Historical Nibbles

Mama Vada’s Coconut Pound Cake

/ sandramervillehart

I am thrilled that friend and fellow author, Debra DuPree Williams, is sharing one of her delicious Southern recipes from her debut novel. I couldn’t put it down! Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Debra!

By Debra DuPree Williams

One thing that will stand out to you as you read through my debut novel, Grave Consequences, is how often and how much the people within the pages eat. Set in rural south Alabama in 1968, the meals they share are typical of the meals I grew up eating.

From collard greens to fried corn to sliced red-ripe juicy tomatoes so well-known in that part of the great state of Alabama, the love of good home-cooked food is one thing we all share. Just writing this makes my mouth water.

I’m an unusual product of the south in that my Mama wasn’t a good cook. Well, she was, but she didn’t make everyday meals. She made party foods. Mama loved to entertain. Big time. I doubt there were two girls in all of Covington County, Alabama, who cut more crusts from little finger sandwiches than my sister and me. Every time we turned around our home was filled with ladies. Garden club ladies, Sunday School ladies, Altrusa Club ladies. And my teachers, both ladies and gentlemen.

Every Christmas, Mama made fruit cake. I hate fruitcake. Any kind. All that horrible candied fruit . . . and raisins. And she made Lane Cake. I hate Lane Cake. All those nasty little raisins.

But Mama made pound cake. The best, buttery-est, yummiest pound cakes. And she made a gorgeous bright-yellow cake called a Butter-Nut Cake. Y’all! It was sooo good. The frosting is to die for.

But, when my sister got married, she brought to our family her mother-in-law’s oh-so-delicious Coconut Pound Cake. In a scene from Grave Consequences, Charlotte fills plates with Granny’s (known as Miss Marge in the book) Tea Cakes and thick slices of Mama Vada’s Coconut Pound Cake. (She’s Aunt Vada in the book.)

This cake is so good, y’all, that my husband, who cannot stand the taste of coconut, loves it. Our sons, some of whom also hate coconut, love this cake. It’s that good.  Recipes for the Tea Cakes and the Coconut Pound Cake, along with other Southern delights, are in the back of Grave Consequences, but here’s a sneak peek just for you.

Here is the recipe.

Mama Vada’s Coconut Pound Cake

Do NOT preheat your oven!

1 cup butter, unsalted

2/3 cup Crisco (solid shortening)

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups flour (regular, all-purpose)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup whole milk

1 ½ tsp. coconut flavoring

1 cup flaked coconut

Cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening. Add the eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add this to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk and coconut flavoring. Stir in by hand, the flaked coconut. Bake in a tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours. (I bake mine in a Bundt cake pan. Take out about a cup or so of the batter if you choose to use the Bundt pan, as this will be too much batter for that pan. Bake yourself a little cake as a treat for being so good to your family.)

PUT INTO A COLD OVEN! Don’t turn it on until after you put the cake inside.

Your home will fill with the aroma of this yummy cake. And it is gorgeous. The outside is flaky and crusty. The inside is moist and so good.

This recipe was given to our family by my sister’s mother-in-law, Vada Cross Foshee Grissett. I’ve made this so many times and it is always a hit.

No wonder Mama, Polly Graves, whipped one up for dessert at Rose Haven.

Back Cover Blurb

Sometimes finding the living is more difficult than searching for the dead. 

In 1968, twenty-six-year-old Charlotte Graves wrestles with more than just her decision to return to her hometown, Loblolly, Alabama—she is also fleeing a broken heart, colliding headlong into a second one, and about to stumble onto a deadly secret.

Now settled back in Loblolly, Charlotte is hired to oversee the Woodville County Historical Society, a job she was born for. But no sooner has she banged the gavel to bring order to the first meeting than she is accused of being incompetent to lead the group by her old nemesis, Boopsie Sweets. Later that night, she finds herself arrested by her old beau, the current deputy sheriff, Roan Steele, for killing Boopsie.

After being released on bail, Charlotte uses her skills as a genealogist to leap into the investigation. And when Charlotte goes digging up dirt, she unearths a long-kept family secret. Will it lead to Boopsie’s murderer … or to grave consequences for Charlotte and her family?

About Debra

Debra DuPree Williams is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in Yvonne Lehman’s Stupid Moments, Additional Christmas Moments, Selah Award finalist, Moments with Billy Graham, and Michelle Medlock Adams’s Love and Care for the One and Only You, expanded edition, in addition to other publications. When she isn’t busy writing, you will likely find Debbie chasing an elusive ancestor, either through online sources or in rural graveyards. Debbie is a classically-trained lyric coloratura soprano whose first love is Southern Gospel. She’s been married forever to the best man on earth, is the mother of four sons, mother-in-law of one extraordinary daughter-of-her-heart, and DD to the two most intelligent, talented, and beautiful young ladies ever. Debbie and her husband live in the majestic mountains of North Carolina.

Connect with Debra on her blog.

Amazon

Broccoli Salad Recipe

/ sandramervillehart

by Sandra Merville Hart

There’s a café near my daughter’s house that makes delicious broccoli salad. I decided to create my own version of this salad. It turned out pretty well and took about twenty minutes to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

Salad

5-6 cups small broccoli florets (3 heads)

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup brown rice, cooked (optional)

Dressing

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Stir the mayo and olive oil together until well blended. Then add vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir together until creamy. Set aside.

In a different bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, and bacon. Pour in the dressing and stir until combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

This was delicious! It tasted very similar to my favorite café’s version. The vinegar gives the creamy dressing a nice tangy flavor. I added a cup of cooked brown rice to the salad—it didn’t affect the flavor but made it a more filling, satisfying dish.

Something crunchy like ¼ cup of sunflowers or ½ cup of slivered almonds would be a nice addition.

Enjoy!

Try Some Amish Style Pie

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Welcome to writer Julie Dearyan, who is here to share a pie recipe with us. Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Julie!

By Julie Dearyan
 
Pie is the quintessential, special occasion (or any occasion) dessert in rural Ohio. We love every kind of pie. Since we live in Amish country, we are the lucky recipients of Amish baking prowess.

At an Amish style banquet, a triangular shaped piece is parked at each plate topped with real (no skimping here) whipped cream. A variety of luscious fillings peek from beneath their cloudlike blankets. Peanut butter (always a winner), coconut (yum!), blueberry (more of a jelly filling than the ones my mom made growing up), raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, black raspberry, and more. The golden, flaky crust provides the perfect crunch.

Early on, some smart Ohioans showed us a rite of passage when entering an Amish restaurant or banquet. Check out the pieces of pies at each place first. Decide if you like that kind or quickly swap it out before the next diner comes. Neal and I are extremely grateful to those teachers. I always go for coconut or peanut butter. Down below, I share a recipe for Amish style peanut butter cream pie that I think you’ll enjoy. Your guests will love it too.

Amish Peanut Butter Pie
Adapted from https://www.thebakingchocolatess.com/amish-peanut-butter-cream-pie/
 
1 pie crust 9-inch, baked and cooled or make your own crust. Marty (the best cook I know) tells me there is no shame in buying a Pillsbury pie crust. Since she is the best cook I know, I agree with her.
Peanut Butter Crumbles
·       ½ cup powdered sugar
·       ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
Peanut Butter Filling
·       1 3.4 ounce box of instant Jell-O vanilla pudding mix 
·       1 ½ cups milk
·       ½ cup peanut butter
·       1 cup whipped cream 
Whipped Topping On Top of Pie
·       2 cups whipped cream Using mixer, whip together on medium-high 1 cup of whipping cream and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to get whipped cream texture. 1 cup of whipping cream makes 2 cups when whipped.
Using an electric mixer, in a medium bowl, add powdered sugar and peanut butter. Mix on medium speed until small peanut butter crumbles start to come together. If mixture is too powdery, simply add a few drops of water to the and larger nuggets will form. Add half the peanut butter nuggets to the bottom of the pie shell.
Using a mixer, mix together the dry vanilla instant pudding mix, milk and peanut butter together for 2 minutes. Add in the whipped cream (make sure it’s already whipped) and mix in lightly. Pour pudding into pie crust on top of the peanut butter crumbles.
Top with whipped cream. Add the remaining peanut butter crumbles to the top of the whipped cream. Let the pie cool in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours to set up before cutting.

Ice Cream Cake with Chocolate Mousse

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by Sandra Merville Hart

I made an ice cream cake last summer using my sister’s suggestions. My grandson has been asking to make one again. This time, we made the cake with a layer of chocolate mousse in the middle.

I made the mousse following the recipe from an earlier blog post the night before. I only needed about ½ the chocolate mousse for my ice cream cake. I froze it in a cake pan lined with parchment paper for easy removal.

Below is the list of ingredients I used for our ice cream cake. Change them for your family’s preferences. 😊

Ingredients

Fudge brownies—make from scratch or use a mix

½ gallon chocolate ice cream

½ gallon cookies and cream ice cream

10-12 Oreo cookies, crushed

Sprinkles

chocolate mousse, prepared the day before and frozen in a lined round cake pan

Use a springform pan to layer this dessert.

  1. Bottom layer—prepare a brownie recipe and cook it in the springform pan. Allow it to cool.

This morning, my granddaughter and I prepared a batch of brownies. About a 1/3 of the dough was baked in a springform pan as the bottom layer for the ice cream cake. The rest was baked in an 8×8 pan to serve as plain brownies.

Allow the brownies to cool.

  • Second Layer—Take the carton of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and dip about ½ the contents into a bowl. Allow it to soften a couple of minutes. Using a spoon, poke and prod the ice cream until it softens enough to layer it on top of the brownie layer. (The ice cream layer should be about an inch thick or so to allow room for the upper layers.)
  • Third Layer—Remove the prepared mousse from the freezer and place it on top of the ice cream.

Tip: Freeze the cake before adding the second layer of ice cream.

  • While the cake is refreezing, crush the Oreo cookies (or whatever cookie you’ve selected) and set them aside. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the cookies but a blender or food processor will work nicely also.
  • Four Layer—Remove the cake and cookies-and-cream ice cream from the freezer. Sprinkle a layer of crushed cookies over the mousse.
  • Fifth Layer—Spoon a layer of softened cookies-and-cream ice cream over the crushed cookie layer. Smooth it out.
  • The children will love adding some sprinkles on top. It will give a festive look to a dessert that certain to be a hit!

Freeze until ready to serve.

This was a little messy with young children but it was worth it. What fun! Their creative side came into play and, well, let’s just say the sprinkles ended up in a heap. I didn’t mind at all.

When it came time to serve the cake, I allowed 30 minutes of thawing time.

Delicious! As if it could be anything else with 2 kinds of ice creams, fudge brownies, Oreos, mousse, and sprinkles!

What a great summertime activity with the kids! Be prepared for a bit of a mess and have fun with it. Creating a cake using flavors your family will love is half the fun.

Suggestions for alternatives: Instead of brownies as a bottom layer, substitute with large chocolate chip cookie layer.

Substitute the crushed Oreos with your favorite cookie.

Enjoy!

Tea Brack Recipe

/ sandramervillehart

Welcome to friend and fellow author, Cindy Thomson, who shares a recipe with us for a delicious tea brack. Cindy is the author of several historical novels set in Ireland or that have Irish characters. Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Cindy!

by Cindy Thomson

Ireland is a rural country dotted with seemingly endless family farms. Local beef, potatoes, cold weather vegetables, free range eggs … are all the things you’d expect to find enrich a meal in Ireland.

I love tea brack—a traditional Irish fruit loaf or tea cake. Everywhere you go in Ireland, you are offered tea anytime of the day. I loved that since I love tea.

My interest in Ireland started with my genealogy. I wanted to learn more about my ancestors who came over from Ireland in the 18th century. I learned about Irish culture and history and wrote about it in both my fiction and nonfiction.

I write stories that seek to share the legacy those before left for us. Their joys and sorrows, their lessons learned, can teach us so much. I have two fiction series. The Daughters of Ireland series includes Brigid of Ireland, Pages of Ireland, and Enya’s Son. They are set in ancient Ireland and are based on legends. My Ellis Island series features immigrants, most from Ireland but there is an Italian immigrant main character as well. The characters all live in a boarding house run by an English woman. The books are Grace’s Pictures, Annie’s Stories, and Sofia’s Tune. Subscribers to my newsletter receive a free novella, which is the boarding house woman’s story, a prequel.

 I’m sharing a recipe for tea brack today.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brewed hot tea, Irish breakfast tea is a good choice
  • 1 cup raisins, packed
  • 1/2 cup currants, packed
  • 1 cup pitted prunes, snipped into small pieces
  • 1 cup chopped dates
  • 1 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 cups light wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar

Pour the hot tea over the dried fruits in a medium-sized bowl. Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm, about 1 hour.


Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8″ x 2″ round cake pan. If your pan isn’t at least 2″ deep, use a 9″ round pan.


In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dried fruit, and any remaining liquid. Stir until thoroughly combined; the batter will be thick and stiff. Add the egg, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with the coarse sparkling sugar. Bake the bread for 60 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out moist, but without clinging crumbs. Turn the bread out of the pan onto a rack.

I hope you enjoy this delicious bread as much as my family does.

About Cindy

Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson is the author of two novel series and several non-fiction books. She is the owner of a team blog Novel PASTimes, vice president of the Mordecai Brown Legacy Foundation, and co-founder of the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival. She is also a frequent Thurber House creative writing teacher. As a genealogy enthusiast, she does research for hire and writes from her home in central Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom near their three grown sons and their families. Visit her online at CindysWriting.com, on Facebook: Facebook.com/Cindyswriting, Twitter: @cindyswriting, Pinterest: @cindyswriting and Book Bub: @cindyswriting.

 Amazon Author Page

Chocolate Bread Pudding

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by Sandra Merville Hart

I was looking for a recipe to use some old bread and found this one for chocolate bread pudding in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

I utilized my food processor to make the bread crumbs and then toasted them in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow the crumbs to cool.

The milk was scalded while the bread crumbs were in the oven.

Ingredients

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 quart milk, scalded

2 cups homemade bread crumbs

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Add the unsweetened chocolate to the scalded milk away from the burner and stir until smooth. (This didn’t look quite chocolatey enough for me, so I added 3/8 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mixture.) Add the breadcrumbs and set aside to cool until lukewarm. (The mixture cools within a few minutes.)

Once cooled, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and then pour into the prepared dish.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the pudding is set.

Serve with whipped cream—a delicious suggestion. 😊

Light, soft. Deliciously chocolate flavor. I think that my addition of semi-sweet chocolate chips worked well. It’s not a heavy dessert, which I loved. It wasn’t too sweet. The whipped topping was a creamy addition.

I’ll make this again.

Sources

Revised by Cunningham, Marion and Laber, Jeri. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1983.

Coddle, an Irish Stew

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Welcome to friend and fellow author, Cindy Thomson, who shares a recipe with us for a delicious Irish stew. Cindy is the author of several historical novels set in Ireland or that have Irish characters. Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Cindy!

by Cindy Thomson

Ireland is a rural country dotted with seemingly endless family farms. Local beef, potatoes, cold weather vegetables, free range eggs … are all the things you’d expect to find enrich a meal in Ireland. I had my first grass-fed hamburger in Ireland. I had a beef stew in a gift shop that was so good. The woman who worked there had just brought it in from her own kitchen.

Some traditional Irish foods include beef stew, potato leek soup, Irish brown bread, and a full traditional Irish breakfast referred to sometimes as a fry up. I also love a dish called Coddle which is a traditional stew made with sausage, potatoes, and bacon.

I’m sharing my recipe with you today.

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • ½ pound Irish pork sausages 8 sausage links
  • 1 pound potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 medium potatoes)
  • 3 medium onions sliced into rings
  • Ground black pepper to season
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley divided
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a hot skillet. Brown the sausages on all sides. Do not cook through. Set aside to cool.

Peel and slice the onions, separating the pieces into rings.

Peel and cut the potatoes into one inch cubes.

Slice the bacon into one-inch pieces.

Layer the ingredients in a Dutch oven starting with half the onions, four sausages and half the bacon. Season with pepper and sprinkle half the parsley over the onions and meat. Next add a layer of half the potatoes. Repeat all the layers onion, sausage, bacon, parsley, ground pepper and potatoes. Add the stock. It should come within one inch of the top of the ingredients but not cover them. Place the Dutch oven over a burner on a high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Serve in a bowl with crusty bread on the side.

I hope you enjoy this delicious stew as much as my family does.

About Cindy

Known for the inspirational Celtic theme employed in most of her books, Cindy Thomson is the author of two novel series and several non-fiction books. She is the owner of a team blog Novel PASTimes, vice president of the Mordecai Brown Legacy Foundation, and co-founder of the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival. She is also a frequent Thurber House creative writing teacher. As a genealogy enthusiast, she does research for hire and writes from her home in central Ohio where she lives with her husband Tom near their three grown sons and their families. Visit her online at CindysWriting.com, on Facebook: Facebook.com/Cindyswriting, Twitter: @cindyswriting, Pinterest: @cindyswriting and Book Bub: @cindyswriting.

Amazon Author Page

Summer at Sagamore and Spinach Rockefeller Casserole

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I’m happy to welcome fellow Wild Heart Books author, Lisa M. Prysock, to my blog! Lisa shares a bit about her latest book as well as a recipe. Welcome to Historical Nibbles, Lisa!

During the Gilded Age when A Summer at Sagamore takes place (1907), Oysters Rockefeller was a very popular baked dish comprised of butter, oysters on the half shell, cheese, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs. Since my characters often have a good deal of banter going on between them at meal times during their stay at the Sagamore Resort nestled in the Adirondacks, I thought you might enjoy a similar recipe without oysters.

Spinach Rockefeller Casserole doesn’t have any oysters in it all, though I believe shelled oysters could easily be added to this casserole. My grandmother loved serving it as an occasional side, often at Easter. It pairs well with ham.

Here’s how to make it–:

Ingredients

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach

1 ¼ cup stuffing or dried bread croutons (I usually use the herb seasoned ones)

1 stick of butter

¾ cup water

2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce by Lea n Perrin’s

3 TBSP melted butter

½ tsp celery salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp sea salt

¾ cup crushed Ritz crackers

½ cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

Cook frozen spinach in 3/4 cup water on stovetop over medium high heat. Stir frequently until all the pieces are cooked and broken apart. Do not drain the water.

Add butter, celery salt, pepper, sea salt, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. Add the croutons. Stir well until the spinach mixture is hot and combined well. Set aside.

For the topping, combine crushed crackers, melted butter, and parmesan in a bowl. Stir well.

Add the spinach to a casserole dish. Spread the topping on the spinach. Bake about 13 minutes until lightly topping is golden brown and piping hot. Serve with the meal as a side.

I hope you enjoy the recipe. It’s a lovely alternative to creamed spinach, another popular dish during the Gilded Age.

A Summer at Sagamore

Can summer love survive amid mystery and mayhem?

When Abigail Greenwood and her cousins settle in for their annual summer retreat at the stunning and impressive Sagamore Resort in the Adirondacks, all she wants is to spend as much time as possible plunking out stories on her typewriter. But when her cousins insist she join them in the tradition of choosing a beau to adore from a distance during their stay, she reluctantly plays along, setting her sights on a mysteriously quiet and aloof guest. What started as harmless fun soon changes as Abby finds herself captivated by debonair—and handsome—Jackson Gable. Who is he, and why does his arrogant amused smile exasperate her so much?

When a series of events causing mayhem and mischief begin to occur at Sagamore, journalist Jackson Gable is determined to get to the bottom of it, since his father is an investor of the resort. Jack has a nose for mysteries, but he may have to use his recently earned law degree and some of his posh family connections to sleuth out the culprit. Are the events connected? Why are they happening? And why can’t he get the beautiful Abby off his mind?

Books2read

About Lisa

Lisa M. Prysock is a USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning Christian and Inspirational Author. She and her husband of more than twenty years reside in Kentucky. They have five children, grown. 

She writes in the genres of both Historical Christian Romance and Contemporary Christian Romance, including a multi-author Western Christian Romance series, “Whispers in Wyoming.” She is also the author of a devotional. Lisa enjoys sharing her faith in Jesus through her writing.

Lisa has many interests, but a few of these include gardening, cooking, drawing, sewing, crochet, cross stitch, reading, swimming, biking, and walking. She loves dollhouses, cats, horses, butterflies, hats, boots, flip-flops, espadrilles, chocolate, coffee, tea, chocolate, the colors peach and purple, and everything old-fashioned. 

She adopted the slogan of “The Old-Fashioned Everything Girl” because of her love for classic, traditional, and old-fashioned everything. When she isn’t writing, she can sometimes be found teaching herself piano and violin but finds the process “a bit slow and painful.” Lisa enjoys working with the children and youth in her local church creating human videos, plays, or programs incorporating her love for inspirational dance. A few of her favorite authors include Jane Austen, Lucy Maude Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. You’ll find “food, fashion, fun, and faith” in her novels. Sometimes she includes her own illustrations.

She continues the joy and adventure of her writing journey as a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and LCW (Louisville Christian Writers). Lisa’s books are clean and wholesome, inspirational, romantic, and family oriented.  She gives a generous portion of the proceeds to missions.  

Discover more about this author at www.LisaPrysock.com where you’ll find the links to purchase more of her books, free recipes, devotionals, author video interviews, book trailers, giveaways, blog posts, and much more, including an invitation to sign up for her free newsletter.

Links to Connect with Lisa:

Facebook, Twitter,

Amazon Author Page,

BookBub

https://www.facebook.com/groups/500592113747995/

(Lisa’s Facebook Reader & Friends group.)

Instagram

Traditional Thousand Islands Shore Dinner

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I’m happy to welcome fellow Wild Heart Book’s author, Susan G. Mathis, to my blog! She shares a recipe with us and a bit about her newest historical romance release. Welcome, Susan!

by Susan G. Mathis

Traditionally, the Thousand Islands Shore Dinner was a big fishing party. Several skiffs rallied at one island, dispersed to fish until noon, partook of a shore dinner, and then fished again until late afternoon. Fine folk like George Pullman, Frederick Bourne, and J.P. Morgan—and even President Ulysses S. Grant when he visited the islands in 1872—took time to get away from big-city life and find a quiet fishing vacation in the islands. 

The main boat would often be a small steam yacht. They would leave around 7 a.m., towing up to ten skiffs trailing behind them. The captain would choose an uninhabited island to use for a shore dinner, prepare the meal himself or drop off the meal preparers, and send the fishing guides off to row their guests to different fishing spots. 

Around noon, the fishing guides row the guests back to the steamer for a relaxing shore dinner, and then take the fishermen back out for an afternoon of more fishing. 

Traditional Thousand Islands shore dinners include fresh fish, French toast, and a sandwich with fried pork strips. And, of course, a salad with Thousand Islands Dressing.

Appetizers consisted of fatback and onion sandwiches and a salad with Thousand Islands dressing, of course, and crumbles of fatback. The main meal includes plates of fish and potatoes. And dessert was coffee and French toast. 

Then comes the French toast for dessert, also fried in the same pan as the pork and fish, and topped with lots of local maple syrup. Again, one needn’t count the calories; just enjoy the unique flavors of the shore dinner.

Today, uninhabited islands are few and far between, so shore dinners became a little more complicated. But several companies still serve patrons who want a traditional shore dinner. In fact, the NY State parks were, in part, established to provide a place for shore dinners. Maybe one day you, too, can visit the Thousand Islands and enjoy a traditional shore dinner.   

 Do you think you’d enjoy this meal? Here’s a recipe for Thousand Islands Dressing!

Thousand Island Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
1 tablespoon green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon scallions, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients together and chill to blend flavors.

About Mary’s Moment:

Mathis’s attention to detail and rich history is classic Mathis, and no one does it better.—Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author

Summer 1912

Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator ​Mary Flynn is christened the community heroine for her quick action that saves dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor’s burning cottage. Will she remember the truth of who she is or be deceived by a treacherous scoundrel?

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?      

Readers of Christian historical romance will enjoy this exciting tale set in 1912 Thousand Island Park, NY.

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Peyton’s Promise, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Rachel’s Reunion, and Mary’s Moment. Her book awards include two Illumination Book Awards, three American Fiction Awards, two Indie Excellence Book Awards, and four Literary Titan Book Awards. Reagan’s Reward is a Selah Awards finalist. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for links to buy and more.

Banana Muffins

/ sandramervillehart

by Sandra Merville Hart

I had some bananas I needed to use so found a new recipe for muffins in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook that I wanted to try. It took less than 10 minutes to prepare for baking and I had all the ingredients on hand, which is always a win for me.

Ingredients

2 cups white flour (I used bread flour)

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup milk

½ cup melted butter

2 bananas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly spray muffin pans with cooking spray.

Slice the bananas. I used a pastry blender to get the slices into smaller pieces for easier blending. Set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients. Stir in the egg, milk, banana, and butter just until blended.

Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, with each individual cup about 2/3 full. It makes 12 muffins.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

These muffins were my breakfast a couple of days. Nice banana flavor. Next time I will add a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to enhance the flavor, but they are also delicious without it.  

I’d love to hear if you try it.

Sources

Revised by Cunningham, Marion and Laber, Jeri. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1983.