Grandma's Wood Stove

I had someone ask in the comment section of the previous post "whatever became of the wood stove."

So many delicious foods were served straight from Grandma's wood stove. Bread pudding, cake doughnuts, meats, vegetables, soups and stews of all kinds. Buttermilk biscuits, clover leaf buns, homemade bread and so much more. Grandma was a fantastic cook and everything that was served at the table tasted so much better because of that wood stove.

At breakfast every morning, Grandma served two kinds of meat, fried potatoes, biscuits fruit. We were farmers and the men folk worked hard from dawn to dusk. They needed three full meals a day.

When Grandpa got a notion in his head to buy three farms and move to central Ontario, things changed. They did take the wood stove with them but after two years, they decided to divide the large house so my uncle and his family could live in the other half. At that time the wood stove had to go, as there was no place for it anymore. Grandma wasn't happy. She did have an electric stove by that time, but she much preferred to cook on the old wood stove.

Things never tasted quite as good coming from the electric stove and today I still miss the taste of the delicious food that came from that old wood stove.

Grandma's Bread Pudding

Every once in a while I get a hankering for some of Grandma's comfort food. Today I was given 2 loaves of cinnamon bread. As soon as I saw it I knew that it would be great for bread pudding.

Grandma cooked all of her treats in a wood stove when I was young. Nothing ever tasted as good as the treats that came out of that old stove's oven. We always looked forward to something tasty and Grandma knew how to make things that tasted good and went far. After all, she had a big family.

I'd like to share Grandma's recipe for bread pudding. Try it! It's delicious.

Bread Pudding

• 6 slices of bread or cinnamon bread
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Break bread into small pieces into an 9 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with raisins.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and almond or vanilla extract. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the an inserted knife comes out clean.
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Campbell's History

Do you remember the Campbell's Kids. When I was young, there were all kinds of ads in magazines that showed this delightful duo.
Today I happened upon a website that gave the history of Campbell's Soups. I found it quite interesting and thought that I'd share.

In 1869, right after the Civil War, Joseph Campbell was a fruit vendor. He partnered with Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer to start the Anderson and Campbell Preserve Company in Camden, New Jersey.

It wasn't long until the men realized they had completely different visions of what the company would become. Campbell bought out Anderson and created more products including mustard, salad dressing, ketchup and tomato soup made from Beefsteak tomatoes. The soup became a best seller for the company.

In 1894, Joseph Campbell retired and turned the company over to Arthur Dorrance, who hired his nephew, John, who had a chemistry degree. He was paid $7.50 per week, which was terrific money for the time period. John realized that he could make condensed soup by removing the heavy water and soup prices went from 30 cents a can to 10 cents. The soups were the biggest sellers that the company had and in 1922, the name of the company was changed to Campbell's Soup Company.

In 1904, Grace Weiderseim Drayton, who was an illustrator, sketched illustrations for an ad campaign for the Company. She added children to her husband's advertising layout for Campbell's Condensed Soup. The Company loved them and many of us are familiar with the Campbell Kids.

Today Campbell's Soups are used in baking and are a staple of the American culture. Do you still use Campbell soup. I do.

Canadians on D-Day

June 6, 1944 is now known as D-Day and is often referred to as, "The Longest Day." On that day, the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of France in order to shove back the Germans. Canadians made it into Caen, which is 15 miles from the beach.

Approximately 360 Canadians died and 570 wounded on D-Day. Lest We Forget~!

Update: If you get a chance to watch the show, "Storming Juno," be sure to watch it. It gives an account of the operation and there are live testimonies from some of the survivors. Of 16,000 men who landed, over 1,000 were killed.