York teacherknew her stuff
There is a woman, if she is still alive, who I truly need to thank for her cooking skills.
She was the home economics teacher at York School in the late 1950s.
When my mom got married she was a "raw" cook. Her idea of cooking - initially - was frying balogna and eggs or boiling a hot dog. She came right out of high school, got married and had "me".
As her abilities expanded she added making mashed potatoes, fried hamburgers and baking a roast to her cooking skills. My father was and is a "meat and taters" man. The only green food on the dinner table was a well, over-cooked green bean or dish of peas. Mom said his mother spoiled him as a child.
But back to York School, my mother learned one thing from that home economics class very well - at least one thing that I know of. She learned to make a "cream puff".
It was a fine skill.
When other kids brought a cake or cookies to bake sales - my mom would whip up dozens of fist-sized cream puffs. It was impressive. Now that she is gone, I ponder how much those cream puffs meant to us.
Who could imagine a little hot water, "Oleo", eggs and flour could make life wonderful.
As a teen in church, our youth group would hold "Dime-A-Dab" dinners where all the food was donated by church members and the kids. Mom was not a church goer; she was just too shy. Yet she would always deliver fresh cream puffs for us to sell at the dinner.
The filling was as easy as an instant pudding or a Cool Whip mixture, and then the puff was dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Yes, I do remember chicken salad fillings too - somehow that defeated the purpose of a cream puff.
I practiced making puffs for years and can make a few at a time. It is still more luck that skill for me.
Cream Puffs
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Filling
1 lg. box vanilla
instant pudding
3 cups milk
8 oz whipped topping
Boil water and margarine in a saucepan. Stir in flour and stir until mixture forms a ball (1 minute). Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, one at a time with whisk until smooth. Drop from spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Make 12 mounds or several small ones. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. (less time for smaller puffs). Bake until golden brown and dry. Allow to cool slowly and away from any draft. Cut off tops, scoop inside out of any soft dough. For filling, mix pudding and milk as box indicates. Fold in whipped topping. Fill puffs. Replace lid on top of puff and dust with powdered sugar.
Bonnie (Fry) Brooks
|
