Dispatches from Home - A Taste of Humboldt

Day ??? of Shelter in place and soon I’ll have polished off a 30 pack of tortillas and pound of salsa. I’m looking through my cupboards to see if there is anything, anything different I can make with random odds and ends that I have. Ooh, mac and cheese. That’ll do.

Back in the before times (before shelter in place that is), I picked up a cookbook of recipes from different immigrant groups that have come to Humboldt County over time. The book was published in 1987 and I think is out of print now. It was produced by YES at Humboldt State to raise money for scholarships. It’s actually a great historical resource, giving a short discussion of different immigrant groups that came to the county, when they came here, and what trades they participated in, and where they settled, thanks to help from a number of big names in the local history world - Lynwood Carranco, Martha Roscoe, Peter Palmquist, and Jack Norton to name a few.  It also has all kinds of tasty recipes that people brought with them in their travels to the county, and some that were modified when they got here. There are local Native American, Welsh, Laotian, Danish, Italian, English, Swiss, Mien, Indian, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, Mexican, even the Midwest attributions in the book, from people located all around the county (that’s not an exhaustive list of the different ethnic backgrounds of the foods in the book by the way, it goes on and on). ​

My Aebleskiver pan that I found at a yard sale in San Diego.

In the book, there are some recipes I recognize from my own family. Aebleskivers come to mind. I’m not exactly sure how a Danish recipe ended up in our German and Luxembourgian family (I think I’m 4th or 5th generation American), maybe it was from my grandparent’s frequent visits to Solvang where the fried dough and related accoutrements are sold.  There are also some other ones I’d like to break out at a post-pandemic party (Pink Elephant Party Punch with Grenadine, lemonade, orange juice and a bit of vodka- maybe hold the vodka - recipe from Sylvia Molloy of Bayside), and all kinds of bread. Breadmaking seems to be making a comeback with people at home looking for things to do- and this book is not short on bread recipes. Yugoslavian ones, Portuguese ones, ones with unknown origins...

Oh my and it has cookie recipes.

Cookies are some of my go-to recipes when I’m having a tough day or know someone else who is. There’s an oatmeal cookie one that sounds tasty, oh, and a peanut butter cookie one that also sounds tasty…
For you enjoyment, here’s those two recipes:

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Old fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
½ cup hot water
¾ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

Soak raisins in hot water for five minutes; drain, reserving liquid. Combine butter, sugars, and eggs; beat until fluffy. Set aside. sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spice. Blend into sugar mixture. mix in ¼ cup raisin liquid, adding water if necessary. Add oats and raisins, drop onto greased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen cookies.
This cookie recipe has been passed down through three generations of my family. My grandmother made them for my father when he was a child, and they continue to be his favorite cookie. Now I make the cookies for Dad and enjoy them as much as he does. They are the best oatmeal cookies I have ever tasted.
Michelle Farden, Arcata

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Grandma Poe’s Peanut Butter Cookies (this one had a star next to it and a rusted paperclip mark from its previous owner- probably a favorite recipe)
½ cup each of the following: Peanut Butter, shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 ½ cups flour

Cream butter, shortening, and sugars. add baking soda and salt. add egg, and beat well. Add flour. Roll in small balls and put on a greased cookie sheet. press both ways with a fork.
bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.
Grace and Ed Poe from Trinidad were my adopted grandparents. They often came to stay overnight with us in Arcata. We loved to see them come. Grandma always brought something good to eat. My favorite were these cookies.
Paula Flannery, Bayside

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The book also includes little stories from some of the recipe contributors, like the ones listed in the last two recipes. Another story was one from Carol S. Kausen of Fortuna who says that she found the recipe for her holiday “Delightful “No Bake” Dessert” from a friend of a friend who was a caretaker on one of the Russ family ranches. She was really impressed with the recipe and made it a part of her holiday traditions for the next 50 years.

A word of caution however, look how many it serves before you break into making a recipe from this book- some serve a small dinner party while others serve 25 or more!

In all, if you’re looking for a book that gives you a rundown of the early immigration history to Humboldt County and some recipes for your shelter in place party of 1 (or your household), this is the book for you!

 If you’re looking for me this weekend, I’ll be in the kitchen baking up a storm. Too bad I’ll have to keep the cookies to myself…
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home!
-Katie