Escaping the Winter Chill

  • By Daphne Ross
  • January 18, 2012
  • 307
                        
Column Summary A lot of Ohio grandparents spend winter months in Florida, yet they can’t get away from knowing; knowing the weather where their children live and the perfect time to call and share Florida temps. Nice. When I was a child my grandparents in Smithville would spend their winters in Florida, my great-grandparents spent time there, too, eventually taking up permanent residence. I was envious, but not so much when I thought about it; I couldn’t take my friends and it wouldn’t be a true vacation, I would have to go to school. I imagined Florida to be all sunshine and bathing suits, all sand, all beaches, seashells under every step. I envisioned a wonderland vacation life shaded by thick, orange tree forests, palm tree lined streets, and boardwalk awnings. Everyone went barefoot, “no shirt, no shoes” policies did not exist, and bikinis were considered a standard waitress uniform. True to some extent, but likely my dreams of Florida were fueled by years of postcards finding their way to our frozen shut mailbox. From our Wayne County kitchen, our family of five would pass the tape recorder mike around the after-dinner table. Each would speak greetings, share stories from school and church, and talk about the weather, always talking about the weather. “That’s nice grandpa that it is 65 degrees today, we have six foot drifts in our backyard.” “Yes, grandma I am wearing the scarf you knit me for Christmas, and yes I am wearing my boots to school.” After we all said our piece, dad would pop out the cassette and mail it off to Inverness, Florida, where our grandparents would listen to our news from their lunch table. They spent the winter months in a trailer park where other grandparents lived through the winter as well. And for lunch they probably had sliced bananas in milk, a half cantaloupe filled with cottage cheese and Piggly Wiggly brand potato chips. They had an orange tree in their yard, how convenient. They always brought home oranges, beach sand and shark teeth in little medicine bottles, bags of seashells, a box of sand dollars layered in paper towels, and countless rolls of film for wait-one-week development. When the photos were ready, our family drove into town for dinner and a slide show presentation, yes with popcorn, and oranges. I have been to Florida, once, when our grandparents still lived in the trailer park. We took a two-week vacation south, touring several states between here and there. Yes, we were excited to see grandpa and grandma, but we were going to Disneyworld. Now that is what Florida was to me, the home of Mickey Mouse and all his character friends. Grandpa and grandma didn’t live on the beach but they knew how to get there. They didn’t need to watch their pennies, but yet they sought out the best deal on bananas, no matter how far they had to drive for the sale. I wonder if they always knew what day of the week it was, hmm, I hear it’s a retirement symptom; must be fun. Send your cold weather recipes to: Hearth & Home, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com Noodle Soup 2 cups diced celery 1 tablespoon minced onion 1/4 cup grated carrots 2 large (46 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 (8 ounce) bag Inn Maid “fine” noodles Cook the celery, onion, and carrots in a little water for 1/2 hour. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then add noodles. Boil gently for 20 minutes. Sticky Bagels 8 ounces butter, softened not melted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 dozen bagels sliced in half Beat butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon for 1 minute on medium speed with mixer. Take bagel and dip top with prepared spread. If needed, spread with knife. Broil at 450 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes, until bubbly and brown. Serve warm. Yield: 24 servings. Twinkie Cake 1 box yellow cake mix 1 can cream of coconut 1 can condensed milk 1 (8 ounce) carton Cool Whip Mix cake and bake as directed in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Remove from oven and while still warm poke holes (lot of holes) with a fork. Mix together cream of coconut and condensed milk. Beat well. Pour all over the warm cake and allow to soak in until all mixture is gone. Refrigerate for a few hours until good and cold. Frost with Cool Whip. Triple Dipped Strawberries 3/4 pound white chocolate 1/2 pound milk chocolate 1/4 pound semi-sweet chocolate 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 quart strawberries In 3 separate double boilers, or bowls over hot water, melt white chocolate and 1 tablespoon oil, milk chocolate and 2 teaspoons oil, and semi-sweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon oil stirring until well blended. Dip berries in white chocolate to coat 3/4 of the way up berry. Allow coating to harden, then dip into milk chocolate, about 1/2 way up the berry, leaving a strip of white chocolate showing. Let harden, then dip tips of berries in semi-sweet chocolate. Store on a waxed paper lined plate in refrigerator. Yield: about 20 to 25 berries. Honey Cake 1 stick margarine 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 cup honey 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup orange juice 1 peeled apple, grated 1/2 cup chopped dates 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup apricot preserves Cream margarine, sugar, and eggs; add honey. Mix well. Add dry ingredients alternating with orange juice. Fold in the apple, dates, nuts, and preserves. Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Truck Stop Beans 1 pound ground beef’1 package dry onion soup mix 2 (16 ounce) cans pork and beans 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1 cup brown sugar 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce Sauté the ground beef until it loses red color. Put in large casserole. Add remaining ingredients. Do not drain pork and beans or kidney beans. Mix well, Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until brown on top. Serves 15 or more. Quick Chick Trick 4 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken 1 can cream of chicken soup 8 ounces sour cream40 40 Ritz crackers, crushed 1 stick margarine Boil and debone chicken; tear into small pieces and line bottom of baking dish. Mix together soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Put cracker crumbs on top; pour melted margarine over crumbs. Bake 30 minutes until bubbles. May be reheated in microwave. Dumb-Dumb Pickles 1 (32 ounce) jar Kosher dills 1 3/4 cup sugar1 1/4 cup vinegar 1/4 cup water Drain and rinse pickles. Cut pickles into 3/4 inch pieces and put back into pickle jar. Heat sugar, vinegar, and water together until sugar melts, about 3 1/2 minutes. Pour mixture over pickles and seal. Put in refrigerator. Ready in 3 days.


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