Grandma's Cookbook

Hello all! Christine Johnson here today on the eve of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. I love this holiday because it's all about food and family (and American football). What's not to love?

Holiday food is especially poignant because it brings back taste memories. My mom's sweet potatoes and mincemeat (actually mince-fruit) pie instantly transport me to Thanksgivings past. Christmas comes with a load of food memories. One I can still taste today is my grandma's plum pudding.

Educational Point #1 - Traditional pudding does not come in a box. For those of us who grew up in the Jello generation, this kind of pudding is a rich and moist cake. 

When I began writing this November's book, Legacy of Love, I wanted the heroine to attempt to make my grandma's plum pudding. To portray this accurately, I needed the recipe. So I asked my mom if she had it. She didn't, but she remembered my grandma saying it included suet. Suet? I instantly thought of the blocks of greasy birdseed that we put out for the birds in the winter. That wonderful moist cake included birdseed?

Educational Point #2 - Suet doesn't have to have birdseed in it. Apparently it's fat rendered from beef, as opposed to fat from pork, which is called lard.

Though I figured that out, I was no closer to the actual recipe. After extending the search, one of my aunts not only had the recipe, she had the whole cook book! 

 

 

Here is the very page with the recipe, from the Modern Priscilla Cook Book from 1924. As you can see, it's very well-used. It's also called plum duff, though Grandma always called it plum pudding. She served the pudding with hard sauce, so called because of its texture. The firm butter and sugar sauce would melt on the warm pudding. Oh yum, I'm getting hungry! Maybe I should make it. Then I read the recipe.

 

Educational Point #3 - Older recipes can be less than precise.

 

First, the cook needs to mix a lot of dried fruits and nuts into the suet and let "ripen" for a week. Okay. How does one "ripen" fruit and nuts in fat? I suspect it does not involve a refrigerator. Cooking also involves steaming in molds for four hours at an unknown temperature. How? Alas my grandma didn't leave any notes in the margin for future generations, but she did tuck into the cook book a modern photocopy of an English Plum Pudding recipe with more detailed directions. Though I can understand this recipe more easily, it lacks the charm and simplicity of the 1924 version. My heroine, a novice cook, might have produced a perfect plum pudding instead of the catastrophe that summoned the hero to make a food rescue.

 

For me, Christmas will always recall the taste of my grandma's plum pudding. What special taste memories do you have for the holidays?



Legacy of Love Interview

Hello everyone. I’m Anna Simmons from Pearlman, Michigan, and I’m excited to have here with me today Brandon Landers, the dreamy hero of my very own story, as told by Christine Johnson in her November 2012 Love Inspired Historical release, Legacy of Love. Brandon doesn’t like to talk about himself, but we’ve got him cornered now. I can hardly wait to hear what secrets he’s going to reveal.

1. Brandon, tell me the most interesting thing about you that I don’t already know. And stop frowning! This is supposed to be fun.

Anna, I told you not to ask any personal questions. Besides, what could I possibly tell you that you don’t already know? You’re relentless in unearthing my past. [grin] Did I tell you that I went to Luxor and saw the Valley of the Kings? Of course Mr. Carter hadn’t discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb yet, but plenty of workers were on site.

  

2. Oh my, I wish I’d been there. Maybe someday. I suppose I know the answer to this question, but I still have to ask. What do you do for fun?

Work is fun. I love reading about antiquities, sniffing around curio shops and going through old books. Nothing is more exciting than finding a curiosity that piques the imagination.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Dread is rather a strong word. A man must tackle even the most unpleasant tasks in due order, but if you mean which tasks I dislike, it would have to be bailing my kid brother out of trouble. Unfortunately that happens far too often. 

4. Is that what you’re most afraid of in life, that your brother will get into trouble again?

In a way. I don’t want to lose the respect of the people I care for, and his behavior has been irresponsible at times. Granted, I’ve made some mistakes in life, but I don’t want anyone to go through what I did. Respect, once lost, is gone forever.

5. I can’t believe anyone would fault you for his behavior. You’re the most careful, cautious man I’ve ever met. So then, is respect what you want out of life?

Partly. After years living from place to place—from preparatory school and college to working in Boston before going to Europe in the war and then going from one hospital to another trying to recover from my injuries—I’d like to put down roots somewhere. Pearlman would be perfect. Nice slow pace.

6. Slow? You think that’s good? I’d love to see the world, go to all those places you’ve been to. Rome and Athens and Egypt would be a great start! How can little old Pearlman measure up to that? It sounds like you think this slow-paced little town would make you happy. Is that the most important thing to you?

As long as I had someone to share it with.

7. Oh! [blush] Maybe you will. Maybe you’ll find someone perfect. Ma says God made a perfect match for everyone. You just need to find that person. I guess it’s kind of like searching for hidden tombs or buried treasure. But she says that sometimes searching isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to change in order to find your dream. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

That I could still hold onto dreams like you do. I wish the war hadn’t taken that away. Hold on tightly, Anna. Don’t ever let go of your dreams.

8. I won’t. I promise. But I don’t understand why you think you’ve lost your dreams. You have this huge mansion all to yourself. You have your new antiquarian bookstore. You know archaeologists and have seen the world. What’s missing?

It can be lonely.

9. Maybe you should get a pet, then. Did you ever have a pet?

No. Father forbade animals in the home. After Mother died, I was sent to boarding school and never had a chance to have a pet.

10. That’s so sad. We had cats and dogs when I was little. Lots of them, but none the last few years. I think that’s because it was hard for Ma to make ends meet after Papa died. You could get a dog. It’ll cheer you up. After all, it’s a great time to be alive. There’s a world of opportunity! What’s your favorite thing about living in 1922? New inventions like radio or talking movies?

I prefer the slower pace of the past. The only benefit of the new technology is that it allows us to better understand our past and improve our future. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes and never repeat the Great War. Medical advances might make influenza pandemics and diseases like polio a distant memory. Most of all I hope we hold onto each other and our communities. If these inventions can help us do that, then they’re worthwhile.

Thank you, Brandon, for stopping by to visit today. For all the readers out there, you can unearth more of Brandon’s secrets in our story, Legacy of Love. Until we meet again there, have a wonderful holiday season filled with every good thing. With love, Anna. 

Featured Book: LEGACY OF LOVE by Christine Johnson

She dreamed of digging through ancient ruins--but the only exploring Anna Simmons gets to do is in the expensive houses she cleans in Pearlman, Michigan. When Brandon Landers hires her, she's unsure whether to be furious or thrilled. He evicted Anna and her ailing mother, but she's heard rumors of hidden treasure on his land. Treasure Anna decides to find. Not just for herself, but for her new employer whose unexpected kindness has softened her heart.

Physically and spiritually wounded in the Great War, Brandon knows not to hope for the impossible--like buried riches or Anna's love. Is there still time for them to learn that the only treasure they need is a lifetime together?