Laura Crooks

All I really remember about kindergarten, besides the cute little duck on my "cubby" and coloring in the red, yellow and green circles on a picture of a stoplight, is my mom having my favorite lunch – chicken and rice soup – ready for me day after day when I got home. Thirteen years later, when I was away at college, the handwritten note from Mom arrived in the mail the day after classes started – a welcome reminder that I always had a home no matter where I was.

The paper airplanes and helicopters have taken off, but the rockets are staying behind. Visitors to Mobius Kids will see a few changes taking place over the next few weeks as the children's museum shuffles a few exhibits and debuts a new one.

An anonymous reader inquired about a recipe believed to have been published around the time of World War II, when sugar rationing was going on. The recipe used primarily corn syrup as the sweetening agent. We searched The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean files and found this Sugar-Ration Cake from October 1942 and the following Maytime Cake from April 1942. Sugar-Ration Cake

A former Spokanite now living in Southern California was looking for a recipe for Lindaman's Nanaimo Bars. We didn't find the recipe in our archives, but we did find the following recipe, which is claimed to be the original. The recipe was published in a story written by Billie Moreland, who first learned about the sweet treat during a trip to Vancouver, B.C. In the years that followed, Moreland encountered several variations of the bars. On a quest to find the original nanaimo, Moreland unearthed this recipe from the tourism office in city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

Muffins make great on-the-go breakfasts, quick snacks and nice additions to a buffet spread. Here are a few recipes in response to requests for Zucchini Muffins, Apple-Cinnamon Muffins and Chocolate-Chip Muffins. Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins

Dear Laura: Many years ago there was a Desert Hotel Oasis in Spokane. In the luncheon area they served a marvelous entrée called Chicken Croquettes. It was ground chicken inside a light golden crust and topped with a white sauce. Would there be a chance of getting this recipe? – Carol, from Colfax Dear Carol: I didn't find any recipes specifically from the Desert Hotel Oasis, but Chicken Croquettes is a popular recipe that comes in many variations. The classic cookbook "Joy of Cooking" includes a recipe that seems to be the one most often copied or adapted. It includes chicken mixed with a white sauce, battered and fried. This recipe serves it with lemon wedges or cranberry sauce, but other recipes I saw served it with additional white sauce on top. Here's the recipe.

A reader asked via The Spokesman-Review Web site for the Joe Frogger Cookies recipe. These ginger-nutmeg flavored cookies appeared several times in leaflets produced by The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean department. The recipe makes a crisp yet chewy cookie with a distinct holiday flavor. Joe Frogger Cookies

Chicken salad may be a summertime favorite, but it also provides for a simple yet popular contribution to cooler weather potlucks. Here are several recipes we dug up based on a couple of inquiries. One reader wanted a recipe for a chicken salad that tasted like a classic club sandwich, while another was looking for a recipe for a Rice-a-Roni chicken salad. Chicken Club Salad

Share a meal; strengthen your family. It's a message family advocates across the country want parents to hear. Among other benefits, studies show that kids whose families regularly eat meals together are less likely to use drugs. "Eating together is an excellent idea," said Chris Koehler, a parenting expert with the Washington State University Spokane County Extension office.

Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard

Dear Laura: Many years ago a recipe for Senate Navy Bean soup was printed in a magazine or newspaper. I have lost the copy. I found one that is supposed to be the original from www.senate.gov but it is not like the one I had and made for years. The recipe I had included celery, carrots, garlic and tomato sauce. A portion of the beans were mashed when finished cooking. Can you help? – S. Rose Dear S. Rose: There are so many variations of Senate Bean Soup floating around. Many versions call for mashed potatoes, which are commonly used to thicken sauces and soups. Another way to accomplish this, without adding potatoes, is to remove a portion of the beans, puree them and return them to the pot. Here are three recipes, two that come close to what you remember, and the version that is currently served in the U.S. Senate (according to the government's Web site).

The smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies wafts through the halls of Building 4 of Spokane Falls Community College two times a week, luring students and faculty with its irresistibility. "It's a great marketing tool," said Valorie Marschall, campus adviser to the Delta Epsilon Chi club, which holds bake sales Monday and Wednesday mornings on campus. For others, the yummy ethnic goodies they can get only a few places or a few times a year are what brings them back time and again. At the Greek Dinner Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church last weekend, people lined up early as they have every year for decades, to stock up on popular pastries and treats, such as diples and baklava.

Dear Laura: Can you find a good recipe for penuche (brown sugar fudge)? Every one I try seems to turn grainy when I make it. I would like a recipe that turns out creamy. – Barbara Dear Barbara: I searched The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean files and found a few different recipes for penuche. In some versions, it's called "panocha." Here are a couple of the recipes. I made the first one, which calls for evaporated milk instead of regular milk. It turned out quite creamy, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth quality to it. The other recipe is different from many recipes I found on the Internet in that it calls for only brown sugar, not a white and brown sugar combination. Give these a try. I think you'll like them.

Cancel those appointments, ditch the gym, let the kids' skip soccer and ballet practice, tell the boss you're leaving on time and turn off the TV and cell phones. You're being encouraged to do something on Monday that once was a no-brainer: Sit down as a family and have dinner.

Dear Readers: I received a request for a banana bread recipe that used little or no liquid other than mashed bananas and eggs. Most banana bread recipes I've seen do use very little liquid. Here are two from The Spokesman-Review's Dorothy Dean files, one that uses only a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and another that is sure to be a hit with big and little kids who like the peanut butter banana combination. Banana Bread

When it comes to preserving the summer's bounty, canning veterans insist that the age-old practice isn't difficult provided you do one important thing: Follow the directions carefully.