By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018) [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
½ cup Nestlé’s quick chocolate drink powder
3 cups slightly soft vanilla ice cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put ingredients in blender, using on/off agitation and blending until smooth. Stop motor occasionally to scrape mixture away from blades and repeat blending until creamy. Makes one serving.
1-qt ice cream, any flavor, in 2” balls, hard frozen
2 cups finely rolled pound cake crumbs or cookie crumbs
2 eggs, well beaten and combined with 4 TB milk
(in small bowl for coating ice cream balls)
1 pint/8-oz oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
…Using [only a] few [balls] at a time, from the freezer, roll balls in crumbs and then in egg [mixture], back quickly in crumbs and into freezer one more time. Heat oil to 320°F and deep fry coated balls a few at a time from the freezer in hot oil only a few seconds, until slightly golden. Return to freezer again to serve either at once or icy cold later on with hot fudge sauce over them.
BEST FAST HOT FUDGE SAUCE
Melt [together] 5-oz Pet Milk, 5-oz white Karo, and 14-oz box Milk Duds until smooth and hot; without letting it boil, cooking and stirring often – about 20 minutes, just below the boil.
Mom often wrote about love and kindness in her books and newsletters – even earlier, in her syndicated columns. Both were very important to her, to Dad, to each of their parents, and so on. Mom and Dad were raised by and lived by “The Golden Rule”, which is a basic, moral principle for an evolving society that encourages us to treat others with kindness.
Mom was always promoting love and kindness, starting in the family and home; from where it could spread out into the neighborhood, town, and throughout the land. Love and kindness are natural tendencies but they also need to be nurtured, as well as learned and practiced through time and experience.
As I wrote about, in a previous blog post, Kindness Begets Kindness (Nov. 2020), a single act of kindness can multiply exponentially into more acts of kindness, as people tend to pay acts of kindness forward, thereby touching an infinite number of people. Love and kindness are powerful deeds.
BestDailyPrayer.org, says of “love is kind” – “It is polite to others, honest, and truthful. It does not like evil but stands for righteousness. It has faith in people, never considers others to be lost causes, and is ready to be patient with them and endure all hardships until they come round. It is the greatest command God gave to us, to love others.” (Aug 3, 2022)
Likewise, InspireKindness.com’s blog, Kindness – 101, says, “It’s being selfless, caring, compassionate, and unconditionally kind. Like love, it takes practice to understand and feel it. We share love with others through kind acts such as a smile, a nice word, an unexpected deed, or a planned surprise.” (Date unknown.)
From songs to movies to soap opera titles, we’ve heard how “love is a many-splendored thing”. Even The Beatles sang, “love is all you need”. In fact, love is many things, as the famously known passage from I Corinthians 13 indicates: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
MentalHealth.org.uk’s Kindness Matters Guide says, “acts of kindness can make the world a happier place for everyone. They can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism… encourage others to repeat the good deeds they’ve experienced themselves – contributing to a more positive community.”
Qualities of kindness include considerate, courteous, helpful, and understanding of others; showing care, compassion, friendship, and generosity. Kindness is treating others as you would like to be treated. A kind person shows concern for the feelings of others. Kindness also contributes to an overall feeling of goodwill and positivity.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 30)
MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY
HAVE YOU EVER HAD your day suddenly turn sunshiny because of a cheerful word? Have you ever wondered if this could be the same world because someone had been unexpectedly kind to you. You can make today [that way] for somebody! It’s only a question of a little imagination, a little time and trouble. Think now, ‘What can I do today, to make someone happy?’
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the one whose hopes were fading, now with courage, look ahead?
Do you waste the day or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,
‘You have earned one more tomorrow, by the work you did today.’?
#MakeKindnessTheNorm
‘Happy is the person who has a good supply of the milk of human kindness and knows how to keep it from souring.’ – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 17)
Kindness helps others feel valued. Showing even the smallest amount of kindness can go a long way. According to Aesop (an ancient Greek fables author), “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” Many people believe that kindness has the potential to change the whole world. Its contagiousness often sets off a pay-it-forward ripple effect.
Being kind is known to change lives – not only of the receivers, but also of the givers. Kindness is also commonly known to have physical and mental health benefits. It’s an essential part of an evolving society that bridges the divides of race, religion, gender, and other such things.
Science has proven that there are many health benefits to being kind and receiving kindness. Many psychiatrists agree that a healthy benefit of kindness includes empowering our personal energy and self-esteem. It makes us happier, which is good for our hearts. As such, kindness helps us live longer. See RandomActsOfKindness.org for more information.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 24)
DOING SOMETHING NICE
WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, do better. Just because you are not doing wrong doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing right. Remember the importance of setting a good example. The things we do each day influences others.
Good intentions become stumbling blocks to real accomplishments when you constantly fail to act upon your hunches or fail to tackle things you wish to do. Don’t expect the world to think you’re wonderful just because you do something ‘good’ – for someone else!
Good people do good things all of the time – everyday, and no one pats them on the back for it. You have to do good – not for what others are going to think of you, but what you’re going to think of yourself!
If you get a kick out of doing something good for somebody… do it! But don’t expect any rewards or special recognition for having gone out of your way. Every once in a while you may be complimented for something good that you’ve done, and that’s very nice.
But most of the time, whatever you do is to make yourself feel better about what has to be done, or what should be done! It’s not a matter of conscience, but of compassion. Either you have it, or you don’t!
HAVE YOU EVER had your day suddenly turn sunshiny because of a cheerful word? Have you ever wondered if this could be the same world because someone had been unexpectedly kind to you. You can make today [that way] for somebody! It’s only a question of a little imagination, a little time and trouble. Think now, ‘What can I do today, to make someone happy?’ – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 30)
I can’t say it enough – love and kindness should be practiced every day! After all, we’ve been taught this since we were toddlers. It’s a shame that the unpretentious acts of love and kindness are forgotten by so many as they grow older. If a young child can understand the value of love and kindness – why can’t we all?
According to Wikipedia’s interpretation of Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten, it “explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children, i.e. sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living ‘a balanced life’ of work, play, and learning.”
LAST THOUGHTS…
Giving the best of ourselves should be done without expectations of reciprocations of gratitude! It is through acts of kindness and giving from our hearts that we receive our own true gift – one that can’t be bought or even priced – the gift of love. Remember, love is kind and kindness is love!
SUNSHINE IN THE morning, moonlight at night, the fragrance of gardens, the deep silence of harvest fields, [and] the musical rattle of tea cups bring us rays of warmth, flooding through the open windows of the mind. The laughter of happy children, the familiar tread of love [from] approaching feet, a beautiful thought, a pleasant dream, a letter, a kindly greeting, a worthwhile job to do, a joke, a song, a kindness received (and remembered) – these are things which cost us nothing but enrich us beyond all telling! – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 41)
In honor of TODAY, being National Drive-Thru Day, plus it’s National Ice Cream Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for Wednesday’s Frosted Drink; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 265). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)].
There are some places (within a couple hours’ drive or one-day-road-trip destinations) that my husband and I enjoy so much we love to visit them frequently. One such place, which was also a favorite destination of Mom and Dad’s, is Frankenmuth, Michigan!
Michigan is rich in German heritage, especially in its own little Bavarian gem, known as Frankenmuth. This little town, just southeast of the Saginaw-Bay City area, has been world-famous throughout generations, for their German-heritage and family-style, fried chicken dinners (among other things).
Michigan-based restaurants that Mom would frequent to taste-test their dishes and develop imitations of them at home included palette pleasures from Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn restaurants in Frankenmuth, which are the two major restaurants in Frankenmuth that serve the world-famous family-style chicken dinners.
Zehnder’s was originally the Exchange Hotel (1856). The Zehnder family purchased it in 1928 and began serving their first chicken dinners in 1929. Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn’s restaurants are owned by different relatives of the same Zehnder family. In 1984, the two became separate corporations, with friendly competitions between relatives.
Tourists flock to the tourist town treasure called Frankenmuth year-round, from all over the world, and stand in line for hours for the famous chicken dinners served at one of the two major establishments in town, Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn.
All the food is served in dishes, set in the middle of the table (family style, just like at home), from which “the family” helps themselves. The wait staff refills the serving dishes as needed. [Note: Reservations get you in more quickly than waiting in line.]
Over the years, Mom came up with almost two dozen imitations of some of Frankenmuth’s famous dishes and treats from the two major restaurants mentioned above; plus, some bread and confection imitations from the local bakeries and fudge shops. Several of Mom’s imitations from Frankenmuth can be found on the Recipes tab of this website.
Mom and Dad loved to take road trips to Frankenmuth, as do me and my husband. It’s a beautiful drive through small towns (if we stay off the expressway). Once there, you’ll find unique shopping and eating experiences among all the German culture that this small, sightseer town has to offer!
The town’s German heritage exudes from its many restaurants, bakeries, fudge shops, hotels, breweries and other quaint little stores that line the mile-plus length of the main street through town – from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland (which is all Christmas, all year) to the Frankenmuth Brewery!
Frankenmuth is a unique town that has, for decades, been renowned for their sit-down, family-style chicken dinners. It’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Saginaw, where one of Mom’s favorite radio shows used to air for decades. It was called “Listen to the Mrs.”, hosted by Art Lewis on WSGW-Radio.
I came across some of the show’s cookbooks recently, in a Millington antique shop near Frankenmuth. They included recipes that Mom had shared on the show, as well as those offered by others. It’s too bad that the internet has made these kind of shows obsolete. Now, AI is going to be eliminating more people and programs from radio, as well.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, p. 66)
COME INTO THE KITCHEN
FAMILY RESTAURANTS and homestyle meals are returning to popularity. During the war-protesting days of Vietnam, the right to ‘be different’, the right to protest, to be individual made anything even slightly related to ‘family’ and ‘home’ forbidden or corny. People became impersonal to each other…
Now the pendulum is swinging the other way. The family and home have been reinstated…even in our restaurant industry. Today it is changing back to the personal, the warm, the family. The restaurant industry, in its urgent bid for the public’s loyal attention, is trying to make their dining experiences like your home away from home. Hospitality is becoming their badge of honor!
The kitchen… is the best place to be when we’re home! You’ll notice that current home designers are getting away from the formal dining room area… Homes are becoming more functional in design, as well. In our continuing efforts to economize, to restrict energy sources and to bring the family back to the warm, bright, openness of a country kitchen, we have rediscovered the personal advantages of the best room in the house…
The classic country kitchen is coming back, where there is one large working space close to the appliance area and also open to the informal, large, eating area… It was a warm and workable kitchen that reflected a family as a unit… Every inch of it said: ‘Welcome!’ If you were a stranger when you entered, you were a friend before you left.
L.V. Anderson’s article, The United Sweets of America (Aug. 24, 2014), claims that Michigan’s unofficial “state dessert” is fudge! Likewise, Thumbwind.com’sTop 13 Best Foods Which Made Michigan Famous, by the Thumbwind staff (Sep. 25, 2020), also alleges that Mackinac Island Fudge is the #1 favorite!
Also on Thumbwind’s list of famous Michigan-made foods, is Detroit’s Coney Island Hot Dog, at #2 (see Mom’s recipe to imitate it at the close of this blog post) and Buddy’s Detroit-Style pizza at #3. Those were followed by Traverse City’s tart cherries, the U.P.’s pasties, and Frankenmuth’s home-style chicken, to round out the top six choices.
No matter where you go across North America – from Michigan’s own Frankenmuth, to California’s See’s candy shops, to Orlando’s Walt Disney World in Florida, to Niagara Falls’ Maple Leaf Village – fudge is a tourism staple and the very making of fudge, right before our eyes, has become an art form that entertains millions of tourists every year.
Have you ever heard of the term, “Christmas in July”? Coincidentally, Frankenmuth is the perfect place to visit for “Christmas in July”, as Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is all about Christmas (and is the largest Christmas store in the world). It’s open all year, every day (except Christmas Day).
PureWow.com’s article, The 6 Most Charming Small Towns in Michigan, by Dan Koday (May 26, 2022), lists Frankenmuth as #2, tucked between Charlevoix and Petoskey, respectively; which are much further away than a one-day-road-trip (from southeast Michigan). But they were also among Mom and Dad’s favorite Michigan vacation destinations.
“Willkommen”, which is German for “welcome”, adorns the arch across Gera Road as you enter Frankenmuth, right by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, from the south. I must say, Frankenmuth really is one of the most welcoming small towns I’ve ever visited. For a 3-mile-square, small town, they have a lot to offer it’s tourists.
There are blacksmith demonstrations, as well as taffy and fudge making demonstrations. You can also learn how to hand roll pretzels, the traditional German way. The town hosts various festivals throughout the year, too.
Frankenmuth has multiple indoor water parks, an 18-hole putt-putt course, zip lines, and an aerial rope course. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is open daily, year-round. The Frankenmuth Brewery offers tours and taste testing, too.
There’s also an old, covered, wooden, traffic bridge; which crosses the Cass River, where it winds through town between the Bavarian Inn and River Place Shops – a Bavarian themed outdoor shopping mall. Aside from the shopping and food you can tour the town by horse-drawn carriage, riverboat, or a 16-person peddle trolley that also offers beer.
If you’ve never been to Frankenmuth, Michigan, it’s a tourist town treasure that’s worth adding to your bucket list!
Friday, July 14th is… National Grand Marnier Day and National Mac & Cheese Day! In honor of the latter, here is a re-share of Mom’s imitation of “Macaroni And Cheese Like Woolworth’s” (our family’s favorite)!
HOT FUDGE SUNDAE TOPPING [& Butterscotch Variation]
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in Gloria Pitzer’s Mostly 4-Ingredient Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; April 1986, p. 6).
INGREDIENTS:
12-oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
14-oz can Eagle Brand Milk
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup hot coffee [black]
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all 4 ingredients in top of a double boiler, over simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Allow to cook, without stirring, for 15 minutes. Use portable electric mixer to beat sauce for 1 minute on high speed, upon removing from hot water. Serve sauce at once, spooned over ice cream. Makes 2 cups.
HOT BUTTERSCOTCH TOPPING [VARIATION]:
Following above recipe, use butterscotch morsels instead of chocolate chips and maple flavoring instead of vanilla.
Here, in the northern hemisphere, we’re almost to the middle of summer and the unbearable, sweltering heat of “The Dog Days” continue to hound us, with practically no relief in sight! Many Michiganders are almost wishing the “Polar Vortex” would pay us another quick visit.
“The dog days” is a term we often hear, and many of us assume that it refers to how much dogs will lethargically lie around on these extremely hot, intolerable days. But did you know that “the dog” is actually an ancient celestial reference?
According to History.com’s “Why Are They Called ‘The Dog Days of Summer’?”, a great article by Christopher Klein (no date available), “… it’s a throwback to the time when ancient civilizations tracked the seasons by looking to the sky. The ancient Greeks noticed that summer’s most intense heat occurred during the approximate 40-day period in the summertime when Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, rose and set with the sun…”
During this time of the year, ancient Greeks believed that Sirius (aka: “the dog star”), which is also part of the Canis Major (aka: Greater Dog) constellation, gave off heat like the sun because it was so bright. They supposed, therefore, that it’s daytime appearance, along with the sun, contributed to the extreme heat and high temperatures.
By the way, when Sirius breaks its sync with the sun and returns to shining in the night sky, it’s considered to be a sign of the end of “the dog days”. FarmersAlmanac.com’s, “Why Are They Called ‘Dog Days Of Summer’?” (by Farmer’s Almanac Staff; updated July 11, 2022) claims that the exact dates of “the dog days” vary by latitude.
Currently, in the U.S., it’s around July 3rd through Aug. 11th; but the Almanac also reports that, in ten thousand years or so, Sirius’ coordination with the rising and setting sun “will fall back so late on the calendar that future civilizations in the northern hemisphere will experience ‘the dog days’ of winter.”
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in her syndicated column, No Laughing Matter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI)
(Published in the Port Huron Times Herald; Aug. 18, 1977)
SUMMER CAN BE FUN – BUT NOT FOR MOTHER!
INASMUCH AS THIS IS an election year, I wish the governor would include me in a kind of relief program to cover mothers of children who are on vacation for the summer. After two weeks of muddy blue jeans and wet towels, my Biz Bag turned in a letter of complaint and left for Yellowstone. And the refrigerator door has not closed since school did.
‘With Avon, you get personal service’, they tell me on TV. Well, since the kids have been home on vacation, my Avon lady asked me to pick up my order… in a locker at the bus terminal.
Of course, summer has not always made me feel like a wart on a hog at bay. In the days of my energy, I could spend a languid afternoon with the entire family at the beach and frolicking through the sand, could sally forth to the Good Humor truck, with brood in tow, while each one took 20 minutes to decide which flavor they would take.
I know you won’t believe this, but I could then bring myself to embrace a child with all of the tranquilized sweetness of Doris Day and plead: ‘Please, Michael, tell Mommy where you buried Daddy!’ I wouldn’t have minded so much except Daddy was carrying the money for the Good Humor man in his swim trunks pocket.
And it was completely unreasonable to expect the Good Humor man to accept one of the children as collateral – or ALL of them for that matter – until we could uncover Daddy. For these are the same children who follow you through the souvenir pavilion, commenting candidly: ‘Look, Mommy. That Lady has her wig on crooked.’ And ‘doesn’t that man have funny looking knees?’
At moments like these, I know I was never meant for motherhood. It can be very depressing. But gone are the days when I approached summer vacation with the children as if I had the unfailing cheer of Betty White and Ralph Edwards.
I wasn’t meant to spend my life serving Kool-Aid and Crispy Critters to swarms of children who embark on our porch like occupational troops in the Berlin Airlift.
I always found that, just as I was about to walk the gangplank of gloom, a cheerful neighbor (probably the mother of ONE) would enumerate for me all the blessings of having the children at home and prescribe how to enjoy them while they’re small – which is exactly like trying to tell me the only way to save money in Las Vegas is to step off the plane and walk directly into the propellers.
I mean, how can anyone live with children, who think all it takes to open a limeade stand is the garden hose and a sack of lime; who now slam the same door all summer they left open all winter; who, for the entire 87 days of summer [vacation] will ask questions like: ‘Why can’t we go see FRITZ THE CAT? It’s a cartoon – isn’t it?’ And ‘Why do you have that twitch in your neck, Mommy?’ Or ‘Can I put a band aid on this worm?’
If a summer relief program is out of the question for mothers like me, I personally feel that the least the governor could do is declare me ‘A Depressed Area!’
It’s hard to get much work done during the dog days. It’s the kind of sweltering heat that makes me want to sell my stove in my next yard sale! In fact, the Thumb Coast’s M-25/M-29 Yard Sale Trail is coming soon! This is the time of year when I usually break out my cookbooks for microwaving, grilling, or set-and-forget crock-pot ideas!
What can I say? It’s still JULY, which equals SUMMERTIME and is practically synonymous with GRILLING! Hence, we’re continuing to celebrate National Grilling Month and National Picnic Month – and probably will continue to do so throughout August, as well!
Just about everywhere I go, these days, the smells of backyard cookouts – with sizzling burgers, chicken, hot dogs (it’s also National Hot Dog Month) bratts, or steaks – seem to drift through all the neighborhoods around me. Thus, sharing grilling ideas and creations on social media with #NationalGrillingMonth is very much encouraged.
LAST THOUGHTS…
I like to mention the social media sharing because Mom always believed that great recipes need to be shared! Whether you grill with gas or propane or lighter fluid and charcoal… Whether you have a small, tabletop hibachi or a large, deck-sized apparatus… What’s your special outdoor noshing go-to?
Whenever you light up your grill, especially this month, know that you’re part of an ongoing celebration for National Grilling Month. On a side note, be aware that July is considered the driest and hottest month of the summer, too; therefore, be mindful of the dangers of fire and be prepared – take extra precautions!
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Hot Fudge Sundae Day – plus, it’s still National Ice Cream Month, too – here is Mom’s secret, 4-ingredient recipe for “Hot Fudge Sundae Topping” (with a variation for “Hot Butterscotch Topping”, as well); from her self-published cookbook, Gloria Pitzer’s Mostly 4-Ingredient Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; April 1986, p. 6).
Saturday, July 30th is… National Father-in-Law Day and National Cheesecake Day! In honor of the latter, here’s two more new shares of Mom’s copycat recipes – “Hotel Astor’s Cheese-less Cheesecake” and “Hudson’s Chiffon Cheesecake” – both from her “Original 200” collection.
As seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 252). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
INGREDIENTS:
3 egg yolks
14-ounce can, sweetened, condensed milk – or use my homemade version [*see page 33 of this book]
In large mixing bowl, beat yolks until smooth – about 3 minutes on high-speed. On lowest speed, add the milk and vanilla, just to thoroughly combine.
Drain and dice berries, stirring them into the milk mixture with a sturdy spoon. Carefully fold in whipped cream with a rubber scraper until it’s well distributed.
Pour into a 2-quart freezer container. Seal tightly. Freeze until firm enough to scoop. Makes about 1 ½ quarts.
As always, happy Monday to everyone and #TGIM! I constantly await Mondays, with anticipation, for they are my #52Chances a year to share MEMORIES OF MY MOM with all of you!
Two weeks in and the “dog days of summer” (which refers to the hottest and most humid time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – usually in July) have definitely been “hounding” us, so far, this month! It’s the kind of sweltering heat that makes me want to sell my stove in my next yard sale! Break out the cookbooks for microwaves, crock pots and grills!
Sometimes, like now, summertime is just too hot in which to cook anything in the oven. When our Michigan weather is hot and humid outside, the last thing any of us want to do is turn on the oven or even stand over a hot pot on the stove-top. Thus, taking the cooking outdoors is the natural solution. You can cook just about anything on the grill – far beyond the “meat family”. Just about everything tastes better when it is cooked on a sizzling hot grill and, with a little oil and foil, you can create some pretty awesome side dishes, as well!
On these types of days, when it is too hot to cook, I like to eatout… As in outside! Who doesn’t love backyard picnics with wonderful, char-grilled food on beautiful, sunny, summer days? Besides, July is, among other things, National Grilling Month!
The Great Lakes region, in which I live, is all about celebrating summer. We, Michiganders, really appreciate the summer months – especially after a long, Michigan winter! This year, our usual winter “hibernation” period was extended throughout the spring months, with the Covid-19 pandemic and “Stay Home” orders all across the nation.
The Pitzer children in July around 1970 (left-to-right): Laura, Michael, Cheryl, Bill and Debbie
Most everyone, like us, is so tired of being cooped up that all we need is ANY EXCUSE for a backyard cook-out! Therefore, happy National Grilling Month! Whether you use gas, propane or lighter fluid and charcoal… whether you have a small, tabletop hibachi or a large, deck-sized apparatus… JULY IS SUMMERTIME… and summertime is practically synonymous with grilling.
These days, the smells of charcoal and lighter fluid, along with sizzling burgers, chicken, hot dogs or steaks seem to drift through all of the neighborhoods around me. Whenever you light up your grill this month, know that you are part of an ongoing celebration for National Grilling Month. Thus, share any or all of your grilling ideas and creations on social media with #NationalGrillingMonth. However, take note that July is also considered the driest and hottest month of the summer. So, also, be careful and mindful of the dangers of fire!
1970, Pitzer Vacation at Mackinac Island, MI
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in her syndicated column, No Laughing Matter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI)
SUMMER CAN BE FUN – BUT NOT FOR MOTHER!
(Published in the Port Huron Times Herald; Aug. 18, 1977)
Inasmuch as this is an election year, I wish the governor would include me in a kind of relief program to cover mothers of children who are on vacation for the summer. After two weeks of muddy blue jeans and wet towels, my Biz Bag turned in a letter of complaint and left for Yellowstone. And the refrigerator door has not closed since school did.
‘With Avon, you get personal service’, they tell me on TV. Well, since the kids have been home on vacation, my Avon lady asked me to pick up my order…in a locker at the bus terminal.
Of course, summer has not always made me feel like a wart on a hog at bay. In the days of my energy, I could spend a languid afternoon with the entire family at the beach and frolicking through the sand, could sally forth to the Good Humor truck, with brood in tow, while each one took 20 minutes to decide which flavor they would take.
I know you won’t believe this, but I could then bring myself to embrace a child with all of the tranquilized sweetness of Doris Day and plead: ‘Please, Michael, tell Mommy where you buried Daddy!’ I wouldn’t have minded so much except Daddy was carrying the money for the Good Humor man in his swim trunks pocket.
And it was completely unreasonable to expect the Good Humor man to accept one of the children as collateral – or ALL of them for that matter – until we could uncover Daddy. For these are the same children who follow you through the souvenir pavilion, commenting candidly: ‘Look, Mommy. That Lady has her wig on crooked.’ And “doesn’t that man have funny looking knees?’
At moments like these, I know I was never meant for motherhood. It can be very depressing. But gone are the days when I approached summer vacation with the children as if I had the unfailing cheer of Betty White and Ralph Edwards.
Cartoon written and illustrated by Gloria Pitzer
I wasn’t meant to spend my life serving Kool-Aid and Crispy Critters to swarms of children who embark on our porch like occupational troops in the Berlin Airlift.
I always found that, just as I was about to walk the gangplank of gloom, a cheerful neighbor (probably the mother of ONE) would enumerate for me all the blessings of having the children at home and prescribe how to enjoy them while they’re small – which is exactly like trying to tell me the only way to save money in Las Vegas is to step off the plane and walk directly into the propellers.
I mean, how can anyone live with children, who think all it takes to open a limeade stand is the garden hose and a sack of lime; who now slam the same door all summer they left open all winter; who, for the entire 87 days of summer [vacation] will ask questions like: ‘Why can’t we go see FRITZ THE CAT? It’s a cartoon – isn’t it?’ And ‘Why do you have that twitch in your neck, Mommy?’ Or ‘Can I put a band aid on this worm?’
If a summer relief program is out of the question for mothers like me, I personally feel that the least the governor could do is declare me ‘A Depressed Area!’
Cartoon written and illustrated by Gloria Pitzer
I have SO MANY, great, childhood memories of summer vacations with my family to places like Tahquamenon Falls, Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island (as pictured above), all in Michigan; as well as Cedar Point, in Ohio, and Niagara Falls, in Ontario, Canada just to name a few.
Every year, while my siblings and I were growing up in the Algonac/Pearl Beach (MI) area, there were always picnics and various backyard barbecues to have or to attend. Our parents created so many awesome memories, about which we can happily reminisce – well, speaking for myself, anyway.
Summertime also had another special meaning for our family, as Mom and Dad’s first born and last born children – my oldest brother, Bill, and my younger sister, Cheryl – ironically, share July 3rd as their birthdays (9 years apart)! The rest of us, Mom and Dad included, have wintertime birthdays (during November, January and March). The summertime memories that Mom and Dad created for us, as we were growing up, will last a life-time!
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 103)
THE LOAVES AND FISHES
MY RELATIONSHIP with Hazel is among those blessings I always count twice! Even though we had different moms but the same dad, we were very close as sisters. In all of the many years that we’ve spent vacations together, even live together, we’ve never had one crossword between us. The worst part of our relationship has always been not being able to say goodbye when it’s time to part at the end of our yearly visits.
Hazel has always given me such enthusiastic support about my work, and such compassion for the events in our family, with our children. Even though there is an 18-year difference in our ages, you’d never know it by looking at us. In fact, you’d probably take HER for the younger one! She has incredible energy and we love to do the same things – even to having the same taste in furnishings and decorating our homes.
One example Hazel set for me to follow was her gracious ability to offer hospitality, to make the unexpected guests feel welcomed and sincerely wanted. Some people need a month’s notice before they can even have you stop for pie and coffee! Not Hazel!
Paul & Gloria Pitzer with Hazel & Chris Allen; Torrance, CA – May 1982
I have seen her carry off a steak dinner with all of the trimmings that started out for just the four of us (Hazel, Chris, Paul and me) and before the event was over, included six others, stopping by a few at a time, unexpectedly. In which case, we simply pulled up another chair to the table and set out another plate, while Chris put another steak from the freezer into the microwave to defrost and then onto the grill on the patio.
With each guest, who arrived unannounced, we added a little more lettuce and a few more tomatoes to the salad and [put] another potato into the microwave to bake. When we discovered there were only eight potatoes, however, and there would be 10 at the table, we improvised. We sliced each baked potato in half, lengthwise, and arrange them on an oven platter, cut side up, dusting each in a little grated Parmesan, a few parsley flakes [and] a little paprika.
Then, drizzling these in a bit of squeeze-bottle margarine, we popped the tray under the broiler for a minute just before sitting everybody down to eat. We opened three cans of assorted fruit and dump this into a pretty glass bowl, sprinkling some coconut over the top of it and by breaking each of the long ears of corn in half, we pulled off the best feast since ‘the loaves and fishes’ and with leftovers, yet. Nobody went away hungry that evening and we enjoyed so much being together. It was wonderful!
As seen in Mom’s syndicated column series titled “No Laughing Matter”, from the 1970s. The full article is called, This Cook is Rated X (or) Yes, Gloria! There Really is a Colonel Sanders (no publishing data available): “At our house ‘eating out’ meant roasting HOT DOGS in the front yard. But then, we didn’t know of many restaurants where 5 children, who hated green vegetables and spilled catsup on the tablecloths, were welcomed. I had to learn to cook by default…the way I saw it, as long as my husband could get marvelous fried chicken at home, why should he take me to Colonel Sanders’?”
SUMMERTIME COOKING… As seen on the cover page of Mom’s July-August 1988 newsletter: “Shaker cooks, whose culinary skills I admire, place ears of husked and ‘de-silked’ corn in a large pot of cold water, seasoned with the barest pinch of sugar (never salt because it toughens the tender fibers) until the water boils. At that point, they cover it and cook it for one minute more – or as long as it takes to recite ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. Then they drain and serve the ears as fast as they can, with lots of sweet butter, salt and pepper.”
In honor of the National Ice Cream Month celebrations going on for July – and Sunday is National Ice Cream Day too – here is Mom’s copycat recipe for homemade ice cream like Baskin Robbins, as seen in Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 252). You can substitute just about any frozen fruit, such as BLUEBERRIES or PEACHES, for the strawberries that are listed in the following recipe. The possibilities are endless!
Above recipe developed by Gloria Pitzer
P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…
My next visit on the “Good Neighbor” show, with Kathy Keene, is in two weeks. Be sure to tune in – Monday, July 27th around 11am (CDST)/12noon (EDST) as we discuss chocolate chip cookies, like Bill’s Brother’s Mother’s or Tom’s Mom’s; which, Mom claimed, were even better than Mrs. Field’s!
