Debra LaValley's Blog

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Chipmunk Pie

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg well. Beat in sugar. Sift dry ingredients and blend into egg and sugar. Fold in nuts and apple. Add vanilla. Pour into greased 8 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

(Betty Ouellette – West Hebron United Methodist Church Cookbook. Hebron’s 200th Anniv. 1786-1986. My mom’s best friend Carol Abbott lived in West Hebron, NY.)

This is THE BEST corn chowder. We had it for the first time many years ago at one of my Halloween parties. Linda brought it in a crock pot. It was a hit and was gobbled up quickly.

My sister Jackie and I made it tonight over at the folks’ house for supper!
Hmmmm Hmmmm Good! No leftovers tonight either! My mom made some biscuits to go with the chowder.

Linda’s Corn Chowder

2 cups boiling water
2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp salt (we used 1 tsp and could have easily left it out)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheese
1/4 tsp thyme
1 can of cream style corn

White Sauce:
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk

In a large pot cook potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and thyme in boiling water (about 20 minutes). DO NOT DRAIN LIQUID. Add cheddar cheese and cream style corn to pot and stir well.

Meanwhile, make white sauce by making a roux with margarine and flour in a small sauce pan. Add all the milk at once while stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens. Add white sauce to above mixture slowly while stirring. Simmer to heat through. Do not boil.

You can use evaporated skim milk instead of regular milk. It makes the white sauce even thicker. (We used evaporated skim milk tonight.) Try substituting sweet potatoes for white potatoes and red pepper instead of celery. This is my cousin Linda’s recipe. It really is the best corn chowder.

Webster Lake – Franklin, NH

Saturday Road Trip

It was a gloomy gray day today – so I decided to take a drive to Franklin to see Webster Lake. It had been decades since I had been there. My folks came along with me. It didn’t take us long at all to find the lake. There were not many people around so we parked in the parking lot, and my mom and I walked out to the beach.

A Marine Patrol officer was in the lot pulling his patrol boat on a trailer (most likely taking it in for the season – not much going on this time of year). My mom asked how we could get to the other side of the lake, and he told her which road to take. My mom remembered her dad taking them to Webster Lake. She also remembered going to the beach on the other side of the lake often in her youth. I vaguely remember going to the lake.

View from the Old Beach

I looked around for eagles because I have heard that eagles often frequent Webster Lake. A woman on Facebook has been posting great eagle shots taken at the lake. All was very quiet today!

On the way back home, I took a detour in Franklin and swung by Keith and Wanda Belyea’s house. My folks had not seen them for about 4 years and never had been to their new house. We were in luck, they were home. My folks got the tour of their house, and we visited for a short time. Keith has been busy gardening and canning. My folks came away with lots of tomatoes and string beans from the garden. They also got green tomato mincemeat, pickles, and relish that Keith had canned.

It was a nice impromptu visit.

Wanda, Keith, Mom, and Dad

Summer is Cruisin’ on Out

The Summer of 2014 is coming to a close – though our current weather is more like July!  Weather-wise it has been a very nice summer.  The Hazy Hot & Humid days were far and few between which was ok by me!  Bring on the Fall!  I love Fall!  I have regretted not going to Newfound Lake yet this summer or the ocean or getting my kayak in the river – but I am hopeful that I can at least squeeze two of these in before the month ends!

Two day weekends are just not long enough!  There is too much to do!  I have been doing quite a bit with family.  It is great to have family close by.

Enjoy the remaining days of summer!

Debbie 🙂

Summer Night

Relaxing Summer Night

It has been a nice relaxing night. I decided to call up the folks and treat them to a drive to Beech Hill Farm for ice cream. It was the perfect night for it (not too hot or humid). We beat the crowds that started filtering in as we left. After eating the ice cream, we walked around to see the animals. They had baby goats that were the cutest little things. The cows in the field were running around like they had eaten loco weed! I have never seen cows run like that before. I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Mom & Dad

My Vacation is Coming to an End

I had the past week off for my summer vacation. It went by so fast! It was a very nice week though! I visited my folks at the campground a couple of times. I went out on many photo op rides around home (check out my Flickr photostream). I went bowling and ate a lot of great food! Back to on the Weight Watchers’ wagon tomorrow 🙂 I didn’t get as much done as I wanted – but did quite a bit. I saw loons and a baby loon at Northwood Lake. I went swimming a few times! A great little “Staycation.” I hope everyone had a great week. I am back to work tomorrow – but I enjoy my job so it isn’t bad returning. Below are some summer photos to share.

I got a neat surprise on my trail camera – a moose visited my parents’ yard on the 4th of July!

I also captured the elusive Kalamazoo visitor (Uncle Rich!)

At my dad’s 80th Birthday party at the end of June – Chuck took this family photo with my camera. It is a great shot of us all.

Me on Northwood Lake this past week:

Great Grandpa & Jaxon

Happy Father’s Day & Happy Birthday – Dad!

Today is not only Father’s Day but my dad’s 80th birthday! I wish my dad a fabulous day and thank him for all he has done for me and the rest of the family. He has always been there for us. I especially cherish the memories of my childhood! He would show us the stars and constellations, take us camping, and fishing. We had great times at Newfound Lake too. He has been a great role model through all these years. He and my mother have always filled our lives with love and respect! Thank you, Dad! I love you! May you have many more healthy and happy years ahead!

Mom and Dad

Mom & Dad 8/18/13

Tom & Betty (aka Mom & Dad)

La Valley Family Portrait – Dad is the little guy 🙂

Sunset Valley Quartet (circa 1950):
Betty Ross – Red Perkins – Tom La Valley, Ralph Spencer

June 6, 2014

Grammy La Valley’s Rhubarb Pie Recipe