I was struck by all the positive articles in our Putnam Voice last week.

The Red Cross fundraiser of Donkey Basketball was a success because of sponsors and donations from local business and area fire departments.

The hope that "Habitat for Humanity" will have a Putnam County Charter soon.

The Pandora-Gilboa football team helped "Touches from the Heart' load many boxes to be put in storage while they are being renovated after their fire.

Hats off to Harley Davidson for helping a local soldier take part in special pricing of a new Harley which our local dealer agreed to a courtesy location for the delivery.

A Cub Scout troop adopted 30 soldiers and sent 600 items to them.

The Meadows helped Agatha Unverferth celebrate her 102 birthday in February. Her sister Martha Niedert recently celebrated her 97^th birthday. These two ladies happen to be my husband's aunts. His father lived to be 99 years old. You can still send them a card if you haven't done so.

My point is you can  find something positive and you can be happy we live in Putnam County as the examples mentioned show us that we can work together and make the world a better place.

And most of all I, like many, know that in a few months "Touches of the Heart" in Glandorf will reopen and that's good news.

Spring is just around the corner and I say this as the snow blows outside. No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

Did you know?

A line is a dot that went for a walk.

One can not help many, but many can help one.

The chameleon does not leave one true until he is sure of another.

When you are good for other, you are best to yourself.

Since I have been under the weather lately, I have been trying to keep busy inside and I usually spend time going through old recipe books and also my mother's recipe box. A lot of the recipes are ones I gave her some time in the past years but I have found a few that I haven't tried. Mom was a very good cook and I have great memories of her meals.

Cream of baked chicken breast

4 boneless chicken breast

9 (4"x 4") slices of Swiss cheese

1 (10 ¾ ounce) can of cream of chicken soup

¼ cup white wine

11 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix, crushed

¼ cup butter or margarine melted.

Arrange chicken in a sprayed 13x9x2 baking dish. Top chicken with cheese. Combine soup and wine, stirring well.  Spoon evenly over chicken and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter over stuffing mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately.

I served this creamy chicken dish with rice. My husband rally enjoyed it.

February Voice

Even those who don't care for cabbage will enjoy it made this way. This tangy, creamy, comforting side dish goes exceptionally well with pork chops or pork roast.

Cabbage Casserole

1 large head cabbage, shredded (about 12 cups)

1 onion chopped

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided

1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

8 ounces process American cheese, cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup dried bread crumbs

Cook cabbage in boiling salad water until tender: drain thoroughly. In a large skillet sauté onion in 5 tablespoons butter until tender Add soup and mix well. Add cheese: heat and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cabbage, salt and pepper. Transfer to an ungreased 2 qt. baking dish. In a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Cook and stir crumbs in butter until lightly browned; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, 350 degrees for 0 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Attention all grandmothers! Here is a fun cookie to make with the grandchildren. We all seem to be gravitating toward comfort baked goods over fancy pastries. It puts a smile on a kid's face to eat an Oreo cookie or a homemade cupcake.

Homemade "Oreo cookies"

1 1/3 cups Hershey cocoa powder

1 ½ cups flour, plus more for dusting

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

1 stick of butter

½ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)

3 cups confectioners', sifted

11 teaspoon vanilla.

Sift together the cocoa powder, flour and the salt in a bowl. Using mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla, mixing well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Divide the dough in half and place each between a lightly floured parchment paper and roll into a ¼ inch think rectangle.

Refrigerate both parchment rectangles for 1 hour or until firm. Using a 2 inch round cutter, cut the dough into 64 circles. (You may reroll the scraps once.) Place the cookies 2 inches apart on lightly sprayed cookie sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake cookies for 20 minutes. They will look set and be slightly darker around the edges. Cool o n rack.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Cream the butter and shortening until fluffy in mixer. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla.

Flip half of the cookies upside down and top each with 1 level tablespoon of filling. Top with remaining cookies to make oreo sandwich cookie.

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