June Foodie Penpal Reveal!!

If you're a regular reader of my blog you know that for the past few months I've been participating in this truly unique program for food bloggers and readers called 'foodie penpals'.  Click on the highlighted link to read all about this fun way to interact with other like minded people and perhaps taste some regional foods from other parts of the country that you just don't have access to where you live.  Expand your food world!  You don't have to participate every single month (I'm taking July and August off) but you do have to be responsible to your penpal and the posting deadline...always the last day of the month.  It's easy and a fun way to break through the internet barrier and become just a little more personal.  A new twist on an old fashioned idea but that's exactly what we need now.

My pen pal this month is a young woman from Washington, D.C. who teaches math!  She's a health and fitness fan so it was fun to see what kind of interesting things would arrive in my package!  Here is a picture of the 'cornucopia' of healthy snacks that arrived last week.  I was so happy that I had the perfect basket to display everything in. 

She supplied me with so many different healthy snack options but realistically...my sons and their friends will make quick work of emptying that basket out.  Except for the banana muffin mix!  They still haven't figured out things like bread, brownies and other yummy baked goods are created.  They think we have a 'magic oven'...don't get me started about the dryer and laundry!

Kristin added a lovely note with her package which is another part of this unique program - something must be personal and handwritten.  It's a great way to get behind the blog!  Speaking of blogs, please take a look at hers!  It's such a great way to get to know a person and her blog offers a very special insight into the teaching profession and just how dedicated some of our very best educators are!  Visit Make Every Day Count to get to know Kristin! 

The Coolness of Cold Spring, NY!

My husband and I took a daytrip out to Cold Spring, NY yesterday.  One of the friends that used to work with him has been trying to get us out there for a long time to see this quaint village.  Over the years it has become a daytime tourist destination and a haven for antique hunters.  We had been watching the weather and determined that Sunday would be the perfect day for roaming around streets and popping in and out of small (and crowded) antique shops.  Cold Spring is about a one hour trip for us so it really is the perfect day trip.  Click on this link for a more tourist centered look at the village! Because we were visiting a friend that lived in the village we didn't have to worry about where to park the car or finding our way around.  We had our own personal tour guide who could give us a little village history as we meandered our way through charming streets right down to the Hudson River!

Cold Spring has evolved over the years into a village filled with antique stores, bed and breakfast inns and riverfront activities.  I took some pictures to provide just a taste of what an awesome daytrip destination or weekend getaway Cold Spring is.  Be warned...bring your wallet and good walking shoes!  If you're walking down to the Hudson, you will eventually have to walk back up that hill (with all the treasures you've found)!! 

The trolley waiting for passengers.

West Point is straight ahead!

This is actually an old vault that is now a room in an antique store!

A paddle boat making it's way down the Hudson River.

Beautiful homes in the village...front porches!

Tourists making their way to sidewalk cafes and antique shops!

Below is a picture of my 'perfect pick'!  I found this in a small antique store and knew it was meant for me.  If you're a regular reader of my blog then you know that I have a fondness for the American history of the food mold or mould!  This is a very old tin mold and is small.  It only holds about 2 and a half cups of whatever gelatinous substance that would have been prepared in the mold heyday!  My husband and I are going to display it in our home - probably near where I do my writing so I can gaze upon it and thank my lucky stars that I don't have to make anything with the word 'mold' in the recipe title!  But those recipes certainly are fun to write about. 

I'll end this afternoon with a picture I took of a street sign I found off of one of these amazing little streets.  I hope you can read the name of the street.  'Dysfunction Junction' - What a great street to live on...that would explain it all!

A Connecticut Commencement!

This has been a busy month!  Just this past Wednesday our youngest son graduated from Danbury High School.  This isn't a typical high school in Connecticut.  It has the distinction of being the largest high school in the state and one of the most culturally diverse.  Diversity is a word that is spoken with great pride by everyone that has had the privilege of being connected with Danbury in one way or another.  The photo below is a plaque that sits in front of the entrance to the school.  It is the word 'Peace' in every language spoken at Danbury High School.  There are approximately 50 different languages spoken in the homes that send their children to this large community of teenagers and adults that are determined to break down barriers and build strong bridges of acceptance and tolerance in the greater Danbury community. 

The students had the opportunity to vote to hold their graduation ceremony in an indoor venue but were unified in their feeling that graduating on the field was tradition.  It allows anyone (who can brave the heat, port-o-potty's, parking problems and stadium seating) to attend.  For many it may be the only graduation they will ever see.  For all it was a great moment of pride.  Any graduation is special but to graduate with students from all different walks of life with plans as varied as the languages they speak is uniquely theirs.  There were over 5,500 people filling the stands, hillsides and sidewalks surrounding the field.  It was hot.  Beyond hot.  There were many emergency personnel and vehicles at the ready and water was available everywhere.  I didn't see anyone actually succumb to the heat but it was comforting knowing it was there.  Hopefully, people who knew they would have heat related discomfort stayed home.  This was dangerous heat. 

The 595 graduates (610 actually graduated but 595 made the decision to walk) made their way onto the field and listened to all the speeches by classmates, politicians and administrators before accepting their diplomas.  Our Mayor Mark Boughton spoke to the students who have become his number one twitter fans! They behaved incredibly well...better than some of the family members in the stands!  The graduates treated this as a solemn celebration of hard work and discipline.  You could see their individual enthusiasm by scanning all the decorated caps!  That was spectacular and I'm so glad they were allowed to individualize their graduation by that one creative act.  I know some schools do not allow the students to decorate caps.  I don't get it.  Graduation is over and the steps toward the next goal have to be taken.  This is a good thing. 

This is my son's decorated cap.  He's attending The Hartford Art School at The University of Hartford. One paintbrush fell off during the ceremony!

Strawberry Sunshine!

June is the perfect month in New England for picking fresh strawberries and enjoying the flavor of this delicate berry the way it was meant to be.  When our kids were younger we made an annual trek to Jones Family Farm in Shelton, CT to pick our own berries!  It was a great tradition and my boys loved eating berries right off the vine.  Unfortunately, we have become a nation of people that has grown accustomed to eating fruit that is less than perfect in flavor because it is available year round and most often transported by truck or rail from California where much of our fruit is grown.  Strawberries in particular are harvested almost year round in that state starting in southern California and moving northward up the west coast so that people as far away as east coast dwellers can partake of this berry around the year.  The sad reality is that berries that are harvested across the continent and make that long journey to the east coast have lost their colorful vitality and their vibrant flavor.  We have learned to sacrifice flavor for year round availability and we've been sold a bill of goods that large strawberries are better.  They are not.  Locally grown strawberries are smaller and much more flavorful than the monstrous pieces of red strawberry shaped pieces of 'styrofoam' that we convince ourselves are a good representation of a local berry!  The Food Lover's Companion has this to say,

"Sixteenth-century author William Butler wrote this tribute to the strawberry: 'Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.'  Red, juicy and conically shaped, the strawberry is a member of the rose family and has grown wild for centuries in both the Americas and Europe.  In general, the flavor of the smaller berries is better than that of the larger varieties since the latter are often watery."

 According to James and Kay Salter in their book 'Life is Meals' strawberries were very familiar to Romans and were thought to have healing powers.  They note that the French philosopher Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle (what a name!) ate them daily when they were in season and attributed his longevity of 100 years to them.  That's a powerful berry!  Strawberries are low in calories and rich in vitamin C, potassium and some iron.

Strawberries are almost always lucrative for the small farmer because they offer some of the highest cash return to farmers even though the berry demands some tedious handwork to grow.  Russ Parsons in his book 'How to Pick a Peach', reminds us that,

"It wasn't so long ago that strawberries were a food you anticipated all through the winter and then gorged on in a brief frenzy that was a ritual of spring.  Today it's a year round garnish, the parsley of the breakfast plate." 

He offers a solution...one we know.  Buy locally grown food in season!  Our ancestors knew this.  It worked.  In our desire to have everything all the time we have sacrificed the truly flavorful small farm berry for the big farming and transportation industry.  Here are some suggestions for storing strawberries.  The fruit is fragile and not chilling them will lead to rapid spoilage.  If you don't eat them the same day you pick them or purchase them from your local market, transfer them to a plastic bag lined with a paper towel and refrigerate them.  Don't rinse strawberries until you're ready to use them.  I learned that the hard way!  All that moisture will speed decay.

Here are some recipes from a period in time when we only ate locally grown strawberries.  These recipes are over 100 years old and must have been well loved because of the wear and tear on the recipe cards they are printed on.  At least they are different from the typical jellies and jams we are used to today!

Strawberry Conserve

2 quarts strawberries
1 pineapple
3 lbs. sugar
Boil fruit 5 minutes
Remove fruit and cook syrup until thick, then put fruit in and cook up.

Well.  Good luck with that.  Chances are that if you lived during this time and within this particular family framework you saw women make this year after year and knew what the phrase 'cook up' meant!  A conserve generally means a combination of two or more fruits that is canned.

Strawberry Pudding

Take two eggs well beaten, one cupful of sweet milk, sifted flour enough to make a very stiff batter, two large teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt and as many strawberries as can be stirred in.  Steam one hour and serve with a sweet, foamy sauce.

After steaming that for one hour, everyone in the vicinity will be 'sweaty and foamy'!

Strawberry Tapioca

Put a cupful of tapioca in a quart of cold water; after soaking three or four hours, simmer it in a stew pan until it becomes quite clear; add the juice of one lemon, a pinch of salt and a cupful of sugar.  Fill a dish half full of strawberries and pour the prepared tapioca over them.  When thoroughly cold, decorate with whipped cream and a little strawberry jelly.

You can read all about the history of tapioca here.  Foodtimeline is an excellent source of information for food researchers of all kinds!

Strawberry Whip

Have ready a quart of nice, ripe strawberries, hulled and washed, sprinkle with a liberal quantity of sugar, mash, and the juice of an orange and let stand one hour on ice, and rub through a sieve.  Whip the white of four eggs stiff, add the berries and beat until thick and smooth, line a dish with sponge-cake, fill with the whip, and garnish the top with whole berries which may be selected from the quart.  Serve at once.

You really should serve the above creation at once before you collapse from exhaustion!  That's a very physically involved recipe! Whipping four egg whites stiff by hand is not the easiest thing in the world to do - especially after you have rubbed the strawberries through a sieve by hand and you know you had to make your own 'sponge-cake' ahead of time!  This was a special dessert.

And for the truly special...

Strawberry Ice Cream

30 marshmallows
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 cup crushed berries
1/2 pint heavy cream

Crush strawberries.  Mix with sugar and orange juice.  Let stand 30 minutes.  Steam until melted.  Mix when cold and put in cream.  In half hour stir.

I don't get it.  I can only think that the marshmallows are what would be 'steamed' but I'm not sure.  Making ice cream was an incredibly special treat because any kind of refrigeration or ice was not something to be wasted.  It's a basic recipe written on a scrap of paper.  Someone knew exactly what was meant to be done!

I hope you enjoyed these heirloom recipes from a time when life was simpler.  We just ate what was available.  If you scroll to the bottom of this blog you'll see a little 'widget' that tells you what is available in your part of the world right now!  I have this wonderful book (too many books...whatever) about Mark Twain called 'Twain's Feast' by Andrew Beahrs.  This is a book about Samuel Clemens' love of food.  Food that was available where he was when he was there!  What a concept.  Beahrs writes,

"Saying that food is the essence of place can seem like a sentimental throwback, or like something we've totally lost.  But here's the thing: it's still always true."

 I actually grew a few strawberries on my deck this year!  I have a container garden for herbs mostly but I try to throw in a few veggies and fun things just to watch stuff grow.  Anyway, here's a pic of the two strawberries we harvested before a deer decided to help herself to the rest of my plant.  All my plants were off the deck to allow our building to be powerwashed and well...there are deer even in downtown Danbury!

Retro Gems of Jellied Molds!

Just when I think I've seen the worst of those funky recipes from the sixties, I find some new craziness that people actually created!  These recipes were found in 'The Farm Journal's Country Cookbook' edited by Nell Nichols.  The edition I found (found - 'borrowed' from my mother and step-father's house) was published in 1972.  The original publication was in 1959.  These recipes fall in the truly precious category.  I won't be making these anytime soon.  Here's the picture (what was then called a color illustration) of these recipes encased in acrylic...sorry, I meant gelatin.

The picture on the left is the 'Garden Salad Loaf' and we're told to 'capture the refreshing flavors and brightness of fresh vegetables in this make-ahead, wilt proof* salad.'  On the right is the 'Jellied Beef Mold' which is described as follows, 'Beef in jellied loaf waiting in the refrigerator brings peace of mind* to hostess when company is coming.'

*First of all, in regards to this being a 'wiltproof salad' - of course it's wilt proof because it has been hermetically sealed in gelatin.  And now...let's discuss 'peace of mind'.  That is the last descriptive phrase I would use to paint a word picture of my thoughts when I opened my refrigerator and had to imagine my guests polite responses to being presented with this gastronomic 'gift'.  I would run for the hills if I saw anything resembling either of these at a summer event.  They absolutely fall under the 'Recipe Disaster' category. 

Because I know many of you are curious, the recipes follow.  Take my advice, read these because they're entertaining - don't inflict them upon anyone.  Please.

Garden Salad Loaf

2 green peppers, cut in small strips

4 chopped green onions (include tops)

20 radishes, thinly sliced

4 small tomatoes, cut in thin wedges

3/4 cup French dressing

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 and 2/3 cup very hot water

1/2 cup vinegar

2 Tblsp. lemon juice

2 cups shredded chicory or lettuce

1 cup coarsely torn spinach or shredded cabbage

1/4 cup minced parsley

Combine peppers, onions, radishes, carrots and tomatoes; marinate in French dressing 15 minutes or more. 

Combine gelatin, sugar and salt; add hot water and stir to dissolve ingredients.  Add vinegar and lemon juice.  Chill until gelatin thickens.

Drain vegetables well.  Fold marinated vegetables, chicory, spinach and parsley into gelatin mixture. Chicory, spinach and parsley do not wilt easily, but you may use lettuce or shredded cabbage, too.  Pour into oiled pan; chill until firm.  Unmold on platter.  Serves 10-12.

Note:  You can omit unflavored gelatin and sugar; substitute 2 (3 oz.) pkgs. lemon flavor gelatin and 3 and 1/2 cups very hot water.  Follow same procedure.

Fancy Touches:  For a design of vegetables on top of mold when you turn it out (as pictured), pour about 1/2 cup dissolved gelatin mixture into pan and let set.  On this arrange an interesting pattern with radish slices, green pepper and tomato strips.  Spoon a little of gelatin mixture over vegetables to 'anchor' them; let set before adding vegetable-gelatin mixture.  A border of tomato wedges may be arranged around outer edge of mold for color.

Those fancy touches sound an awful lot like setting things in cement, doesn't it?

Before I go on with the recipe for the Jellied Beef Mold let me tell you that this cook book describes this as a 'substantial salad' and further states that, "Country people lead active lives and much of their food is hearty."  Fair warning, this recipe is described as a "Kansas rancher's favorite summer supper dish.  It's refreshing."

Jellied Beef Mold

1 and 1/2 lbs. boneless chuck beef

1 cup hot water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup cubed dill pickles

1 can condensed beef consomme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

12 pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced

Strips of pimiento

Parsley

Pimiento-stuffed olives

Simmer beef in water until tender.  Remove meat; put through food chopper using coarse blade.  There should be 2 cups ground beef.

Cool broth; soften gelatin in 2 Tblsps. broth.

Cook celery and onion in remainder of broth until tender, but still slightly firm, about 10 minutes.  Drain, save broth.  Mix celery, onion and pickles with meat. 

Add enough broth to consomme to make 2 cups, heat.  Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve.  Pour thin layer of gelatin into loaf pan; chill.  To remainder of gelatin mixture add salt, pepper and beef mixture.

Arrange olive slices and pimiento strips in design over gelatin in pan.  Spoon in beef mixture; chill.  To serve, unmold on platter.  Garnish with parsley and olives.  Serves 8.

Considering all the work involved in the above recipes, it's no wonder women went back into the work force in droves!  I would share with you this recipe for a molded 'Salmon Salad' but it suggests serving it with a chocolate sundae.  That's just wrong.

But there's something awfully right about this silly little song about 'green jello'.  It's a love song and it's stupid and fun.  Enjoy.  Gelatin can be good.



Come Fly Away and the Connecticut Capitol

Yesterday, my husband and I made our monthly trip into Hartford, CT to visit the Bushnell Theater.  This was the last show for the Broadway season and it also coincided with the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day festivities!  We had been sent numerous emails from the theater warning us about this event which would create a traffic situation in the city.  We were warned about arrival but not about what the city streets would look like as we were exiting the show!!  The show, 'Come Fly Away' was amazing and we were stunned at the talent of the Twyla Tharp dancers.  The orchestra was incredible and the musicians played the music of Frank Sinatra without flaw.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect but imagine Dancing With the Stars with only Sinatra music telling a story through dance of four couples.  It actually worked and time flew - get it?

Anyway, we left the theater to see not just a little bit of traffic but a gridlock that decided the rest of our afternoon for us.  It was a partly cloudy afternoon with a breeze so we decided to take a walk around the Capitol and check out all the festive activities taking place in Bushnell Park where the Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day parade had just ended.  I took a few pictures of our state Capitol and some of the activities.  After we had looked at just about everything we could see around the Capitol we still didn't see a break in the traffic.  This was a good thing because we discovered that the Bushnell Cafe was still open and there were many other couples in the same boat sharing a drink on the patio and watching the parade of cars (many were decorated) make their way - where were they going?  It seemed as if they were several 'mini-parades' that had formed within the sea of traffic!  Around 5:00 we decided to brave the roadways and trust mapquest and our GPS to find another way out of the city.  Well...it was adventurous but we eventually made it home. 

Here's a short clip of 'Come Fly Away'.  See it if this show makes it to your city!

National Doughnut Day - Who Knew?

I should have known.  For someone who spends as much time reading and writing about the quirkiness of Americans and their food habits - I should have known this.  The good news is that I must have anticipated that National Doughnut Day was coming because I wrote a fairly in-depth post about the doughnut on April 17th when I was home without a car and could devote some time to research. That's it.  Anyway, click on this link to read my post from April about doughnuts! Besides, today is Friday and there's no way I could have given the doughnut the attention it deserves after a week of substitute teaching.  Besides, I couldn't get my coffee today at Dunkin Donuts because of the long line of cars.  Free doughnuts.  Genius.

Enjoy this Simpson clip!  "Donut Hell"