Bigger Things To Do - and Curried Lentils

I am so frustrated with this orchestra.  No one cares that it sounds bad.  It's so discouraging.  But what's worse is that it could be so good.  But no one cares and no one wants to fix it.  So now my goal is to transcend the Augusta experience.  To kind of pretend I'm not really here.  I'll practice a lot and I'll be that really good clarinetist in the ensemble.  That's my goal.  To get out of here.  To move on.  I can't let this ensemble get to me, or I'll start lowering my own standards of my playing.  I have bigger things to do with my life.  On a positive note, I have $487 in my checking, and a $390 visa bill.  So that's $97 surplus.  Not much, but a surplus nonetheless.  No more spending, except a trip to Publix - I have 2 recipes I'm going to make so I'll have some real food.  - Miranda, October 2004

If you ever want to wear yourself out, just pick up your diary or journal from 14 years ago.  I promise, in no time, you will be thoroughly sick of yourself.  Actually, it's not really that bad.  Sometimes you come across an entry like that sums up a whole lot of feelings, like this one.  As I read it, I think back to Annette's and Frances' entries.  Even though they weren't working jobs like mine, they always expressed their inner emotions.  Both women were observing their current situation, but always looking to the future.  Sometimes with worry or fear.  Sometimes with hope or anticipation.  Sometimes they just sketched out their paychecks and did the math to see if they would make it though the month.  Looking back on this entry, I can relate to all of that.

I was so lonely in Augusta.  There I was, a 'real' clarinetist, playing in a professional orchestra and making it on my own.  But it was really hard to make friends - mostly because the members of the orchestra came in from other cities.  I was one of the few that lived in Augusta full time.  I came from college life in my hometown, where I had friends and football games and local dive bars.  I had a hard time adjusting to being by myself so much.

Also, I had a hard time adjusting to the level of playing in the group.  I had only known musicians from Eastman and Florida State.  I remember during an orientation meeting at Eastman, the Dean of the school said "For most of you, the ensembles you play with here will be the best ensembles you will ever play with."  I never really appreciated that comment until my tenure with the Augusta Symphony.  Playing with professional musicians was different.  There was a different level of intensity.  People had families, other jobs, personal lives.  I was used to school life - practicing all the time, listening to recordings and attending concerts, having deep discussions about which orchestra we dreamed of playing with (and a good bit of drinking). 

This journal entry was my turning point.  I wanted to set my sights higher than my current position, so I created not just playing goals - "transcend the experience" - but also financial goals.  Working with money can sometimes be stressful for me, but usually, I find it very calming.  If I wanted to get out, I would need money, which meant a financial plan.  I am great at making plans!  I started saving $100 each month, so when I left Augusta and moved to Atlanta, I had $1000 to get started.  No job, no gigs - just an apartment I had never seen in person, and $1000.

Of course, to celebrate my new plan, I wanted to cook!  The journal entry doesn't mention the exact recipe, but I remember what it was.  Curried Lentils.  I didn't do much cooking in Augusta, so when I found something that worked, I made it ALL THE TIME.  This recipe included a tomato-yogurt sauce, but I never actually made it.  Just lentils and rice.  I haven't made these curried lentils since 2005 or so.  I think it's time to try them out again!

Curried Lentils with Vegetables

3 cups vegetable stock

1/12 cups lentils, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped celery

4 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan combine water, lentils, carrot, onion, celery, curry powder, ginger garlic, and salt.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until lentils are tender and most liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

I had forgotten how easy this meal really is.  It all goes in one pot and can easily be vegetarian or meaty.  Check out the pictures below!  Enjoy!

Basic pantry ingredients. The original recipe called for water, but I like to use stock - chicken or veggie, homemade or store-bought.

Rinsed and drained brown lentils. You could also use red lentils.

Chopped veggies. I prefer to grate the garlic and the ginger using a Microplane tool.

One pot meal - everything simmers and gets happy!

A quick rest and a quick stir - delicious!

Molasses Layer Cake

I made some gingerbread today (without ginger) and the Wengers were over for pinochle tonite.  Are using red sugar now - sort of like molasses in our cooking and baking - its much cheaper.  Have certainly cut down on our cakes - haven't had a pie for months.  - Annette, April 1943

I have always loved gingerbread.  It breaks my heart a little that we consider it a 'seasonal' flavor, because I could eat gingerbread any day of the week.  My dad loved ginger snaps, and anything molasses-based.  I wonder if his love of molasses came from Annette.  Many of her recipes use molasses - perhaps, because it was cheaper and easier to acquire in China.  Maybe she continued to bake with molasses once they were stateside.  In honor of Father's Day today, I baked this Molasses Layer Cake from his mother's recipe.  I wonder if he grew up eating this very same cake.

Once again, Annette's recipe is not the most forthcoming.  I made a small adjustment with the amount of butter - the entire cake only used 2T!  I doubled that amount, to better facilitate creaming the butter and sugar.  I'm guessing the baking soda dissolved in buttermilk gives it lift while adding a bit more fat.  I baked the cakes at 350degrees for 30min, then turned off the oven and let the cakes sit for another 4 minutes.  After 2 minutes of resting in the pans, I turned them out onto a wire rack, then let them cool completely.  The cakes are so tender and fluffy.  I made a quick Cinnamon Buttercream Icing, to compliment the cinnamon in the cake.  Recipe and photos below!

Molasses Layer Cake

1 cup sugar

2 tablesp butter (I used 4T - half a stick)

2 eggs

1 teasp cinnamon

1 teasp soda diss. in 1 cup sour milk

1 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

Cream together butter + sugar.  add eggs and molasses and flour + milk alternately.  Bake in 2 layers.

Standard ingredients shot. I added a bit of salt to the batter, just to balance the molasses sweetness.

Pans greased and floured.

Baking soda - buttermilk mixture. I love that it used to be called ‘sour milk’!

I added the cinnamon to the dry ingredients for more even incorporation.

Go mixer go!

Batter evenly spread between the two prepared pans.

The cakes were so light and delicate, but packed with big molasses flavor.

Cinnamon buttercream to finish it off! Yum!

Cocoa Cup Cakes - Or, Devil's Food Cake?

I'm still in a cake-baking mood, and since Annette mentioned Devil's Food Cake in the last post, I think it's time to try it out!  Devil's Food Cake is such a decadent treat.  It's no surprise she made it to celebrate her anniversary.  The fact that she made it in rural China in 1943 just blows my mind.

Unfortunately, the only chocolate cake recipe in her diary is for Cocoa Cup Cakes.  I have yet to find a definitive answer to what differentiates chocolate cake from Devil's Food, so maybe that recipe is Annette's version.  I doubled her recipe, then used a modern-day Devil's Food Cake recipe (from Ina Garten) to modify Annette's recipe as needed.  Kind of like in Jurassic Park when they used amphibian DNA to fill in the gaps of the dino-DNA.  Here is Annette's recipe.

Cocoa Cup Cakes

6 tablesp. fat

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

2 eggs

3 cups flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup cocoa

vanilla

No instructions - just a list of ingredients.  As always, Annette's recipes leave me with more questions than answers.  First of all, the amount of fat is strangely low, compared to the sugar and flour amounts.  Also, it just calls for 'fat'.  Her other recipes specify butter or lard - maybe they are interchangeable.  I chose butter, since that's what I had, and I bumped up the amount to match Ina's recipe.  Another oddity is the amount of leavening compared to the other ingredients.  Ina's recipe calls for one teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda, but Annette's required six teaspoons of baking powder!  I am always stumped by the type of flour she used.  Was it wheat, like the bran muffins?  Or something else entirely?  My guess is that she needed the extra leavening to lighten up the flour.  I decided to go with cake flour, just for something different.

I used Annette's lower sugar amount and Ina's higher egg amount (using large instead of extra-large eggs to offset the amounts a bit).  I swapped out Annette's milk for Ina's sour cream, and dissolved the cocoa in a bit of hot coffee before adding it to the batter.  Plus, I added the salt from Ina's recipe, to balance out the sweetness.  I made the cakes in large cupcake-style wrappers to mimic Annette's cup cakes.  I also made my favorite chocolate buttercream - Billy's Chocolate Buttercream from a Martha Steward episode (you can find the recipe here).  I must admit, I didn't have semisweet chocolate on hand, so I tried making the icing first with a dark chocolate cocoa powder/butter/sugar combo.  The result was tasty, but looked a mess!  It was grainy and thick, with a grey/black color.  I tried to mask it with silver sprinkles, but ended up making a new batch later.  I'll include a picture here, so you can see my disaster in all its glory.

Just like Annette, I messed up the icing.  I tried to use what I had in my pantry, and the end result wasn't what I wanted.  Like grandmother, like granddaughter, I guess!

Behold!  Annette's Cocoa Cup Cakes + Ina Garten's Devil's Food Cake =

Miranda's Devil's Food Mini-Cakes!

The ingredients. A bit of Annette, plus a bit of Ina.

Mini-cake wrappers all lined up. These are great for individual cakes - especially when you are worried you might accidentally eat an entire layer cake by yourself.

Creaming butter and sugar.

Chocolate!! Dissolving the cocoa powder with the coffee made it much easier to integrate into the butter/sugar/egg mixture.

Dividing the batter into the mini-cake wrappers.

As you can see, the results were very different for each pan. I rotated the pans halfway through, but sill got mixed results. Also, I am still an over-filler. The cakes were tender, but a little too floury.

The first icing attempt. If you need to make a cake that looks like asphalt, I would recommend this method. Not so pretty, but still delicious!

This batch looks much better.

Piped with a star tip! Fun little mini-cakes!

Messed Up The Icing - Or, Wedding Cakes For Everyone!

Still no sunshine.  Had our wedding anniversary dinner tonite.  I made a nice devil food cake but I messed up the icing.  Had a nice supper - Doc + wife came over and we played monopoly.  Even Miss Simon played with us tonite.  - Annette, March 1943

I have had weddings on the brain lately!  My favorite part of weddings is always the cake.  Well, the whole 'love and commitment' thing is pretty great, too, so I guess cake is a very close second.  My own wedding was just a few weeks ago, so the cake was crucial.  None of that inedible fondant, thankyouverymuch.  Luckily, I found an amazing baker in Atlanta - Amanda Faber, the Season 2 winner of the Great American Baking Show on ABC.  Amanda made a beautiful cake and it was DELICIOUS!  It was my favorite wedding cake - and wedding - by far.  :)

Annette and Clary were married on Leap Day, February 29, 1940, so they celebrated their first 4 anniversaries in China.  Annette made a cake for every single one.  In 1943, on their third anniversary, she baked a devil's food cake.  I love that she wrote about her 'messed up' icing.  In our social-media world, it is so tempting to only share the perfect parts of our lives - the perfect Insta shot or Facebook post.  Annette's diary was her safe place, her honest place.  She wrote about her real experiences and feelings.  I can completely relate to a less-than-perfect baking experience because....

This past week, I caught Royal Wedding Fever!  I just could not get enough of the details, the story, and of course, the cake!  As soon as I heard the cake description, I knew I had to give it a shot.  Lemon elderflower sponge cake with Swiss meringue buttercream.  I've never made either of those, so I jumped right in!  I did a bit of research to narrow down the cake and icing recipes.  To honor Harry and Meghan blending English and American families, I used a sponge cake recipe inspired by Mary Berry, queen of English baking, and a buttercream recipe inspired by Martha Stewart, an American baking master.  Spoiler alert:  not my best bake.  By far.  Check out the pictures for all the ways I went wrong!  

Regardless of the missteps, the cake was delicious.  I woke up early to watch the Royal Wedding celebration, and had delicious lemon elderflower cake for breakfast.  As Rev. Michael Curry said during the ceremony, "There's power in love."  That is always worth a celebration.

Since I didn’t have access to elderflower syurp made with Queen Elizabeth’s elderflower bushes, I used Belvoir Fruit Farms elderflower cordial. Much easier to get - at World Market.

I weighed out all the ingredients for the sponge. I had great intentions. Instead of buying caster sugar, I blitzed regular sugar in the food processor so it was extra-fine.

Here I am, adding the ingredients separately. This was not the best plan. Mary Berry said to combine all ingredients, then mix, which I did not do. I decided to cream the butter and sugar first, then add eggs one at a time. Except two eggs plopped into the bowl at once, thus breaking the emulsion I had just made.

Here, I added the flour mixture slowly. And then proceeded to overmix the batter. Not great.

The cakes are out of the oven, and they both sank in the middle. I did not spin or tap the pans, so they were tough little cakes with some sizable air bubbles. Mary Berry would not approve. Oh well! Good thing I planned to drench them in syrup and cover in icing!

Speaking of icing, hand-whisking is no joke. Especially over heat. My tiny kitchen was quite warm.

The stand mixer whisking was MUCH more fun. The egg white/sugar mixture was glossy and smooth and beautiful!

Add the butter a little bit at a time, then the flavorings. You could swap out the lemon juice and elderflower cordial for any other flavoring you like - vanilla, almond, etc.

The finished product! I used a ton of icing to fill in the sunken middles of the cakes, but overall, it turned out ok! A few swirls and some silver sanding sugar added a bit of Markle-sparkle.

You can see the extra-thick icing in the middle, and the extra-tough sponge cake texture. But hey, it’s still cake! And after all that work, I earned my ‘messed up’ slice!

Lemon Elderflower cake with Elderflower Buttercream

Lemon Sponge Cake:

4 eggs, room temperature - weighed

Caster sugar

Butter, softened

Self-rising flour

1 T baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon

Elderflower Soak:

1/4 c elderflower cordial (I used Belvoir Fruit Farms Elderflower Cordial)

1 T fresh lemon juice

Elderflower Buttercream:

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 T caster sugar

1/8 t table salt

1 pound butter, softened

2 t fresh lemon juice

1 T elderflower cordial

Preheat oven to 356 degrees F (or 350 - Mary's recipe required 180 degrees Celsius).  Grease two 8in pans with butter, line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. 

Weigh the eggs, and place in a large mixing bowl.  Weigh the same amount of sugar, butter, and flour in separate bowls.  Add the baking powder to the flour and sift together.  Add sugar, flour mixture, and butter to large bowl with the eggs.

Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, mix all ingredients until just combined.  Stir in lemon zest. 

Divide batter between two pans.  Spin or lightly tap the pans on the counter to remove air bubbles.  Bake for 25 minutes, until the cake tops spring back when pressed lightly with your fingers.  Remove cakes from oven and set on a wire rack - cool in pans for a few minutes.  After cakes have cooled slightly, turn the cakes out, remove the paper, flip over, and allow to cool a bit more. 

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the elderflower soak.  Once the cakes have cooled for 30min, use a wooden pick to poke holes in the tops of the cakes.  Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cake with the elderflower mixture.  Allow cakes to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream.  Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl of stand mixer and set over a pan of simmering water.  Whisk by hand until mixture has reached around 140 degrees F.  Mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers.

Move the bowl to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high, whisk mixture until soft peaks form.  Continue whisking until glossy and the bowl is completely cool to the touch (about 10 minutes).

With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time.  Once all the butter has been added, whisk in lemon juice and elderflower cordial.  Switch to the paddle attachment.  Continue beating until all air bubbles are gone (about 2 minutes), and icing is completely smooth.

Prepare a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or other design).  Fill the bag with buttercream and set aside.  To assemble the cakes, place one cake on a cake stand.  Add buttercream to the top and smooth out.  Add the second layer, and add enough buttercream to cover the top and sides of the cake.  Once the cake is covered, use the remaining buttercream to pipe designs on the cake.  Garnish with lemon slices, fresh edible flowers, sprinkles - anything that feels festive!  

Chill Until Set - or, Aspic For Breakfast!

We've been spending a lot of time with Annette lately, so I thought it was time to come back to Frances' kitchen.  Full disclosure here:  I did not find this recipe in Frances' diary.  This recipe has been in the back of my mind for years - nestled in the family cookbook that I love, but always a bit too weird to try.  Until now.  In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to go for it. 

This recipe is from my mother's mother's mother.  Let's break that down - my mother Guesna, her mother Frances, Frances' mother Guesna - who was the youngest daughter of Frances (whose diary we have been reading).  Apparently, my mother wanted to break the whole Frances-Guesna cycle by naming me Guesna instead of Frances.  Frances didn't write about food much in her diary, but it is not a far leap to guess that her daughter Guesna inherited the recipe.  What is this legendary and slightly terrifying recipe?  Tomato aspic.  Here we go!

Tomato Aspic

1 can (32oz) tomato juice or V-8

1 box gelatin (4 pkgs.)

1/8 cup red vinegar

1/8 cup white vinegar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. onion salt

1 T. celery salt

4 T. Worcestershire sauce

Optional ingredients:  sliced artichoke hearts;  shrimp; olives

Mix gelatin into heated juice; add remaining ingredients.  Add optional ingredients.  Pour into two well-greased ring molds and chill until set.

First, I gathered the ingredients. I wasn’t sure what ‘red vinegar’ was, so I went with red wine vinegar from my pantry. This was my first time using gelatin, too. More on that later. I chose to make the original recipe first, without adding any optional ingredients.

This Tupperware-brand ring mold belonged to my grandmother Frances. It seemed appropriate that its inaugural (for me) use would be the famous Tomato Aspic. I greased it with butter-flavored Crisco, because I was running low on butter - the horror!

I heated the juice in a sauce pan, then added the gelatin. All at once. Which was a mistake. It clumped up and gelled together, creating a sticky mess. I recommend adding one packet at a time, stirring constantly so it incorporates evenly. That must be one of those tips that gets ‘left out’ of family recipes.

After I worked through the gelatin disaster, I added all the seasonings and poured the mixture into the greased ring mold. I didn’t need two molds - this one worked just fine.

I popped the mold into the fridge (and added the lid later) to chill and set.

Turned out onto a glass plate! There was a bit of sticking. It seems that ‘well-greased’ really meant ‘greased beyond what you think is normal.’

First slices!

For Mother's Day breakfast, I served my former fiancé (now husband!) a lovely slice of tomato aspic.  "So, it's like tomato jello?"  Obviously, he was skeptical - as was I.  After the first bite, we both concluded that it's not nearly as bad as it sounds like it would be.  Overall, it was a bit salty for my taste, so I immediately started thinking about how to adjust the recipe.  Then it hit me.  I know this taste.  The gelatin texture is new, but I am confident that I can modernize tomato aspic.  The next time I am invited to a dinner party or brunch potluck, I am bringing a Bloody Mary Aspic.  Add some chopped celery, pickled green beans or okra, and a good bit of vodka, and you will have a delicious, boozy, throwback dish that no one will expect, but everyone will love!  I'll work out the details and post when I have the amounts worked out.  Apologies to my friends and family - a lot of tomato aspics are coming your way.   

Honey + Nut Bran Muffins

I've been baking up a storm lately, so Annette's Honey + Nut Bran Muffins fit right in to my wheelhouse.  I had most of the ingredients in the pantry already, and I bet you do too!  Once I tracked down some oat bran, I was ready to roll.  I made this recipe as directed, but after just one batch, I could see endless variations.  Let's dive in!

The ingredients - basic pantry staples, for the most part.

I chopped the walnuts into smaller pieces, so the muffins wouldn't be so chunky.

The only instructions given were "Bake in quick oven 30 minutes."  I followed my baking instincts and mixed the dry ingredients first, adding the walnuts so they would be coated with flour and not sink to the bottom of the muffins.

Adding the wet ingredients

Mix until combined.  I used a whisk at first, but then switched to a spoon, in case Annette didn't have her whisk handy.

I portioned out the batter into an ungreased muffin tin, which Annette must have had, since other recipes call for a muffin pan.

"Bake in quick oven" - referencing the wood-burning oven they must have used.  "Quick" or "fast" ovens correspond to about 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit.  I baked the first batch at 400, but they only needed 22 minutes.  I tried the second batch at 375, and they took about the same time.  Good results, either way.

Nice and brown!

The finished muffin!  These little guys were SO tasty!  They were light and fluffy - not at all what I expected with the wheat and bran base.  If only I had some of that homemade butter left....

This recipe really surprised me.  The muffins were delicious!  Wheat flour and oat bran goodies can sometimes be heavy or dense - not these!  Great texture, great flavor, not too sweet.  What is really surprising is how well this recipe would do in these modern times.  No refined sugar - only honey (local, small batch if you've got it).  Wheat flour and bran for extra fiber.  No eggs, and minimal dairy that could easily be swapped out for a dairy-free or vegan option.  Nuts could be replaced by raisins or other dried fruit, or even chocolate chips.  The possibilities are endless, and would all be delicious! 

Once again, it seems like Annette turned to comfort food during her time in China.  I often find myself baking when I am stressed out.  Maybe it's in the genes!  Next time you need a hearty breakfast or brunch pot-luck dish, give this recipe a try.  Everyone loves a treat with a little history.  Enjoy! 

Pretty Good Muffins

We are giving our guy a holiday every Friday and I'm gonna cook.  It was lots of fun.  I made meat loaf and some pretty good muffins.  Cooked up some tomatoes for juice too.  Fixed a cold supper - potatoe salad and stuff.  - Annette, July 1941

I haven't made one of Annette's recipes in a while, so when I came across this entry, I figured it was time to bake again!  I love how much she enjoys cooking.  On her cook's day off, she jumped at the adventure of cooking in a new place!  

I am intrigued by her meat loaf - what kind of meat, where did they get it, how did they grind it up - but she didn't leave any clues.  I have a recipe for Canning Tomatoes, so maybe in the future, I'll try something similar for the juice.  She did, however, sketch a recipe for Bran Muffins with a Honey Nut variation.  Her bran muffins called for wheat flour and sweet milk, so I'll use that for this recipe as well.  I looked up 'quick oven,' and learned that the term comes from wood-burning stoves without temperature gauges.  The conversion for a 'fast' or 'quick' oven ranges from 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Now, I just need to locate some oat bran.  Stay tuned!

Honey + Nut Bran Muffins

1/2 cup honey

1 cup flour

1/2 teasp soda

1/2 teasp salt

2 cups bran

1 tablesp melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup walnuts

Bake in quick oven 30 minutes

Recreating "The Queen's" Dinner

I had such a blast with this project!  For those of you just joining us, I recreated one of Frances' meals from 1892 (original post below).  There were several components to this menu, so I've compiled the photos into collages.  Hope you are hungry!

Let's start with the butter.  Maybe Frances had store-bought butter, but I figured I would make my own, just in case.  It is delicious, and I kind of want to make it all the time.  

Next up - biscuits.  My go-to biscuit recipe is from Southern Living, and uses grated frozen butter.  I used store-bought butter for this one, but did use the buttermilk from my homemade butter.  White Lily Flour proved to be a huge success.  The biscuits were light, flaky, and delicious!

I really wasn't sure what to do with Irish potatoes.  I'm guessing that distinction means that they were hard to come by.  The Irish Potato Famine was from 1845-49, so maybe this was still pretty special.  I scrubbed the potatoes, peeled and chopped them, then popped them in a pot and boiled them with salt.

Now the star - fried pork!  I found some beautiful bone-in pork chops and went to town!  Dredged them in a mix of flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Somehow, I can't seem to make anything that DOESN'T include cayenne pepper.  I heated up some vegetable oil and butter in a cast iron skillet, and fried the chops, 4 minutes on each side.  A cool side note - I inherited this cast iron skillet from my Grandmother - also named Frances, after her Grandmother (whose diary we are reading).  Now, I'm not what side of the family passed this skillet to her, but wouldn't it be amazing if this was the same skillet that Frances used in the 1890s??  I think so!!

The finished plate!  I settled on whole milk for the 'sweet milk,' so I poured a tall glass and sat down to a really tasty meal!  I worried that the potatoes would be bland, but they were actually quite good.  The pork was crispy, and the warm biscuits with butter were pure happiness.

As we ate dinner, my fiancé commented that this meal is pretty close to meals we have had here in Atlanta.  There is a huge 'Southern American' trend happening in restaurants right now, and this meal stacks up with the best of them.  We started talking about the MANY changes in the world since the 1890s, and yet, we can still enjoy the same food.  But there is something bigger, too.

Frances didn't just write what she had for dinner - she wrote about enjoying the meal with her family.  Dinner together can be the quiet moment of the day where you get to sit down and talk to the people you love.  Not everyone has the luxury of a made-from-scratch meal every night, but when we do, it is usually a special occasion.  It's not just about the food - it's about the people.

Sweet and Sour Beans

First attempt at making Annette's Sweet and Sour Beans!

Another set of pantry staples - except for the beans, which I purchased for this occasion.

Boiling the beans

Melting the sugar

The sugar darkens quickly, so keep an eye on it!

Making the sauce using reserved bean water, vinegar, and salt/pepper

Add the beans to the skillet - stir to coat.

Finished product!

I was really happy with how these turned out!  I admit I reduced the sugar by half, because I don't like sweet vegetables all that much.  With half the sugar, it was the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Wrote Letters Today And Canned Beans

Still preparing to evacuate.  The Japanese have advanced to Geinshih.*  Coolie hire + baskets for carrying are almost impossible to get.  Our funds are here so we have money.  Wrote letters today and canned beans.  Starting to plan what we take along.  I guess as soon as we leave here our houses will be looted + sacked.  - Annette, May 1943

Even though it's not yet Halloween, I find myself daydreaming about Thanksgiving.  It's my absolute favorite holiday.  So far, I've been through Food and Wine, Southern Living, and Cooking Light, searching for new ideas for the perfect side dishes.  For me, the most perfect vegetable is the green bean.  I can eat green beans for every meal of the day (and have done so, on occasion).  I always seem to find new green bean recipes around Thanksgiving  - variations on the classic casserole, sautéed with bacon, scattered with almonds....you get the idea.  Thinking about beans made me think about Annette.

Each year she was in China, usually in late May, Annette wrote about canning beans.  They grew the beans in the garden - she often mentioned the harvest, whether they had a lot or a little, etc.  But this entry stood out.  In 1943, the front lines shifted, and suddenly, their village was in the line of fire.  Soon, Enshih would be cut off from food supplies.  Annette was preparing to pack up their home (along with two babies!) and head to Wanshien.*  Major life decisions here!  In the middle of all that, she wrote letters and canned those beans! 

For me, writing and cooking are both therapeutic.  It helps me process the events of the day, and sometimes, distracts me from my obligations.  Clearly, I get this trait from my grandmother!  In her diary, I found this recipe for Sweet Sour Beans.  Maybe these are the Thanksgiving update I was searching for?!?  I'll give it a try and keep you posted!

Sweet Sour Beans

1 qt beans

1 teasp salt

1 tablespoon flour

1 qt boiling water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

pepper to taste

Cook beans in boiling water with salt.  Drain, reserve 1 cup bean liquid.  Heat + melt sugar in frying pan.  Stir in flour.  Add grad. bean water, vinegar, salt + pepper.  When smooth add the boiled beans.

*When Annette mentions cities, they are usually the Romanized Chinese names, or what she heard and recreated phonetically.  On top of that, the names are different now that they were 75 years ago.  I have found "Enshih" (now spelled "Enshi"), but have not yet figured out "Geinshih" or "Wanhsien."  They did evacuate to Wanhsien, but I'm still not sure where that city is now.  I'll keep investigating.  

Pasta, Greens, & Beans

Had a pretty successful day.  Practiced (even though I hurt from yesterday), paid some bills, shopped (Dollar General, Target, Barnes & Noble for a new journal), MADE DINNER.  Nothing fancy - just Pasta, Greens, & Beans that Mama's friend Rhonda makes.  But it was good and I actually cooked!  - Miranda, October 2004

I often use my journal to make lists or track the day's events.  Here, I was living in Augusta, and I was having a kind of rough time.  I had only lived there 2 months, so I didn't have much of a social life.  Still, I was living on my own, paying my own way, and living like an adult!  Making dinner was a very big deal!

Pasta, Greens, & Beans always makes me think about my time in Augusta.  I was vegetarian at the time, and scraping by on a $17K salary (can you say 'starving artist'??)  This meal was cheap, comforting, and only used one pot - definitely a plus for my tiny kitchen!  Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

Pasta, Greens, & Beans - adapted from Rhonda's recipe

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (or combination of basil, oregano, parsley, etc)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 box (16oz) vegetable broth

1 can Italian style diced tomatoes

1/2 cup whole wheat fusili pasta, uncooked (or any type/shape of pasta you have on hand)

1 15oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 5oz bag spinach

Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pot.  Add carrots, garlic, & onion.  Sauté 5 min.

Add spices, broth, & tomato.  Bring to boil.  Cover.  Reduce heat.  Simmer 10 min.

Uncover.  Increase heat to Medium High.  Add pasta, beans, & spinach.  Cook 14 min.  Stir.

Modern-day Ginger Drops

My favorite part of Annette's diary has always been the recipes in the back of the book.  I love that she jotted down tricks, tips, and treats that made her happy.  I've always wanted to recreate the recipes, so here we go! 

I started off with my store-bought ingredients. Did anyone notice that the recipe calls for shortening but the directions say "Cream butter + sugar"? I went with shortening for this test round.

All-purpose flour, brown sugar, molasses, egg.

Batter - hand mixed, because I'm pretty sure Annette didn't have the same access to a red KitchenAid mixer like I do!

One of the few directions - bake in muffin pans!

A little crumbly, but delicious! 

Overall, the Ginger Drops were not quite what I expected.  With only basic instructions, contradicting ingredients, and no cook time or temperature, that was part of the adventure!  The consistency was definitely more like cake than cookie.  I tried one batch in a 350 degree electric oven, and another batch at 400 degrees (definitely more crispy!).

This experiment really got me thinking.  What kind of flour was available in 1941 China?  Did she use wheat flour, or something more like rice or tapioca?  Was the ground ginger more fresh?  More medicinal?  How did the get brown sugar?  The diary includes a recipe for Refining Chinese Sugar - was that the sugar she meant?  What kind of oven did she use?  I had the option for either gas or electric, but could she have used wood-burning? 

For my next attempt, I'll head up to the Chinese markets on Buford Highway and see what kind of ingredients I can find.  Stay tuned!

Swell Ginger Cookies

We weighed Bug today and he had lost weight.  Poor little guy - he just doesn't get enough to eat, but I have the milk.  We made some swell ginger cookies today.  - Annette, December 1941

A friend of mine is going through something similar with her first child.  She is constantly worried that her little one isn't getting enough to eat.   Understandably so!  Here you are, charged with keeping this new little person alive - feeding him is always on your mind!  Annette had that same worry.  How do you make sure your baby has enough to eat?  Luckily for her, some of the other missionary wives had children, so she had a strong network of support.  I like this diary entry because although she is preoccupied with feeding schedules and general human survival, she makes a point to mention ginger cookies!  What do I do when I am stressed?  Bake!  Creating a sweet treat by hand is like therapy - no matter what is going on in the world, you can always combine butter and sugar to escape.  

Annette included lots of little notes in her diary - lists, accounts, weights/heights, and even recipes!  Here is her recipe for those 'swell ginger cookies.'  Pretty straightforward, but baking in rural China seemed to always be an adventure for Annette (more entries on that later....).  If you make these, comment below and let me know how they turned out!  I know what I'll be making for dessert tonight!

Ginger Drops

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 teasp cinnamon

1 tablesp ginger

1/2 cup molasses

1 teasp soda

1/2 cup boiling water

Cream butter + sugar.  Add egg. Add dry ingredients alternately with hot water + molasses.  Bake in muffin pans.

The Three Journals

Many, many years ago, I read my grandmother's diary.  It wasn't as sneaky as it sounds.  It was more like a rite of passage.  The journal came to me in a big, red 3-ring binder with page after page of handwritten entries - one for each day - from January 1941 through April 1944.  She and my grandfather were missionaries in China during WWII, so there were stories of air raids, food shortages, downed pilots, and more.  I was captivated - but not always by the historical context.  What struck me the most was the emotion - her disappointment when a recipe flopped, her excitement when a Redbook magazine arrived, her joy when her sons were born.  The real-life account of a woman in her mid-20s as she navigated the world around her.

As a child, I loved to bake.  My mother taught me the recipe for the family pound cake - which is still both my go-to gift and my guilty pleasure.  Later I learned that the original baker of that pound cake also kept a diary.  My great great grandmother lived in Alabama with her husband, children, and 'housekeeping staff' in the late 1800s.  Her diary entries, also from her mid 20s, give a glimpse into her world - her struggles, joys, and fears.  Every time I baked that cherished pound cake, I thought more about the similarities between the two diaries of my ancestors.

All my life I have kept diaries and journals.  The writing process clears my head.  In the days before Amazon, I remember searching every bookstore and gift shop for the perfect journal and pen - spiral-bound, unlined pages and gel ink.  Though my journal preferences evolved over time, the habit stuck with me.  I journaled extensively in my 20s - through graduate school, my first job and my first apartment, my father's struggle with cancer, and more.  My journal was my therapy.  Years later, I was finally able to go back and read my own writing.  The things that I struggled with seemed strangely similar to the diaries of my grandmother and great great grandmother.   

I love the humanity in these diaries - the details, the recipes, the stories, the lists.  Three women, three centuries, three very different circumstances, yet all three had common themes.  Love.  Family obligation.  Self doubt.  Financial worries.  Birth.  Death.  Purpose.  Fear.  

This blog is a journey through these three journals.  I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.