Great-Grandma Bryan's Pumpkin Bread

Mom had this recipe in her "green box" and I got a copy when I left home to go to college in 1990. The "green box" is the recipe box where Mom keeps what I have always referred to as her 'man-catcher' recipes. These are the recipes that Daddy has rated as an 8.5 or better on a 10 point scale (10 being so mind numbly tasty that it's practically addictive). I never knew the story behind it until my grandmother (paternal) asked where I had gotten her mother's Pumpkin Bread recipe.

Evidently, Mom became Great-Grandma Bryan's pen pal right around the time that Daddy popped the question. During the course of their correspondence, they swapped a bunch of recipes, including this Pumpkin Bread recipe. My grandmother had always thought that her mother kept this recipe as one of her 'trade secrets' and was irked that Great-Grandma had shared it with Mom, especially since Grandmother herself did not have a copy. Evidently Grandmother's disappointment was quite tangible, so Mom checked with Great-Grandma to make sure it was OK with her to share the recipe. Great-Grandma assured Mom that it was (evidently she did not have any 'secret' recipes). However, Grandmother was still irked about the whole thing, even years later, when she happened to be reminded of it.

Anyway, as it is one of my husband's favorites, I thought I would share. I realize that posting this recipe like this might have rankled Grandmother (God, rest her), but I don't have any 'secret' recipes either. I am hoping that my cousins (who read my blog on occasion) will take the opportunity to print a copy for themselves. Thus, it will have been 'handed down' to them as well.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great-Grandma Bryan's Pumpkin Bread


⅔ cup Shortening (I use Butter)
2 ⅔ cup Sugar
4 Eggs
16 oz Pumpkin Puree’ (1 can)
⅔ cup Water
3 ⅓ cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1 tsp Cloves, ground
⅔ cup Nuts (I use Chopped Walnuts)
⅔ cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix ingredients. Grease two loaf pans and split the batter between them. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until done.

Invasion-The Asian Lady Beetles Are Here!

I spent an hour yesterday afternoon attacking a bug orgy on our basement bathroom window with the vacuum cleaner. The Asian Lady Beetles are back and this year they are worse than ever before. The little 2' X 3' south facing window on the west side of the house was two layers deep in these little boogers. The warm bright window attracted them in droves and they, evidently, took the opportunity to do some spring mating.

I don't know about other areas of the country but Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia axyridis) are a huge problem here in the Midwest. I don't remember ever seeing them in Texas so maybe the climate is wrong for them there. Here in Iowa, they are pervasive pests that insist upon coming into your home for in the fall looking for a good place to hibernate. In the spring, they wake up when temperatures get to about 50F and cluster around doors and windows looking for a way to go back outside, though they never seem to find that open window or door through which to make their escape. The net results are window jams and floors littered with bug carcasses such that even vacuuming once per day only barely keeps the problem in check. That in and of itself is irritating enough, but tack on the smell and little orange stains that their bodies generate as a defense mechanism and in death and you have a problem that will drive you distracted insanity.

The Asian Lady Beetle is native to eastern Asia through Russia, south to the Himalayas and east to the Pacific and Japan. It is a voracious predator and is considered to be a biocontrol for aphids and scale insects. As such, it has been intentionally introduced outside of its native range to the USA, a good chunk of Europe, and other non-native areas of Asia. It is not entirely clear when or how Asian Lady Beetles were first introduced to the USA. There are records of unsuccessful attempts to establish this insect in the USA as far back as 1916. In the early 1980's the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) once again began introducing the insect to the southeast USA to combat a significant aphids problem troubling pecan growers. According to the USDA, these attempt were also unsuccessful. However, in 1988, an established population was discovered near New Orleans. There is some dispute as to whether this colony was a result of the USDA's efforts or whether it was accidental introduction due to international shipping and to be honest it really does not matter. They are here now and with no natural predators in the USA, these bugs have spread very quickly. By 2000, they were common in the Midwest. Reportedly, Asian Lady Beetles feed heavily on soybean aphids (an accidental import from China), supposedly saving farmers from a plague of aphids in 2001. Of interest, these bugs are omnivorous. They prey heavily on other bugs (including native ladybugs) but as the growing season wanes in the late summer/early fall, so does the availability of its prey. Thus, it is not uncommon to find these beetles looking for sugar-laden fruit at that time of year.

Harmonia axyridis looks much like a "typical" native lady bug in shape and size. It occurs in three main colors: yellow, red, or orange with black spots (succinea), which are the most common in Iowa; black with four red spots (spectabilis); and black with two red spots (conspicua). Numerous intermediate and divergent forms have also been recorded. It often has white markings (typically "M" shaped) just behind the head and brown or reddish legs. All lady bugs release a defensive chemical (isopropyl methoxy pyrazine) when agitated or dying. However, Asian Lady Beetles release it in much higher concentrations than do natives. This liquid has a bad odor and causes a yellow-orange stain. Asian Lady Bugs are also more prone to biting, which typically leaves small irritated welt (classic bug bite). However, some people (such as DH and myself) are allergic to these critters, with reactions ranging from itching, light rashes, watery eyes, a perpetually running nose, upper respiratory symptoms, and, in some cases, persistent asthma.

There is not much that can be done by way of controlling these infernal pests. The recommendations are to seal up your house (practically impossible) and to vacuum up the ones that do get inside. Because they are considered beneficial insects, the recommendation is to suck them into a homemade pantyhose "filter" so that you can relocate them outside. However, I figure that the population of these things is large enough to withstand loosing the ones that invade my house. Adding kitty litter deodorizer to the vacuum's filter bag helps abate the stink. I did get a light trap to try in the basement bathroom (the primary congregation point in our house) and it works OK so long as you have some ladybug pheromone lure to add to the trap.

So every spring, I break out the kitty litter deodorizer, start my Zyrtec regimen, set up the light trap, and make sure that the Hoover is ready for battle. Then I patrol the house almost daily, cursing and cackling as I suck up the stinky little blighters as revenge for their invasion of my home.

Caroline's Spring Toque

This article has been migrated to the Hynek's Handmade blog.

Grandmother Nina's Meat 'n Potatos n' Carrots

In talking with my cousins, all of us now adults with kids of our own, I have discovered that we all have fond memories of our Grandmother Nina's Meat 'n Potatoes 'n Carrots recipe. She used to make this for us frequently, probably because we used to ask her to make it rather frequently. There is not much to the recipe. The secret to the flavor of this dish is in the seasoning. Any other seasoning blend does not have the flavor that my cousins and I remember so fondly.

***************************************
Grandmother Nina's Meat 'n Potatoes 'n Carrots

1 lb Ground beef
1 lb Baby carrots
4-5 Potatoes, cubed
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp Morton Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend (add more to taste if desired)

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in enough olive oil to prevent sticking. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook over Medium-Low heat until potatoes are cooked. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Should feed 6 easily.

NWS Swisher Cooperative Station

I grew up in West Texas watching funnel clouds traverse the sky (and occasionally the ground) every spring and summer. Rain was scarce enough to be a big event, especially since it almost only fell as part of awesome and powerful thunderstorms. Everyone sat on the porch to watch to watch the Lord's lightning show. So I grew up with my eyes to the sky, learning to recognize what the different colors and cloud types meant and when to run and hide in the bath tub (we did not have a basement).

Why is this brief slice of my history relevant now? Well, as of today, the Midwest Texan (and family) is proud to be a National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer. The NWS uses volunteer observers, collectively known as the Cooperative Observer Program, to gather the majority of the weather data that they use to generate forecasts, to track weather patterns, and even to issue severe weather alerts. The NWS has used coop observers for a very long time. In fact, in 1933, Henry Wallace, then Secretary of Agriculture, told then President Roosevelt that the Cooperative Observer Program was one of the most extraordinary and cost effective services ever developed. Today, it still continues to net the public more per dollar expended than any other government service in the world.

In addition to being trained a weather spotter, I am now tracking, and reporting on a daily basis, 24-hr precipitation rates. Our home's location (now known as the NWS Swisher Cooperative Station) is such that it is considered the official precipitation report for the Eastern Iowa Airport (aka Cedar Rapids Airport). So when you look on-line for weather data in Cedar Rapids and you see "precipitation reported at the Cedar Rapids airport" that is our backyard...errr, station. I am so jazzed about it this. (DH and I have already had a good natured argument over who gets to wear the NWS ball cap that came with our official rain gauge. He covets my hat!)

This isn't rocket science and it isn't hard. I am just going out to check a Standard Rain Gauge (SRG) every morning at 7AM. The SRG, provided and installed by the NWS, is a hollow, 8-inch diameter, metal tube with an open top, which collects precipitation. The opening at the top is mounted about 3 feet from the ground. During the warmer months, a 2-inch diameter clear acrylic tube is placed inside the 8" tube. A funnel fits on top so that the rain falls into the small tube only. I use a NWS provided ruler to measure the depth of the water in the small tube. In the winter, the small tube and funnel are removed, and snow falls directly into the larger metal tube. Then, that snow is melted down and poured into the small tube to be measured. Outside of that, I simply log what kind of weather I see each day. Is it raining and if so at what times? Is it foggy and if so what is the estimated visibility? Most people mentally note this stuff as they go about their day as it is. I simply take a few seconds to write it down. What is so cool is that doing this is helping the community on a larger scale while satisfying my fascination with weather in general. Now all I need to do is talk DH into letting me get a nice home weather station with an anemometer, barometer etc., all with a wireless up link to a computer so I can track the data via spreadsheet.

Lil' Cottontail - Just in time for Easter

This article has been migrated to the Hynek's Handmade blog site.