A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
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| Oatmeal Scottie Cookies - images by HBT Productions |
Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends! As summer slowly fades into fall, it seems
even the leaves are hesitating before turning color and accepting that colder
temperatures are just around the corner.
Our boys are beginning the process of putting the garden “to
bed” for the winter—preparing to remove dead vegetation and to fight the next
battle with perennial weeds. I think we
could all use a long winter’s nap right now!
Joking aside, I had more rest last weekend than I have in a
long time, but it wasn’t by choice.
Somehow I managed to pick up “whatever’s going around,” and spent Sunday
and Monday in bed with the flu. Tuesday,
my normal baking day at the restaurant, found me just starting to come out of
it and unable to bake. As a result,
there were no cinnamon rolls Wednesday and Thursday until I had another chance
to bake Thursday afternoon. Michael was
astounded how many people came in looking for rolls those days—ugh!
Wednesday was a special day for us at the restaurant. Bettina, an old friend from my college days,
dropped by for a visit as part of her week long vacation here in Kansas.
Bettina was an exchange student from Wupperthal, Germany at
Bethel those many years ago. She flies
back and visits old friends here in the States every two years or so. Her
English is excellent, and it was a delight for our children to meet her and
have an opportunity to converse with someone from another country.
Perhaps the most interesting observation the children made
was the stark comparison in ease and speed in everyday travel between rural
Kansas and Wupperthal, Germany. Because
of traffic congestion, it takes Bettina 30 minutes to drive the eight miles
from her flat to work. This is
approximately the same amount of time it takes us here to drive from Enterprise
to Salina via I-70. What a difference!
Now, let’s turn our attention to local folks who are making
a difference. In the year we’ve lived
here in Enterprise, Utility Superintendent Paul Froelich and “the city guys”
have impressed us with the way they keep our fair city looking good and
utilities running smoothly.
Paul is a frequent lunch customer at The Buggy Stop and our
children never tire of hearing stories of his many years in public service with
the City of Enterprise as well as in greater Dickinson County. He never gets a quiet lunch all to himself,
for our children are drawn like magnets to this small town hero and his tales
from the trenches of public service.
One thread we’ve noticed that runs through these stories is
Paul’s unique knack at being at the wrong place at the wrong time resulting in
an unscheduled visit to his friends in the ER.
This tendency toward the accident prone became all too real
for Paul this summer, and our younger children especially were intrigued by the
cast he wore for several weeks extending from the base of his fingers toward
his elbow. One day the cast would be
florescent pink and the next florescent yellow . . . To the amusement of our
children, Paul humorously referred to it as his “built in traffic wand.”
Thankfully, Paul has been cast-free for a while now, and we
wish him continued good health. Recently
our four-year-old daughter got a cut on the palm of her hand while playing
outside. The band-aid just wouldn’t stay
on, so her older sister took white paper tape and wrapped up her hand for good
measure. She held out her hand at arms
length, looked thoughtful for a moment, then joyfully exclaimed, “I look like
Paul Froelich!”
Last spring Paul asked us if we could re-create his favorite
cookie. Not having his grandmother’s
recipe available to go on, we took our favorite oatmeal cookie recipe and added
butterscotch chips. Now you can bake
this old-fashioned cookie jar staple in the comfort of your own home—just be
careful while you do it, please!
Oatmeal Scottie
Cookies
2 cups (1 lb.)
butter, softened to
room temperature
2 cups (1 lb.) brown
sugar, packed
1 cup (7 oz.) sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
2 cups (8.5 oz.)
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking
soda (no lumps)
6 cups (21 oz.)
quick oats
1 pkg. (11 oz.)
butterscotch chips
1. Preheat oven to
350 degrees.
2. Beat butter and
both sugars until creamy.
3. Add eggs, water,
and vanilla extract and beat again until creamy.
4. In a medium bowl,
combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
Add to creamed mixture and blend well.
Add quick oats; blend well. Stir
in butterscotch chips.
5. Drop walnut-sized
balls of dough on parchment lined baking sheets no less than 3 inches apart, as
cookies spread quite a bit.
6. Bake one tray at a
time until cookie edges are golden brown and center is light golden brown but
still soft and puffy, 12-16 minutes.
(Cookies centers will fall and finish baking upon removal from the
oven.) Let cookies remain on baking
sheets for several minutes to set up, then remove to wire racks to cool
completely.
Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in
Enterprise, Kansas. She and her husband
own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled
children. You can reach The Buggy Stop
by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.
