LNT_Boomers Today_092422

Toys of the past

While touring the Hegeler Carus Mansion for an article for this maga zine, I was fascinated by the history all around me. I have to confess, though, that I especially loved seeing the toys in the children’s room of the mansion. I still feel like a kid at heart some times, even though I’ll be 50 next year. And I have such fond memories of the toys from my childhood.

At the mansion, I noticed an antique winter sled, and it created a flood of memories for me. It was the type of sled I used when I was little, and there was a huge difference between that model and the sleds my

like a dream come true to me when I was their age.

When I was a kid, you used a small wooden sled that you had to cram yourself onto, with no room to spare, and then you would hold on for dear life once you launched yourself down a hill. If you fell off and had any contact with the underside of the sled, there was a good chance you were going to be sliced by the sharp metal runners. Compared to today’s plastic sleds, lugging those fairly heavy sleds back up the hill in deep snow when you were little felt like a Herculean task.

Every ride I took on that sled felt like a huge gamble. I was either going to have a fast, thrilling ride or I was going to get injured. Between that sled and the weighted, metal-tipped lawn darts my siblings and I used to play with, it’s amazing that I survived childhood.

I’ve never quite figured out why my parents thought giving us a lawn game called Jarts Missile Game was

a good idea. Entrusting every kid to pay attention as a metal-tipped missile was thrown toward the circle right in front of us was a really bad idea. Somebody would inevitably throw it too hard, causing the unsuspecting kid standing behind the circle to frantically jump out of the way at the last minute as the lawn dart hurtled toward them. Every time we played, it felt like a game of lifeor-death dodgeball.

If you’ve never been on a Hegeler Carus Mansion tour, you might want to consider going on one to see what kind of memories from days gone by it stirs up for you.

Best wishes, Shannon Serpette, Niche Editor

Like a Duck to Water 4

Putnam County man has hunted for 76 years.

Times Gone By 8

The Hegeler Carus Mansion offers a glimpse into the past.

Planting a Seed 13

Boggio’s Orchard is a mainstay in the Illinois Valley.

A Place for Family Fun 19

Country Kids Farm Market is about the kids.

The Foods of Fall 22

Pumpkin and apple recipes you’ll want to try.

Boomers Today

426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com

Publisher Dan Goetz

Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com

Regional Advertising Director Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Writers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Photographers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Designer Liz Klein

Published by:

PHOTO BY SHANNON SERPETTE

On the cover: The Hegeler Carus Mansion in LaSalle will impress onlookers with its sheer size and imposing appearance.

Like a Duck to Water

Duck hunters can tell you about their prizes, who they got equipment from, how well it worked, where the best blinds were, who they hunted with, what their hunting meals or snacks were, and numerous other things.

Have you ever thought about the stories a duck could tell?

They saw this hunter here and that hunter there. They could tell you the hunter’s habits and what they smelled like or the number of times they saw a specific hunter.

Unfortunately for the duck storytellers, they didn’t have long to tell stories about Fred “Freddy” C. Lippincott – if they encountered him, they were in trouble.

“I started hunting when I was 12 years old. It would be my father (Fred S. Lippincott), my uncle (Roland Lippincott), and a few other friends,” Lippincott said. “We started with bird hunting. We had our own bird dog, so we used to hunt quail and rabbits. Those were the first two things I hunted when I was a boy.

Putnam County man has hunted for 76 years

Story by Brandon LaChance

“We had a lot of ducks that came out in the fall. They used to fly by the thousands. After I saw that, I got a duck call from my grandfather. I used to go quacking around. By the time I was 15, I could call ducks pretty well.”

Lippincott, who is now 88, was born in LaSalle County, has lived in Putnam County for at least five decades, and now resides in Hennepin. He has officially been hunting for 76 years.

If you walk through the home he shares with his wife of 63 years, Ferne, you can tell he loves ducks whether he hunts them or not. They are in every single room, even the kitchen, which has ducks on the walls and on plenty of coffee cups. Lippincott has duck memorabilia on shelves in the bedroom and basement. The living

room showcases corner shelves with duck decoys and duck calls.

He owns 60 to 70 duck calls, including one his Uncle Roland got him for his 16th birthday. If you don’t know who made it or when it was made, he has them labeled, identified, and is more than willing to share the story behind how it got to his home.

Every one of his decoys has a name and date inked underneath, including a few older models that read ‘Samuel E. Lippincott, 1910’ from his great grandfather, who was born in 1854.

“I got interested because of my family, and I had a lot of other friends that got me interested in hunting,” Lippincott said. “There was one fellow

Fred “Freddy” C. Lippincott shows a duck call he made. The duck hunter of 76 years can take a call apart, and tell you what each part does, how it is made, and why it makes the sound it does.

PHOTO BY BRANDON LACHANCE

Lippincott

who took me down south (Horseshoe Lake, four miles east of St. Louis) when I was about 19 or 20 years old. It was one of the goose capitals of the world at the time.

“I didn’t want to hunt anything else. I’ve never gone deer hunting. I’ve never had the desire to shoot a deer. It’s only been waterfowl and upland game hunting,” he said.

There hasn’t been a time in his life when he took a break or stopped looking for ducks, geese, and other waterfowl. When he enlisted in the Army in 1956, he still hunted or tried his best to hunt while stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and in Gary, Indiana. The same could be said when he put an apron around customers and cut their hair as a barber or when he worked at the Big Blue Mill for 27 years before retiring.

Actually, he made duck hunting a side job throughout the years as he earned the nickname “Weedo the Guide.” He served as a hunting guide in 1990 for Ducks Unlimited and as a hunter safety instructor for the last 20 years.

“I have instructed a lot of young boys and girls over the years. Early in the hunting season, they have a junior hunt,” said Lippincott, who instructed at an August 6 course for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Hunter Safety Illinois. “It’s where the adult will use the duck calls, and the younger hunters do the shooting. It gives them an opportunity to get out and see how duck hunting is and how to do it. That’s very useful for training our youth.”

If, and the if is very far-fetched, there

is an extremely lucky waterfowl who survived previous outings with Fred “Freddy” C. Lippincott, it had better tell its stories now. Even at 88, he is in the duck blind two to three times each hunting season.

“I have a friend who takes me out to hunt now. I have an open invitation at the wetlands in McNabb,” Lippincott said. “I sit in the duck blind and do the shooting. I tell him how to put the decoys out. I don’t do anything else. I take my lunch, shoot a duck here and there, and have a great time. Maybe I’ll get a goose. I still enjoy it so much. I have a great time.”

Some of the décor at Fred Lippincott’s house shows his passion for hunting.

PHOTO BY BRANDON LACHANCE

In the heyday of the mansion, doing laundry was much more difficult than it is these days. The laundry room at the mansion shows some of the machinery crucial to the process.

The Hegeler Carus Mansion offers a glimpse into the past Times Gone By

Story and Photos by Shannon Serpette

WWhen you first pull up to the Hegeler Carus Mansion in LaSalle, it’s hard not to stare. The massive mansion looks like it’s something you might have seen in your childhood while watching Scooby Doo or the Addams Family. With a history that spans almost 150 years and with 57 rooms to explore, the mansion is an excellent place for curious minds to visit.

When you step inside the mansion

for a tour, and you walk from room to room and hear the stories about the family who lived here, you half wonder if you’ve stepped back in time. Even for those who work there, that feeling of awe never seems to go away.

“I am forever spellbound by its magnificence,” Tricia Kelly, the tour director of Hegeler Carus Mansion,

See MANSION page 10

Pictures of Alwin Carus are located in the children’s room. Alwin, one of the children of Mary and Paul Carus, was born in 1901 and lived in the family home all his life, dying in 2004.

said. “The family’s legacy is impressive too, but I’ll tell you the honest truth: For me personally, it’s the stuff. I love stuff, and the mansion has some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever seen – the static electric generator, the Buddhist shrine, the Alexander Graham Bell graphophone, the cameras, the books.

“Everything in here has its own tale to tell as well as its importance to the history of this house. It’s no exaggeration to say that there are artifacts here that rival those in more nationally known museums like The Smithsonian,” she said.

For those who frequently visit old, stately homes, this mansion offers some thing different because of the ahead-oftheir-time views held by the family.

“We are fascinated with these build ings because we grew up with them, but we didn’t grow up in them,” Kelly

said. “This is not your typical Victorian home in any way, shape, or form.”

The origins of this house begin with German immigrant Edward Hegeler, who settled in LaSalle and began a business, the Hegeler-Matthiessen Zinc Company, with his business partner and friend, Frederick William Matthiessen, in 1858. Matthiessen State Park was named after Frederick since some of the land for the park was donated to the state of Illinois by his heirs after he died in 1918. Edward and Matthiessen were equals in their intellect and benevolence and remained friends for life.

“They were very good people,” Kelly said.

The Hegeler Carus Mansion was built on the zinc company property and was home to Edward and Camilla Hegeler and their eight children. The tours offered at the mansion focus heavily on the history of both the Hegeler and Carus families, particularly Mary, who was the oldest of Ed-

Hegeler Carus Mansion tour director Tricia Kelly holds up a crosshatch example found at the mansion.

ward and Camilla Hegeler’s children.

“Edward Hegeler and his family were kind and generous people,” Kelly said.

Unlike many people at the time, Edward was open to different ways of thinking and welcomed viewpoints that were different than his own. The way he raised his children was unusual for that day and age – he encouraged all his children to exercise and stay physically fit. The mansion housed a home gym that had weights for women to tone up with, which was unusual.

“Girls were supposed to be pretty to look at, delicate,” Kelly said.

He also encouraged them to be accomplished free thinkers. Mary, at a time when many women were not involved in the business world, learned and studied the family’s zinc business at a young age.

She became the first woman to graduate from the University of Michigan in engineering and the first female graduate of the School of Mines in Freiberg, Germany. Following graduation, she returned home, met her father’s employee, Paul Carus, fell in love, and married him in 1888.

Paul and Mary raised six children in the mansion. The youngest child was Alwin, who was born in 1901 and continued to live in the mansion

until he died just before his 103rd birthday in 2004.

Those who think they know all about the history of the Hegeler and Carus families will undoubtedly hear new information on the tours. Kelly urges visitors, even those who are familiar with the Hegeler and Carus families, to come with fresh eyes and a willingness to learn.

One question Kelly said the employees at the mansion frequently hear is whether the house is haunted. It certainly looks the part, but so far, nothing unusual has happened – much to the disappointment of some of the people who work there.

“We want the house to be haunted because we have questions. We don’t know everything,” Kelly said.

If the house were haunted, Kelly said she would most like to talk to Mary. Since Mary was 50 years ahead of her time in terms of her education and career path, Kelly imagines it must have been hard for her to connect with the typical woman at the time and for them to find much in common with her, which may have been lonely for her. It’s not easy being a trailblazing woman, after all.

“My question for her is very simple: Did you have any friends?” Kelly said.

Left: Some of the old toys on display at the Hegeler Carus Mansion. Right: The mansion is full of interesting pieces for onlookers to appreciate.

Defensin: An Anti-Aging Ingredient with Science Behind It

We all have bought a product to improve our skin and have been disappointed when we don’t look any younger than prior to purchasing it. Many skincare products sold in the cosmetic industry make anti-aging claims that are not backed up by science. It is often difficult to know which products are worth the cost and which ones will end up in the deepest corners of our bathroom cupboards.

We reached out to Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa to give us some suggestions on antiaging ingredients that really work. Dr. Norris informed us that there is a difference between anti-aging products purchased in a medical spa and those purchased at the department store, retail beauty shop, over-the-counter pharmacy.

Dr. Norris explains, “The cosmetic products sold in a medical spa are by and large developed and backed by science and studies. The cosmetic products sold elsewhere may have trace amounts of anti-aging ingredients, but there is little or no science behind them. When I learn about a new cosmetic product or ingredient, I always ask about the science and studies used to develop it and I encourage my patients to do the same. Skin care is expensive, so it is important to make a good investment.”

Kelsey Thrush, licensed esthetician, at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa was asked to tell us about a skin care product with good studies behind it. “One of the most exciting skin care products to come on the market in the last few years is composed of defensin proteins. These are signal proteins that have a very specific action in the dermis. They send a signal to dormant skin stem cells to become active and start making new skin. When we do anti-aging procedures, we often injure the skin on purpose and then use a product

like this to get quicker and more robust results. The result we are looking for is new and improved skin!”

Sierra Vaessen, licensed esthetician, at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa agrees. “Defensin science is amazing. Patients who start these products can see significant improvement in wrinkles, pores, and crepey skin in the first six weeks of use. Some patients only use products with defensins in them and stop using everything else.”

“Another wonderful thing about defensin products is that they work differently than any other skin care product and so they can be used with almost any other skin care product ingredient. We like to mix them with our other favorite antiaging ingredients, including Vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid and growth factors” added Amanda Visione, another licensed esthetician at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa.

If you are tired of decorating your bathroom shelves and closets with expensive anti-aging products that do not work, call Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa for more information about products with defensin in them or a complete skin care consultation with product recommendations customized to you. 815-780-8264

PLANTING A SEED

Boggio’s Orchard is a mainstay in the Illinois Valley

Story and Photos by Brandon LaChance

When someone thinks about apples or wants to visit an apple orchard in the fall, there are a few options. One of the most popular fall spots for apples in North Central Illinois is Boggio’s Orchard and Produce.

There are many reasons why Boggio’s is a hit with locals and tourists alike. It could be the history and longevity of the business, since the orchard located at 12087 IL-71 in Granville has been running since 1992.

“Grandpa Frank Boggio used to have the orchard on the hill. When he retired, he showed Keith and I how to take care of it,” said Denise Boggio, who married Keith and has three children, Keith, Alyssa, and Justina. “Then Keith’s dad (Joe) and Keith put the orchard in in 1989. We opened the business in 1992. The trees were really small back then, but we started getting apples on them.

“It started with sweet corn and vegetables because Grandpa Boggio always peddled veggies in LaSalle and Peru. Keith and I didn’t have anything to do with the corn at first. We started with the pumpkin patch and the apple trees because we bought the orchard from Keith’s mom (Rose) and dad.”

Keith and Denise stayed away from corn originally because they didn’t want to step on Joe’s toes or take away from his busi ness. However, when Joe Boggio retired,

Boggio’s Orchard & Produce became a business in 1992, but Keith and Denise Boggio had learned the workings of farming and an orchard from Keith’s grandfather, Frank Boggio, and his father, Joe Boggio.

Boggio’s

he saw what his son and daughter-inlaw were doing with the orchard and knew he should run the farm.

The couple took over the corn, but they continued to grow the orchard as their rows upon rows of apple trees, pumpkin patch, train, trampoline park, slides, apple cider, apple donuts, fudge, sauces for cooking, gourds, goats, and a camel named Carmel continued to draw guests.

“I always wanted to do it, but Keith didn’t want to. I had all of these plans in my head of what I wanted to do,” Denise said. “Keith isn’t really a people person. He is a hard worker and cares for people, so he agreed eventually.

“I wanted kids to have the experience of coming to the farm and picking their own vegetables or picking their own food,” she said. “Knowing where the food came from meant more than anything. Right now, they go to the store and that’s where everything comes from, in their eyes. They don’t know it comes from a tree unless you tell them.”

The apples are a mainstay of Boggio’s business and one of the reasons people come around.

Boggio’s holds approximately 1,500 apple trees and 16 different types, such as Red Delicious and Golden Delicious (used for school tours), Redcort, Macintosh, Paula Red (used in the apple cider), Lodi, Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Arkansas Black, Laura Red, Jonathan, Grimes Golden, Ozark Gold, and Fuji.

“We are blessed with our apple crop this year,” Denise said. “This year is better than normal. We have some trees that are ready early, and we have some late ones, but they’re all growing great this year.”

Another reason Boggio’s is popular is because of the family vibe. It started with Keith and Denise’s three children,

then children in the community, and now their grandchildren run zig-zags in the apple trees and pumpkin patches.

“My parents worked really, really hard. Once the orchard really started to take off, it was good to see they were finally getting a reward for all of their hard work,” said Justina Chlum, Keith and Denise’s daughter, who has her own children, 6-year-old Ryne and 3-year-old Reid, with her husband, Kevin Chlum. “I’m super proud of them and what the orchard has become. I love taking my kids there and showing them all of the things we did on a daily basis.

“I think growing up, it was hard to see what they were doing. I was able to appreciate it at an older age. My parents taught us a really good work ethic, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to do things most kids got to do when they were young. They taught us the work ethic and what it means to have to work for a dollar. They taught us a lot of life lessons that I know I’ll teach my kids because they’re important,” she said.

Justina and her family are at the orchard every weekend that they don’t have plans out of town and make stops throughout the week to help out. The busy season for the orchard begins around Labor Day and runs through October, including a craft show on Sept. 24-25 which brings in vendors from all over the area.

“We bring in thousands of people from outside of the community, which in turn, does benefit our community,” Justina said. “The visitors are not just at the orchard, but in our town spending money at the restaurants downtown and at the gas station.

“I do feel my parents have had an impact on improving the community. They’ve hired a lot of high school kids throughout the years. A lot of them come back and thank my dad for being a hard boss who taught them a good work ethic because it benefited them throughout their life.”

Medicare Part D Open Enrollment is October 15- December 7.

Every year, Medicare beneficiaries should review available plans to ensure they have the best plan that fits their needs and that they are not overpaying. PCCC’s Medicare counselors will be presenting the basics of Medicare Part D and touch on available money saving programs. There will be time to ask questions following the program.

Please call by September 30th if you would like to attend the program.

PUTNAM COUNTY COMMUNITY CENTER 128 FIRST ST. STANDARD, IL 61363 1(815)339-2711 or 1(800) 757-4579

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Country Kids Farm Market is about the kids Place for Family Fun

It’s common knowledge Illinois is all about corn. There are corn fields along every interstate and highway, and many schools are surrounded by corn. There are corn festivals throughout the state. And it’s one of the top export moneymakers in Illinois.

While corn is the No. 1 summer priority for Country Kids Farm Mar-

ket to help keep the lights on and the tractors moving, kids move to the top priority spot in the fall.

“The fall is completely different from summer. It’s a slower pace. It’s more geared toward kids and family events,” said Kelsey Michelini-Brannan, who

Story by Brandon LaChance

Country Kids Farm Market in Peru is an excellent spot to enjoy family time and snap unforgettable photos.

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is a major contributor to her parent’s farm and market. “The fall is about being able to be on a farm and getting the pumpkin patch experience, where the summer is about getting fresh produce. Fall is a total experience with the pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, the straw maze, coloring activities, and the slides. Our pumpkins and mums cost, but all of our fall activities are free to the public.

“We try to focus on the kids. The whole idea behind Country Kids has always been for the kids. The motto we stay true to is, ‘Whatever we do, it’s for the kids.’ Back in the day, it was for my brother and I, and now it’s our kids and kids in our community,” she said. “We want a fun spot for parents and grandparents to bring the little ones out and have fun and enjoy all that fall brings.”

Michelini-Brannan was born in 1991, four years after her older brother Steve. Steve and Laurie Michelini – the parents and the originators of Country Kids Farm Market, located at 4301 Plank Road in Peru –began selling corn under the Country Kids name in 1993 with their children, ages 6 and 2.

When Steve and Laurie decided to gather some gunny sacks of corn and have the family sell them on a table at the end of their driveway, it was for his children. And so was the pumpkin patch that shortly followed.

“We work really hard. We work every day. We don’t typically have a day off. I wouldn’t know what to do if we weren’t working every day,” said Laurie Michelini. “We’ve been so for tunate in the community, and they’ve been so giving toward us. We like to give back to the kids. We want to make sure they all get a pumpkin. We want each kid to enjoy their childhood.

“We know this area is booming with activities. There are a lot of fam

ilies that could use a hand-up, not necessarily a handout, but a hand-up to maybe make things nicer for their own children. We like to offer some thing that’s fun, the kids love it, and it’s not a hardship to the parents,” she said.

In the fall, at the two Country Kids’ market locations in Peru and at the Four Corners in Utica, pumpkins, Eckert’s apples, large mums, fall décor, corn stalks, and straw are sold. Families can come and enjoy the train, slides, straw maze, and pumpkin patch. Country Kids Farm Market also holds events such as their Fall Fest, which is annually on the first Saturday in October.

“We like to provide something local for families to do. There is no fee

Gourds like these make beautiful decorations for the fall.

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Kids

for it. They can come every day, or they could come once a week,” Lau rie said. “It’s something that’s chill where the parents can sit down and have water or something while the children roam around.

“We like to do field trips for the children. We do a lot for handicapped children in the area because we are handicapped-accessible. We always provide a pumpkin, a story, or decorate a fall cookie. We like to interact with the kids. We’ve been very fortunate with our own children that they’re healthy,” she said. “We want to give back to the community, so we have the tendency to give back to the children in the area.”

Kelsey Michelini-Brannan graduated

from LaSalle-Peru High School in 2009 and went to college to become an athletic trainer. Many football games and other athletic events saw her on the sidelines caring for players. With a child of her own and seeing the importance of the family farm, she decided to make a career change and help her parents continue the goal of putting kids first.

“A year ago, I left athletic training and my primary position to take over farm work, running the stand, and being a stay-at-home mom the rest of the year,” she said. “It’s one of those things where it’s a family business and you never want to see anything happen to it. At the end of the day, family is what matters.

“I think being able to work for the family farm and raise my daughter (Julianna, who is 2 years old) while doing so has been huge,” she said.

The Foods of Fall Pumpkin and apple recipes you’ll want to try

By Shannon Serpette

Looking for a way to use those pumpkins and apples you picked up at local orchards or farmer’s markets? Pumpkins and apples are not only tasty to incorporate into recipes, but you also get the amazing scent that fills your house while you’re baking or cooking with them.

Here are some apple and pumpkin recipes you’ll want to have again and again.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup powdered sugar (for sprinkling on a towel)

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

6 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15- by 10-inch jelly roll pan and line with wax paper or parch ment paper. Grease and flour the paper, and sprinkle a thin kitchen towel or a sheet of foil with the 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin and add the flour mixture, stirring in. Spread

the batter into the pan. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes (if you’re using a dark pan, check at 11 minutes) or until the top of the cake springs back if you touch it. Immediately loosen the cake and turn it onto the prepared kitchen towel. Peel off the paper slowly and roll the cake and towel up together, using the narrow end. Allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, one cup of powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla with a mixer until it’s smooth. Slowly unroll the cake, spread the cream cheese mixture over it, and reroll the cake. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when serving, if desired.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS

6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and chopped (may use other types of apples)

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 and 3/4 tsp of cinnamon, divided

1 and 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray an 8- by 8-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, add the chopped apples, granulated sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and put in the sprayed baking dish.

In another mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, oats, flour, remaining cinnamon, salt, and cold butter. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the oat mixture until they look like pea-sized crumbs. Spread the topping over the apples in the baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. This dish is especially good when topped with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

INGREDIENTS

3 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2/3 cups water

One 15 oz can of pumpkin puree

2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves

3 and 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 and 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease two loaf pans. In a big bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, and eggs. Add water and beat well until blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and clove. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a me dium bowl. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and blend for a short time, just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about one hour.

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS

6 regular size Snickers candy bars

4 Red Delicious apples

One 5.1 oz package of unprepared instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup milk

One 16 oz Cool Whip tub, thawed to room temperature

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

DIRECTIONS

In a big bowl, combine the dry pudding, 1/2 cup milk, and whipped topping together until it’s well combined. Dice the unpeeled apples and Snickers into small pieces and stir in. Drizzle with the caramel sauce, and chill for at least one hour before serving.