St. Paddy's dinner -- pies!

Since at least the 1950s, St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Big Timber has been serving a community dinner on St. Patrick's Day. The menu has pretty much remained the same, almost everything made by church members -- and all you can eat for (this year anyway) $9:

ham

baked potatoes

green bean casserole

coleslaw

green salad

rolls

pie

Lots of pie!

This year I made two sour cream apple pies.

There were so many pies that I brought a whole one back home with me. This was fine with me. The recipe I used has lots and lots of apples and only enough sour cream to hold them together.

I liked being at the dinner because all the church members were enthusiastically serving and dressed in festive green.

Jackie, the smiling hostess, was elegant in a floor-length suit.

A tip to anyone new to Montana, or passing through: check the local paper, or ask local people, to find out if any of the churches are serving dinner that night. Most churches hold a fund-raiser during the year, often more than one. Look for bake sales and stores giving away cookies for a special event, too. In small-town Montana, those cookies are usually home baked.

If you're lucky, wherever you go, homemade food will be waiting for you just around the corner.