“When I was a teenager my mom was a waitress. She would get dinner started (before leaving for work) and leave a note for us to finish it.”

Today the mother of one is married to her high school sweetheart, Randy Lookenhouse, who she started dating while they were attending Eisenhauer High School in Russell, Pennsylvania. The romance continued throughout the years while Randy was studying to be an HVAC technician at Triangle Tech in Greensburg, Pa. While he was away his girlfriend would send him some of the money she had earned while working at CVS Pharmacy.

“A co-worker said I was crazy to send him money, but I told her ‘he is going to own a business one day and I will work for him,'” the wife says with a grin.

After completing the Registered Nurse’s program at Jamestown Community College, she began a full-time job at WCA Hospital. Her husband worked at various jobs, with the last being at Loranger International Corporation in Warren, Pa.

Rhonda Lookenhouse has been making this Blueberry Ring Cake ever since she tasted it at a funeral dinner.

When the couple became parents of their daughter, Ashley, in 1995 and the new mother went to a part-time position at the hospital and did not return to full-time duty until 2012. Over the years the RN was a peritoneal dialysis nurse. After the dialysis unit was sold, she began splitting her working hours between the orthopedic and prenatal clinics and a doctor’s office.

Mr. Lookenhouse started to make other plans for employment when he began to realize work at Loranger’s was gradually slowing down. He came up with the idea to open an archery shop where he would repair and sell bows, asking his wife if she would help in the endeavor. The shop became a reality when it opened in a little building belonging to her step-father, Bob North, in 1999 with the addition of fishing rods, reels, lures and 15 long guns. The name for the business came to be when the couple were brainstorming for a name while they with her parents. Her mother, Ida North, suggested “tall tales because you guys are always telling stories.”

In the early years, Randy spent his days at Tall Tales while his wife was working at the hospital. After her shift was done, she would relieve him and close up the store so he could go to his job at Loranger’s.

In 2013 the couple purchased the building and added several square feet, allowing them to expand the business to include hand guns, muzzle loaders, firearm and muzzle loading accessories and ammunition and scopes. They also added binoculars, hunting knives, compound bows and crossbows. Archery accessories, tree stands, safety harnesses, hunting blinds and seats and targets, reloading supplies, hunting clothing and boots complete their inventory.

“We took what we were doing and got more in depth with it,” says Mr. Lookenhouse.

The recipe for Apple Bread was acquired by Mrs. Lookenhouse from one of her former co-workers at WCA Hospital.

It was at this time that his wife left her nursing job to be able to dedicate more hours to her office manager responsibilities at the sporting goods business. Her husband is at the store every day at some point. She works five days per week with the exception of this busy time of year, when she adds Saturdays to her work week “in order to catch-up.”

“Seventy per cent of our staff have been with us for 5 or more years, some having been 10, 12 and 15-year employees,” says the office manager.

“Our staff are hunting and/or firearms enthusiasts. They are trained to help our customers choose the correct fitting bow and do bow set-up. We also buy and sell used firearms. We mount and bore sight all scopes that we sell,” her husband chimes in.

“It took about 10 years before we got our feet under us. She is as instrumental to get to where we are today as I am,” he says with a tone of gratitude. “She does all the stuff I’m not good at. We wouldn’t be as far along without her doing all that she does. I do enjoy the business but the paperwork is intense with the firearms.”

He is a deer-hunting enthusiast, having started at the legal age of twelve, but started tagging along with his father and grandfather when they were small game hunting when he was just five or six years old.

“Our busy season is during deer hunting season, so that has interfered with his hunting,” his wife states.

The nurse turned office manager occasionally finds time to slip in some enjoyable activities. One of those would be considered a chore by most people, but she takes pleasure in mowing their four-acre lawn.

“I just enjoy being outdoors and like to spend time working on our property.”

“And she likes to go with me to drive the 4-wheeler,” her husband adds. “She likes to walk in the woods with the dogs.”

The wife and mother tells about how she enjoys gardening, especially working with perennial flowers and how she really enjoyed working with her mother and sister in her sister’s vegetable garden this past summer. She also likes to travel to visit her daughter, traveling with her mother and sister and spending time with family.

Her husband taking her to the horse races for her birthday has become an annual tradition.

The couple spends a lot of time together, not only while they have a little down-time, but at work where they share an office. They are members of a buying group and travel to a show in Phoenix where 70 per cent of the entire year’s buying takes place, as well as to another show in St. Charles, Missouri. He attends an annual distributor show in Loraine, Ohio, but sends an employee to the Columbia, South Carolina show.

Their daughter, Ashley Lookenhouse, is attending grad school in Portland, Oregon. The family has two canines, Brystal the Labradoodle and a Poodle-Beagle named Ellie. Randy’s parents, Ron and Pat Lookenhouse, are next-door neighbors of their son and daughter-in-law.

Our cook contributes several recipes. Among them is a recipe for Vegetarian Taco Salad, which she received in an email sent from the dietary department at the hospital where she used to work. She had to have the recipe for Blueberry Ring Cake after she tasted it at a funeral dinner. Both the Banana Slush Cake and Apple Bread recipes were acquired from former co-workers.

Tall Tales Sporting Goods is located just over the Pennsylvania line at 8330 Market Street, Russell, Pa. The hours of operation are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m-7 .m., Friday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. They can be reached by calling (814) 757-1400.

Apple Bread

1 c oil

2 c sugar

3 eggs, beaten

2 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

3 c chopped apples

In a large bowl mix oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, cinnamon, soda and salt in another bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with apples to the liquid mixture. Mix well. Pour into two greased 8″ loaf pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 70 minutes.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

2 T olive oil

1 ¢ c fresh or frozen corn kernels

4 large tomatoes, divided

1 ¢ c cooked rice

1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed

1 T chili powder

1 ¢ tsp dried oregano, divided

™ tsp salt

¢ c chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 c prepared salsa

2 c shredded lettuce

1 c Shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided

2 ¢ c coarsely crumbled tortilla chips

1 sliced avocado

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn; cook stirring occasionally approximately 5 minutes. Coarsely chop 1 tomato. Add tomato to pan along with rice, beans, chili powder, 1 tsp oregano and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato cooks down, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Coarsely chop the remaining 3 tomatoes. Combine with cilantro, salsa and remaining ¢ tsp oregano in a medium bowl. Toss lettuce in a large bowl with bean mixture, half the salsa and 2/3 c cheese. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and the remaining cheese. Serve with remaining salsa and avocado.

Broccoli Salad

Salad:

1 large bunch broccoli

¢ lb bacon, cooked crisp

1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Combine salad ingredients.

Sauce:

¢ c Miracle Whip

™ c sugar

1 tsp vinegar

Mix sauce ingredients. Stir sauce into salad just before serving.

Blueberry Ring Cake

Cake:

2 T butter

1 package white cake mix, divided

¢ c brown sugar

1/3 c chopped walnuts

3 eggs

1 c sour cream

1 c blueberries

Cut butter into 1/3 C cake mix until crumbly. Mix in brown sugar & walnuts. Set aside. Beat eggs with fork. Add sour cream and remaining cake mix; batter will be thick and lumpy. Fold in blueberries. Spread ¢ the batter into greased and floured Bundt pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Spread remaining batter on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting:

¢ c butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

¢ c powdered sugar

Blend butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Refrigerate.

Banana Slush Cake

Crust:

1 ¢ c flour

™ c sugar

§ c butter, melted

§ c walnuts, chopped

Mix crust ingredients. Press into greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 c powdered sugar

8 oz container whipped topping

2 pkgs vanilla instant pudding

3 c cold milk

2 bananas, sliced

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 c whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Mix milk with pudding. Add sliced bananas. Spread over cream cheese layer. Cover with remaining whipped. Refrigerate overnight.