A letter from the editor.

Springtime in the Ozarks is indeed a special time, especially the month of May, a time that is to certain degree synonymous with treasured memories of seasons of years gone by. We remember events such as prom night, class trips, weddings in May, Mother’s day, Memorial Day, and other happenings, those fond recollections that engrave themselves into the recesses of our minds. more…

 by: Ann Crabtree

The following recipe is more involved, but really turns out delicious. Turnovers are meant to be saved for dessert, as an alternative to the traditional apple pie. If your guests are really feeling decadent, serve the turnovers with vanilla ice cream. Yum! Yum! more…

“French vanilla,” made with an egg yolk based custard far surpasses “Philadelphia-style” vanilla, made without eggs. It has far more of the richness and creaminess that we look for in ice cream. While as few as three yolks in a quart recipe makes an excellent ice cream, six yolks makes for an optimum silky texture without tasting eggy. more…

by: Ann Crabtree

To some of us the work of home canning, conjures up visions of grandmother spending endless hot hours over a stove, diligently working just to insure the family had plenty to eat during the upcoming long hard winter. It used to be that nearly everyone who had a garden put something up for the cold months. Simply put, raising a garden and canning was their way of life. Then seems that over the years, lack of time “to do yourself” or perhaps “progress” has eradicated that lifestyle into nothing but a fading memory. What with the hustle and bustle of this modern day life, wherein we can so conveniently “drive up,” ” run through,” “call up,” pour water hot over it, “order out,” microwave it, etcetera, well you get the picture, why bother with gardening and home canning? But stop for a moment and really think about it, what are we really eating? Do you know, I repeat DO YOU REALLY KNOW what you are eating? Do you know what’s in it, who prepared it, how it was prepared? I think not! With today’s concerns of the safety of our food, it is time to resurrect this time-honored tradition. By canning your own food, you control how it’s prepared and what goes into it. You are not forced to eat foods with additives and pesticides, or somehow altered and the lasting effects of such experimentation will only be revealed in some future time. more…

The history — 2,000 Years of the Necktie,It’s Dad’s special day. For those lucky enough to have your Dad here, I hope you value him more each day. If your Dad is no longer with you, I hope that the day is filled with wonderful memories. Happy Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is a day of commemoration and celebration of Dad. It is a day to not only honor your father, but all men who have acted as a father figure in your life – whether as Stepfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers, or “Big Brothers. more…

by, James F “Jim” Barrett

I just had a very exasperating and humbling experience – my word processing program crashed and I lost an entire, completed, article. I thought I had been “saving” right along as one is supposed to do. But some glitch, some mysterious “bug” had secretly locked up my program. While the typing part went right along, the saving part was somehow blocked. So, when I did my last “save” and told the darned thing to print – nada! – nothing! It went dead. Finally my cursor even locked up and then I knew I was in deeeeeeeep trouble! That’s the first time such a simple program as a word processor has locked up on me. How terribly frustrating, and how humiliating. But once again it taught me a lesson. We’re the “boss” only so long as God, time and circumstances permits. Life, like our computers, can mysteriously “lock up,” or “crash” at any moment. I’ll try to keep that in mind, it’s terribly important. In life, as at our computers, we must “save” regularly. I don’t mean save “cash,” I mean, save experiences, good things, happiness, love and other such valuables which we don’t want to “lose” to some glitch in life. Or fail to enjoy before our “program” “crashes.” So, back to local Ozarks history, or Editor Ed will tie me to the Message Tree’s front porch post, pile old newspaper issues at my feet and turn me into historical toast. I can see it in his eyes sometimes. more…

Hey here at The Message Tree, we just love Italian food, so while we’re in the mood to cook outside why not some grilled chicken that has been marinated in Italian seasonings!!! more…

What a better way to enjoy Summer than to cook outside over a barbecue grill, after all who wants to fire up that oven and heat up the kitchen? But what about our favorite foods that require baking? How about Pizza on the grill? And why order in when you can make your own dough and cook the fun way, out in the backyard. more…

2 medium zucchini squash, diced
2 medium yellow squash, diced
6 green onions, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup any Italian dressing
Just toss vegetables with the dressing and and chill for 1 hour before serving. Optional: salt and black pepper to taste.

Yield: 4-6 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 container (8-oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package dry instant butterscotch pudding
1 can (8-oz) crushed pineapple with juice
3 cups diced apples
1 cup dry roasted nuts
1 cup marshmallows
DIRECTIONS:
Mix cool whip, butterscotch pudding and crushed pineapple
with juice. Add apples, roasted nuts and marshmallows.
Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.