Archive for December, 2009
December 22, 2009
My Aunt Bea lived in Asheboro not Siler City. She was actually my great aunt who could do anything great. Aunt Bea cooked, sewed custom clothing, told humorous stories about the kids at the school where she worked, and she loved me as much as I loved her.
Her house always smelled good on the Sunday afternoons when we used to visit her. The aroma of homemade yeast rolls was one of my personal favorites but it seemed too time consuming for me so I never asked her for the bread recipe until October 13, 1993.
My dad died in July that year and he was a master craftsman who taught me many things, one of which included a lesson on how to weave cane for seats in ladder back chairs.
It was not until after dad died that I realized one of my many mistakes; I had not asked for written directions or pictures of the process. Chair seats he crafted with cane by hand are located in my house but I quickly realized my need for a lot of instructions, which were no longer available.
After church I asked mom if she would record Aunt Bea on video as she prepared one of her masterpiece recipes. Mom readily agreed but Aunt Bea did not want to be the focus of the video. We smiled and told Aunt Bea we wanted the recipe because we wanted to make a memory.
Aunt Bea listened to my story and agreed to demonstrate her recipe while mom recorded the directions. Her words were clear, “You must follow the directions in the exact order listed.”
She began reciting the directions from memory:
(1) Mix in one (large) bowl the following ingredients:
One-half cup of Crisco shortening; one-fourth cup of sugar; 1 teaspoon of salt…
(2) [Boil water in a small saucepan] Pour ¼ cup of boiling water into the large bowl and mix well.
(3) [Boil water in a small saucepan] Pour ¼ cup of boiling water into large coffee cup. Pour ¼ cup of cold milk (2% is what I use) into the coffee cup filled with hot water. Add 2 ¼ teaspoons of Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast into this liquid mixture. Stir with a spoon and let it sit for 2 minutes.
(4) Beat two (2) eggs and pour into the bowl containing the mixture of shortening, sugar, salt, water. Mix well.
(5) Return to the mixture listed in Step (3) and stir until the yeast is dissolved in liquid mixture. Pour this mixture into the large bowl and mix well.
(6) Gently fold in and mix two (2) cups of Pillsbury’s Best All Purpose Flour into the mixture in the large bowl.
(7) Pour ¼ cup of cold milk into the mixture in the large bowl (I add milk one or two tablespoons at the time).
(8) Gently fold in one (1) additional cup of Pillsbury’s Best All Purpose Flour and mix well.
(9) Cover mixture with saran wrap (airtight – I use a rubber band around the bowl over the Saran Wrap) and place in refrigerator overnight.
(10) Melt butter in a small saucepan and let it cool for the next step.
(10) Prepare a floured board to roll out the mixture of dough. Use flour as needed to prepare dough for cutting into round shapes (I use a Tupperware scalloped edge round cutter) and dip inside half of round dough shape in melted butter. Fold the dough in half and place in baking dish side by side.
(11) Let uncovered bread dough rise at room temperature for approximately 3 hours.
(12) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
(13) When bread dough is light and fluffy, bake in a 425 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until bread is golden brown.
Recipe yields approximately 32 dinner rolls (bake bread while dough is folded in half, thus the name Pocketbook Rolls).
Recipe works well when I double the ingredients. Family members love this bread as much as friends.
Confident I could successfully prepare and bake her “Pocketbook Yeast Rolls,” I returned home to bake bread but quickly realized I had not paid enough attention to her directions. We even returned to Asheboro to ask Aunt Bea if she could have forgotten to include a step because the bread I baked was hard as a rock.
“Did you follow the directions in the exact order…?” she asked. Reflecting on the bread baking process, I recited the ingredients I used and the order in which I followed the steps. After only two questions, I learned the source of my error.
It’s been over sixteen years since I first learned to successfully bake Aunt Bea’s “Pocketbook Yeast Rolls.” At family dinners, Aunt Bea’s “Pocketbook Yeast Rolls” are always requested for me to prepare.
One family member commented, “Those rolls are so good you don’t even have to bite them; they just melt in your mouth.” Although I receive the culinary compliments, Aunt Bea earned them.
Mark Twain said, “I can live two months on a compliment.” Aunt Bea died several years ago but she will live forever in my heart. The culinary compliments are blessings that will last me a lifetime, as well as continually remind me of Aunt Bea and her love.
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All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.
December 22, 2009
She was framed, but it was for a good cause. Her college graduation picture summed up the story of years of determination and hard work. For one of her birthday presents, I framed her picture of achievement. That precious moment is now displayed in the center of her bedroom.
Thinking about how to further emphasize her accomplishment as a college graduate, I asked if she would like her diploma framed in an official university frame. She said, “Yes!” So, my husband and I purchased the classic and official frame after three visits to the university bookstore.
“Today I am doing something that an educational expert told me several years ago could not be done. In a parent/teacher conference, her guidance counselor essentially told me my daughter was not capable of achieving a college diploma.” The expression on the manager of the bookstore spoke the shock I had felt when I first heard those words.
It has been eight years since that conference but I remember with clarity the recommendation of that guidance counselor, “It would be better to guide your daughter away from classwork required for a high school diploma and work toward a vocational degree instead of a college degree…”
Angered by the recommendation of her guidance counselor, I knew my daughter had a dream and a vision for her life. I decided to help her achieve the dream of earning a four year degree, as well as position her for a successful career. This year was the culmination of a major investment in her life as well as mine. We both learned things we never anticipated and achieved things beyond our expectations.
My daughter has been framed numerous times: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, vacations, barbeques, and family gatherings. Convinced she is bound for success, I am thankful she was framed.
Rosita Perez, author of “The Music is You,” spoke about an expert who had made a similar but generic recommendation. Rosita followed the expert’s directions with the hopes of achieving a particular goal; however, she found herself in quite a dilemma. However, she was determined to achieve her goal. My daughter is a lot like Rosita. I have heard Mrs. Perez declare, “There is no stopping a motivated woman!”
Perhaps a good reminder for all of us is a proverb from Zambia, “A good wind is no use to a sailor who doesn’t know his direction.”
Focused and motivated, my daughter knew her direction and achieved insurmountable obstacles. My friend, Rosita accomplished her goal but also learned recommendations of experts can often be inadequate, myopic and mediocre.
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All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.
December 16, 2009
I admit I was curious yesterday when I saw the picture in the October 1945 issue of “The Country Gentleman” magazine. That’s why I had to read the article.
I learned Mr. Franklin Baker had shipped a lot of flour to Cuba and then waited months to be paid for it. However, the payment he received was a shipload of coconuts rather than cash. He did not expect coconut souvenirs.
In the picture, he held a hammer in one hand and a portion of a coconut in his other hand. The woman standing on the other side of the table held a portion of a coconut in one hand and held a cloth in her other hand. Newspapers were opened and spread on the table in between them with large chunks of coconut strewn out as well. On the floor lay a large open burlap bag filled with coconuts that had spilled at their feet.
After attempting to sell the coconuts at open markets, he found he was stuck with the dilemma of possessing a product no one wanted to buy.
However, after Mr. Baker opened the coconut, he was inspired with an idea to save time for cooks who used fresh coconuts. He and his son decided to go into the business of opening coconuts. Their product provided an item that was ready to use in cakes, pies and puddings.
Mr. Baker risked every penny he had but he began the coconut business. Today we know his product as the successful and familiar “Baker’s Shredded Coconut.” His business grew from small to a sizable coconut product business and created jobs which contributed to making other jobs such as shippers, salesmen and accountants. Farmers also benefited from his creative thought to transform coconuts into a product which earned a lot of cash.
When I was young, I remember a similar picture in my mind of my mom and dad breaking coconuts open for cooking. Mom would bake a fresh coconut pie or a fresh coconut cake. An unforgettable mouth watering aroma filled our home like none I have recently smelled.
Intrigued that the coconut product created by Mr. Franklin Baker in 1895 is still serving us today in 2009, I felt compelled to share this history lesson I learned because a black and white picture placed at the top of the magazine page caught my attention.
While grocery shopping this afternoon, I decided to take a picture of Mr. Baker’s coconut product displayed in the baking aisle. As you can imagine, I was the only person taking pictures in the grocery store which caught the attention of several other people. Perhaps they thought I was a secret shopper and if so, they were right because I found the answer to a great secret in baking history.
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All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.
December 3, 2009
Eating popcorn and a brownie during a concert intermission last week, I remember commenting to my friend about how much fun it was to eat fresh popped popcorn. That’s when I remembered a cookie recipe one of my neighbors shared with me just a few months ago. A woman sitting at our table smiled while my friend and I spoke. With a smile, our new friend asked for the recipe I had spoken about, popcorn cookies.
When I first heard the name, “popcorn cookies,” it sounded like a recipe for fun. Listening carefully for the specific list of ingredients, I made a mental note to self, “This is important.”
The four ingredients are: Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Planters’ Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanuts and Almond Bark.
“Just melt the almond bark in the microwave. Then remove from the microwave and stir in the other ingredients. Afterwards, drop the cookie mixture onto waxed paper to cool,” she said confidently with a smile.
I remember thinking, “That’s it?” Only four ingredients were needed to make a crunchy sweet and salty snack to whet our appetites before dinner. After eating a few samples of the popcorn cookies, I had complete confidence I had heard one of the best cookie secrets ever shared.
Determined to stir up a batch of popcorn cookies for the holidays, I went to the grocery store with my recipe in hand as well as my digital camera. Just thinking about the ingredients triggered multiple recipe variations using the popcorn cookie concept.
The first batch of popcorn cookies I make will be for those who like to eat peanut butter and the second batch can be altered for those who are not able to eat peanut butter. Of course, there are other snack items that can be substituted for the peanut butter flavor. The possibilities are unlimited.
Author John Ortberg said, “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.” Pour your ideas out onto a piece of paper just like you pour cereal into a bowl. You might be surprised when you realize unique ways to think outside of the boat and the cereal box.
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All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.