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Tag Archives: Cookies

An American Story…and Grandma Minnie’s Cookies

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cookies, Family

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Cookies, Family

This post will be a bit of a departure from those I typically write. As I have listened to the various voices concerning the issues surrounding immigration, I have begun to think of my own family, one that has been a part of the American fabric for many generations. But way back in the 1800’s, my family were immigrants, too. So, I decided to dig deep into the boxes I have that are full of pictures and memorabilia, nudging my memories, and giving me new understandings about the generations that came before me.

It is not a particularly exciting American story. It is, rather, a fairly ordinary story of people looking for a better life, a new home, a better place to settle and raise a family. So many other Americans have a very similar, pretty ordinary story. That is part of who we are as a people, a nation…that our ancestors were able to come here with little drama, but a whole lot of yearning.

“Abba, lieber Vater, Amen”…this is the very first prayer I ever learned. It is the prayer my father taught me when I was very young. His is the family about which I know the most. His ancestry was German and Prussian.

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My father was born in Redbud, Illinois. He was the second child, and the oldest son of my grandparents. Theirs was a German Lutheran family, and the church was the center of their religious life, as well as their social life.

It always amazes me to hear people talk about how important it is for immigrants to learn to speak English. Well, of course it is! English is the language spoken in this county. But when western European immigrants came to this country, they more often than not, did not speak English, and they worked hard to learn English after their arrival. But they also hung on to their mother tongue, always using it in their homes, teaching it to their children, and in German Lutheran communities, they attended worship services conducted in German. My dad, who was born in America, and my grandparents, who were also born here, attended German church services in Wartburg, Illinois for many years. Until my father was nine years old, and he moved to Detroit, he attended German Lutheran school, where all the classes were in German, while the students also learned to speak a better English. I always thought it was really impressive that my dad was bilingual. I did not, however, think it cool when he and my grandparents spoke German to one another, so that my siblings and I could not understand what they were saying.

So my father teaching me a simple German prayer was not a sign that he was not a “real American”. It was his attempt to bring me into the history of the family, his way of sharing with me his heritage, his faith, and all the things he wished for me to understand as important.

When my father was nine, his father declared bankruptcy and lost his family farm. He moved to Detroit, where he worked for the Detroit utility company until his retirement. Grandpa was a teddy bear of a man, and I loved him dearly. When I spent the night with my grandparents, he would always take me to see the bride in the window of the bridal shop on Livernois Avenue…one of my most treasured memories. He also always took me for ice cream on our walks to the market, making me promise to never tell grandma. Somehow I always suspected she knew. He was also a proud and honest man. I was always proud of his German stubbornness and that German pride that made him pay back every penny he owed, though with his bankruptcy declaration he would have never been required to repay any of his debt.

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Though my grandparents had five children, only two of them grew to adulthood. Both my father and my uncle served in the armed forces during World War II, my dad as a Seabee, and my uncle as an Army pilot. While flying cover for General Patton’s army in the Battle of the Bulge, my uncle was shot down over enemy territory. He was reported missing and presumed dead. I always wondered how my grandmother was able to go on, having lost three children, and then learning of the assumed loss of one of the only two children she had left. And then a miracle happened. My father, stationed in Ireland, received word that it was possible his brother had been located in a hospital in France. He was given leave to check on the truth of the report, and did indeed find his brother in a French hospital with an injury to his left arm that would leave him with a lifelong disability. I can only imagine the joy that filled my grandparents house when they received the news.

And so it goes. My father and my uncle both had families, and those families now have families. We are all-American, and we seldom think about where our roots are…across the Atlantic Ocean in a far away country most of us will never see.

I guess the whole point of this post is to remind everyone that we are all from somewhere else. We are all Americans, and our ancestral traditions, the various heritages we represent, are the things about all of us that have made this American quilt, this American experiment, this American greatness, so amazing.

Don’t worry that the immigrant does not speak English upon his arrival. He will learn the language if we help him. My dad spoke German to his dying day, and he had a good command of the English language as well…I envy that.

Don’t worry that the immigrant may need assistance upon arrival. He will “pick himself up by his bootstraps” if we give him a fair chance, if we help him. My grandfather, a second generation American lost everything, and owed a lot of money to a lot of people. He not only picked himself up, he honored every debt he ever incurred. I am so very proud of this grandfather whom I adored.

Don’t worry about the honor of your own forefathers, nor grant them special commendation, who fought the wars that have kept us safe and secure between two oceans. They did not fight those wars to save this nation only for those who were already here. America is not that nation. My father and my uncle were third generation Americans who fought to save the world from the madness of World War II. Many immigrants, here in this country now, are fighting alongside natural born citizens to protect us from the madness we have in our world today, as well as the madness that comes occasionally to the home front. Turning our backs on our new immigrants will only turn them against us, and they will choose to fight against us, instead of for us. Turning our backs on refugees who want to become immigrants, as they escape the horrors in their own homelands, will have the same effect.

Wherever you come from, wherever your neighbor comes from, wherever that young family getting off that refugee flight as a new immigrant to this nation comes form, understand we can all find a place here. We can keep America as great as it has always been…as long as we realize we are all in this together! Maybe we can make it even better, by realizing that this quilt will never, ever, be quite finished.

Grandma Minnie’s Cookies…Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is the original copy of the recipe as written by my Aunt Helen for my Grandma Minnie.
This is the original copy of the recipe as written by my Aunt Helen for my Grandma Minnie.
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I first posted this recipe two years ago in one of my very first posts about growing up in Detroit. I have tweaked it a bit here, giving more complete instructions than are found on the original copy, and making it with lard rather than the drippings my grandmother often used. They are really good…they remind me of family, and they bring a smile to my face. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  • Servings: 4-5 dozen cookies
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 c sugar
  • 1/2 c lard
  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 c. sour milk*
  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 c. dry rolled oats
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Cream together the sugar, lard, and butter.
  2. Mix in the eggs and sour milk.
  3. In another bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. Add these to the creamed mixture, and mix until combined.
  4. Stir in the rolled oats, raisins, and chopped nuts.
  5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, greased the first time only.
  6. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes

*You can make sour milk by putting 1/2 Tbsp. of vinegar in a 1/2 c. measuring cup, then filling with milk to the top. Let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dough.

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Stonehenge x Two…and Almond Shortbread

11 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cookies, England, Food, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cookies, England, photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

Several years ago, I read the novel, “Salisbury”, by Edmund Rutherford, and since then visiting Stonehenge had always been on my bucket list. This past summer I was able to realize that dream as we traveled to England to see Stonehenge and a lot more of the country of England.

Stonehenge MST

In the meantime, while I awaited our trip of a lifetime, I was able to enjoy Stonehenge on a smaller scale, right here in my own hometown. And I have been back since our trip with a newer understanding and appreciation of both Stonehenges (not sure what the plural of Stonehenge should be!)

Our Stonehenge in, Rolla, MO, sits among modern buildings. Thousands of automobiles drive past it each and every day.

Our Stonehenge in, Rolla, MO, sits among modern buildings.

My hometown Stonehenge, constructed on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology,  is a half scale partial reconstruction of the original in England. Its ring has a diameter of fifty feet with 29 1/2 sarsen stones that surround a horseshoe of five trilithons. Sunrise and sunset can be seen through these trilithons, which one depends on the season of the year.

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Sunrise through the southeast trilithon at Stonehenge MST

There are two features that have been added to our Stonehenge that are not part of Stonehenge in England. One is the addition of an analemma, a figure 8 carved in stones that lie behind the south facing trilithon. Each day at noon, the sun, if is it shining, casts a light through a small opening in the trilithon onto the figure 8 which corresponds to that day’s date.

The analemma behind the south facing trilithon

The analemma behind the south facing trilithon

The second feature of the Stonehenge MST that is not found on the original is the Polaris Window found on the north facing trilithon. On a clear night, a visitor will be able to observe the location of the North Star through this window.

The Polaris Window in the north facing trilithon.

The Polaris Window in the north facing trilithon.

Stonehenge, England

I was so excited about seeing the original, the authentic Stonehenge, and it did not disappoint. Stonehenge lies out in the English countryside, and the trip there was all by itself, a real treat.

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Sometimes, when you travel to a site you have looked forward to seeing for a very long time, you find you are somewhat disappointed…you have, after all, seen that place many times, depicted in many formats, and now here it is, and it is just as you had seen it pictured so often. This was not true of Stonehenge.

Of course I had seen pictures of Stonehenge many times, from many angles, but it is not the same as seeing it up close and realizing that men, not machines, were responsible for its construction. I understood that even before the bus took our group out to the site. There is a huge stone on rollers at the bus platform. It is hard to fathom how any group of men could have moved a stone weighing somewhere in the area of 40 tons to another spot, let alone then standing it on its end!

A sarsen stone on rollers...the method used to move the stones that became part of Stonehenge.

A sarsen stone on rollers…the method used to move the stones that became part of Stonehenge.

And then you finally arrive at Stonehenge. I will leave you to discover the specifics of its physical properties and the purposes for its construction with your own research. My intent in this post is to express its impact, its meaning to me as I walked on the path around it.

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Stonehenge is a magical, and for me, a very mystical place. I was struck by its size, and by the sheer strength and intense work its construction must have entailed. I was amazed at the mathematical understanding of the planners and the builders, who were able, in 2300 B.C., to put up a structure of such magnitude. I was intrigued by the religious significance of Stonehenge, and the religious beliefs of the people who gathered at this important site. And it was so old, and still so solid, so substantial, so permanent.

There is a stone a bit away from Stonehenge, called the Heel Stone. It is believed that this half buried stone, may have been there before any building began, indeed it may have been the reason the builders chose this particular spot to build Stonehenge. It is over the Heel Stone that you will see the rising midsummer sun.

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The Heel Stone at Stonehenge

And then you see them, the gatekeepers of Stonehenge, the rooks.

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Rooks are fairly large black birds, and they are everywhere around the Stonehenge structure. They do not appear to be afraid of people, and often seem to be staring down the visitors at the site. They nest in the sarsens of Stonehenge, and they were an experience I had not expected.

A rook "standing guard" atop the Heel Stone.

A rook “standing guard” atop the Heel Stone.

Rooks flying off a trilithon at Stonehenge.

Rooks flying off a trilithon at Stonehenge.

Another unexpected treat on our visit was the reconstructed neolithic buildings at the visitor center. The small village gave us all a look into the lives of the people who lived in the area, and who would have gathered at Stonehenge.

the reconstruction of a small visit depicting life in the time of Stonehenge.
the reconstruction of a small visit depicting life in the time of Stonehenge.
Inside a village hut
Inside a village hut
Items that would have been used by the people of Stonehange.
Items that would have been used by the people of Stonehange.

Stonehenge is a marvelous place, and our little Stonehenge here in Rolla is also worth a visit!

Afternoon Tea

While we were in England, I insisted that we have afternoon tea. All the family looked at me as if I was crazy…I absolutely do not like tea! But if you are in England, well…I was introduced to really good black tea at Harrod’s, and ever since I have enjoyed tea very much. Apparently I don’t like the tea here in the states, in a tea bag…my daughter calls me a “tea snob”.

I purchased a small cookbook, “Tea Fit For A Queen” written in association with the Historic Royal Palaces. In it I found a wonderful recipe for shortbread that goes perfectly with my afternoon tea. I have changed all the recipe amounts to the measures we use here in the United States. Enjoy!

Almond Shortbread

Almond Shortbread

Almond Shortbread

  • Servings: 8
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 stick + 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 c. caster sugar, plus extra for dusting*
  • 3/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/4 c. ground almonds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, and lightly grease an 8″ round pan.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium low speed until light and creamy.
  3. Sift in the flour and cornstarch, then add the ground almonds to the bowl.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture on low speed.
  5. Press the mixture evenly into the greased pan.
  6. Press a knife edge or fork along the round edge to make a pattern on the shortbread, then score into eight wedges and prick all over with a fork.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and score the shortbread again.
  8. Continue baking for 30-40 minutes or until golden around the edges.
  9. Dust with additional sugar. Cool in pan.

This shortbread can be stored for up to five days in an airtight container.

*Caster sugar is very finely granulated sugar. It is not easily found in the United States, but you can make your own caster sugar by pulsing regular granulated sugar until it appears sand like. Do not pulse too far, or you will end up with confectioner’s sugar!

 

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Find Your Park in Your Own Backyard #11…”The Boy Who Loved Plants”, and Peanut Cookie #1

07 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cookies, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Nature, Photography

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Cookies, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Nature, photography, Travel

  • Adventure #10-George Washington Carver National Monument

“To those who have not yet learned the secrets of true happiness, begin now to study the little things in your own dooryard.” George Washington Carver

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“The boy who loved plants.”

When I first began this journey to visit all the places in Missouri that are listed on the National Park Service website, I did so because I believed that, as important as it is to learn about our nation and its magnificent places, it is equally important to learn about that special place each of us calls “home”. My husband’s and my latest trip took us to the birthplace of George Washington Carver (my daughter asked me if he was the Peanut Man), in the little town of Diamond, population, 902. It is now one of my favorite national parks, and I can not figure out why I had not found it earlier. It is also special because I immediately related to the Carver quote above, about learning of your own “dooryard”.

George Washington Carver was born in or around 1864, to Mary, the only slave of a farmer named Moses Carver, and his wife Susan. For the first two weeks of his life, he lived with his mother in a small cabin on the Carver property. Our ranger guide agreed to stand inside the reconstructed layout of the cabin to give an idea of just how small this cabin was.

The cabin in which George Washington Carver spent the first two years of his life.

The cabin in which George Washington Carver spent the first two weeks of his life.

George was born during turbulent times in Missouri during the Civil War. When he was two weeks old, George and his mother were “ku Cluckeled”, kidnapped, by a band of guerrillas, and sold in Arkansas. Moses Carter sent someone out to find them and bring them back, but George was the only one he found. George never knew what happened to his mother.

He lived with the Carters until he was between nine and eleven years old. They treated him well, and raised him in their own home. While he was living here, he loved to go out into the woods and the prairies nearby. He loved plants, and took every opportunity he had to gather them, study them, and experiment with them. Some people called him the “plant doctor” because so many plants did so well under his care.

The woods which would be similar to where George played and learned as a young boy.
The woods which would be similar to where George played and learned as a young boy.
Williams Pond, where George spent time playing with children from the extended Carter family.
Williams Pond, where George spent time playing with children from the extended Carter family.
Carver Branch Stream
Carver Branch Stream
George would have spent many hours on the prairie near the Carver home.
George would have spent many hours on the prairie near the Carver home.

Because he was an African American, George was not allowed to attend the school in Diamond Grove, so he left the Carters to attend a school in Neosho, MO. There he lived with the family of Mariah Watkins, who nurtured and encouraged him in his interests, and in his thirst for knowledge.

From Neosho, George went to attend school in Ft. Scott, Kansas, then on to study in Olatha and Paola, before he graduated from high school in Minneapolis, Kansas. He applied to study at Highland College, but was refused because of his race.

George loved plants, but he believed that he loved to paint them even more. He had decided many years earlier that painting the plants he loved was what he wanted to do for all of his life. So, in 1890, George applied to, and was accepted to Simpson College in Iowa as an art major. His art teacher, Etta Budd recognized George’s great ability with plants, and encouraged him to study botany, which she believed would provide him a better standard of living than he would find in the art world.

George enrolled in Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames, Iowa (today the school is known as Iowa State University), where he earned a Bachelor degree in Agriculture in 1894, and a Masters of Agriculture degree in 1896. After receiving his degrees, George accepted an offer from Booker T. Washington to head the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

George Washington Carver realized his life’s dream of serving others during his years at Tuskegee Institute. He understood that growing cotton year after year was hard on the soil, that it made it less productive as the years went on. Through his study and his teaching, he was able to convince southern farmers to grow peanuts and soybeans to rejuvenate the soil, and save their livelihoods. He was an amazing man, with an amazing spirit, an amazing desire to help others, and an amazing understanding of the world around him.

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver National Monument Visitor Center

When you visit the George Washington Carver National Monument, you will find plenty to do inside and outside. The Visitor Center is a fantastic place with a museum, a museum store, and a theater which shows a film about Carver, his life, and his legacy. But the place in the Visitor Center that I love the most is the laboratory. It is used by school groups who come to do botanical experiments…George would be so proud! Across from the lab is a 1800’s vintage classroom to which students can come and learn about George Washington Carver and his contributions.

The botany lab in the Visitor Center
The botany lab in the Visitor Center
A vintage classroom setting to help make learning fun!
A vintage classroom setting to help make learning fun!
This wagon, kept in the museum, was used by George Washington Carver as he traveled around teaching southern farmers better farming practices that would replenish the soil and keep their farms producing good crops.
This wagon, kept in the museum, was used by George Washington Carver as he traveled around teaching southern farmers better farming practices that would replenish the soil and keep their farms producing good crops.

And when you venture out onto the grounds, you will find…

A boardwalk leading though the wetter parts of the forest along the mile long Carver Trail...
A boardwalk leading though the wetter parts of the forest along the mile long Carver Trail…
A recreation of the house that Moses Carter built in 1881. George never lived in the house.
A recreation of the house that Moses Carter built in 1881. George never lived in the house.
A home garden just outside the front of the house...
A home garden just outside the front of the house…
The family cemetery that was used by others in the community...
The family cemetery that was used by others in the community…
The prairie just outside the cemetery with...
The prairie just outside the cemetery with…
prairie flowers...
prairie flowers…
prairie flowers...
prairie flowers…
and even more prairie flowers.
and even more prairie flowers.

The George Washington Carver National Monument is an extraordinary place that encourages us to be all that we can be, in the place that we are, with the gifts we have been given. Jim and I always encouraged our children to strive to be the best that they could be; this special place is the perfect place, with the perfect story, to drive that message home.

“Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.”    George Washington Carver

So go out to a prairie, out to a woodland, into a museum, onto a seashore, up into a mountain, and find your park…or come see our little corner of the world, and the Carver Monument in southwestern Missouri. To learn more about George Washington Carver National Monument, and to plan your visit, go to the NPS website at http://www.nps.gov/gwca/index.htm

Peanut Cookie #1

George Washington Carver was an expert on peanuts. He was an expert in growing peanuts, and an expert in using peanuts. He discovered 300 ways to use a peanut, and in the 1930’s, he used peanut oil to bring comfort to polio patients by applying the oil as part of a massage treatment.

He experimented with peanuts, and created many recipes using peanuts. For this post, I chose Peanut Cookie #1. Because his directions are very general, I had to do some experimenting of my own!

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Peanut Cookie #1

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups ground peanuts*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.**

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the beaten eggs. Measure out the flour and combine with the baking powder. Add the milk and the flour mixture, mixing well. Lastly, stir in the peanuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a well greased baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

*I used my small food processor to grind roasted, unsalted, and shelled peanuts.

**When I make these again, I will try a 375 degree oven, just to brown them a little more.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Winter Snow and Christmas Sugar Cookies

21 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Christmas, Cookies, Family

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Christmas, Cookies, Family

It is that time of year when the word “busy” barely explains what life feels like. And I love it…every last gift-wrapping, tree-trimming,  pine needles all over the floor, menu planning, cookie dough snitching minute of it. But there are times when I am exhausted, addle-brained, and tied up in knots. At these times I like to leave the “busy” behind and go for a walk.

After the holidays, a winter trip is always nice and relaxing. Today is the first day of winter, and I love winter…every bone-chilling, snow covered landscape, scarf over my nose, I need some hot chocolate minute of it. So in addition to getting ready for Christmas, I am also dreaming about those winter journeys, long or short, that Jim and I will be taking in January and February.

So, I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on the beauty of the winter, as we have seen it, over the years…and to share the most important part of Christmas dinner in this house, the Christmas cookies we have made for decades, the one my mom made for decades earlier.

First, winter through my eyes…

I love walking in our neighborhood after a good snowfall...and in south central Missouri, a good, heavy snowfall is really special.
I love walking in our neighborhood after a good snowfall…and in south central Missouri, a good, heavy snowfall is really special.
This picture was taken on a visit to Missouri wine country on a beautiful, snowy day.
This picture was taken on a visit to Missouri wine country on a beautiful, snowy day.
I love seeing the first snowfall of the year. We caught this one in Indiana, at Turkey Run State Park.
I love seeing the first snowfall of the year. We caught this one in Indiana, at Turkey Run State Park.
We traveled to our son's house in Michigan last year and went on a hike in the woods on a very cold day...
We traveled to our son’s house in Michigan last year and went on a hike in the woods on a very cold day…
we even found our own Charlie Brown Christmas tree!
we even found our own Charlie Brown Christmas tree!
This is Bayfield, Wisconsin, the gateway to the ice caves of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Jim says it looks like a Currier and Ives print...our younger children have no idea what he is talking about.
This is Bayfield, Wisconsin, the gateway to the ice caves of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Jim says it looks like a Currier and Ives print…our younger children have no idea what he is talking about.
Ice that forms along the edge of the Missouri River makes beautiful patterns'
Ice that forms along the edge of the Missouri River makes beautiful patterns’
We make frequent visits to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, on the Mississippi River, in West Alton. Missouri. There are many eagles along the river in January and February, but on this day we found this heron and a beautiful white swan.
We make frequent visits to Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, on the Mississippi River, in West Alton. Missouri. There are many eagles along the river in January and February, but on this day we found this heron and a beautiful white swan.
And after a day of snow crunching by car or on foot...
And after a day of snow crunching by car or on foot…
we are often treated to a gorgeous winter sunset.
we are often treated to a gorgeous winter sunset.

I love winter!

And now those really good Christmas sugar cookies…

All the grandchildren like to come and help decorate the cookies.

All the grandchildren like to come and help decorate the cookies.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt

In a mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Chill for at least one hour.

Roll dough to 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with various Christmas cooky cutters. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. About 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, which was first published by General Mills in 1963.

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The Buffalo National River…and Sugar Quackers

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Arkansas, Cookies, Food, Photography, Travel

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Tags

Arkansas, Cookies, Food, photography, Travel

The Buffalo River

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The Buffalo River at Pruitt Landing.

There are few places I would rather go for some quiet time and relaxation…out of the normal hustle and bustle of life…than the area around the Buffalo River in northwest Arkansas. The picture above, though right off the highway, is one of my most favorite spots to be in this whole country. 

The Buffalo River flows from its starting point in the highest part of the Boston Mountains, near Erbie, Arkansas, for 150 miles to its end where it joins the White River. Of the 150 miles of the river, 132 miles have been placed under the management of the National Park Service. It was designated as the first national river in 1972. Its designation as a scenic riverway makes it the second longest free-flowing river in the nation, the Yellowstone River being the longest.

Canoeing on the Buffalo River.

Canoeing on the Buffalo River.

It is a floating, canoeing, hiking, fishing, and camping paradise! Within the boundaries of this national river you can find 3500 different plant species, 160 species of fish, 13 of which are unique to the river, and 43 species of mammal. A herd of elk has been restored to the area and is beginning to thrive around the Yellville area.

These beautiful Zebra Swallowtails greeted us as we began a hike into Lost Valley.

These beautiful Zebra Swallowtails greeted us as we began a hike into Lost Valley.

We saw this Pipevine Swallowtail on a hike at Pruitt Landing

We saw this Pipevine Swallowtail on a hike at Pruitt Landing

This

We saw this Moore’s Larkspur along the hiking trail at Tyler Point. The flower to the right of the larkspur is fleabane.

Our favorite activity at the Buffalo River is hiking. The trails range from easy to difficult, short hikes to back-country hikes on which you can take as long as you want. Some of the hikes, like this one at Lost Valley start out quite easy…

Beginning a hike into Lost Valley.

Beginning a hike into Lost Valley.

and most of them get more challenging as you go further, as does this one between Ozark and Pruitt…

Hiking to a higher elevation.

Hiking to a higher elevation.

But the views along the way are always rewarding, like this view last fall of the Buffalo River from our hike at Tyler Point…

The Buffalo River from the trail at Tyler Point.

The Buffalo River from the trail at Tyler Point.

The State of Arkansas and the National Park Service have tried very hard to save the rich historical importance of the Buffalo River region. In days gone by, in a quieter, less frantic time, many people made this area their home. They were miners, loggers, haulers, farmers, storekeepers, and millers. They built busy, robust communities and raised families.

One of the communities that developed over time was Rush. Zinc was discovered in the Rush Valley in the early 1880’s. Though mining for zinc was not always a lucrative endeavor, the price of zinc skyrocketed during World War I and Rush became a boom town, the largest town in northern Arkansas. The National Park Service has preserved this once thriving community. You will see the buildings where they were, as they are…no reconstruction, no remaking of history. It is an intriguing area and worth a visit. Interpretive signs throughout the “ghost town” tell the interesting story of an industrious community.

One of the historic building in the ghost town of Rush.

One of the historic building in the ghost town of Rush.

The Rush livery barn

The Rush livery barn

The Rush smelter

The Rush smelter

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Fall in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks, along with the Buffalo River, is spectacular. It is our favorite time to visit. I have been to Vermont in the fall and into Canada in late September, but the Ozarks are even more beautiful mid-October. When we travel to the area, we always rent a cabin in the mountains. It is always quiet, always relaxing, always gorgeous.

Fall in the Boston Mountains

Fall in the Boston Mountains

On our visit to the Buffalo River in 2013, we rented a cabin in the mountains. This was the view off our back porch...

On our visit to the Buffalo River in 2013, we rented a cabin in the mountains. This was the view off our back porch…

and this was our favorite way to greet each new day!

and this was our favorite way to greet each new day!

The Buffalo National River is an amazing place. You can find out more about this area and things you can do while there at the National Park website for the river: http://www.nps.gov/buff//index.htm

Sugar Quackers

Mothers raising their children during the boom years at Rush would have made cookies for their children just as mothers do today. Living in the somewhat isolated Boston Mountains, they would have often had to rely on the items they had on hand. These “quackers” would have been perfect and they are delicious. I am not sure why, but they remind me of peanut butter cookies even though they contain no peanut butter…maybe it’s the brown sugar. Our grandchildren love them, and grandpa has a hard time getting what he feels is his fair share!

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This recipe for Sugar Quackers comes from a little cookbook called Mom’s Cookin”, by Les Blair. It was printed by Modern Litho-Print Co. of Jefferson CIty, MO and copyrighted in 1986. I have adapted the recipe only slightly.

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 cups flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the shortening with the 2 cups of brown sugar. Mix in the eggs. Mix the sifted flour with the baking soda and blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats. Roll pieces of the dough into 1 1/2″ balls. Roll the balls in brown sugar.* Bake cookies on a greased pan for 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until brown.

Enjoy!

*I found it was easiest to roll them in the brown sugar and then gently smooth the sugar onto the cookies. Otherwise, the sugar just clumps onto the dough and is not evenly distributed.

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