Forty years is a long time to do something.  The concept of this amount of time is something that this 31-year-old reporter doesn’t even have the practical experience to relate to.  But 40 years is nonetheless the object of a celebration coming this weekend for Father Jerry Kaimann at St. Bonaventure Church in Marceline.

Sweet Apple Noodle Kugel

12-ounces wide noodles
4 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (4 cups)
2 tablespoons margarine or cooking oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups apple juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dried tart cherries or raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cook noodles according to package directions in a large saucepan or a Dutch oven. Drain noodles, rinse, and drain the noodles again. Set aside. Lightly grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside. Cook apples in a large skillet in hot margarine or oil over medium heat for 3 minutes; set aside. Whisk together the eggs, apple juice, sugar, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Layer half of the noodles in the prepared dish. Top with the apples and cherries or raisins. Add remaining noodles. Sprinkle pecans over the top. Pour apple juice mixture over all. Cover dish with foil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack about 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

 

A somewhat new but now-integral part of the Linn County Democratic Party’s family is the Brookfield Young Democrats, formed and chartered by the national organization, Young Democrats of America, in the spring of 2006.  The national organization’s goal is the same as our local chapter’s goal: “to mobilize young people under the age of 36 to participate in the electoral process, influence the ideals of the Democratic party, and develop the skills of the youth generation to serve as leaders at the local and national level.”  Members of the Brookfield YDA have been striving towards and attaining that goal since the group’s inception.

 

Years ago, our family used guidelines or "standards" to conduct ourselves in our daily lives. We used (or tried to use) correct English in our conversations and in our written communications. We were taught manners to use at the dining table and manners to use when dealing with people. We were taught to respect our elders and people who held sway over our actions. We knew that if we did not follow certain "standards," we would suffer the wrath of our parents, school teachers, perhaps the local policeman, or anyone else who judged us by what we said and did.

 

On Monday, the arts council hung new work at NOMO, primarily a "member's choice" show, or work from our own collections. Included are an oil portrait from the turn of the last century, a tiny landscape in colored inks, a pair of handpulled lithographs by a New Mexico sculptor, and a yardsale buy that will evoke schoolroom nostalgia in anyone over 50.

 

Perhaps I should first say that I intend no disrespect to all the rats out there. My perspective might have been different if I had learned of Remy, the star of Disney Pixar’s Oscar winning movie “Ratatouille”. You see Remy was a passionate rat who thirsts for a sip of the good life despite the questionable tastes of his rodent relatives. Remy grew up beneath a five-star Parisian restaurant and inherited a taste for fine food. His culinary ambitions only angered his practical father, who wished his son could just eat garbage like everyone else.