Another thing that happens when you turn your hobby/passion/whatever into a business is that it becomes just that...a business. And sometimes, you realize it isn't fun anymore because...well, it becomes work.
As a result, I almost completely stopped eating sweets, and when I was home, I refused to cook. I wouldn't have set foot in the kitchen if I didn't have to pass through it to get to the rest of the house.
However, now that I've been away from it a couple of weeks, I found myself longing for those freshly baked cookies, so I decided to fire up the oven this afternoon and indulge myself. The smell of chocolate chips and white chocolate macadamias, peanut butters and snickerdoodles, are gloriously intermingled and the aroma in my kitchen is quite nice right now.
I've also begun studying old cookbooks and browsing through old recipes again. I taught myself a lot this way. Until my mid-thirties, I didn't cook anything that didn't come from a box. Now, I have more cookbooks than I know what to do with, and I read them like others read novels.
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| This is half of the collection. |
So as I am enjoying my cookies (I can't eat just one) with a cold glass of milk, I am browsing through an old dog-eared cookbook. It is like taking a walk back through time, reading those recipe ingredients and the language that they were written in. Some of the recipes remain classics, but some of them are truly dated, as you might expect.
A few examples:
I make cheese straws, so I am always interested in other cheesy-wafer recipes. Today I found one with the first ingredient being a "3-oz package snappy cheese". What in the world is "snappy cheese"? So I did a little research and learned that it is actually a Kentucky beer cheese that (I think) is now sold in Florida, and I also found a recipe to make it. I may give it a try one of these days.
Speaking of odd language, I came across a recipe for "Albuminized Fruit Juice". At first glance, I thought it said "aluminized". Yikes. No thanks! I later learned that "albumin" (or "albumen") simply refers to the white of an egg. This recipe called for one egg white, 1/2 cup orange juice, and one teaspoon lemon juice. Beat the egg white, add the juice, strain it through cheesecloth, and pour over chipped ice. Again, no thanks. Egg whites are best consumed in cooked dishes, and besides, I can't imagine what the taste or consistency of this drink would be like.
Finally....I love all kinds of punch. (Here is a really good banana punch recipe that I have used for many weddings.) As I was scanning another old cookbook, browsing through the beverages section, I came across this gem: "Pruneade". Yes. Exactly. I know that prune juice has many health benefits, but I have childhood memories of it that were none too pleasant, so there is no way I would ever allow this Pruneade concoction to cross my lips. Here's the recipe for any adventurous soul who is an aficionado of the stuff. I just have to laugh, because it sounds so completely horrible.
Pruneade
Serves 1 (really...who wants seconds?)
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup prune juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup milk
Go ahead, try it. You are surely braver than me if you do.
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