This is my great-niece, Isabelle Pena, and she absolutely loves to have her picture in the newspaper. This started when she was around 4 or 5 years old and her Mimi and Poppy, Tricia and Todd Hobson, put her picture in the Tribune’s annual Valentines page.

She couldn’t believe it. She said, “My picture is in the newspaper! I can’t believe my picture is in the newspaper!”

Now I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m trying to promote my newspaper, and I am!

The story is true, though. I’m not a good liar at all.

Last week I saw Isabelle, her brother, Leo and their mother, Meg at Grandma’s house - my mother’s house. They had picked sand plums and made a cobbler for Grandma. Isabelle made it herself, so I wanted to take her picture showing off her cobbler. When I told her I wanted to take her picture, she said excitedly, “For the newspaper?” And I of course said yes. Believe it or not, kids still like seeing their picture in the paper. 

My friend, Rod Serfoss, who was the publisher of the Clinton Daily News, told me a similar story about kids in the newspaper. He said his neighbor’s son was in the paper, so he took him a copy hot off the press. He said that kid was so excited, but Rod was curious at his excitement. He asked him if his mom put his picture on Facebook and he said yes, but the newspaper is special. I think so too. That’s good stuff. Isabelle, I’m still waiting on your cobbler recipe! 

Let me know if you have a little kid who would like their picture in the El Reno Tribune. I can make it happen. I know people, wink wink. 

I ran into Janan Fletcher at the Farmers Market at Ross Seed Co. a couple of weeks ago. She was selling some of her delicious food specialties and I was lucky enough to get her famous spinach dip. If you haven’t had it, you need to! 

She told me about how she found an old newspaper clipping of my mom’s column, Pat Pourri, when she was looking for an old chicken recipe to make for her Underwood Club of Oklahoma Home and Community Education meeting.

The theme for the meeting was “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” When she saw my mom’s column, there was a cookie recipe called “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and we got a kick out of that. She didn’t make the cookie recipe, but she did share her chicken recipe with me, and it sounds good and easy. 

POPPYSEED CHICKEN 

8 chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 carton (8 ounces) sour cream

3 tablespoons poppyseeds

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers

1 1/2 sticks of margarine (or butter)

Season and bake chicken, then debone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in buttered 9x13-inch casserole dish. Mix soup and sour cream, then heat and pour over chicken.

Mix poppyseeds and crackers and pour over soup mixture. Melt margarine and pour over cracker mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve with cranberry sauce. 

I bet you could use boneless chicken breasts or even a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Janan said to not leave out the poppyseeds because that’s what makes it taste so good.

And here is the cookie recipe from the Pat Pourri column Janan gave me. It’s dated October 7, 1990. 

PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ COOKIES

1 package (24 ounces) chocolate almond bark

Peanut butter

Ritz crackers

Melt as much almond bark over low heat or in the microwave as desired for the number of cookies planned. Spread peanut butter on one Ritz cracker and top with another cracker. Dip crackers quickly in melted bark and place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill and store tightly covered in refrigerator.

This Saturday, July 26 from 4 to 6 p.m., St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center is hosting a hamburger cookout fundraiser. They are raising funds for a machine called Tovertafel. This innovative device is a projector equipped with 40 engaging games designed to enhance physical activity and foster social interaction among residents with dementia. I pray you never have a family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s. It’s horrible.

I’m so thankful we have St. Katharine Drexel right here in El Reno with a memory care center. It is truly a blessing. So be sure to go support St. Katharine’s and their wonderful residents. Your participation makes a difference!