Recipes We Should Recognize

There are certain food recipes so delicious it would be a shame to keep them private, and these specific ones come from a Dutch cookbook known as Cet Smakelijk (just try saying this five times fast :D), from the members and friends of the “Junior Welfare League of Holland, Michigan.” Copyright 1976, and with no plagiarism intended.

Buck’s Bread Pudding              (Makes 4-6 servings)                                     On page 556

3 Eggs                        2 tsp. Vanilla

1 qt. Milk                   4-6 Slices broken, stale bread (Teri’s note: fresh is fine too)

½ Cup Sugar              Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400F. Use a 1½ qt. casserole. Beat eggs; add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Stir in bread. Pour into casserole and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Delicious hot or cold.

Submitted by Buck Matthews, a personality on Grand Rapids Television

Blender Cheesecake                                                                                     On Page 455

Crumb Crust

½ eggs                                2 (8oz. each) pkgs. Cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces

½ cup sugar                       2 T. Butter melted

2 tsp. vanilla

1½ cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9’’ cake pan with crumb crust. Put eggs, sugar, vanilla and sour cream into blender; blend 15 seconds. Gradually add cheese, then butter. Pour into cake pan. Bake 35 minutes, or until set in center. Filling will be soft but will firm up as the cake cools. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Submitted by Mrs. William Boyer

Enjoy these delicious and simple dishes, with a special thanks to Buck Matthews and Mrs. Boyer.

I have placed a bar here to separate the treats above with one even simpler one my family sometimes made:

Putter Butter Jelly in a Cup

Putter Butter

Jelly

Mug

This dessert is exactly how it sounds—a peanut butter and jelly sandwich minus the bread, and mixed in a cup. The results are surprisingly tasty.

Paper Script*

Can you help me?

There is a book I would like to read

Hidden among the paper trees

Aisles at the bookstore

There is a story I would like to find

One lost text to make mine

Without a known author or title

The tale within is what I will write

So that someone just might

Know and tell me the answers

It is a paper world with paper streets

And newspaper sidewalks and writer’s beats

Manuscripts rare make big business there

A man must protect a manuscript rare

From all those who would dare

To murder the Raven like Poe

That is all I know.

Can you help me?

*[Note]: The story described in this poem is actually a book I found once on a shelf in B&N. It told about a city of writers where there was a manuscript so rare and valuable people would sacrifice everything to own it—and the opening mimicked the Lemony Snicket style of warning the reader “do not begin this book half-heartedly” because they might become trapped in that world. Perhaps there is some truth to this statement. I put the book back and am scouring bookshelves trying to discover it again.

So if anyone has an idea what book I mean or its author, please contact me. 

Forgotten Television: The Halloween Tree

Hidden among the granules of holiday television classics shines a polished gem inspired by a short story from Ray Bradbury—who also gave us The Martian Chronicles and other sci-fi epics. The Halloween Tree follows a group of children on a mission to rescue their terminally ill friend from the overworked but witty grim reaper Moundshroud (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), and wind up exploring various traditions throughout history that have contributed to our modern concept of Halloween.

From the pyramids of Egypt, to Dia de los Muertos, to Notre Dame—this special reveals the reasons why adults and children alike wear costumes every Oct 31^st, pass out candy, or just celebrate being scared silly. This show is appropriate for all ages, with Ray Bradbury weaving a gentle Halloween fairytale meant to enchant, rather than terrify.

It is more than the strong storyline or educational content that makes this a must-see flick. There are too few holiday shows nowadays (especially ones for Halloween) emphasizing the historical significance of our beloved annual celebrations, in favor of showing children or people focused on their more commercial elements. In Halloween Tree, getting as much candy as possible matters little to the kids, and their magical adventure across time is its own sweet reward.

As Moundshround says: “And that children, is Halloween—all rolled up in one. Night and day, summer and winter, life and death, 4,000 years ago, 100 years ago, or this year. One place or another, the celebrations are all the same.”

So while October 31^st has long since passed (or is still far away), if you are on the outlook for meaningful classics Halloween Tree is worth checking out.

Drawing a Portrait*

I am a drawing.

I can peer out at you through the ink letters. Can you see me?

Can you see the young girl with skin fair as buttermilk, wrapped in a comforter   

decorated by sakura blooms?

This morning I heard Fuji-san tremble,                              and I live in Los Angeles.

No.

I do not come from Japanese roots.

But I know tragedy—the heart-rending images flashing across a television screen, or just down the street. These are the moments I send gazes heaven-bound to make sure light still shines down upon us.

War. Earthquakes. Paranoia. Sadness.

If these things could bury us in darkness, the sun, moon, and stars would disappear into the void. We should then see nothing but what lies at our feet.

Yet all these sources continue to illuminate our world as always, revealing what we have never lost even when the earth moved—

People.

There are still people who feel for us

                                   Who reach out for us

                                    Who remind us we exist   

And as long as we exist

There is no disaster able to truly shatter our spirits

These are the words written along my arms, creeping towards my face.

I draw so you can see me.

I draw to send comfort

                 When I am at a lost

                                   For words

                                        To heal the wounds

                                                    Time and love must seal.

Can you see me?

*Originally published in Palm 2011