The Huron Kiwanis Club and Huron Area Community Theater will present short comedies, “Ladies at Poker,” “Ladies at Lunch” and “Ladies on Vacation” in both De Smet and Huron in October.

De Smet performances will be Oct. 13 and 15 at 7 p.m., and Oct. 16 at 3 p.m., all in the De Smet Event Center.

Huron performances will be Oct. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m., and Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., all at the Fine Arts Center on the Huron Community Campus.

Tickets are available at Huron Community Campus, Jensen Livestock Inc. and the De Smet Event Center.

Cast members include Melanie Letsche, Kristy Hubbard, Tristin Gruenhagen, Susan Hines, Gary Kasperson, Maurine Ray and Diane Clayton.

The short comedy plays, which were written by Carol M. Woods, are directed by Leo Jensen and Annette Bowen.

“Ladies at Lunch”
Six alert and active senior ladies meet for lunch each week. Between their arranging chairs, sharing OTC medications, discussing mammograms and men, they give a waiter and his manager a really bad day. This is a hilarious play, full of opportunities for clever business.

“Ladies at Poker”
The ladies meet at Suzie’s home for a game of poker which they know little if anything about. Suzie’s husband, Willoughby, sticks his two-cents-worth in and the game disintegrates into a sharing of make-up and poker-bridge. As usual men are a part of the discussion!

“Ladies on Vacation”
Six alert and active senior ladies go on vacation and rent a condo with only one bathroom. From trying to get all of their luggage into one minivan, deciding who sleeps where and what to eat, to finally selecting the activities, life gets wild and silly, all intensified by lack of sleep.

Cast members shared some favorite recipes:

Pork Roast
From Kristi Hubbard
    Pork loin
    1 cup chicken broth        
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
    3 Tablespoons honey
    1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
    2 Tablespoons olive oil
    1 cup minced onion
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    2 teaspoons diced rosemary
    1 teaspoon diced oregano
    1 teaspoon dried thyme

    1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Gravy:
    Crock pot drippings
    1 Tablespoon corn starch
    3 Tablespoons cold water

Cook in crock pot for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the pork loin. Remove the pork loin and pour any drippings into a pan, and heat on stove with corn starch and water to make a great gravy.

Buttery Keto Toffee
From Maurine Ray
    6 Tablespoons butter
    1 cup chopped nuts
    5 Tablespoons heavy cream
    1/2 cup sugar-free sweetener
    Pinch of salt

Combine:
    7 ounces very dark chocolate
    1/2 cup sweetener

Line a small baking pan (9-inch square) with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Melt butter over medium until it starts to turn golden. Add nuts and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are slightly toasted. Add 4 Tablespoons of cream and the sweetener. Cook until thickened and golden, takes about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add salt and reserved cream. Stir until smooth. Pour onto foil lined pan and refrigerate until firm to touch, about 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and add sweetener to taste. Pour half over the toffee. Flip the toffee over and pour the rest of the chocolate on top. Refrigerate until firm.

Octopus Stew
From Tristin Gruenhagen
    4 hot dogs
    1 package chicken flavor Ramen noodles
    Water
    Green food coloring

Prepare octopi: Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a 2-quarter saucepan. Lay one hot dog on a flat surface. Using a paring knife, split hot dog lengthwise 3/4 of the way, leaving one end intact. Roll hot dog 1/4 turn and split again, making four legs. Keep splitting until the hot dog has eight legs. Repeat with remaining hot dogs. Boil five minutes, set aside.

Cook noodles as directed on package. Before draining, add 3 drops of green food coloring to create seaweed.

Divide seaweed noodles into portions on four plates. Carefully set one octopus directly on each mound of seaweed. For added flare, put ketchup eyes on the octopus and drizzle ketchup around the edge of each plate.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad
From Melanie Letsche
    15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

    9 ounces cooked corn, fresh or frozen
    1 medium tomato, chopped
    1/3 cup chopped red onion
    1 1/2 to 2 limes, juiced
    2 Tablespoons olive oil
    2 Tablespoons fresh minced cilanto
    Salt and pepper
    1 diced jalapeno

Stir together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken Soup
From Susan Hines
    1/2 cup wild rice, (raw, rinsed)
    3/4 cup diced celery
    1 cup diced carrot
    1 cup diced onion
    4-5 minced garlic cloves
    1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
    1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
    1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
    6 cups chicken broth
    2 cups water
    1-2 bay leaves

Cook on high for 4 hours. At 3 1/2 hours, remove chicken, shred or chop and return chicken to pot.

Make White Sauce to add to soup. Let sit five minutes, then serve.

White Sauce
    5 Tablespoons butter
    1/2 cup flour
    2 cups milk
    2 teaspoons salt