As The Rooster Crows

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Grand-mom, Granny, and the Doctor, 3 Nurses into old Food Recipes

November 21, 2020 8:45 am / 10 Comments on Grand-mom, Granny, and the Doctor, 3 Nurses into old Food Recipes

**So, these three women have been a significant factor in my life** **since I first started dating the one in the middle. The lady on the left** **was my mother in-law until her passing some years back.** **The lady on the right was the Rooster and Wife’s first born.** **The woman in the middle is the lady the Rooster has had to answer to for over 50 years.** **All 3 ladies became Registered Nurses, one, she’s on the right, has become a Doctor of Nursing Practice over the years.** Recently while going through some old family artifacts we found a cookbook from 1935 era belonging to my mother in-law. I will share today with you a much loved baked morsel that dates back to forever in this family. **Just today I had a piece from a fresh baked Shoo Fly Pie. I share the How-to make with you now.**

**Sometime around 1935 this recipe appeared in, and I’m guessing here, “The Wilmington, DE News Journal**. **The wife’s mother started a cook book back then and I hope from time to time to add some more recipes.**

The original family cook book, Circa 1935, the year the happy couple moved from Philadelphia to Wilmington. I can only wonder what grand delicacies were dripped onto the cover over the years.

**From that newspaper recipe, this is what was mailed up to Connecticut from Mother to Daughter back in the mid-60’s.**

The Nursing Notes for Shoo-Fly Pie

After following the recipe to a “T”, this is our final written word.

Line 2 pie pans with pie crust

Make Crumbs

3 cups of flour, 1 cup of Brown Sugar, (may use white) a generous 1/2 cups of shortening ( I split 1/2 Lard – 1/2 Butter) Mix with fingers till it resembles fine crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of crumbs to put on top of pie.

2. To the remaining crumbs add one teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of nutmeg.

3. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda in 1/2 teaspoon of Vinegar.

4. Mix together 1 cup of Dark Molasses with 1 cup of boiling water, add dissolved Baking Soda and Vinegar to Molasses mixture.

5. Add all to crumb mix, mix well, pour batter into lined pie pans.

6. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the two pies.

7. Bake in 350 deg oven 30-45 minute until tooth pick comes out clear.

Let cool, eat and enjoy!

**The finished product.** **Just so great with a cup of coffee in the morning.**

Don’t forget to check on the elderly and for goodness sake, wear your mask.

Semper Fi

the Rooster

Thanksgiving Will Be Different this year

November 17, 2020 4:45 pm / 6 Comments on Thanksgiving Will Be Different this year

Below is a normal Thanksgiving Baking Tabel at the home of the Rooster. With daughter Kathryn supplying the venue, our normal seating chart of 25-53 names will not be reached this year.

2019
2 Mac and Cheese, 2 Pupkin, 1 Cherry, 1 ShoeFly

Our new peeps arrived on October 20’th, 13 girls and a boy. At this point we have not a clue, which one is the boy, who will be named Gregory Peck? I had that contest back in September, if you recall. Hard to believe I’ve been this tardy since my last Blog Post.

These are a few of the chicks at four weeks of age in their new surroundings. We got a mixed batch of breeds this time so we must wait a bit yet to really know what we got. I’m guessing this will be our 6th flock over the past 17 years. Some years back we lost an entire flock due to the N1A1 Virus. Now we must worry about keeping this flock’s keepers healthy.

Who said, ” Wear your MASK?”

Over the years we have obtained our birds through a variety of sources. Several neighbors have provided a few from time to time, due to predatory birds and animals feasting. Eight birds at one time went to the larder of a local fox, on the same evening nonetheless. Busy little bugger he was, on that night. Our most recent loss was to a Bald Eagle several months ago. We are surrounded by 50 acres of farm land and allow are birds to free range once reaching adulthood. A good Rooster protects his flock quite well. Something circling overhead, crowing prevails and the girls are led under the closes tree. Knowing who provides the feed and snacks, we are like the Pied Piper of Hamelin and they follow us everywhere.

When we purchase from a commercial grower we will use Murray McMurry in Iowa and Meyer in Ohio. We have never been disappointed in either source. It’s a great Hobby and you can not beat a free range egg. This batch came from Meyer in Polk, OH. They were born early of the 19’th, put on a plane in Cleveland and arrived overnight in Baltimore. Somehow, by 1345 hrs, 1:45 PM for those who don’t know the children arrived at our local Post Office in Salisbury, Md. Who says the Post Office is slow? For those who wish to learn more, https://www.backyardchickens.com/ is a great site.