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Family, Home, My Kitchen, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Godiva Chocolate Liqueur Pumpkin Bread

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CIMG0756I LOVE CHOCOLATE! I really do love chocolate!

ONE CHRISTMAS several years ago, my Mother altered her annual pumpkin bread recipe by adding chocolate chips. I loved it!..

LAST YEAR, as I was preparing to make pumpkin bread for the holidays, I remembered her chocolate chips recipe. I decided to amp it up a few notches more by adding cocoa and Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. I am making it again this year, as it was a big hit – (although I likely gained some weight eating too many pieces).

MY BROTHER MILT frequently brings Godiva chocolates when he arrives for Christmas. It is well known in the Marquis family that chocolate is a favorite of so many of us. I developed this recipe using Godiva Chocolate Liquor for extra flavor for all the chocolate lovers – and of course named it for Milt.

YOU CAN ADAPT A FAVORITE PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE or use a box mix, jazzing it up with various rich and spicy and chocolate flavors for the holidays – I added pumpkin puree and an additional egg as well. In this recipe, I used World Classics Pumpkin Spice Muffin and Bread Mix I purchased from Trader Joe’s. My recipe can be doubled and it freezes well. I typically make it in mini loaf pans and freeze them, so I can pull one or more out as I wish based on the number of guests present.

THIS IS GREAT IN THE MORNING WITH COFFEE or in the evening after dinner.

Milt’s Pumpkin Bread with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur/strong>

1 box pumpkin bread mix (I used World Classics Pumpkin Spice Muffin and Bread Mix.
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/2 cup Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can use dark)
3/4 cup pecans, chopped in small pieces
1/4 cup pecans, ground to tiny pieces

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Hershey Cocoa
1 Tablespoon butter, softened
1 tsp Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

PREHEAT OVEN to 350 degree. Beat eggs well and add pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, Godiva Liqueur and water.

MIX WELL BUT DO NOT BEAT. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Pour into a regular sized loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes or 30-40 minutes for mini pans. Check with cake tester and remove when done. Do not overbake so bread is moist.

WHILE LOAF IS COOLING, mix powdered sugar, cocoa, butter, Godiva liquor and vanilla for glaze. Blend and spread on warm loaves. Sprinkle ground pecans on top whil glaze is still soft and press down gently to settle nuts in glaze. Sprinkle on a few chopped nuts.

TO SERVE, sprinkle cocoa around the outside edges of a pretty plate and place a slice of the pumpkin bread in the middle. Serve with a dish of cold peaches with vanilla whipped cream and coffee (or a small nip of Godiva Chocolate Liquor for the real chocoholics).

Hope this works out for you if you try it.

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

Family, Home, My Kitchen

Marquis Twins and the Birthday Black Cake: Recipe from 1918

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NaBloPoMo Day 7 – continuing daily posts in November blogging some of my on-going work on a cookbook project, tentatively titled: 100 Years of Marquis’ Family Christmas Recipes and Traditions. As a new blogger, I appreciate your encouragement and comments in my journey and welcome your joining the conversation as the holidays approach, to share your traditions on the daily topics. (The header picture near my home in Charlotte North Carolina – the city of Trees)

TODAY IS MY FATHER’S BIRTHDAY and my thoughts have been of him all day – remembering his ready laugh, his enthusiasm for life and how much he loved the holidays with all the hoopla and family time.Dad at Piano

DAD SHARED a BIRTHDAY WITH HIS TWIN SISTER Fanella. They were born in New Kensington, PA, but grew up in Charleston, WVa and remained close during their lifetimes for nearly nine decades. (My mother also has a twin sister.)

BIRTHDAYS ARE A BIG DEAL IN OUR FAMILY. When I was growing up, we looked forward to a birthday as much as we did Christmas (well almost as much). The family member having a birthday anticipated not only birthday gifts, but their own special cake and favorite foods for the family dinner. (Such power to be the center of attention when you are a kid.) This tradition was passed down from past generations.

THE TWINS’ BIRTHDAY was always an extra special occasion to celebrate two birthdays. When they were young, Grandmother Marquis baked two cakes for her twins – so each one had a special cake. She baked the same two cakes for decades and they were known as the twins cakes. The Sunshine Cake was for Fanella and the Black Cake was for Harold.
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Margaret Jackson Marquis (grandmother), Fanella Elizabeth Marquis (Jenkins), Harold Edwin Marquis II(Mark)

EVEN IN THEIR SENIOR YEARS, my Aunt Fanella would travel from Charleston, WVa to Madison, Indiana to celebrate her birthday with her twin brother. And yes, my mother made two cakes for them. She didn’t have grandmother’s recipe, but made her version of their cakes. I was thrilled when my Aunt passed on grandmother’s cookbook to me and I discovered recipes for the twins cakes in grandmother’s own handwriting. Grandmother Marquis left behind the recipes for the twins’ cakes, tucked into the pages of one of her well-used cookbooks: Lowney’s Cook Book by Maria Willett Howard, published in 1907 by the Walter M. Lowney Company, Boston. Price was $2.00.

I DON’T KNOW HOW OLD THIS RECIPE REALLY IS, but I can date it to at least 1918 – as the family reported she baked these two cakes for the twins every year they were growing up into early adulthood, beginning when they were toddlers. They celebrated their first birthday on November 7, 1918. I have written the recipe for Dad’s BLACK CAKE as she recorded it in her own hand. (I am currently experimenting with spices to get a taste that makes sense and testing oven temperatures.)

HAROLD’S BIRTHDAY BLACK CAKE (1918)

CAKE:
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup butter
4 eggs (leaving out whites for frosting)
1 cup sour milk
1/2 cup grated chocolate dissolved
in 3 tablespoons of boiling coffee
1 teaspoon of all kinds of spices
1 teaspoon of soda sifted with flour
2 cups of flour
Mix well. Bake in layers.
Put layers together

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon flavoring
1 cup Lowney’s cocoa
1 tablespoon cream or milk
1 teaspoon butter

Beat egg white, sugar and cocoa for five minutes.
Add flavoring, milk and melted butter.
When cool, put layers together with frosting
and spread chocolate frosting on top and sides.

Grandma Marquis must have been a believer in Lowney’s Cocoa. We found in her personal papers that she won a contest put on by the company for a jingle she wrote to advertise their cocoa. I don’t know what she won, but I remember my mother telling me about it. So many things I wish I had asked when I could.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

ARE THERE ANY SUGGESTIONS as to the “all kinds of spices” she might have used in 1918?

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

Fall, Home, My Kitchen, Poetry, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Fall in the City of Trees, Crockpot Roast, Limoncello Cupcakes and a Dog Named Casey

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I am continuing daily blogs in November toward the goal of sharing some of the recipes and traditions in our family for 100 years during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I welcome your sharing of traditions and comments about the blog topic.  

Today was a semi-cloudy election day in Charlotte, NC.  We will have a new mayor tomorrow.  The trees are  nearing peak here.  So spectacular that we saw Fall colors come alive in the mountains and then come home to the city and see Fall come again…. Awesome!

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THIS SCENE IS NEAR MY HOME in Charlotte, North Carolina, and on the path of our two mile walk we travel several times a week. Most of our walking is on the greenway, but we take this shortcut through a nearby street to our house.  My parents lived in an apartment near here when they sold their Indiana home and moved to be closer to family.  Each time I walk it, in my mind’s eye I see Dad, walking his dog Casey down this street. I put my thoughts about them into a poem.

CASEY
You came into his life when his need for you was great –
at mandatory retirement age, he couldn’t envision
life without work at the electric power plant.
You arrived in a box just after his 70th birthday,
a tail-wagging, face-licking snauser –
and he named you Casey.

Your demands were few – Alpo, TLC and exercise,
he gave you plenty of each and
you gave him reason to look forward to the day.
Your daily walks kept him in shape.
You slept on his shoes while he played solitaire,
then wrestled on the floor, followed by
an afternoon nap with you tucked under his arm.
When bath time rolled around
you hit the showers together.
You stood patiently in the shower stall
after your bath, waiting for him to shower.

He loved music, and you learned to sing with him
pointing your nose in the air and howling along
as he sang your favorite song, “Home on the Range”.
You rode in the Lincoln on his daily errands
even sleeping in the car while he attended
Presbyterian church with Ina.
He slipped food to you under the table, although
as a young father his children were forbidden
from feeding pets at the dinner table.

Your master entered his 8th decade of life –
you grew old in dog years and slept
at his feet for the last time –
while his memories dimmed with dementia.
He missed the faithful companion
who had enriched his life –
– as long as he could remember you.

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This is one corner of our back yard, as seen from the back of our house.  Charlotte is known as the city of trees and we have our share t enjoy.

It is now November and I am engaged in planning our calendar for the coming holidays.   I am also getting out some of the decorations for Thanksgiving month.  I will show those tomorrow.  Another busy day.  We had crock pot roast, cooked slowly with onions, potatoes, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, mushrooms and some white wine I had on hand.   I make some lemon cupcakes with limoncello icing for dessert.   This time I just used a box cake, and added lemon juice and yogurt to the mix of other ingredients for the cupcakes – and the touches of icing is just limoncello, confectioners sugar and some powdered lemonade mix (crystal lite) for tartness.

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MY HOLIDAY PLANNING IS UNDERWAY. HOW IS YOURS COMING?
Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

Home, My Kitchen

The Holidays are Coming and It’s TIme to Get Organized

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I’M IN! I have signed on to the challenge of NaBloPoMo month to write a post each day in November. I am starting a cookbook project this month, tentatively titled: 100 Years of Christmas Recipes and Traditions in the Marquis Family. I have recipes for five generations in my family, and will be sharing some in posts, along with the stories and traditions that have been passed down. I will, of course, be including some of my thoughts and ideas as well. These posts will necessarily be first drafts of course, to be edited later. As a new blogger, I appreciate your encouragement and comments in my journey and welcome your joining the conversation as the holidays approach, to share your traditions on the daily topics. I expect to learn much about my family, blogging and writing (and hopefully some of your traditions as well) during this engaging November exercise in creativity.

IN MY FAMILY, we don’t think about Christmas as just one day. We begin to plan for the winter holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas no later than November 1st – so our planning covers activities for the period from November 1st – January 1st. There is a lot of excitement in the air- and early November is the time to get organized! I don’t want to ever be so rigidly organized that I can’t live a spontaneous life. And there are days when I set aside all plans to participate in something unexpected or maybe just have a do-nothing day because that is what I want to do. The holidays with all the expectations and hoopla can be very stressful, leaving us to feel pushed and pulled in all directions.

BUT, HAVING SOME DEGREE OF ORGANIZATION, assures me that I will finish the goals I set out for myself. Pre-planning also lets me decide what I choose to do, and eliminate what I do not want to do – ahead of time.

THERE ARE TWO GUIDING PRINCIPLES that have served me well over the years as a busy working mom and professional woman.

1. I read a quote somewhere that I keep posted over my desk.(It used to reside on my refrigerator.) “I can accomplish more in one day than most people can in one week, because I am organized.” I have seen some of the lists my grandmother Marquis made. She was a mother of six and bookeeper for the family business. My mother made to-do lists – and my sister does too. Technology has greatly aided our ability to plan. I use apps to make lists and to keep a calendar. I do use a paper calendar for Christmas pre-planning.

2. Many years ago, when I had accepted my first administrative position, I read in one of the organizational guru’s books that successful executives had one thing in common: they decided at the end of a working day what they would tackle the next day of work. When they cam to work the next day, no time was lost in deciding what to do – she just started at the top of the list for the day. I have continued this practice for many years and look forward to quiet time at the end of the day to decide what I will do the next day.

SO, LET’S BEGIN our organizing for the Christmas season. In a very busy holiday season, things run so much more smoothly with investing time in pre-planning. Then we can enjoy the festivities with much less stress. The first thing to do is to organize my calendar.

CALENDAR:
I USE A LARGE CALENDAR, with space for writing notes in each cell, and enter the following information:

1.- SOCIAL EVENTS we will be attending (e.g., Nutcracker, Christmas symphony concert, plays) and social invitations we accept from family and friends, as they come in.

2.- ENTERTAINING we want to plan for at home during the holidays (e.g., tree trimming party, dinners, receptions)

3.- THE DATES SPECIFIC GUESTS will be visiting overnight (with names and number).

GIFT LIST
I USE AN APP ON MY iPHONE to make a list of each person that I will be buying a gift for this season. The phone is always with me, so I can add ideas as they occur to me, or check my list if I am out shopping, and I see the perfect gift. When I purchase it, I add the amount paid, so I can see what is complete and what is left to buy.

MENUS FOR SPECIAL DAYS
1.- I PLAN THE MENUS for each entertaining event, as well as for the days guests will be staying in our home during November and December. Thanksgiving and Christmas eves and days, I plan menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening snacks – as well as the days we will have overnight guests. The menus are typed for each date. If I am preparing a special recipe, I add the cookbook and page number for easy reference. Having the menus posted in the kitchen lets guest know when meals will be on the table so they can plan their day, and you can easily assign willing guests to assist in preparing selected foods.

2.- I MAKE WEEKLY SHOPPING LISTS from the menus. It takes a couple of hours to plan all the menus and weekly shopping lists, but investing time early is SOOOO worth it. I no longer have to struggle about what to cook or what to buy at the grocery. The planning is done.

BAKING
I PLAN SEVERAL BAKING DAYS to prepare foods I can make ahead and store in freezer for the holidays (e.g., variety of cookies, holiday breads like pumpkin breads, Christmas eve bread, basics for pumpkin soup A and other entrees that can be made ahead and frozen). If unexpected guests arrive, I always have something to pull out on short notice. I love baking days! I put on some Christmas music and cook and bake and sing to my heart’s content. This is a special time to be creative – maybe prepare some new and unusual foods, as well as old-time favorites the family will be looking forward to savoring once again.

WHEN THIS PRE-PLANNING IS COMPLETE, I am ready to enjoy the remainder of the holidays. The many free spaces on the calendar give me multiple choices for when I want to shop, put up the tree, decorate the house, write the Christmas cards, visit the frail family members, go caroling and so on. Based on the plans already on the calendar, it is easy to look over and decide when there is time, and desire, to add something that comes along that looks like fun. Trust me on this. Hanging in there to complete pre-planning is really worth it! Now we can enjoy the holidays.

DO YOU HAVE OTHER SUGGESIONS FOR PRE-PLANNING?

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

Home, My Kitchen

100 Years of Marquis’ Family Christmas Traditions and Recipes

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OK, I’M IN!  November is National Blog Posting Month, requiring a post for each day in November.  NaBloPoMo will be a challenge, but I have signed on to the task.  I have just started blogging: womenlivinglifeafter 50.com. 

I HAVE BEEN THINKING about a project that I will dust off and begin in earnest this November  – posting every day with some narrative or photo related to the book. I have collected stories and recipes for a couple of years in anticipation of writing this book.   I now have recipes for the Christmas holidays for five (5) generations of my family.  I thought it might be of interest not only to the extended Marquis family, but perhaps others to write them down, along with the stories and traditions that have been passed down in the Marquis family.

I’LL COMMIT TO beginning this project by writing each day in November a post that could be incorporated into the final book.  It might be a family story, or tradition that was passed down through the family, or a favorite recipe – or even my own experience related to specific holiday events.   The subtitle of my blog is “Learning something new every day.”  No doubt, I will learn a great deal in the process of writing this history. 

I HOPE YOU WILL be interested enough to stay tuned in November, sharing your encouragement and your comments about the posts.

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

 

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Fall, Home, My Kitchen

Spaghetti, Go-To-Meals and All Things Pasta

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IT WAS A PLEASANT OCTOBER DAY,  the temperature in Charlotte was in the low 70’s, the air crisp and the leaves turning colors in the city.  After grocery shopping in the morning, I enjoyed lunch and browsing in the clothing stores with my friend Barbara.  We try to meet once a week for lunch, checking out the food and ambiance in a different restaurant each time.  We always discuss the books we are reading. Then, we do something interesting,  such as viewing a new exhibit at the Mint Museum, browsing the huge Metrolina Antique Market, checking out a sale at a favorite store, spending the afternoon in a bookstore, or seeing a movie on rare occasions.  

I NEEDED TO PULL out one of my go-to-meals tonight, if I was to have dinner on the table at the usual time. LIKE SPAGHETTI. I typically change the way I make spaghetti sauce each time I make it.  The way I see it, cooking is a creative process and that is what makes it fun. 

I MADE A SIMPLE TOSSED SALAD of field greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, grated cheddar cheese and chunks of zucchini. 
I put the whole wheat pasta on to cook as I made the sauce. 
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THE SAUCE FOR TONIGHT’S MEAL INCLUDES: ground beef, onions, garlic, tomato paste, peeled and quartered tomatoes, thinly sliced carrots, mushrooms, salt, pepper, basil,  and oregano – and this time, I added a 1/4 cup of sherry (medium to dry).  Since I had limited time to prepare dinner this evening, I precooked the carrots in the microwave until partially done.  In a skillet, I cooked the ground beef and onions and spices until done, added the garlic for an additional minute or two, then added the remaining ingredients. 
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I LEFT THE SAUCE TO COOK DOWN somewhat to the thickness I wanted on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 
I WATCHED THE PASTA carefully to not overcook and drained it and moved it to the back of the stove for the last few minutes for the sauce to thicken.  I set the table and put the garlic bread in the oven to heat.  Tossed the salad with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I ARRANGED THE PASTA in my large white tureen, poured the sauce over the pasta and topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese.   I poured glasses of wine.  Tonight, it was Moscato Provincial di Pavia Castello del Poggio, Asti Italy.  Viola!  Dinner is served.
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I FOUND A LEMON PASTA at Trader Joe’s that is my new favorite – Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta.  I prepare the pasta, then toss it with extra virgin olive oil, toasted pine nuts and onions sautéed in a splash of olive oil and butter – then sprinkle pasta I bowl with parmesan and oregano.  Serve with a quarter lemon to squeeze over top.  Delicious.  Really. 

IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIMENT with unusual kinds of pasta and can’t find a local provider who has a variety, I have found an on-line source.  Rossi Pasta (rossipasta.com) has 29 kinds to try, such as: Vino Rosso Linguini, Lemon Pepper, Saffron Linguini, Black Olive Linguini, Wild Mushroom Linguini, Spinach Basil Garlic Fettuccini, citrus Angel Hair, Pumpkin Spice Fettuccini (option to serve with sliced turkey) and many more.  CIAO.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR GO-TO-MEALS?

Sue Marquis Bishop October 2013

     

Aware and Peaceful, Home

Oh, To Be in the Mountains in the Fall

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THERE WAS ALWAYS ONE DAY IN EARLY SEPTEMBER when my Mother would say, “fall is in the air” – and we would set out looking for bittersweet, cattails, wheat stalks and other interesting dried weeds and seeds to make into her Fall decorations. We knew fall had officially arrived, when we smelled her first loaf of pumpkin bread in the oven.

I LOOK FOR SIGNS OF FALL, as I take a break on the screen porch, with a second cup of coffee and an English muffin smeared with cream cheese and tomato marmalade. We are in the North Carolina mountains this week enjoying the cool air and gentle breezes.

THE MOUNTAINS are blanketed with trees stretching to the sky, their leaves mostly deep green now at summer’s end. The trees in our woods appear stately and still – as if their sturdy trunks, and all their leaves, are holding their breath – just before they exhale in a fall explosion of color. Fluffy clouds in the sky lay shadows here and there across the mountains in dark stripes, alternating with the sunlit areas, making the mountain range look like a giant head of just harvested broccoli or a boiled wool jacket in textured stripes of sunlit green and olive-black.

IT’S EASY TO IDENTIFY Mt. Mitchell, elevation 6,684 feet (ncparks.gov/visit/momi/main.phb), the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. The climate at the peak is more like Canada then North Carolina, with animals and flora more alpine in nature. Some birds that make their homes on the highest peak do not fly south for the winter, but fly down the mountain to a more suitable climate for wintering.

Black Mountain Range Photo by SMB
Black Mountain Range
Photo by SMB

THE LEAVES ON THE DOGWOOD trees are beginning to turn red and berries are appearing on the branches. So far, only a few trees show evidence of changing colors. Red shows here and there through the woods. Dry leaves are scattered on paths. An occasional yellow leaf tumbles to the ground from high in the canopy.

I HEAR THE RAT-A-TAT of a woodpecker, and finally locate his red head pecking like a jackhammer, on a tree not far from the porch. The squirrels chase each other up and down the trees, stopping to gather nuts and seeds for their winter stash. A doe and two young deer appeared in the back yard again early this morning as we were making our coffee.  The fawn have grown and lost their baby spots.  They scamper and nuzzle each other like the adolescents they are.

Deer on Cane Mountain Photo by SMB
Deer on Cane Mountain
Photo by SMB
THIS AFTERNOON WE SEE WILD TURKEYS emerging from the woods. They are in a rowed flock of 15, playing follow the leader, as they climb up the steep mountainside, in an ascending column of feathers and bobbing blue heads. Blue heads? That was a surprise to me too. Blue as the Carolina sky! I always thought wild turkeys were skinny birds, not fat like the turkeys fattened for our thanksgiving tables.  Not so these birds.  They look fat to me.

A FEW LONE HUMMINGBIRDS ARE busy stuffing their tiny bodies with nutrients in preparation for the long trip south. My herb garden is getting leggy, as are our the geraniums and petunias. I pick the last of the tomatoes. I button my sweater against the cool afternoon. Maybe we’ll build our first fire of the fall season tonight. I make a mental note to arrange for a cord of wood to be delivered.

TODAY’S MAIL BRINGS notices about Fall festivals in the small towns throughout the North Carolina mountains – each one with a unique history – Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, Old Timey Days, Mt Mitchell Festival, Tomato Festival or Wooly Worm Festival. Children love the wooly worm races. Some old timers vow the thickness of the wooly worm’s coat predicts the kind of winter we will have. All the festivals have music,fresh produce, prepared food and beautiful mountain crafts. North Carolina is now 10th in grape production and wine stompings are more common. 

Fall Farmer Market Photo by SMB
Fall Farmer Market
Photo by SMB

AT TWILIGHT, I see the lights in the high school stadium in the valley below. Football season is underway at Mountain Heritage High School. I decide that tomorrow I will bring in pots of rust, orange, red and yellow mums to brighten the house and porch.  I’ll set some pumpkins and bittersweet on the screened porch and decorate the dining table and mantle with colorful leaves and pumpkins. It’s time to put away warm weather clothes and get out sweaters, jackets, corduroy, wool and hats. A good night for chili and apple pan dowdy.  

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A NEW SEASON.  My mother used to say that “each turning of a new season gives a person a lift.”  I understand what she meant because I feel the same way.  As a new season approaches, I feel emotionally uplifted, eager for new experiences and motivated to action. Time to make my action list for Fall.

What are the SIGNS OF FALL you look for?

What MEMORIES ARE STIRRED when they appear?

What FIVE WORDS would you choose to describe your experience of Fall? My choice is: colorful, savory, rich, cozy, industrious

Sue Marquis Bishop
September 2013    

 

 

Home, My Kitchen

The Pie That Made My Dad Propose

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PIE-PIC
Photo and pie by SMB

WHEN DAD MENTIONED AN OLD GIRLFRIEND’S PIE, MOTHER SURPRISED HIM WITH ONE OF HER OWN.

MOTHER PREPARED A FORMAL DINNER WITH DESSERT every night of the week for her husband and four children, and the six of us ate together, at the table in the dining room, Dad at one end and Mom at the other. Whenever the dessert was cream pie, Dad would ask, “Did you know I married your mom because she made the best pie I ever ate?” Then he would pause and chuckle. “Even better than Josephine’s pies,” he would add with a wink in mom’s direction. Then he’d retell the Marquis family story.

MY PARENTS MET ON A BLIND DATE IN Charleston, West Virginia, in the spring of 1938. She said he arrived at the door in a brown checkered suit with a fashionable belt in the back and brown and white shoes. His first words were, “Hi, I’m Harold Marquis. Do you want to go dancing?”

HE NOTICED HER BIG BLUE EYES AND NATURALLY CURLY HAIR. She thought he was handsome and polite. They soon discovered they had something unusual in common before the night was over when he asked, “I would like for you to meet my twin sister,” and she replied, “And I would like for you to meet my twin sister too.”

ON THE DATES THAT FOLLOWED, they frequently went dancing, as this was the big band era. After dancing, they would often stop at a diner for some pie and coffee. Dad loved pie and had a unique way of eating it. He’d always tell the waitress to “Put the pie in a bowl and pour milk over it”. One night he happened to mention that his old girlfriend Josephine had made him a pie. Mom didn’t answer, but the next time he picked her up for a date, she had her old-fashioned cream pie waiting for him.

“THAT WAS THE BEST PIE I EVER ATE”, Dad always said. “I decided right then that I was going to marry this girl.” In December, 1938, Ina and Harold eloped and were married in Ashland, Kentucky. They were each 21 years old.

MY PARENTS HAD A LONG LIFE together filled with many blessings. They were graceful ballroom dancers and enjoyed dancing well into their 80’s. They both arrived in the world in 1917 and they both died in the same year – 2008 – after 70 years of marriage. I miss them every day.

OUR EXTENDED FAMILY of children, spouses, grandchildren and great grandchildren now number 22. All the Marquises know the story of the cream pie that started our family. We still make it sometimes and whenever we do, we retell the story, as we eat every bite of this delicious dessert and lick our forks.

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Original photo appeared in MADISION COURIER, Madison, Indiana

MARQUIS OLD-FASHIONED CREAM PIE

Preparation: 30 min Refrigerate: 4 house to overnight

CRUST:
12 graham crackers, broken in pieces
2 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 cups cold milk
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
Raspberries (optional)

PREPARE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend graham crackers in food processor or a few at a time in blender. Add sugar and mix until finely ground. Add melted butter and combine well. Reserve 1/4 cup of graham mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Bake about 7 minutes until lightly browned. Cool while preparing filling.

PREPARE FILLING:
In large saucepan, whisk sugar, salt and cornstarch. Add milk and egg yolks and whisk well. Heat mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to bubble, then cook one (1) minute longer.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nutmeg and butter. Cool filling by placing pan in ice water, taking care not to let any water spill into filling. When filling is just warm, pour into baked crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs. Add a few raspberries on side of plate when serving pieces if desired.

THIS PIE IS SO SCRUMPTIOUS THAT MY FAMILY OFTEN EATS IT STILL WARM WITH A SPOON, NOT WAITING UNTIL IT FIRMS UP TO SLICE. I also sometimes just make the filling and layer with angel food cake in a stemmed glass with fresh fruit – an impressive and delicious dessert for a dinner party.

A version of our family story and mom’s pie recipe was originally published in the June 2013 issue of LADIES HOME JOURNAL, and reprinted in savvydad.com

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013

Home, I Love Books!

A Home Without Books? Impossible

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I AGREE WITH THOMAS JEFFERSON when he said, “I can’t imagine a life without books.” My mother read to me and her three other children from the time we were babies. I consider it the greatest gift a mother can give her children. It has made a difference in my life and my love of learning.

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH BOOKS really began in earnest when I received my first library card as a preschooler. As I looked up at the rows and rows of books in tall bookshelves, I felt a thrill of wonder and adventure that has never really left me when I visit a library or bookstore.

ADVENTURE AND ANIMAL STORIES AND FAIRY TALES fueled my imagination as a child. As a pre-teen, I loved books with strong female characters creating, exploring or solving mysteries like “Nancy Drew” or “Peggy Parker: Girl Inventor” (although Peggy Parker has too much racial stereotyping to recommend it to young girls today). When we wanted to know more about a topic, we consulted our encyclopedias. Today, we consult the internet – a vista on the world.

AS A TEEN, I was introduced to so many new books on classical literature, biographies, history and poetry. IN COLLEGE, the world of science, clinical practice and research appeared in books. I have kept a few books that were important to me in my life’s journey – books that opened new ways of thinking or feeling, promoted understanding myself or the world, or focused my appreciation for nature and humanity. As I chose a career in nursing and then the academic world of teaching, practice and research, books have been companions in my chosen work, and not just for leisure.

I associate a COMFORTABLE HOME WITH THE PRESENCE OF FLOWERS, CANDLES AND BOOKS. Books can be found in several places in our home – bookshelves in the family room, home office, guestroom and a cookbook shelf in the kitchen. Just one or two books can be found here and there, near comfortable and well-lit reading nooks, and on bedside tables. One of my favorite places to read in the Summer is in the rocking chair on the screened porch overlooking the mountains. In winter, I prefer to read in a cushy, jade green, Queen Anne chair near the fireplace in the living room.

I AM PUZZLING OVER an article in a home décor magazine suggesting ways to decorate with books. The author recommended buying books from a flea market that were all of one color, so the bookshelves would look color-coordinated with the room. SHE’S KIDDING, RIGHT? Another idea I heard on a TV segment was to turn all the books backwards in the bookshelf so the white was showing and the colored backs wouldn’t show. GOOD LUCK WITH FINDING A BOOK ON THOSE SHELVES.

OTHER DECORATING IDEAS I have heard include making lamps of books, or tearing the backs off books to frame as a picture. The most astounding idea I read once, in a marketing campaign for a bookseller, was to purchase books that would impress others. As someone who values books for learning and leisure, I can’t envision finding any of these suggestions acceptable.

Two years ago, my son bought a KINDLE for me. I love it.! Mine is in a snazzy red fabric cover that looks like a book (of course!). My KINDLE can store 3,000 books, is convenient for traveling and easy and quick to upload new books (less than one minute). When I am at home, I keep the KINDLE beside my bed to read a few minutes before sleep. Although I am enjoying e-books, I still purchase other books that are in various places in my home. If I am in another room with time to read, I may pick up the book and read for a few minutes. A few of my favorite books I read this year include: “Personal History” by Katherine Graham, “The Physician” by Noah Gordon and “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand.

Booksellers are losing market share and publishers are transforming operations, as we navigate through the transition of how we are to store, access and use information. One thing we can agree on, THE FUTURE WILL LIKELY NOT LOOK LIKE THE PRESENT.

WHAT DO BOOKS MEAN IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE FUTURE OF BOOKS AS WE KNOW THEM?

Sue Marquis Bishop 2013