Comfort food for a cold winter's night!

We got a single power line in our house in about 1944. I as four years old and had never seen a real light in any house. We had a single hanging light bulb in the kitchen and one in the living room. Dad's next buy was a radio so he could hear Gaberel Heater give the evenings news and I got to listen to Tom Mix, The Lone Ranger and Bat Man. Before that we had a crystal radio upon which we listened to anything we could find. I think we listened to big B in Buffalo at night. 1947 the first bike arrived. I did have a pair of roller skates with a key to lock them onto my shoes. In the barn we had a pig and a pet goat, a hunting hound and a dozen or so chickens. On the side of the barn were second hand wooden boxes that served to keep a few rabbits. The main luxury we had was an insulated outhouse. It got comfortable when we lighted the lantern. In winter we gladly used the gusunder or thunder mug. Dad made the outhouse run every morning and washed the cans in the spring. It was a real big deal to get a battery opp. telephone at about that same time. There were fifteen or more families on the same line. After several years Dad got a private line but the caller was on a party line most of the time. The news and everyones business leaked by noon of the next day anyway. My sister was born in 1940. All I was told at four years of age was that mom went to the hospital to get a baby. I don't remember when I did figure all those tid bits out. We did not have Little League and Boy Scouts. We played town ball with a broom handle and a tennis ball or sponge ball. Heck no one had a ball glove. No one could afford one. LOL

Lots of fun here. Being suburban, we didn't have any of those more primitive conditions. But what really freaks younger folks out is when I tell them we shared the same bath water as other family members.

My father's parents lived in the Missouri Ozarks. The first visit there I can remember was about 1961. They still used an outhouse. All water had to be brought into the kitchen from a pump in the side yard. I was totally fascinated by this place, but wouldn't drink any of that funny tasting water.

I was about 6 and my brother was 9. We got bored and asked if we could go for a walk into the town. We got 2/3rds of the way down this mountain and a snake came out of the brush along side the road and stopped right in front of me. I ran screaming back up the hill in about 2 minutes flat!! No more walking around in those Ozarks for me!!!

All the talk about "primitive conditions" reminds me of the old cookstove we had in our kitchen in Maine - similar to the one in the photo. It was perfect for simmering a pot of soup all day but most of the time we were chopping a lot of wood to just keep the kitchen warm!

Nice stove. Chopping wood warms the body and saves wood. Gets one ready for the weekly bath in one good chopping session. LOL

Great tales- Keep em coming (while I prop my feet and enjoy central oil heat)

V_W_R, looks like we have hijacked your Comfort food thread, we could move to a Reminisce of the Good Old Days thread.

What's everyone's thoughts on this?

That would probably be nice- I too forgot the point of the thread!

Sweet Italian Sausage, peppers, onions and tomato sauce with some paste to thicken--very easy for the slow cooker and darn comforting (unless the spice and fat get to you)

No big deal to me! I have enjoyed the reminiscing (sp?)!

The fat is easy to pour off.

I think that would be a great idea for another thread.

I'm planning tomorrows dinner, ham,green beans, with 'taters, which requires muffins and king syrup for sure. Josh is coming over and we are doing our swags, wreaths, and window boxes.
Rcn, That stove reminds me of the one I had for my "farm" house, it had a green and white enamel finish with a plate warmer above, and as Doc said the hot water jacket on the side. Wish I still had it and room for it here. You could make the best bread or rice puddings in those old ovens. Ric

Ric, you're killing me with those great meals!!! That meal is one of my favorites. That Holly is a lucky gal.

It sure doesn't seem like a year has gone by since your & Josh's last wreath making party.

Yeah Stormy, I kinda' like it when they (the children) come for ideas instead of a strong back. LOL Ric
I just went earlier to pick-up a load of Christmas tree trimmings (mostly Douglas and Frasier Fir), with our holly, juniper and white pine we should have a nice selection. I want to get up a little early tomorrow to cut them up and get them into buckets of water with some Prolong, that stuff really helps hold the needles and color. I have been told that aspirin and dilute Miracid do the same a lot cheaper

This message was edited Dec 11, 2009 1:02 PM

I wanted to share some photos of my "other" babies, and I didn't know where to post them in Mid-Atlantic, so I thought I would post them on the thread I started! *LOL!!!*

Remy was trying to be cute... she likes to lay upside down on the bed in the mornings.

Skye is not as cooperative as her sister Remy, but I was able to get a good photo of her sunning on the balcony briefly yesterday.

VWR, They are beauties!!

Beautiful cats - used to have Siamese - one bluepoint and one sealpoint - they're neat cats!

My "comfort food" project for today - finally found salt pork at the store yesterday and I'm baking beans today!!! Of course, I couldn't find yellow eye beans, guess that's a "northern" thing? I'm also going to try my hand at baking bread :) Talk about reminiscing! Years ago I made almost all of my own bread but it's been over ten years since I've made any. Of course I always had that wonderful cookstove to help it rise and I'm hoping I haven't lost my touch, with or without the cookstove. If I'm successful, we should be enjoying a typical New England Saturday night dinner :)

Debbie, I set my bread to rise on a heating pad set on Low, and a dish towel draped over the bowl and pad. It's not like the old kitchens were the top of the fridge was the warmest place in the kitchen.

VWRose--your kitties are sooo beautiful, and your pictures so clear! I could almost pet them.

Debbie-- one of the seed catalogs came last year with all kinds of beans. I didn't know til then I could yearn for dry beans LOL so pretty

I made a scratch pizza dough that turned out kind of thick--like sicilain? so I thought I could make good focaccia. Wrong. That time the dough stayed really thin!? I am pretty much, ok totally, bread stupid. Course I could have read a foccacia RECIPE before proceeding.

Someone gave me a bread machine a number of years ago, we've had some pretty tasty results like Hawaiian wedding bread but the best thing is , it has a pizza dough setting which comes out the same (Yummy) ever time. I even use whole grain flours that come out just as good. Ric

The folks haveing bread baking problems whom I have tried to help have had a few common problems. They are listed here in the order of importance best I can remember"

1. Lack of needed kneeding time. Had stand mixer and did not use. Never saw a good baker make bread.

2. Using less than fresh and good yeast. Killing yeast with hot water.

3. Two much water in the dough. Proof is difficult to achieve and handle. Not knowing the window test.

4. A little more than half dough filled pan is panning rule number one.

5 Paying attention to time in proof rather than physical observation. All proofs must double and rise to an over pan dome no matter how long it takes. If it does not proof properly you do not have the dough right for some reason.

6. Not slicing cuts in bread top to relieve gases.

7. Not reading up on the process and trying often enough to learn. Impatience. Learning mode not turned on.

I have taught ten year old kids to make a decent loaf of bread. On the other side of the coin I have seen intellgent gifted adults fail with the primary reason being #7.

Doc, I'm unfamiliar with the window test. Can you please explain it?

Rose, Your picture of Remy could be substituted for my Meiko (she says her name is Kitty and refuses to answer to anything else). We adopted her from the Siamese Rescue Center and Meiko was their name for her. She too lies on her back and does that bunny pose, front paws in the air, for belly rubs.

Last night we had a very well attended pot luck dinner at church. Both the anglo and hispanic parishoners brought every imaginable dish. We took a spiral cut ham. There was a chunk left, so that ham and split pea soup described above is my choice for tomorrow's dinner, assuming the power doesn't go out. A wintry mix (ugh) is predicted. I hope they're wrong.

Here's our darling girl on her first anniversary with us.

Working on Holly's Birthday lunch for tomorrow, just doing a buffet with sausages and kraut, baked beans, cheese, veggies, and some dips. Her idea of a party is handing out the ornaments and having the little ones hang them on the tree for her. I did however, make her favorite cake for the occasion, a Black Forrest. She won't be sending any of that home with leftovers. LOL Ric

I always like Pork & Kraut & Potatoes for comfort food in the winter. I make mine with onions, garlic, an apple, dry mustard, white pepper and caraway. Sometimes I make mashed buttermilk potatoes to go with or under it. Other times, I cook small redskins in their jackets, right in with the pork & kraut.

Rick, if that cake goes missing, call the internet police and accuse me of virtual pastry theft!!

To Late Stormy : ) I got the first slice! LOL

ROFLMBO

Was it good Chris? LOL Ric:-}

Holly was ROF2

This message was edited Dec 12, 2009 8:17 PM

thanks doc, will dig out the bread hooks for the next one

Wow Pamgarden! Your Meiko does look like Remy... beautiful!

so funny about that cake slice!!
I personally think the Siamese points are genetically tied to very nice temperament 8 ^)

stormyla, I have a 2 lb boneless pork loin piece. Do I roast that with the kraut around it, or how?
Our comfort food tonight was Chinese take out

Yes, Sally, You can put the pork on top of the Kraut or put the kraut around the Pork. I usually put a little bit of Kraut under the Pork.

Chris, thanks for the tip about the heating pad - excellent, I'll try it the next time! Since I was baking the beans in the oven the bread had a toasty place to rise on top of the stove yesterday :) Beans turned out great but I still prefer the larger beans. Bread, so-so. It's got great texture but it's been so long since I made bread I forgot, cooking for a family of 5 I used to double the recipe and the four loaves I baked are small, i.e "low" :( If I had made 2 or 3 loaves instead of 4 they probably would have been almost perfect.

Doc, thanks for the tips :) One of the biggest problems I've had in the past is either using too cold or too hot water for the yeast. This time I wasn't taking any chances and tested the water temperature before I added the yeast - success!

Ric, that cake looks delicious! LadyG beat me to it - how was it Chris? LOL

Sally, I adore your kitties :) Lucky has really pretty markings but if I ever get another cat I want one that looks just like yours!

Pam, Meiko, aka Kitty, is beautiful too :)

Sally & RCN, Those kitties are really beautiful and you both took such great photos of them.

Ric, It was the best BF Cake I had in years!

Everyones Kitties are so photogenic, nice pictures.

Debbie my oven is so well sealed up that no heat excapes until it vents it's self. And then at that it is down at the floor and I never get the heat like my old oven.

Also if your think your yeast is old, test it by desolving some in warm water and a bit of sugar, if it bubbles up it is good.

One of my co-workers made "unstuffed Cabbage rolls" in the crock pot. She made the meat balls, cut up the cabbage, layered it with the meatballs and poured on the sauce. I was thinking of making that today if DH goes to the store.

Chris, Did she use a tomato based sauce?

Stormy, she said she used tomato soup and water, but I like to use a 8 oz can of tomato sauce and one can of paste, some brown sugar and seasoning like basil and Italian mix seasoning. Thin with some water that I rinse out the cans with.

That would be more to my liking too.

Another winter meal that I just love is meat loaf. I try to make 3 loaves at a time, because I can freeze one and eat the others for meals and sandwiches. I'll even eat it cold for breakfast.

Hey! Even BF Chocolate cake is good for breakfast LOL

I don't understand why but it seams like the tomato soup is a standard ingredient in NE Ohio, LOL. I think the taste is a bit bland, it doesn't seem to hold up to the cabbage.

I don't use it in anything. I'd even prefer to add cans of crushed or chopped tomatoes. I also don't use the cans of creamed soups that so many recipes call for.