Another “great” year for “The Great Race.” I think it's wonderful that it is such a popular and fun event. Over the years my children participated and now my grandchildren were in it. I was a volunteer for a few years. I passed out water to the racers on the road.

Two of my grandsons and one of their cousins were part of a four-man team. They called themselves “Shenanigans.”

My grandsons were in the canoe race. They didn't win but were part of everything, which is great.

It was a brilliant idea 30 years ago to organize this. I'm sure at the time they didn't visualize it would still be going on and be so popular.

Racers included athletes from different communities, family teams and teams of friends. Everyone has as much fun after the race as they do during it.

I was reading about the art group that meets on Tuesdays at the Boyle Center.

They've been doing it since 1991. I have seen some of their paintings, and they are beautiful. I guess you never know until you try what you can create.

My best friend, who I grew up with, is a very talented artist. She lives in California now. I have a beautiful painting she did for me.

Years ago when our children were very young, we wrote a story together which now we decided would be a good children's book so we've decided to have it painted and perhaps published. I wrote the story, and she did the illustrations, which are great. When we were as young as 5 years old we used to color together.

She was already artistic. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my articles before, but she always told me she didn't think the colors I would use together were good. I would usually color pictures of clothing red and trim them in purple and she'd tell me red and purple do not go together.

Well, I finally won that one. A few years ago I found a purple sweat shirt with red sleeves so I bought it and sent it to her with a note that said red and purple do go together. Then of course the Red Hat Society came along and made it a point to prove red and purple do go together.

I joined the Red Hat Society, and it's a great group of fun ladies and of course we all wear red and purple to our meetings, two happy colors.

Every week this summer we read about events going on that are for a good cause or just for fun. I'm happy to know these events are available. Keep laughing, smiling and enjoying our summer.

My ethnic recipe this week is Mexican. It's called green chili con carne. My other recipe is for orange peanut butter cake.

Today's blooper

My blooper today is about a very fine baker. Years ago, before you could buy packaged muffin mix, she always made her family muffins. One day her husband came into the kitchen and she was stuffing blueberries into baked muffins. She had forgotten to put them into the batter before she baked them.

Diana Sobus of Auburn specializes in making ethnic foods.

Green chili con carne

1 tablespoon shortening

1 teaspoon flour

1 pound stewing beef cut in cubes

2 pounds green chilis, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups beef broth

Saute beef that has been sprinkled with flour in shortening. Add chilis, garlic and salt and saute a few minutes. Then add four cups of beef broth and simmer until beef is tender.

Orange-peanut butter cake

2 2/3 cups sifted flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Topping

1 orange

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add 2/3 cup brown sugar, peanut butter, eggs and orange juice. Stir gently to mix, then beat 100 times until batter is smooth.

Grate 1 tablespoon orange peel from orange. Peel orange and cut and dice into very fine pieces. Stir orange pieces and peel into batter. Pour batter into greased, floured 13-by-9-by-2 cake pan. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of brown sugar evenly over top of batter. Bake at 325 for 45 to 50 minutes until done. Cake is done if it springs back when touched lightly in center.