Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2018 i Country Woman

I love making a little fuss over birthdays. In my family, that means making a gorgeous layer cake. But I won’t be baking any time soon, as there aren’t any September birthdays in my family. That’s unusual. Sept. 9, 12 and 19 are the top three days of the year for birthdays, according to federal data. That revelation called for cake. You’ll find a host of birthday cake ideas beginning on page 36, in case you have loved ones who line up with the statistics. And even if you don’t, skip the candles and tuck one of these confections into a picnic basket for a late-summer al fresco lunch. This issue has a bunch of ideas to help you plan: Find simple make-and-take recipes on pages 16 and 42. Instructions…

The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller Sisters Nora and Kit inherit land from the local “cake lady,” and while Kit wants to sell to the first buyer to come along, Nora is more apprehensive. She doesn’t want a big-box store to ruin their perfect small town. The trouble is, she can’t help falling for Elliot, the developer’s rep. Well-written characters and a few surprises make this book a delightful read. The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel Three years after having a heart transplant, Megan still isn’t ready to take on the world as she had planned. When she’s given her donor’s diary with a bucket list, she decides to complete the list Amanda never could. Megan’s estranged twin sister, Crystal, accompanies her to escape her own problems, and…

I approach pie making in the way Tom Sawyer paints fences: make it look like so much fun other people beg to do the work. Pie making is work, especially when you need to make 20 of them, as I do for our farm’s annual Labor Day pig roast. Getting other people to help is the perfect solution. The morning of the party I round up a dozen party guests and give them a free pie lesson. Voila! A tempting smorgasbord of homemade pies materializes for the evening’s festivities. It started by accident, three years ago, at a family dinner on the eve of the pig roast. A visiting relative asked if I would teach her to make pie. I had consumed one too many glasses of wine and replied,…

Our extended family was planning a trip back home to the little country church cemeteries in Nebraska where our ancestors are. I wanted to be able to leave some kind of memento on the graves of my grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles and aunts, and I thought a small painted rock would be just the thing. I had great fun making designs that reminded me of something unique to each ancestor: hearts, angels, flags, ladybugs, frogs, family trees and such. I sometimes added a little message of love and remembrance. I must admit, though, that I did not count on the weight of all of those rocks in my suitcase. And I did not anticipate the reaction of the TSA agents when they ran my bag full of rocks through the airport…

Give a set of secondhand glass plates a new look. Cut a square piece of fabric 2 inches wider than the plate circumference. Using a foam brush, apply dishwasher-safe Mod Podge to the bottom of plate. Lay the fabric, print side down, on top of the Mod Podge, pressing to adhere to the plate. Smooth the fabric down with a foam brush, and apply a coat of Mod Podge over the fabric. Let it dry overnight. Using scissors, trim the fabric to the plate edge. Apply two or three more coats of Mod Podge on the bottom of the plate, sealing the fabric. Dinner is served—in gorgeous style.…

Start with 1 yard of yellow burlap and 1/2 yard each of green and white burlap. Cut each color in 10x12-inch rectangles with a rotary blade. (To reduce fraying, pull a warp thread out of the burlap at 10-inch intervals and cut where the thread was. Repeat in the opposite direction at 12-inch intervals.) Cut pipe cleaners in coordinating colors to 6-inch lengths. Beginning with the green and white burlap pieces, lay each rectangle out with the edges curling upward. Fold two opposite corners inward until they meet. Gather them in the middle, forming two petals that look like a bow. Bind the bows onto the outer edge of a wire wreath form, securing them in the center with pipe cleaners. Alternate white and green burlap around the outer edge.…

It’s time to give a shout-out to the country woman who inspires you. Whether she’s a community volunteer or a do-it-all farmer, we want to meet her. Take a few photos and tell us what makes her special, and she could be named our 2019 Country Woman of the Year! The title comes with a $250 cash prize and the opportunity for her to be featured in an issue of Country Woman. If she wins, you’ll be awarded $250, too. And even if your nominee does not win, she may still be featured in an upcoming issue. So introduce us soon. The contest runs from Sept. 4 to Dec. 3, 2018. Enter at: countrywomanmagazine.com/womanoftheyear Tips for a Winning Entry • Tell us how your nominee embodies the country spirit. •…

1 Pie Safe It is thought that German immigrants introduced the pie safe to America in the 1800s. The cabinet’s innovation was its punched-tin panels that allowed air to circulate while keeping pests away from cooling baked goods. They were generally made of pine or poplar, but the wood could vary by region and can be a clue in determining where the piece was made. Worth: $300-$700, depending on condition. Rare styles and pieces with remarkable craftsmanship or outstanding original paint can bring even more. 2 Egg Beaters This trio of egg beaters dates to the mid-20th century. The red Androck beater was made by The Washburn Co.; the green by A&J Manufacturing; the turquoise by Ekco Housewares Co. Mechanical egg beaters arrived in the latter half of the 19th…

PREP: 15 MIN. + CHILLING BAKE: 50 MIN. + COOLING MAKES: 8 SERVINGS 11/4 cups all-purpose flour Dash salt 1/4 cup shortening 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed 3 to 4 Tbsp. ice water FILLING 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca Dash salt 6 cups halved fresh strawberries CRUMBLE 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 1. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in shortening and butter until crumbly. Gradually add the ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, mix sugar, tapioca and salt; add strawberries and toss to coat. On a lightly floured…

Make leftovers disappear with one of these quick and easy recipes: • Brush the tortillas with butter and sprinkle with herbs or cinnamon-sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet until crisp. • Make a breakfast burrito by spooning scrambled eggs and salsa down the center of the tortilla and rolling up. You could also add shredded cheese and sour cream. • Spread peanut butter, apple butter and cream cheese on a tortilla and roll it up for a quick sandwich. • Let tortillas rest on cooling racks until brittle, then crumble into small pieces to use on soups or salads in place of croutons.…

Life Is Good I so enjoyed Beth M. Howard’s “You Know You’re Dating a Farmer When…” in the February/March 2018 issue of Country Woman . It brought back many wonderful memories of growing up on the farm, and it described my dad to a T—going for Sunday drives and eating ice cream cones in the backseat while he checked out everyone else’s crops. We were truly blessed growing up with so much abundance. Sun shining, watching birds at the feeder, our beautiful snow-covered lawn. Wow...life is good. Thank you, Beth. ANNIE MERRELL FENELON FALLS, ONTARIO EDITOR’S NOTE: Turn ahead to page 33 to read Beth M. Howard's story about making pie for (and with) a crowd. The Chicken and the Eggs Many of you wrote in about the teacup…

A group of women stand in a clear, cold trout stream. They move fishing flies back and forth across the water with a similar flick of their wrists—but they are linked by something else, too. They’re all fighting breast cancer. Fly-fishing and breast cancer recovery may not sound like they go hand in hand. But Casting for Recovery founders Benita Walton, a fly-fishing enthusiast and breast cancer reconstructive surgeon, and Gwenn Perkins Bogart, a professional fly-fisher, developed the idea of blending the sport with breast cancer recovery in 1996, when they realized that the gentle motion of fly-casting mimics some of the physical therapy exercises prescribed after surgery or radiation. Gwenn and Benita, along with a small group of founding members, were pioneers in the sport simply by virtue of…

Fruits and veggies don’t need to be banished to the backyard. Shake up ornamental garden beds by tucking edible plants among the flowers. The yard will get a boost in texture and design, and you’ll enjoy the results in summer meals. Think beyond the norm when choosing edibles to plant near ornamentals. Tuck leafy vegetables such as Swiss chard and kale behind showy flowers for a deep green backdrop. And swap traditional shrubs, such as junipers or lilacs, for some bushes you can appreciate visually now and at the table later, including blueberries, hazelnuts, bush cherries or gooseberries. When putting in these food-producing shrubs near your home, keep them just outside the roof drip line. This way, you’ll protect them from harsh winds while also allowing breezes to cool the…

She was sitting in someone’s damp basement, leaning precariously while propped up on a stack of crumbling bricks. She had only three legs, but it was love at first sight. A new Elmira Stove Works stove costs more than $5,000; this one was marked down to $800. We knew a bargain when we saw one. We ordered Elmira (as we fondly call her) a shiny new leg, and she is now the centerpiece of our large sunny kitchen at Short Creek Farm, our home nestled deep in the hills of West Virginia. We live in an area known for being without power for sometimes weeks at a time. During the winter, you can’t let your water pipes freeze, and you have to keep your babies warm and fed. We have…

Cheesecake Pops Customize these pretty pops for any occasion by using different toppings. —EVELYN MOORE ELK GROVE, CA PREP: 2 HOURS + FREEZING MAKES: 45 CHEESECAKE POPS 3 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 45 lollipop sticks (4 in. long) 3 pkg. (10 to 12 oz. each) white baking chips 3 Tbsp. shortening Toppings: grated coconut, grated chocolate, assorted sprinkles and chopped nuts 1. Line the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan with parchment paper; coat paper and sides of pan with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add eggs;…

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