Traverse City Record-Eagle - Edna Shaffer: Grandma's Kitchen

Grandma's Kitchen: Nature's glory
Once again we are caught up in Mother Nature's annual fall spectacular. My biggest maple is a fluorescent red that seems to burst into flames when touched by the sun. Mother Nature speaks to us loud and clear if we take the time to listen. (Plus, 8th Annual Grand Traverse Bioneers Conference, applesauce over mashed potatoes, a new bread, and National Honey Month.)
Grandma's Kitchen: Over-the-sink sandwich
It's mid-August as I write this and I'm still waiting for my big juicy homegrown tomato. I want to make my over-the-sink sandwich. That's just what it sounds like -- two slices of fresh whole wheat bread, a swipe of Hellmann's and a sliced tomato so ripe and full of juice the bread can't soak it up. With the first bite it runs down and drips off your elbows! That's summertime eating at it's best.
Grandma's Kitchen: Love around the table
I've really enjoyed some good times and great food around the family tables this week. At the center of it all was the joy of eating and talking with the people I love. Anyone who lives alone will quickly tell you that one of the hardest parts is eating solo. Last night there were four generations of us, from age 2 to 83 around the table. The beautiful words of Henry Harrison Murray flooded my mind and misted my eyes
Grandma's Kitchen: Counting blessings
I am slowly easing back into the land of the living. My routine is different, but at least I have one. For five months I've been in a strange land without boundaries, but with the love and prayers of my girls, my church and Record-Eagle family, I'm finding my new "normal," and it feels good!
Edna Shaffer: We can manage the unthinkable
(Editor's note: This column was written by Molly Franks, Edna Shaffer's third-born daughter. Edna expects to be back writing next month.) The future is uncertain for all of us. Complex matters are part of life. There is no escaping them. When we embark on a journey through hardship, fear paralyzes us. Eventually, we each make a road. We find our way somehow, through the most difficult terrain.
Grandma's Kitchen: Our mom is the best
(Editor's note: This column was written by Edna Shaffer's daughter Vicki Kritzell, who was taking her turn caring for Edna as she recovered from surgery.) I know every child thinks she/he has the best mom in the world, but you know what? My sisters and I actually DO have the best. As you have probably guessed, food has always been at the core of our memories.
Grandma's Kitchen: Savor every moment
How do we measure the sum of our days? We spend hours not noticing the miles between, the spaces grown, the aging face. Society demands busy-ness of us all, and stress so often pulls us from our own priorities and realities. And then, a phone call, a conversation, a knock at the door, a doctor report can stop it all on a dime. And we are faced with the possibility of no more time.
Grandma's Kitchen: Nutrition is a priority
I think about that a lot in relation to food and all the cycles and changes I've seen over the years. Food speaks volumes about the mind-set of a people and culture. Ever since the hunter/gatherers went out and conked some poor unsuspecting wild beast on the head with a club, the race has been on for a faster, tastier way to satisfy our hunger.
Grandma's Kitchen: A daughter's admiration
Editor's note: Edna Shaffer's daughter, Sarah Earl, wrote this month's column. When mom first asked that I consider guest writing her column, the first topic that came to mind was "moms." Actually, my mom. I was happy for the chance to expound on how she perfectly embodies a nurturing spirit, a quiet intellect and quick wit. She has more compassion than anyone else I have ever met.
Edna Shaffer: What next? Look ahead
How very different today is from the last day before the Christmas holiday. All of those chirpy "Merry Christmases" have turned into grunts and barely audible "yes, we had a fine time." As you slide into your La-Z-Boy, you hear those old familiar words sliding across your lips once again: "Next year is going to be so different."
Grandma's Kitchen: Shared holiday recipes
Since this is the last column of our "Christmas Caper," I really want to say a big thank you to all who took the time to share their favorite recipes. It has been fun for me, and I hope for you. Time and space are limited, so I'll get right to the recipes you sent. Each one is a tradition in your homes and it's our privilege to share them.
Grandma's Kitchen: Finding warmth and friends
Today was pretty gray and snowy. I missed church because I'd been under the weather all week and was feeling a little down. On a whim I drove into Honor to pick up the little weekly Insider. I noticed the open sign was lit at the Gathering Place and ran in to get the monthly newsletter. Talk about your serendipitous moment.
Grandma's Kitchen: Thanksgiving recipes
Today our holiday caper is my priority. I have a file brimming with notes and recipes from you faithful friends, just waiting to be shared. Since this lands in your box before Thanksgiving, I'm using two recipes you might find helpful for turkey day. For those of you who missed the column requesting holiday recipes, I hope you can sit back and enjoy, and wouldn't it be nice if we could coast through the holidays without our hair standing on end!
Grandma's Kitchen: Talking turkey with family
Can I "talk turkey"? You will probably think I've lost my mind. Three of us (one was vegetarian) sat down to a 12 pound turkey dinner on Saturday! It didn't really start out that way. Our local daughter's family had other fairly urgent obligations like helping with the new baby and laying up a chimney. So the New York crew is transporting frozen leftovers across four states to their freezer! I fear that by Thanksgiving we will be turkeyed- out , maybe lasagna will sound good!
Grandma's Kitchen: Dishes we haven't seen
These cool, snappy mornings put a spring in your step and whet your appetite for some of those great tasting and wonderful smelling dishes we haven't had for awhile. I think of a bubbling pot of spicy chili, or a favorite soup, and what smells better than a pot roast cooking with onions? Now we can enjoy turning the oven on for this and some tall buttery lighter than air biscuits! Are you hungry yet? I am -- grab your aprons.
Grandma's Kitchen: Autumn brings out apples
I just came in from cleaning the garage, which is a job I hate above all others. So for lunch I'm rewarding myself with two beautiful big brown eggs scrambled in a little BUTTER! I'll have two pieces of crunchy toast and sliced tomatoes from my deck garden -- and top it off with a juicy Bartlett pear and some hot coffee. Ah, yes -- life is good. Later this evening I'm making my first apple pie of the season; it's part of the rite of passage into fall.
Grandma's Kitchen: A delicious Blessing Way
Many of you wrote asking about the Blessing Way we were having, wanting to know more about what is involved. It is an experience that goes so deep for me that it's hard to translate into words. There was a wee sprite there (18-month-old great-granddaughter) who loved every single one of us ...
Grandma's Kitchen: Alaskan price perspective
I have some encouraging news for those of you who are lamenting the escalating food prices. That's about all of us isn't it? Well, take heart, I just read the prices from a grocery ad in Alaska and was really jarred. The rural areas where the wages are the lowest are the hardest hit.
Grandma's Kitchen: Family and vinegar
What a good morning! I really enjoy meeting new people and today I hit the jackpot. Thanks to an R-E column I was contacted by a lady who grew up where I did in Arkansas those many years ago. Our phone visits have been so much fun and I will be meeting she and her husband in person this coming Sunday. Isn't it great to meet someone you've shared a common experience with, even though you didn't know them at the time?
Grandma's Kitchen: Curious news
When you start doing food research you might say along with Alice in Wonderland," This is getting curiouser and curiouser." As more attention is focused on the science of food and nutrition the news from last year has given way to new revelations and discoveries this year. I'm sure there is no end in sight as the research speeds up and continues. It has become a branch of the medical field and practice, and it's high time it did! Pardon the old cliche, but the object seems to be that "we are what we eat"
Grandma's Kitchen: Hot days & fresh veggies
Summertime and the livin' is easy. You can supply the musical notes. Don't you love it? If I were playing the old word-association game, I'd say, "Long, striped, sugary watermelons, juicy peaches at the peak of perfection ... and a big basket of red tomatoes with a salt shaker and a bib."
Grandma's Kitchen: Chicken's neck or our own?
What a different world we live in from the one my mother and even I knew 75 years ago. I stood in the cereal aisle of the supermarket yesterday and scratched my head. Whatever happened to just cornflakes, shredded wheat and Quaker oats? There should be recliners in strategic places to sit and read the numerous boxes and study the many exciting trinkets hidden among the sugared stuff to entice the children.
Grandma's Kitchen: The safety of plastics
As I sit down to write I often wonder what other writers think about as they try to hit upon a topic. Getting to know so many of you over the last five years has been a real plus. Sometimes I just feel like this is a personal thank you for being so faithful.
Grandma's Kitchen: A perfect birthday
Have you ever felt so happy that you would just like to push the stop button and freeze your life right there for a long time? I hope so. That's what happened to me on my birthday. My four daughters all got here at the same time, which seldom works out because of our weird schedules. Here they came, loaded with wonderful food of all kinds, flowers, coffees and goodies.
Grandma's Kitchen: A meatloaf worth doubling
Yesterday while shopping I bought a little cornbread mix on sale, and I'm wondering if you might like to try my meatloaf recipe with the cornbread crust. This would be great with a crispy green salad and a baked potato. You might like to double it. I do.
Edna Shaffer: Earth Day's coming up
Writing this column ahead, trying to project my thoughts from our snowbound landscape to one of early spring is quite a stretch. My thoughts are turning to Earth Day on April 22, and I'm hoping yours are too, especially if you have children in your home.
Grandma's Kitchen: Supper better with good news
Our family uses the words "dinner" and "supper" interchangeably. I grew up where we had supper in the evening. It was a much smaller meal than dinner, which was always at midday. One night last week our family was making small talk around the supper table, when out of the blue our lives changed forever.
Grandma's Kitchen: 50-calorie snacks can satisfy
Happy Valentine's Day, President's Day and Ash Wednesday. I've been trying to come up with a symbolic food that would cover all three of them. How about a red (Valentine's Day) cherry (Washington's Birthday) pie with a chocolate cross (Ash Wednesday) on top? Not clever, eh? Do you have a better idea? I'm waiting.
Grandma's Kitchen: Memory lane paved with cookies
To dunk or not to dunk. That is the question. It's 4 a.m. and I am sipping a cup of hot fresh coffee strong enough to not just destroy the tooth enamel, but to take out the tooth, roots and all. I wish I had something to dunk in it to cut the bitterness.
Edna Shaffer: Home canners get moving now
Freezing and canning have long been a big part of my life and I'm happy to say my girls have inherited my love for it.
Of surprise birthdays and traveling grandsons