Nina Hackman is looking like a genius again!

You didn’t know this, but the last time I grilled 🥩 steak they were under cooked. I put them back on and they were still under cooked.

Tonight…Redemption!!!

I grilled on indirect heat for about 15 minutes and went direct. Grilled chicken sautéed in butter and seasoned with Jerromeo’s Love Rub…Superb. (My 🍊 Orange Lake vacation friend Jerry Hollander make his own meat rub.) And Flat Iron 🥩 steak with 🧄 garlic 🧂 salt. (That’s all you need.)

Sweet potato 🍠 in the air fryer with cinnamon sugar and 🧈 butter along with mushrooms 🍄 sautéed in Worcestershire Sauce and butter again.

It all was delicious. I redeemed my reputation with the fully cooked steak, however, grilling from the deck with hummingbirds in flight, that just kicks it all off.

The side view looks even better than the 🔝.

Devil’s food cake topped with marshmallows which are topped with a mixture of butter, milk, cocoa and pecans. Seriously rich and tasty. 😊

Located on Chestnut Street just down the block from Larrison’s Diner, Reed’s Place is killing it! This was our second visit and it has been outstanding both times! We haven’t even gotten to the desserts yet.

We ate at Longhorn last week, and really, there is no need to drive that far unless you are shopping for other things you need.

He is risen. He is risen, indeed. Happy 🐣 Easter!!!How could you possibly make Rice Krispy treats better than they already are? Well, instead of marshmallows, you melt Peeps and stir them in with the Rice Krispies. As a result, you get multi-colored treats with a Peep 👀 on top. These were super easy to make and they are like an Easter Egg Hunt in a pan. 🐣 🙏🏻 😇

On a side note, don’t you like your Peeps just a bit stale so they are more chewy? We can discuss that later.

You just never know when Billie Mae (My Mom) is going to come up with a wonderful story.

We were traveling to Logansport to attend the funeral of her cousin, Morris Carson. It was a marathon; three hours up and three hours and 15 minutes back. Billie is 88 and along with her cousin Ellen, they are the last surviving people from their generation from both my Mom’s and Dad’s families. This was an important trip for her. As well, that much time in the 🚙 car allows for loads of conversation and reminiscing.

Story background:

1. My great grandfather Carson grew up near Graham Creek in Jennings County near Streamcliff Farm.

2. On June 24, 1971, President Richard Nixon came to Vernon, Indiana to commemorate a building, as his mother was born in Jennings County.

3. My grandmother, Eva Carson, was living with us at the time and accompanied us to see Nixon.

4. Side story: Nixon arrived via helicopter and I remember someone saying they wish he could more often as the helicopter blew every piece of trash in the area several blocks away.

Main Event: Grandmother Willett was in her mid 70s and was beginning to have some memory issues. She asked Mom a couple of times where we were going and she would reply “Vernon, to see the President.” On one occasion Grandmother thought out loud. “Vernon…Hmm…Papa said he had to hide the horses 🐎 in a cave because the Confederates were coming.” She was of course referring to Morgan’s Raiders during the Civil War and what is significant is that Billie had never heard the story before.

Pretty sure I wrapped up “Son of the Month” for April on this mission! April 1, No Fooling. I appreciate my colleagues covering my classes today and I might see if I can get some Professional Growth Points for the history lessons that Mom delivered!

I may have been a bit suspect about missing school when attendance is one of my strong points, but, the happiness of my Mom deferred all doubts.

“ You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.” – Dave Chapelle

It is an electrical supply company that used to have oysters for their employees. It became popular and they opened a business that we were able to become aware of and go to four years ago.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Poplar Street!!! There was green beer and a traditional ☘️ Irish dish of Corned Beef and 🥬 Cabbage and potatoes 🥔 and 🥕 carrots. There was a big crowd so we sat outside under the tent with a fire 🔥 pit next to us.

The directions to The Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival may include “Turn off the paved road.” It is inconveniently located in rural Washington County. It has a Salem phone number, a Pekin address and is closer to Henryville, however, it is worth the trip. It occurs the last weekend of February and the first week of March each year and features vendors, wineries, a Wild West shootout and ax throwing, to name a few. Due to muddy parking areas , we saw a four wheel drive pick up truck with a folded over mattress across the front used to push stuck vehicles out of the mud.

Our favorite vendor is from Sheridan, Indiana and we purchased 🍎 Apple Butta BBQ sauce, pickled asparagus, blackberry jam and this year, some pasta sauce. Also, we bought a $17 bottle of 🍁 maple syrup that was aged in an Angels Envy 🥃 bourbon barrel. I 👀 look forward to those 🧇 waffles!!!

Nina Hackman come up big on Sunday dinner with Green Bean Casserole, Asian slaw, and Holy Cow, Banana Split Dessert.