Life-Changing Nut and Seed Bread aka "Bread Regular"

by Linda
Photos by Linda and Michelle

"You are all made of real poop." —Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank and Related Readings

   If I should ever decide to get back into the baking business again, I think I would open a shop where the bread recipe that we are sharing today would be the star of the show, and I would name my bakery Life-Changing Bread. While that may seem like a hyperbolic claim, Michelle and I have found that this bread actually has changed our lives for the better.
   No one enjoys discussing the topic that I am about to broach, however, for almost 25 years now, I have been working in the vitamin and supplement aisles of California talking to people about health and nutrition. A problem/question that comes up frequently—as in every single day—with my customers is how to make pooping a non-issue? How does one have regular bowel movements, and how does one have the poop just slide on out without effort (hemorrhoids are are also a frequent topic and not just by pregnant women)? In my experience, most people are reluctant to admit that they are having difficulty going #2, in spite of knowing that pooping is a natural and necessary part of having a healthy body. Everyone poops and everyone must poop or die. Prune juice simply is not taking care of the problem for the majority of people who suffer from chronic constipation. Each year Americans spend more than $700 million on laxatives.

   Hence, we all know that we need fiber, but fiber supplements are problematic, and the topic of fiber supplementation is somewhat a controversial one. We all know that we need it, but in what forms, how much, and when? Chris Kresser, M.S., La.C is one of my favorite sources for nutritional information. In his article, Myths and Truths About Fiber, Chris addresses the conundrum of how to get fiber, and shares some of the growing research about fiber. More isn't necessarily better, and sources of fiber are important.
   Years ago I helped develop a bread recipe at the hotel where I worked as the pastry chef. The bread became hugely popular with the guests, and they would frequently buy loaves to take home. Later I would bring the bread recipe to a bakery/cafe that is now defunct in Solvang, California, which is primarily a tourist town. I began shipping bread to different parts of the country, so that folks could have my Grain and Seed Bread (dubbed Bread Regular by my brother-in-law, Jay—I will let you put two and two together). I am including this recipe also, but I no longer make it because I stopped eating gluten-containing foods over three years ago, and overall I feel much the better for it—less asthma, allergies and congestion. The heartburn that I was starting to have regularly vanished. However if you still eat wheat, this is yeasted-version and is more akin to what most people think of as bread. Sadly I have found that the gluten-free breads that are available commercially are not full of fiber, but are made from various starches. In other words, not very healthy for you, nor do they have much flavor.

   Recently Michelle and I found this gluten-free bread recipe featured in a blog post. The bread is full of nuts and seeds with the addition of gluten-free oats—fiber galore, and it uses coconut oil as the fat. Awesome! Michelle made it first and happily reported that not only was it delicious, but it had the same effect as my old Bread Regular. I decided to bake it immediately on her recommendation, and I have to say that ever since I have a toasted slice in the morning with some almond butter, and from then on I am not thinking about you know what—at all... except during the sixty seconds it takes to get my business done and then get on with my day. If pooping is something that you would like to think less about, as is the case for many adults and children, you are going to want to bake this bread for yourself and your family. Toast up a slice and have with tea or coffee in the morning, and getting your fiber for the day will be a tasty treat, and not an onerous chore. This bread makes great toast and is also perfect for open-faced sandwiches. #pooplikeachamp 

Life-Changing Gluten-Free Nut and Seed Bread (Our New "Bread Regular")

Linda's Buttermilk Biscuits (Food Processor Method)

by Linda

"Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg

   Since one of the goals of our blog is to be a virtual recipe box for future generations, it is my personal opinion that our collection of recipes would not be complete without a biscuit recipe. I would have to say that buttermilk biscuits are one of my all time, in my top ten, comfort foods… right up there with mashed potatoes, ice cream, chocolate and chicken-fried steak. And while I do freely acknowledge that buttermilk biscuits made with white flour are nutritionally bereft, there are occasions, when this one time (and perhaps still) staple of the Southern table will satisfy like nothing else.

   I may not have been making biscuits as long as a Southern Granny, even so, I have made many a biscuit in my day. I began making biscuits regularly as a teenager. I still remember the drinking glass whose mouth had just the perfect size circumference that I used to punch the biscuits out with on the floured board in our small farm kitchen. These days, even though I now use a stainless steel cutter with a nice sharp edge to release perfect circles from the round of dough, I still love to bake them... however infrequently. I confess that I do not make them very often anymore due to my quest to reduce my consumption of white flour. However, when I do have occasion to bake them these days, there is something so satisfying about rolling out the white buttery dough that smells of buttermilk, brushing them with cream, and then watching as they puff up as if under a magic spell while they turn golden brown in the oven.

   A few months back I had a very long, tense and tiring day at work. Very much in need of a little TLC… and knowing it would need to be provided by yours truly if I was to have any, I decided to splurge and prepare three of my top ten faves for a quick dinner. This plan brightened my mood considerably. In under an hour I had mashed potatoes, chicken-fried steak with pan gravy and buttermilk biscuits drizzled with raw honey on the table. I sipped a rich Sonoma County Cabernet while I prepared my dinner and put together a salad (my concession to healthy eating for that meal), and when dinner was served, I patted the chef on the back, and surrendered to the feast saying, “Thank you, Linda… that will do. Yes, that will do.”

No, I did not eat this all myself... but there were some yummy leftovers for the next day.

Recipe Boxes, Cookbooks and Linda's Orange Wheat and Nut Quick Bread

The Memory Keepers by Linda

It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and intertwined, that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it; and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied; and it is all one. ~ MFK Fisher, The Art of Eating

   
   There has been much discussion recently in print and on the internet about cookbooks becoming a thing of the past. The New York Times featured an article this past week in its Dining and Wine section written by Julia Moskin entitled, "Are Cookbooks Obsolete?" In the same vein, one of the food bloggers that I follow, David Lebovitz, had this to say in response to this topic in his post that arrived in my inbox a few days ago:

"It's interesting reading some of the talk regarding if the internet is ready to replace cookbooks. Sure, there are people furiously clicking around wherever they can for a chocolate cake recipe. And there are hundreds of thousands of chocolate cake recipes that you can find using a search engine. But to me, that's not enough. When I want to spend my precious time and funds making something to eat, I don't want to merely find a recipe. There's nothing compelling about a downloadable list of ingredients. It just leaves me cold. I want the author or writer to tell me about the recipe, what inspired them to create it, or how it came about."

   
   I couldn't agree more. As someone who has over 300 cookbooks at the ready (I am not kidding), my cookbooks feel like old friends that I wouldn't part with for the world. Lord knows that I have lugged them along on every move much to the dismay of the movers that I have hired to haul them to each new location where I have taken up residence in the last decade. Each cookbook represents a time in my past, the place and with whom I purchased it, or a particular interest of mine at the time. The book might also have been a cherished gift from someone that I love who knows my passion for food and cooking. The ones that I use often are scribbled with margin notes, and contain my changes or additions. It is my hope that my collection of cookbooks will be passed on to the next generation of our family of cooks who will smile and have a wistful moment when they run across a smudge of chocolate and read the notations made long ago in my less than elegant script. I experienced just such a moment just this morning. I shall explain...

   
   For our second Thanksgiving post we are sharing a recipe that came to us from our maternal grandmother, Maxine. Our Nana was born in Redlands, California in 1914, and did volunteer work for the Redland's Assistance League for over 30 years beginning in the 1950s. The history of the organization is that in 1931 a group of women came together with the common goal of wanting to improve the lives of those in need. A constitution was prepared and the name Assistance League of Redlands was adopted. As part of the active social service program, work was begun at the Community Thrift Shop. The organization is still serving the community today. Nana attended the Camellia Luncheons that were annual charity fundraisers for the group. Each year, the ladies that attended the luncheon where given a recipe card set from the menu. Each set of cards contained all of that year's featured recipes.

   
   These sets were printed in pink, on white cards that could be easily placed in each attendee's personal recipe box. My Orange Wheat and Nut bread evolved from one of the Camellia Luncheon recipes from the luncheon in 1979. It would seem that these once ubiquitous recipe boxes have also become, for the most part, a thing of the past. That said, I am not letting go of mine. Even in its present rather shabby state, it is a treasured possession. My recipe box is about 30 years old and contains recipes that I began copying by hand in my early twenties. In those years, Nana would often send me handwritten index cards with a new recipe that had captured her fancy, included in a letter along with a crisp twenty dollar bill. As a new bride married to a college student, I struggled from paycheck to meager paycheck which I earned by working at the university in the accounting office, to make ends meet. Those letters of love and generosity from my grandmother were such welcome gifts. Many years after her death, my recipe box still contains the old Camellia Luncheon cards tied at the corners with colorful bits of ribbon that she saved for me, and her own handwritten recipes signed off with her trademark version of a happy face topped with a hat and flower.

   
   This morning as I searched for the Camellia Luncheon cards to take a photo, I pulled out one of Nana's handwritten recipe cards. I ran my fingers across the faded ink, and then held it close to my heart for just a second. In a leap across time and space, I am standing by her side in her turquoise kitchen with large bay windows that overlook the Redlands that she loves... the very kitchen in which we made so many meals together when I was old enough, while we laughed and shared secrets as pots bubbled joyfully on the stove.

   Our Salvation Sisters' blog is our way of keeping those memories alive for ourselves and our children, and for the generations to come, who most likely will not have such a recipe box. This is our virtual recipe box, and we offer it to you with love. We have so much to be thankful for... from Michelle, Juliette and Linda... Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Pumpkins for Pilgrims and Pumpkin-Apple Spice Cake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

by Linda

"For pottage, and puddings, and custards and pies,

Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies.

We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon;

If it were not for pumpkins, we should soon be undoon."

                                   ~ Pilgrim Pumpkin Song from the 1600s

   When autumn rolls around, and colorful pumpkins start showing up in roadside pumpkin patches and markets, I always wonder how many families picking out their favorite pumpkin to carve for Halloween realize that pumpkins are survival food of the first order.

   From early accounts, it is doubtful that the pilgrims would have survived their first winter here in North America without the aid of the sturdy pumpkin.

   Pumpkin pie was born from the pilgrims' attempts to incorporate it into as many dishes as possible, since the squash was plentiful and could survive the winter months with primitive storage methods. Of course, as we all know, pumpkin pie it is now a beloved standard eaten by millions on Thanksgiving Day each year.

   We sisters think pumpkin makes a tasty soup or yellow curry, as well as a delicious pie, quick bread or cake. I also love spiced pumpkin butter on toast in the Fall and Winter.

   Today, I am baking a double-size bundt cake for my co-workers, and my little house is enveloped in the fragrance of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg marrying up with the pumpkin and apple. I plan to top it with an amber Dulce de Leche Glaze and sprinkle on toasted and salted pumpkin seeds. I took inspiration from the caramels that I love with sea salt dusted on the top.

   If you have a large garden plot, pumpkins are great fun to grow. In past years I have very much enjoyed the lengthy vines blooming and winding their way towards fall. Once the brilliant yellow flowers are pollinated, and the baby pumkins form, it is possible to watch them change on a daily basis. When fall arrives, the vine has yellowed and the giant leaves have withered in the months of summer sun. Then the pumpkins are a deep orange and ready for harvest. They will last the entire winter if stored in a cool and dry place.

   This week I stopped by my local pumpkin and apple farm in Sebastopol to enjoy a feast for the eyes and senses. Pumpkins were piled everywhere, and cases of apples rested on the bright oilcloth covered tables. I purchased apples for our favorite Pumpkin~Apple Spice Cake. I use canned pumpkin for this cake because it is less watery and the flavor is more intense, but you can use fresh pumpkin puree if you like. If you make your own, just make sure to drain it until thickened.

   Hooray for the humble pumpkin, long may she reign Queen of the Squash!

Sunday Best Banana Bread

by Michelle

   You might be surprised to find out that I make all my quick breads and biscuits in a food processor. I have found that the food processor method makes a nice high loaf with a tender crumb.
   The first domestic use food processor was introduced to America in 1973 by Cuisinart. Since that time, I cannot think of another kitchen tool that has been as revolutionary and versatile as the food processor. It slices, dices, chops, kneads, blends and purées. If mine broke tomorrow, I would run, not walk, to replace it immediately.
    In 1980, Abbey Mandel authored the nationally best selling cookbook Cuisinart Classroom. In the cookbook, Abbey provides the formula for converting your favorite recipes to the food processor method. First you mix your dry ingredients in the workbowl, and add your nuts to chop, if using. Transfer the dry ingredients to a bowl and reserve. Should your recipe call for sifted flour, simply remove one tablespoon of flour from each measured cup.

Over-ripe bananas signal that it is time to make banana bread.

   The next step is to process the sugar and the eggs together, then you add the butter or oil and process again. The liquid is combined and quickly added to the wet ingredients through the feed tube. Finally, the dry ingredients are added to the workbowl, and very briefly - using on and off pulses - are blended until the flour just disappears. The food processor helps you not to overwork the batter.
   This batter lends itself to all sorts of shapes and sizes from muffins to traditional loaves. I prefer longer and narrower loaves with slices cut generously. Muffins make delicious mid morning snacks tucked into lunch boxes. Our household always seems happier when homemade bread is being pulled from the oven. Store bought will never compare to a homemade quick bread made with care and love in your kitchen.

Sunday Best Banana Bread

   It's just as easy to makes two loaves of bread as it is one (as long as you have enough bananas.) The best approach is to prepare the dry ingredients for each loaf of bread and transfer to individual bowls. The best part is that you do not have to wash the food processor's work bowl between batches of batter.
   The loaves freeze beautifully wrapped well in aluminum foil. Or if you want to be a hero, give the welcome gift of a homemade loaf of this beautiful and tasty bread to a friend.

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces, optional
2 to 3 large, ripe bananas (about 13 ounces)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsps vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips, optional
Spray oil, such as Bak-Klene

Special Equipment
Food Processor
A standard 7-cup loaf pan or muffin pan
I prefer to use a loaf pan that I found at IKEA that measures 11.5"Lx4.25"Wx2.5"D

Procedure:
1. Position the rack to the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the first five ingredients and process until the nuts are chopped, about 10 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
3. To the now empty workbowl, add chunks of peeled banana. Process the bananas for about one minute.

Starting the second loaf - no need to clean the bowl between batches.

4. Add the sugar and the eggs to the banans and process for one minute.
5. Add one stick of room temperature butter that has been cut into quarters and process for one minute.
6. With the machine running, pour the buttermmilk and vanilla through the feed tube.
7. Prepare your loaf pan by spraying with a non-stick oil spray and lighting coating with flour or use Bak-klene.
8. Add the reserved dry ingredients to the workbowl and blend with the wet ingredients by turning the food processor on and off 3 to 5 times until the flour just disappears. Do not overprocess the batter.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. A regular loaf pan will need to bake about 1 hour. The long bread pan that I use takes about 45 minutes. Muffins need 20-25 minutes.
10. Remove the loaves from the oven to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out and continue to cool.

Roti - Indian Flat Bread

By Linda

   Flat breads, such as roti, chapati and naan are typically eaten with every Northern Indian meal. Roti and chapati are usually made with whole-wheat flour and naan with white flour. Naan is also typically softer and more doughy. Naan is topped with various types of seeds (white or black sesame, poppy, nigella, pumpkin or sunflower), chopped garlic, a variety of herbs, or all in any combination. All that adorns roti and chapati is perhaps a light brushing of ghee.

Roti

   No special skills are needed to make this unleavened quick bread. This recipe is a combination of recipes from "Flatbreads and Flavors" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, and "Indian Food Made Easy" by Anjum Anand. For extra assistance watch this instructional video by Manjula.

2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 cups whole wheat flour, sifted to remove flakes of bran, and more as needed
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup warm water, or more as needed
melted ghee, optional

Procedure:

1. In a medium size bowl, mix together flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the warm water. With one hand, mix together until the mass gathers into a dough. You may need to add a little extra water or flour to make a kneadable dough. (Flour will absorb different amounts of water, depending on its age and the humidity in the air.) Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with
plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.


2. Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Roll into balls and then slightly flatten. To roll out, lightly dip a ball into flour to coat both sides. Roll out, without flipping over. Lightly flour surface, and rolling pin, as necessary to keep the bread from sticking. Roll into a thin 6-inch round. The best way is to roll in one direction, turning the dough a quarter circle at a time to achieve a round shape. If you have enough counter space, roll out each dough in the same manner, without stacking the rolled-out breads. Cover with plastic wrap, or a damp kitchen towel.


3. Heat a non-stick pan or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the griddle is hot, toss a roti from one hand to the other to remove any excess flour, and place it in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook until it begins to change color, and there is a few patches of golden circles developing on the bottom - about 30 seconds. Turn the roti over, cook again for another 20-30 seconds until bubbles start to form on the surface, begin pressing along the edges lightly with a spatula. The bread should start to balloon. Gently, keep working the spatula around the circumference, so the roti continues to balloon across its entire surface.
4. Alternatively, you can puff the roti by removing the slightly browned bread and placing it directly over an open flame of a gas burner using tongs. It should puff immediately. Let it sit on the flame another few seconds until dark spots appear, and then flip so the opposite side can cook as well.
5. Remove the finished roti from the skillet or gas burner to a towel lined basket or plate. If you like, brush with melted ghee. Stack and cover the roti with the edges of the towel to keep them warm and soft. Cook the remaining breads, in the same manner, stacking the breads as they finish cooking and brushing with ghee. Roti can be reheated, wrapped in foil, in a medium oven for 5-10 minutes. Yield: 10 thin round breads

Grandma Elsie's Delicious Whole Wheat Pancakes

by Michelle

"We follow in the steps of our ancestry, and that cannot be broken." ~Midnight Oil

   Many of my early memories about food are connected to my grandmothers. Of the two, my dad’s mom, whom we called Grandma Elsie was the superior cook, although I was recently corrected on that matter. To write about the past makes me realize just how unreliable memories can be. I started a new blog post a few weeks ago that went like this:
   “Both of our grandmother's were terrific cooks with polar opposite styles. Two prominent women in our gene pool could not be more different, and both have left indelible impressions upon us on how we cook and live our lives.
   Our dad's mother, Grandma Elsie was the queen of her kitchen domain (and probably everything else for that matter) easily turning out country delights: fried chicken, biscuits, pies, ice creams, you name it. On one notable occasion, our cousin Larry ate so much that he actually cried from being too full.
   Grandma Elsie worked her magic in the tiniest of kitchens in a house "built" during the depression by placing two railroad boxcars together, adding a roof and veneering the outside to resemble a typical residential house in Yucaipa, California. Grandma could also produce fantastic meals on a large scale. She directed the volunteer staff at her church's kitchen where she and her friends turned out amazing congregational dinners and meals for fundraising purposes.
   Grandma Elsie was not only a wonder in the kitchen, but she also sewed beautifully and had a green thumb. She made almost all of her own clothes, outfitted her best friend, Harriet, and sewed extensively for our cousins with a few special things for us, too. She dressed plainly and I do not remember her ever applying makeup.
   As children, we sisters were all rather intimidated by Grandma Elsie. I remember finding an old black and white photo of a couple obviously enjoying each other’s company - arms around each other, wide smiles, faces radiating happiness. I immediately recognized the man as my Grandpa. The woman, who I was not entirely sure was my Grandma, wore a drop-waist flapper dress and one heel kicked away as if she had just leapt in joy. Mom confirmed that the effervescent woman in the aging photo was indeed Grandma. By her demeanor as an elderly woman, I could not fathom that Grandma once upon a time had been that happy... ever!

   
   A family friend once commented on how Grandma loved to dance when she was young. I had to clarify, my Grandmother? Yes, YOUR Grandmother. After all these years, I still can’t quite believe Grandma danced anywhere, at any age. I recall her regularly watching The 700 Club and Lawrence Welk, attending church and not allowing appetizers before dinner. Mom would keep crackers in the car, so if we were dying from hunger we could sneak out of the house for a snack. Grandma would have flipped her wig if she had discovered us. When we finally sat down to dinner, we gorged ourselves to the point of being stuffed, and then we would try to beat each other to the couch so we could lie down and unbutton our pants for a little relief. The looming threat of further discomfort never stopped us from eating dessert.
   Grandma’s vegetable garden was lovely, lined with a “wall” of sweet peas, green beans climbed poles, sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, varieties of squash (among other vegetables), and plants like aloe to relieve burns and skin problems. The neighbors had a peach orchard and in season, Grandma loved to make peach ice cream. Grandma traded vegetables for eggs with another neighbor. They all helped take care of each other during the hardest of times.”
   When I sent the post to my mom, dad and sisters to check the facts, I found out that I had some wrong. Mom wrote, “As a child I was not that fond of my mother’s cooking. Most of her dishes you never had at our house. I was glad to leave them behind. I had no weight problems in those days. Everything Grandma Elsie made was DELICIOUS.”
   Mom continued with the corrections: “Grandma catered all of the Woman’s Club Luncheons for years in Yucaipa. Her reputation was noted to Nana when I first started seeing your dad. Actually Grandma Elsie and Grandpa Charlie were not active in church until he was retired and able to attend with her. I imagine she did cook for church affairs, but her fame was the Woman's Club of Yucaipa.”

   
   Corrections number three, from my dad, “No doubt Mom was crabby in her later years, but I believe the change in personality was directly related to diabetes and chronic neck stiffness and pain and frayed nerves. My guess is that if you polled your cousins, you would get a different slant on the subject because when they were kids, Mom was younger and didn't have as many problems.”

   Dad added some of his own memories: “You were born after we left Yucaipa, so you wouldn't remember many of the frequent summer dinners in the yard at Mom's house in the evening. I'm sure Juliette and Linda remember them well. Tomatoes and corn, beans, hamburgers, tacos, cucumbers, etc. and of course the homemade ice cream. Makes me salivate just thinking about it. Don't know whether you know this or not, but my mom loved breaded eggplant and she grew those as well.
   At the time I was growing up, I didn't know any different so I took what my mom did for granted. Looking back on it from a totally different perspective, I honestly don't know how she did it. Tiny kitchen, one refrigerator, and no freezer (although they did add a large freezer when I was probably 12 or so)."
   And this from my sister, Juliette: “I would like to say that I never felt intimidated by Elsie. Perhaps it is because this apple did not fall far from that particular tree. That is increasingly clear as time goes by. In my youth - when I was in trouble (and I was in trouble a lot of the time), I comforted myself by imagining I was adopted. No one understood me, and why would they - there was surely a mix up at Kaiser Steel Hospital, and I had been bundled home with the wrong family.

   But in hindsight it would seem that the Smith blood runs true blue in my veins. I have realized that for at least the past three decades, and each passing year I feel a bit more "Elsiefied". Always, when I have been taxed beyond my already short fuse, I channel Elsie. When the angry or impatient words are spewing out of my mouth, I can hear her voice and mine meld. Elsie wouldn't have used the "F Word" like I do (with reckless abandon), but the tone and message are the same. I get you Elsie, and I get you more with each passing day.

   
   Grandma Elsie was always fair, extraordinarily skilled in gardening, cooking, and sewing. All things I admired, or was at least interested in. I did not enjoy wearing her dresses. Beautiful yes, but they were scratchy and uncomfortable to wear. Compounded by the fact that I have never been a "frilly" kind of girl, and do not prefer lace & tulle in the garment department. Fortunately I did not spend more than a couple of days a year in them, but I remember complaining the entire time.

   I found it interesting that you made no mention of the Hollyhocks and Snapdragons that were abundant in her garden. I would spend hours wandering among the Hollyhocks that towered over my head, and break the seed pods open to inspect the spool of black seeds wound tightly inside. I would often hold a orange snapdragon blossom in one hand and a yellow in the other and mime long conversations between them - I can't remember what was said, or took place entirely in my imagination, but I know it made me happy, and kept me occupied for hours.

   I have Hollyhocks in my yard. Right this moment. They are tough. They have to be. Between my neglect and the arid environment, you've got to be a tough cookie to bloom in Bisbee! But bloom they do, and in towering splendor. Each fall, I break the seed pods off, and peel them open one by one, just like I did in Yucaipa many, many years ago. I think about Elsie as I scatter them in the yard.

   I have a bowl of Elsie's. It is a wide and shallow fiberglassish (yes I'm making words up!) pale and translucent bowl, with dried flowers embedded in it. Bowls are not given their due respect in my household, and serve many functions; mixing papier mache, thinning paint, storing sourdough starter, pet feeding, sorting of seeds, shells, beads, and scrabble pieces. Not limited to, and not necessarily in that order. If you've ever eaten at my house - I apologize! I do wash things with very hot water and soap!

   
   This particular bowl only has one function, and that is the serving of family recipes. This bowl is sacred to me, and given by my mother when I moved to Bisbee. I figure it has about the same expiration date as I do - it has seen many years of duty, without the added weight of sin and regret, so perhaps it will fare better in the long run.

   The thought of future generations eating out of that bowl gives me hope. So I treat is as a treasured family heirloom, a relic, only to be employed in the serving of heritage comfort foods: Three bean salad, macaroni salad, and the most popular of all... potato salad. I also use it to rest the pulled beater out of the lemon ice cream, and watch the kids scoop the remnants off of it and into their mouths with sheer delight just like I did with my sisters and cousins long ago.
   Elsie taught me many things. When I was 11 or 12 she taught me to sew. She taught without tears or judgment. I remember making my own dresses in high school, and Linda and I sewing up my maternity clothes when I was pregnant with Paul (my eldest), thanks to Elsie's expert instruction. She taught me to serve dinner at least an hour late. When you are ravenous, anything coming out of the kitchen that is good or better will taste like the best thing you ever ate!
   I learned that there is not much better in life than a bowl of frosty lemon ice cream, eaten in a microscopic box-car of a kitchen, with your Grandmother in a cotton house dress with her remaining wisps of silver hair blowing in the breeze of the huge wall fan in the bedroom on a hot summer afternoon.
   She taught me the art of the TV tray. Many evenings spent dining with our black and gold trays in front of the T.V. with Lawrence Welk, Hee Haw, or the evening news. The food was great, the 7-up or Root Beer floats even better, but the TV selection sucked! The sheer novelty of watching TV was the saving grace for me. I still get the horrid shiver down my spine when I happen across re-runs of those shows while desperately seeking entertainment on random evenings with my remote in hand! It also makes me crave a Root Beer float!
   She taught me how to set a good table. Joyful and full of food. Her dishes didn't match (at least that is my recollection), brightly colored tablecloths, lanterns glowing in the tree branches, and a longggggg table set with the promise of food. Lots of food! The hum of the ice cream maker and the laughter of the family while we waited anxiously for the food to be served is embedded in my DNA. Well, that is all I have to say about that. For now.”
   Amen.
   

Grandma's Delicious Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries

   Remberance from Linda, "One of my favorite memories of Grandma Elsie is of her cooking blueberry pancakes in an electric skillet set on a TV tray in the kitchen while we all sat around the little formica table. I remember that she beat the egg whites separately for her batter, which made the pancakes lighter. The pancakes for our family recipe are made entirely with whole wheat flour, but you would never know because they are light and fluffy."
   The pancakes are especially delicious slathered with real butter, drizzled with maple syrup and served with Oven Fried Bacon on the side.

3 large eggs, separated
3 Tbsps sugar
3 cups buttermilk
6 Tbsps oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsps baking soda
1 package frozen blueberries

Procedure:
Blend egg yolks and then add liquid ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter. Thin with additional buttermilk, if necessary. Serves 6.