2 recipes in honor of a Forum friend

Oh, dear. Oh, woe. It’s a bad, sad day, for we have lost another member of our Forum family.

Remembering Lynnwood cook Bonnie Teeters today, then, and all of the enthusiasm she brought, so many times, into our kitchens and onto our supper tables.

A faithful respondent to SOS requests for many years, Bonnie also chipped in from time to time, when she’d run across and tried another just-discovered, bound-to-become-one-more-new-favorite recipe, as well as some classics she re-remembered and passed along to us.

Her recipe, which the Forum took the liberty of labeling Bonnie’s dinner in a pumpkin from Cindy, proved so irresistible that it zipped up and kept right on going, over the top of formerly record-setting popularity scales.

Now, every fall before Halloween, it’s become a must re-reprint, so if you’ve lost or misplaced your copy of this now-legendary classic, just hold on until late October.

When Bonnie told us, in an Oct. 18, 2004, Forum column, that she was answering a request for easy recipes, she also told us, “I have three salad ones that are so easy I am almost embarrassed to give them out. I tend to like the better-than-s-e-x salad myself.”

The Forum was swamped with subsequent, almost unending requests for this concoction, so we have had it again and again, and today, we’ll have it this one more time.

Of course, we can’t leave out another specialty — something’s that just perfect to have bubbling along on wet and windy days or crisp and brrr-brisk late fall and winter days. That would be — what else — a great spooner-upper the Forum titled Bonnie’s Apple Cup Crockpot chili.

“This is good served with cornbread muffins, cornbread, garlic bread or just crackers,” she told us, most recently in a Nov. 19, 2008, Forum column.

Bonnie added, “To go with the chili, I always put out small dishes of sour cream, diced green onions and grated cheese, so everyone can add whatever they want to.”

Incidentally, this recipe’s yet-again repeat came about because of not only handsful of reader requests, but also because another longtime Forum helper-outer, Rosie Bacheldor of Everett, took the time and trouble to tell us, in writing and in no uncertain terms, “This is the BEST!!! soup recipe you’ll ever find. And not just for cold weather, either, but all year long!”

So, be we of good cheer today, and on until the tomorrows ahead, and then — and then — when the whim strikes, or the day is “just right” or a certain occasion calls for it — we will have in hand and ours now to treasure, Bonnie’s tried-and-true, how-tos for:

Bonnie’s Apple Cup Crockpot chili

2pounds hamburger

1 1/2cups chopped onion (or to taste)

1cup chopped green pepper

2cloves garlic, finely chopped

1can (28-29 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained

2cans (16 ounces) kidney beans, undrained

1can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

2teaspoons salt

2tablespoons chili powder

1teaspoon pepper

1teaspoon ground cumin

Garnishes: sour cream, diced green onions and grated cheese

In skillet, brown hamburger; drain and turn into crockpot. Add onions, green pepper, garlic, tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, salt, chili powder, pepper and cumin.

Stir to combine ingredients thoroughly; cover Crockpot and cook at low/medium for 7 to 10 hours.

Ladle into bowls and serve with individual bowls of sour cream, diced green onions and grated cheese.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Bonnie’s better than s-e-x salad

1container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1small carton (8 ounces) sour cream

1large can crushed pineapple, drained

1large can fruit cocktail, drained

1can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

In a large mixing bowl, combine whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk and sour cream; mix on low speed of electric mixer or blend with a wire whip until ingredients are smooth and thoroughly combined. Add pineapple and fruit cocktail and mix well. Fold in the pie filling (mixture will turn pink), cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.