Not only do visitors to the home of Noretta and Roger Reynolds find good food, but several interesting conversation starters, as well. The open concept-style house holds a few surprises including the presence of a very large sailfish displayed in the great room, a fish that Roger caught from a small motor boat while fishing with a guide during a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Below the fish, around the corner and just inside the kitchen area is an unassuming cabinet with a glass door. This isn’t just any cabinet, but one that her friend’s father made from World War I ammunition boxes.

“I wanted this so badly, I remember scraping together enough money to buy it,” she says.

It seems the woman is willing to scrape literally when she wants something badly, such as a beautiful Hoosier cabinet that stands across the kitchen from the ammo box piece. The cabinet was a Christmas gift from her husband of 60 years.

“I had always wanted one. It came gift-wrapped in chicken manure,” she says when referring to the piece Reynolds found in a barn. “I tore everything off that would come off and took every board apart.”

“What a caring husband,” laughs Roger.

“I don’t like to sand, but I wanted it so badly,” she adds.

Also found in the kitchen is a stove with a flat cook top, but not the electric version one sees in many homes today. Hers is an Amish wood-fired stove with a steel flat-top.

Mrs. Reynolds was surprised at my amusement with the cooking appliance, because of living all of her life in the heart of Amish country where these can be found in many homes.

She claims she learned to cook by trial and error.

“I have no explanation for how I can cook. I honestly believe I’ve been blessed with a gift. I’m not boasting.”

She loves to bake pies.

“I can’t make one pie. I make ten at a time.”

Not only does she know her way around her own kitchen, but she is and has been at home in many other kitchens throughout the area, having recently cooked at Dave and Bev’s Diner in Ellington. She has prepared a weekly dinner at the Baptist Church of Ellington for at least sixteen years.

“We do a full meal, meat, potatoes, vegetable, salad, dessert and fruit for those that can’t have dessert. It costs $1.25 per person, $5 per family and the first visit is free. We usually have about thirty people and have a half hour Bible study afterward, which everyone is welcome to stay for.”

They owned and operated Reynolds’ Food Value in Conewango Valley for 35 years. When they purchased the business in 1965 it was a grocery store.

“I grew up over the Conewango Valley Hardware, which my parents owned. When I was a child it (the business she and her husband owned) belonged to Gardner and Beach and it was an everything store. They had dry goods, canned goods, kerosene, shoes, and anything you would need. It was our Wal-Mart. My dad would give us money to buy penny candy. If we were really good, he might give us a nickel for a bottle of pop.”

A small diner was added while the Reynolds’ business was leased to another party. They rebuilt the structure after it burned in 1985 using it as a restaurant and small store.

“It was a lot of work, six in the morning until eight or nine at night. We had occasional bus tours come through and we did some sports banquets and small receptions.”

One of her frequent restaurant patrons asked in advance if she would prepare a recipe for the ill child of some guests she would be bringing to the restaurant. The recipe provided was the Baked Chicken recipe. She began offering this dish as a banquet choice.

“Rich or poor, they always asked for this first. It is very moist.”

“The Suet Pudding recipe was my Grandma Hadley’s recipe. My uncle told me I couldn’t give it out, but he’s gone now, so I can give it out,” she laughs. “I call it Christmas Pudding because people would say ‘eeeew,’ when I called it Suet Pudding. My cousin has a day every year where her family gets together to have it.”

“The Grilled Taco and Lime Chicken is a nice summer treat on top of your favorite salad. The Pumpkin Ring is very moist and tasty. Chicken Wing Soup – it was a big secret. No one would ever let you know the recipe for it. I thought, well this is stupid, so I went on the Internet and got it. My family really likes it.”

The Bucket of Muffins recipe was given to her by her mother. The batter can be kept in the refrigerator for a month to six weeks.

“I like master mixes. The Brownie Mix makes extremely good Brownies.”

The couple has been married for sixty years. They share their home with a 12-year-old Shih Tzu named Buster. They have six children, five sons and a daughter, living in Batavia, Conewango Valley, Maryland, Waterloo and Fredonia, New York and Colorado. They also have 41 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“We just had our one hundredth Hadley Family reunion in September at the Stockton Firemen’s Grounds. We had 135 people from California, Florida, Missouri, Maryland and more.”

Roger owns a sawmill where he cuts dimension boards. They are members of the Baptist Church of Ellington, where Mrs. Reynolds has been the pianist for approximately 16 years.

She sings in the church cantata at Easter and Christmas and invites the community to this year’s Christmas Cantata, which will be held Saturday, Dec. 19 at 4 p.m. followed by a free dinner where nearly two hundred people are expected to attend. She volunteers at the Ellington food pantry two days per week. In her down time she likes stamping cards, scrapbooking, sewing and quilting.

“In my mind I do a lot of quilting,” she says with a grin.

Here are some of the Reynolds’ Family’s favorite recipes and favorites that were once served in their restaurant.

Baked Chicken

Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks. Dip in ranch dressing that has been thinned with a little milk. Roll in cracker crumbs. Bake in greased baking dish at 350 degrees until done.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

2 lbs ground beef

1 envelope onion soup mix

c Italian seasoned bread crumbs

milk

c flour

2 T oil

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 envelope au jus gravy mix

water

Combine beef, soup mix, bread crumbs and milk in a large bowl. Form into patties. Dredge in flour, covering both sides. Brown in oil. Stack in slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over patties. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Christmas Pudding (Suet Pudding)

1 c ground suet (have butcher grind it)

1 c molasses

1 c milk

1 c raisins

3 c flour

1 tsp soda

salt

Grease well clean vegetable cans. Mix well. It will be a heavy batter. Fill prepared cans full. Cover with wax paper and secure with a rubber band. Place in pan with lid. Add water, cover and steam 3 hours. Cool. Remove from cans. Should resemble brown bread. Serve with sauce.

Sauce

c real butter

1 c sugar

1 beaten egg

1 T cider vinegar

1 tsp lemon extract

Combine butter, sugar, egg and vinegar. Cook in double boiler, beating well. Add lemon extract after cooking. Serve warm over suet pudding.

Grilled Taco and Lime Chicken

1 tsp ground cumin

tsp pepper

tsp paprika

tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 limes

Put all spices in a ziploc bag. Shake to combine. Add chicken that has been cut into “-1” wide strips and shake to coat. Add lime of one lime. Seal bag and set in refrigerator to marinate for 1-5 hours. Cook on grill or in frying pan 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove from cooking surface and cool at least 10 minutes. Add juice of second lime and serve.

Jalapeno Jelly

1 lg red pepper

1 lg green pepper

10 jalapeno peppers, with seeds

1 c white vinegar

tsp salt

6 c sugar

1 pouch Certo Liquid Fruit Pectin

In food processor, finely chop peppers. Put mixture in large heavy pan with vinegar, salt and sugar. Boil 10 minutes, stirring often. Add Certo and boil 1 more minute. Fill small canning jars. Cover with lids and screw tops. Place in large pan and cover with water. Boil for 10 minutes. Wait a day or so to give jelly a chance to set up. Serve with Ritz Crackers and cream cheese. Makes 6- jars.

Chicken Wing soup

3-10 oz cans cream of chicken soup

6 c milk

c Frank’s Hot Sauce

3 c cooked, shredded chicken

1 c sour cream

Combine soup, milk hot sauce and chicken and cook on low in slow cooker for 4-5 hours. Add sour cream just before serving. Combine well.

Meat Loaf

2 lbs ground beef

2 beaten eggs

c water

2/3 c bread crumbs

c ketchup

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp season salt

Combine all ingredients. Bake at 350 until set up and done.

Pumpkin Ring

3 c Bisquick

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

c margarine, room temperature

4 beaten eggs

1-16 oz can or 2 c pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

c milk

Glaze

1 c powdered sugar

1 T hot milk

tsp vanilla

Mix well. Pour into a well-greased Bundt pan. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Pour over glaze while warm, not hot.

Dreamsicle Cookies

c sugar

1 stick margarine, room temperature

1 egg, slightly beaten

c Tang orange-flavored drink mix

1 c flour

tsp baking powder

tsp soda

1 c white chocolate chips

Combine margarine, egg and sugar until well-blended. Stir in dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chips. Shape into walnut-size balls, place on cookie sheet and press with bottom of glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees just until light brown, 12-14 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

Master Brownie Mix

6 c flour

4 tsp baking powder

4 tsp salt

8 c sugar

8 oz cocoa

2 c shortening

Mix all ingredients well. Store in a tightly-covered container in a cool place.

Master Mix Brownies

2 c Brownie Master Mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

chopped nuts, optional

Bake in 8″ pan at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

No Fail Pie Crust

6 c flour

2 shortening

10 tsp water

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cider vinegar

2 eggs

In a large bowl, cut shortening into flour. Combine the rest of ingredients in another bowl, then add to flour mix. Can use or divide, roll into balls and freeze in individual bags for later.

Bucket of Muffins

4 c All-Bran Cereal

2 c Bran buds Cereal

2 c boiling water

3 c sugar

1 c shortening

5 c flour

5 scant tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 qt buttermilk

Pour boiling water over cereal. Cool slightly. Cream together sugar and shortening. Add to bran mixture. Combine flour, soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Store in airtight container in refrigerator to bake in small batches.

Peanut Butter Pie

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 c peanut butter

2 c sugar

1 c milk

2-8 oz whipped topping, thawed

3 graham cracker pie shells

Mix well and fold in whipped topping. Spoon into pie shells.

Playdough for the Kids

1 c flour

1 c water

c salt

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 T vegetable oil

1 envelope Kool-Aid for color and scent

Cook over medium heat until it separates from the pan. Knead for 5 minutes. Cool and store in Ziploc bag. Can be saved for quite awhile if sealed in airtight bag.