It was a place where we celebrated birthdays with homemade cakes, frosted with real whipped cream and topped with just-picked slices of red strawberries from her garden. There beside the cake may have been a gift, a wooden toy truck made from hand with wheels that turned.

Just a small gathering of nearby friends and some family would be there, the atmosphere was laid back and homespun, nothing like some of the elaborate children’s parties of today.

The moms had coffee and cake and the children played outside and all about, and we blew out candles and sang “Happy Birthday.” No fuss, just a simple “Dick and Jane” kind of wonderful day. It is a pleasant memory of my friend Marcelle Bacque’ Judice and a memory of a child’s birthday party long ago.

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This memory surfaced the other day while driving the back way to Loreauville; I noticed that the little white house that she had once lived in and I had visited so many times was gone. I thought of that party and tried to remember when.

It must have been in the late spring 20-something years ago. I know the season because the strawberries were producing and I can estimate the year because our children were very young.

Marcelle was my classmate in high school, but more than that, we became neighbors here in Loreauville when it was still the country and we were home with young children. We shared the weight and joys of raising our children, recipes and summer afternoon visits.

If you know any of the Bacques, you know how incredibly creative and innately talented they all are and Marcelle was definably of that nature. She made everything and did so with ease and tremendous aptitude. My life has been enriched from knowing her and I am so happy to remember her.

As life would have it, while thinking of those long ago summer days and Marcelle, I was so kindly given some jalapeno plants from Edward Fremin, who, by the way, has an incredible organic vegetable garden (I called it a garden on steroids). Anyway, they too remind me of my friend and a recipe she had given me years ago: Hot Pepper Jelly. It remains on the original 3-by-5 inch card with smudges and wrinkles, somewhat like my life. Needless to say, I cherish this token.

I have recipe cards from my mother and grandmother also and they are treasures I pull out on holidays and special occasions, like a mid-summer day when it’s time to harvest hot peppers.

The jelly is awesome and certainly worth the trouble. She and I would use green and red dye and suddenly it would become a potential Christmas gift. I will reproduce it here, in case you find yourself in mid-summer with a few hot peppers and thoughts of Christmas.

Hot Pepper Jelly:

1/3 cup blended hot peppers

1 1/3 cup blended green peppers

 6 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 pkg. Certo

1 teaspoon green or red food coloring

Seed peppers and blend in blender. Add sugar and vinegar. Boil 1 minute. Lower fire and cook for 5 minutes. Add Certo and food coloring. Put in jars.

Serves: 16 baby food jars.

From: MBJ

PAM SHENSKY is the mother of five and a teacher at New Iberia Senior High.