thompson
for The Sentinel
• Tomorrow, Aug. 1, Lo-
rane Grange meets at its
regular time of 7 p.m. There
will be potluck snacks.
Thank you to everyone
who came to see the Grange
booths at the fair.
• August and the next
two weekends bring lots of
excitement to Lorane, start-
ing with this Saturday, Aug.
3. It’s time for the Lorane
Community-wide Garage/
Yard sales. Published hours
are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some
may open earlier or close
later. If you do not want
to have it at your home,
call Jeri at 541-942-2448 to
rent a table at the Grange
for $10. There is still time.
Maps are in many places:
homes, at the grange and
area stores. Come out for
a great day and remember:
Someone’s giveaway may be
your treasure.
• On Sunday, Aug. 4, the
6-day
weather forecast
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
89° | 58°
87° | 58°
Sunny
Sunny
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
91° | 59°
92° | 57°
Sunny
Sunny
MONDAY
TUESDAY
88° | 57°
Sunny
88° | 56°
Sunny
Flood policies must be
in place at least
6 weeks prior to a claim.
This coverage can be tricky.
Call your local agent today (541) 942-0555.
PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove
Gear Bicycle Club has a
100-mile run, starting early
in the morning. They will
be stopping at the Grange
for a brief rest stop.
• Next Sunday, Aug. 11,
come enjoy the annual
Lorane Community Pot-
luck at the Lorane Grange.
Doors will open at 10 a.m.,
so those going to church
may drop off their dish.
Many people come around
11 a.m. to visit, with lunch
starting promptly at noon.
Please remember to mark
your dishes in case you
forget them. After eating,
wander down to the Fire
Hall for the annual Volun-
teer Fire Department Ice
Cream Social from 1 to 5
p.m. Come enjoy delicious
pies and ice cream while
enjoying music by Kyle and
Jim. Take a fire engine ride
or enjoy any of the various
activities taking place on
the church lawn across the
street.
• Just a reminder that
there is a Red Flag warn-
ing in our area. It is hot,
dry and windy, so please be
careful. Be aware of times
when you cannot run any
combustion-driven equip-
ment. This includes lawn-
mowers, weed-eaters and
power saws. If you’re not
sure, check with the fire de-
partment or read the signs.
Things are very dry and we
do not need more wildfires.
Transmissions Plus &
AUTOMOTIVE
SPECIALTIES
PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991
Manual & Automatic
Transmission Repair
Tune ups
30-60-90K Services
Brakes, belts, hoses and
cooling system services
Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust
All makes and models.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY
WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN
“WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!”
www.automotivespecialties.biz
DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS
541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
Party animals!
Peter the “Party Animal” loves to cela-BRAT-e!
W
hat do you do when you have no children to cel-
ebrate the passing of the years? Kristi and her
husband, Dave, have no human babies together but
two kids… errrr, fur babies: a sassy 17-year-old grey
and black tabby named Claire; and Pete, an 11-year-old
mischievous orange and white tabby named after their
friend with red hair, Peter.
The fun couple take their kids’ photos on the first and
last day of the school season and post them on Facebook
along with all their friends’ “real kids” photos. Anyone
with or without children can tell you that their pets are
family and often describe them as their “fur kids.”
Kristi is no exception.
The couple annually send out birthday announce-
ments with their cats’ photographs on them along with
text informing their friends of the upcoming party. In
lieu of gifts, they request donations for the Humane So-
ciety.
When asked why they hold CAT-cela-BRAT-ions,
Kristi responded, “Are you kidding me? I’m in love with
my cats! They’re our babies. When Claire turned 15, we
had a quinceanera for her. It is a Latin coming-of-age
party for young ladies. She wore a bright red dress and a
sparkle crown, of course, for her invitation card’s photo.”
For the party, Kristi wore her prom dress from 1993. “I
have no idea why I still have it,” she said.
Last year, Kristi and Dave held Claire’s Sweet 16 birth-
day party and her invitation was her driver’s license with
her photo. Her height and weight read: 1’ 1” and 10
pounds. This year will be Peter’s 12th party.
“We started the special events as a joke because of
all of the money we’ve spent on friends’ baby showers,
births and birthdays,” said Kristi. “Over the years, the
party planning has expanded. We serve a cookie-cake
with our cats’ photo on it now.”
The parties must be a riot! Fifty caring friends show
up carrying donations and pet food for the animal shel-
ter and some even gift Kristi’s kitties with a new catnip:
toy/mouse/cigar/rainbow.
Both of Kristi and Dave’s party animals are rescues.
“I was in a shelter looking for a little orange cat when
I spotted five-month-old Claire,” said Kristi. “She locked
eyes with me and I couldn’t leave without her. Years lat-
er, an orange four-month kitten, Peter, appeared on our
porch and nobody claimed him. He won our hearts over
in four-and-a-half minutes.”
Yes. This cat family has as many crazy quirks as the
rest of us. Pete won’t eat from the same food can twice in
a row. So, at any given time, they always have two opened
cans for his gourmet tastes in the fridge. And no one can
use the “loo” without Pete joining them in the bathroom
and jumping on their lap while they are on the throne as
he demands their full attention.
Claire has a gentle healing heart. Her fur-avorite past
time is cat napping with Kristi, a massage therapist, and
intuitively sending her energy when she is not feeling
well.
“Claire always knows where I need energy healing
work,” said Kristi. “She lays on whatever part of my body
needing the work. You can see the healing pouring from
her heart and through her eyes as she purrs and infuses
me with her love.”
Peter enjoys the family’s nightly happy hour and coffee
on the weekends with his people outside on their patio.
He entertains them by laying on his back in the grass
cat-chatting to them nonstop.
“Pete has an amazing number of different purring
tones and inflections as he answers our ‘purr-sistant’
questions,” laughs Kristi. “Our ‘kids’ add laughter and
love to our home.”
TIPS: Upset about pet fur all over your clothes and
couches? Follow Tips and Tales reader Margaret’s advice:
“I’ve color coordinated my decor and clothes with the
dominant pet fur in the house. This saves money buying
lint rollers.”
n The Northwest’s
Finest Gardening Seed
n Flowers, Herbs,
& Shrubs
n Vegetable Transplants
n Fruit Trees
20 Palmer Ave. n Cottage Grove n (541) 942-0510
