By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Searching through cupboards in the kitchen of daughter Jody Loomis of Marion, Joyce Montague, 59, of Wichita, found ingredients and put them together to make a dish she calls “Marion County Casserole.”

The recipe is included in a cookbook Montague recently uploaded to Kindle: “Cooking with Philosophy Part One.”

Montague said she and her daughter do a lot of cooking when she comes to Marion to visit.

The casserole came about on one such visit. She was looking to make a dish that her son-in-law, Michael Loomis, would like.

The cookbook project began as a blog at http://juliettisme.blogspot.com Anyone can preview her book there. It may be purchased under her name as an e-book at http://kindle.com.

Another daughter, Nancy Garcia, lived in Peabody and now lives in Newton. Montague also has a daughter in Wichita and one in Olathe.

In 1977, she conceived the idea of creating or trying a new recipe every week as a family project. She kept notes on her work. She also kept a diary, and at some point started collecting philosophy.

After raising two families and retiring from the tea spice industry, she had time to sit down and review her work.

Her recipes and philosophies are compiled in five collections. In the future, she plans to upload Parts 2, 3, and 4 to “Cooking with Philosophy” and another cookbook, “A New Century.”

Montague said her recipes were geared to helping people stretch canned goods and make family meals out of small items such as two little bags of Doritos.

Each recipe is dated with when it was created. Montague includes either a cooking tip, poetry, or excerpts from her diary, as well as clip art and philosophy.

Montague encourages cooks to take notes and to teach their children how to measure, how to set the table, and how to sing as they work. “Like we did,” she said.

“Writing everything I saved over 30 years is fulfilling,” she said. “This recipe goes out to Marion County, Kansas. I love to go camping there with my family.”

Marion County Casserole

1 lb. box cheese spread

1 c. milk

½ c. salad dressing

2 c. ham, cooked and cubed

1 10oz. pkg. frozen broccoli

5 oz. linguine, cooked and drained

1 T. chives, fresh or dried

In a medium saucepan, heat cheese, milk, and salad dressing. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Place in a 2-quart casserole and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 6.