An Invitation to Make Memories in the Kitchen With Us

For many years, our family made nearly all of the bread we make, and all six of my children grew up helping to make that bread.

One day in late 1993 while kneading bread dough that would be used for Communion in our church, I was struck by the whole Eucharastic nature of breadmaking in general: taking a few ingredients, working them with your hands, and then later distributing that bread with people I love - and sitting down to enjoy it with them.

And, honestly, you could apply that philosophy to all of cooking. Food is so basic - we all need to eat - but it can also can become the conduit for giving, receiving, and sharing love. There's something really sublime about preparing and serving the very substances a person needs to survive. 

And making and breaking together can create long-lasting bonds. Think of the saying: "It's hard to remain enemies when you've broken bread together." 

Last week, I wrote about how Rebekah and I would soon reinstate the Sue's Diner feature of the BryonySeries - a recipe from one of the BryonySeries cookbook that we would prepare and post on the website each week.

Our first recipe is ready to go - and I couldn't figure out the back page of Sue's Diner the way Timothy has created it. 

So I had two choices: decipher it myself (and risk altering many hours of his hard work) or wait and ask.

I chose the latter. 

So in the meantime, I'm sharing with you the background behind WHY the series is even publishing cookbooks - and an overview of where we found the recipes used in the original cookbook.

Our first recipe should be posted next week on the website, and I'll share the link on this blog.

Mostly, we are inviting you to join us - either by yourself or with a loved one - and make your own memories in the kitchen.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Introduction to Memories in the Kitchen: Bites andNibbles from “Bryony.”

Why a cookbook?

Well, why NOT a cookbook?

Even before I began submitting Bryony to agents and small presses, my kids and I talked about all the fun, additional products the novel might inspire.

Although I’ll probably never see bendable dolls with their own line of clothing (too bad, since we could make a fortune on all those lost, little shoes) or a Simons Mansion dollhouse (I REALLY want one), the cookbook idea flourished inside me, especially after I wrote a story on what Kathy Carey did for March of Dimes.

For two decades, this remarkable woman participated in Grundy County's March of Dimes walk. In 2000, after a friend gave birth to a premature baby, Carey increased her efforts. She assisted the district coordinator. She contacted companies for donations and sponsorships. She re-routed the local walk to increase its visibility.

Three years ago, Carey read an advertisement for fundraising cookbooks. Although she owned no computer and had no previous cookbook experience, Carey sent for the information. She studied it closely and decided she could do it. She set a fundraising goal of $7,000 and calculated that she needed to sell 1,000 cookbooks to reach it. Carey peddled the books at local stores, craft shows and festivals until she sold them all.

Inspired by Carey's story, I decided to create a Bryony themed cookbook and donate any profits it might make. Its recipient is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties. In its 40-year history, the organization has matched over 15,000 at risk children from single-parent homes.

Because Bryony's main character, Melissa Marchellis, spends part of her childhood in a single parent home, the group was a good match for the cookbook. I am humbled that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties agreed.

So, I scrolled through the manuscript, jotted all the food references, and began collecting recipes. I modified many of the Victorian dishes to ease preparation, but kept the original language intact. Some, such as boiled calves head, are included so readers can learn about the culinary delights of days long past.

But enough talking. As Melissa’s younger brother Brian said during a holiday dinner, “We made all this food to eat, right?”

Right, Brian. Happy reading and bon appétit!

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From "Bryony," is the official BryonySeries cookbook.

(Editor's note: that should read "original," for we now have two more cookbooks: GRRR and Squeak!) 

 It's a collection of authentically Victorian recipes and recipes that were popular in the 1970s.

 

Some of the recipes came from 19th century, out-of-print cookbooks.

 

Some came from vintage cookbooks still in print and were used and modified with permission of the publisher.

 

Some came from the collection of The Henry Ford and features signature recipes of restaurants long since closed.

 

Some came from reader submissions.

 

All proceeds from cookbook sales benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties, a nod to the cooking/mentoring relationship between Steve Barnes and Brian Marchellis in Bryony.

 

So when you purchase a cookbook for yourself or as a gift, you not only might make your own "memories in the kitchen," you'll help a child.

 And that's a sweet combination.