Our Jackie K. Cooper workshop on Saturday, January 15th, was a huge success! We had about 30 people show up, ready to learn how to write down their memories. And everyone of them left so inspired!
It was such a huge success that we're thinking about starting a blog for the participants who attended, a way to allow them to share their memories and continue to inspire each other. We want to help this "writing community" join together, encourage each other, and become better friends.
That workshop led me to think of a bunch of memories I just put into print.
Over the past few years, I've given up sending Christmas gifts. With all my family of youngsters and a host of friends living in other states, I decided to save the Christmas gift money, plus mailing expenses, and dedicate myself to being really creative for their birthdays. No one seemed to mind not receiving Christmas gifts and, I feel, the birthday giving has become something really special to all of us.
But between Christmas 2010 and New Year's Day 2011, I sent all those loved ones a large bubble-wrapped envelope. And inside were two handmade (crocheted) potholders and a 16-page cookbook I'd been working on all year.
Over the past few years, some of my children had asked for certain recipes I'd used when they were growing up. That's when I pulled out all those old recipes, opened up MS Publisher, and created my little cookbook.
But the special thing about each recipe was that I included my memories about whatever recipe was on that page. For instance, my sister-in-law had the best tartar sauce for all those fish fries we used to have. My brother would heat big bubbling pots of cooking oil just inside his garage doors (the doors were open, of course) and cook all kinds of fish for us to enjoy. But one of the best things with that fish was Laura's tartar sauce. So, that went into the cookbook.
Of course, I had to give everyone my Mama's Stew recipe and tell how she came about to make it. And I told about my friend Mona, the home-ec teacher, who taught me how to make fresh peach pie. And my Aunt Lou Etta's bar-b-que sauce, the good stuff that went over all that deer meat after the guys went hunting. I had to tell how we used to go visit her in the country and end up having a big feast...bar-b-que sauce and all.
Well, this morning I realized how one thing leads to another and what I have to do next. (Of course, you know how all these things I think of come right back around to the library.)
For a couple of years now, I've been collecting recipes from the library ladies. We usually have several "eating" events during the year for the staff here at the library and I've managed to store copies of their receipes in a secret place. But now it's time to bring them out. It's time to get with each person and have them tell me the story behind their recipe, bring out those memories and write them up in a cookbook.
See how one things leads to another? Jackie's workshop has made me want to continue what I learned in his class about memories. I didn't realize how I'd actually started until I took his class. And now I want all of us library ladies to continue sharing our memories, not only with family but with friends.
So, I have my work cut out for me. Wonder what memories will come from the library ladies?
Showing posts with label cookbooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookbooks. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Well, it's November...
...and when November gets here, I start thinking about Thanksgiving.
Maybe it has something to do with the weather changing, but I doubt it. For some reason, November really makes me think about food, not weather. And food makes me think about Thanksgiving.
This year my small family in this part of the U.S. has decided not to have a traditional Thanksgiving, meaning no turkey, dressing, etc. Instead, they want to grill steaks outside on the big, shiny silver grill. Of course I had to agree. I mean, you can't buck the entire bunch. You just have to "go with the flow." Even if I am "the mother."
Then I thought, I'm going to ask everyone to bring just one dish to the meal, anything they want to bring...maybe fresh veggies to grill from my daughter-in-law, maybe oatmeal cookies from my son, maybe mashed potatoes from my other son. You get the idea. If they'll all do that, then I can bring what I want to bring. And I know exactly what I want to bring. SWEET POTATOES. So, I started my hunt for something really special.
Now, when I go hunting for something, I hunt for it in the library. And I headed for the 641.5 section here in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. That's the cookbook section.
I found the Quick and Easy Cookbook, the American Heirloom Pork Cook Book, and the Steaks, Ribs and Chops Cookbook. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
I looked through the Better Homes and Gardens cook books (we have several of those), as well as the Slow Cooker Recipes (there are several of those also). I even looked in the Blue Ribbon Recipes, Paula Deen Celebrates!, and Food for Friends cook books.
And I made a note of the cook books titled Christmas in the Heartland, The Creative Christmas Kitchen, and Christmas with Southern Living. After all, you know that when Thanksgiving comes and goes, Christmas is right around the corner.
I thought I was at the end of my hunt until I saw The Plantation Cookbook. Now, if you can't find a yummy sweet potato recipe in a plantation cookbook, in the South where plantations are as plentiful as sweet potatoes, then you just might as well give up.
But sure enough, there it was!!! Sweet Potatoes in Oranges!!! Sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, eggs, light cream, allspice, cinnamon, salt, chopped pecans, sherry (just a little bit), and orange cups (made from real oranges, large oranges cut in half, pulp scooped out, edges fluted...just makes my mouth water thinking about them).
So! I have my recipe. I'm going to have my sweet potatoes. Now all I have to do is convince everyone to bring just one dish they'd like to have to our un-traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you, library, for all these wonderful cookbooks and for my special 2010 (traditional) sweet potato plantation recipe. I can hardly wait!
Maybe it has something to do with the weather changing, but I doubt it. For some reason, November really makes me think about food, not weather. And food makes me think about Thanksgiving.
This year my small family in this part of the U.S. has decided not to have a traditional Thanksgiving, meaning no turkey, dressing, etc. Instead, they want to grill steaks outside on the big, shiny silver grill. Of course I had to agree. I mean, you can't buck the entire bunch. You just have to "go with the flow." Even if I am "the mother."
Then I thought, I'm going to ask everyone to bring just one dish to the meal, anything they want to bring...maybe fresh veggies to grill from my daughter-in-law, maybe oatmeal cookies from my son, maybe mashed potatoes from my other son. You get the idea. If they'll all do that, then I can bring what I want to bring. And I know exactly what I want to bring. SWEET POTATOES. So, I started my hunt for something really special.
Now, when I go hunting for something, I hunt for it in the library. And I headed for the 641.5 section here in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. That's the cookbook section.
I found the Quick and Easy Cookbook, the American Heirloom Pork Cook Book, and the Steaks, Ribs and Chops Cookbook. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
I looked through the Better Homes and Gardens cook books (we have several of those), as well as the Slow Cooker Recipes (there are several of those also). I even looked in the Blue Ribbon Recipes, Paula Deen Celebrates!, and Food for Friends cook books.
And I made a note of the cook books titled Christmas in the Heartland, The Creative Christmas Kitchen, and Christmas with Southern Living. After all, you know that when Thanksgiving comes and goes, Christmas is right around the corner.
I thought I was at the end of my hunt until I saw The Plantation Cookbook. Now, if you can't find a yummy sweet potato recipe in a plantation cookbook, in the South where plantations are as plentiful as sweet potatoes, then you just might as well give up.
But sure enough, there it was!!! Sweet Potatoes in Oranges!!! Sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, eggs, light cream, allspice, cinnamon, salt, chopped pecans, sherry (just a little bit), and orange cups (made from real oranges, large oranges cut in half, pulp scooped out, edges fluted...just makes my mouth water thinking about them).
So! I have my recipe. I'm going to have my sweet potatoes. Now all I have to do is convince everyone to bring just one dish they'd like to have to our un-traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you, library, for all these wonderful cookbooks and for my special 2010 (traditional) sweet potato plantation recipe. I can hardly wait!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Flavor of Fall and Food
It was my intention this morning to write about apples, because apples seem to symbolize autumn more than anything else. At least, to me.
I was lured into this thinking by my new copy of Victoria magazine and the gorgeous pictures of a Waldorf salad, a mug of apple cider, baked apple chips, a jar of apple butter, an apple crumb cake, and a lip-smacking deep dish apple pie.
So, I sought out the cookbook stack here in the library just to see what we have. What I found was better than writing about apples. I was amazed at the interesting cookbooks I found, and that's what I want to share with you.
When I saw the cover of Food for the Settler by Bobbie Kalman, it looked like a Christmas book, all red and green, with a woman of early times holding a steaming ball of something on a platter. But the inside was a surprise! Lovely old-fashioned, sepia-toned pictures of long ago, etchings and photographs and drawings. The contents spoke of Fishing the clumsy way, Sugar from the bush, Bread made with a loving touch, and (ah!) The apple harvest. Best of all, it has recipes.
I also found Campbell's Easy Holiday C0oking for Family & Friends, The Old Farmer's Almanac Blue Ribbon Recipes, and Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Of course, I had to peek in the Confederate Receipt Book, a Compilation of Over One Hundred Receipts, Adapted to the Times. (Notice, it doesn't say recipes.) There are no pictures, but you'll find recipes for Apple Pie Without Apples, Slapjacks, and Spruce Beer, as well as remedies for dysentery, chills, sore throats, and camp itch. Oh, and for destroying warts.
One cookbook I really like is Cooking with Southern Celebrities, such as Teddy Gentry, the bass guitarist for the music group Alabama, tennis favorite Chris Evert, and author Alex Haley, as well as these people we all know: Richard Petty, Naomi Judd, Ted Turner, and Dolly Parton.
Another book is called Red-Flannel Hash and Shoo-Fly Pie. I shouldn't have to say anything else about that one, except it's great reading with lots of recipes.
For those who need a few modern appliances, I looked into the Better Homes and Gardens Good Food on a Budget, Slow Cooker Cooking by Lora Brody, and Country Kitchen Microwaving. Those seem to be about my speed now days. They all have apple recipes.
And last but not least, I looked in The All Seasons Cookbook, The Market Place by the Augusta Junior Woman's Club, and Keeping the Harvest, Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs.
It seems if I'm going to get carried away and buy a bushel of apples, I'd better have some good apple recipes and learn how to preserve apples. Of course, I could always do my old standby...wash and cut them up, splash them with fruit preservative, and bag them for the freezer.
Well, that's after I make that deep dish apple pie from my new Victoria magazine.
I was lured into this thinking by my new copy of Victoria magazine and the gorgeous pictures of a Waldorf salad, a mug of apple cider, baked apple chips, a jar of apple butter, an apple crumb cake, and a lip-smacking deep dish apple pie.
So, I sought out the cookbook stack here in the library just to see what we have. What I found was better than writing about apples. I was amazed at the interesting cookbooks I found, and that's what I want to share with you.
When I saw the cover of Food for the Settler by Bobbie Kalman, it looked like a Christmas book, all red and green, with a woman of early times holding a steaming ball of something on a platter. But the inside was a surprise! Lovely old-fashioned, sepia-toned pictures of long ago, etchings and photographs and drawings. The contents spoke of Fishing the clumsy way, Sugar from the bush, Bread made with a loving touch, and (ah!) The apple harvest. Best of all, it has recipes.
I also found Campbell's Easy Holiday C0oking for Family & Friends, The Old Farmer's Almanac Blue Ribbon Recipes, and Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Of course, I had to peek in the Confederate Receipt Book, a Compilation of Over One Hundred Receipts, Adapted to the Times. (Notice, it doesn't say recipes.) There are no pictures, but you'll find recipes for Apple Pie Without Apples, Slapjacks, and Spruce Beer, as well as remedies for dysentery, chills, sore throats, and camp itch. Oh, and for destroying warts.
One cookbook I really like is Cooking with Southern Celebrities, such as Teddy Gentry, the bass guitarist for the music group Alabama, tennis favorite Chris Evert, and author Alex Haley, as well as these people we all know: Richard Petty, Naomi Judd, Ted Turner, and Dolly Parton.
Another book is called Red-Flannel Hash and Shoo-Fly Pie. I shouldn't have to say anything else about that one, except it's great reading with lots of recipes.
For those who need a few modern appliances, I looked into the Better Homes and Gardens Good Food on a Budget, Slow Cooker Cooking by Lora Brody, and Country Kitchen Microwaving. Those seem to be about my speed now days. They all have apple recipes.
And last but not least, I looked in The All Seasons Cookbook, The Market Place by the Augusta Junior Woman's Club, and Keeping the Harvest, Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs.
It seems if I'm going to get carried away and buy a bushel of apples, I'd better have some good apple recipes and learn how to preserve apples. Of course, I could always do my old standby...wash and cut them up, splash them with fruit preservative, and bag them for the freezer.
Well, that's after I make that deep dish apple pie from my new Victoria magazine.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Little Tour Around Town
On Monday, when some of the businesses were closed for Presidents' Day, I took a "little tour around town," as my Mama used to say. Do you know, our town makes me think of books!
My first stop was at Al's Deli where I had a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. Just thinking of the food I was eating made me realize we have cookbooks at the library, such as: Food, Fun & Fable (641.5W), Not By Bread Alone (641.5N) and Recipes from the Olde Pink House (641.5R).
When I left Al's, I stopped a couple of stores down at Market on the Square to take a quick peek. There are strange and delightful antiques in that store, and I got interested in a couple. I knew we had books at the library about antiques that could explain some of them, and they are: Antiques You Can Decorate With (749.2G), Antique Collector's Dictionary (R708.04C) and Miller's Antiques & Collectibles: The Facts at Your Fingertips (745.1M).
Next, I walked across the street and stopped at Citi-Trends. They have clothes in there, but what caught my eye were the wind chimes they had for sale. At the library, the book we have about wind chimes is Wind Toys That Spin, Sing, Twirl & Whirl (745.5B). Neat sounding book, huh?
From Citi-Trends, I walked to the next block and stopped at Everything Special, a quaint little shop stuffed with gifts for birthdays, weddings, babies, gardeners, and children. There are gifts for every event you can imagine. Books about gifts we have at the library are: The Book of Presents: Easy to Make Gifts for Every Occasion (745.5B), Scrap Saver's Gift Stitchery (745.4F), and The Meaning of Gifts (150T).
Not wanting to miss any shop around the square, I backed up in my tour and went around the corner to Griner's Jewelry Company, where I spied beautiful diamond jewelry in their windows. A couple of books we have at the library about diamonds are: Engagement & Wedding Rings: the Definite Buying Guide (R739.27M) and Official Investor's Guide (R737.4H).
When I left Griner's, I walked across the street to the last leg of my four-sided tour around town. I made my way into Books 'n' More to check out books by Southern writers. I not only found the books, but had a delightful little visit with the owner. My visit made me think of the books we have at the library about Southern writers, such as: Southern Black Creative Writers (R016.81F), Going to Ground: Simple Life on a Georgia Pond (975.8B) by Amy Blackmarr, and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (YF-AR McCullers) by Carson
McCullers.
The next time you take a "little tour around town," see what books you think of as you visit each store. It's an interesting game to play if you're so inclined.
Maybe I've just been a book lover for too long...
My first stop was at Al's Deli where I had a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. Just thinking of the food I was eating made me realize we have cookbooks at the library, such as: Food, Fun & Fable (641.5W), Not By Bread Alone (641.5N) and Recipes from the Olde Pink House (641.5R).
When I left Al's, I stopped a couple of stores down at Market on the Square to take a quick peek. There are strange and delightful antiques in that store, and I got interested in a couple. I knew we had books at the library about antiques that could explain some of them, and they are: Antiques You Can Decorate With (749.2G), Antique Collector's Dictionary (R708.04C) and Miller's Antiques & Collectibles: The Facts at Your Fingertips (745.1M).
Next, I walked across the street and stopped at Citi-Trends. They have clothes in there, but what caught my eye were the wind chimes they had for sale. At the library, the book we have about wind chimes is Wind Toys That Spin, Sing, Twirl & Whirl (745.5B). Neat sounding book, huh?
From Citi-Trends, I walked to the next block and stopped at Everything Special, a quaint little shop stuffed with gifts for birthdays, weddings, babies, gardeners, and children. There are gifts for every event you can imagine. Books about gifts we have at the library are: The Book of Presents: Easy to Make Gifts for Every Occasion (745.5B), Scrap Saver's Gift Stitchery (745.4F), and The Meaning of Gifts (150T).
Not wanting to miss any shop around the square, I backed up in my tour and went around the corner to Griner's Jewelry Company, where I spied beautiful diamond jewelry in their windows. A couple of books we have at the library about diamonds are: Engagement & Wedding Rings: the Definite Buying Guide (R739.27M) and Official Investor's Guide (R737.4H).
When I left Griner's, I walked across the street to the last leg of my four-sided tour around town. I made my way into Books 'n' More to check out books by Southern writers. I not only found the books, but had a delightful little visit with the owner. My visit made me think of the books we have at the library about Southern writers, such as: Southern Black Creative Writers (R016.81F), Going to Ground: Simple Life on a Georgia Pond (975.8B) by Amy Blackmarr, and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (YF-AR McCullers) by Carson
McCullers.
The next time you take a "little tour around town," see what books you think of as you visit each store. It's an interesting game to play if you're so inclined.
Maybe I've just been a book lover for too long...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)