Friday, December 16, 2011

Winter Story

December 8, 1909 / Fort Pierre, South Dakota
To Mrs. M. M. Corey

Dear Ma,

You folks think you know something about cold weather but you don't. I had got used to having my hair, eyebrows and eyewinkers covered with frost and ice till I looked like Santa Clause when I got to school but Sun. night beat that all hollow. I went to bed with the covers over my head and just a little air hole over my right eye and when I woke up in the night I found when I put up my hand to turn down the covers that my hair and the blanket were covered with hoar frost.

Monday morning it was blazing cold—I put that heavy gray wool skirt on for an under neath skirt—and wrapped as warm as I could. I got to school at five minutes till eight but the stove is in such a bad condition it took me fifteen minutes to clean out the ashes and start the fire. About that time my feet began to feel queer and by the time I was through sweeping I was ready to dance the "Highland Fling." I saw Mr. Stone coming with Myrtle and when he got there I had a note written to Mrs. Stone asking if she had anything in the house of which I could make bloomers as I got so cold about the branches and if she would send to town for some woolen stockings for me first time she got a chance. Plague take Mr. Stone he read the note and it tickled him so he had to tell Speers about it. Mrs. Speer said the wording of the note most killed him off. Mrs. Stone sent me a pair of woolen stockings and Miss Hunts' bloomers that night when Mr. Stone came after Myrtle.




Thursday, December 15, 2011

Prairie Cooks: Holiday Post

Now we are gathered around the table, ten strong, the snow still falling behind the windows. My mother and father, Ole and Anna, my brother, my four sisters, and me. The piano bench has been brought in for two of us smaller girls to sit on, because there are not ten chairs in the house. My mother brings the lutefisk glistening with butter on a platter, my older sisters serve the meatballs in gravy, the mashed potatoes, and a casserole of macaroni and tomatoes. The lefse is already on the table, buttered and rolled up in serving portions on a huge platter.

By the time we are ready for dessert, the windows are so dark we can no longer see the falling snow, and the gas lamp above us seems to burn brighter. When my older sisters start to clear the table, my father says, "I suppose you kids did'nt leave any room for ice cream. I guess Ole and I are going to have to eat it all." Ole thinks this is hilarious and starts one of his giddy laughs he can't stop. Anna purses her lips and looks sideways at him. He straightens up.

Norman leaves the table, goes out to the porch, and brings in the ice cream freezer and sets it beside my mother's place. He has scraped the ice off the top and taken the cover off. My sisters bring the saucers, and my mother dishes up the ice cream with a long-handled spoon. It is too delicious for words. We eat silently. The sauces are passed back for seconds. My brother has thirds. After all, he says, he did all the work.

Hand-Cranked Ice Cream

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 quart milk
1 quart whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla


Place lightly beaten eggs, sugar, and milk in a kettle and let simmer over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula to keep it just below the boiling point. When it has congealed to the consistency of thin custard, remove the mixture from heat and let cool. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and stir well.

Pour into steel can of 4-quart freezer. Surround with mixture of ice and rock salt. Turn crank slowly until it will no longer turn. Remove ice from top of steel can. Life off cover and carefully take out dasher, cleaning it off with a spoon as you lift. Replace cover and plug hole in top with small cloth. Repack ice around can until ready to serve. Set freezer in shallow pan and let water drain. Makes 4 quarts.



Norwegian Meatballs

No Norwegian Christmas Eve dinner would be complete without meatballs served with mashed potatoes and lefse as accompaniments.

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon light cream or half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


For the gravy:
3 tablespoons drippings and/or butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar


In a mixing bowl place all the ingredients for meatballs and mix thoroughly together. Flour the hands to keep them from sticking and form tablespoons of the mixture into balls (large walnut sized). Let balls dry on cutting board until all have been made.

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in heavy frying pan, melt to sizzling, and put in meatballs. Cook slowly over moderately low heat, shaking the pan to brown evenly on all sides, until meatballs are cooked through on the inside (20 to 30 minutes). They should be very brown and crusty. Remove meatballs to a warm dish with a slotted spoon.

Pour off drippings from pan, leaving the brown crusty particles. Measure 3 tablespoons drippings, or add enough butter to measure a total of 3 tablespoons of fat, and return to pan. Add the 1/4 cup flour and with a fork brown it in drippings over medium heat, scraping up the brown bits clinging to the sides and bottom of the pan, for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water in a stream and, stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes until gravy is very smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, pepper to taste, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add the meatballs and simmer for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated through. Transfer meatballs and gravy to a heated tureen and serve, along with a bowl of mashed potatoes topped with melted butter and paprika. Serves 4.

Carrie Young and Felicia Young, Prairie Cooks

Monday, December 12, 2011

Tree of the Week





Mugo Pine, Pinus mugo Turra.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves in fascicles of 2, moderately stout, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long. Cones 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, without prickles.

SIMILAR TREES: This shrubby pine is easily distinguished from other species by its small size, multi stemmed habit, and small, roundish cones.

IOWA DISTRIBUTION: Planted throughout the state.