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Cynthia Bowan’s Family Fare Column We writers sometimes feel as though our words are going into the great abyss, so we’re always happy to receive feedback about our work from others. The most welcome comments are from those who perceive what we, ourselves, are trying to convey in our writing. One gratifying response to my cookbook is the column written recently by Cynthia Bowan of Oakmont, PA, printed below. Cynthia believes that “…we are losing touch with who we are as people – our rich heritage, people and food-wise, these days. [Fewer and fewer]…people are cooking at home. So I do what I can when I write or speak to groups to encourage people to save their family recipes, try new things, and cook!” Cynthia’s writing appears in various newspapers and Internet sites
on foods and cooking. …a column for Gateway-Star publications which runs (and has for
18 years!) in various weekly newspapers in the Greater Pittsburgh area In addition, Cynthia moderates eleven Yahoo group lists dealing with food and co-moderates several others. To find her internet writings, do a Google search for CynthiasCornerCupboard with no spaces. Cynthia is a wife of 39 years, mother of five—one daughter is
a Marine—and grandmother of three “wonderful” grandsons.
(Isn’t that a coincidence? My three grandsons are also “wonderful.”) Family Fare by Cynthia Bowan Every so often, I receive a cookbook from someone who would like me to review it. Last week, I received a copy of "Nobody Cooks Like Ruth", by Ruth Dondanville. My first thought was "Of course not. Nobody cooks like I do, or my mother did or..." But then I began to read the book. That's correct - this is not a cookbook to skim through for a new recipe or something different to make. Oh, the recipes are there, all right, and many of them had me wishing I could stop everything and get busy in the kitchen. But it is the story of Cherotree, famous in the Nashville, TN area for several years that first gets hold of your curiosity. Reading on, you encounter Ruth's wisdom, feelings, love for good food and family and much more. This is a large, soft-bound book, 231 pages. The recipes are all time-tested and proven, and the hints and information useful. I particularly loved the section at the end called "Interlude - So You Want to Own a Restaurant?" In very down-to-earth words, she lets you know just what one might expect if they have that dream. In Nashville, people still talk about Ruth and Cherotree. The restaurant was a reservation-only, with one-of-a-kind menus that changed weekly, and was located in her big old house. (She also owned Ruth's.) The name Cherotree came from the huge water maple in the yard that had grown into a twisted shape. Her husband's grandfather told her that Indians had once trained trees to grow that way to point to water. Since the Indians in that area would have been Cherokee, the two elements were combined to create the name Cherotree for the restaurant. One of my favorite lines in the book concerns her answer to people who ask her what type of cooking she does. "Mama's cooking if she cooked gourmet." Finally, I have an explanation of the way I cook as well! Ruth's culinary career spans over thirty-five years. She has been a restaurateur, caterer, cooking teacher, consultant, food writer and producer of television food commercials. She has a food site at www.ruthcooks.com. Among the offerings this month, she gives you "Seven Ways to Use Up Garden Tomatoes". Also, her cookbook is available on the web site. From her recipe for Tenderloin Tips with Wonderful Lemon Crème, to Michael's Fantasy Banana Cream Pie, the recipes are clear, concise and appetizing. This book is a must for serious cooks and for those who love to read cookbooks - you know, those of us who read a cookbook in bed before going to sleep, the way other people read mystery novels. At any rate, I have made four recipes from the book so far, and now
share a couple of them with you.* Hope you will Enjoy! them as much as
my hubby and I did. And as always, remember to CYH - consider yourself
hugged. 2 quarts good quality chicken stock, fat removed Chiffonade is the term for lettuce or spinach cut in long fine strips, as in julienne. Bring stock to a boil. Add vegetables and meat. Return to a boil and serve. That's it, unless your stock is lacking in flavor, in which case season with salt, white pepper, Tabasco sauce and/or commercial chicken stock base. Oh, and soy sauce, if you like it. I don't. Ruth also says "The vegetables are mix and match. Use any vegetable that makes you think of a Chinese [restaurant]. Dieters may have unlimited quantities."
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