Cooking in the West

With gas and diesel prices through the roof and inflation hitting our wallets month after month, there are many people who are having to get creative about providing food and shelter for their families. Urban camping is now a thing in places like Bozeman, Montana not just Seattle or Portland, and many families are resorting to multi-generational cohabitation. In fact, I have a whole lot more respect for the television family of the Waltons after living with three generations under one roof. I remember watching the Waltons back in the 70’s and loving the family togetherness it portrayed.

When our daughter Brooke and her family sold their house and decided to move in with us until their new house was completed, it seemed like a great idea. Then the complications began arising. There was only one very small storage unit for rent in the entire county, so the rest of their belongings and they had to find homes in our house, barn, horse trailer, porch, and pretty much every covered space on the ranch. If you looked at our house on Google maps, you would have noticed the sides bulging out I am sure, or maybe it just felt that way?

The Bares moved into our spare bedrooms with their three sons, two dogs, and one rabbit. Thank God their cat had died earlier that year. One dog is a German shepherd, and the rabbit was a Flemish Giant who weighed 23 pounds. To say that the house was full of love is an understatement. I did not know rabbits were nocturnal, but apparently they are. Lou the Rabbit (who is actually Louise as we found out when we took Lou to be neutered) feels the need to noisily chomp her food at 2:30 a.m. and then rearrange the bedding in her cage a couple hours later. Grandpa Walton’s suggestion after the first sleepless night that Lou would be very happy in the tack room in the barn was met with such dismay at his lack of compassion that he abandoned the thought posthaste.

Do you have any idea how many socks a multi-generational family generates in dirty laundry in one week? I do. 98 socks needed to be paired up, and I found myself pondering in the middle of the night whether it was the washer or the dryer that ate those three missing socks. Of course none of those three were pairs so we now had six mismatched socks left in the basket. Theoretically and mathematically we would be completely out of socks in six weeks, but fortunately they moved into their new house before we were going barefoot with winter coming on.

Bedtime was always a peaceful time in the Walton house, where they all called out, “Good night, John Boy, Mary Ellen, etc” clear across the house. Well, here at Waltonville, it was not really peaceful, since Jasper was only four and did not feel the need to adhere to a bedtime earlier than the remaining household members. After an hour of saying prayers, getting him several drinks and crackers followed by more drinks, reading him numerous books, and spending at least 49 minutes of that hour threatening him with everything from calling Santa Claus to sending Daddy in if he gets out of that bed, he was not one bit sleepy. Finally, we all just started going to bed at 8:30 p.m. Maybe that is why the Waltons looked so rested and wholesome--they were getting 10 hours of sleep per night, because they had figured out they might as well go to sleep at the youngest member’s bedtime.

The morning routines of seven people in one house did not exactly mesh flawlessly. If I cooked eggs and sausage, at least two people wanted Lucky Charms instead. Finding everyone’s boots, gloves, hats, and coats even though you know they came in the house the night before said persons was no easy feat. I decided to ask Santa for a new coat/hat/boot/glove rack the next time I had to call him regarding Jasper’s bedtime behavior. We resorted to a checklist which read, “Shower, clothes, breakfast, teeth brushing, hair combing, outer garments, run for the car.” Homework was also on the morning checklist, and I do have to admit I learned a whole lot about Andrew Jackson’s administration and the endoplasmic reticulum from speed reading the seventh grade science and history textbooks during my morning coffee.

There were upsides to multi-generational living such as having another cook and dishwasher in the house, having grandkids take out the garbage and do other distasteful chores, and to have the choice of several answers to the question, “What do you want for dinner?”

The Waltons series lasted 11 years even though they did their washing in a ringer machine, relied on an ice box, listened to the radio for entertainment, and all took a bath in the same water. In reality, they probably would have thrown in the towel after a couple months--except that a clean towel in a house full of people is something to hoard not throw around!

This week I would like to share a few recipes that are suitable for multi-generational cohabitation or just single family living!

Strawberry Bread:

3 C. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 T. cinnamon

2 C. sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 C. vegetable oil

2 C. sliced strawberries, thawed

1 1/4 C. nuts

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Mix strawberries, eggs, and oil. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir well and pour into pans. Bake one hour at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes clean.

Peas and Mushroom Royal:

4 slices bacon, diced

6 oz. can sliced mushrooms

1 C. light cream

2 C. fresh or frozen peas, cooked

2 T. onion, chopped

2 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Fry bacon in a skillet. Remove and add onions and mushrooms. Cook until the onion is golden brown. Stir in flour and seasonings and blend well. Gradually add cream. Cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Add peas and bacon.

Potato Casserole:

2 lbs. hash browns, thawed

1/2 C. melted margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/3 C. onions, chopped

1 pt. sour cream

2 C. shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together and put in a greased 9 X 13 pan. Melt 1/4 C. margarine and mix with 2 C. crushed Corn Flakes. Sprinkle on top and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.