Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Don’t Answer the Door

 We all get snookered sometimes by door-to-door salesmen. In some communities they have made door-to-door sales illegal, but that doesn’t always stop them. They can be persistent and many times refuse to take no for an answer.

I am reminded of an incident that a friend whose dealings with one of these salespersons put him in an embarrassing position and made himself look like a fool.

The salesman was one of those who would not be dissuaded. After my friend told him over and over that he wasn’t interested in the man’s product, the man became insulting and rude. Finally my friend had enough and ordered him off his property.

After the salesman left, my friend went into the kitchen to cool off. He was red-faced with anger at the insulting behavior of the unwelcome intruder. When he looked out the window to where his pickup was parked in the driveway, he spied someone hunched over and creeping along the other side of the vehicle.  

Thinking it was the salesman returning to damage the pickup in retaliation, he went into a bedroom and took down his shotgun from the wall. Sticking his head out the front door with the shotgun in plain sight, he yelled in a loud voice, “Get the h*ll out of my yard. I’ve got a gun and I’ll shoot your a** off!!!!”

Imagine his embarrassment when the culprit turned out to be his elderly neighbor who was looking for her lost cat.

This is a true story and I’ll admit it’s a bit extreme, but my friend was only intent upon protecting his homeowner’s rights. He’s still apologizing to his neighbor for scaring her out of ten years of growth.

Many times elderly people feel it is impolite to turn away solicitors and make the mistake of asking them in. This is their first mistake. Once they get in the door, they are more than halfway there. The homeowner doesn’t want to “hurt their feelings” and sign up for magazine subscriptions, replacement windows, vacuum cleaners, driveway repair  and other things they can’t afford or don’t need.

My 88-year-old neighbor could not say no to anyone who came to her door. When her daughter took over her finances, she realized that her mother had been duped over and over by these predators. She had paid $300 for magazines that she never read…Sports Illustrated, Fish and Game, Esquire, Southern Architecture…

There is a darker side to some of these preying-upon-the-elderly people. They want to get inside your home and check it out so they can come back later and rob you of its valuables. Or…they could be the Boston Strangler.

Remember, hurting a salesman’s feelings is preferable to losing your life.

It won’t be long before we start adding  hearty soups to our menu. This one takes less than 30 minutes to fix.

North Woods Bean Soup

Cooking spray

1 cup baby carrots, halved

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I use chicken granules because they’re much cheaper. 1 tsp. granules in 1 cup water equals 1 can chicken broth.)

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (6-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.