Your neighbor's recipe: Goofy but good

Stephanie Brock doesn’t mind getting a little “goofy” in the kitchen or at work.

As a mother of two young children and a music teacher to more than 700 elementary school students, Brock uses her creativity and passion to come up with fun recipes at home and fun lesson plans at school.

Take, for instance, one of her kids’ favorite treats: goofballs.

“They are so easy and fun to make,” Brock, a longtime Brownstown resident, said while sitting down with her daughter, Carley, 7, and her son, Cole, 10, to enjoy a plate of ooey-gooey goofballs. “The kids just love them, and they like helping me make them, too.”

“I used to have Mom make them for me to take to school on my birthday instead of cupcakes,” Cole said.

“I could eat them all, they are so good,” Carley added.

The recipe is foolproof, Brock said.

A bag of marshmallows, butter, Rice Krispie cereal, milk and individually wrapped little caramel squares are all you need.

“Quick and simple, except it is a little tedious to unwrap all those caramels,” she said, laughing.

The recipe itself is similar to Rice Krispie squares.

“If you like Rice Krispie squares, you’re going to love these,” Brock said. “Actually, you’ll never want to go back to regular Rice Krispie squares again.”

With the holiday season in full swing, Brock said she doesn’t have a lot of time to plan and prepare meals, but she always enjoys making goofballs this time of year.

“This is really the time when I make them the most,” she said. “I took them to a pitch-in at school today for all the teachers and they were almost gone before lunch even began.”

Brock is in her fifth year of teaching music at Brownstown and Freetown elementary schools. She also directs the schools’ choirs, which perform several shows throughout the year.

Tonight, she will lead the fifth-graders in their Christmas musical, “Frosty’s First Adventure.” The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Brownstown Central High School auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.

“It’s their big moment to shine,” Brock said of the students. “It really gets the kids in the mood for Christmas.”

Although the shows are a lot of hard work and take much preparation on her part, Brock said she always looks forward to them.

“The kids take it seriously and do a great job with learning their parts and singing the songs,” she said.

Music has long been a part of Brock’s life. Before becoming the music teacher at Brownstown and Freetown elementary schools, she served as the music director of Brownstown Christian Church for five years.

But she remembers music having an influence on her as early as childhood.

“I was very small, probably three or four, and I remember singing with an older cousin at church,” she said. “It was a small country church. My aunt would teach us the songs and we would sing. That’s where it all started and it never really stopped after that.”

From there it led to piano and organ lessons and then voice lessons.

“I still sing and play at churches,” she said.

Born and raised in Brownstown, Brock spent a few years in Chicago after marrying her husband, Clint Brock, who also lived in Brownstown. She attended Olivet Nazarene College and graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in elementary education and a minor in music.

“This really is home,” she said of Brownstown. “It’s so nice to be here and have our families here. Family is very important to me, because they keep me motivated.”

But she admits that anyone who knew her in the past might have trouble believing she even steps foot in a kitchen now.

“I like to cook now,” she said. “But people that knew me then will scream with laughter when they read this, because I was never cut out to be a homemaker. I can’t tell you how many frozen pizzas I burned.”

But through trial and error and the patience of her mother and mother-in-law, Brock was able to learn how to prepare meals.

“I enjoy baking more so than cooking entire meals,” she said. “I love sweets and desserts and so do the kids, so that’s probably why I enjoy baking so much.”

But when it comes down to making a whole meal, Brock said she tends to choose recipes that are quick and easy and often consist of all-in-one ingredients, like her recipes for meat and potato salad and hot chicken salad.

“I like casseroles and recipes that have your meat and vegetables all together,” she said. “Being a working mother, it just makes life simpler and lets me enjoy more time with my family.”

Goofballs

1 can Eagle Brand milk

2 sticks butter

Rice Krispies cereal

54 caramels

Large marshmallows

Melt butter, caramels and milk in double boiler, making sure butter is stirred throughout. Using a toothpick, dip a large marshmallow into the melted mixture, thoroughly coating it. Immediately roll the dipped marshmallow in the cereal. Set on waxed paper until cool.

Meat ’n’ Potato Salad

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

1 pound small red potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes

1½ cups chicken broth

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 large green bell pepper, diced

½ cup red onion, chopped

Place sausage, potatoes and chicken broth in frying pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and salt in a bowl. When sausage and potatoes are finished cooking, drain and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, potatoes, bell pepper and onion to bowl and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Hot Chicken Salad

2 cups chicken, diced

2 cups celery, diced

½ cup grated cheese (American or cheddar)

1 grated onion

1 package crushed potato chips

1 cup mayonnaise

1½ teaspoons lemon juice

Mix mayonnaise and lemon juice and set aside. Mix together chicken, celery, onion and cheese. Add mayonnaise mixture. Layer bottom of a greased 9x9-inch pan with half potato chips. Put on chicken mixture and top with remaining chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.