Batter Up

So, first of all, pretend you're reading this in early August

and not 4 months later in December.

As the great and glorious Oz famously said,

"Pay no attention to that date at the top of the blog entry!"

To bring the whole trans-generational 

Big Star Lake Dutch experience 

 full circle

we attempted to make some Olie Bollen,

also known as Vet Bollen.
This project was one of several that we decided to pursue
 this summer; more updates will follow (maybe).

Olie Bollen or Vet Bollen are oily balls

that make you fat, or, eventually, dead,

much like our American donuts.

In fact, they're basically giant donut holes

without all the bother of bending them into circles

like a Krispy Kreme.

And we owe this "circley" theme to Epke Zonderland 

because he seemingly came out of nowhere 

(okay ... Heerenveen,Vriesland!!)

and did this incredible THING at the London Summer Olympics

the night before our bake-fest
(Spoiler Alert ... it involves a lot of circles):

(Notice the American gymnast Danell Leyva 

in the grey warm up jacket, lower left,

copy the moves with Epke and then,

unable to contain himself ,

stand up at the 30 second mark to witness this knock out feat.)

The next day, our Dutch creative juices were really cranking

and we felt it appropriate to honor Epke in all his oranje boven greatness.

We cleansed the residual blue gill fishy taste 

from Dave's Fry Daddy,

filled it to the brim with a bunch of vein-clogging oil,

plugged it into an exterior outlet to prevent

Eau de Greasy Spoon aroma in the BSL chateau,

and then commenced to mixing up the ingredients.

Placement in the Fry Daddy was tricky, sticky and flesh-meltingly splashy.

Judy individually tossed each bollen in the sugar

even though she's missing a thumb and a pinky finger

(just KIDDING)

Then we had to carefully separate the raisin bollens from the non-raisins

because certain people have certain issues

and that's all we're going to say about that.

So eet smakkelijk y'all,

which is Nederlands for lip-smackin' good.

Here is the recipe straight from the

"Pine Rest Sanitarium and Christian Psychopathic Hospital Cookbook"

contributed by Grandma Jennie Hofman:

Vet Bollen

• 4 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup raisins

--mix ingredients together

 --drop by spoonful in grease @ 365 degrees that covers balls

 --2 minutes per side

 --put sugar in paperbag, add balls, shake

In The Bleak BSL Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone.

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow.
(Okay! We get it Christina!)




In the bleak midwinter,
long long ago.

Twenty more days until spring!!

Everyday we're shuffling!


(I actually had to Google this to come up with
a down home farmer's almanacky
when is spring ever happening
kind of number
and the website featured there
indicated 19 more days until spring
which thoroughly confused me
until I realized it was an Australian website
and remembered they're a day ahead of us.)

We Are Waiting

.... we have not forgotten

A letter written by Grandma (Jennie) Hofman,
August 28, 1956:

"Dear All,
Greetings from 747 Fuller,

After spending 2 weeks at Big Star
we arrived home about 2:30 Saturday afternoon.
We had a nice time. The last week the weather was perfect, warm and sunny....
9 families left yesterday.
Marge said she doesn't remember ever so many going home at the same time...
Judy Kae is feeling better. I sure felt sorry for her,
she was sick most of the time.
Mildred got a shot out there too for a sore throat,
their Dr. bill was $24.00 ....
Don took the trailer and Ade's car back and also
got a cottage for when Don and those other fellows go deer hunting..."


Dave , Mickie & Judy Kae VH on the lawn of 747
with First PR church in the background.