WARMING UP TO WINTER

As I write this, I’m watching a busy outdoor winter wonderland. Even though the temperature is in the tank, wildlife is bustling out every window. Early this morning, as the sun was peeking through the east woods, I watched two deer silently peel the needles from a pine tree that now looks pretty pathetic. I couldn’t stop them. They were so hungry and so beautiful, I stood spellbound at my window.

Now I’m watching a flock of wild turkeys glean the fallen sunflower seeds under the bird feeders. The tom is able to stretch his neck and eat right out of the feeder. Swirling around them are brilliant red cardinals, bright against the white snow. There are squawking blue jays, nuthatches hopping down the branches, downy woodpeckers, tiny chickadees, sparrows and even a junco or two. There are big furry squirrels waiting their turn at the fallen seeds. Even a couple of Cricket Meadow’s own cats, supposed to be tamed but you’d never know they aren’t part of the wildlife population, are poised under the branches awaiting, what? A songbird snack? I think they can dream on. They are better off tracking the mice that scurry in for a seed or two.

Along the driveway, hungry pheasants, mostly hens but an occasional rooster, peck at the whole corn we have placed by the tall grass at the edge of the driveway. After I do the chores and replenish feed supplies for the horses, goats, chickens, dogs and cats, I realize it’s time to head to the house and check the soup that is simmering on the stove. I am suddenly aware that I’m as hungry as the woodland creatures that I so enjoy feeding. Happy Winter!

WINTER WARM-UP

Coffee

Cinnamon

Orange peel

Hot chocolate

Whipped cream

When brewing morning coffee, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest to the grounds.  When coffee is brewed, fill a cup with half coffee and half hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon and more orange zest.

PEANUT BUTTER BREAKFAST SCONES

1 cup quick oats

1-1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Peanut butter chips or raisins or salted peanuts

Coarse ground sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, flours, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in peanut butter and butter until crumbly. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat eggs and then add milk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Turn dough out onto well-floured surface. Knead gently until smooth. Fold in peanut butter chips, or chocolate chips if preferred. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Pat into a circle. Cut dough into 8 wedges. Cover top with coarse ground sugar and press into dough slightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until no longer doughy in center. Serve warm.

WINTER WONDERLAND VEGETABLE SOUP

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup parsnips, peeled and sliced

4- 14 ounce cans beef broth

2 large red potatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

10 ounce can tomato puree

Fresh parsley

In a large stock pot, heat butter and oil together. Add onions, celery, carrots and parsnips. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add tomato puree and salt and pepper. S

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Though she was never a Scrooge in any way about it, my Mother found herself a bit melancholy at times during the Christmas season. She had such fond memories of her Christmases growing up, until 1944.

That summer, with World War II in full swing, Mom and 3 girlfriends from Grove City, Ethel, Elaine and Dorothy, went to Washinton, D.C. to work as government girls. They made no plans to come back to Minnesota for the holidays that year since travel was nearly impossible those days. Mom and her friends were busy decorating their apartment with fresh holly and evergreen when a Western Union telegram arrived at their door with news that her mother had been hospitalized and could she please try to get home for the holidays. Their friend, Dick Daby, also from Grove City was a serviceman on leave with plans to head back to Minnesota on the 20th. He offered to escort Mom home. On the way to the train station, they stopped at Woolworth’s, bought an expensive wedding band and she posed as his wife, since Christmas week would be a difficult time for any unnecessary travel.

The miles clicked by and, despite the crowded, noisy, smoky train cars. Everyone seemed to be in a holiday mood, with laughter and singing all the way home, especially the old tune, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

When Mom and Dick disembarked in Minneapolis, the look on the faces that greeted her, her Dad, brother and sister, told the story. Her sister tried to break it gently but blurted out, “Mother died this morning.” Dick had learned the news in Chicago when they changed trains, but didn’t have the heart to tell her.

On the 27^th, the day of her Mother’s funeral, a box marked “Return to Sender” came for Mom in the mail. It was a big tin of homemade Christmas cookies her Mother had baked and sent to the Washington girls who wouldn’t be home for Christmas and would be in need of a taste of home that year.

It is 67 years ago today, December 22, that my Mother lost hers. But she always remembered the bulging cookie tins and passed those recipes on to me.

MOM’S FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE

1-1/4 cups shortening

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (save white)

2 teaspoons cardamom

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups flour

Topping: Egg white, sugar, finely chopped walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in spices and flour. Chill dough. Roll into small balls and then roll in sugar. Dip top of cookie in egg white, then into nuts, then into sugar again. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

SPRITZ

2 cups butter

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 egg yolks

4 cups of flour (or 3/4 cup more if needed)

In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar. Stir in all other ingredients. Knead in food coloring, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 4 minutes. 

GRANDMA’S SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3-3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup whipping cream

Colored sugar or frosting and sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder, alternating with cream. Cover bowl and chill 2 hours. Roll out dough on floured surface. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with colored sugar if frosting is not desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. If cookies are to be frosted, cool first. 

LIFE LESSONS FROM THE BARNYARD

I’ve had a lot of pets in my life. I’m no stranger to living in a farm setting where even the family dog is around for only a dozen years or so. But losing Tucker recently, my ancient beloved Pygmy, a rescue goat, has left a big hole in my life. I didn’t realize how much I would miss him but, every day when I fed and petted him, he would nuzzle my hand and look up at me with a smile. No kidding, the whole bottom row of teeth were visible.

He was extra special because he was rescued from a life of torture, which caused him to have deformed back legs and one ear missing. Most likely no shelter in freezing weather took care of that, but no one seemed to be able to decide what ruined his hind feet.

Nevertheless, Cricket Meadow was his final home and prior to that, he was shuffled from 3 farm sites, that I know of. Never really appreciated. Here, even though he was low man on the rung in the goat pen, he was everyone’s favorite outside the fence. He was small and had fuzzy, salt and pepper hair. He had long curly horns and looked like a little elf with turned up shoes because his back hooves grew upward. No trimming would make them right. He limped badly, like a little old man and, of course a one-eared head is definitely a strange sight. He was clearly a cripple, handicapped and always shoved out of the queue at trough time.

A couple of weeks ago, he stopped eating and began losing weight. He would pretend to eat when he was being observed, but really, like an anorexic, just moved the food around his dish. A few days later, I called Doc Williams who dropped in to check on my little buddy. He took his temp and listened to his lungs and said there was no sign of pneumonia. He gave him a shot, an anti-inflammatory, and told me to keep an eye on him. Later, that evening, I looked in on him and he was walking around, seemingly better.

But the next morning, when I went to do the chores, I saw him stretched out on the floor of the shed, stiff, cold, eyes wide open. Later that day, my dear friend, Dave, came over to help me bury him behind the tool shed. The sight I will never forget, the most endearing thing of all, is that Rusty, the rescue rooster, nursed back to health himself under the tender care of the goats, was like a sentinel, standing guard over Tucker’s body until burial. I like to think that Rusty eased his passing by keeping vigil through the night. Friendship, a brotherhood. What lessons we can learn by just looking on the other side of the fence.

How does this segue into food? It doesn’t…I just had to tell the story. 

ANGEL WINGS (RUSTY’S)

1 cup cold butter, cubed

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sour cream

10 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon cinnamon, divided

In a mixing bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture is coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 times until mixture holds together. Shape into 4 balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Unwrap one ball. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on waxed paper; coat all sides of ball with sugar. Roll into a 12 by 5 inch rectangle between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon onto dough. Lightly mark a line with a knife down the center of the dough, making two 6 by 5 inch rectangles. Starting with a short side, roll up jelly-roll style to the center mark; peel waxed paper away while rolling. Repeat with the other short side. Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes.  Place remaining sugar on waxed paper. Unwrap one roll. Cut into 1/2 inch slices; dip each side in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Turn cookies and bake 5 to 8 minutes longer. Cool on wire racks. Makes 3 dozen.

ELF SHOES

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 to 1-1/4 cups flour

Oil for frying

Powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together. Add cream and cardamom. Mix well. Gradually add flour until dough is firm enough to roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15 inch square. Using a knife, cut into 15 by 1-1/2 inch strips. Cut diagonally at 2-1/2 inch intervals. In the center of each piece, cut a 1 inch slit. Pull one end of dough through slit. In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry each cookie, a few at a time, for 20 to 40 seconds, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

FRIENDSHIP (FOR LIFE) BARS

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

 2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in flour. Pat into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of bars immediately after removing from the oven. Spread to frost when melted. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top if desired.

FREE RANGIN' THANKSGIVING

I’ve been around for a lot of Thanksgivings, over 50. It’s always been my favorite holiday. The food epitomizes comfort to me and, even though turkey is often on my menu, roasting a 20 pound bird usually isn’t. I remember countless delicious platters of the most juicy, flavorful meat on our Thanksgiving table. But then there was the year I decided it would be fun to try a farmyard –to- table turkey.

I found a farmer about 50 miles from here who raised free range fowl. I arranged for him to select and butcher the bird and I would pick it up the day before Thanksgiving. I was excited about the prospect of roasting and serving such a fresh catch. My first inkling of disaster should have been the prehistoric body proportions of this turkey. It had very little breast but extraordinarily long legs. Not much fat, either. I stuffed the body in my enormous roaster, letting the gangly legs hang over the edge. The I set out to roast the aberration. When it never seemed to get tender, I started to panic. It had reposed more than long enough in my perfectly calibrated oven. My brand new meat thermometer registered 185 degrees. I felt safe in proclaiming it done. I pulled it from the oven, let it sit in all its awkwardness for a few minutes as I sharpened the knife. Cutting was a chore and every man in the house was enlisted to give a hand. We finally resorted to an electric knife, and wondered for a minute about digging out the chainsaw.

Finally, slathered with drippings to moisten it, the meat found its way to our table. I was allowed some grace because, after all, it was a holiday. And we found other things to be thankful for (after I beat myself up for not have a plump Jennie-O or Butterball backup). Needless to say, the meat turned out to be like a chewing on a mouthful of rubber bands. We managed to laugh. And eat more pumpkin pie. And vow to keep the store bought turkeys a part of our lives. Forever.

 FARMSTYLE CROUTONS

1 loaf crusty bread, cubed

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground mustard

Place bread in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients. Drizzle over bread and toss to coat. Place in a single layer in an ungreased 15 by 10 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or till golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool.

SWEET POTATO ROLLS

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 packet dry yeast

1/2 cup sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (or 1/2 cup canned pumpkin)

2 eggs

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 to1-1/3 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast packet. Let stand for 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining sugar, sweet potato, eggs, butter and salt. Gradually stir in whole wheat flour and as much white flour as possible. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Cover and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down. Let rest 10 minutes. Shape into 16 balls and place in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Allow to double in size, about 45 minutes, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Brush with melted butter while cooling on wire rack.

CINNAMON SUGARED PRETZELS

2/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

16 ounce bag small pretzel twists or rings

In a large roasting pan, stir together oil, sugar and cinnamon. Add pretzels and toss well to coat with cinnamon sugar. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring twice. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12 cups.

SHOOTIN' FROM THE HIP

I don’t often venture into my kid’s bedrooms. For one thing, I don’t have any reason to but also, it is a painful reminder of how fast they fled the premises and how vacated those rooms feel. Just the other day, I was looking for a book in Haakon’s room, when my eye landed on the arrow he split with another arrow on one of his earliest target shoots. He sliced it right down the middle and the arrows remain stuck together. We kept it for its William Tell bragging rights.

But why wouldn’t he be a great shot? I chuckled as I recalled all the practice he got. When he was probably in junior high, he and I were home alone a lot. The girls were off in college and Walt was working out of state. I would make dinner (always Haakon’s favorites or I’d be eating alone!), then we’d watch the outdoor channel and then he would do some shooting.

Here is where I get “Mom of the Decade” award. He would stand at the far west wall of our house and shoot through the entire length of our house, through the family room, kitchen, entryway and garage. At least 75 feet. This target practice could go on for an hour or two, as he shot at a target affixed to the trash dumpster. I really couldn’t sit still so I would do chores around the house, mostly in the kitchen or laundry room but would have to be absolutely alert for the archer at the other end of the house. Every time he was about to let an arrow fly, he’d holler out, “SHOOTING!” That was my cue to hunker down until I heard the “whizz” and then the “thunk” as he hit the target. He only missed once, and there was an arrow-sized hole in the garage drywall until we finally decided to repair it.

I am glad, for both of our sakes, that he never hit me. That I remained alert enough to listen for the verbal warning call and lie low each time.  All that practice paid off, Haak became an expert hunter, we bonded like Krazy Glue to human skin and I have great memories of our years together, as I hope he has.

HUNTER’S MEAL IN A PAN

8 venison steaks or pork chops

1/4 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can water

6 large potatoes, sliced

4 carrots, sliced (peels on)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, brown meat with onion. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan and spread half the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Add carrots. Put meat on top of carrots and cover with remaining potatoes. Pour soup and water over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1hour. Uncover and bake 1/2 hour longer.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER’S SPUD SOUP

6 to 8 potatoes

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup flour

1 large can evaporated milk

2 cups water

2 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

Fresh parsley, chopped

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Green onions, diced

Bake potatoes. Skin and set aside. In a large stockpot, brown mushrooms, celery and onion in butter. Add broth. Whisk flour and evaporated milk together to make a roux. Stir in to broth and vegetables. Then add water. Dice potatoes and add to pot. Stir in bacon and parsley. Heat all together and serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and diced green onions on top of each serving.

BULL’S EYE COOKIE STIX

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugars, egg and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture. Divide dough in half. On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 15 by 3 inch rectangle, about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over dough, pressing them in lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into 1 inch strips with a pizza cutter. Remove to rack to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

TRICK OR TREAT

CREEPY, CRAWLY, BIG BLACK SPIDER,

DRINK A CUP OF POISONED CIDER…

Well, that’s not quite what happened, but I will never forget my first Trick or Treating experience. Mom decided that, since my brother and I were quite young, we didn’t need the whole “comb the town” routine with too much candy and excitement, that we could make our debut just hitting the homes of a few farm neighbors around our township. We climbed into the car and Mom chauffeured me (a witch) and my brother (an Indian chief) down the dusty gravel roads. It was dusk and a balmy October evening.

We drove a couple of miles and knocked on the first door. “Trick or Treat,” we shouted from under our masks. If looks could kill, we’d have been goners. Mom shuffled us toward the door as she tried to make small talk with the farm wife, who recovered her sense of humanity and opened the door a bit wider so we all entered the back entry. Mom explained that she didn’t mean to intrude but felt just dropping by a few neighborhood homes would be “sufficient for young children who really shouldn’t have so much candy anyway, and…”

The Ice Queen cut her off. “I never LET my kids go around begging.” Mom turned us toward the door and apologized for the inconvenience (us). “Just a minute,” our neighbor said. She left us standing there utterly mortified and embarrassed only to return a minute later with a vanilla ice cream cone for each of us. We choked out a “thank you” and quickly made our getaway.

Back in the car, Mom said, “Well? Are you up for trying again?” My brother and I decided we weren’t about to give up our first Halloween without one thing in our pumpkin bags. Not that we didn’t appreciate the ice cream. We were just scared out of our wits by such hostility. We visited half a dozen more houses and, because country dwellers don’t get many Trick-or- Treaters, we ended up with full boxes of Milk Duds, large Snickers bars and whole packs of gum. The last house we stopped at was the home of a sweet old bachelor who, apologizing, gave us each a few M&M’s. We didn’t care. He enjoyed seeing us and we knew it.

Our Halloween proverb (is that an oxymoron?) from that day forward became,

                                   “Better one M&M given generously,

                                     than a large ice cream cone begrudgingly.”

GHOST AND GOBLIN SNICKERDOODLE PIE

1 prepared pie crust

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1/2 plus 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

2 teaspoons butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 plus 1 teaspoon vanilla, divided

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1-1/4 cups flour

In a bowl, combine raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush melted butter over pie crust. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set the rest aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, water, corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat 1/4 softened butter. Beat in sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar until well combined. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Spread in crust. Slowly pour syrup over filling in pie crust. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Cover edges of crust with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil from crust and bake 20 minutes more. Cool on wire rack.

JACK O’ LANTERN SWEET POTATO CUPCAKES

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

17 ounce can sweet potatoes, mashed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds on medium. Add sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low each time. Add sweet potatoes and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture. Beat until batter is mixed well. Divide evenly into 24 muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and frost.

ORANGE ZEST CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons orange juice

8 cups powdered sugar

Orange zest

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter for 30 seconds. Add orange juice. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle zest over tops of each cupcake.

AUTUMN SPICE BARS WITH MAPLE ICING

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Add baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, soda and salt. Beat until combined. Add molasses, water and eggs. Mix well. Beat in flours. Spoon into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Spread evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and frost.

MAPLE CREAM ICING

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, vanilla and maple extract. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time stirring until smooth. Frost cooled bars. Top with chopped pecans, if desired or sprinkle cinnamon lightly over top.

BUTCHER IN THE BARNYARD

Though we never raised pigs on my home farm after I was born, I’m sure, if we had, fall would have been hog butchering time. As it was, we designated spring and fall to chicken butchering and it was a dreaded day. All those cute, fluffy chicks we raised each spring, grew into potential menu items being prepped for our table. It was hard not to get attached to them as we fed them and watched them grow. We even named many of them and considered them pets.

Never mind that, life on the farm meant we had a barnyard to table policy. Raise, kill, eat. That simple. So, on a lovely fall Saturday, when we couldn’t take refuge in school, Dad would snag a dozen roosters and place them in a crate. One by one, he’d stretch their necks on a stump and, holding their legs in one hand and an axe in the other, dealt a swift blow, cleanly chopping their heads off. It was a gruesome sight to witness all that blood as the bodies flopped around on the grass. Next, came the boiling water dunk. A five gallon pail of water was bubbling in the firepit and the birds were dipped in head(less) first to prepare for the plucking crew. That was me and my brothers. We picked handfuls of the soggy feathers before Mom, wielding a very large and very sharp butcher knife (was that tool named for the chore or the profession?), cut an opening between the legs of each chicken large enough to insert a hand into to remove the entrails. We all took our turns at this too because, despite that smell which I will NEVER forget, it was downright fascinating. Intestines, gizzards, liver, hearts, kidneys, the crop, it was sobering but morbidly educational. Lastly, the feet were broken off after cutting around the joint. Those we chose not to eat though I have tried them. Once was enough for that.

The final chore before the bodies hit the oven or freezer was to singe the pin feathers with a wooden match. Then, guess what we had for dinner? You got it. Company! That was the one redeeming part of the whole day.

COMPANY’S COMING FRIED CHICKEN

2 fryer chickens, cut up

1 quart plus 1/4 cup buttermilk

5 cups flour

3 tablespoons seasoned salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/4 cup milk

Canola oil for frying

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Soak chicken in one quart buttermilk overnight. When ready to prepare, mix breading ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and cayenne. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup buttermilk and milk. Pour into flour mixture combine till slightly lumpy. Heat 1-1/2 inches oil in a deep skillet until it reaches 365 degrees on a thermometer. Lower heat slightly. Working in batches, coat each piece of chicken in breading. Add chicken to hot oil, cover pan and fry 5 to 7 minutes. Turn pieces over and fry 3 to 5 minutes more. Keep oil at stable temperature. Remove chicken from oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

4 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup cold butter, cut in pieces

1-1/4 cups buttermilk

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined. Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn dough out of bowl and roll to a 1/3 to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 11 to 14 minutes until golden brown.

FALL (FLAT) APPLE PIE

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons flour

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pie crust

6 tablespoons butter

In a large bowl,  stir together apples, flour, lemon juice and sugars and salt. Set aside. Roll out 2 pie crusts into large circles. Place on baking sheets. Place half of the apple mixture on each crust. Fold the edge of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apples. Dot the top of each pie with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and bubbly. Slice into wedges.