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Susie Calhoun stands in her kitchen in Lockeford with a copy of the cookbook that she and her family created and had published. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
Making food history
Local resident helps preserve old recipes in family cookbook
When Susie Calhoun's grandmother was near the end of her life, the family decided it was time to preserve the recipes of the Holm family. Calhoun's sister found an article in Family Circle about rescuing family recipes. After 10 years of collecting recipes, testing them and revising, "The Holm Family Cookbook" was complete and self-published by the family.
Calhoun feels the historical aspect of the cookbook — the art, photography and stories that accompany the recipes is what sets the book apart from others.
"We were all very pleased with what the designer had done. There were six of us working on the coordination of the book. Some wanted more history and some wanted the recipes and then we had to incorporate the photos and the artwork," she said.
Q: What types of recipes are featured?
A: There are all kinds from five generations. Some are very basic and then get more complex as the generations go on. Some of the interesting ones are in the meat, fish and poultry. There is one called "Rattlesnake Ala Mines Road." There are a lot of dessert recipes, breakfast and there's a beverage section. There are 11 different categories.
Q: What was the most challenging thing about putting it all together?
A: I would say the most challenging thing was to get the family to submit their recipes and follow through on that.
Q: Which part of it was the most fun?
A: I think it was seeing the recipes come from old recipe cards and seeing the final product.
Q: What is your hope for future generations of your family?
A: To give them a living document that they can see their heritage.
Q: What is your favorite recipe in the book?
A: The chili con carne. I love that one.
Q: What do you enjoy about cooking?
A: I like the eating part (laughs) — the final product.
Q: Your Web site said you had recipe tasters. Can you tell me how that worked?
A: When we got to the point where we decided we were going to be making it commercial, we knew we had to have the recipes tasted. We e-mailed our friends. There were about 100 and 75 people replied back.
We gave them a questionnaire that asked what allergies they had and what type of food they liked most. We wanted to make sure (the recipes) were something they were comfortable with. We asked how many they liked and we tried to coordinate a whole meal they could test. They could then fax in their response form with how the meals taste and what would make them better.
Once they submitted the information back, we had to go back and make changes and then submit them to the designer. There were four tasters from the Lodi area. The fun thing was there were people from all walks of life.
Q: What was the most exciting thing about this process?
A: The most exciting thing was when we sent it to Gene Burns of Dining Around. He was so excited about it and called within a week. He was excited we had done this and captured the histories of the recipes. He had us come in and we did a radio spot with him.
Q: What have you learned through this experience?
A: To persevere. At times it seemed overwhelming and we just had to keep plugging along.
Cookbook authors at a glance
Source: www.holmfamilycookbook.com
Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
This was one of Papa’s favorites at Dania Hall events. The Holm family enjoyed going to the Frikadeller Dinner, hosted by the Dania Lodge. The meatballs were oblong and a bit flattened. They were served with gravy, creamed potatoes, and red cabbage. Frikadellar is a Danish dish with many variations.Susie Calhoun
Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cream or milk
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Gravy
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon pan drippings from the meatballs
3/4 cup cream or milk
Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, combine the beef and pork. Add the chopped onion and mix well with your hands. Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, flour, eggs and cream. Mix well. Shape into oblong, egg-sized meatballs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs. Brown the outsides then continue cooking until they are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet, drain on paper towels, and keep warm. In the same skillet, brown the flour in the drippings. Slowly add the cream, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and becomes the consistency of gravy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 30 meatballs and 3/4 cup gravy.
Source: www.holmfamilycookbook.com
Contact Features Editor Pamela Bauserman at pamelab@lodinews.com. Find the best bargains in Lodi. Read Pam's blog, Saving with Pam.
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