Souvenirs II:
The Fields of Home
by L. Joyce Mundy
"The fact that the pigs were free to roam around the sawmill led to an unusual incident. This apparently took place around the late 1920's or early 1930's, during the last days of prohibition. (Prohibition lasted thirteen years, ending in March of 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Twenty-first Amendment.) In any case, an enterprising neighbor decided to go into the bootleg whiskey business. The sawmill was located well back up toward the Holler, far from the main road, and was probably closer to the neighbor's house than to Grandpa's. This was, no doubt, the reason the wily entrepreneur decided to hide his fermenting mash barrels in Grandpa's sawdust pile. No one knows how long the barrels were there before the hogs sniffed them out...."
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 Tbs. oil
2 lbs. ground chuck
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2- 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1/2 cup catsup
2 cups water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco or hot sauce
Tortilla corn chips
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Cook vegetables in oil till tender. Brown beef separately. Drain beef and mix with vegetables, tomato paste, catsup, water, and seasonings. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve on a pile of corn chips, with a sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of sour cream. For a taco salad, put lettuce under chips. Heat leftovers and serve on a bun for a delicious sloppy joe.