Month: September 2008

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Soda Cracker Recipe from the 1800’s

1800 Era Soda Crackers

I know, we ALL think we know what Soda Crackers are! If fact there is possibly no one in America that can’t describe in excruciating detail the proper composition of a soda cracker. Unfortunately, they’d be a little off.

Now, I am not a fan of all old recipes, because many recipes have been improved over the years, decades and centuries… however, there is value in seeing how things were once made because we often can learn from them.

Besides, it became obvious to me that I needed to learn how soda crackers were made in America if I was ever going to be able to put together one of the oldest recipes I have found for Macaroni and Cheese. Soda Crackers are a major ingredient in this recipe.

Here’s the basic ingredients:

4 cups flour + 1 teaspoon of soda (sifted together)
1/2 tablespoon of lard + 1/2 tablespoon of butter (mixed together)

1 egg

salt to taste

1 1/2 – 2 cups buttermilk

Process:

Make a stiff dough with buttermilk

roll out on a greased cookie sheet

prick with holes to allow the steam to vent ( score dough in a grid )

and bake 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes until brown

set out to cool.

My Comments:

Obviously, some of the original directions were very general… such as the addition of buttermilk was a ‘guideline’ left for you to determine the amount… the temperature was a ‘guesstimate’ in those days… but this is approximately correct by today’s standards.

Generally, a nice snack, not much by those who crave sugar, frosting and chocolate… but a remembrance of by-gone days… plus I need it for my yea ol Macaroni and cheese recipe.

Besides, it was fun … and yummy!

Roger Freberg

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Sarah Palin is Real

Pistol packin Ma MaOnetime speech writer for Ronald Reagan and syndicated columnist Peggy Noonan had an interesting quote in  today’s column  that seems to encapsulate the media’s frustration with their irrelevance:

“The mainstream media, which has been holding endless symposia here on the future of media in the 21st century, is in danger of missing a central fact of that future: If they appear, once again, as they have in the past, to be people not reporting the battle but engaged in the battle, if they allow themselves to be tagged by that old tag, which so tarnished them in the past, they will do more to imperil their own future than the Internet has.” 

Once again the clerics of the media like to snipe at a candidate for Vice President that offends their senses. I was asked once by someone in the media if I thought they were ‘biased’? I simply said, “How would you know you were not?” FDR, knowing that he lived in a world unconnected with the rest of America, would travel up to northern New York to meet an old friend who would give it to him straight. I suspect that Governor Palin’s appeal is certainly broader than the media’s worst fears… but time will tell.

Governor Sarah Palin represents the emergence of a once forgotten woman: mother, professional, married and holding many conservative values. I say ‘holding conservative values’ because although not all mothers are conservative, they all share certain common desires, wishes and dreams for their lives and for the lives of their children…. which almost by definition put them on the side with so-called ‘conservatives’ on issues described as ‘family values.’ Nothing makes a woman think about the future and experience a personal change in her perspectives than becoming an involved mother. Motherhood seems to make all the difference.

Gloria Steinem  ( not to be confused with being a ‘mutha’) recently was quoted as saying that all Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Hillary Clinton shared was an ‘X Chromosome.” The truth is that Sarah and Hillary just represent different point of view, one perpetuates the battle of the sexes, the other will work with anyone…. even men.

Yes, as a man, I prefer to ‘hang with’ women like Sarah Palin. They just seem more ‘real’ to me. Ask any man if they prefer a professional woman who likes sports, technology, real friendship, commitment and children… and few thinking men would walk away from that. Sarah Palin is real.

So, again, congratulations to  Governor Sarah Palin and especially to Senator John McCain  for the willingness to protect what is good about our country and yet have the courage to make those decisions for positive change and inclusion.

Roger Freberg

Laura Freberg, Ph.D. aka

‘nothin finer than a fine lady with a gun!’ — adapted from the Bruce Willis movie “The Whole 9 yards”

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Great Recipes are Made or Stolen!

Karen & Laura's Blueberry Coffee Cake!I am very proud of my little band of chefs! Laura, Kristin and Karen all enjoy experimenting with new recipes, developing on old proven winners and when all else fails… they act like the pirates they are… and they “steal” one!

Actually, we don’t “borrow” from too many folks as their recipes usually suffer from various inadequacies: too many shortcuts, cheap ingredients, inadequate substitutions or they just stink. Was I ‘over the top here?’

Anyway, one of my family’s favorite items was prepared by a restaurant for whatever reasons left our little town of San Luis Obispo called ‘Hobbee’s’… and now can be found at least in one of my favorite places of my youth… Palo Alto. Forgiving it’s somewhat vegetarian cuisine for the moment, one of their nicer ‘treats’ was a blueberry coffee cake that was… delicious and always worth the trek.

For Some reason, my daughter Karen had never posted her mother’s and her adaptations to this recipe… they didn’t want to share it with ol dad who’s eyes always rolled at the mere hint of it’s baking! However, brought to you through excessive begging on my part… is their version of this great coffee cake!

Here’s the Recipe!

Karen loves to put  Amarula ( a south African Liquor that reminds me of a nicer Bailey’s Irish Cream) in everything… so I wasn’t surprised to see it in here too!

enjoy it with someone you love!

Roger Freberg

PS. Now you can see what we are doing when we are not on Jenny Craig!