86-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, December 16, 2000
Cooking
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
WRIGHTSVILLE (York Co.)
Holiday symbols, including
angels, intertwine with the
Christmas story. But for Debbie
Reynolds, angels are a year
round symbol of joy and pur
pose.
Every day she accessorizes her
outfit with one of the more than
50 different angels pins from her
collection.
Debbie herself emulates an
angel of sorts. According to the
dictionary definition, an angel
manifests goodness, purity, and
unselfishness.
And those who know Debbie
are often recipients of her good
ness. To many, Debbie is a cook
ing angel who is always giving
away one of her many culinary
specialties.
Most people with the health
problems similar to those that
plagued Debbie would not con
tinue cooking. Eleven years ago
she was diagnosed with gastro
paresis, an incurable disease that
requires a bland diet.
Debbie considers it ironic that
as a nurse, working with gastro
enterology patients, she herself
became inflicted with an incur
able gastronitis disease.
“I should be dead,” said Deb
bie, whose weight spiraled to a
mere 80 pounds at one point.
Until the last few weeks, she was
hooked up to feeding tubes daily
for 18 hours out of 24.
“It’s a miracle I’m alive. I
would never have made it with
out God,” she said. Her survival
has given her purpose. Medical
doctors often ask Debbie to en
courage other patients who face
insurmountable illnesses.
As a former Miss Hope for the
Cancer Society, a spokesperson
who teaches people early detec
tion signs, talking before an audi
ence was part of her training.
“If you feel sorry for yourself —
you’re done for,” Debbie said of
first-hand experience in coping
with illness. On the other hand, it
isn’t enough to just not feel sorry
for oneself.
“Christianity is a big part of
my life and who I am,” Debbie
said of finding strength in cop
ing. “I study the Bible twice a
day.”
She also volunteers for a local
cardiac rehabilitation facility.
While many people associate
Life isn’t complete without Buffy and Dodi, which Deb-
Angel Brings Good Tidings Year-Round
holiday celebrations with chil
dren and extended family mem
bers gathering together, Debbie
has neither.
An only child, she and her
husband Larry have no children.
But Debbie focuses on what she
does have: “a gem of a husband”
(they’ve been married 25 years),
“and wonderful loving friends
and my church,” she said.
Debbie grew up watching her
mother and grandmother cook
and help her dad made perogies
from scratch in honor of his Pol
ish background. As a child, Deb
bie was a national baton twirler,
but she always took an interest in
cooking.
What Debbie didn’t learn at
home, she learned from taking
classes in culinary arts and from
a neighbor.
“1 take classes whenever 1 see
them offered,” she said. These
include canning, Italian foods,
pasta, baking, and low-fat cook
ing. A neighbor taught her to can
meat, make fastnachts, and
bread.
Several times weekly, Debbie
bakes and cooks for the sheer joy
of doing it and then gives the
food away.
“I love to share,” she said.
“I’m old-fashioned,” Debbie
said. “I think when a husband
comes home at the end of the
day, he deserves a good, hot
meals from scratch, not out of a
box.”
Another project that utilizes
her cooking expertise is a weekly
Bible study at her church. Every
Wednesday evening, a light meal
is served to participants of the
study. Although members take
turns preparing the meals,' Deb
bie volunteers her services week
ly-
She also sends in many recipes
to Lancaster Farming and other
cooking publications.
Although the Reynolds do not
live on a farm, they spend many
hours with close friends on thte
farm. One of their annual high
lights is helping with on-farm
butchering between Christmas
and New Year’s week.
The Reynolds also feed baby
calves and help with baling hay.
Life isn’t complete without
Buffy and Dodi, to which Debbie
refers to as “our babes.” The
well-fed dogs are fed not dog
food but from homecooked
meals that Debbie prepares for
her husband.
Debbie Reynolds prepares these culinary specialties to give to neighbors and ac
quaintances.
The Reynolds home is filled
with cheery, country decor, com
plete with many of Debbie’s
handicrafts, crocheting, cross
stitching, and quilting projects.
Her kitchen cabinets painted in
colors of brick red and cream
serve as a sunny place to cook,
can, and bake. Here are a few of
her easy recipes that readers may
enjoy during the busy holiday
season.
Chocolate Torte
1 box Devil’s Food Cake
Bake according to directions
on box for two 9-inch layers.
When cooled, cut layers into
four. Combine:
8-ounces cream cheese
2 A cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
'/«teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream,
whipped
2 tablespoons grated semi
sweet chocolate
Beat cream cheese and sugar.
Add vanilla and salt, and beat
until fluffy. Fold in whipped
cream. Put mixture between each
layer and on top. Sprinkle with
grated chocolate.
Cream Of Mushroom Soup
'A pound fresh mushrooms (all
varieties) chopped
Vi cup butter
Saute chopped mushrooms in
butter until tender. Sprinkle 2 ta
blespoons flour on top. Mix to
gether. Slowly pour in:
1 pint half and half
Salt and pepper
Add more milk to desired con
sistency.
Part of Debbie’s angel collection include these spe
cial edition Seraphins. Her husband presents one to her
annually.
Mini Cream-Cheese
Cupcakes
1 box chocolate cake mix
8-ounces cream cheese
legg
Vi cup sugar
Mix cake mix according to
package directions. Line mini
cupcake pans with holiday
paper cups. Fill about Vs with
batter. Put Vi teaspoon cream
cheese mixture on top of batter.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips if
desired. Bake at 350 degrees for
15 minutes.