Monthly Archives: February 2014
Mix-in-the-Pan Brownies From My ‘I Hate to Cook’ Mom
As a young mother in the 1960s, my mother never watched Julia Child – or any TV shows, for that matter. She preferred the humor and slap-dash directions in Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Cookbook. This book, inspired by … Continue reading
Canned Peach Salad to “Heighten Appetites and Brighten Meals”
Blame the invention of canned food on Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1795, the French general – who proclaimed that “an army marches on its stomach” – offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could come up with a way to provide his … Continue reading
Hot Chocolate, Cold Meat, Gingerbread: What Washington Really Ate
For George Washington’s birthday, my mother used to buy a supermarket cake overloaded with pink frosting that stuck to the knife. Never mind that the cherries tasted more of chemicals than fruit. Every bite felt patriotic. At my elementary school … Continue reading
Take This Cornmeal and Bake It
My father, pictured here in the 1930s with his parents, ate almost anything, including leftovers “as long as they were good the first time.” One family favorite, spoon bread, drew on his mother’s Southern roots. This baked combination of cornmeal, … Continue reading
‘Bullet’ Joe and Big Boy
Back in the days of leather football helmets (not mandatory) and canvas-and-leather shoulder pads, my grandfather captained his football team at Washington & Lee University to a Southern Championship in 1919. Nicknamed “Bullet Joe” because of his running speed, he … Continue reading
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