2021 Greetings

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Sue Edison-Swift

Under the hopeful heading, “Better late than never,” I’m posting our December holiday card in April. After being offline for months, my blog is operational again, thanks to Paul’s skill and persistence. Find the backside of the card on the next page. Continue reading →

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Doot-Doot Cake

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Sue Edison-Swift
Grandma and grandson in front of mixer, making cake.

Eight years later, making Doot-Doot Cake

2021 Update

Yesterday, Walter and I had fun making Doot-Doot Cake. You’ll see the original Penzeys recipe on the counter. “It’s been a long time, Umma,” said Walter. “It’s the first Doot-Doot since COVID.” Meep. Walter named a small and delicious marker of our pandemic new normal–one I would have missed. Stay cautious, friends. Together we can get to the sweet time we can enjoy a post-pandemic new normal.

2013 Original Post
Tonight I made Chocolate Chip Zucchini cake,* torn from the Penzeys.com (recipe here) Early Summer catalog. Walter helped me with the last step: adding a bag of chocolate chips to the top of the batter. I gave him a quick demonstration. “Doot. Doo. Doo,” I said, as I sprinkled a handful of chips. “Doot. Doo. Doo,” he said, as he added chips. The boy is a quick study.

Mmm. I make good cake.

Mmm. I make good cake.

The cake took 45 minutes to bake, and then there’s the cool time, so it was 10 minutes after dinner when I called Walter, Sean and Paul back to the table for a piece of cake ala mode. It was a hit, and Walter was delighted.

“Doot. Doo. Doo,” he said a couple of times between bites, reminding us that yes, he knows this is his cake. “Doot. Doo. Doo,” Daddy, Baba and I echo as a chorus, reminding Walter that yes, we know, this is his cake and it is good. I’m guessing “Doot Doo Doo”** cake is a recipe for a long-lasting family memory.

A chocolate sheet cake with chocolate chips.

Doot-Doot Cake

Yum.
Umma, 4/27/13

**Over time, the name evolved to Doot-Doot Cake.

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Holy Trinity Sunday

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Sue Edison-Swift

It crosses my mind every almost every Holy Trinity Sunday: The Associated Church Press convention at Kanuga Retreat Center in Hendersonville, NC. Held in 1990-something, this small gathering was a mountaintop experience in many ways.

I remember being one of the  “Foxy Ladies”—the women who stayed in Fox Cottage. I remember Madeleine L’Engle, who served as conference chaplain. I remember getting up early and trekking to the little outdoor chapel in the woods for L’Engle’s morning devotions. Most of all, I remember her profound sermon for the convention’s closing worship. It was Holy Trinity Sunday.

Continue reading →

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Mammogram

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Sue Edison-Swift

Today, I’ll have a routine mammogram. I’ve always been grateful for access to excellent healthcare and the insurance to pay for it. Ever since a 2006 ELCA World Hunger visit to Chile to visit the EPES (“Popular Education for Health”) program, I’ve been especially grateful.

In Chile, EPES health promoters paint educational wall murals to promote breast awareness and advocate for greater access to mammography.

For almost 30 years, (mostly) women from the poorest communities in Santiago and Concepción have been trained has health educators, with transformational results. In 2000, EPES health groups began a breast cancer awareness campaign. Their techniques include hanging bras on clotheslines in the market, wearing bras over their clothes, using a necklace of graduated-size beads to demonstrate normal and abnormal breast lumps, and painting educational wall murals. They mounted an advocacy campaign, collected over 5,000 signatures and secured one free mammogram the year a woman turns 50.  They achieved what seemed impossible: getting mammography at the Pino (community) hospital. Continue reading →

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Shrimp Dip

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Sue Edison-Swift

The essentials: canned shrimp, cottage cheese, cream cheese, cocktail sauce, green onion. and chips.The Ingredients
8 ounces cottage cheese*
4 ounces cocktail sauce (Hoffman House* or Heinz)
4 ounces low-fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese (Philadelphia brand)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice*
3 green onions*, minced
2 four-ounce cans* of shrimp, drained and gently rinsed.

*I use 2%, small-curd cottage cheese. Lemon juice is nice but not essential. Instead of adding minced green onion, mom used cottage cheese with chives. If you don’t have or don’t like green onion, use a little onion powder. Hoffman House Shrimp and Seafood Sauce is the gold standard; if you can get it, use it. Any size shrimp—tiny, small, medium—is fine, as long as it is canned. Don’t get fancy with the shrimp.

The Method
With a mixer,* beat cottage cheese, cocktail sauce, cream cheese, and lemon juice until almost smooth. Add the green onion and beat until just combined.
Gently stir-in the shrimp.
Put in covered containers* and refrigerate for at least four hours; overnight is best. Serve with Ruffles potato chips or Fritos corn chips. Continue reading →

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Sue’s Potato Salad ala Norma

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Sue Edison-Swift

Sue's Potato SaladThis is my version of my mother’s potato salad. It’s more of a memory than a recipe. Serves 6.

THE POTATOES

One pound (#1) Yukon Gold potatoes, skin on. New potatoes work, too. Mom used peeled russet potatoes.

Fill a pot with cold, salted water. As you cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, put into the water. When all the potatoes are in the pot, bring the water to a boil. After it comes to a boil, start checking the potatoes after 10 minutes. You want the potatoes cooked but not mushy.

Drain and place in a large boil. Immediately splash with rice-wine vinegar (seasoned is nice), about 2 TBS. If you do not have rice-wine vinegar, use white vinegar with a little salt and sugar added. When cool enough, place uncovered in the refrigerator to get cold.

THE EGGS

Hard boil 4 eggs. I hard-boil eggs by steaming them for 17 minutes and then immediately cooling them off in ice water for 5 minutes. Peel and refrigerate.

THE CRUNCH

Fine-dice vegetables while the potatoes and eggs get cold. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. The only essentials, in my view, are celery and onion. Here are the vegetables I used today:

  • 4-5 celery sticks
  • ½ tiny red onion (It is best to be conservative at first, until you know how much onion you like. White, yellow or green onions work, too.)
  • 5 “mini” bell peppers (I used red and orange)
  • 4-5 small radishes

THE GOOPBottle of Tastee Dressing and Jar of Miracle Whip

  • Miracle Whip salad dressing, to be authentic. Mayonnaise will do. Start with a good glop, maybe a generous 1/3 cup. Better to need to add more than to have drowned potato salad.
  • Henri’s Tastee salad dressing is the secret ingredient. Maybe 2 TBS. You can substitute a Cole-slaw dressing like “Marie’s,” adding celery seed. Or skip and add vinegar, yellow mustard, and celery seed to the Miracle Whip or Mayo.

THE ASSEMBLY

  1. Top the potatoes with roughly chopped eggs. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
  2. Add the goop and mix to combine. Until you get used to it, mix the goop in a separate bowl and add to potato mixture a little at a time.
  3.  Add the vegetables. Taste and season more, if needed. It usually is needed.

Refrigerate until good and cold. Sprinkle with sweet paprika to be fancy.

—Sue Edison-Swift(4/28/2020)

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Believing Thomas

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Sue Edison-Swift

He Qi 2002 All Rights Reserved.
www.heqiart.com

An Easter devotion based on John 20:1-29

On that first Easter day, we are told in the Gospel of John, Peter and another disciple visited the empty tomb and returned home, “for they did not yet understand” (John 20:9). Mary Magdalene sticks around the garden by the tomb and encounters the risen Christ. She goes to the disciples and witnesses: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18 NRSV).

That evening, we find the disciples hiding, frozen with fear. They have locked themselves in and locked the world out. Jesus appears in the midst of them, offers a blessing of peace, shows them his wounds, reveals their new “sent” mission, and equips them with the Holy Spirit (vv. 19–23).

Thomas missed all this; he was not there. Why wasn’t he hiding with the rest of the disciples?

The other disciples witness to Thomas in the same way Mary witnessed to them, saying “We have seen the Lord” (v. 25). And, just like the other disciples, Thomas found that hard to believe.

And so, a week later, Jesus makes a special trip just for Thomas. Jesus finds them all in the same house. Were the doors still locked? Were the disciples still afraid? “Peace be with you,” Jesus says again (v. 26), inviting Thomas to touch his wounded body and believe.

Mary, Peter, Thomas and the other inner-circle disciples share an Easter epiphany. They believe when they encounter the risen Christ.

Many generations and countless witnesses later, we can feel a little smug when we hear Jesus say “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29).

We can also feel ashamed, hiding our fear and doubt. Wounded and wounding, we lock ourselves in and lock others out.

The good news is Jesus comes to us, as we are, where we are, and offers peace. May we be blessed to see the Lord and believe. Alleluia. 

Sue Edison-Swift (4/7/2012, updated 4/18/2020)

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Faithful stewardship in a time of crisis

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Sue Edison-Swift

Faithful stewardship in a time of crisis: Generously give as you are able. Graciously receive as you need. Love God, neighbor, and yourself.

Generously give as you are able

As you are able, maintain or increase your giving to your congregation and other faith-based non-profits. Bills, as you know, do not a break for quarantine, even for congregations. Indeed, now there are more expenses. More needs.

If you don’t already have your offerings automatically deducted from your bank account or credit card, consider doing so. If you do, and can give more, increase the withdrawal amount or mail old-fashioned, extra-mile checks. Extra-mile gifts are over-and-above your standard offering.

By nature, people love to designate their gifts, as it gives us a feeling of more control over how the offering is spent. Get over it. Faithful stewardship is built on trust. Now is the time to give in the least-restricted, most-generous way. If it helps, think of your regular offerings as gifts designated for “where needed most.” Trust.

Faithful stewardship means sharing all our God-given gifts: time and talents as well as resources. Thank you for your doing. Thank you for your being.

Graciously receive as you need

It is blessed to give as you are able. It is blessed to receive as you need. Circumstances may mean you should not give financially, now. Be assured, asking for help contributes to the community. Please, ask.

Love God, Neighbor, Yourself

Love God. Offer prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Shake your fist and groan in lament—that’s prayer, too. God is big enough for your anger, your fear.

Love your Neighbor. You will call and check-in. You will stay home, as you are able. You will step-in and step-up for your community. You will celebrate with your neighbors, for even in a time of crisis there are births, birthdays and other celebrations of life. And, faithfully, you remember God does not limit the definition of neighbor. There are no “others.” God calls you to care about and care for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable. This includes people you do not know, people of other faiths and no faith, and people you deem undeserving. Loving your neighbor is loving God.

Love Yourself. God asks you to do all you can, not all that needs to be done. You are loved, just as you are. You are enough. God calls you to faithful self-care. If it helps, think about loving yourself for the sake of others. As you are able, care for your body, mind and spirit. Allow others to minister to you. Faithful self-care is loving God.

Blessings on your heads and hearts,
Sue Edison-Swift
3/17/2020

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2020 Greetings!

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Sue Edison-Swift

Recently, we were surprised to find it snowing, with an inch of accumulation, as we headed out with Sam-the-Dog and Hank-the-Granddog for their nighttime walk. What a gorgeous night. Fluffy snow. Not cold. Full moon. Dogs delighted to follow bunny tracks. Paul slipped just a bit and quickly reassured Hank and Sam, saying, “I’m OK.” He explained, “They worry about me.” It was a sincere and funny moment.

Winter started in October (how rude), so a 50-degree Christmas Day was especially joyful. We walked to Phelps park with Sam and Hank, one snort short of giddy. Our life is good here in Decorah.

Year of the Flood
We will remember 2019 as the year of the flood. At 3:45 a.m., on August 21, Sam’s whining got us up to discover our refrigerator waterline burst. Even with industrial-strength dehumidifies and fans, the wood floor in our kitchen-dining-living great room could not be saved. After three weeks out of the house for new-floor installation, we returned home the day before Thanksgiving, full of thanks for WestBend homeowners insurance. Continue reading →

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29 August 1919

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Sue Edison-Swift
Head and shoulders photo of Kermit Edison from the 1950s.

Undated photo of my father, perhaps from the 1950s.

My father, Kermit Edison, was born 100 years ago today. Born in August, he also died in August, just shy of his 60th birthday.

There’s a lot I don’t know about my father. He was not a talker or a sharer of feelings, at least not with me. And, there are things I know that aren’t my stories to tell. Still, in the Venn-diagram circle of “things I know” and “things mine to tell,” there’s an amazing story.

A third generation immigrant, and second child in a family of seven, dad’s first language was Norwegian. He didn’t need English until he started grade school. He was on his own at 14, working full time as a cheese maker and completing high school by correspondence. Because of hearing loss he was 4F, so dad served stateside during WWII. The GI Bill allowed dad to go to mortuary school. He became a leader in the field, one of the pioneers bringing together funeral directors, clergy, physicians, nurses, and licensed practical nurses to discuss death and dying. Continue reading →

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