A Culinary Genealogy

1 pound butter 1 pound sugar 6 eggs 2 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ pint whipping cream ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. In large mixing bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 2 at a time and mix until well incorporated. Add vanilla. Sift flour and salt together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mix lightly. Add 1/3 of the whipping cream to the mixture and alternate another 1/3 of the flour with 1/3 of whipping cream, until all flour and cream is incorporated and batter is smooth. Pour into greased tube pan and place into COLD oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Approximately 1.5 hours) Cool cake, remove from pan and glaze or garnish. Variations: Orange Whipping Cream Pound Cake - Use Orange Extract instead of vanilla and add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the batter Almond Whipping Cream Pound Cake – Use Almond Extract inste...

1 dozen eggs As many onion skins as you can find Place all of the eggs and onion skins in a large pot. Cover with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and cool. You will have the most beautiful russet-colored eggs for Easter. -- Florence Augusta Siddons Meredith, 1887-1959 Grandma Meredith became ill when I was 8 years old and died when I was 10 years old. I have very few "food" memories of her. However, I do remember us each taking a small mug and filling it with cheerios. Then we would go into her living room and watch "The Lone Ranger" on television. She loved anything involving cowboys and indians. She would also take two pressed-glass wine glasses and fill them with 7-Up. We would drink our "sparkling" drinks like ladies! Grandma Meredith had a kitchen tablecloth with a red Geranium pattern. She also had Geraniums in her kitchen window. She would sit in that window and watch me play on my swing. Geraniums always make me think of her. -- M...

1 cup hot milk 2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese Scald the milk, about three minutes in the microwave. Make sure it doesn't boil over. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add the flour to the butter and stir until completely mixed. Stir the hot milk gradually into the butter-flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the grated cheddar cheese until completely mixed. Return bowl to microwave and cook on high, stopping to stir every 30 seconds, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. -- Meredith Joy Sproul Friedman, 1948-

The Virgin Cream (Friedman Egg Cream) 1 part whole milk 2 parts cream soda -- Stephen Barry Friedman, 1948- The Virgin Cream 1/2 whole milk or half & half 1/2 cream soda -- Adam David Friedman, 1983- The Swan 20% rum 65% cream soda 15% whole milk -- Adam David Friedman Upon learning of a drink a friend created involving rum and cream soda, Adam tried adding milk, essentially creating a rummy version of the Virgin Cream. The Dirty Swan 20% rum 65% cream soda 15% Irish Cream -- Adam David Friedman While at Field School in Wisconsin, a friend tried to order a "Swan." When the bartender did not have any milk or cream, Irish Cream was used instead. Hence the creation of a new drink, "The Dirty Swan."

"There was an old man called Patrick McGillicuddy. He was an old crank an awful old fuddy-duddy. He took a skid while chasing a kid, and these are the remains of the old busy-body." 1) Eyes--peeled grapes 2) Hair--rope, unknotted 3) Teeth--corn 4) Leg bone--bone 5) Veins and arteries--macaroni 6) Liver--liver 7) Hand--glove with jello 8) Tongue--oyster -- Florence Jessie Meredith Sproul, "Grandma Sproul," 1914-2004 When I was about 10 years old, in 1958, my mother, Grandma Sproul, had a Halloween party for me and my friends. We lived at 406 Clarendon Place, Orange, NJ. The house had a front to back hallway that was as wide as a room. At the back of the hallway, she had taken my brother Walter's Lincoln Log box and placed it on two saw horses, with Grandpa Sproul's help. Grandpa Meredith had made the box for Walter and it was the size of a small coffin. She arranged chairs, auditorium style, in front of the box. All of the lights were turned off and she...

1 part table salt 3 parts baking soda -- Aunt Lollie

1 quart of cooled boiled water 10 cents worth of Epsom Salts 1 head of garlic (chopped fine) juice of 2 or 3 lemons Let stand 24 hours. Take a wine glassful every morning before breakfast. -- Laura Katherine Siddons Nieser, "Aunt Lollie," 1891-1963

Cookies: 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 tsp. almond extract 2 cups flour 1/2 cup raspberry jam Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract 2-3 tsp. water Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixer bowl, combine sugar, butter and almond extract. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed. Cover and chill 1 hour. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 2" apart on cookie sheets. With thumb, make indentation in center of cookie (edges may crack slightly). Fill each indentation with 1/4 tsp. jam. Bake 14-18 minutes, until edges are slightly brown. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Mix all glaze ingredients with whisk until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. -- Jennifer Dawn Friedman Farley, 1975- Bruce requests these cookies every year at Christmas. They are easy to make and delicious! Besides being a yummy treat for the family, these cookies make good holiday gifts.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt one stick of butter in a baking dish. I use a rectangular Pyrex dish. Place 4 to 6 cups of fruit in a cooking pot. Sweeten the fruit to taste and heat on the stove. Do not boil. Beat together: 1 cup of flour 1 cup of milk dash of salt 1 cup of sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp vanilla Pour the batter on top of the melted butter in the dish. Spoon the heated fruit on top of the batter. You can use a slotted spoon for less syrup in the cobbler. Place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned on top and bottom. I save the leftover syrup from the fruit and it can be spooned over the cobbler or over the ice cream that you might put on top of the cobbler. -- Meredith Joy Sproul Friedman, 1948- This recipe brings back memories of living in Northern California. In the summer, we would always take trips to Winters, California. We would know we had reached our destination when all we could see were orchards on both sides of the road. We would ...