Mary Emma's Country Kitchen

Have We Lost the "Art of Thank You?"

2011-10-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've heard several people comment recently that "thank you" seems to have disappeared from our vocabulary. These were co-workers, a teacher, a grandmother and someone commenting on a blog. One person mentioned that thank you notes seem almost a forgotten courtesy these days.

"Thank you notes? What does that have to do with cooking?" you ponder.

Perhaps it doesn't, except in a round-about way if someone gives you a homemade gift or brings meals when you or a family member is sick. However, the discussion brings back memories of childhood when my siblings and I sat around the dining table the day after Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions for gifts.

Mother always insisted we write "thank you" notes. I may not have seen the value then, although we did come from a family of letter writers, but now I'm glad Mother desired to teach this courtesy.

I also recall sitting in my grandmother's kitchen writing letters and thank you notes with her when I visited. Every Sunday and Wednesday evenings, and sometimes in between, Nanny wrote letters to her two children living in other towns. She also penned notes to friends, including those she needed to thank for some kindness.

Writing Notes Anywhere

At our farmhouses, the kitchen table became the spot for letter writing, craft projects, homework, reading, and chatting over a cup of tea. So naturally, when I think of thank you notes, these occasions often come to mind, although I've learned from a friend that you can write these anywhere.

From her, I've acquired the habit of keeping postcards and note cards with me so I can jot a note on the spot instead of waiting and then forgetting. She always has these cards in her planner or purse.

If I mention a mutual friend who is ill, experiencing difficulties, received recognition, she asks, "Mary, what's their address?" then pulls out a card and addresses it immediately. If she doesn't have time to write the note, she has the addressed envelope or postcard to remind her when there are a few moments.

Making Thank You Notes

Thank you notes can be a fun cardmaking project with your children or grandchildren, as well as one teaching the "art of thank you."

*Use scrapbooking supplies and adorn some heavier paper or cardstock in various ways.

*Do you have stamping supplies on hand? Your youngsters might like to use these when making notes, as well as birthday and get well cards.

*Colored paper and crayons or colored pencils also suffice for creating attractive cards and notes. Perhaps you have pens with gold and silver ink for use, too. Youngsters love to draw and write with these.

*If you're into a more extensive project, make paper with the youngsters to use for their cards.

Thank You Note Snacks

A bite of goodies helps spur youngsters on with their tasks. Perhaps it will contribute to the enjoyment of this one of thank you note writing.

RAISIN NUT NUMBLES - Boil 2 cups of raisins in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Cool and stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Cream 1 cup shortening and 2 cups sugar; add 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir into the raisin mixture. Mix well.

Sift together 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt; add to other ingredients. Fold in 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Stir well and drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes.

(c)Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes from her woodland home in New Hampshire. )

Peaches & Pie Time

2011-09-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hubby Jim has been perfecting peach pie and makes a delicious one. I don't even try to compete with him because he measures and times things exactly. I'm more the "throw it together" experimental type of cook. And I have some amazing surprises at times!

Peach season always brings back memories, too. When I was growing up on a New York State farm, we had a few peach trees, along with Father's apple trees, which yielded this delicious fruit. Mother always canned quantities of peaches for us to have for dessert in winter. She often made fresh peach shortcake during peach season.

Peaches Grown in China

Apparently peaches first were grown in China, where this was a symbol of longevity. Often actual peaches or replicas in porcelain were given as friendship and good will gifts. Chinese porcelain and paintings often were decorated with peaches or peach blossoms.

From China, the peach reached Persia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and then northern Europe. Peach pits were brought to the Caribbean by Columbus and from there the fruit spread to Mexico.

Long before the thirteen American colonies were established, peaches in abundance were growing wild in this country.

Found in Florida

In the 16th century, Spanish colonists began growing peaches in Florida. From there peaches spread westward and northward so rapidly that the early English settlers were astonished to find them wild when they landed in Virginia.

Today, next to the apple, peaches rank among the most widely grown deciduous fruits in the United States.

Peach Shortcake - This was a treat I enjoyed as a child. Make shortcake from your favorite recipe, either biscuit or cake type. While warm, split biscuits or the cake and fill with sliced, sweetened fresh peaches. Spoon peaches over the top and served with whipped cream or sweetened heavy cream.

No-Bake Peach Pie is a quick and easy dessert. (But Jim prepares the traditional two crust baked one.) Prepare vanilla pie filling as directed on package. When cooked and cooled, fold in 2 to 3 peeled, sliced peaches. Pour into baked pie shell or graham or vanilla wafer crust. Chill until well set.

Before serving, top with whipped cream flavored with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, if desired. Garnish with slivered almonds.

(c)Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen has been writing cooking columns for more than 40 years. With hubby Jim and daughter Beth, she has compiled a family cookbook. (She gives workshops...online and in person...on producing your own family cookbook.) E-mail: me.allen@juno.com .

Do You Remember Aprons?

2011-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Even though I don't wear aprons much anymore, I think about those of yesteryear. Or I see pretty ones in a store or magazine. Perhaps someone has transformed an apron into another wearable item, utilizing the fabric in a unique way. Then memories of aprons surface.

In days ago, a cook wouldn't think of being seen in the kitchen without her apron. Mother had a number of these. Some were the old-fashioned, full bib ones that covered her from chest to skirt hem. Others tied around the waist and covered her skirt.

I recall both grandmothers always wearing the full coverage aprons to keep their dresses clean. Yes, they always wore dresses, never slacks.

Then when Mother or my grandmothers entertained guests, they wore aprons of finer fabric. These also might have embroidery on the hems and pockets.

Why Did Women Wear Aprons?

Traditionally ladies wore aprons to cover their dresses when working at home. In days before electricity and modern washing machines, it was very time consuming to wash clothes. So the longer one could wear a dress, the easier it was.

Also, clothing often was expensive, so an apron helped give longer wear. Young girls and their mothers wore aprons. Sometimes they had matching ones.

However, as washing methods became easier and clothing less expensive, aprons saw less use. Slacks and dungarees (jeans) became common apparel rather than dresses around the home.

Bib Aprons Had Many Uses:

*Obviously, they helped keep a lady's house dress clean.

*They often served as a towel for drying her hands.

*The homemaker used the apron for wiping her face when hot from cooking over the woodstove or doing housework.

They Had Many Other Uses:

*Aprons came in handy for carrying vegetables from the garden or fruit from the trees.

*They could be flapped to chase the dog, cats or chickens from the farmhouse door..

*If a potholder wasn't handy, a lady might use her apron for holding a pan handle.

*If a piece of furniture needed a quick swipe to remove dust, the apron came in handy.

*Aprons were good for wiping children's tears and wrapping around shoulders when a child was chilly or needed a hug.

*If you were careful, you could carry eggs in the apron from hen house to the kitchen.

Pockets in Aprons Were Useful, too:

*Of course, you could tuck a handkerchief there.

*If you were working outside, you might carry a snack in your pocket.

*This was a place for storing children's treasures (stones, feathers, odd pieces of wood) picked up on a walk.

*In a pocket, you might find extra bobby pins, safety pins, a bit of string - odds and ends you might need throughout the day.

When cooking in your apron, you might make:

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Sift together 1 3/4 cups sifted flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt into a mixing bowl. Combine 1 beaten egg, 3/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup cooking oil or melted shortening.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid. Stir quickly only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Mixture may still be lumpy. Lightly fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries.

Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 or use paper liners. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20 - 25 minutes. (Makes 12 muffins.)

(c)Mary Emma Allen

(I write from my home in NH about cooking, quiltmaking, family history, and Alzheimer's. I also write for children and teach writing workshops. For information about my books and workshops.)

Think Green for Spring

2011-04-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

As we approach the warmer weather of spring, which has seemed so long in coming this year, the color green comes to mind. I noticed a "green" display at our local supermarket as I entered the produce section.

The table contained green grapes, green cabbage, and pineapple with their green tops. To carry it further, they could have added limes and Granny Smith apples. Then in another section, I found various types of lettuce, celery, endive, green peppers, parsley and broccoli.

A magazine on display at the store announced "Go Green" and "Enjoy Fresh Spring Recipes." This got me thinking about the healthy foods we can enjoy this time of year (or any time of year) that are green"whether they're fresh or frozen.

Green Leafy Vegetables
These are the ones generally known as "salad greens," although we can use some of them steamed or tossed in a pan for a few minutes with olive oil and vinegar. Most are rich in Vitamins A, C, and K. They may contain iron, minerals and fiber.

For those concerned about memory loss, one study has associated the dark, leafy greens containing folate with slowing down this decline. When selecting greens, remember that the darkest ones generally are highest in nutrients.

(Incidentally, when our grandchildren had guinea pigs, I noticed the little critters went for the dark greens before the lighter ones or white stalk ends. Do they instinctively know something?)

When I was growing up, we had to wait for spring to find greens in the wild, like dandelions and dock greens. Next were lettuce and other greenery from the garden. Nowadays, you'll find them in stores year round.

But I Don't Like Salads!

If someone in your family doesn't like salads, try including greens in the diet through other recipes.

*Use endive as a sandwich wrap. Instead of flat or pita bread, spread your sandwich ingredients on a large piece of endive and roll it for a wrapped sandwich.

*Make cabbage rolls. Use the ingredients you would for stuffed green peppers. Roll this mixture in large, green cabbage leaves. Bake as you would the green peppers.

SPINACH SALAD (You can substitute any type of salad greens for the spinach or use a combination.) Mix together 1 pound spinach, torn into small pieces, 4-8 ounces (as you desire) of fresh sliced mushrooms, and 6-8 slices crisp bacon crumbled. Serve with your favorite dressing.

(You can use smaller quantities and make an individual salad with these ingredients, too.)

BAKED ASPARAGUS

Fresh asparagus is a favorite green vegetable for Jim and me. Usually we cook it in a microwave steamer, then serve with butter or low fat Italian dressing. However, you can bake it or serve with cream sauce.

Steam 1 to 11/2 pounds asparagus until slightly tender. Lay in buttered baking dish. Drizzle with 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, depending on how much cheese you like. Bake at 300 degrees for 6-10 minutes, until asparagus is tender.

(You also can use cheese other than Parmesan.)

(c) Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes from her woodland home in NH. She also writes about Alzheimer's, quiltmaking, and Civil War research and gives workshops on all these topics. )

Memories of Cereal Box Dishware

2011-03-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

"What has become of the prizes in cereal boxes?" a friend asked on Facebook. Then she went on to describe items she and her siblings looked for. This reminded me of the rings, toys, phonograph records and other items my brothers, sister and l anticipated, too.

Then the ensuing discussion, as her friends chimed in, brought to mind the dishes Mother collected from Mother's Oats oatmeal boxes. These consisted of cereal bowls, small plates, cups and saucers. I think the design was green on white. None of this dishware remained when I had to pack up Mother's home and move her to mine when Alzheimer's developed. (As I did more research, I think perhaps some of the dishware was light green jadeite type.)

As I searched for this dishware on the Internet, I discovered, not the one I recall, but others that supposedly were distributed in Mother's Oats. One of these is the Fire King Bonnie Blue design. It consists of a blue flower on cup and saucer set. Carnival glassware apparently also was found in these cereal boxes.

Dishes in Soap Boxes, too

Another type of dinnerware of memory consists of the "Golden Wheat" design my mother-in-law collected from laundry soap. With eight boys in the household, often two grandmas, Dad and her, Mum used a lot of laundry powder. She gave me some of these for our everyday dinnerware when Jim and I married. I still have a few pieces after more than 50 years.

Research has revealed that these Golden Wheat dishes were promotional items made by Homer Laughlin dish company and distributed in Duz soap powder. They had a 22 k gold trim around the rim and a wheat design on white in the center. Some had the company mark, while others didn't. One source indicates that those in the soap powder didn't have the company mark, while the dishware sold independently were marked.

Do you have special memories of prizes found in cereal and other boxes? I've discovered it fun to research the background of them.

Camp Cousin Cooking at KiDoosh

2010-06-15T08:29:00.001-07:00

You might like to check out my latest post on Family Foods at KiDoosh, called Camp Cousin Cooking.

Do your youngsters enjoy cooking. It's provides additional fun and creates memories when they can do this with their cousins.

(Pancake image: sxc.hu)

Collecting Recipe Cards While You Travel

2009-12-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

As you travel, you may find interesting postcards and note paper with recipes. These are fun to send to friends and relatives who enjoy cooking and collecting recipes. You also may want to accumulate them yourself.

When I tour various areas of the country, I often look for post cards with regional recipes on them. Some are tasty and others are "far out." Some cards I add to my collection; others I send to friends who want to try new recipes.

Auntie's Note Cards

My aunt, who loved cooking and

recipe collecting, often seemed to find stationery and note paper with recipes and pictures of food. Years ago, when my husband was an Air Force pilot and we lived far from the area where I'd grown up, my aunt wrote me frequently.

So many of her notes contained these pictures of food, cooking utensils, and recipes. "I've tried this one, " she might add. "It's good." These were just like the notes I later found in the margins of her cooking notebook I acquired.

Recipes and Booklets, Too

In addition to cards and note paper, you may find yourself looking for regional cookbooks, with recipes typical of that area. I often discover these and add to my collection or give as gifts to those who enjoy such items.

Each area of the country has its unique foods and cultural customs. As you travel, check out the postcards with regional foods and recipes or note cards and stationery with a culinary theme. Sometimes by combining these with a jar of jelly, cookie cutter, or special tea cup you'll create a thoughtful gift for someone in your life.

Try Tempting Teasers from the Food Bloggers

2009-04-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Try some of these tempting teasers from the group of writers called the Food Bloggers:

Ironstone - Dinnerware with Memories Mary Emma, at Country Kitchen, relates the memories connected with the ironstone platters her mother used for serving family meals. You, too, can write down your family memories associated with dinnerware past and present.

Looks like Playing with Polymer Clay to Eileen Eileen challenges you to watch this great YouTube video by “fondant artist”, Robin Hassett, and tell her if it doesn’t look like playing with clay to you. Food can be art too!

Real Food Fast! Once you've tried risotto, it's hard to go back to plain rice!

Reuben Casserole A new twist on an old favorite.

What's your favorite?

Ironstone - Dinnerware with Memories

2009-04-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

“Here are the old white dinner platters Mother served roasts, stews, apple dumplings and roast chicken on,” I remarked, when I discovered them in a pantry closet. I was sorting belongings in the home where I’d spent my childhood.

My mom had developed Alzheimer’s, so we found it necessary to move her to our home 275 miles away. Finding these three large oval white ironstone platters, two chipped and well used, the other, a rectangular one with narrow brown border in better condition, brought back memories of foods served on them and the occasions Mother used them.

Ironstone has always interested me because I thought Mother’s large platters and a few other items she had were attractive. These were heavy and durable, and just right for serving a large family. There were seven or eight of us at meals, unless friends or relatives stopped by to add to the crowd.

History of Ironstone

This type of dinnerware, opaque earthenware, first was produced in the early 1800s. It originally substituted for costly Chinese porcelain and bone china. Ironstone, a utilitarian ware, was very durable and not easily chipped.

Much ironstone was undecorated and designed in angular and octagonal shapes popular between 1840 and 1860. Potters began making American ironstone in quantity in the 1860s.

Usually ironstone carried the name of the maker and often had the word Ironstone, Opaque china, Stone china, or Granite imprinted on the back. There is nothing on Mother’s platters. Therefore, hers must have been very ordinary ironstone.

I don’t know where Mother acquired them. Were they wedding gifts? Or were they platters Grandma once used and handed on.?

Foods Served on Mother’s Ironstone

However, I recall some of the meals Mother served on these ironstone platters. These included pot roast, beef stew, chicken and dumplings, roast chicken, apple dumplings, baked ham and other foods.

Mother cooked these meals in the oven of the wood stove or on top. Some, such as stew, simmered in the black iron pot.

As I recall these meals, I also picture in my mind, our family sitting around the kitchen table…Father, Mother, four children, the hired man, and after World War II, my uncle who boarded with us. If a friend stopped by at meal time, there always was room for an extra plate.

EASY BEEF STROGANOFF

Brown 1 pound ground beef and ½ to 1 diced onion. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup (low salt and low fat if you’re watching these items in your diet). Simmer at least 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in ¾ cup sour cream and heat until warm.

Place steamed rice on the ironstone platter, which has been warmed. Then pour the stroganoff over this. You also can use noodles or mashed potatoes.

©2006 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen researches and writes about foods and food history from her home in New Hampshire, USA or while traveling.)

Spring Ideas from The Food Bloggers

2009-04-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

20 Last Minute Spring and Easter Party Treat Ideas Check these out, they're not just for Easter several will work for a Spring celebration.

Nighttime Noshing: Success of Sorts Jean hasn't lost any more of those ugly extra pounds, but she has some major good news to share from the "battle of the bulge" battlefront.

Real Food Fast! What's in season now?

The Joys of Keeping a "Mom's" Journal Mary Emma, here at Country Kitchen, tells of her enjoyment when journaling about her experiences as a mom.

The Joys of Keeping a "Mom's" Journal

2009-04-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

“Keeping a journal about our children is one of the best gifts we can give them,” one mother remarked. She said she was trying to preserve her family’s experiences.

Many of us have good intentions of keeping a journal about the joys and challenges of raising our children. With the first child, we often begin a baby book, then with more children, or as the years go by, we do less and less.

The same happens with a journal. I began writing about our daughter in detail, then found that life became busier, and my writing often tapered off. I got caught up in a quiltmaking business, writing assignments, helping my husband with his business, caring for ailing parents.

However, I did squeeze in some writing time…jottings in notebooks, letters to my mom (which she thankfully saved), and incidents related in my newspaper columns or travel articles. As I look back, I’m so glad I did find time to write something down.

Scrapbooking Journal

Along with jotting memories in a journal, you can incorporate this into a scrapbook with photos of memorable times and experiences. You also can add sketches to your journal and scrapbook pages.

One way I’m trying to keep a record of yearly memories is by building a scrapbook around the annual Christmas letters I write to friends and family. Some people add photos to these letters (so much easier in these days of digital cameras and computers).

This Christmas letter gives a recap of the year gone by and you can add to it as you have time. I also like to keep the letters and photos sent to me by family members and include them in the scrapbook.

Adding Recipes

You may want to incorporate recipes of favorite foods into your journal. I often collect recipes as I travel.

NAVAJO TACOS – On a business trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we were introduced to this dish. Instead of using traditional tacos, friends prepared “fry bread,” then added taco ingredients of ground beef and beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced onions and green pepper, and shredded cheese.

Mix together 2 cups flour, ½ cup instant dry milk, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder. Cut in 2 tablespoons shortening until coarse crumbs appear. Then stir in ¼ cup water and mix until the dough forms a ball.

Put the dough on a floured board and knead 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each portion into a ball and pat out until it’s about 6-inches round. Cover with plastic as you wait to fry.

Heat salad oil to 375 degrees F. in a pan at least 9-inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. Oil should be about ¾ inch deep. Cook each round of dough in this, turning once, until puffy and browned. Place cooked dough on paper towel lined cookie sheets and keep warm in 200 degree F. oven until ready to serve. (You can make these ahead, chill in air tight package, then heat on baking sheet at 375 degrees F. about 5 minutes.)

©2005 Mary Emma Allen

Help for Your Cooking Blog Just a Book Away

2009-04-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Do you want to write a cooking blog? However, you feel you need more guidance in doing this. Or you may want to enhance the blog you already have.

Check out Susan Gunelius's Google Blogger for Dummies. Here you'll find helpful instructions for setting up your Blogger blog, as well for enhancing blogs you already have. Learn about monetizing your blogs, too.

Read more about Google Blogger for Dummies in my review at Blisstree.

Since blogging is the wave of the present and future, you'll join in the excitement by establishing a blog of your own...with Susan's assistance.

Growing Your Victory Garden

2009-04-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

I recently read that the term "victory" garden (used during World War II) is so outdated. Instead, we need to refer to our gardens this year as "recession" gardens as we try to recession proof our food budgets by growing foods.

I still like to use the term "victory." We are going to be victorious. Our gardens will help our budgets and aid us on the way to victory.

If we continue to program our minds with "recession, recession, recession," we have no chance of getting out of the present economic downturn. So by continually referring to our gardens as "recession" ones, we'll only dig ourselves deeper into a hole.

So grow yourself a garden to victory!

Add Variety to Your Pie Crusts

2009-03-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Crumb, nut, and coconut pie crusts are popular variations to try with your family and friends when you tire of eating the familiar pastry made with flour, shortening, salt, and water. Many of these crust variations are baked first and used as a shell; others you fill and bake. Often these non-traditional pie crusts are used for fancy party type desserts. However, they can add a festive touch to an ordinary meal as well.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUSTS are a more familiar type, made with crushed graham crackers, butter or other shortening, perhaps a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg and nutmeats. As far back as the 1800s, when the Shakers practiced their culinary arts, graham crusts were used. Vanilla or chocolate wafers or ginger snaps are substituted by some cooks for graham crackers in these fancy pie crust recipes.

GRAHAM CRACKER/WALNUT CRUST is one variation. Mix together 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs and 2/3 cup chopped walnut meats (pecans can be substituted). Mix in 1/8 cup melted butter or margarine and 1 unbeaten egg white. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool before filling.

CEREAL CRUSTS also are popular. Frequently CORN FLAKES are used for these. Measure 1 cup crushed corn flakes, 1/3 cup margarine, and 2 tablespoons sugar into 9-inch pie pan. Place in 350 degree F. oven for 5 minutes. Remove and mix thoroughly; then press against sides and bottom of pan; chill before filling.

COOKIE CRUST - For a festive crust, use rolled refrigerator cookies,either ones you purchase or those you've made and rolled yourself. Sugar cookies are the ones most commonly used. However chocolate and chocolate chip cookies go well with some fillings, depending on your taste.

Grease lightly and sprinkle with sugar the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Using a roll of refrigerated cookie dough, cut cookies into1/8-inch slices. Overlap slices around sides of pan to form a scalloped edge; line bottom with more slices. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Any puffiness should flatten as crust cools.

WHEAT GERM CRUST - This may be a nutritious crust you'd like to try. Mix together 1 cup wheat germ, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine. Press the mixture evenly on bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool before adding afavorite filling. Vanilla or banana cream is especially good.

COCONUT CRUSTS are tasty with cream and chiffon fillings. Spread 2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine evenly on bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut into pan and press evenly into the butter. Bake slowly at 300 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is lightly browned. Cool before filling.

(c)2004 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen searches for old and new recipes to share with her readers. She also writes children’s stories and cooks with her grandchildren.)________________________________________________________________

Food Blogger Delights for You to Try

2009-03-06T13:36:00.001-08:00

Take a look at these delights contributed by the Food Bloggers. There also are some cooking gadget ideas.

Chicken in Red Curry An easy, delicious curry with chicken and vegetables, served with rice.

Cooking Gadgets Would you like to get your pressure cooker out of the box? Sign up with Cooking Gadgets to win a free DVD!

Finding Food Memories in Community Cookbooks Mary Emma at Country Kitchen reminisces about food memories she finds in cookbooks of earlier days.

Nighttime Noshing: Getting Back on Track Jean had her first slip in the battle to lose the six ugly extra pounds she put on last year. And it was a biggie!

Plan Now For Summer Grilling With the proper planning your garden can be a great source for delicious summer grilling.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies Delicious, easy cookies with white chocolate chips,cranberries and pecans

ENJOY!

FOOD MEMORIES IN COMMUNITY COOKBOOKS

2009-02-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

Often we're asked to participate in cookbook projects organized by our church, a community organization, a nursing home, a literacy association,or some other group as a fund raising project. When you participate in these endeavors, you'll help your organization or cause, see your name and recipe in print, and leave memories for your family.

I realized I have food memories in several community cookbooks in my collection. These books include recipes contributed by my mom, my mother-in-law, my aunt and myself, along with friends of my childhood.It was enjoyable to see our names and recipes in print when the cookbooks were produced. However, now that my mom, aunt, and mother-in-law are no longer living, I appreciate these cookbooks for the memories they evoke.

Mother’s Church Cookbook

I remember my mom’s excitement when she asked me for contributions to the 1974 Poughquag Cookbook, compiled by members and friends of the church she attended. I was living halfway across the country but responded to her request with a recipe for Apple Cake.

Now as I browse through Mother’s copy, well-used with stains and drops of batter, I come across names of friends from the town (Poughquag, NY) of my youth. A best friend’s mother contributed recipes. She was a great cook and meals at her home were fun times.

I see a recipe of my aunt’s which brings back memories of visits to her home and the family get-togethers we enjoyed there. Another lady was one of my Sunday School teachers. Her Poppy Seed Cake topped the list of my favorites at community suppers.

Parish Potpourri

My mother-in-law was thrilled when her favorite recipes appeared in the cookbook compiled by her church called Parish Potpourri. She knew of my interest in food and cooking so gave me a copy as a Christmas gift that year.

This, too, is a treasure because of Mum’s recipes. Browsing through the cookbook evokes memories of Mum’s excitement at being published, stories of her friends who contributed, and new recipes she tried from the cookbook when we visited.

Nursing Home Collection

Family Favorites Cookbook brings back memories of my mom’s days at the nursing home. Although this could have been a sad time in our lives as she journeyed through Alzheimer’s, I have fond recollections of visits with my grandchildren to bring my mother happiness.

For this cookbook, recipes were collected from residents, their families,and the staff. Contributors’ favorites and the stories accompanying them leave a legacy for friends and future generations of family.

I felt honored when asked to write the introduction for this cookbook. If you have community cookbooks in which family members have contributed recipes, stop a moment and write down the memories connected with them. Save the cookbooks as part of your family heritage.

Try this SAUSAGE/MACARONI CASSEROLE - Cook one 8-oz. package elbow macaroni in salted water about 8 minutes; drain well. Brown 1 pound bulk sausage and drain off excess fat.

Sauté 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup green pepper strips in 2 tablespoons sausage fat. (Or spray frying pan with spray butter.) Stir in 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add 2 cups milk; cook over low heat, stirring until mixture has thickened. Add 1/2 the sausage and 11/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Combine this with the macaroni.

Pour into a greased casserole. Top with remaining sausage and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes, until heated through and top has browned.

(c)2004 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen enjoys researching food history and collecting family recipes. She also has compiled a family cookbook and is writing an instructional manual on how others can do this. If you're interested leave a message in the comments below.)

Country Kitchen Blogger Published in Anthology

2009-02-24T11:57:00.001-08:00

Country Kitchen blogger, Mary Emma Allen has stories featured in the new release, Eternally Yours, an anthology of poetry, light essays, devotions and meditations, edited by Mary Ellen Grisham and published by Xulon Press.

Featuring some of the best Christian writers on the Internet, this book represents work that has appeared in the Eternal Ink E-zine since it’s inception in 1999.

In addition, Mary gives presentations and teaches workshops at schools, libraries, writers’ conferences, and for other groups. Some of her talks include topics such as Alzheimer's and caregiving, quilt history and quiltmaking, New Hampshire history, and writing.

I was pleased when Ms. Grisham selected some of my stories for inclusion in this anthology. It's exciting to encourage and inspire others with my writing.

More Treats from the Food Bloggers

2009-02-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Food Bloggers are a group of us who write about food, recipes and related topics. I hope you enjoy our selection this week.

A Homemade Fruit and Yogurt Parfait Use fresh or frozen fruit to make a midwinter healthy treat.

Busy Family Meals The best chocolate cookies Cyndi has ever had. Ever!

Butterfinger Buzz A review of Nestle's new caffeinated candy bar -- a twist on an old favorite!

Cooking Gadgets Cyndi has two Smith's Edge knife sharpeners to give away this weekend!

Mardi Gras Cocktail Recipe A delicious recipe for your Mardi Gras celebration

Quilled Pastry Hearts with Key Lime Curd You can make quilled hearts out of paper or get really creative and make them from frozen puff pastry.

School Lunch Variations Mary Emma at Country Kitchen chats about school lunches past and present and gives you a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake.

Happy Valentine's Day from Country Kitchen

2009-02-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

May this be a special day for you.

We have been enjoying Valentine's Day flowers, cards and candy. This was a fun day at school yesterday with the Valentine parties.

Today the children in our household are enjoying it, too.

Have you made anything special for Valentine's Day?

Discovering Stories Behind Culinary Memorabilia

2009-02-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

Salt shakers, mixing bowls, egg beaters. refrigerator dishes, rollingpins, spice tins, and juicers may seem rather ordinary kitchen items. However, it’s usually not a monetary value that’s important (althoughthis could be there), but the memories they evoke.

Sometimes you'll come across these items in an antique shop, auction, ora book on collectibles. Or you may be cleaning out a home when a parent must move to a smaller abode. Immediately they'll bring back memories of family occasions....dining,cooking, gift giving....which can be humorous, nostalgic, or bittersweet.

Green Jadite

When I came across a green Jadite salt shaker my mom had saved, I recalled this set we'd used throughout my childhood. These were round, about five inches high with an metal screw top. Raised ridges decorated the lower half of each shaker. The glass was an opaque milky green.

We used them every day and didn't value them as we did the gold coloredglass ones my grandparents received as a 50th Wedding Anniversary gift .Those were kept for "company."

However, when I saw the Jadite shaker it brought back memories of meals around the farmhouse kitchen table. I wondered where to find a matching pepper shaker and discovered one in an antique shop. Then I became curious to learn more about these items and found they probably were made by the Jeannette Glass Company.

I also discovered there were many other Jadite items for kitchen use...other shapes of shakers, canisters, juicers, butter dishes, refrigerator dishes, mixing bowls, match holders, and pitchers. The same designs were made in other colors. While attractive, they don't evoke the memories the Jadite does.

Green Mixing Bowls

I received a set of Fire-King green ribbed mixing bowls as a wedding shower gift 49 years ago. Although actually rather plain to look at, they served in our kitchen for years.

One by one, they got broken and now we're using more modern ware. However, when I see these bowls in shops or books of collectibles, I recall that wedding shower of kitchen gifts my aunt and future mother-in-law planned. They took me completely by surprise.

Collecting Memories

As I look through antique shops (a pasttime my daughter and I enjoy) and books on collectibles, I come across other items we used in our home orthose of friends. Some of these I collect for our home today as part of our culinary heritage. Others I include in my memory writing and scrapbooking.

Not that we're going to live in the past, but pull from it joys and lessons learned we can pass along to future generations.

Memories Among the Recipes

CHICKEN DIVAN is a dish my family enjoys. My daughter mentioned not long ago that someone had asked her for the recipe.

Cook 2 small or one large package broccoli spears until just tender.Either cook 4 whole chicken breasts or use the equivalent of leftover cooked chicken cut into pieces. Lay broccoli in a 9 x 13-inch bakingdish. Lay chicken over broccoli.

Mix together 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup,1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 small can mushroom pieces. Pour over chicken and broccoli.

Bake at 350 degrees F. about 45 minutes, until heated through and bubbly.(For lower calorie meal, use low fat soups, cheese, and sour cream.)

(c)2004 Mary Emma Allen

(I encourage my readers to record their memories for their family heritage. I also teach classes in "Writing Your Family Stories" and "Scrapbooking.")

Will Obama Popularize Tea?

2009-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Apparently Obama prefers tea, hot and cold, to other beverages. Will this increase tea drinking and tea sales?

According to the Bigelow Tea blog, President Obama Favors Organic Tea, especially chilled Berry Teas. So they and other tea companies apparently are introducing new organics.

Now I have questions...How are organic teas different? What's so special? Where are they raised? How are they processed?

If you have answers, let me know.

School Lunch Variations

2009-02-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

“We took hot potatoes for lunch in the winter and cold ones the rest of the year,” my mom related about school lunches in the early 1900s. “We held the potatoes in our pockets. This kept our hands warm as we walked to school,” she continued.

(They walked three miles each way to school and back home. Yes, up hill and down, because I’ve traveled the route, but in a car, when I visited Mother’s girlhood home.)

Then in the warmer months, Mother, her sister and two brothers carried cold potatoes, sliced and spread with butter. Sometimes they took a sandwich made from homemade bread and meat or cheese. If there was no meat or cheese, Mother, her sister and brothers had simply bread and butter.

There were no hot lunches served in the one-room schools of the early 1900s. There were none in the one-room school I attended during my first through fourth grades.).

No, my sister, brothers and I didn’t eat boiled potatoes for our lunches. Instead we had sandwiches, milk or water in a thermos, and cookies. If apples or oranges were in season, Mother might include these. More likely it was an apple because my dad had an orchard, along with dairy farm. Oranges were treats around Christmas time.

Hot Lunches of Mid-Century

When I began attending the distant, larger school, in 5th grade, I enjoyed hot lunches. However, since there was no reduced price or free lunch program, I took cold lunches when my parents couldn’t afford the school lunch for us four.

We never thought we were deprived. It was the accepted practice, even when we might have only bread and butter, or bread and mayonnaise. My brothers liked bread and catsup when other sandwich fillings were scarce. Mother generally had homemade cookies on hand. Those from the store were a great treat.

Today’s Lunches

Now when I see children with all types of snacks and goodies from the store, pre-packaged items to heat in the lunchroom microwave, and bottles of juice, I marvel that we survived. Somehow most of us were healthy, worked hard on the farms, and generally did well in school.

We would have thought we were in “lunch heaven” if we’d had the convenience foods youngsters have in their lunch boxes today…and then throw away. (I know because I often have lunchroom duty when I’m substitute teaching.)

MAYONNAISE CAKE – Mother, and later I, often made this cake to eat at home and for our lunches. Frequently we didn’t frost it.

Sift 2 cups flour sifted with 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, and 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder. Mix together with 4 tablespoons powdered chocolate, 1 cup sugar. Add 1 cup cold water, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix well.

Pour into greased and floured tube pan or two 8 or 9-inch cake pans (if you’re going to frost cake) or large sheet pan. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. for layer or sheet pans, longer for tube pan, until inserted pick comes out clean.

When cool, ice or sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
(c)2009 Mary Emma Allen

Valentine's Day Parties & Celebrations

2009-02-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Are you planning any parties? Do you have memories of parties and tea parties of your childhood?

This was an exciting time when I was a youngster, with parties at school and at home. My mom made this an occasion for us four children, even though she was busy with farm work and housework.

The schools still have Valentine parties. Where I substitute teach, the youngsters in grades K-5 are looking forward to a special afternoon on the day before Valentine's Day because they won't be in school on the 14th. They also are planning a Valentine's Day tea for parents and youngsters after school on the 13th.

Adults often celebrate with a special dinner for two, giving flowers and gifts. A friend, who works in a florist shop, says this is the busiest day of the year for them. They start preparing and taking orders two weeks ahead.

Senior centers and nursing homes usually have Valentine's Day events. Sometimes this is introduced by card making, followed up by card exchanges. Perhaps there's a party with family and friends invited. Here there may be tea and punch and goodies in red and white and silver made into heart shapes.

What are you doing for Valentine's Day in your family and your life?

The Fascination of Tea Infusers and Tea Flowers

2009-02-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

I like to try different types of tea and collect tea accessories. Whenever I’ve written of tea and tea customs, I often received responses from readers who tell me about their favorite teas, tea time rituals and whether they collect items associated with tea making.

My daughter gave me a glass mug with tea infuser. I’d seen one of these…a glass tea pot with infuser when Jim and I had dinner with friends. But I hadn’t realized they came as individual tea makers.

Tea Flowers

The package also included a “tea flower” consisting of green tea scented with jasmine flowers. This made delicious tea, actually cup after cup to keep me going the whole afternoon.

In checking out information about tea flowers, I discovered they’re tea leaves hand sewn together in various bud shapes using different types of tea. When these flowers are steeped in hot water, they unfurl into attractive leafy arrangements. If you use glass tea pots or cups, you can watch the flowers take shape.

Tea Infusers

Tea infusers actually consist of almost any container that holds loose tea you can immerse in boiling water. Some of ehe more recent ones consist of glass or plastic inserts that fit into the glass, rather than metal. The one Beth gave me has small slits in the bottom for the water to seep through.

I’ve been experimenting with tea bags and loose tea, trying to decide what works best. I’ve enjoyed using some Earl Grey loose tea I had on hand.

Infuser Facts & Suggestions

In my research, I found a few facts about tea infusers.

*Infusers come in many sizes. Some fit tea pots and others are made for individual cups.
*Infusers are made in many materials.
*Infusers should be fairly large for your teapot or cup.
*To make good tea, the tea needs to have space to “swim” and the water to circulate.
*Tiny infusers made in novelty shapes will crowd your tea so the water doesn’t circulate through the tea leaves well.
*You should have at least twice as much space as utilized by a heaping teaspoon of dry loose tea leaves.

Now I wonder about those cute little tea infusers (sometimes called “tea balls”) I’ve been collecting. Some are no larger than a teaspoon of loose tea. One that I have is shaped like a teaspoon with a snap over top and will only hold a teaspoonful of tea.

Tea Time Accompaniments

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD - Grate rind of 1 orange and squeeze out all the juice into a measuring cup; add enough boiling water to make ¾ cup. Add the orange rind and 2 tablespoons butter, stirring to melt the butter.

Beat 1 egg in another bowl and gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add dry ingredients (2 cups white flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda), 1 cup chopped raw cranberries, ½ cup chopped walnuts, and the orange mixture; blend well.

Spoon into a greased, floured loaf pan or 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees for loaf pan and 30-40 minutes for other pan, or until bread tests done. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

©2007 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes from her multi-generational home in NH. )

Pioneer Foods Inspired by Sarah Jane's Story

2009-01-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

As I develop one of my favorite stories, “Sarah Jane’s Daring Deed,” into a picture book, I consider recipes this 10-year old girl and her family might have prepared in their log cabin in the woods. This would be a good activity to accompany the story when youngsters are reading it, either in picture book format or the longer version in the anthology, Tales of Adventure & Discovery.

I wrote this story, which has appeared in four children’s magazines and the anthology, after researching the history of the Plymouth, NH region for a series on New Hampshire history. It’s also a favorite story with children when I give presentations in schools and libraries.

As I read about the early pioneers while doing research for the history columns, I wondered what life would be like for youngsters in those days. Thus, Sarah Jane’s story evolved.

What Would Her Mother Prepare?

So, what would Mother have prepared over the fireplace? They had to raise most of their food, bringing items like sugar and coffee and tea from stores in Concord (45 miles away) or even Boston (more than 100 miles).

Their flour probably was ground at a local mill from grain they grew themselves. The girls and Mother gathered and dried berries for winter use. Sarah Jane was engaged in picking berries when the story opens. (I was familiar with picking berries from prickly bushes in the hot sun during my childhood on a farm. Although not in the 1770s!)

The family’s meat would consist from what Father and brother Steven caught or shot in the surrounding forest. This might include deer, bear, moose, rabbit and raccoon. The family also would make clothing and blankets from the fur and skins. Fish from nearby streams or river could expand the diet.

Drying Berries – In those days, before canning and freezing, pioneers dried berries and fruit to use during the winter months. Sarah Jane picks and dries berries during the story.

When cooking, Mother simply might stir the dried berries into her recipes. Or she could soak them in water to plump them before use.

Corn Meal – In early pioneer days, the settlers took corn and wheat to the local mills to be ground. The mill was one of the first businesses established in a settlement. From the ground corn, Mother might make corn bread, corn mush and corn cakes. Find your favorite Corn Bread recipe for your pioneer meal. (However, you can bake yours in the oven or in a skillet unless you want to try it over a fireplace.)

Dried Corn – The pioneers also dried corn kernels, on the cob or shelled, to save for winter food. To use, Sarah Jane’s mother would soak the kernels and boil them until they were tender. Then add cream or butter and milk of desired amount, salt and pepper to taste (if she had them).

Corn Potato Soup – To make a soup, she might add cubed, cooked potatoes to the creamed corn mixture. (Or cube raw potatoes and cook them with the corn.) Then stir in more milk until soup consistency.

Succotash – In summertime, Mother might make succotash by cutting fresh corn from the cob and cooking it with lima beans from the garden. Add some butter and small amount of milk to this. Some cooks only add butter.

©2009 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen researches and writes from her multi-generational home in Plymouth when she isn’t traveling. Visit her heritage quilting site at: http://trainsendquilters.blogspot.com; also: http://sarahjane-pioneergirl.blogspot.com . )

Soups & Stews & Winter Foods

2009-01-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

With the weather below zero the past few days in our part of New Hampshire, thoughts turn to warm, easy to prepare meals. Soups and stews long have been a winter tradition in my family. They’re filling, easy to prepare, a good way to use up leftovers and a method of stretching the budget.

So leftover meats (chicken, turkey, beef and pork) go into the brew, along with veggies that may be left from a meal. My soups never taste the same nor follow an exact recipe.
That’s the way my mother made soups and stews…using what she had on hand. Usually they taste delicious except when we try a new ingredient so may not turn out just the way we envision.

Main Meal Pies

I also like to make chicken and beef pies with leftover foods. Usually I simply prepare them with only a top crust. This results in fewer calories and eliminates a soggy bottom crust. (Actually my hubby often makes the crust while I stir up the filling for the deep-dish pie. He’s perfected this phase of cooking!)

I like to serve cole slaw or tossed salad with meat and vegetable pies. For anyone who doesn’t like a meat pie, simply use vegetables and perhaps some tofu.

Soups from Leftovers

Soups provide a good way to use leftovers so they don’t go to waste. One friend keeps a container in her freezer. Into this go leftover vegetables and meats. When the container is full, she thaws the contents to make soup.

By adding chicken or beef stock, some noodles, potatoes or rice, seasonings, and other vegetables if necessary, she had a filling meal for autumn and winter days. You might call this a modern day version of my mom’s black pot into which she stirred leftovers.

Chicken Soup

For my chicken soup, I cut up the leftover chicken breast and added it to four cups of water. Then I stirred in cut up carrots, a diced potato, a diced onion, a handful (about ½ cup) of brown rice and ½ cup frozen green peas. I added seasonings…salt and pepper and a dash of poultry seasoning to taste.

Because the soup seemed too thick as it simmered, I added more water until it was of the desired consistency. Cook until vegetables are tender. This is good made ahead (early afternoon in my case) and set in the refrigerator until supper/dinner time. Then reheat.

This is the type of recipe that you can vary depending on what you have on hand and what ingredients you like to eat. For instance, I simply couldn’t tolerate (I guess, unless I was starving) beets in my soup. Someone else might not like the carrots or onions Jim and I do in our soups.

What are your favorite soups for winter?

©2009 Mary Emma Allen
(Mary Emma Allen writes from her multigenerational home in NH. This morning she’s contemplating warm foods to cook today when the temperature is hovering around zero at mid-day. )

Old Kitchen Woodenware Stirs Memories

2009-01-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

As I was sorting through some memorabilia, I came across an oblong wooden bowl, about 18 inches in length and 12 inches in width. As I held it in my hands, this wooden chopping bowl evoked many childhood memories. Scarred from chopping many foods, this bowl had been involved for preparing numerous meals.

My thoughts drifted back to cooking in the farmhouse kitchen with its wood fired stove. Many times, I chopped cabbage, carrots and onions for coleslaw or potatoes and meat for hash, in that bowl.

We couldn’t run to the store for ready-chopped cabbage or cans of hash. Everything was handmade and often mixed in the oblong wooden bowl or a smaller round one Mother had.

Bowls of Great Variety

The wooden bowls of early America were of great variety, ranging from small salt dishes to round and oval bowls for preparing and even serving the main dish at mealtime. Large round and oblong ones, often 20 inches in length were used as chopping and mixing bowls.

Not many of these old bowls exist today. Those that do are considered antiques and collectible. They were made for daily use, so wore out.

However, if you have one from childhood, treasure it, more for its nostalgic value than anything monetary. It probably will have nicks and scratches from the metal chopping tool, but that gives it “character,” as someone once told me of old woodenware and furniture.

The Early Wooden Bowls

The pioneers shaped the earliest bowls with simple tools, such as chisel, knife and plane. Later, especially in the 18th century, as colonial tradesmen began to make woodenware, they used lathes for turning the insides of bowls, cups, and mortars. From this came the name of “turner’s ware” for such items.

Another early name for wooden items was “treenware.” This supposedly came from “tree,” from which they were made. The men who made the wooden items for a living, whether kitchen utensils, boxes, stools, etc. by lathe and hand, were called “coopers.”

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE might be considered a variation of hash, but without the meat. However, you could add chopped corned beef if you had any.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Stir in 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese until melted. In bowl, mix together 1 pint sour cream, ½ cup chopped onion, ¼ tsp. pepper. Add to cheese mixture. Lightly stir in 30 oz. frozen hash brown potatoes.

Spread this mixture into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, until potatoes are heated through and top is bubbly.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

Watching for Santa Over Tea and Cookies

2008-12-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

The grandkids excitedly anticipated the wonders of Christmas and informed us they could watch Santa's progress by satellite. Simply check into the Norad site and follow on the map as Santa made his way across the world to the United States.

So while I enjoyed a cup of tea with cookies, we watched Santa's progress. This also is a fascinating way for youngsters to learn geography and facts about different countries.

They finally gave up and went to bed as Santa headed toward South America. He has a few hours yet to reach our country.

Have you ever watched Santa via satellite? What will they think of next!

Christmas Cookies, Tea and Conversation

2008-12-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

After Bible Study tonight at church, we had cookies and conversation...a time to exchange Christmas greetings and enjoy friendship. Several of the ladies contributed homemade cookies of various types:

Cranberry Nut Jumbles
Coconut Drops
Krispy Rice Bars
Sugar Cookies with a dab of jam in the center
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Brownies
Chocolate Tarts with Whipped Cream
Chocolate Drop Cookies with cherry in the center

(I know there were more, but I can't recall them all right now.)

What types of cookies do you bake for holiday gatherings?

Visit Quilting and Patchwork for a Giveaway

2008-12-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Giveaways

If you're a quilter or simply like giveaways, why not stop over at Quilting and Patchwork and participate in the Giveaway of a Mini Quilt Book.? It's in progress over there.

Perhaps you're not a quilter yourself, but know of someone who would enjoy this book by Patricia Mainardi if you won it.

Record Your Christmas Traditions & Recipes

2008-12-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas Traditions

Most families have holiday traditions handed down through the generations. Many of these come to us from our parents and grandparents. Then we often combine them for our children, plus add customs of our own.

These are treasured memories to record for yourself and for future generations. Often you’re the only one who remembers the stories told to you by relatives.

*Begin a Christmas Journal in which you record the various memories.

*Look for pictures of Christmas past and photos of relatives who attended these festivities.

*Place these photos on CDs and make copies for family members. These make nice gifts.

*Start a scrapbook of holiday stories and photos.

Consider Your Parents’ Traditions

When considering my parents’ traditions, I remember they grew up celebrating Christmas differently. So we had a medley of customs, resulting in an expanded holiday for us children.

Mother’s family opened their gifts on Christmas Eve, then had their big dinner Christmas Day with relatives often visiting. Father’s family had their gifts on Christmas morning.

So they compromised. Mother let us open one gift the night before Christmas, and we enjoyed the remainder the next morning…after Father and the hired man milked the cows and ate breakfast. (That was such a long wait.)

We always let our daughter open one gift on Christmas Eve, and she’s carried out that tradition with her children. What traditions have you carried on or combined?

Christmas Foods

We generally had roast chicken for Christmas dinner because we raised chickens on our dairy farm and sold eggs commercially. Turkey was a special treat.

Nowadays we often have roast beef for our Christmas dinners. To accompany this, our daughter makes YORKSHIRE PUDDING, a dish her children enjoy, which she learned about when in England as an exchange student.

Actually she has adapted a POPOVER recipe and makes individual servings, baking them in a muffin tin instead of with the meat drippings.

Beat 2 eggs slightly. Then add remaining ingredients (1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk, ½ teaspoon salt) and beat until just smooth, making sure you don’t overbeat.

Fill a well-greased six-cup popover pan, six small custard cups, or stoneware muffin pan about ½ full. Bake in preheated 450 degree F. oven for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and bake about 20 minutes more until they’re a golden brown. Remove from cups immediately and serve.

(Beth doubles the recipe, making 12 popovers. You also can spoon gravy or meat drippings over them individually, if you like them this way.)

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma enjoys researching family food customs and holiday traditions. Visit her at: www.quiltingandpatchwork.com and http://tea-time-notes.blogspot.com )

Enjoy These Offerings from The Food Bloggers

2008-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

Food Bloggers

Here are some offerings and ideas from The Food Bloggers. Enjoy!

BlogTalkRadio's In the Kitchen BlogTalkRadio's "In the Kitchen" features the Women's Day food editors offering their tips and ideas for making the best dishes possible. This week they discussed budget friendly holiday cooking tips.

Busy Family Meals Jenna Pepper shares her expertise on how to get kids to try new foods!

Collecting Tea Pots and Tea Cups Mary Emma, at Tea Time Notes, chats about collecting tea cups and those she obtained from boxes of soap detergent many years ago.

Cooking Gadgets Giftybox is the unique way to give cooking classes or winery tours to those on your gift list...now at a special discount for our readers!

Power Food Follow-Up Following up on last week's Power Foods blog, Jean decided to share a few tasty recipes that “fit the (power) bill”.

Spiced Carmelized Pecans A perfect treat for your holiday parties.

Win Sauce...and a Microwave from Bertolli This week an appliance...next week steaks. Cookerati has a giveaway a week in December.

Tea Cups & Tea Pots

2008-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

I’ve seen a festive tea pot with holiday design at the local thrift shop where my daughter and I often stop for unique as well as useful items. If it’s there the next time we visit, I think it was meant for me to acquire.

I also look for interesting tea cups for serving tea on various occasions or simply to use myself. Today I found (at our local recycling facility…formerly called “the dump”…a Golden Wheat tea cup and saucer.

This brought back memories because that was the first set of dishes Jim and I owned. Where did they come from? Boxes of soap detergent. There was a promotion for Golden Wheat in the detergent my mother-in-law purchased (to wash laundry for a family of 10) She collected this dishware for us and accumulated a set of 4. The only other item I have left after 48 years is a soup bowl.

Do you have any special tea cups in your collection?

Tea Parties - How About One With JK Rowling?

2008-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Tea Party

To celebrate the release of her latest book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, famed author JK Rowling invited approximately 200 school children to enjoy tea with her. What an exciting experience!

Read more about this at my One Book Two Book blog. This book is a spin-off of sorts from the latest Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows.

I wonder what they had for tea and refreshments. Possibly something with a Scottish influence since this was to take place in Edinburgh.

I can imagine the excitement of the children who have been selected to attend the tea. (I think they had to submit an essay or something similar.) I think back on my afternoon of tea with children's author, Tasha Tudor. Even though I was a young adult, I was thrilled to have this opportunity to visit her and chat beside her country fireplace about books and writing.

Do You Like Giveaways? Try These for the Tots in Your Life

2008-12-04T04:25:00.001-08:00

One Book Two Book Giveaways

If you like giveaways, you'll find a series of them at a blog I co-write with Marcie Pickelsimer, One Book Two Book, running from Dec. 2-7.

Check out the rules and leave comments at the following links. You can enter any or all of the giveaways. These will make great Christmas gifts for youngsters, too.

Book Swim Giveaway
Readeez DVD Giveaway
Baby Can Read Giveaway
Wii Pop Star Guitar Giveaway
Fly Me To The Moon Giveaway
Giveaway - Celebrity Arthur Book from Speakaboos
Giveaway - Countdown to Bedtime Soundbooks
Giiveaway - ECO Baby Organic Playdough
Baby Potential Teacher Onesie Giveaway
Natural Pod Giveaway
RideMakerz Giveaway
Happy Green Bee Giveaway
Mead Writing Fundamentals Giveaway

ENJOY!

Fun for a Snowy Day

2008-11-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

When the snow flutters down, lightly and softly this morning in New Hampshire, it's time for another cup of tea. What flavor shall I choose?

Perhaps a cup of Chai spice black tea. This should keep me going at my writing and business bookkeeping. Also, the aroma is so nice. My grandson comes into the room, "Nanny, what smells so spicy and good?"

What tea would you choose for a snowy day? What shall I have with it? I'll toast one of the rolls left from yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner and cover lightly with natural fruit spread (no sugar added).

Also, you might like to read about our first snowfall of winter, which occurred earlier in the week.

http://www.alzheimersnotes.com/snowy-day-activities-memories-with-alzheimers-patients/http://www.quiltingandpatchwork.com/2008/11/25/the-first-snowfall-a-day-for-fun-and-quilti ng-inspiration/http://www.onebooktwobook.com/snow-snow-everywhere/

Happy Thanksgiving from Mary Emma's Country Kitchen

2008-11-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

We've been busy this morning getting the turkey ready. Yes, we're having the traditional turkey. My hubby selected it so has been monitoring the preparations. After I made the stuffing ("like Mother used to make!"), I left the rest to him. The engineer in him cooks to precision.

My daughter has been preparing her special recipes to add to our menu. She made her daughter's request of "glop" for breakfast...a combination of bread cubes, eggs, sausage, cheese, and milk. Some of us like that, while others have something else. (We live in a multi-generational home with six family members, a dog, guinea pig, and rabbit.)

Perhaps you'd like to see my Thankful Poem, a project on my Quilting and Patchwork blog.

How about writing your own Thankful Poem this weekend? Or any time of year?

Herbs & Spices for Your Holiday Cooking

2008-11-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

We often take more time to experiment with recipes and try new ones throughout the holiday season. This may mean using herbs and spices we haven’t tried before or discovering new ways to use familiar ones.

Utilizing herbs and spices often enables you to cut down on the salt and sugar in a recipe if you have dietary considerations in those areas. These condiments give an intriguing flavor (when used in proper, not excessive, amounts) so you don’t need your food so salty or sweet to taste good.

Herbs vs. Spices

Whether a flavoring is obtained from the leafy or another part of a plant generally determines whether it’s labeled an herb or spice. With some plants you can use both parts; others you utilize one or the other.

Herbs are more likely to come from the leaves, and you use them both fresh and dried.
Some of the herbs you may have heard about or have used include: thyme, tarragon, mint, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, rosemary, coriander, marjoram, and basil. Do you have some favorites?

We generally obtain spices from the bark, roots, seeds, fruit, or stems of the plants. Sometimes you use them dried and ground; other times whole. For instance, you can purchase cinnamon in a ground form and as a bark stick.

Those you may have used are: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, anise, cumin, mustard seed, and ginger.

History of Herbs and Spices

Throughout the ages, cooks, witch doctors, medical specialists, and folklorists have found various uses for herbs and spices besides flavoring foods.

Some have medicinal properties; others have been used in religious ceremonies. You will find some were believed to be love potions. Others were considered a sign of wealth, especially during the Middle Ages. Traders of those times, too, considered spices very valuable.

Trading routes to the Orient, over land and sea, were prominent in those days to bring spices from the Far East. Marco Polo sought spices and the spice routes during his travels.

Uses of Herbs and Spices

My mother-in-law used herbs and spices so well and produced intriguing flavors with her foods. What was her secret?

“Never use so much people can tell what it is,” Mum once told me. “Leave them asking what you put into that recipe to make it taste so good.”

Some people overwhelm you with flavors in their cooking that you can’t taste the food. Now, all of this will depend on individual taste. Some people do like the flavor of particular herbs and spices so will add more of these to their cooking. To those who like milder flavors, they’ll want to be intrigued, not overwhelmed.

APPLESAUCE COOKIES are a nice harvest and holiday dish using spices. Mix together ½ cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup applesauce into which you’ve stirred 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Sift together 2 cups flour, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir into the applesauce mixture. Add 1 cup rasisins or chocolate chips. Drop onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees F. or until done.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

Mystery Tea Time Parties, a Fascinating Concept

2008-11-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

What fun! Tea Time Mystery Parties!

Have you ever thought of holding a mystery tea, complete with mock murder mystery, clues and solutions? I'd never thought of it either until I learned about the "murder mystery teas in a kit" that Maxine Holmgren organizes at Maxine Mystery Tea Parties. In fact, she's made a business of this, providing mystery scripts she's written, along with recipes, invitations, and other items for the complete tea party.

There's also an interesting article, Tea, scones and a murder mystery, by Hope Pierson that gives some details about Maxine and her parties, which now have become popular beyond her home area of Sun City, AZ.

This is an intriguing idea that puts a very different spin on tea parties.

Check Out the News at Tea Time Notes

2008-11-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

News at Tea Time Notes

Continue to check out Tea Time Notes for updates on tea, tea parties, tea time accessories, recipes and more.

You won't want to miss my story about Tea Time with Tasha Tudor. This visit for tea with one of my favorite children's authors is most memorable...one of those special memories in time.

Remembrances of Veterans Day

2008-11-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Veterans Day meant a great deal in my childhood. Two of my uncles served in the World Wars. My husband is a veteran, too, so for several years I was a military wife.

I've written about this day at several of my blogs and have included a post of Alicia Sparks:

One Book Two Book: Remembering Our Veterans on Veterans Day.

Alzheimer's Notes:Veterans Day Memories in Alzheimer's World

Quilting and Patchwork: Patriotic Quilts for Veterans Day

Alicia Sparks' Mental Health Notes: Help Veterans Obtain Mental Health Resouces

Do you have associations, past and present, with Veterans Day?

Vegan Cookie Recipes Galore

2008-11-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Vegan Cookies for the Planet

The 20 Most Delicious Vegan Cookie Recipes Ever features recipes for the vegan lover who wants to "Eat a Cookie! Save a Planet!"

Developed by vegan Kirsten Nissen, this ebook offers you cookies made from organic ingredients for many occasions and tastes.

Check out what Kirsten has to say (link above) about these recipes and why she developed them.

Do you have vegan cookie and other recipes to share?

Country Kitchen's Squash Recipes

2008-11-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Recipes

As mentioned, you can prepare squash in a great variety of ways…soup, casseroles, desserts, and breads.

MASHED SQUASH - Simply cooked (boiled or baked), scooped out and mashed, served with butter and a dash of cinnamon, makes an easy to prepare vegetable dish.

SQUASH PIE – Substitute cooked, mashed winter squash for the pumpkin in a recipe. It’s tasty. I usually can’t tell the difference, but some people claim they can.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH with APPLE FILLING - Wash 2 acorn squash, cut into halves lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and fiber. Place in a baking pan with the cut side down. Add ½ inch boiling water. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.

Using 3 tart apples, peel, core and dice them. Mix with ¼ cup melted butter and ½ cup maple syrup or honey.

Take squash from oven, and turn cut side up. Brush with melted butter. Fill squash with apple mixture. Cover the pan with foil, and then continue baking at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until the apples and squash are tender.

ACORN SQUASH VARIATION – Many people serve the squash plain. Turn them right side up and sprinkle with cinnamon, possibly a little sugar, and a dab of butter. Finish baking until tender. You also can substitute maple syrup or honey for the sugar.

MORE VARIATIONS - Some cooks make bread stuffing, like that used for turkey, chicken or pork and fill the squash with it instead of apples. You also can add cranberries to the apples (recipe above) or to the bread stuffing. In the South, cooks might use cornbread stuffing.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

Squash - A Bounty of Fall

2008-11-06T14:51:00.000-08:00

Wonders of Squash

Winter squash, in its many shapes and varieties, makes a hit in the fall. This hard tough covered vegetable will save into the winter when stored in a dark, dry place.

Generally, in our homes today, the storage consists of a basement or pantry. Years ago, a root cellar held stored food – winter vegetables, squash, cabbage, etc. This was a dug out portion of ground, often containing a framed door, possibly framing inside – a sort of cave.

Storage in the root cellar kept fruit and vegetables from freezing and provided food throughout the winter. If the house had a cellar and it was cold enough, food often was stored there.

Squash Appeal

Squash appealed in days ago because it kept well through the winter (if stored properly) and could be prepared in a variety of ways, thus adding variation to the menu, in days when there weren’t so many different foods as today.

This vegetable comes in many types. Among them are: Hubbard, acorn (the traditional dark green), white acorn, gold acorn, table ace, butternut, bush, sugar loaf, buttercup, sugar, and turban.

Decorative Ideas for Squash

In addition to providing food for fall and winter, squash with hard shells provide decorative accents, both indoors and out.

*Place near your doorway, around a display of dried corn stalks, perhaps with pumpkins and gourds, too.
*Arrange squash and winter vegetables in a bowl on a sideboard, dining or kitchen table.
*Simply arrayed throughout the house wherever a colorful accent is needed, they look nice.
*Also displayed in a crock or basket in a front hallway they add color..
*Place in gift baskets with other fall fruit and vegetables.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Pumpkin Pies & More

2008-09-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin pie has been associated with autumn menus since the 17th century. It's believed the the early settlers made the first pies by scooping out the seeds from the center of the pumpkin and then filling it with milk, seasonings, maple syrup or molasses. Then they baked the pumpkin until tender.

Poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote about pumpkin pies. Mention of pumpkin pie, pudding, and other dishes is found in other writings and diaries.

Many Varieties of Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pies come in many varieties today. Some cooks like to use the fresh pumpkins, cutting them up, cooking and mashing them for a pie filling. Others use canned pumpkin. When I was a child, we generally used the pumpkins we grew in garden and field.

You also can mix pumpkin with other ingredients for pie variations.

This includes stirring a package of mincemeat into your pie recipe.
Or you can create a chiffon pumpkin pie by making a gelatin custard mixture and stirring cooked pumpkin into it. Then turn into baked pie shell and top with whipped cream or whipped topping.
Add vanilla ice cream to the pumpkin pie.

FROZEN PUMPKIN PIE is one variation.

Stir 1 pint vanilla ice cream to soften. Spread in a baked 9-inch pie shell. Freeze ice cream in shell until firm.

Mix together 1 cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin, 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you don't want it so sweet), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. (Spice amounts may vary depending on individual taste.) Fold in 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows and 1 cup heavy cream, whipped (or use whipped topping).

Spoon onto ice cream layer. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired. Freeze until firm.

When serving, take from freezer and let stand in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Top with more whipped topping, if desired.

Pumpkin Time of Year

2008-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

These orange globes of autumn dot the fields and garden. They're stacked in piles around farm stands. They cover fields. My husband and I drove by a church yard colored orange by the multitudes of pumpkins for a fund raising sale.

My nieces used to raise and sell pumpkins at a stand in front of their home. The contrasts between the orange of pumpkins, dried cornstalks, and colorful leaves on the trees present a perfect country autumn picture.

Children carve or paint laughing and scary faces on pumpkins to display for Halloween. That was a high point of my childhood and for my daughter and grandchildren, too.

It's also time for pumpkin recipes. What are some of your favorites?

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Traveling, Meeting Authors & Finding New Food Ideas

2008-09-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

My love of traveling translates into discovering new places (or revisiting old ones), meeting new people (or seeing friends again), learning about new foods and collecting recipes. On a recent trip to Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I experienced all of these.

I met in person for the first time, two authors I’d been corresponding with via an Internet group and e-mail. Janet Elaine Smith and Billie Williams live side-by-side on a street they call Authors’ Row, in a small town in northeastern Wisconsin. Their homes were right on Jim’s and my route to Iron Mountain, Michigan, on the Wisconsin/Michigan border.

Inspiration for Novel

Having tea with Janet and Billie and chatting with them, inspired me to get going again on my Civil War era novel for youngsters, Papa Goes to War (http://www.mandycivilwardaughter.blogspot.com/ ). Janet has written one for youngsters, My Dear Phebe, based on letters from this period connected with her family.

My novel, still in draft form, centers around ancestors (my grandmother’s uncles) who fought in this war. In researching more about them and their lives, I discovered the Mandy of my novel, whose mother had died. Her father felt he needed to fight for the Union. So his new wife took care of the children. In my story, Mandy experiences the turmoil of a father away, a new stepmother, and a world (the world she knew) at war.

Foods of the Area

As I began thinking again of getting back to work on this novel, we traveled further north to Iron Mountain, where we had business meetings. However, while there, friends introduced us to new recipes.

Food in this area is influenced by the Scandinavians who settled here to work in the lumber camps. Lumbering still is a big part of the economy of the region.

Baking on the Grill

Since our friends’ oven wasn’t working, they were doing much of their baking on the grill. I was amazed at how much can be cooked this way.

She purchased pizza that needed baking. It turned out delicious on the grill. Her son made chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars and baked them on the grill, too. Another tasty treat.

Potatoes in Foil – Combine thinly sliced potatoes, cut-up green beans fresh from the garden, and diced onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with butter. You can add sliced or julienne carrots. Wrap mixture in foil and cook over the grill until done. (This dish also could be baked in an oven, preferably in a dish but covered with foil.)

KRUPSUA, a recipe with Norwegian origins, is a family favorite they wanted to make for us for supper. Wisk briskly together in a medium bowl – 3 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup flour, ½ cup sugar. Slice ½ stick butter into cast iron skillet . (Our friend used an 8-9-inch one. You also can use a round cake pan.)

Put pan in oven preheated to 400 degrees F. (She used her toaster oven.) Remove pan when butter is melted. Pour the krupsua batter into it. Put back into oven and bake 20 minutes until set in the middle. (It will rise something like a soufflé.)

Slice into wedges and serve warm or cold. We enjoyed it with mashed strawberries and whipped topping, although you can eat it without. Delicious!

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen enjoys traveling, collecting new recipes, and meeting with friends. Visit her new travel blog, http://greenvagabondtraveler.blogspot.com .)

Glove Boxes & Tea Parties

2008-09-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

MaryEmma'sCountryKitchen

“Those were glove boxes,” the gentleman remarked when I showed him two wooden boxes (about 5 x9x2-inches) connected by a 24-inch piece of wood.

They had set on the dresser in the guest room of the farmhouse where I grew up. I’d always thought they had been used for storing jewelry and handkerchiefs.

Apparently ladies stored their several pairs of gloves in these boxes. Probably the ladies also placed hankies here, too, as my aunt did when she visited and used the guest room.

Why Mention Glove Boxes?

Why am I writing about gloves boxes in Country Kitchen? This reminded me of Victorian tea parties when ladies and young girls wore gloves and hats if they visited someone’s home. When I was a girl, we weren’t considered well-dressed for church and formal occasions unless we wore gloves and hats.

No, I’m not of the Victorian tea party era, but I grew up with a tea tradition in my family. It was a sign of hospitality to offer a cup of tea. Even after Mother lived in the nursing home with Alzheimer’s, she enjoyed the tea parties when my grandchildren (her great grands) and I visited her.

So…when the gentleman, who was looking at some of my other old furniture, noticed the glove boxes and told me about their use, I was reminded of tea parties and tea time traditions.

Tea Parties Popular Topic

I’ve also discovered that tea and tea parties and accompanying recipes are popular topics here at Country Kitchen. One lady remarked that reading my column was like sitting down and chatting with me over a cup of tea. I hope I make you feel welcome and that you enjoy our weekly “chats” on the many and diverse topics I discover to share with you.

Tea party foods are varied. There are traditional English teas. Then Americanized versions. My grandmother and aunt might have freshly baked bread with churned butter and homemade jelly. Auntie usually had cookies, too.

At the nursing home, Mother enjoyed muffins we picked up at a fast food restaurant. The grandchildren liked them or cookies we might bring with us.

CRAZY QUILT BREAD might be a fun recipe to try for serving with tea. Mix together ½ cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 ¼ cups milk, 3 cups biscuit mix; beat quickly for 30 seconds. Batter should be somewhat lumpy.

Stir in ½ cup mixed candied fruit and ½ cup chopped nuts. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. There probably will be a crack on the top. Cool before slicing.

(Variation; You may want to bake it in a 9-inch square pan at same temperature but for less time.)

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

Mary Emma Allen researches and writes from her NH home or during her travels. Visit her latest blog The “Green” Vagabond Traveler (http://greenvagabondtraveler.blogspot.com).

VICTORY GARDEN QUILTS

2008-08-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

As I glanced through a quilting magazine, I saw an introduction to the book, Victory Garden Quilts, by Eleanor Burns. This term brought back memories.

Even the fabrics were reminiscent of those we used in making clothing and other items in that era. These were fabrics like those used when I learned to sew, my grandmother pieced quilts by hand, and Auntie sewed aprons and hand towels.

Also, the term "victory garden" took me back to childhood during World War II, when these gardens were popular and patriotic. (See my post Victory Gardens Popular Once Again.)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

VICTORY GARDENS POPULAR ONCE AGAIN

2008-08-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

MaryEmmasCountryKitchen.com

In the days of my childhood, during World War II, Victory Gardens were the height of popularity and patriotism. Now Americans’ thinking has come full circle, and I see and hear the term “victory garden” frequently.

Victory gardens, where Americans raised their own fruit and vegetables, often the first time for many, were popular during those war years. Some also planted flowers for cheer in an uncertain world of black-outs and food shortages and rationing.

Our Victory Garden

Although I grew up on a farm where we had a garden anyway, my mom planted one with flowers she called our Victory garden. She painted a large tub red and blue with large white V’s on either side. This, filled with geraniums, she positioned in the center of the plot.

You found Victory Gardens in city and country. They were planted in any space one could utilize, if you didn’t have a traditional garden plot. You might see vegetables in window boxes, front yard, back yard, or side yard.

Victory Gardens Today

Today, with gas and food, not rationed, but definitely at higher prices, more people have been thinking about raising and preserving their own food this summer. The term of 65 years ago came to someone’s mind, so they’re referred to as Victory Gardens again, as people, who have never done so or rarely, begin planting gardens.

Some of these may be no more than herbs, tomato plants and pepper plants in window boxes or tubs. Others may spade up a small plot in their yard. Others might be community garden, whereby residents pay a small fee for a plot to plant in larger acreage.
Do you have Victory Garden memories? .

World War II Foods

The recipes of the war years often had to be altered to reflect the scarsity of butter, eggs, milk and other items. That’s when margarine or oleo came into use (the type we had to mix with yellow coloring so it didn’t look like lard).

ONE EGG CAKE – Although we had plenty of eggs on our farm (we raised chickens and sold eggs as well as the milk from dairy cows), many people didn’t. So recipes using fewer eggs or no eggs were devised. Also, less sugar and shortening often were called for.

Cream 2/3 cup sugar and ¼ cup shortening; add 1 egg and mix well. Sift dry ingredients (1 ½ cups flour,1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder). Add these to shortening mixture alternately with ½ cup milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla added. Beat well.

Bake in 8-inch square or round pan at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes until tests done. Frost with desired icing.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes memories, cooking columns, and stories from her NH home. She also teaches memory writing workshops. Visit www.onebooktwobook.com or www.quiltingandpatchwork.com )

The Cook's Secrets Revealed

2008-07-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

I blew up the eggs and the odor lingered throughout the house all day no matter how much deodorizer I sprayed. I couldn’t hide this cooking error! My family calls this the trials of living with a writer.

I put six eggs on to boil and sat down at the computer to write. I forgot to set the timer, so the next I was aware…the odor of sulphur enveloped the kitchen and wafted toward the office where I was working.

So…don’t think I’m the perfect cook. My family will tell you otherwise. When I’m busy with a writing project, my husband knows he may need to cook our meal if he wants it to perfection.

(Does he think I do this on purpose so he will cook the meals? Incidentally he’s a great chef.)

Another Cooking Secret

Let your children cook when they express a desire to mess with ingredients in a mixing bowl. It’s worth the patience to have them “help” when they’re young. They may do much of the cooking for you when they’re older.

I was a news reporter when my daughter was a teen, so my schedule often was erratic as I covered stories throughout the area. Beth often called me after school and discussed the supper menu. It was great to come home and find the meal ready. Since then she has become a very good cook.

What fun when a family cooks together and shares the meal preparation tasks. Each may develop their specialty and add it to the menu.

Desire for Simpler Meals

I find, as I grow older, I have less desire to cook complicated and time consuming recipes. Perhaps it’s because I like eating simpler foods. Do our tastes change from one stage of life to another.

I think back to some of the foods we prepared on the farm when I was growing up. And I recall how my mother-in-law talked more about the foods of her youth as she advanced in years.

This, too, is a way we can carry on the family food heritage by preparing some of these for our family and copying them down in cookbooks.

PRETZEL SALAD is a dish Beth makes that I enjoy. Although it’s called a salad, you actually can use it as a dessert. You make it in layers.

1st layer – Mix together 2 cups crushed unsalted pretzels, 4 tablespoons , ¾ cup melted butter or margarine. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan at 400 degrees F. for 6 minutes. Cool.

2nd layer – Mix together 8 oz. cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and 8 oz. whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. (You can use lower fat cream cheese and lite whipped topping, and you can cut back the sugar somewhat if you’d like it less sweet.)

3rd layer – Dissolve 6 oz. package strawberry gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. Stir in 10-oz. package frozen strawberries. Chill until almost congealed. Spread on top of cheese mixture. Continue chilling until set. Cut into squares.

This Pretzel Crust makes a nice base for other desserts or jelled salads.

©2008 Mary Emma Allen

(I write from my multigenerational home in NH. Visit my other blogs at http://www.quiltingandpatchwork.com/ , http://www.alzheimersnotes.com/ , http://www.homebiznotes.com/, http://www.onebooktwobook.com/, http://)

The Food Bloggers Offer Favorite Food Ideas & Recipes

2008-05-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Food Bloggers compile some of their favorite posts into weekly offerings. This week, I'm sharing the ideas with readers here at Country Kitchen.

At Busy Family Meals Cyndi is polling your summertime eating preferences...come vote, and let your voice be heard!

HG, You Go Girl! Jean reviews Hungry Girl's new recipe book. It blasted onto the NY Times Best Sellers List as #2!

Healthy Eating - Sometimes Challenging for the Home Business Owner Mary Emma Allen, at Home Biz Notes, shares ideas on how the time pressed home business owner , or anyone, can eat better.

Publish Your Own Cookbook Eileen tells you how easy it is to publish your own cookbook of family or club recipes. Start gathering up everyone's favorites now!

Enjoy! Share with us some of your favorite recipes.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Check Out Tea Time Blog

2006-06-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

I've created a new blog, Tea Time News & Notes at http://tea-time-notes.blogspot.com, with information solely about this interesting and enjoyable tradition. Of all my "Country Kitchen" newspaper columns over the years, those about tea, tea time, tea traditions, and tea implements seem to be most popular.

So I'll be devoting this Tea Time blog to this topic. If you have traditions of your own you'd like to share, e-mail me: me.allen@juno.com .

Food Ideas from Novels

2006-02-24T17:43:00.000-08:00

Numerous mystery novels focusing on foods, catering, and restaurants often include recipes. Sometimes these authors even go on to collect them into a recipe book.

However, even when a novel’s primary character isn’t involved in the food industry, you may find the author has woven the foods of an area or era into the story. These contribute to the description and events to create realism. They help to move the story forward or give better expression of the characters.

Whatever the purpose, the food references provide delectable reading for anyone with an interest in culinary topics or who writes a column as I do.

Food Typical of Charleston

I discovered in Patricia Sprinkle’s mystery, Murder in the Charleston Manner, the weaving in of food and its preparation as background gave more of the Southern aura to the story. If the author had wanted, she could have included recipes for these typically Charleston, SC foods in an appendix

Perhaps others don’t pick up on the food and recipe aspect when reading a novel as much as I do. Because I’ve been writing “Country Kitchen” and other food articles for nearly 45 years, my mind seems attuned to these topics in books I read.

In Chapter One, the characters are arriving for dinner. You get the idea this is a ritual. In the next chapter, Sheila, the main character, enjoys tea and chocolate chip cookies with her aunt. Sheila doesn’t like her tea sweetened. (In the South, when you ask for iced tea, unless you specify otherwise, you’ll likely be served a glass of strongly sweetened tea, called Sweet Tea. It’s even mentioned by this name on many restaurant menus.)

Food Midst Mystery

Sheila leaves her aunt’s home in Atlanta to investigate mysterious happenings at the home of her aunt’s childhood friends in Charleston. Much of the character introduction and interaction takes place at the dinner table that evening.

The author describes the hostess’s son-in-law carving the ham to a “delicate thinness.” Sheila takes a serving of green beans “simmered for hours with bits of pork”, so common in Southern cooking.

After dinner, they move to the living room for coffee and more conversation. Then Nell, the housekeeper, appears with a tray of strawberry shortcakes. One of the ladies, Francine, makes a pot of herbal tea. (Her desire for herbal tea eventually plays a role in the murder.)

Various Foods Served

Next day, a leisurely lunch on the upstairs porch consists of chicken salad, fresh strawberries, rolls, and sweet tea. Nell provids unsweetened tea for Sheila. They dip the strawberries in powdered sugar.

Potato puffs and broiled shrimp is another dinner menu. For breakfast one morning Nell serves eggs, bacon, grits, and hot biscuits, along with coffee, and herbal tea.

When Sheila dines at Buddy’s restaurant, she has the house specialty…roast oysters

These are only a few of the foods mentioned throughout the novel. This doesn’t detract from the story; instead it lends authenticity to the setting and characters.

Leftover Pie Dough Treat

Sheila often spends time with Nell in the kitchen as she obtains information and discusses family incidents and history. One of the interesting dishes, described more in detail, that Sheila observes Nell making is created from pie dough, left from a pie covered by crisscrossing paper-thin strips of dough.

Nell rolls the leftover dough flat. Then she sprinkles it with sugar and dots with butter before rolling into a long roll. This she cuts into “pinwheels” and puts in a baking dish. Nell next pours milk over the sweetened dough and sets it in the oven beside the pie to bake.

We don’t learn the exact amounts of ingredients (as typical of many old recipes), but could easily recreate the interesting recipe if one wanted to make it. I’d want to add a bit of cinnamon to the sugar.

©2006

(Mary Emma Allen researches and writes about food and recipes from her multigenerational home and during her travels. Visit her web site: www.maryemmallen.blogspot.com; e-mail: me.allen@juno.com )

Create a Youngster's Heritage Recipe Book

2006-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

“Why don’t you write down our favorite recipes in a book for me?” our granddaughter asked her mom.

So creating a heritage recipe book for a Christmas gift resulted. The family favorites have been written down, with space for the young cook to add more. I’ll go through some of those that date back to her great, great grandmother and see if she wants to add those, along with the stories behind them.

Favorite recipes can tell one aspect of a family’s story. When were they served? Who traditionally prepared them? Were they handed down through the generations or a new recipe you discovered and recently began serving?

Various Methods of Compiling Recipes

You’ll find various methods of compiling these recipes. Try something mentioned below, combine one or two of them, or seek out something of your own.

*Recipe Cards – These are one of the easiest ways to collect recipes. You can put them in a recipe box, or slide them into compartments in a photo album

*Books made especially for recipe collecting – My daughter found a three-ring recipe binder, made especially for jotting down recipes on the included pages. You also can add sketches.

*Photo albums of various sizes where you can include photos – These have pages for inserting recipe cards and for larger pages with recipes written on them. There is room, too, for photos of family gatherings, youngsters cooking, and foods they’ve made.

*Albums that incorporate scrapbooking techniques – With scrapbook albums, you can paste or attach recipes on cards or scrapbooking papers. Then adorn with photos and various decorative touches.

*Computer programs that save recipes and stories – There are a number of computer programs that enable you to compile a cookbook. You can save these on CD or print off and make into book format.

Brainstorming Recipes

Try brainstorming some of the recipes your family enjoys and the stories associated with them. Think of recipes, simple and fancy, that your family enjoys…recipes you and your children want to remember over the years.

*Green Bean Casserole – My daughter makes this for holiday occasions. Her grandmother always made it and Beth especially liked it. Now her daughter does. This is one of the recipes added to the cookbook.

*Pancakes – My husband has perfected a recipe for pancakes and waffles the family likes. So the story associated with it and the recipe is another to be included.

*Party Chicken – My son-in-law’s mother makes this, which has become a favorite in their family.

© 2005

(Mary Emma Allen researches family food history from her multigenerational home in Plymouth, NH. She also writes stories for children and is working on a book based around her family during the Civil War era. E—mail: me.allen@juno.com)

Memories of Grandma's Quilt

2006-01-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

As I shopped for groceries during a trip to Sioux Falls, SD recently, I noticed a display of paintings – actually prints from paintings. One caught my eye titled, “Grandma’s Quilt.”

A quilt was draped over a chair with sewing basket beside it. The intricate detail and warm colors reminded me of sewing quilts with my grandmother. This would be a delightful picture to hang in one’s sewing room.

I also thought of the sketch I did for my book, The Magic of Patchwork. It depicts a young girl sewing with her grandmother, reminiscent of my quilting with Nanny. It’s in black and white. However, I could enlarge it, add color (or leave in black and white) and reproduce it in larger size to frame or print as postcards and notepaper.

Quilting inWinter

These colder days of winter with snowbound hours or long evenings of darkness often seem an ideal time for quilting and handiwork. The pioneer homemakers engaged in much of their sewing and quiltmaking during this time of year.

Nanny and I, when I was about eight years old, sat beside the kitchen woodstove, cut and stitched patches into quilts for us four children. I was so pleased when, years later, my mom found that old quilt. Though well worn, it remained in salvageable condition.

Recipes for Quilting Days

While you’re working on your quilting and patchwork, you may want to have meal cooking or made beforehand so you don’t have to take time away from your tasks. You also could put a one pan dish into the oven to bake, using baking bags which save on cleaning tasks as well.

If you’re quilting with other ladies, you can have a potluck lunch, with everyone bringing something to share. This can be sandwiches, casseroles, salads, fruit, desserts, cheese and crackers.

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

Tear one head of lettuce and arrange in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Layer the following ingredients in this order:
*1 cup chopped celery
*1 sliced green pepper
*1 cup sliced onion
*1 cup grated carrots
*10-oz. package peas, slightly cooked
*1/2 package bacon, cooked and crumbled

Spread 2 cups mayonnaise over salad. (Use light mayonnaise or salad dressing, if desired. You also can use less if you want.)
Top with 4 ounces grated Cheddar cheese. (This can be the low fat variety.) Refrigerate overnight, or 8-10 hours before serving.

Serve with a cup of soup and hot bread or rolls.

(c)2005

(If you have quilting memories you'd like to share, e-mail me: me.allen@juno.com. Type "Country Kitchen blog" in the subject line.)

Cookie Exchanges

2005-11-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

An exchange of cookies among friends or family is another way of sharing our baking. These can be organized in several ways. Keep the number to about 6, with each person bringing a dozen cookies.

Then the hostess will divide them up, so each person receives an equal number of each type. If you have the group much larger, the distribution can become rather unwieldy. However, there are many variations on this.

Also, if you’re meeting at the friend’s home for refreshments, as well as exchanging, bring some extra cookies to share with tea, coffee, or holiday punch.

When a friend organized a cookie exchange, she had 12 people participating. We all dropped our cookies at her home at a specified time. She then made the exchange and packaged each on a party plate, and we picked our goodies up later in the day. It had proved difficult to get all the participants together in an evening as it approached Christmas, so this way worked well.

(c)2005 Mary Emma Allen

(If you'd like to share stories about your cookie exchanges, write me: me.allen@juno.com. Write "Country Kitchen Blog" in the subject line.)

Giving Goodies for Christmas

2005-11-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

An age-old tradition, giving gifts of goodies during the holiday season, brings joy and spreads cheer. As we share the baking from our kitchens, created from favorite family recipes and new ones, we form traditions and fond memories.

These may consist of cookies, fruitcake, pies, candy, and sometimes main meal dishes. We may give them to family as well as friends and teachers. My dad enjoyed penuche (brown sugar) fudge, so my sister and I often made a batch and wrapped it up for him. He probably expected it, but let us think he was surprised.

The first year Jim and I were married, money for Christmas gifts was in very short supply. So we made most of them, sewn, hand crafted, or baked. I made fudge of different flavors and mixed them for his and my younger brothers, giving them a gift they could eat all by themselves, if they desired.

“It’s all for me?” I recall one of his brothers asking.

My aunt and grandmother made many of the gifts they gave when I was a child. Auntie was especially good at making homemade bread, so she would bake several loaves and include them along with jars of pickles, jelly, and a plate of cookies in a “goodie” box.
They also might include jars of canned fruit…types my mom didn’t preserve.

Holiday Cookies…

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE TREATS – In a saucepan over low heat or double boiler, melt 1 cup chocolate bits. Stir until smooth and cool slightly.

Beat together ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup margarine until fluffy; blend in 2 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and melted chocolate.

Add dry ingredients: 2 cups oatmeal, 1 ½ cup sifted flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in remaining chocolate bits from a 12 oz. package.

Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in ½ cup powdered sugar, coating heavily. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes in preheated 350-degree oven.

Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; then remove to wire rack. When cold, store in airtight container. Roll in colored sugar when removing to rack, if desired.

©2005 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen enjoys the holidays with her family in a multigenerational home in Plymouth, NH. Visit her web site: www.maryemmallen.blogspot.com. E-mail: me.allen@juno.com. )

Quilting Bees & Teas

2005-11-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

My grandfather, Burton Barker Coon, writer and farmer, mentioned in his memories about his mother’s quilting, the fact that the ladies might together for afternoon tea and cut out pieces for quilt blocks. “They would take their sewing along and have a very pleasant time. All the girls were brought up to piece quilts, bake bread and do all kinds of housework….,” he related.

I wondered what they served with their afternoon tea. Then I browsed through my aunt’s cooking notebook, in which she jotted down favorite family recipes. There were several for cookies and cakes. Perhaps the ladies in the neighborhood enjoyed these as they chatted, cut pieces, and quilted.

(c) 2005

(If you have questions about quilts and quiltmaking or quilting bee foods, e-mail me: me.allen@juno.com. Include "Country Kitchen blog" in the subject line.)

Pumpkin Time of Year at Trails End

2005-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

“I have seen fields with the pumpkins so close together that you could have walked over the field by stepping from one pumpkin to another without touching the ground,” wrote my grandfather, Burton B. Coon, as he reminisced about life on the family farm at Trails End.

These words were written in the early 1900s, as he told of life 25 years earlier. Papa Coon, as we called him, was a farmer, as well as columnist for the local newspaper, in Dutchess County, NY,

I enjoy browsing through his collected writings, Fifty Years Ago, Rural Life from 1875, and learning about his life and that of my ancestors. He also was a genealogist and related family history stories, too.

Pumpkin Pie in “Olden” Days

Papa Coon described pumpkin pie as “one of the oldest desserts in this part of the country.” “It has figured in legend and song, as well as pantry and table, ever since the settlement of New England,” he continued.

“We used to gather them with cart and oxen and dump them in some fence corner near the pasture lot,” Papa Coon related. Then they would “throw some over to the cows each morning.”

He also told how “it used to be my job to cut open the big ones and take out the seeds to save for planting.” Then he described how they were stored in the barn and cellar where they were kept for winter use.

Pumpkins Have Long History

The pumpkin has a long history in our country, dating back to the early setters. They were easy to grow and store, so became a mainstay in their diets. Along with squash, they have been considered a food native to the Americas.

Pumpkins apparently originated in Central America then spread northward. The pioneers of our country found the natives using pumpkins and squash so learned to grow and cook them. Boiling, baking, drying, and making them into soup were methods of preparing pumpkins the natives taught the pioneers.

Pumpkin pie seems to be the most popular way of preparing pumpkin. However, you can make bread, cake, soup, custard, rolls, waffles, muffins, soufflé, preserves, tarts, and ice cream. Pumpkin seeds are a good snack, too.
From the Family Cookbook comes:

PUMPKIN ROLL - Sift together ¾ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon salt; set aside.

Beat 3 eggs on high speed for 5 minutes; then add 1 cup sugar and 2/3 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin. Fold in the flour mixture and pour onto a 10 x 15-inch or 11 x 14-inch jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper and sprayed with butter or vegetable spray.

If desired, sprinkle ½ cup chopped nuts over the top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Tip out onto a powdered sugar dusted cloth and roll up; let cool. Unroll and fill with cream cheese filling.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING – Cream 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons margarine, 8-oz. package cream cheese, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Spread over top. Then roll up as you would a jelly roll and chill; cut into slices.

©2005 Mary Emma Allen

(Mary Emma Allen writes from her multi-generational home in New Hampshire when she’s not traveling for business and doing family history research.)

Scrapbooking Family Recipes

2005-09-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

By using your scrapbooking techniques, you can develop an interesting recipe scrapbook or journal to use currently and to preserve cooking memories for future generations. My aunt saved recipes in a notebook, handwritten and frequently with notations of the person from whom she acquired it.

I’ve began to consider making a scrapbook or picture journal of some of the recipes, photocopying them in her handwriting, then attaching it to the page of a scrapbook. Illustrations and photos could accompany these, perhaps with journal entries about the person whose recipe it is.

Grandma Coon’s Recipes

With the recipes Auntie noted as Grandma Coon’s, I could post a photo of this lady. I have one of her with her husband and son (my grandfather) in front of their farmhouse. There’s another of Grandma posing for a photographer.

Since the scrapbook will consist for family information and pleasure, I’ll include some details about Grandma, gleaned from family research, my grandfather’s writings, and memories told by my mom.

Nanny’s Recipes

These recipes were referred to as “Ma’s Recipes” by Auntie and my mother. I always called her Nanny. So I can include my memories of food prepared and served at her home and at ours when she visited.

I have numerous pictures of this lady, both as a young woman and as the grandmother I recall. They will add interest and memories for my family.

Other Relatives’ Recipes

The list could go on, since I’ve collected, over the years, recipes from relatives on both my mother and father’s side of the family. There are cousins, aunts, and close family friends.

“And don’t forget yourself,” my daughter often reminds me when we’re collecting family memories and pictures. This would include the picture my mom took of me holding the first loaf of bread I baked….all by myself when I was eight years old.

Do You Have Family Recipes for a Scrapbook?

Almost everyone has recipes memories they could include in a scrapbook. These might trace back for several generations, or they may be recipes you’ve collected and found favorites.

Do you have recipes you accumulated in your travels? My daughter asked for a Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe where she and her husband dined on their honeymoon. This could be included on a scrapbook page along with a photo of their trip.

We have family favorite acquired on a backpacking trip into the mountains of Wyoming. The outfitter’s cook created a dish of sausage, potatoes, cabbage, and onions that tasted delicious after a day of trekking at 10,000 feet. He didn’t have ingredient amounts, so we, by trial and error, came up with a version at home that tasted almost like his.

MOTHER’S CINNAMON ROLLS – My nephew asked for my mother’s (his grandmother’s) recipe for these that he recalled her making in his childhood.

Stir up your usual white bread recipe. Instead of forming it into a loaf for the second rising, roll one or both loaves (most recipes make two loaves) into rectangles about 1-inch thick. Spread with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (sometimes Mother used part white sugar and part brown); distribute ½ to 1 cup raisins over each.

Roll up as you would a jellyroll. Then cut in 1-inch slices. Place on greased or spray buttered cookie sheet. Let rise, as you would bread.

Then bake, about 350 degrees F., 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. When done, remove from oven and cookie sheet.

If you desire, frost with a vanilla confectioner’s sugar/butter icing. My mother never frosted hers, but some people prefer this.

©2005 Mary Emma Allen

(I write, journal, and scrapbook from my multigenerational home in Plymouth, NH. If anyone is interested, I will teach workshops in scrapbooking your family recipes and memories. E-mail me at: me.allen@juno.com )

Where Do I Get Ideas for Country Kitchen?

2005-08-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Frequently I’m asked, “Where do you get ideas for your ‘Country Kitchen’ newspaper and online columns?”

I’ve been writing them since the early 1960s for various newspapers, sometimes only one and occasionally for two or three at the same time. Since it’s an area I love and have pretty much free rein with my topics, I usually have no problem coming up with ideas.

When I started writing this column for my hometown weekly in 1963, I had no idea I’d still be producing it more than 40 years later! Also, no idea of the enjoyment writing it would be throughout the years.

The ideas come from my daily life, children and grandchildren, my travels and foods I find in other parts of the country, books I read, history I research, family cookbooks and journals I browse. One might think I’d run out of ideas, but somehow they keep coming.

Chatting with my readers or sharing my ideas and philosophy, one might describe the columns. One reader said reading my columns was like chatting with me over a cup of tea. Another called “Country Kitchen” homespun philosophy. Still one more said my writing brought back memories of good times in her childhood.

If I can help brighten my readers’ day with my musings and sharing, I’ve discovered the secret for my writing.

©2005

Introduction to Country Kitchen

2005-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

I've been writing Country Kitchen columns for newspapers and online pulbications since the mid-1960s. This has been a very enjoyable aspect of my writing. In fact, Country Kitchen, written for my hometown newspaper in Poughquag, NY, was my first published writing. I never imagined, at that time, I'd be writing this column for so many years.

However, it's been a way to share my thoughts and recipes, to reach out and encourage readers.
One reader mentioned that reading my column was like sitting down and chatting over a cup of tea with me.

Another reader said she enjoyed my "homespun philosophy." Someone else mentioned she enjoyed recalling incidents in her life that my column brought to mind.

I hope my Country Kitchen blog will bring enjoyment and inspiration to my readers, too.

(c)2005