Ode to Oklahoma and on to Arkansas — Land of Hope

First, it's election day and I hope you've found time to vote. (Continue reading after you've finished voting, we'll still be here waiting for you.)  Trying to teach the students about voting our Kindergarten teacher used the book "The Little Red Hen" to show the students to vote for the animal individual who is the hardest worker. On a recent stop on his road trip through the country Time's Joe Klein mentioned that politicians are some of the hardest working individuals in the country. It's easy to forget that with all the negative campaign material floating around. I wrote about ballot revisions - design revisions at least -- on my Mom2MomKC blog HERE.

So for just a few Presidential items (though it's not a presidential voting year) I thought it would be fun to include:

From the Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Arkansas.

BEVERAGES:
How about a Presidential Pale Ale Beer? (From Arkansas, our next state to explore!)

Click HERE to hear how former President Clinton ate when he was growing up in Hope, Arkansas. (From an interview on Rachel Ray's TV show.)

Try this Presidential food trivia test HERE.

And one of our favorite books with stories and great illustrations of the White House and its families is "Our White House, Looking In, Looking Out."
It has a great collection of short stories and information on all our past presidents and their families. It's a treasury of great authors and illustrators on a topic that should be of interest to all children (and parents) interested in the history of their country.

Presidential illustration by Bob Kolar in "Our White House"

So as we depart Oklahoma (with a pledge to return when we have more recipes and stories), we give you our new-found recipe for Oklahoma Caviar, that features blackeyed peas, of course! I've heard this zesty bean dip for chips referred to as poor man's cavair, too, but the Oklahoma title fits our needs just fine. (I'd happily call it Texan caviar, too.)

Oklahoma Caviar
1 (12 oz) can of black beans
1 (14 oz) can of shoepeg corn (I choose frozen)
1 (15 oz) can blackeyed peas
2 (15 oz) cans chopped tomatoes
2 bunches of green onions, chopped (I used 3 stalks only)
1 (16 oz) bottle of Italian dressing (I didn't use all of the bottle)

Drain and rinse beans and corn from the cans. Add the ingredients in a bowl with the canned tomatoes, green onions and dressing. Mix well. Refrigerate and marinate overnight. (But can be served right after mixing though the flavors are best after marinating.) Serve with corn chips.

My eldest really liked it, though the youngest thought it was a bit too spicy for her taste. I may try to find a less "zesty" Italian dressing, but I love finding new ways to serve up vegetables for the girls.

Oklahoma's State Menu

Oklahoma has an official state meal and it's not for dieters. Click HERE to read more. It reflects a Southern slant and prairie diet with influences from Native Americans.

Barbecued pork
chicken-fried steak
and sausage with biscuits and gravy
fried okra and squash
grits
corn
black-eyed peas
cornbread
strawberries
pecan pie.

My friend Sue Wendelbo — who I commend for eating well despite multiple food allergies — writes: "I hate to disappoint you, but Oklahoma "was" known for FRYING EVERYTHING!  Thank goodness the Raw Food Movement has made a great entrance into the Great, Great State of Oklahoma!  105 Degrees is a culinary academy that is shaping the way Southwest foodies are living life to the fullest.  Chris and I regularly frequent 105 Degrees on our visits and when we leave the fine dining establishment our pallets are anxious to return.  Oklahoma really has become the hot bed of culinary arts with several schools and chefs from as far away as London and New York City hired as instructors.  Who would have ever guessed?"

Thanks, Sue, I'm now excited about checking out 105 Degrees though I've less chance to travel through Oklahoma since my sister moved from Austin, Texas. (Oklahoma City was always our stopping point for the night because 12 hours from our home to Austin was just too much for our family to handle in one day's drive.) It's good to know food is getting more sophisticated. When I was in college the only Oklahoma restaurant/establishment that I was familiar with that served food and refreshments was Eskimo Joe's. (I never road tripped there either!) Everyone had their T-shirt from the place, it was like the Midwest's version of the Hard Rock T-shirt.

And I'd be remiss in not linking to the beautiful web site that's the work of Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman, who cooks, does photography and home schools in Oklahoma. How she does it all, I have NO idea!

Click HERE for more info on Oklahoma restaurants.

And my friend Holly Lawton who grew up in Oklahoma City, writes, "One thing I remember from Oklahoma that other states don't seem to do is to have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. The quintessential OK food would have to be red meat!"

I'm experimenting with a black-eyed peas salad and if it works I'll share it. (Still not had a chance to make biscuits with vinegar gel yet, but it's on the agenda. Don't forget to vote!) Still seeking noodle recipes, too!

Bookin' it in Oklahoma

Welcome back to more of Oklahoma Week


Book of Oklahoma!

The girls and I watched Oklahoma! this past weekend. Well the five-year-old was the most into it while her older sister complained that it was too long and I started dozing off and missed all the dream scenes. And I forgot how brooding Jed is, including his stalking tendencies and finally setting a haystack on fire that held the pair of newlyweds, Curly the cowboy and farm girl Shirley Jones. (Though for a farm girl Shirley wasn't as handy around the farm as you'd think she should have be in frontierland. And I'm not quite sure her new husband Curly knew quite enough about keeping her aunt's farm in tip-top working condition.)

Here is a list of famous Oklahomans that lends itself to checking out many famous authors.
I discovered a Native American poet, Joy Harjo, who's work includes this fun-looking children's book:


Children's book from Oklahoma author

While there have been many writers and actors, I found Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth's salad dressing recipe from her mother (from SELF magazine, April 2003.) (It's got vinegar and sugar in it!) The Chenoweths are from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, though Kristin now spends her time in NYC and LA.

Kristin Chenoweth's memoir

According to a review of Kristin's memoir, "A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages," Kristin enjoys food and she shares recipes for desserts like Butterfinger Pie and Chenolicious White Trash Cookies. I'm tracking down her book right now to try out these recipes.

Oklahoma Comfort Food - with Vinegar Gel

Ready to check out a new state?

Welcome to Oklahoma Week where we highlight two er, one standard comfort food today. These classic made-from-scratch biscuits (as all biscuits should be!) include a rather unique topping. That topping is a family recipe born out of originality and necessity and now a recipe that those BORN in the family seen to have a predisposed craving to enjoy. It still causes much division at the family's gatherings to this day.

Ah, the wonders of food. I like to think there is something to genetics and eating. We're still grilling which likely started as some caveman's way to relieve stress on the five days after a big hunting project while the wife tossed together a lovely berry salad while carrying for the kids, repainting and sweeping the cave while entertaining the in-laws. And that last point made her remember that the clan's arrows needed sharpening, again.

Fast forward to the present,  as we focus on the states surrounding Kansas for this project, I like to tap my friends who grew up on each state's food fare. For Oklahoma, I talked with a couple our family much admires, Bill and Nicki Hancock. Nicki is a former English teacher (and a Kansas Master Teacher of the Year) and Bill is the Executive Director of the Bowl Championship Series. Bill and Nicki live in KC but grew up and met in Oklahoma and have family there. Nicki shares the story of her mother's biscuit recipe and the vinegar gel topping! Enjoy  -- with or withOUT the vinegar gel.

Nicki writes:

"Growing up in Oklahoma, sometimes for breakfast but often with dinner, we had my mother’s made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. Even though she worked as a teacher, writer, tax preparer and lawyer, she still made biscuits several times a month. We always had them for special occasions. Since my father’s hobby was raising bird dogs and taking them into the fields for hunting on crisp, fall Saturdays, for Christmas breakfast we always had fried quail with biscuits and gravy. Our 1907-vintage farmhouse teemed with activity as we all scurried to help prepare the feast. The aroma filled the steamy kitchen up to its high ceiling, and even the sweaty windows radiated warmth. It was a treat that we four children looked forward to all year.

"Very little changed after we added four spouses, 12 grandchildren and now three great-grandchildren. Mother has moved to an assisted-living center and someone else now lives in our old farmhouse, but we’re still there in our hearts at Christmas time.

"With our biscuits we always had (and still have) a Depression-era treat called vinegar gel. Probably created from a recipe for vinegar pie (a Southern dessert), it consists of flour, sugar, vinegar and water, cooked into a syrup-like topping for biscuits. We mix it with sugar and butter and pour it over the biscuits. My family says only descendents from our Watkins ancestors like it. I do know that at our family get-togethers none of the 'married-ins' will touch it, but the rest of us savor it — even the babies."

Nellie's Biscuits
Recipe from Nicki (Perry) Hancock
2 cups flour
1/3 cup shortening
½ teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ to 1 cup of buttermilk

Cut shortening into dry ingredients to consistency of corn meal. Add buttermilk to make a sticky dough. Roll out on a lightly floured sheet and cut into two-and-a-half-inch rounds. Bake at 400 degrees about 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Watkins Family Vinegar Gel
Recipe from Nicki (Perry) Hancock
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water

Bring vinegar and first cup of water to a boil. Put flour, sugar and remaining water into a jar with a tight lid and shake well to mix. Add to boiling mixture. Cook over low heat until thickened. To serve, mix individual portions with one pat of butter and sugar to taste. Serve over buttered biscuits or as a dip for pieces of biscuit.

Nicki says the mixture usually thickens in about 10 minutes. I feel I must in good conscience at least TRY all the recipes I post here. But Bill wants to make one thing clear, "A word of caution: Vinegar gel is awful!" Bill writes. "But then I’m one of those 'married-in' people. I’m told it was invented during the Depression when folks didn’t have enough money to buy jelly. I suppose most people canned their own, but others created vinegar jel. With that in their diet, I’m surprised that anyone survived."

And Nicki agrees: "I have to admit I don't expect non-family members to take to the vinegar gel, but Bill loves the biscuits with sorghum or jelly."

At least everyone can agree on the comforts of steaming-hot biscuits, no matter what topping pleases the taste buds.

Got a story and recipe for Oklahoma? Please leave us a note in comments. (We're also still looking for noodle recipes.)