Memory Monday (A Little Late): Mini-Family Reunion

My granddaughter and her second cousin

A MINI-FAMILY REUNION

I’m sorry that this blog post is a day late. Several things happened last weekend—Memorial Day holiday, my niece’s wedding, and a family reunion. And it was all wonderful. My siblings and I had not gotten together for over ten years. It was a time of great enjoyment where not only did we get to attend the wedding of my niece (who happened to be the flower girl in my daughter’s wedding thirteen years earlier), but we got to share lots of time talking and sharing memories of the past and dreams of the future.

Since we were all from out of town, we stayed at the same hotel. A niece (sister of the bride) and her family had already checked in when we got there. In fact, we pulled up right behind my brother and his wife, so we got to start visiting as soon as we got there. A little later, a sister arrived and the next morning my daughter and her family got in.

We shared meals, laughter, ideas, and that all-important connection of family that has been apart too long. One of the best things that happened was that my granddaughter was able to meet second cousins. Pictured above is my granddaughter with one of her second cousins, Ari (her father’s name spelled backward). They seemed to hit it off wonderfully.

I can’t wait for the next family reunion when we can again gather, share, and strengthen family bonds.

Throwback Thursday: Baby and Toddler on a Blanket

From my "old and known" file:

Little Girl—“Hurry up and take the pic before he cries again.”

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments. 

Memory Monday: More Tidbits on Manners from the Past

My Great-grandparents and Their Children

MORE TIDBITS ON MANNERS FROM THE PAST

As I was reading through some books on etiquette, I came across these tidbits in Matines’s Handbook of Etiquette, by Arthur Matine. It was published just after the American Civil War in 1866. My great-grandfather—the father pictured above—was born the same year.

I wonder how many of these were specifically taught to my great-grandparents by their parents.

Never read in company. A gentleman or lady may, however, look over a book of engravings with propriety.

It is a great thing to be able to walk like a gentleman—that is, to get rid of the awkward, lounging, swinging gait of a clown, and stop before you reach the affected and flippant step of a dandy. In short, nothing but being a gentleman can ever give you the air and step of one. A man who has a shallow or an impudent brain will be quite sure to show it in his heels, in spite of all that rules of manners can do for him.

In private, watch your thoughts; in your family, watch your temper; in society, watch your tongue.

Good sense must, in many cases, determine good breeding; because the same thing that would be civil at one time and to one person, may be quite otherwise at another time and to another person.

Frequent consultation of the watch or time-pieces is impolite, either when at home or abroad. If at home, it appears as if you were tired of your company and wished them to be gone; if abroad, as if the hours dragged heavily, and you were calculating how soon you would be released.

If you would have your children grow up beloved and respected by their elders as well as their contemporaries, teach them good manners in their childhood. The young sovereign should first learn to obey, that he may be the better fitted to command in his turn.

Show, but do not show off, your children to strangers. Recollect, in the matter of children, how many are born every hour, each one almost as remarkable as yours in the eyes of its papa and mamma.

How many of these do you think we should still be following today?

Throwback Thursday: Little Boy's Birthday

The latest from my "old and known" file...

"Hurry and take the picture. The ants are coming for the cake."

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments.

Memory Monday: Two Unknowns in My Family History

My great-grandfather and his second wife

TWO UNKNOWNS IN MY FAMILY HISTORY

In the last few years, I have come to love working on my family’s genealogy. Both of my mother’s branches were from Mennonite backgrounds and there are many records to use. In the same manner, my father’s mother’s history is well-documented. I know where all three of these branches of my family came from, when they entered the United States, and thanks to US census records, I know where they lived, what their occupations were, and how many children they had and when/when they were born and died.

There is problem with my paternal grandfather’s family. I know what his name was, when he was born, and in what state. But that doesn’t narrow things down enough. There were a number of families in that state with the same last name and many of them named a son born about the same time with the same name. (GR-R-R). After following several of the different families in that state through the years, I was able to dismiss all but one. Several things point to this being the right family—the age for my great-grandfather’s birth is right, the states where his mother and father were born are correct, this man’s father and mother (although divorced some time before) both had moved to the county and state where my great-grandfather was married, and the man’s father later moved from Iowa to the same county in Texas were my grandfather was born. (Are you thoroughly confused so far?)

Now I have two problems with attaching this man as my great-grandfather’s father. The first is that on one—and only one, and that being when he lived in a boardinghouse— US census, this man is listed as having been born in Ireland. All the other censuses have him born in Georgia. The other problem is that on my great-grandfather’s death certificate, his father’s name is listed as “Isaac,” not “Michael” like the censuses I have been following. The information was listed by one of his sons, while the other son gave the information on their mother’s death certificate.  The second son listed their mother’s father’s name as “Isaac.” Were both of their grandfather’s names “Isaac” or was there a bit of confusion? After all, both of their parents died in their 70s, and their grandfathers had passed on decades before. Oh, well, I’ll just have to keep searching.

The other unknown is about my great-grandfather’s second wife—they are picture above. He and his first wife divorced in 1904 and he married again the next year—he was 53 and she was 26. Other than her name showing up on US censuses and city directories, I can fine no  other record of her—what her maiden name was, where she was born, if she had any other family, and what happened to her after my great-grandfather died after more than twenty years of marriage to her. It makes everything so incomplete.

Well, that’s two of the unknowns in my family. Do you have any of those kinds of unknowns in yours?

Throwback Thursday: A Woman with a Baby

The latest from my "old and known" file:

Woman with newborn—“Mother’s Day has a whole new meaning now.”

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the comments.

Memory Monday: The Next Two Generations of Cooks

(We don't have a lot of pictures of us. I'm usually behind the camera. - Daughter)

THE NEXT TWO GENERATIONS OF COOKS

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve shared recipes from my mother and mother-in-law. Now I want to share two of my recipes and a couple of my daughter’s as we celebrate her first Mother’s Day with her daughter. They are pictured above. (By the way, the coat my granddaughter is wearing was sewn by my mother for my daughter more than thirty years ago.)

My recipe is a variation of my mother-in-law’s Pineapple Upside-down Cake. Growing up, my mother’s recipe for this desert always used pineapple rings with a whole cherry in the center of each ring. She baked her cake in a round pan. My mother-in-law used crushed pineapple, chopped cherries, and pecans in a 9” x 13” pan. I can’t remember the exact proportions that she used so I made up my own recipe using the same ingredients that she used.

Here is my version of Pineapple Upside-down Cake. Also, I am adding a second recipe, which is my variation that I created for a cooking contest (I didn’t win, but it was sure fun making and sharing the tries until I came up with the perfect recipe.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

1 stick of margarine or butter

1 lg can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup brown sugar

1 jar of maraschino cherries, halved and drained

1 cup pecan halves

1 box of yellow cake mix with ingredients on package instructions

Combine 1^st five ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour into a 9x13" pan.

Prepare yellow cake mix, according to package direction.

Carefully spoon batter over hot pineapple mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. When done, immediately invert onto serving tray.

PINEAPPLE RIGHT-SIDE-UP PIE WITH PRALINE TOPPING

Prep time: 15 minutes (Ready in 1 hour and 45 minutes)

Filling: 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup (½ stick) margarine

1 can (15 ¼ oz.) crushed pineapple, in its own juice

1 cup pecans pieces

1 (6 oz., approx. 25 cherries) jar maraschino cherries

Topping: 1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup (½ stick) margarine

1 cup pecans pieces

1 package (2 crusts) refrigerated piecrust

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix cornstarch and 1 cup brown sugar. Add 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine, pineapple, and 1 cup pecans; heat mixture over medium-high heat. Drain and cut the maraschino cherries in half and add to the mixture; stir frequently.

3. In a small non-stick saucepan, combine the remaining brown sugar, margarine, and pecans. Mix well and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently while preparing crusts.

4. Unwrap and line a 9” pie pan with one pie crust. Unwrap and score second piecrust.

5. Pour boiling pineapple mixture into the prepared pie shell. Place scored piecrust on top the hot mixture and crimp the edges of the pie crusts.

6. Pour nut mixture into the small saucepan on top of the pie, spreading out the nuts evenly.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges of the pie are lightly browned. Let the pie cool for 1 hour. Makes 10 servings.

Here are my daughter’s recipes:

FAUX STROGANOFF

1 bag of Amish noodles

2 cans of Amy's semi-condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup sour cream

Garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Parsley for garnishing

1. Brown meat with garlic, salt, and pepper. Drain after.

2. Boil noodles as per package directions

3. Mix cream of mushroom soup and meat, heat in a saucepan until warm.

4. Take meat sauce off the heat and add sour cream, mixing thoroughly.

5. Pour over prepared noodles.

6. Garnish with parsley.

Makes 8 servings.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN RICE

3-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2-3 cans of Amy's semi-condensed cream of mushroom soup OR chicken stock

1-2 bunches of asparagus chopped into 1-2" pieces (exclude any really woody parts)

1 cup of uncooked rice

1. Place chicken and asparagus into the slow cooker with 2 cans of soup or stock. Cook on low for 6 hours.

2. Shred chicken with forks in the slow cooker.

3. Add rice to the slow cooker and turn up to high (20 minutes or to taste for white rice, 40 minutes or to taste for brown rice). Add extra soup or broth if needed.

Makes 4-6 large servings.

(Just a note, I, the daughter, am a very "by my gut" kind of cook, which is why my recipes are not terribly precise. I just go with what feels pretty right at the time and it almost always turns out okay. Except when I am baking. I am very precise with that.)

Well, over the last three weeks, I have shared the recipes of three generations. I can’t wait to see what the next generation’s favorite recipes will be. (A little added note: my grandmother-in-law, my mother-in-law, my daughter, and granddaughter all share the same middle name. Another little fun fact about our family across the generations.)

Throwback Thursday: Twin Sisters in Front of a Car

The latest from my "old and known" file:

One twin sister to the other—“With our matching hats, do you think they’ll be able to tell us apart?”

That's my caption. What's yours? Leave it in the caption.

Memory Monday: My Mother

My mother

MY MOTHER

As I did in last week’s blog about my mother-in-law, I want to share a couple of my mother’s recipes as we approach Mother’s Day this year. I’m not sure how much Mother enjoyed cooking when her children were growing up as she also milked her cows, made butter, tended her chickens, took care of her large garden, did laundry on an old Sears wringer washing machine (with no dryer—clothes lines all the way), and raised five children. I do know that in her later years she enjoyed cooking, especially coconut cream pies and banana nut bread.

Below are two of her recipes. I don’t know why she called the first one Swiss Steak (I learned years later after looking at cookbooks, that this is not technically Swiss Steak, but it is good). I still make both recipes and always think of my mother when I do.

SWISS STEAK

Round steak, cut into serving sizes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Flour

Oil

Canned condensed tomato soup

Season meat and dredge in flour. Brown steak in hot oil, then put meat to an ovenproof casserole. Drain most of the oil out of the pan. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of flour. Stir. Add tomato soup, diluted with one soup can of water. Bring to a boil, stirring until well mixed. Pour over meat in casserole dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Mother made this quite often while I was growing up. There were seven in our family, so she made a large amount of this at a time. Now that I make it for just my husband and myself, I use two cube steaks and a regular-size can of tomato soup. Lately, I have been adding some of the seasoning my son mixed up for smoking brisket instead of salt and pepper. That really adds a great taste to this dish.)

BANANA NUT BREAD

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. soda

1 cup shortening or oil

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk or milk

4 bananas, mashed (1 cup)

1 cup nuts

1 t. vanilla

Mix together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spray loaf pans with Pam. Divide batter between loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Makes 6 small loaves or 2 large loaves.

(Mother used one cup of nuts, but I LOVE nuts and add 4 cups of nuts. Also, I usually use about 5-6 bananas—I figure with more nuts, more bananas, but I use the same amount of everything else. Doing it this way, I usually end up with 12 mini-loafs—but how many you get will depend on the size of mini-loaf pans you are using. I have three different sizes.).

What are your favorite family recipes? How have you changed them?