• Allison Miles •
• Originally published January 27, 2009 at 6:17 p.m., updated January 27, 2009 at 6:17 p.m.

My sister, Cindy, and her husband, Charlie, were in town about two weeks ago. Charlie's 69-year-old mom, Pat, was having some sort of heart problem in Kingsville, and their local hospital couldn't handle it so they found the nearest place with the specialist to treat her, and that happened to be Victoria.

They flew her here by medical ambulance and Dr. Harish Chandna did various tests. It wasn't a heart attack, but her heart wasn't functioning well. They had to put her on a heart pump and a respirator. They finally decided that it was either a valve problem or cardiac failure due to a virus attacking her heart. She was transported to Houston and they did all the things that big city doctors do, but she died two weeks later.

My parents, Katie and Mitch, decided to go to the funeral in Kingsville. They said the funeral was nice, as much as a funeral can be a nice experience, especially since most of those attending are either very sad, uncomfortable or bewildered. Pat was a good lady and was loved by many, and the church was filled by a large number of mourners.

She was a wife of 49 years, had raised two upstanding and respectable boys and been a loving grandmother. She was a retired elementary school teacher, and many recalled her in the fond ways that folks feel for such a kind and nurturing person.

My parents stopped here on their return trip to spend the weekend. I always enjoy their visits because it usually involves good visiting and great food.

On Friday night, the entrée I made was fried shrimp battered with flour, beer and shredded coconut and then served hot out of the grease. That was one of those meals where there wasn't a whole lot of talking until everyone started to get about 90 percent full.

My parents started reminiscing about when our kids were toddlers and some of the fun they had trying to feed them. My mom laughed about how she had tried to feed Hannah a plate of green peas once and she had just swept the whole plate of peas off her high chair tray onto the floor. She gave her another plate to show the grandchild who was in charge, and Hannah looked at her and quickly repeated the performance.

They both talked of how fast our kids have grown up, and how they wished they could have seen them more often, but the five-hour drive made it difficult.

We woke up Saturday morning and all had breakfast featuring Taylor's perfectly foamy café latte.

My mom and I were off early to go get a pedicure and then go antique shopping. My dad, Taylor, Spencer and his friend, Sam, went out to the ranch to clean fallen branches out of the hay field and then continue their work on the deer blind they are making.

Spencer and Sam took their guns, just in case they might need them, and had the chance to terrorize a group of wild hogs who were nonchalantly rooting up a large area of pasture. They skinned one and brought home the back strap meat for supper.

The rest of Sam's family, parents Kim and Jerry, and little brother Tom, joined us for supper that night. They also brought Jerry's mom, Jeanette, from frigid Iowa, who since she retired has been able to spend her last 16 winters in Victoria.

She enjoys being down here because she is able to watch her grandsons play sports, and just in general, get to be a part of their lives.

We started to talk about recipes that she prepares for her grandsons, and she told me that one of their favorites was Scotcheroos. She shared the recipe with me. I made it and it is definitely one of those things that taste as sweet as the love of a grandmother.

Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.

• Scotcheroos by Jeanette

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup light Karo syrup

  1 cup peanut butter

  6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

  6 ounces butterscotch chips

  5-6 cups Rice Krispies

  Spray a 9X13-inch pan with vegetable spray.

  Put sugar and ...

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Scotcheroos by Jeanette

1 cup sugar

1 cup light Karo syrup

1 cup peanut butter

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

6 ounces butterscotch chips

5-6 cups Rice Krispies

Spray a 9X13-inch pan with vegetable spray.

Put sugar and syrup in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves and turns clear. Remove and add peanut butter stirring until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture over Rice Krispies and stir until they are evenly coated. Place mixture into 9X13-inch pan and pat down.

Melt semisweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a glass bowl in the microwave. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Spread chocolate over the Rice Krispies mixture. Refrigerate until chocolate has set. Cut and serve.

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