Penny Candy from the Dime Store: Sweets for your Sweets

 

Candy Counter at the General Store

By Patti Sherry-Crews

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, my mind turns to one thing. Candy. Especially chocolate candy. When I was a child, every year I looked forward to a heart-shaped box full of chocolate covered creams, which I would savor.

But as popular as chocolate candy is now, it wasn’t a common candy for children until about 1900. More familiar to a 19th century child would be stepping into the local general store to pick out treats from jars of bulk candy, and these would usually be hard candies in aromatic flavors such as peppermint, clove, lemon, rose, and lavender.

How puzzled would a 19th century child be by the sweet treats we have access to in the 21st century and vice versa? 

There is a village near where I grew up called Long Grove. That village decided to maintain it’s rural, small town charm by having strict codes. There are no sidewalks, street lights, or fences and all the store fronts are historical. Going to Long Grove for a Sunday drive was a childhood treat. It was like stepping back in time.

My favorite store was the general store with it’s candy counter filled full of candy jars in a colorful array. Candies that were foreign to me and unlike any candy I’d get at my neighborhood Mom and Pop candy counter. My favorite old-time candies were rock candy on a string, horehound candy, and sponge candy.

The peculiar texture of sponge candy comes from combining some sweet like sugar or molasses with baking soda and vinegar. The reaction creates bubbles in this golden delicious, caramelly confection.

Sponge candy as fun to make as it is to eat. We used to make it at home on rainy days because you almost always had the ingredients on hand. Give it a try! There are variations of this recipe, but here is one from Epicurious (fancy!).

SPONGE CANDY

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon baking soda, sifted

PREPARATION

Line 9-inch square cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with foil, extending foil over sides. Generously butter foil. Combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar in a heavy large deep saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking without stirring until the clip-on candy thermometer registers 300°F, swirling pan occasionally, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately add baking soda and stir until well combined (mixture will foam vigorously). Immediately pour mixture into the prepared pan. Cool completely.

Using foil as aid, lift, candy from pan; fold down foil sides. Cut or break candy into large pieces (save any small pieces or shreds to use as a topping for ice cream). (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Also...you can dip squares of sponge candy in chocolate. Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Dinner Recipes ~ Julie Lence

 

February is upon us, and if you’re like me and most of the country, you’re wondering what to do for Valentine’s Day this year. Many years ago, hubby and I were big on fans of the Valentine’s Day traditions; roses, cards, going out to dinner. But as we aged, our enthusiasm for Valentine’s day waned. The roses were the 1^st to go. They don’t last long, so in place of the red petals, he brings home a  bouquet of mixed flowers, and usually a day or two before Valentine’s Day. Cards were nixed a few years back, too. (It was kiddo, who, when searching for a birthday card for hubby, became aggravated when he couldn’t find a nice one and did the math, showing how much we spent each year on cards for all occasions, then pointed out they all landed in the trash. Hence, we adopted a new tradition of not buying cards for any occasion and it’s worked out pretty well.) Lastly, several years back, I grew tired of the crowds and hurriedness of Valentine’s Day dinner in a restaurant and decided I’d rather cook something special at home, and when I say cook, I mean hubby cooks. (He’s a better chef than me!) So, if you’re like us and plan to have dinner at home, here are a few recipes I pulled from the internet to make your night special Enjoy!

(Please note I have not made any of these dishes, so I cannot comment on the taste.)

White Wine Coq Au Vin
Country Living 

White Wine Coq Au Vin

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 medium onions, chopped

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine

1/2 c. chicken stock

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

6 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

1/4 c. fresh tarragon, chopped

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook, skin side down, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to plate. 

Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, leeks, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown and tender, 8 to 9 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add wine, stirring constantly. Add stock, mustard, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to a simmer. 

Return pancetta and chicken (skin sides up) to pot; cover and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken is fork-tender and cooked through, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves. Serve topped with tarragon

 

Strip Steak w/ Lemon Mashed Potatoes
Country Living 

Strip Steak with Lemon Mashed Potatoes 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 c. fresh or frozen peas

2 tsp. lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice

3 tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 (3/4-inch-thick) strip steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 1/2 tbsp.

unsalted butter

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place potatoes in a large pot; cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes, adding peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and return vegetables to the pot. Add lemon zest and juice and 2 tablespoons oil; mash. Season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Cook to desired degree of doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing; reserve skillet. 

Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to reserved skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until liquid is reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes; remove from heat. Add butter and swirl pan to melt; stir in juices from cutting board. Season with salt and pepper. Serve steak topped with sauce and potatoes alongside.

 

Sweet & Smokey Salmon
Country Living 

Sweet-and-Smoky Cedar-Planked Salmon 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. grated lemon zest 

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 2 1/2-pound skin-on salmon fillet

 

Directions

Soak a large cedar grilling plank (about 15 inches by 7 inches) in water, 1 to 2 hours.

Heat grill to medium. Combine sugar, paprika, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl. Season salmon with salt and rub spice mixture all over flesh side. 

Place salmon on soaked plank, skin side down. Grill, covered, to desired doneness, 25 to 28 minutes for medium.

 

Pork Roast w/ Dried Fruits
Country Living 

Pork Roast with Dried Fruit and Fresh Herbs 

Ingredients:

1 c. dried figs

1 c. dried apricots

1 c. dried cherries

2 1/2 c. dry red wine

3 stick cinnamon

2 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Fresh ground black pepper

2 clove garlic

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin roast

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring the dried fruit, wine, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drain the fruit, discarding the cinnamon sticks. Toss the rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic together and rub 2 tablespoons of the mixture on the inside of the roast. Layer with the steeped fruit and roll the roast tightly into a log. Tie with butchers twine. Rub the outside of roast with oil and the remaining rosemary mixture and place on a rack set in a roasting pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and roast until temperature reaches 155 degrees, about 1 hour. Allow pork to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

*** For more recipes, here is the link to Country Living:

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g1115/romantic-valentines-day-dinners/?slide=43 

Agriculture Apps and a Lilac Bride

 by Shanna Hatfield

When I was working on ideas for my soon-to-be-released contemporary western romance, I knew I wanted the hero to do something that allowed him to be his own boss and work from home. 

Unlike many of my characters, though, he doesn't have a ranch of a farm, although his brothers do. 

As the youngest of four boys, Kaden Ford has always been fond of technology. And it was that fondness that eventually gave me the idea of having him run his own agriculture app and software company. 

Before I committed to that plan, I did a little research.

I had no idea, none at all, how many ag-based apps are now available. 

There are apps that make it simple for farmers and ranchers to order products based on inventory, monitor crop growth, plot watering rotations, scout crops with drones, hire laborers, analyze sales and price crops competitively, and a pest management platform. Apps allow detailed record keeping that includes birth dates (with photos), immunizations, breeding charts, and so much more. There's even an app from John Deere that allows users to evaluate expected versus actual performance of equipment. It also monitors completed field activities and can determine the productivity and quality of each field for a given operation. 

Back in the good ol' days when I as a kid growing up on my parents' farm, I remember my dad hand-writing details in ledgers and record books, probably much like they'd done a hundred years before that. 

When I think of technology I sometimes fail to apply it country life and the cowboys and farmers who benefit from it every bit as much as the rest of the world. 

If you'd like to find out more about Kaden and his ag app business, I hope you'll take a look at Lilac Bride, coming February 25!

When wedding plans go awry, wily matchmakers come to the rescue . . .

Katherine Kelly has been dreaming of her wedding since she was old enough to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them into her bridal binder. When Kaden, the handsome cowboy who holds her heart, proposes on a snowy Christmas Eve, she couldn’t envision anything more perfect or romantic. The spring date is set, all the nuptial details have been meticulously arranged, and she only has six weeks to go before the big day. Then, in a blink, her carefully formed plans begin to rapidly unravel. A freak snowstorm, rampaging rodents, and a lost wedding gown are only the beginning of the troubles they face.

Cowboy entrepreneur Kaden Ford still can’t quite believe Katherine Kelly agreed to marry him. She’s beautiful, elegant, intelligent, and the woman who fills his heart with joy. He doesn’t care if they get married in a cathedral or a cabin in the woods. All he wants is to spend his life loving Kat. But when faced with one overwhelming challenge after another, will love be enough to hold them together?

Find out in this sweet, charming, small-town romance full of laughter, love, and scheming octogenarian matchmakers.

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and hopelessly romantic moments with unforgettable characters.

When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Newsletter | BookBub | Pinterest 

 

 

The Psychology Behind the Wings of the West Series by Kristy McCaffrey

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

When I began developing characters and ideas for my historical western romance Wings series, the titles intuitively came to me—The Wren, The Dove, The Sparrow, The Blackbird, and The Bluebird. How I would tie the birds into the storylines was a great unknown as I began each tale, but one thing emerged rather quickly—an underlying psychological theme of the journey of the feminine psyche.

In The Wren (Book One), the heroine Molly has been abducted by Comanche when she is nine years old. At nineteen, she finally finds the means to return home to Texas, to search for the life she’d lost so abruptly. We must all leave the safety of “home” at some point in our lives to grow, whether physically or metaphorically, and the lesson is always that home isn’t a place outside of us but an internal sanctuary that we must nurture within ourselves. Molly’s journey comes full circle when she makes a home with the hero, Matt.

In The Dove (Book Two), Claire lives in a saloon run by her mama. Claire isn't a soiled dove, but she still grapples with themes of “prostitution,” although not necessarily of the sexual kind. She doesn’t feel worthy to be a doctor and mutes her own ambitions. This story addresses the desire of the psyche to be healed and whole, but doing so through outside, external means is only effective up to a point. This leads to the next book.

In The Sparrow (Book Three), Emma undergoes a shamanic journey of initiation while in the Grand Canyon. During this process, she is helped by her power animal, Sparrow. Life causes wounds—we all have them—and while mending these are often sought through medicine, at some point an internal journey will be required. It’s the only way to truly heal the soul. While today we might seek the counsel of a trained psychologist, many indigenous people used the medicine man or shaman. The techniques of both are strikingly similar.

In The Blackbird (Book Four), Tess is a storyteller, A Keeper of the Old Ways; this is, and always has been, connected with imparting wisdom and magic to listeners through the telling of tales. She meets a hero who nurtures and protects this side of her, as any true life-partner should. Stories have the power to heal. It is yet the next step in mending the heart and the soul.

In The Bluebird (Book Five), the heroine Molly Rose (niece to the Molly in the first book) yearns to travel and see the world. She connects with a man who can help her achieve these goals. The final step in the psychological journey—once healing has been undertaken and a new, better version of oneself is achieved—is to take all that’s been learned and go forth in the world. Life is an adventure and is meant to be experienced as such.

Learn more about the Wings series at Kristy's website.

 

Legendary Lawmen of the West

 

The western territories were still moving onward at the end of the Civil War. Fur traders, scouts, legendary army units, miners, and fortune seekers all hurried away from the destruction left in the east.

As with the discovery of the Americas, men filtered in first, then women to take care of the needs of the men, and finally families to settle down their long roots to sand away the rough edges of this all-male society. With families, came the need for civilization. With civilization came the need for laws and for those laws to be enforced.

In the next few months, we are going to be looking at legendary lawmen. Many of these lawmen have been immortalized on both the small and large screens. Men like Bat Masterson, Matthew Dillon, Pat Garrett, and Wyatt Earp.  We will examine ten of the most renown lawmen of their time.

Bat Masterson was born in Henryville, Quebec on November 26^th, 1853. He was the second child of seven to his Irish born parents who farmed in Canada and later moved to New York, Illinois, Missouri, finally settling near Wichita, Kansas. He did not begin in law enforcement. Instead, he and his brothers struck off to hunt buffalo in the Great Plains. Their first paying job was to grade the land for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. After working for three months, their boss, Raymond Ritter skipped town without paying the boys for their work. It did not sit well with Mr. Masterson.

For an entire year, Bat and his brothers tracked down Mr. Ritter. On April 15^th, 1873, they received word that Mr. Ritter was on a train headed for Dodge City. The brothers arrived in town before the train and when it pulled to a stop, Bat (short for Bartholomew) hurried to the car in which Mr. Ritter was riding and confronted him.

A crowd of town folks gathered hearing about the incident and watched as Bat, gun drawn marched him to the rear of the train car where his brothers and others who had been stiffed by the gentleman were waiting. There under scrutiny, he forced the man to pay the back wages while the crowd cheered. Thus, a legend was being shaped.

He continued to hunt buffalo only to be hired by the army when the Kiowa, Comanche, and Cheyenne led by the famed warrior, Quanah Parker. He participated in the battle of Adobe Walls and later, as an Army scout, helped follow and locate four young girls who had been abducted by the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. ( sounds a bit like the plot for the movie, The Searchers, doesn’t it)

Eventually, he and his brother, Ed, settled in Dodge City and by July of 1877 began working under various lawmen. The two worked well together until Bat’s brother, was shot and killed by Jack Wagner. Bat caught them and in a short gun battle, Wagner was mortally wounded, and his boss slipped away to Texas.

His fame growing, he found jobs working as a gun for hire as railroads battled for ground in which to lay their tracks. 1882 found Masterson as the city marshal of Trinidad, Colorado. There he was contacted by Wyatt Earp to help keep Doc Holliday from being extradited from Colorado to Arizona. Masterson took the case to the Governor who granted Holliday to stay. As we all know this would not be the only time these men would meet.

When his moonlighting as a faro dealer got him in hot water, Masterson moved along to other cities sometimes as an officer of the law, sometimes as a newspaper man. He promoted prize fighters, and even spent time in New York as a bodyguard for the millionaire George Gould. Befriending President Theodore Roosevelt, he received an appointment as U.S. Deputy Marshall for the Southern District of New York. Like with all presidential appointments, what the president giveth, the next one in office can taketh away.

Taft was not a worshiper of Masterson. Under investigation, Bat was terminated in 1909 and moved back to journalism where for the New York Morning Telegraph he covered boxing matches. It was in his office on October 25, 1921 he suffered a massive heart attack and died at age 67. He is buried in the Bronx.

Numerous movies and TV series romanticized his life. At least ten movies were made, stars like Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, and George Montgomery played the legendary lawman. Television stars like Hugh O’Brian, and Gene Kelly portrayed him on the small screen. Even Doctor Who had his character in an episode.

Next month, we’ll take a gander at Pat Garrett.

Gene Barry as Bat Masterson

Image from NBC Television via Wikipedia

The real Bat Masterson in 1911

Image from Library of Congress via Wikipedia