Barbie Butz e1607969318124
Barbie Butz is an independent columnist for The Atascadero News and Paso Robles Press; you can email her at barbiewb@hotmail.com.

Mother’s Day was a lovely day for me.

We purchased a Lasagna dinner from the Atascadero Printery Foundation’s fundraiser and shared it with our Paso Robles family, our son Dave, his wife Shannon, and their daughter, Maddie, who was visiting from the Bay area.

Later we visited Lowe’s and came home with tomato plants. I think every one must be planting big tomatoes this year because there weren’t many of those left, but lots of cherry tomato varieties left on the racks. We like those Beefsteak-size tomatoes where one slice covers a whole sandwich! We’re chanting, “grow tomatoes, grow!”

A large majority of La Cuesta Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR)
membership participated in the HeArt-felt project for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA).

CASA advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system. The organization recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for this vulnerable population with the goal of ensuring that each and every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home.

District VII Director Robin Eiland, La Cuesta Chapter Regent Leslie Lechner, and La Cuesta chapter members Carrie Lovell and Barbra Wright were honored to deliver the HeArt bags to a representative from the CASA office in San Luis Obispo. CASA Executive Director, Teresa Tardiff, explained that the program’s current 130 kids were overjoyed to receive the unexpected art kits.

La Cuesta Chapter members organized and assembled 61 HeArt kits. The special kits each had age-appropriate drawing pads, construction paper, water color paint sets, stencils, rulers, scissors, paint brushes, chalk, play-doh, crayons, sharpeners, glue sticks, stickers, and extras.

La Cuesta Chapter, NSDAR is an active chapter honoring ancestors who fought for their independence. The chapter celebrated 70 years of service in SLO County on January 19, 2021. The chapter promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism, through volunteer service in local communities.

NSDAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical women’s service organization with more than one million members who have joined the organization since its founding in 1890. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. For more information, visit DAR.org.

Next, put this recipe under “summer” in your recipe file. It makes a delicious cold soup, and it’s made with those tomatoes you’re planting now.

Bloody Mary Gazpacho
Ingredients:
3 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
¾ cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons drained bottled horseradish
½ teaspoon sugar
1 cup finely chopped peeled seeded cucumber
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
½ cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
½ cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
¼ teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Blend first four ingredients in blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and enough water to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 1 hour until cold. Make 1 day ahead. Easily serves 6.