Cooking In The Kitchen...

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Kitchen Creations

 

I spent the whole day in the kitchen yesterday! It all started when I made two four quart bags of caramel corn for my dad, who adores the stuff.

From there (as long as the oven was already on - and there were four overripe bananas screaming for my attention) I baked banana bread.

Last, but certainly not least, as long as I have goodies going to Dad, I thought he might enjoy homemade Hickory Hill Farm hickory syrup. I headed to the basement and brought up all the bottles I had, and proceeded to brew up a batch of that golden goodness from the farm.

By the end of the day, I was pleasantly, plum tuckered out; the farmhouse smelled like a candy factory, and Handsome made our delicious dinner. It was a day of tasty accomplishments, for sure.

I'm not doing anything quite so grandiose today. I may even put my feet up for a while - at least while I enjoy my morning coffee.

  Keep Calm and Carry On.

Memory Lane Monday - Cookbook Love...

Is there anyone who doesn't treasure their old cookbooks? 

I have quite a few special books, but these are my 

most favorite (old) cookbooks.

 One of the reasons they're so treasured is because all of them

belonged to someone I love before they came to me, with two exceptions.

There's something special about making a dish that you know was made

by one of your ancestors. It joins generations together through food.

My old copy of the Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book was printed in 1950 

and belonged to Mum before she gave it to me a number of years ago.

It's still my #1, Go-To cookbook if I'm looking for a traditional recipe.

Have you ever made your own tartar sauce? It's so much better than store-bought!

 These are probably my oldest books.

Everyday Desserts and Farmhouse Fare were gifts from 

my British Aunt Annette (Uncle Johnny's wife).

Everyday Desserts is copyrighted 1911.

There are pages and pages of tasty desserts.

"Nantucket Pudding: Heat a quart of canned fruit and 

add two tablespoonfuls each of flour and sugar. 

Simmer until smooth and thick, turn into a serving dish,

and cover with whipped cream."

Farmhouse Fare has the subtitle 

"Recipes from country housewives collected by Farmer's Weekly."

It was first published in 1935, but my copy is dated 1973.

Within its covers you'll find recipes for Rhubarb Chutney, 

Macaroni and Onion Fritters, Blackberry and Sloe Jelly,

Afternoon Tea Cakes, and many other interesting dishes.

There is even a chapter titled, "For Your Corner Cupboard"

featuring farmer's remedies for myriad ailments.

I don't think I'll make An Ancient Barley Drink or Nettle Syrup, but 

I might be tempted to try Farmhouse Herb Salve or the Three-in-One Cleaner.

The Boston Cooking School Cook Book used to belong to Handsome's paternal

grandmother and was passed to his aunt before it came to us when she died.

Aunt Eula wrote on the first page:

"Mama's ol' cookbook-

(Look at the ads!)

- Eula

3/24/86"

 The copyright in this cookbook is 1906.

 Two of these cookbooks belonged to my mother-in-law, Evelyn.

Choice Family Recipes was compiled for her good friend, Ellen Stolz

in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. It was printed in 1956.

The Settlement Cook Book was published in 1956, and Evelyn kept

recipe clippings from the newspaper between its covers, too.

I found this cookbook when I traveled to Hayward, Wisconsin for one of my

Wisconsin Conservation Congresss obligations. I managed to find time to slip

into an antique shop while there and came away with the 

Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, dated 1948.

The last two cookbooks really make me smile.

One is the Signature Recipes presented by The Elm Grove Woman's Club.

Copyright 1962.

 Evelyn contributed four recipes to this one, including a family favorite...

Chocolate Applesauce Cake. Both our daughters-in-law now make it for

family holidays so I can create other family favorites when we're together.

 And then there is my own Stitches Needleworker's Cookbook

which I copyrighted in 1992.

 The dedication includes a photograph of me with the beautiful women

who worked with me in the shop at the time the cookbook was printed...

l-r back row: Beverly Risser and Marie Hausinger

l-r front: Lori Pain, me and my dear, long-time friend, Laura (Puddy) Ignera.

Some of my fondest memories were created with these beautiful women.

The cookbook includs recipes submitted by customers and

fellow designers (I was designing as Brynwood Needleworks then, too).

There are also cross stitch tips and designs shared by those same talented women.

Although I don't have more copies of this cookbook, I have been

considering reprinting it under my Brynwood label. 

What do you think? Should I do it?

Well, I think this is officially my longest Memory Lane Monday post!

I hope you enjoyed it.

If you have a memory you'd like to share, please write about it

on your blog and then link back here so everyone can read it.
(The link will remain open until Sunday, August 5, 2012.)

Thank you for strolling down Memory Lane with me again.

Oh, No! More Sweet Acorns...

Just because I can't eat them right now is 

no good reason to keep the recipe to myself! 

ACORN Donut Holes!!!

Sizza at Six In The Suburbs has shared a recipe for these sweet treats, so click here if you want to snag the recipe for yourself.

I know. I know. You're welcome. (How can a donut "hole" possibly have a single calorie?)

Memory Lane Monday - Comfort Food...

Welcome to Memory Lane Monday for August. It's always so much fun choosing a favorite story to share. I originally planned a "Back to School" memory for you, but I was unable to locate the specific old photo I wanted to complete the post. I'm going to save that story for next month, and will spend the time between now and then tracking down that missing image!

In it's place, I've chosen a "Homemaking/Cooking" them instead. Mum taught me how to crack eggs and prepare them when I was about eight years old, so I've been a bona fide cook ever since. Nothing makes me happier than making meals for my family and watching them enjoy the fruits of my labor as they enjoy each others company.

Handsome's mother was a consummate hostess, entertaining guests, caring for her family and filling their home with the fragrances of delicious meals. In addition to a few of her favorite cookbooks, I consider myself fortunate to have her copy of the Sunset Hostess Handbook.

By the way, if you're interested in obtaining your own copy of this handbook, I found them available at eBay, etsy and even Amazon.com. Just do a Google search under "Sunset Hostess Handbook". 

It was written in 1936 (there's also a 1937 edition) and is full of tips, black and white images and recipes for being a good homemaker. There are helpful articles about hosting a dinner party, planning a special meal or features like The Kitchen Cabinet with recipes for delicious dishes.

I think my favorite thing about turning the pages in this book is finding a little check mark or notation in the margin where Evelyn showed which recipes she made and liked. On this particular page, she made the Cranberry Salad Mold, and left a check mark as her note.

I do the same thing with the recipes I try. I like to leave a comment in the margin to say what I did or didn't like, what I might change, and the date that I made it the first time. I always make it exactly as the recipe instructs the first time. I improvise from there, unless I'm making it with notes provided by a previous cook. In that case, I follow their recommendations.

I'd like to think that my daughters-in-law (or whoever ends up with any of my cookbooks) will enjoy turning the pages for the same reason. It seems to me to be another way to share an interest across time. I hope Evelyn is smiling down on me as I prepare the same dishes that she did, and as I aspire to create a happy home for our family.

Do you have the same rapport with your family cookbooks and guides? Perhaps some day, our grandchildren will turn the pages of Grandpa's bread cookbook and read his handwritten notes as he perfected his favorite Seven Grain Bread. Or they'll find the full dinner menu in my hardcover annual collection from Gourmet magazine that has become our Christmas meal for the past twenty plus years and want to make it for their families.

So many of us create family memories over meals. I hope that our family can continue the tradition of making those special dishes...as they add their own favorites to hand down. I think that's the true meaning of "comfort food". Don't you?

Thanks for joining me for this month's memory. I hope you'll share a memory on your blog (Don't forget to link back here!) or visit the other contributors (below) to read their stories, too! Bloggers will have until September 4th to add their link to Memory Lane Monday.

Nurture And Nature...

Father's Day was spent nurturing Handsome.

Time in the studio was not on the agenda.
Homemade lasagna was the meal request, and I was happy to oblige.
A trip for two to SweetScoops for ice cream cones after dinner.
The day was a treat for both of us.

When you keep your eyes open, you never know what you'll see.
What appeared to be a piece of bark near the pool, revealed a
caterpillar struggling to emerge from, without a doubt, the most
interesting cocoon I've ever seen. Sadly, when I went back to see
how it was progressing in its efforts to escape, I found that the
struggle had been too great, ending in its demise.

(Just so you know what you're looking at in the photo:
The actual caterpillar is the first three "segments" at the top
of the cocoon. It was white, with black markings and a little
brown on it. If you look closely, you can even see a tiny leg on
the left side of each segment. It was sooo close to freedom!)

I was so curious to know what this caterpillar would become.
Now, I'll never know.
If you haven't toured my studio yet, you can click here to
have a look around and enter my drawing.