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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Too Many Cooks

Full of beans, and other stories

2 C or not to 2 C

One afternoon, my friend called, requesting a “come see.” Arriving at her kitchen, there sat a pitiful-looking loaf. It was very small, making yeast the immediate suspect, and so hard you could not cut into it.

 A Sunset magazine sat opened to a dark rye bread recipe. “You have to burn the sugar to get that dark coloring,” she explained. I nodded yes, and began reading the recipe.

“You burnt the sugar?”

“Yep.”

“Added that to the warm milk?”

“Yes,” she answered, “then, 2 cups of shortening added to the milk and sugar.”

“2 cups?”

“Right,” she said, “2 cups.”

I double-checked the recipe. Next time, I said, “Try 2 tablespoons!”

Suzi Johns of Spokane

 

Spoon man

When I was a Boy Scout many years ago, we went on an overnight camping expedition. We brought along a gallon coffee can in which we would cook our ingredients for the main course: hamburger stew with potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper. Someone tossed in a bay leaf for additional zest.

When the stew began to boil over the fire, we discovered we forgot to bring a long kitchen spoon with which to stir the stew while it was cooking. I took out my trusty knife and whittled a spoon from a tree branch. It served very well in stirring the stew continuously for maybe a half hour.

When we sat down and took our first bite of stew – yuck! The wooden spoon was carved from a branch of the bay tree. Each of us had to decide whether to eat it or go hungry.

Joseph Henry Wythe of Sandpoint

 

Coating of armor

While in the military, I was transferred to a new base and, due to a housing shortage, was required to live off base. This meant I would have to do most of my own cooking. I was not worried about this as I was able to take field rations and, with a little imagination and creativity, convert them into something edible.

My most memorable experience started with a trip to the local grocery store where I purchased the usual items, including chicken and a coating mix. At home, I carefully read the instructions and prepared the chicken for baking. Before putting the chicken in the preheated oven, I again checked the instructions on the coating mix package to make sure I was doing it properly.

My first indication that something was not right when the table knife failed to make so much as a dent in the chicken. After a lot of sawing with a much sharper knife, I managed to cut off a small enough piece to eat.

The length of time I chewed on that piece increases with each telling of this story. It’s now about seven minutes before I was able to swallow that piece of chicken.

Not being a person who is willing to admit defeat, I ate the whole thing while composing in  my head the letter I wouold write the makers of the coating mix.

As I was about to throw out the rest of the mix, I reread the instructions and noticed an asterisk that led me to very small print informing me that, for boneless, skinless chicken, I should cut the cooking time in half.

A very memorable lesson was learned, and ever since I have not made a similar mistake.

Paul Baxter of Spokane

 

Full of beans

When I was almost 12 and my aunt was 16, she was the cook and housekeeper and I was the helper – particularly at busy times such as harvest. Although we were young, my aunt and I had done lots of cooking. We grew up with gardens, a smokehouse, a root cellar.

One day during harvest we wanted to do something different, so we decided to make baked beans. We followed a recipe in an old cookbook and enjoyed the wonderful smell of the beans baking. Even members of the harvesting crew commented on it as they came in for dinner.

We dished up the beans and handed a bowl to the first person, who – of course – wanted a big helping. There was total silence as everyone looked at him and the beans began to go ping, ping, ping as they bounced around his plate and the table. Then everyone burst into laughter.

We had forgotten one important part. We hadn’t soaked the beans, and they were as hard as rocks!

Arloine Brown of Davenport



Cooking inspirations, favorite recipes, restaurant finds and other musings from the local food world and beyond.