Unearthing Treasures

(You can click on the images above to enlarge them... And I know you'll want to read about what to do with your old felt hats and how to paint your stove.)

There are so many recipes in my mom's house, recipe cards, cookbooks and organized files filled with things she copied from friends or magazine clippings. I almost overlooked this book. I was in a purging mode and it was on a pile of books to be donated, and then ... I just couldn't do it. I created a pile of all of the homemade, self-published cookbooks from the church groups and PTA's and tossed this one in as well. Today, I was waiting on a call and procrastinating when I picked it up and thumbed through. It's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Not only has it found a new home, but it's going on the shelf next to the books I refer to once or twice a week.

Here's the most interesting highlights.

It was originally published in 1977, but there are over nine reprints listed. There's no author's name. The dedication was written by someone who refers to herself as Aunt Becky. Otherwise, there's no credit for these wonderful tips and recipes. What a simple, generous act.

There are two pages of various pie recipes, including the one my mom swore by with vinegar and cold water. There are twenty pages of vegetable dishes and another 15 for one-dish casseroles. There's a whole section on leftovers, preserves, canning and miscellaneous recipes for everything from window cleaner to cough medicine.

At the moment everyone and their marketing mother is telling us what to buy to be environmentally aware and thoughtful about our choices. These recipes are from women who make the most of what they have and see excess as absurd. Having less, consuming less isn't about buying more, and traditions like these prove it.

"I am old, I am fat, but I am still Tetrazzini."

I'm into casseroles and comfort food at the moment. We have friends with a new baby, a little guy... which means all their time and energy should not be spent searching the fridge for something to eat. I love making one dish meals for friends and I'm always hunting for new recipes. When we had brunch at a friend's recently they brought Chicken Tetrazzini. It was great, chicken, pasta, mushrooms and green olives. Comforting, one dish and kid-friendly. My host mentioned that the Southern style features toasted pecans as well. When I looked for a recipe online, I found dozens of variations. I dug a little more and discovered that the dish is named after Luisa Tetrazzini, an Italian soprano. She was a cheerful, unsinkable type who survived three marriages, being bilked out of her fortunes and the indignity of age. That's her famous quote above... (but she doesn't look fat to me). She's thought to be the inspiration for the dish, which originated in San Francisco, a city she loved.

Here's some recipes from Food Network, Epicurious and All Recipes... Cheddar or parm? Olives? Pecans? Breadcrumbs? What's your style?

Grace Kelsberg's Sugar Cookies

It's been almost a year and I'm back. Suffice to say that grief is not simple. But here I am. I'm packing up my mom's house and putting it up for sale. I've found googley school photos, plaster hand prints, Gregg Shorthand study books and hundreds of thousands of recipes. There were two things that were a mystery to me when my mom died, one was her wedding ring. She wasn't sure where it was in the house and cringed when we talked about it. I knew she felt bad and would say, "I'm sure we'll find it," but it's looking less and less likely. And Grace Kelsberg's sugar cookie recipe. Grace Kelsberg is one the Graces that my daughter is named after, a lovely Methodist minister's wife who lived in a group of retirement homes near us. She was an amazing cook, and a strong woman. She had to be strong. She moved all over the world, following her husband and his job in an age when letters took weeks and phone calls were for emergencies. So to be honest, I don't even like sugar cookies. I can pass one of those pre-fab, might-as-well-be-a-dog-biscuit-covered-in-sprinkles-cookies any day. But Grace's cookie was another story. It's not a cut out cookie. It's far too delicate, too light. It's as if the essence of the sugar cookie has been distilled into this cookie. You won't need milk or tea or anything else to get these down. The only thing I can compare it to is cotton candy or sake. You know how they simply disappear on your tongue? It's more like that than anything else I can describe. Anyway, we searched for it when my mom was alive, but had no luck at all.

Then one afternoon, not long ago, I discovered that the recipe had simply been misfiled in my mom's recipe box under Breads. It was there all the time. I wish I could share it with my mom. I wish I could tell her we found it. I wish I could make them and see her face when she realizes they were every bit as good as she remembered. These days, I make the cookies at every opportunity and blow away everyone who tries them. One note, instead of vanilla, lime lemon, or orange oil work wonderfully.

So have one of Grace's cookies and cross your fingers that the wedding ring shows up someday.