Dear Sun Spots: You do a great service to our community and I am hoping all your great readers will come through for us again.

The Hospice House on Stetson Road in Auburn needs supplies to have on hand for patients and their families. We are hoping that some of your readers may have some of these gently used or new items around that they no longer use or have a need for, or may just want to buy an item for donation. Examples are: Games such as Monopoly, Upwords, Yahtzee, Cribbage and Scrabble; Game Boys or Video Games; Puzzles (500 piece or less); Chicken Soup Books; Audio Books; Word Finds, Activity Books; coloring books/crayons; poetry books; pens/pencils. If you have any of these items that you would like to donate please call the Hospice House at 333-6300 to arrange a drop-off or you can call me to make other arrangements. Thank you. – Mary Wade, Turner.

Dear Sun Spots: To your reader seeking a recipe for Ragu, I located the following on Wikipedia and hopefully this will assist your reader in being able to capture those flavors of their childhood.

According to Wikipedia, Ragu [ragù] is a meat-based pasta sauce, possibly related to ragoût, a French word for stew. The dish featured on Wikipedia is made with farine grillée [browned flour]. The process of browning the flour could be done under a broiler in the oven. However, the process in a pan on the stove top allows for a more even and controlled browning of the flour. The meat can be a combination of ground meats and served with cubed potatoes and carrots. This writer noted that the dish could be made in the crock pot. However, they did not provide a complete recipe but rather noted that they tended to cook by the seat of their pants! – Mary Anne Courbron, Greene.

Answer: Sun Spots checked around some more and located the following recipe online at www.lifescript.com:

Pasta with Tuscan Ragu

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil, 8 ounces low-fat Italian sausage, casings removed, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 cups finely diced carrots, 1 cup finely diced onion, 1 cup finely diced celery, ½ cup dry red wine, 3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with their juices, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, ½ cup chopped fresh basil, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 12 ounces penne pasta.

Method: In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Add the carrot, onion and celery and cook until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it has almost completely evaporated. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and basil and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until it is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the sausage ragu. Transfer the pasta mixture to a deep baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top, cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve in warm pasta bowls.

Dear Sun Spots: I graduated from Edward Little High School in 1965. I’m wondering if we’ve had a class reunion or if there are any plans for one in the future. I can be reached at 286-9758. Or if you don’t want to make a long distance call, friends at 777-5155 will take a message. – S.R., No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots had the pleasure of talking with Sue (Rattigan) Trefsger at 784-4784, who’s been involved with the reunions in the past and continues to be. She says a reunion was held last year. The next one will take place in 2010. Sun Spots did provide your phone numbers and names to her for contact closer to the reunion date. Other ELHS graduates from 1965 might also make note of Sue’s number so that you can celebrate and catch up with those classmates in 2010.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion. Or you can e-mail your inquiries to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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