Bena Mae’s Kitchen: No more washday blues

Ladies of my generation may remember when Monday was Washday, the worst day of the week. It had to be the origin of the term Blue Monday. If Medals of Honor were awarded for hard work in those days, they surely would have gone to our mothers.
Long before the invention of the wringer washer and later the automatic washer, there was no task more arduous and laborious that came around the day after Sunday, as sure as the sun set and the moon rose.
So, ladies, every time you think you’ve got it tough and housework is taking its toll on you, read the following recipe for doing the family laundry in an era that is thankfully long gone. It was written in a bygone era by a Kentucky grandmother to a new bride.

RECIPE FOR WASHING CLOTHES
“Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes. Shave one hole cake of lye soap in bilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, and 1 pile work britches and rags. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on washboard, scrub hard and then bile. Rub colored but don’t bile, just rinch and starch. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch. Hang old rags on fence, tea towels on grass.
Pour rinch water on flower beds. Scrub porch with soapy water. Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair down with hair combs. Brew cup of tea and rock a spell and count your blessings.”
 
Recently my trusted old washer gave up the ghost. For the three weeks it took to replace it, I went into a deep funk. When the new one was delivered and set up, recalling days of scrubbing clothes on a washboard myself, I thought about calling in a priest to bless the new washer with Holy Water.
 I give it three Hail Mary’s every time I put in a load of clothes. And count my blessings.

Good way to use up leftover Halloween candy.

Icebox Candy Bars

3 cups crushed crunchy chocolate chip cookies, such as Keebler or Chips Ahoy (approx 24 cookies)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped Twix bars, approx 12 mini bars
1 cup chopped Kit Kat (3/4” pieces) about 8 snack size packs.
1 (11.5 oz) bag of mini Nestle Crunch Bars
                  
Line a 9×9 pan with aluminum foil and grease lightly with butter
Crush your chocolate chip cookies in the food processor or in a ziplock bag until they are a fine crumb.
Mix in your powdered sugar with the cookie crumbs.
In a microwave safe bowl melt peanut butter for 1 minute. Stir.
Pour peanut butter over your cookie crumbs and stir until evenly coated.
Set aside to cool for approx 10 minutes.
Meanwhile chop your Twix and Kit Kat bars. When mixture is cooled, fold in your chopped candy bars.
Dump this mixture into your prepared pan and spread evenly. Refrigerate this until set, about 30 minutes.
When chilled, place unwrapped Nestle Crunch bars into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. If not melted continue heating in 15 second increments until chocolate is melted.
Remove pan from fridge and pour melted Nestle Crunch bars on top, spreading evenly.
Place back in refrigerator for 20-30 more minutes until top layer is set.
Remove from fridge, and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into squares or bars.