- 11 years--we had rescued from the Dog Pound--following close behind the station wagon--when we lived in "The Brick House" on Grubbs Avenue. Us kids would holler, "Look Daddy! Duffy's following us! Stop and let him in!" Sometimes, we'd already be halfway through Gardendale, on Decatur/
31 Highway, and I'd see Daddy peer into His rearview mirror and make a huge sigh, then patiently, He'd turn the car around, with Duffy "in-tow," and we'd go back home and place Duffy into the basement, then leave for our destination once again! SOMETIMES, however, we'd purposly wait, (Butch's or Ron's ideas) until Duffy had followed behind for numerous miles, and on into the city, quietly giggling to one another before alerting Daddy, so that He'd go on ahead and allow Duffy to come along-ha! Glancing over at Momma, Daddy would say, "Damn it! There ain't NO WAY I'm takin' that dog all the way back home!" (Later to come, a short story--in "Duffy's Delights"/My "Dog Treats Recipe"--about having to turn around and retrieve Duffy upon leaving Him 60 miles behind, in another state, after stopping during one of our Family Vacations out West, to "relieve ourselves" at a Sinclair Gas Station! In this story, we'll be traveling in our abstractly-painted, 1947 Family Bus that the entire Family painted together one day out in the back yard!) **But, and without fail, after supper, on the eve of coming home from the farmers market, while enjoying our family time in front of the television, (Walt Disney and Batman were many of our evening shows...) Daddy would always pull out a "special treat" for us! It would be a hairy, brown Coconut! He'd, again, take out His small knife and make a hole to drain out the Coconut Milk and give us all a small glassfull for sipping! Then, He'd slice up the Coconut into wedges (leaving the skin on) for us to munch on and enjoy the natural sweetness the fruit provided us! The old knife Daddy carried in His pocket for over
50 years, was taken from Him one day while He boarded a plane to visit relatives. I tried to "replace" the knife for him, back in
2005, when I bought Him one at a local flea market. But some things just cannot be "replaced..." How I DO SO MISS the Cane Sugar, the Coconuts, and the Oranges He'd soften for me (by pressing them to loosen the juice) just before He'd carve a small "hole" into the fruit for me to suck the juice from. Yeah, the "little things," my goodness, I miss them so...What a WONDERFUL MASTER, and what ENORMOUS LOVE You had for our Family, "Travis Lee..." THANK YOU DADDY BUD...
12" (2 x 2-inch) BARS from a
9 x 9-inch metal, baking pan, and the Bars can be frozen up to three months; remaining moist and delicious!
3-Cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes® (measured and then crushed)
1/2-Cup Butter (melted)
3-Cups (Shredded) Coconut (I like using Mounds® brand--the "shreds" are very plump and juicy, and it's freezer-friendly for many months!)
1/2-Cup Sweetened, Condensed Milk (I use the Eagle Brand® variety.)
2-Eggs (beaten to "scrambled" texture)
1-Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1-Tblsp. All-Purpose Flour (I use White Lily® brand, for most ALL of my "baking!")
1/2-Tsp. Baking Powder (I use Clabber Girl® brand.)
2-Tblsp. Chocolate Hazelslag Sprinkles (Optional, for topping--I use Ritz® brand. These came to me directly from a friend in Paris, but are a German brand of Chocolate/Hazelnut-flavored Sprinkles, and can be located from the Internet in tins of various sizes!)
1 & 1/2-Cups Prepared Frosting Spread (I use a "Dark Chocolate" for icing my Congo Bars--but feel free to substitute many, different flavors, for Cook's choice of frosting!)
1/2-Tsp. Table Salt (Optional, to be added into Crust Mixture, at Cook's discretion)
