The following is my response to the question--posted in If you grew up in Anderson, IN. re: if you remember something you made in shop and/or home ec. class...
Among other things, when I was in Mrs. Virginia Flatt's home ec class during my freshman year of high school (first two years of high school took place at Markleville High School and second two years at the newly consolidated Pendleton Heights High School) during the 1967-68 school year, I made a matching skirt and sleeveless top (the latter generally worn with a blouse under it) that were, if I recall, of a kind of mixed blues paisley pattern.
Another thing I made in there was a serving of burned fried potatoes. Here's the recipe for them:
Slice up raw potatoes into somewhat circular pieces.
In a skillet, heat shortening or cooking oil (can't remember which) on the highest temperature available on the stove's burner. When it really gets to sizzling and popping, add potatoes to it and don't bother to lower the heat even a single degree. (Note: inexperience when it comes to frying foods comes in very handy here in order to achieve the interesting results!).
Add one Tom Jones lookalike (in my eyes) teacher (one used in my recipe was Jerry Eckhardt who taught math and psychology)--but not in the skillet.
Instead, this "ingredient" will appear at the door to the home ec room going on about how something really smells good.
This should make the cook/cook wannabee (me) realize that he's probably talking about the dessert instead of the fried potatoes.
The cook/cook wannabee (me) will then daydream herself into a fantasy of preparing dessert (which she does very well, so why was she assigned those stupid potatoes!?!) for the local Tom Jones--which will result in going into a kind of staring trance in his direction.
During this time, potatoes should turn the desired charcoal color accompanied by the odor of one of Anderson, Indiana's city dumps catching fire.
They will now be done and will be ready to transfer from the skillet into the nearest garbage can!
