Snow, Books, Family

Snow plastered the storm window, making it impossible to see out  The news forecasters said we have had 5-9 inches of snow.  Luckily, no wind.
January in Indiana. 

   What is a person to do?.  Well, the young  found ways and means to go to town.  Things needed to be done, now. 
   But not for me.  I did not go to the mailbox.  Cedric went on a narrow path.  Obviously it is book time. There is many a laugh in that vintage book of poetry.  You didn’t think poetry was laughable, did you.?  Try this.
                                    The Optimist

The  optimist fell ten stories;
  At each window bar
He shouted to his friends:
  “All right so far.”
                        Anon 
 “The New Home Book of Best Loved Poems” edited by Richard Charlton Mackenzie  from which this was taken, has a section on humor.  There are other wonderful selections.  The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Man on The Flying Trapeze, and of course,  serious stuff.  I acquired the book years ago at a household auction.
   Half Price Books is a great establishment.  It’s a give and take thing. Most of us take more than we give. 
   I received a wonderful little book for Christmas.  “I’m Proud Of You” by Tim Madigan.  It is the story of the writer’s friendship with Mr. Rogers, of television fame.  It inspired me to buy 2 DVD’s of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.   For the great grandchildren.  Our children watched Captain Kangaroo with delight, and missed Mr. Rogers.   But now, my little ones will learn from him.  All because I read a book. 
  If you are a foodie (and who isn’t) cookbooks are a great read.  I bought three cookbooks over the holidays, two were flops, the other one was a keeper. 
Or you can make your own cookbook.  A family treasure, a church cookbook, all wonderful.  How did grandmother make that cranberry sauce or what was Aunt Cecil’s recipe for sugar cream pie?
   Publishing your own cookbook can be fun or a headache.  There are steps that can help.  After you have gathered in the recipes you wish to include, you need to proofread.  Go over those recipes by several people and look for something that may be out of order.  After our first cookbook my sister-in-law told me the chili recipe was a disaster.  They couldn’t eat it.  The difference was between recorded 4 teaspoons of cinnamon and accurate ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.  Good cooks checking that recipe would have questioned that and asked the provider what was correct.  So the proofreaders must be sharp.  A few ;mistakes and the reader won’t trust anything.  Saying that, mistakes will happen.  When the book is fresh off the press those mistakes may be more obvious. Don’t despair.  Check everything before you give or sell that first one.  An insert at the front of the book with corrections is acceptable.  I have seen it done. 

    There are companies that specialize in home-made cookbooks.  They have a soft cover and a plastic binder.  We did a church cookbook, sold ads and had a reasonable cost.  It was a success, but when we re-ordered the catch was the price went up because we couldn’t  cash in on ads a second time.  Also that publisher has a copyright on your book and you can not take it to the local printer and have 100 printed off.  They honor that copyright.  The easy part to that method is the publisher does the work.   They arrange the recipes on the pages and send you a copy to proofread before it is published.
   On the other hand you can work with a printer if you have or, are,  a
computer  competent person willing to devote a lot of  time to the project.
Your printer will explain that margins matter, and lots of things matter. 
They will bind your book in  soft cover with plastic binding also.
   For our family cookbook we chose to go with a 3 ring hard cover with pockets.  The printer put it together.  We bought the 3 ring binders separately and got a reasonable price.  But when we wanted to re-order 25 copies, we found the binder price was expensive.  The printer was reasonable but the binder made the cost per copy excessive.  But the printer did not have a copyright.  We could  make our own copies and put the book together. 

Here are some good ideas from other people’s books.  Color coding of pages according to type of food. Names, addresses and phone numbers of contributors included.  If your pickle recipe has a problem, who contributed it, call and check with them.    Include some humorous sayings, or family quotes.  It makes the read more interesting. 
   If you do a good job you will be rewarded years down the road with compliments for saving that strawberry pie recipe.  Your children and grandchildren need a family cookbook, so,  go for it.

Nita's Holiday Story

Recipes aren’t worth a dime a dozen after the holidays.  We’ve had enough.
In fact, it would be nice if the food fairy dropped off dinner for a few days.
That’s not going to happen.  What I need is a diversion, a story, a story to share.
    My live Christmas tree still looks good, but I know its days are numbered.
It is a Frazier Fir and one of the nicest I have ever had.  We have done the circuit.  Raised our own, bought fresh ones, then to artificial ones and now back to a real tree..   Not to mention the wild cedar trees that stood in a bucket of sand  at Christmas for the first years of our marriage.  Those were the days, good ones too.  But to get to our story. 
                                 The Most Beautiful Tree I Have Ever Seen

   Spring is a symbol of new life.  So it is with our story.
One spring as swallows nested under the back porch eaves, Papa and Mama had a baby son.  They named him Olaf.
   To celebrate the birth, Papa planted spruce seedlings in the meadow.  They were not very big, the baby or the trees.  But thanks to love, care and the summer sun, they all grew strong.
   When the winter winds blew and Christmas drew near, stockings were hung by the fireplace and filled with treats for the child.  But there was no Christmas tree.  Papa and the toddler visited the meadow and he told the boy that they would have a holiday tree of their own one day.
   After a few years Papa and Olaf went to the meadow and saw the growing trees.  Papa announced,  “This will be the first year of our own Christmas tree!”
   Olaf beamed and said, “This little tree can stand on a small table at the  window. It is just right!”  So they cut the tree and pulled it across the snow to the house. Bart and Cedric ran along behind.  They were happy to be a part of the adventure.
   Mama was pleased.  She said, “Let’s make paper snowflakes to decorate the tree.”  Soon it stood proudly at the window, giving the room a special fragrance. 
  In January Mama carried the dry tree outside.  Chickadees found shelter in its thinning branches when the cold winds blew.
   Each year they chose a spruce tree for their special Christmas tree.  One year Olaf said, “This tree has many branches and it is tall!”  Papa cut the tree and put it on a sled to take it to the house.  The dogs bounced along beside the sled. 
   Mama exclaimed, “Lands! This is the most beautiful tree  I have ever seen.”  It was decorated and enjoyed by the family. Later Mama carried the tree outside.  Rabbits found shelter near the trunk.
  In a few years the trees were taller than Olaf or Papa.   In the field the branches of the trees brushed against each other. Olaf stretched his neck to see the tops that seemed to touch the sky.  He had grown taller, also.
  When they had chosen a tree, Papa cut it, put it on a wagon and the horses pulled it to the house.
   But when they tried to get it through the door it wouldn’t go.  “Push!” cried Papa.  Olaf pushed and Papa pulled.  But it wouldn’t go.
   “This tree is too big, it’s stuck,” cried Mama.
   Finally Papa cut off some of the lower branches.  Then they easily pulled the tree into the room.  “The branches will be for a wreath and decorations for the dinner table,” said Mama in delight.
   Olaf shouted, “The top of the tree touches the ceiling and the side branches brush the piano.”  Once again the family decorated the spruce with snowflakes and paper chains, adding a little tin star on the top.  “This is the most beautiful tree I have ever seen!”
   The next winter when the snow blew Papa and Olaf visited the field and looked at all of the tall trees.  “These trees are too big for the house, but they are just right for the animals.  They will be a home for the birds and pinecones will provide seeds for the rabbits.”
   Olaf said, “Let’s plant more little trees.”
   In the spring they did just that and each year there after.  When the cold winds blew, Papa and Olaf visited the field, now swaying with evergreens, and chose a tree that was just right.
   Many Christmas celebrations followed.  Once again a Papa took a child to the field to find the perfect tree.  Pulling it home to stand by the window the
child exclaimed,  “Grandpa! Grandpa! This is the most beautiful tree I have ever seen.”  Papa, Mama, Grandma, and Grandpa thought so too!


A little fiction for the season. 

 

Christmas, Candy Recipes, Family

Dear Brian, Thank you for showing an interest in your Grandma Stout’s candy recipes.  You are right on, she was  a superb candy-maker.   Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, panocha (B. sugar fudge), divinity, peanut brittle,
English toffee, she did them all. 
   I suspect that in her early days Christmas and making candy were closely related. Gifts were not easy to come by, and she loved to make candy. 
Candy could be made ahead, stored in tins, and became gifts for friends and family. 
She must have gotten good at it early on.  In her prime years she made as much as 50 pounds of candy for the autumn church bazaar. 
   On the other hand (there is always an other hand), I lived next door to Grandma’s store.  Candy canes, chocolate drops and hard tack were included in the Christmas “treats” passed out to customers on Christmas Eve. 
   Candy making was not part of our holidays.  We baked cookies, made popcorn balls and indulged in our “treats.”
   So that is my excuse for never becoming a candy maker.  Why would I when my mother-in-law was so good at it and she shared?
   I thought we had lost her candy recipes, but last summer while rifling through recipes I found them.  I had expected hand written copies, instead they were printed on heavy paper, old and worn.    I remembered she had once belonged to a home economics club. There were check marks on some recipes, very neat, . I knew these were the ones she used. 
   In sharing recipes on the blog I try to do them, so I will be familiar with them.
It doesn’t always happen, but I try. 
   And that is how we discover an ignorant at candy making aunt willing to give Ma’s old fashioned candy recipes a try.  I never saw her in the process, just the fruit (or candy) of her labor.  Mistake 1 (there will be more). 
   First, the recipe, just as it was printed many years ago. 

.  Chocolate Fudge and Variations
1 T. butter (also enough to grease sides of  a 2 or 3 qt. saucepan)
2 oz. chocolate, cut up
3/4cups coffee cream
Place chocolate and cream in saucepan, cook on low heat about 10 minutes, until chocolate is melted stirring with a rubber spatula.  Add 2 cups granulated sugar and stir about 2 minutes to dissolve.  Increase heat to medium and stir about 2 minutes.  Put lid on to wash sugar grains down for 5 minutes.  Remove lid, stir with clean rubber spatula and place candy thermometer in syrup. Continue gentle cooking without stirring to 236 degrees (soft ball stage), about 10 minutes (it took me longer)Remove from heat.
Place pan on wire rack, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and butter.   Let cool on rack until bottom of pan is barely warm to the hand.  Will take about an hour.(Took me longer)
Add ¾ cup broken nut meats, stir about 8 minutes or until candy loses its gloss (this is where I really got lost).  Becomes creamy and starts to stiffen.  Pour into 8 inch buttered pan and cut with sharp knife while still warm.  If the mixture becomes too stiff, (it did, fast) :”let it down“ by ;adding a teaspoon of hot water, milk, or cream at a time to give a desirable consistency.   (I did that).
   Variations:
Rocky Road:  Add miniature marshmallow just before turning into pan.
Panocha: Omit chocolate. Substitute 1 cup brown sugar, .firmly packed and 1 ½ cups granulate sugar for listed ingredients. 
White Fudge Roll: Omit chocolate. Use ½ cup chopped candied cherries and ½ cup chopped nuts.  Knead and shape.
Peanut Butter Fudge:  Omit chocolate and nuts.  Just before beating, add 3 T. creamy peanut butter.

Oh, how I would like to taste her English Toffee or Peanut Butter Fudge.

If you master this recipe, I’ll send more. Live and learn, you know.   Good luck.
   Have a happy holiday with the new granddaughter. 

A safe and blessed holiday to everyone.

Birthday Party Family, Fun

        ‘How many birthday parties have you had over your lifetime?
The children of today have one every year, but when I was a child---.
You’ve heard that story.
  I guess Dame Fortune saved all the good spirit and wishes for this year.
For this party was once in a lifetime.  Sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews , children, grandchildren and great grandchildren traveled from all over to help me celebrate.   What fun!  It was one of the best days of my life.
  There is always something to complain about, but when there is something to be joyful for, do it.
   Having your children working together, the planning, the decorating, the sharing of pictures, the food ; that is remarkable.
   When your family calls you Queen For A Day, smile and say cheese.
For there will be photographers.
   In Indiana weather is always a concern for travelers.  Mother Nature put on an early show for them, but thankfully, all was well.
   The travelers took in the side shows,: their old stompin’ grounds, Jungle Jim’s, Whitetail Acres Christmas Tree Farm to see the authentic Alaskan reindeer .
   My family is generous to a fault.  How Dad loved sharing whatever he grew in the garden, blackberries, or muskmelons.  To my party.  siblings brought lemons, (grown from their own tree),; oranges and tomatoes, peach marmalade,  and, and grouper, (enough for a wonderful fish fry,)   Red and gold poinsettias brighten my house, reminders of their caring.  They filled my utility room with my drink of choice, (Starbucks frappucchino  (the blue cap-lite).  What more could anyone want.?
   There were birthday cards, warm and touching, ;to be read over and over.
Thank you.
   But enough talk, where are the pictures?
 

Ruth Lyons, The Spirit of Christmas, Recipe

   Anyone  over fifty years old, living in the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky area,
remembers Ruth Lyons.  “She wrote Christmas songs and was the big fund raiser for children in the hospitals, especially at Christmas.”
  That was Lyons, born in 1905 in Cincinnati.  Her Presbyterian home was always aware of the importance of books and music. Her father, a travel agent by day, taught music at night at the university.    By the age of 12 she had written and produced her own musical.
   She attended the University of Cincinnati but quit because of family finances.  Then she studied at the Cincinnati College of Music, and worked part time selling sheet music.
   Her radio career began as a part-time pianist .
   She made her  announcing debut when she helped with  the details of the great flood of  1937.  Her demeanor was calm as she asked for donations of food and clothing for victims.  Her grandmother’s example of helping others and being an advocate prepared Lyons for this new role.  $56,000 was raised for flood relief through her effort.
   At WKRC she hosted a weekly radio show called, “Your Sunday Matinee.” Being an amateur song writer she wrote new songs for each broadcast.  Bandleader, Paul Whiteman was a guest on her show and wanted to buy some of her compositions with the stipulations that the music would be published under his name.  She told him no.
   In 1942 enticed by a $10 raise she moved to Crosley Broadcasting Co, owner of both WSAI and WLW .  The radio producers had a history of written scripts but Lyons preferred spontaneous conversation.  Seeing her success with sponsors, they went along with her.  At WLW she co-hosted a show with Frazier Thomas.  When he left she was in charge of the show, with music and entertainment targeting female listeners.  The show was the 50 Club, with 50 women lunching and being her audience.
   It was an easy step, (not really) to move to the TV debut of the show in 1949.  After seeing herself on TV she realized she needed to slim down, which she did.  With that she set her own rules as a program producer.
   She became a favorite with sponsors when she talked about their products.
.  Lyons had some control over what products she promoted, only selling what she was familiar with. 
   NBC contracted with Crosley to carry a half-hour of the 50 Club for 3 years.  She did not like the structured advertising and the contract was canceled after a year.
   In 1956 the show was renamed the 50/50 Club,, expanding the audience to 100 people.  It was seen in the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus and Dayton markets.  There was a 3 year waiting period for  tickets to the live and spontaneous show. That’s popularity!
   Her show was the top rated daytime television program in the U.S. from 1952 to 1964.  Lyons and her program were profiled in national magazines such as McCall’s, Ladies Home Journal and Cosmopolitan.
  Her guests included Bob Hope, Arthur Godfrey and Peter Nero.  Popular local nightclubs, The Beverly Hills Supper Club and The Lookout House hosted numerous headliners, all eager to appear with Lyons on the 50/50 Club.  She required they perform live for the show.  Her trademark was a  bouquet of flowers which hid her microphone.
   Her husband Herman and her daughter Candace were often part of her repartee.
   In the 1960’s she suffered a stroke and 20 year old Candy was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The daughter died in 1966.  Lyons never recovered from her death and turned the show over to Bob Braun in 1967.  In 1969 she published her memoir, “Remember With Me”.
  The Ruth Lyons Christmas Fund began in 1939 and  provided  hospitals with toys, decorations and needed hospital equipment.  After a visit to a hospital at holiday time she had seen how children needed cheering up.
   She began fund raising each year on her birthday, October 4.  She wrote Christmas songs which were performed on the program and recorded to benefit the fund.  “Let’s Light The Christmas Tree” was a favorite.  The name of the fund was changed to The Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund in 1996.  It has raised tens of millions of dollars.
   David Letterman, who watched The 50/50 Club with his mother while home from school on his lunch break credits her with teaching him about live television talk show.
   A television documentary in 2012, “Ruth Lyons, First Lady of Television” won several Emmy awards.
   Throughout her entire broadcasting career she never read from scripts or commercial copy.
   She began her career earning $25 weekly; in the 1950’s her annual income exceeded $100,000.
  This information came from Wikipedia.
  She shared music, radio , T.V, money for toys for children  and, and, recipes.  Her Crumb Cake recipe remains a favorite in my cookbook.

                                    Ruth Lyons Crumb Cake

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 stick softened margarine
Blend together. With fingers or fork.   Remove 1 cup of crumbs and set aside.

In separate bowl, combine
1 cup sour milk (add 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 cup milk)
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
Add to flour mixture, stir with spoon
Pour into a greased  9 by 13 inch pan.
Combine ½ cup chopped nuts with reserved crumbs
Spread crumbs on top of cake.
Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Apples,Recipes

   Remember when we were young and dunked for apples at Halloween parties?  Parents filled a wash tub half full of water,  threw in a couple dozen of apples (they floated) and supplied a towel for drying up after you tried to grab an apple with your teeth.  Those were the days!
   Apples have always been important in our culture.  “An Apple For the Teacher; “An Apple A Day Keeps the Dr.  Away.”  Johnny Appleseed helped things along. 
   Oldtimer, A. Houston Goudiss in his vintage treatise on apples had this to say.
   “Under-ripe apples contain a considerable percentage of starch which is not easily converted in the stomach.  Insist on ripe apples.  Cooked under-ripe apples are all right.  Heat converts the starch.”
   “Apples are good for the liver.  They act in stimulating intestinal activity and help in elimination of poisons.”
   My grandparents were strong on applesauce, sweet potatoes and rolled oats.  It helped them live a good life into their 90’s
   There are so many varieties of apples, how do you know which are best for cooking and which are best for eating out of hand.?

 1.   Honeycrisp, the current favorite is juicy and remains crisp until mid-winter.  It is good eaten raw and holds its shape when baked. 
 2 Experienced pie bakers choose a couple of kinds to blend the tart and the sweet and hold their shape in baking. 
 3. Gala has exceptional long storage life.  It is best eaten out of hand or in a salad.
 4 Golden Delicious can be crisp or mealy according to where it is grown.  It is best grown in Appalachian zones and allowed to ripen fully on the tree.  Flavor is excellent, good for eating raw and baking.
5.  Granny Smith is good all-round.  Excellent for cooking, salads and eating out of hand.
 6. Crispin is also good all around and is a good keeper.
 7 Jonathon is good for baking and applesauce, but a poor keeper. (my frozen sliced Jonathons keep great) 
 7 McIntosh is a good sauce apple, short storage life, though.
8 Red Delicious, a previous favorite is good for eating, not for cooking.
 9 Fuji has a tough skin, a long storage life, good raw and for baking and sauce.
 10.  Idared stores well and is good all around.
If you go to the orchard, be aware that apples ripen at different times.  Some are better early and other later. 
  Of course the best sauce apple is the summer Transparent and Lodi.  Nothing better than tart applesauce. 
   Apple salad, (Waldorf Salad) is a delicious way to enjoy apples. 
If you are going to use apples with the skin on, be sure to wash them with soap and water, rinse before using. 
                                   Apple Salad
Combine diced apples, (some peeled, some unpeeled), chopped celery,
chopped walnuts and a few small marshmallows.   Apples should be dipped in lemon juice to preserve color.  Combine with vanilla yogurt.  So good and easy.

   The easiest way to prepare apples is stew them, peeled or unpeeled, cook until tender, add cinnamon.  The right apples, you don’t even have to add sugar. 
     For something special, try apple dumplings.  There are as many recipes for this as there are apple varieties. Some people prefer a pie crust cover, others want a biscuit covering.  The sauces for the topping are special, too.
   Here is an old-time Apple Dumpling Recipe.
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter
Enough milk to make a soft dough.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Work in cold butter with your fingers or a pastry blender.   Add just enough milk to make a soft dough..
Turn out of lightly floured  surface.  Knead just a bit. Then roll out to a thin sheet. Cut in 4 squares.  In center of each square of dough place apples, (whole, sliced, or halved, also peeled and cored) Add sugar and cinnamon to the apples.  Bring dough to center, moisten and join sides in center.  Place in oiled baking pan. Combine 2/3 cup boiling water, 1/3 cup sugar, and 2 Tablespoons butter.  Pour over dumplings.  Bake at 370, basting the liquid onto the dumplings,  for 40 minutes. 
                              Sauces for Dumplings
Hard Sauce;  ½ cup soft butter
                      1 ¼ cup P. sugar
                       1 teaspoon  vanilla
DAP, white sauce, 2 cups milk
                               1 cup sugar
                                1 egg
                                2 Tablespoons cornstarch
        1 teaspoon vanilla
Heat milk.  Combine sugar and cornstarch, stir a bit of hot milk into sugar, then add to milk and cook 1 minute.  Lightly beat egg and temper a bit of hot milk into egg.  Then add to milk mixture and cook till thickens. Take off stove and add vanilla. 
Old German Sauce, 2 cups milk,
                                 ½ cup sugar
                                 4 eggs
                                  1 teaspoon vanilla.
Prepare as in previous recipe. 

Fun on the Farm

   Eighteen yeas ago when the hog market hit rock bottom Susann and Phil Wendel , hog farmers,  wondered what to do.  Susann came up with the idea of planting mums, 2000 mums.  It was a success.  The next year they added  a corn maze.  That brought more people to their state line farm. 

  Each year they had new ideas,  a hay ride to a pumpkin patch,  tours for school children with pumpkins to take home.  Gourds and Indian  corn are good sellers. They did that.   

  When children visit a farm there must be animals; chickens, ponies, donkeys, sheep and pigs.  They could do that.  They did better than that. Their farm has peafowl, llamas, alpacas and goats. 
   Then they realized that the large farrowing house that had sat vacant for a few years could be repurposed.  Ag retail sales.  They had a jump on things with the mum sales and the corn maze, so they took the next step.

   It has been a  process of steps for this couple,  give them 5 stars.  . 
   I have never seen a better combination of agriculture, education, fun and sales.  Children of all ages will fall in love with this farm.  A bin to climb into shelled corn and play with buckets and scoops and tractors. 
Pick the potatoes out of the vegetable garden. (Real potatoes).
  Watch Molly the puppet tell how to plant pumpkin seeds.

Pet the pony (I think rides are available).  Pick your own pumpkin and ride the wagon to the patch.   What fun.  And there is lots more.  If I tell you everything you won’t be surprised. 
   It is more than just a children’s venue, it is for everyone who wants a day in the country.  Everyone  who wants to buy mums, or autumn decorations.   The 6 acre corn maze has a different theme each year.  “To The Moon And Back”

is this year’s theme. 
   Eight weeks each autumn you can enjoy the Wendel Farm and its activities.  Entertainment has changed, once  you could  just watch something.  Now children want to be doing and that is what makes this farm special.

   There is much to do and learn.
 

    The color of autumn