Where I Hail From

…as recorded by collected recipe books.


A family collection, gathered, sorted, grouped, typed, and bound before the advent of word processors and email. Truly a labor of love by a cousin. There are no recipes donated by me. The window of opportunity occurred during toddler-dom, nursing, pregnancies, and the tyrannical reign of diapers. I considered myself too busy to write out and mail off what surely would be duplicated by others. The contributors are passing, though. As in ‘away’. Dearest Sister and I have always been amused at the diversity of recipes and skills of the family cooks. One starts with ‘take a whole chicken’, while another begins with ‘a box of cake mix’. The first cook, I am sure, never baked anything except from scratch, and the second probably never cut up a chicken in her life.

Published in my hometown, and purchased just a few years before the Big Tornado. It is a collection of recipes contributed by local cooks. (Greensburg, KS)

Some are from churches, or groups within churches, or local women’s auxiliary’s, usually for fund raisers. These are great resources for the recipes for the dishes shares at the covered dish dinners or potlucks. Names of the event depended on what part of the country one lives in. (Eldon, MO, Lexington, KY, Loveland and Fort Collins, CO, Asbury College in Wilmore KY, and Perryville KY.) 'I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere...'



This one I ‘inherited’ from my mother. I lived there(and attended here), but it was really her book. One would think well used, too, but I think just a weak cover. The pages aren’t worn or stained…which as everyone knows…marks the well used recipe book!



This one is by a health food manufacturer located where the Daughters Three were born. Not used. Binding not cracked. Health foods? Ick.



These three are fun. One is a gift from Wonderful Guy’s mother during a visit her (OK). Another (KS) was picked when visiting the Guy’s father. The third I picked up at Shakertown close to Harrodsburg, when living in Kentucky. It is a fascinating place if you ever chance to visit…and eat there.

This one? I have no idea. I have know where Tahlequah, OK is, and feel like I have driven through it. I don’t know who Cleo is, though, or where this book came from. Maybe one of the box of Mom’s that when sorting through I thought to have merit. I mean, she’s a retired extension home economist. I bet there is some excellent resources in there, if I ever need them!

In other news...
There were questions about 'the car' Dearest Sister and I are having some fun in last post. Always there are questions about the Isetta! The Isetta is my sister's car. She bought on Ebay, at which point I was believing she had been taken over by pod people. Seriously. But no. It was still Dearest. I know there have been points in my life when she has believed the same about me. There are a few posts on her blog where she shares about 'the car', but this one gives the down-low.


Also, while cooler than the last couple of gorgeous days, it is still clear and bright and windless, so I am dragging Wonderful out for a test trip from home to new work on the bike, in anticipation of starting up the commuting as soon as possible.


Thanks for hanging in with me during this recent lull. I have lots to say. My time and energy have just taken a hit.

Circling Back Around

Last week, I was awarded my first recognition, and forwarded to others. And from that, it has circled back around to me again. I think that is pretty cool.

I am not going to repeat the awarding effort, but I do want to thank Lynne, and Kate, and Wunx~, and LenaL for letting me know how much they appreciate reading my effort. (By the by...LenaL is Swedish. See. Another international reader!)

So the holidays are almost upon us...Thanksgiving, for those of us in the states, and Christmas/Hanukkah next month. That generally means some cooking and baking is going to be happening...for those of us who do that sort of thing. Which I do.

Now this year for Thanksgiving, Wonderful Guy and I are traveling to Sin City, not because that is our favorite place in the world to go, but because some of our favorite people in the world live there. (Please move, Dearest Sister, Beautiful Step Daughter, and First Niece. We want to visit other places.) Dearest Sister will be in charge of The Dinner. I suppose I will have to help, but it will be her kitchen.

If The Dinner were in my kitchen, with The Offspring in attendance, there would be certain menu items that would be required. Expected! DEMANDED Grave Disappointment would be evident if these dishes did not make an appearance on the table.

In no particular order, our menu would be as follows:

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy.
Green bean casserole. (this is a 3 star item)
Cheesy broccoli casserole. (this is is a 3 star item)
Grandma Perry's orange salad. (this is a 2 star item, only because it generally gets left in the fridge.)
Hot bread of some sort.
Grandma Perry's pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. (another 2 star item, only because of the generally overfull condition of the revelers by this time)

I swear I could skip the turkey.

Here is the recipe (and story) for the cheesy broccoli casserole. Originally a cauliflower casserole, the recipe comes from Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, where there is a exhibit of Shaker history. Buildings, engineering, ferry, it is something to see if you are in the area. The restaurant was always a treat when we lived there, and I assume is still. So anyway. All authentic, all Shaker-ish...especially the part in the recipe that uses Velveeta. I know those Shakers were all about using processed cheese spread!

Cheesy broccoli casserole (as I have written it out for my daughters. Pardon my humor...)

10 oz of brocolli, cooked. (Follow the directions on the package. It is not rocket science)
1/4 lb (114 g) of Velveeta cheese
½ stick of butter
12-15 Ritz crackers (or equivalent), crushed

Melt cheese with ½ butter. Combine with brocoley, and mix well. Put in small casserole. Melt remaining butter, and mix with broken up crackers. Sprinkle on top of cheesey broccollee. Bake at 350 F (do your own converting to Celsius) for 30 minutes (until bubbly and crackers are sort of toasty)

Come back tomorrow. I have some recipe books I am going to give away in celebration of this cooking/baking time of year.

TGIF!

And what a relief it is.

I have been a bit at loose ends with the work situation. Perhaps it will be wrapped up next week, and we can return to our regularly scheduled programming. Then again, nothing has happened even close to any pronounced schedule, so maybe it will be November.

It really has me flummoxed, and the ride is draining. I have had to make an effort to take care of myself in the midst. Rest, good diet, exercise, yarn shopping....

I will tell you something else that has not helped my attitude, and that has been the weather. It seems the warm weather, and my growing season, went away too soon. The wind earlier this week took the leaves, and now we are left with bare, skeletal trees. It is emphasized by my new-found Australian bloggers talking about the wonders of their new spring. Oh, just shoot me!

Well, aren't we the grumpy one...

Well, it is what it is, and it's okay for me not to feel upbeat and perfect day in and day out.

So here's a recipe out of my files, not particular gourmet, or fat-free, or glorious in any other way. Just a dessert for the season...my mother's pumpkin pie recipe, which may have come from my Great Aunt Ruth.

Pumpkin Pie (Grandma Perry’s recipe)

2 ½ cups pumpkin (or one big can)
1 2/3 cups sugar ->1 cup brown & 2/3 cup white
2 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg (fresh ground which means getting one of those little graters and whole nutmegs but is so worth it)
½ t ginger
½ t NaCl
2 T flour
2 ½ cup evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
3 eggs

Mix C6H12O6 (that the sugars for non-chemists) and dry ingredients. Beat eggs. Add milk, pumpkin to eggs. Mix with dry ingredients. Pour into uncooked pie shells. Bake at 450°F for 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F for 45 minutes or until firm. (It’s done when a knife remains clean when inserted ½ the distance between edge and center) (And it almost always takes longer than 45 minutes, especially if you are baking more than one) (And this recipe makes about three!)

I seriously approximate this recipe. Like the evapo milk....one can. The nutmeg...grate it until I am done having fun. Also, I don't make my own pie crust any more. I know, I know....maybe again one day... I have made this with my own canned pumpkin, and I have made it with store canned pumpkin. I am making it this year with fresh pummykin, grown up in my yard!

This is not rocket science, and when served with real whipped cream (I am an elitist when it come to whipped cream!)...well, the pie....she is the best. I am talking forget about the turkey good.

Thanks for listening. I am feeling better for sharing that little tidbit of history (and not just whining).