A New Addiction

It's all Sheila's fault. She gave me the recipe, even sent me the cherries to make it with. Now I've forgotten all about my love of banana pudding ice cream in favor of her cookies. Why couldn't I find a rice cake or raw vegetable to be zealous about!?!

I've inlcuded it for you, along with the recipe for Fritomale Casserole. I was going to have it last week but something happened and I couldn't. I was going to have it today and, yet again, fate has intervened. My son will not be happy--he loves Fritomale Casserole. You, however, can enjoy it for supper. It's one of those recipes that ladies like but men seem to adore. It'd be a good one to serve if you're having people over to watch football.

Michigan Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Sheila wrote on the recipe that she found it at cooks.com. If you can't get hold of some dried cherries, you could use raisins. The recipe says it yields 5 1/2 to 6 dozen cookies. Maybe in oompa loompa land. I got 3 dozen and wouldn't have wanted them any smaller.

1 1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 c. dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oatmeal and cherries. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 8-11 minutes. Cool on pan 1 minute. Remove to wire cooling rack.


Fritomale Casserole
I got this recipe many years ago from Mrs. Laura Eager. What a wonderful woman she was. She and her husband George have touched many lives all over the world through their Mailbox Club ministry.

2 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 (4 oz.) can sliced, pitted olives (need the juice too)
2 (8 oz.) bag Fritos corn chips
2 (16 oz.)cans chili with beans
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Crush Fritos in the bag. Use one bag to cover the bottom of a 13x9 dish.(Now I do things a little differently than Mrs. Laura, I don't put the Fritos on the bottom, they get soggy quickly. I just make an extra thick layer on the top, you get the same taste without the sog.) Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Drain; pour into dish. Make a layer over the beef using the two cans of chili. Add both cans of soup, undiluted. Pour half of the olive juice over the casserole, discarding the remaining juice. Sprinkle olives on top. Cover with cheese. Top with remaining Fritos. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.