‘I’m so glad we had this time together …’

Sandy Holthaus

The day has come for my final column and radio show. I say this with very mixed feelings. After writing more than 300 columns, a book, and working on two radio shows, the time has come to make a change. As of January 1, 2020,
I will be signing off the columns and the air. I truly loved this work, and I have been blessed with wonderful readers and friends who have encouraged me every step of the way.

Over the last 13 years, I have received several gifts from readers and listeners, including knitted slippers, a Lucy Christmas ornament, comic books, cookbooks, letters, recipes, spices, and can openers, to name a few. Most all of these refer to a column I wrote. I also have had people who found my humor morbid such as the time I asked the Schwann man to run over my dog, to out-loud laughable when I wrote about the coldest place on earth, our outhouse toilet seat. This has been more than a recipe column for me, it has been my diary shared with you. I have written not only about my joy but also my heartbreak at the loss of a brother, grandmothers, and a dear friend.

I want to give a special thanks to my Mom and Dad for their stories and encouragement over the years. My mom has a scrapbook of every column I have ever written. To my husband Mike and my kids Zoe, Jack and Ben as they have often been included in the column without prior knowledge. And to my sister-cousin Dawn. She is one of the best cooks I know, and she is forever coming up with new ideas and childhood stories to share. There are so many wonderful people who have had my back since day one. In 2006, Steve Prinsen of the Annandale Advocate gave me a chance at my own column, and for that I will always be grateful. To my current and former editors Rhonda Silence and Brian Larson in Grand Marais, their support and guidance have been amazing. Joe Carlson of KRWC radio in Buffalo allowed me on the air and a shot at my own show. I do not take any of this generosity lightly. Sometimes we can excel if only given a chance.

I named this column “I am so glad we had this time together” from The Carol Burnett Show in the ’70s. Carol also would tug on her ear as a sign of how much she cared. If you see me and remember a column or radio show you liked, give me a little sign by a tug on your ear. I’ll know that you are a friend.

With Peace and Love, Sandy

“Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” -– Richard Bach

Let’s end where we began: desserts first.

Raspberry Sauce with Grated Dark Chocolate

2 cups (fresh or frozen) raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 dark chocolate candy bar

Place the raspberries and sugar in a sauce pan and heat slowly until the berries burst and become juicy. Then heat to boiling. Reduce heat and add corn starch. (Mix corn starch with water before adding to berries to avoid lumps.) Pour over ice cream and grate dark chocolate over the top.

Homemade Hot Fudge

8 Tablespoons butter

6 Tablespoons cocoa

1 cup sugar

Dash of salt

1 can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan. Mix cocoa with sugar and in a separate bowl. Add cocoa-sugar mixture to the melted butter. Add can of milk and whisk together. Bring to a boil and simmer for
6-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Serve over ice cream or pour into three half-pint jars to store. Keep refrigerated.

Creamy Caramel Topping **

1 cup butter

1 cup white corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a microwave-safe bowl melt butter. Add corn syrup, sugar, milk and salt. Microwave for 15 minutes on high, STIRRING
EVERY THREE MINUTES. Remove from microwave and add vanilla. Serve over ice cream, or place in half-pint jars to store. Keep refrigerated.

** This can be cooked for an additional 6 minutes in the microwave and poured into a buttered pan to make rich, creamy caramels. When cooled, cut into small pieces and wrap in wax paper pieces like a Tootsie Roll. These are wonderful given as a gift in a pretty tin.