Bena Mae’s Kitchen: The flip side of being sick

As many of us know, it’s no fun being sick. And often we ask ourselves, why me?  Which brings the answer, why not me? Life is full of ups and downs, peaks and valleys, good times and bad, and being sick is a part of that cycle. Like it or not.
But there is an upside to this scenario. It brings out the goodness in people. People with the innate need of helping others “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I have been a recipient of these Good Samaritans for some time now.
My yard was in bad need of mowing. I hadn’t gotten around to finding someone to mow it and was contemplating hiring the youth group at my church to take care of it during the summer, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. (I have a gift for procrastination.) Yesterday morning I looked out the door and some phantom person had mowed it without my knowledge. Now I’m on a search to find out who to thank.
I’ve mentioned before the ton of food that friends have brought during my illness. It was remindful of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Miss Emma Watson took to her bed because Miss Ellie the druggist refused to give her pills without a prescription. And in sympathy, the neighbors inundated poor Miss Emma with casseroles until there was no more room an the table. “Oh, more soup,” Miss Emma said, as she lay on the sofa munching on a chicken leg. “Just put it over there by the roast.” One day I was brought 5 different varieties of soup.
An amusing aside to this story is Mayberry-esque in tone and typical of small towns where there are no secrets.
For months I had been trying to gain weight I had lost since the beginning of my illness. At long last my appetite began to return and I slowly started to put on a few pounds. When I visited the doctor last week I had gained 5 whole pounds. I was so elated, I told my best friend about it. In church Sunday, when the pastor asked what we should be thankful for, she stood up and announced “Bena Mae gained 5 pounds”.
To which the congregation roundly applauded.

This recipe was given to me many years ago by a lady from Claiborne County, Tenn.

Mrs. Nevil’s Scotch Chocolate Cake

2 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup shortening
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine flour and sugar. Put margarine, shortening, cocoa and water in pan. Bring to boil. Pour into flour and sugar mixture. Add other ingredients and beat thoroughly. Pour into 11×16 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Put icing on while cake is hot.

Chocolate icing:
1 stick margarine
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk
1 box of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup shredded coconut

Bring to a boil the margarine, cocoa and milk. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Spread on hot cake.