MA'S VINEGAR PIE

Lucy Dickson

I can just hear my dad chortling away as he read recipes from his mother's recipe box. (His mother was the "Ina" who often serves as a focus for this blog when we aren't having real-life adventures.)

Lucy Ream Dickson

Yesterday, as I searched for another gingerbread recipe, I came across this one for "Ma's Vinegar Pie" in Grandma Ina's recipe box. I wondered if people really made vinegar pie, so I asked my computer and it supplied many recipes and some information. From "Heritage Recipes" I learned that this was a pie that pioneers made in the winter when the dried fruits had been depleted. Made with apple cider vinegar, apparently it's much like apple pie.

Ma's Vinegar Pie (from the Dobson collection)
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
1 scant cup molasses or sugar

Butter 1/2 the size of an egg

1 heaping tablespoon of bread or cracker crumbs

1/4 of a nutmeg or flavoring to suit the taste 

Lafe & Lucy Dickson

And there you have it. Evidently Ina copied this recipe from one in her Pa's handwriting at Drain, Oregon, on April 12, 1914.

However, before you run to the kitchen to try to this recipe, you may want to heed Ina's note on the outside of this scrap of paper:
"Ma's vinegar pie -- all wrong -- use at least one cup crumbs."

Well, if Ina says it's all wrong, I'm just not going to try it. The wonder is that she didn't just toss it, but if she had, then I would never know a thing about vinegar pie. I really think it needs an egg, if you have one to spare. Other recipes use much less vinegar.

So, recipes abound online for vinegar pie, and if you're interested (I admit that I'm a little interested), I recommend trying one of those rather than this one. KW

[Lucy Dickson is the "Ma" to whom this recipe is attributed. She was Ina's mother and hence my great-grandmother.]

BAKING GRANDMA'S GINGER CAKE

Kathy's Egg Beater

So that we don't have to refer to a previous post, here again is the recipe for Grandma's ginger cake.

Grandma Portfors' Ginger Cake
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar - fill with molasses. Beat
1/2 cup shortening -- fill with hot water
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cup cake flour
salt
Beat with egg beater.

I think my grandmother baked by the "about what you'd think" rule. Mother, on the other hand, was a stickler for exact measurement. I'm somewhere in between.

The other evening I decided to try this recipe, even though I know there are better ones today. You know, whether we call it improvement or not, baking products change, but I tried to duplicate this recipe. I even bought cake flour. I used the mild-flavored Brer Rabbit molasses, but in taste-testing, Mike opines that there's not much difference between the mild and full-flavored varieties.

I used half of a Crisco baking stick (1/2 cup), and because I ignored the rule of blending the shortening and sugar first, the shortening didn't blend. I really think the hot water was supposed to melt the shortening, and I didn't make that happen.

Finished Product

I realized the recipe didn't call for ginger, so I added a teaspoon with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Really -- a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg wasn't nearly enough, I thought, so I doubled the cinnamon. Seems like "back in the day" recipes are stingy with flavoring. Perhaps they were expensive or hard to come by. For example, I remember asking my mother if I couldn't use more. "No!" she would say; "half is plenty." Now mistress of my own kitchen, I use plenty of vanilla and spices, albeit with some guilt.

I also added two handfuls of raisins, and Mike said it could use more. I do like raisins in my gingerbread.

In the end, it was overbaked, as is my habit. I baked it at 325 for 25 minutes and it wasn't set, so I baked it 10 minutes longer when I should have gone for 5 minutes. But it was good, we thought. The next evening I made applesauce in my Instant Pot, and that was delicious. The ginger cake topped with applesauce was especially good.

It seems like we used to spread butter on gingerbread. I can't remember for sure. KW

. . . AND MAMA IN HER KERCHIEF AND I IN MY CAP . . .

We're in the midst of a cold snap. It's not that cold snaps in February don't happen, but week before last the weather was so mild that Mike was doing yard work. "It's too soon," I said, continuing to nest in my sewing room. Nevertheless, we really didn't expect it to get as cold as it is -- lows around 20 with highs at 35 or so with a windchill about 10 degrees lower.

I don't think I told you this, but early in January Mike installed a blade on our 4-wheeler. He had intended to do it last year but forgot about it, and a white Christmas at the farm showed us again that if we had a blade, perhaps we could shovel the lane, thus making ourselves more self-reliant. A blade might also be useful for shoveling a little dirt now and again. 

So, Mike installed the blade and a manual lift, then removed the blade again, thinking he would have no call to use it this winter. But this morning we awoke to an inch of snow (if that) and he was determined to try his blade. First he had to re-attach the blade, and he then shoveled our driveway. Yeah -- it was sorta silly, I thought, since there wasn't much snow. But he was pleased that he didn't have to shovel it manually.

Mike hikes above Critchfield Rd. Snake River just visible. Snow on mountains.

It's been a winter of updates and fixes -- the blade for the 4-wheeler, a new laptop (by necessity), a fix for our old farm clock (a family heirloom), and a new charging unit for the camera. While I was fixing things, I took my sewing machine to the shop. These early months of 2018 have seemed stressful. Hopefully we're coming out on the other side.

Oh -- and Nellie has been "under the weather," as we say, this past week. Is this the end, we wondered, or will we get her through this and she'll continue for another six years. She was not down and out -- just difficult to care for. She's better now. In fact, yesterday we hiked a draw in our neighborhood, and she really enjoyed it. Everyone beat me back to the Dakota. KW

[This is the first time I've uploaded a video. Now that I know I can, I'll do better next time.]

MORE ABOUT GINGERBREAD

I cleaned under the coffee table last week and rediscovered my copy of America's Best Lost Recipes from the editors of Cook's Country Magazine (recipes tested and approved in America's Test Kitchen). So, I sat right down (after I dusted it off, of course) and checked for a gingerbread recipe. Yes, there was one, and an interesting note from the Test Kitchen:

We were very curious about this recipe since it called for blackstrap molasses, which we generally shy away from as it is so strongly flavored that any spices are completely overpowered by it. Its potency comes as a result of a third round of boiling during the cane sugar refining process -- the two earlier rounds yielding mild (light) and robust (dark) molasses. With each successive boiling the molasses grows more bitter or pronounced in flavor as more sugar is extracted. Much to our surprise, we found that the hearty blackstrap molasses stood up to the spices and gave this cake a distinctively smoky note we liked. That said you can certainly use robust molasses (which is easier to find) and this cake will still be delicious.


Molasses is quite expensive, you know. (Or we could use the old-fashioned word and call it "dear.") Last month I bought several different varieties. Undoubtedly there are other brands, but in the local market I only know of "Grandma's" and "Brer Rabbit."

Grandma Nina Portfors (1886-1955)

Anyway, rather than post the recipe from the cookbook, I decided to post this one from my Grandmother Portfors' recipe box:

Grandma Portfors' Ginger Cake
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar - fill with molasses. Beat
1/2 cup shortening -- fill with hot water
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cup cake flour
salt
Beat with egg beater.

There you have it. Obviously Grandma wrote the recipe for her own use, and I had to search my memory banks in order to figure out how to make this cake. Here's my interpretation:
Beat one egg with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup molasses. Add 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup cup hot water. Beat again. Mix dry ingredients (I used regular flour instead of cake flour) and add to first mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 in prepared 8-inch square pan.

I haven't tried the recipe yet. I'll let you know when I do. KW

FROM HAT BANDS TO PAJAMA TOPS

My 18-inch family*

In December 2016 I walked into my local Dollar Tree and was immediately captivated by a display of Santa hats with Disney-themed brims of lightweight fleece. I've never focused on Disney myself, but my dolls love Disney themes, and Disney makes a nice over-arching theme for all my doll interests, from the '30s to the present. I knew I could do something with those hat brims, and suddenly I saw cozy pajama tops. I bought six hats -- only one dollar each, remember.

I made a good start on the project. First I removed the bands from the hats -- easy to do -- and then I washed them. Nothing bad happened. They came out nice and clean. The bands were folded double, so I had enough fabric to make front and back. For the sleeves, I used a lightweight knit left over from daughter Hallie's childhood. The pants are scraps of fleece and flannel.

This one went to Hazel.

Naturally, Christmas passed -- and January passed (and this was last year, remember) -- and it was time to move on from holiday projects. I tucked all the pieces into an envelope, labeled it, and stashed it in the closet where it remained until December 2017. I still didn't have time to make all the pajamas before Christmas, but I finished one for Hazel, modeled here by Shirley Anne, American Farm Girl. (Yes, I do remember that I posted it before.) Her pajama bottoms were leggings, as I recall.

Mike points out that the girls are all barefooted. We're aware of the need to keep our feet warm at our house, so yes, I guess they will have to have slippers.

I honestly can't tell you why I decided I had to make six of these. I guess I could just see my family of dolls waiting for Santa in their Christmas pajamas, plus I wanted one or two to share with other dolls for whom I sew. KW

*Right to left, the dolls are:
Shirley Anne, American Farm Girl (aka Kit Kittredge), my 1930's farm girl
American Girl Maryellen, 1950s
Esmee, a Tonner "My Imagination" doll, who represents magical themes
American Girl Molly, 1940s
And Lexy, a Madame Alexander "Favorite Friends" doll who has contemporary interests

A REAL OUTING

Farmhouse at Gilbert

We've had a week of moderate temps but gray days. However, yesterday (Saturday, Feb. 10) was sunny and bright -- I mean, a really beautiful (although cold) pre-spring day. Mike's thoughts have already turned to spring yard duties, and once again he mentioned that he needed the sprayer from the farm.

The northerly view

"It's a nice day. Let's just go get it," I said. And we decided that could work.

Woodshed

So, we finished our Saturday chores -- I changed the bed and put a chukar in the crockpot, and he pruned the ornamental cherry tree -- and after lunch we headed up the Clearwater River. The river is high because of run-off. At Orofino's Riverside, we noted that a Family Dollar has opened in the building vacated by King's Discount. Gilbert Grade was muddy and full of potholes. The rills were running with water. The rock wall near the top, shaded from the sun's warmth, was covered with lacy icicles.

Daffodils appearing -- even there!

It was 38 by the pick-up's thermometer as we made our way across the top to the farm. The thermometer on the back porch read 32. It was bright but cold. Of course, it wasn't warm in the house either. The house was fine, and I found only one mouse in trap. But, you know, it's not really pleasant being there when the house is winterized and time is short. I unloaded the crate of items I brought and reloaded it with food from the pantry cupboard and a few things for the P.E.O. rummage sale. I also packed my fabric "charm packs" (mostly 5-inch squares of fabric) because I want to make some small quilts. Mike spent his time outside, checking the grounds and loading the sprayer and the pre-emergence sterilent in the hopes that he can kill the weeds before he sees them. 

Maple tree

Barn

And -- I went outside and took pictures with my phone. Isn't that crazy? Everyone knows that by definition a phone is for talking with others in absentia, not for pictures. I seldom use my iPhone as a camera, but evidently it's my lot in life that before I can move forward this year, I have to deal with technology issues -- first my laptop and now the camera. I've misplaced the charging cord for the camera, so I have one on order and also battery replacements. Hope that solves the problem.


We left the farm at 3:00, which meant we had to face the sun en route. We were home by 4:30. Having experienced a change in routine, the dogs were restless, apparently not understanding that the trip to the farm WAS their afternoon outing. KW

A BRIEF OUTING

The outskirts of Clarkston looking north

"We'll get out tomorrow," said Mike yesterday. "We'll go on an outing and pick up a geocache." 

Nellie waits while Mike looks for the cache

So, after lunch we loaded the dogs into the Dakota and headed out for a change of scene. Well, it turned out the site wasn't so far away, didn't involve a hike, and wasn't a pretty place.Mike DID log the cache, so that was good, but on the down side, my boots were caked with mud.


When we got home, Bess stood behind the pick-up as if to say, "Is that all? I thought we were going somewhere." KW

WONDERFUL THINGS

Bess & Nell

The computer tech called promptly at 10:30 this morning as arranged. Working remotely on my Acer, he eventually found that my profile had become corrupt, and it took him several hours to correct the problem. And don’t question me about this because that’s all I know. Now I’m to use the computer and let him know if I have trouble. Yay! I can now play with my new toy, which is pretty much like my old toy – just better.

As brother Chuck observed last night, I haven’t posted much recently, and of course, we all know the reason. The laptop was down, and beyond that, when things aren’t right, the muse goes away.

Bess & Nellie

And yes, it’s food for thought that we seem to be lost without our devices, and when they go away, we’re worse off than before we had them. But, they are wonderful, aren’t they? Even 20 years ago, it you had told me that I would have my own computer and what I’d be able to do with it, I wouldn’t have believed you. When the personal computer concept began to appear in what seems like recent history to me, I couldn’t imagine what I would be able to do for the price of connection to a server. And – it’s both good and bad.

Mild but windy in the 'hood

And as Chris suggested, I, too, wonder if I should go “cold turkey” and get my old life back, but . . . my computer literally makes possible some wonderful things that I would not have without it. I say again – WONDERFUL THINGS! KW



[Formatting is not great here. I'm now using Libre, a free program, instead of Word. I'm not impressed with the paste into Blogger. (I wasn't really impressed even with Word.) Well, I'll get it worked out.]

A TRYING WEEK

I took my beautiful new Acer laptop to a computer shop for set-up. I was upfront about the state of my old Toshiba. They were upfront about being very busy. 

I must say, with some embarrassment, that I have been lost without my computer. My spirituality study (for lack of a better name), my connection with family and friends (except Mike, of course), my writing (and written materials), my patterns and embroidery designs, my pictures, my shopping -- as well as those wonderful in-between things -- are all on my computer. Mike said this day would come, and it has. I was bereft without my laptop.

And it isn't over yet. I picked it up last night just before 5:00. Long story short, my documents and pictures were in OneDrive under Mike's email address. (Yeah -- I don't know how that happened.) And for some reason, they are unable to correct this so that I have a clear path to my library (-- layman's terms). I will have another session with our tech on Monday. (I wish my tech were my daughter, who more clearly understands what I need than I do. I've had enough!)

But -- tonight I write to you from my new Acer laptop, and it feels sorta good, though if I had my druthers, I'd rather still be using my Toshiba -- when it was well, of course.

Mike and I went to see the much lauded movie, The Shape of Water, last Sunday night. The best thing about having seen it is that we know what everybody's talking about. A son saw it and said he couldn't recommend it to his mother because of a couple of raunchy scenes. Well, I just hid my eyes during those. And there were heavy-handed villains who created violence. We went to the 6:45 showing. There were four of us in the theater.