Cookbookaholic

Sad Sack of a Saturday

Friday turned out to be really interesting! I found a few cookbooks during a lunchtime trip and got to spend some quality time with Janet at her special preview sale. Today should be either icing on the cake or a real dud.

And after about five yard sales with absolutely NO cookbooks—this sad sack of a Saturday is looking more and more like a dud. Oh well, not every Saturday can be a winner.

I’ve got one more yard sale on the list. On my way to the sale, the GPS takes me on a side road that I’ve never been on before. At one of the stop signs, I look up the street on my right and I see a yard sale! It’s not on my list, but I have absolutely nothing to lose. I park and start looking around. From the look of the furniture and items, this house was in its heyday in the late 1950s and early 60s. Not much had been updated since then. They’ve got really low prices but I’m not seeing any cookbooks.

I ask and the gentleman running the sale says he saw some up in the attic. He disappears for a few minutes and comes back with a box. I see only one that interests me and I grab it…

Goodness knows this may be my only catch of the day! It’s Charleston Receipts from the Junior League of Charleston. I was hoping for a printing date in the mid-50s…but it’s a little later.

Then I look at the spine of the Charleston Receipts. Look at how flat it is! I wonder how it got that way? Maybe it was in the attic a little too long?

 

Friday Preview!

Friday sales are pretty tough for me. I rarely think to look in advance to see if there are any good estate sales going on. Besides, if there were any, they usually start at 8am and I have to be at work at 8:30. It’s hard enough to get the boys up and dressed and then out the door to the bustop! Can you imagine me booking out at 6am to go stand in line for a number? If I did, I doubt if anyone to make it to school at all on Fridays.

If I do happen to catch a glimpse of a sale that looks good, I’ll try to swing by during my lunch break. By then, it’s been picked over…but still, you never know.

On this particular Friday, I took a chance on a lunchtime getaway and came away with a few finds. The selection had definitely been picked over but here’s a few that I found:

The Plank Grilling Cookbook (Guillen, Lowrey, Everly, Bernsdorff), Every Last Crumb (Providence UMC, Charlotte, NC) and Paraclete Pantry (Church of the Holy Comforter, Vienna, VA). This last cookbook is personalized and autographed on the title page. It reads: “Autographed for Mildred Andrews by Rosemary Pollard May 13, 1959”

When I came back to the office after lunch, I had an email from my co-worker and fellow yard saler, Ramona Holloway. Her friend, Janet, was going to have a yard sale and she forwarded the information to me. And yep, she listed cookbooks! I worked up some confidence and emailed Janet directly to ask about the cookbooks. She was super nice and offered to let me come by later that evening to take a look.

Wow! Can you imagine? I’ve never been given exclusive “preview” access before the crowd! How can I get this inside track on more yard sales?

When I arrive at Janet’s home, she shows me into the living room where everything priced and ready to go. I make my way over to the cookbooks and grab these:

The Complete Barbecue Cookbook, The Essential Mexican Cookbook, Good Friends, Great Dinners (Susan Costner), The Tess Mallos Fillo Pastry Cookbook, Tropical Seasons: A Taste of Life in South Florida (Beaux Arts of the Lowe Art Museum of the University of Miami) and 30 Classic Mexican Menus (Idella Purnell Stone).

I’m going to search these Mexican cookbooks until I find a specific recipe. Or, I find the proper way to cook the meat in this certain recipe. I know that sounds odd and cryptic, but I’ll definitely let you know if and when I find it.

As I’m going through the cookbooks, Janet and I talk and get to know each other. She’s super cool. Plus, we were both at the recent PRSA luncheon on social networking. Turns out, she’s the current President of the Charlotte Public Relations Society chapter—no wonder she looked familiar!

We both have aspirations of cooking more often but don’t always have the luxury of time. It was nice to know I’m not the only one who wishes they could try new recipes and cook more often!

As I finished making my selections, she showed me some unique salt and pepper shakers in another box. I’m already the proud owner of Pepsi bottle S&P shakers but I just had to have these:

Royal Crown shakers! These were really heavy and had a metal screw top. They just looked and felt antique—I liked these and just had to get them!

Plus, I found a hairdryer! I’ve been borrowing the hubby’s lately and he’s been encouraging me to buy one that I come across at a yard sale. I brought it home and as soon as I show off my new find—guess what happens next—yep, he offers to trade his for Janet’s hairdryer.

Oh well, I can give up the hairdryer. I’ve still got some great finds and I’m really glad to have met Janet. Not a bad Friday after all! Who knows what Saturday morning will bring?

“I Do” Love This Ice Cream!

I love cake…well, let me be more specific; I love the icing on cake. You know the kind, the one where Crisco is the main ingredient. Love it...and always have. When I was little, I would just eat the icing flowers on birthday cakes. I loved them so much, my beloved Aunt Loretta would make them ahead, freeze them and then dole them out one at a time as a reward or a quick dessert.

In fact, when I was pregnant, I always craved birthday cake (and movie theater popcorn). And no, it’s not a weird craving at all.

As I was going through the ice cream section of the grocery store, I spotted a few packages of Blue Bunny Premium that had a picture of Duff on them. I watched a few of his Ace of Cakes episodes so seeing him in the ice cream section intrigued me. Here’s what I found: 

“I Do, I Do Wedding Cake” Ice Cream? What wondrous item is this?

It’s chunks of white cake with a raspberry sauce swirled into buttercream frosting flavored ice cream. Oh wow….I must take this carton home and give it a whirl.

It’s amazing! The ice cream really tastes like icing! Icing is lighter and fluffier, of course—but what a tasty combination with the cake pieces and raspberry swirl. It’s almost as if someone put a slice of wedding cake in the freezer and then served it up in a bowl. It’s got everything: ice cream, cake and a little bit of fruit. And here’s something cool…everyone in the family loved it! I think this carton will be empty by the time the weekend rolls around.

“I Do, I Do Wedding Cake” may prove to be the must-have ice cream this summer! I know I’ve already promised to love, honor and cherish it ‘til an empty shelf at Food Lion do us part…

 

Road Trip Worthy: Kernel Kustard

My favorite new discovery in Winston-Salem must be Kernel Kustard on W. Fourth St. I spotted it as we drove up to our hotel during Easter. The “K” in the logo reminded me of the old school Krispy Kreme logo. The name itself conjures up thoughts of popcorn and ice cream. Yum…..I need to figure out a time to check this place out! I think some quality time is in order here…

After our anniversary dinner, hubby and I stopped in to grab a dessert. I’m so glad we did!

Walking through the front door, you’re greeted with the wonderful smell of popcorn. The popper and display cases are right there! There is plenty of caramel, cheddar and regular popcorn. I definitely see an order of caramel popcorn in my near future.

As we walk around into the store, I see their menu contains so much more than popcorn and kustard. (Lunch would be a lot of fun in this place!) Looking over their “Frozen Kustard” menu, I wondered if it would be too much to get a cup as well as some popcorn. Oh, what the heck—I’ve got the rest of the weekend to finish off the popcorn, right?

This kustard is supposed to be creamier than regular ice cream. You could have your choice of flavor (chocolate, vanilla or flavor of the day) as a jumble (mixed with one topping), a signature sundae, shake, malt, float or a frozen kustard sandwich. I had the toughest time picking between a Signature Jumble or a Signature Sundae. Some of the jumbles offered were “Chocolate Covered Pretzel” with chocolate kustard, crunchy pretzels and chocolate chips; “Holy Canoli” offered vanilla kustard, canoli shells, chocolate chips and pistaschio nuts; and “Cereal Killer” with vanilla kustard, Cap’n Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles. O.M.G.!!!!!

The Signature Sundaes were just as tempting. The three that popped out for me included: “The Kernel Kustard” with vanilla kustard, warm caramel popcorn, warm caramel topped with whipped cream and cherry; “Turtle” has vanilla kustard, warm caramel, hot fudge and roasted pecans, whipped cream and cherry ; and the “Hot Fudge Funnel Cake” tops the vanilla kustard with funnel cake sticks, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry. Holy Moley! How do you choose? They all sound so amazing!

Our cashier, Nicole, was very patient…and understanding. She told us that she attends college down in Charlotte but comes back to Winston-Salem and works at Kernel Kustard on the weekends. Now that's dedication!

I ended up choosing “The Kernel Kustard.” With the caramel popcorn, it reminded me of that incredible Blue Bell ice cream flavor, Caramel Kettle Crunch, from last summer. Plus, it bore the store’s name—so I figured it was their signature dish—literally.

So we got a sundae AND a small bag of caramel popcorn to go. I couldn’t wait to dig into the cup of kustard back at the hotel.

Oh man, oh man, oh man—that was good! There’s something about the caramel popcorn and the kustard combination that is so mind-blowing! LOVE IT!!!!

Oh, and the caramel popcorn? It’s the stuff of childhood dreams! The caramel coating is soft, warm and buttery. It is so addictive. I would bypass the sticky, burnt sugar stuff at the mall and drive all the way up to Winston-Salem for this caramel popcorn!

Want to see a picture? You can’t…because we ate it all before I remembered to take a picture. But note that my “small” order was plenty for four people to snack on for about three days.

Next time around, we’ll get to town earlier and check out their hot dogs, sandwiches, burgers and fries. There’s a whole other side of the “Kernel” I want to experience!

Honey!

I was really excited when my co-worker, Reeves, presented me with a jar of honey. She and her husband, Ryan, have beehives and harvest the honey for friends and family. Do you know how expensive those jars of local honey can be? I’m thrilled to have this jar! This also means I’ve moved from the co-worker circle into the friends circle…very exciting!

It’s a huge undertaking to harvest the honey…not to mention doing it from beneath the suit! So I asked Reeves and Ryan a few questions about the whole honey thing.

How long have you kept bees?

Reeves: This is our 3rd season.  We consider any blooming time the season of bees.  So Spring, Summer....Pollen Season!

Ryan: We have been bee keepers for about 4 years now and love both of my hives as one would love a dog or cat.

 

What made you decide to start keeping them?

Reeves: Ryan just decided that he was interested in it and a friend of his was giving his hives away because they were moving to a new city and couldn’t take "his 30,000 pets" with him.

Ryan: My first hive was given to me by a friend and hive # 2 came to me in the form of a swarm. I have pictures as it was crazy to see them swarming so I was able to catch my 2nd hive.

 

Do you have to do anything special for the bees?

Ryan: Bees are mostly independent and I have to do very little for them when they grow to be a strong hive. You can do as much or as little to them as you like. Some beekeepers will feed their bees protein bars, sugar water or other supplements to keep them healthy and growing. I chose to just let them bee.

 

Who gets the honey out of the honeycomb? Do you get suited up with the hat and netting?

Reeves: Ryan, not me. I will sit in a lawn chair, pretty close, while he does it, and take pictures.  They haven’t stung me yet, as they swarm around me, but I never really move either. Ryan will wear the full gear and duct tape any sleeves to gloves and pants to shoes. They try to sting through his clothing but he hasn’t been stung yet, either. 

 

Is there more to the process than just squeezing honey out of the honeycomb? What goes into the process?

Reeves: Ryan cuts the comb from the frames with a hot knife.  Then it will drain for days in a covered bucket.  He rents some tools from the bee club that will help spin the honey and filter it.  Filtering takes a week.  Every day, Ryan will pour the 4 gallon buckets from one to the other and refilter. 

 

Do you sell the honey at a farmer's market?

Reeves: No, just to friends, family. 

Ryan: I mostly sell it to friends or give it to people in need but I prefer to sell it for a 1$ an oz.       

There’s so much that goes into beekeeping! I’m just so thrilled to have a jar of Reeves and Ryan’s fresh, local honey. We’ve used the honey in so many ways since Reeves gave me the jar. I used it to sweeten my Scottish Breakfast tea during the Royal Wedding…I could actually taste the flowers in the tea. Scott heard about combating seasonal allergies with a teaspoon of local honey and took a spoonful. Plus, I got Duncan to eat a bowl of oat and almond cereal by drizzling some of this honey on it.

Thanks Reeves & Ryan!!!

Another Gift of Lillian

After being away for Spring Break and Easter, we came home to a ton of mail. One package addressed to me was from a familiar address in the northeast. It was from Terry, Lillian’s granddaughter, and she found something extra for me!

She included a very nice note that said she had found this little recipe book for salads.  

Miss Salad and Her Trousseau. It’s very thin and tiny but look at the shiny lettering. It’s very fancy!

Plus, it’s very, very old…even older than her Grandmother Lillian’s Moravian cookbook! A look at the copyright info and I spy a date of 1901.

In Terry’s note, she mentioned that her grandmother’s handwriting is on page 15. Flipping through the book, there are tiny checkmarks on a few of the salads including “Nut Salad” and “Waldorf Salad.” Surprisingly, there are no checkmarks next to “Jellied Ham Salad” nor “Fish Salad.”

Finally, on page 15, Lillian’s handwriting!

She’s written a note that says “Orange & apple salad served with mayonnaise” and then a second one that reads “apple salad with pepper & almonds.” I guess these were fruit salads that she liked and wanted to include.

I think I’ll tuck this one inside the Moravian cookbook for safekeeping. And after all, I think they need to be kept together, don’t you?

Book Review: Off the Eaten Path

Last year, I found a Southern Living magazine at a thrift store down in Hilton Head. It featured some of the best pies in the Southeast. One of those places that had unbelievable pie was nearby…I promised myself that I would keep this issue of Southern Living and check out that pie shop on my next trip down.

Of course, I couldn’t find the magazine the next time I went to Hilton Head. But I still think about it when we’re on our way down I-95.

Cut to the arrival of Southern Living’s latest publication: Off the Eaten Path by Morgan Murphy. It features hole-in-the-wall diners that are just off the beaten path….a little out of the way, but well worth the extra miles. Their time-tested menus have kept the locals coming around for years and after reading this book, they just may become your weekend road-trip destinations.

As soon as it arrived, I jumped to the Table of Contents and saw that the diners are featured by state. I quickly flipped over to North Carolina and South Carolina. And listed there in South Carolina was the Carolina Cider Co. in Yemassee! Very nice to see it featured. (No need to worry about digging up that misplaced issue anymore!) I go through the rest of the places featured in South Carolina and just want to take a nice long weekend and visit every single one of them.

Not only that, I wouldn’t mind a whirl around Alabama, Louisiana and Kentucky as well!

And here’s something even better…not only does author Morgan Murphy get you in the mindset for traveling down every side road looking for something delicious, this book features many of the recipes as well. I’m almost jumping for joy at a recipe for “Shrimp Gravy and Grits” and “Spicy Cajun Boiled Peanuts.”

If you’re really inspired, you could take each chapter and go on a virtual road trip with the 150 recipes included in the book. I’m amazed at all the secret recipes that have ended up in this book.

Nice! I see a couple of different recipes for Crab Cakes and Shrimp & Grits. It’s interesting to see the similarities along with the unique differences from each region. Plus, there’s a beignet recipe from Louisiana. (I practically lived on those during a college Winter Term in New Orleans.) There’s literally everything in this book from “Crispy Fried Pickles” to “Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie.” This is what Southern Living and southern eating is all about…literally!

Want to get your own copy? Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Living-Off-Eaten-Path/dp/0848734459/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305213552&sr=8-1

 

Mother’s Day Present…to Myself

So I decided to just replace the bent and warped 3 quart saucepan. Target had an entire Paula Deen set on sale for a really great price. But I decided to just replace the one pot.

This one wasn't on sale but I wanted to give it a try. Cross your fingers that I don't drop it anytime soon!

Mother’s Day Present…to Myself

So I decided to just replace the bent and warped 3 quart saucepan. Target had an entire Paula Deen set on sale for a really great price. But I decided to just replace the one pot.

This one wasn't on sale but I wanted to give it a try. Cross your fingers that I don't drop it anytime soon!

Julia's Kitchen

During our Spring Break visit to Washington, D.C., Duncan wanted to visit the American History museum. One of the exhibits turned out to be Julia Child’s kitchen.

I’ll be totally honest here, I’ve never spent quality time with Julia. I haven’t even seen that Julie/Julia movie, either. Shock! I know, I know…

I’ve got at least one of her cookbooks—I know that much.

But anyway, she was undeniably a remarkable personality who helped raise the art of cooking all while making it accessible on a national scale. She was already a legend by the time I started watching cooking shows.

And here, before me now, is her actual kitchen!

It’s like a normal, everyday kitchen. Much larger than mine—she could fit a table and chairs in there! And check out all those knives on the back wall. Apparently, they actually filmed some of her shows there?

Here’s the side view of her kitchen from another doorway.

 

Lots and lots of pots and pans, oh my!

Looking around the exhibit I see this display of her cookbooks. I would’ve thought she’d have published a ton of cookbooks throughout her career. What I’m noticing is this looks more like quality over quantity. Yeah, I may have a couple of those around somewhere…but not all of them.

 

There are several of these placards with interesting bits of information about Julia. This one explains all the knives on the wall.

“Knife Freak”—that’s hilarious! Plus, she was right there at the forefront when new home kitchen technology like the Kitchen Aid Mixer was introduced. 

There’s another doorway on the opposite side of the kitchen. I head over and find Julia’s shelf of cookbooks!

You’d think she’d have a ton of them, right?

Not quite. Only a shelf and a tad more are actual cookbooks. They’re her cookbooks and I mean, literally…they are cookbooks by her.

                                 

Here they are: In Julia’s Kitchen, Cooking with Master Chefs, Julia Child’s Menu Cookbook, From Julia Child’s Kitchen, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol I, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol II, Baking with Julia, Julia & Jacques Cook at Home, The Way to Cook, The French Chef Cookbook, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, Victory Garden Cookbook, Larousse Gastronomique, World Atlas of Wines (Hugh Johnson), Composition of Foods and two copies of The Joy of Cooking on the second shelf.

Could you imagine having your kitchen be so important that it ends up in the Smithsonian? How about all your tongs and spatulas?! I think I’ll keep my eye out for more Julia Child cookbooks from now on! Bon Appetit!