Home Quotes: 'And I adore anyone who adores anyone who adores Emerson. Your turn.'

 "We have a debt to every great heart, to every fine genius; to those who have put life and fortune on the cast of an act of justice; to those who have added new sciences; to those who have refined life by elegant pursuits. 'Tis the fine souls who serve us, and not what is called fine society. . .Society wishes to be amused. I do not wish to be amused. I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred. I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photograph by Elspeth Young

Snowmen for Snow-less Days

 With this year’s low snowfall over most of those of us accustomed to freezing flurries and blustery blizzards, there’s little to miss about shoveling walks, navigating slippery roads or tending to frostbitten toes.  In the snow-free garden even freeze-dried pansies are pretty and there are delicious days that suggest spring.  For those aching to sled or ski or build snowmen, however, this year’s so-far-quiet-winter (with emphasis in Utah on the so far, the snow’s likely to arrive in time to thoroughly white-out the vernal equinox) is a bit of a non-starter.

While we can’t help out those who slide or slalom, we can do a little something for those whose mittens lay idling in anticipation of reviving Frosty.  A pound or more of any favorite medium rich bread dough (the recipe on page 21 in the Heidi’s Christmas journal issue, for example, makes dough that’s a perfect consistency) along with the following process, and Frosty’s back in town—at least until after dinner.  And no wooly mittens or galoshes required.

These are mini-loaf sized breads great to serve for supper with warming soups or hefty chef salads.  Each one requires about 6 to 8 ounces of dough--everyone can size their own.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then create the various shapes at the top and assemble as shown in the subsequent photos, above.  Place each snowman on a parchment or silicone-covered baking sheet and brush with egg wash. When snowmen are very puffy and about doubled in size (this can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes depending on dough type and room temperature) slide them into the oven and bake until golden brown, around 25 minutes.  Cool on racks, then let him melt in your mouth.

Films for "Little Christmas"

 Everyone has at least one must-watch holiday film that heightens anticipation, enlivens the season, and simply speaks Christmas to the heart--and most of us probably have several.  This pair of "Forgotten Films" is less about  paving the way to Christmas morning, then about traveling the sometimes flat days after Christmas, when watching spirits visit Scrooge or angels visit George Bailey suddenly seem part of an exciting past that sadly won't return for another three-hundred-and-sixty-something days.

We love the week between Christmas and New Years, known in some traditions (and ours) as "Little Christmas," when unhurried overtakes hectic and the fridge is full of can't-afford-the-price-or-the-calories-the-rest-of-the-year foods.  It's usually during those quieter days that we settle in to enjoy two films that wind down the season seamlessly--providing an essence of Christmas, but free from reindeer, red suits or wrapping paper.  And each movie is a perfect match for prosciutto or Parmagiano-Reggiano.

Bachelor Mother begins on Christmas Eve and ends with New Years' Day, but across those handful of days, and in a mere 82 minutes, director Garson Kanin and writer Norman Krasna pack in an impromptu baby adoption, a romance, adventures in childcare, department store politics, a soul-satisfying damaged-merchandise return, a gallant landlady, a stuffy butler, a cocky stock clerk, New Years' Eve on Times Square, a Sunday in the park, and still manage to have multiple opportunities to show off Ginger Rogers' panache on the dance floor.  Bachelor Mother is delightful, innocent fun that makes perfect use of the comedic skills of David Niven, Ginger Rogers, and Charles Coburn, as well as those of its admirable supporting cast.  It's our favorite film for counting down the hours of the old year.

After seeing  Pocketful of Miracles, Ginger Rogers' response to Frank Capra was:  "Frank, it's so wonderful!  What are you trying to do--bring back movies?"

The film, lacking a big Hollywood-style build-up and given a very short run, failed to meet budget and temporarily languished among the more critically-acclaimed Soulful, Sad, and Meaningful films of the early sixties, but has found a permanent home on the small screen ever since.  A remake of Capra's earlier Damon Runyon adaptation Lady for a Day, it's a Cinderella tale of real rags to make-believe riches, street peddlers, small time gangsters, big time mobsters, anxious cops, and Spanish royalty combining to do the miraculous in 1930s New York.

Capra's final film, it's big, splashy, colorful, and nicely sentimental with the added bonus of Edith Head's costuming from a grander, lovelier day.  Some Christmas decorations and bits of incidental seasonal music are the only overt ties to Christmas, but it's got a huge, happy Christmas heart that carries out the season comedically and completely.  Though Glenn Ford and Hope Lang were anything but Capra's first choices for bootlegger, Dave the Dude, and his girlfriend, Queenie Martin, it's hard to imagine anyone else in their roles.  Bette Davis makes her transition from a gin-soaked hag of an apple peddler into a gracious society maven with resounding authenticity, and there are a wide range of outstanding performances by supporting players, though all may be upstaged by Peter Falk in a very early and acrid role as Glenn Ford's gangster lieutenant, wonderfully misnamed "Joy Boy."

Despite the literal headaches its production caused Capra, it's the perfect prescription for post-Christmas viewing.

Happy St. Nicholas Day--An Abridged Hans Brinker Christmastide Countdown

Traditionally our St. Nicholas celebrations have included fat loaves of grattiman (also known as grittibanz in some parts of Switzerland) and when the children were little the writing of letters to Santa to be picked up as he made his St. Nicholas rounds across the planet. But  even when there's no time or inclinations for such activities, there's still a part of St. Nicholas festivities that can fit in whatever the demands of the day--the commencement of a seasonal read of one our favorite tales, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge.  Though we sometimes read the book page by page, we generally skip the the lengthy armchair tour and travelogue, and invest our hours (which pass altogether too quickly, by the way) in the story of the Brinker family and their trials and triumphs.

This depiction of a Dutch girl by nineteenth century artist Therese Schwartze seems an ideal image of Gretel Brinker, who Dodge described as "lithe and quick; Gretel's eyes had a dancing light in them, and while you looked at her cheek the color paled and deepened just as it does upon a bed of pink and white blossoms when the wind is blowing."

We've designed this abridged reading to begin today in celebration of St. Nicholas Day and end on the twentieth, the day of the the long awaited race for the silver skates, but it can be expanded or contracted at will.  (We usually can't wait and gobble the book up in a few evenings.)  There are two chapters per day and all are chronological with the exception of today's reading which jumps ahead to begin with the St. Nicholas celebrations at the home of kindly Hilda van Gleck and then moves back to introduce Hans and Gretel Brinker.  One caution, however, concerning the St. Nicholas chapter, there may be some hints about Santa that the reading parent may want to skip in behalf of any starry-eyed tots in the family.

December 6

The Festival of Saint Nicholas

Hans and Gretel

December 7

The Silver Skates

Hans and Gretel Find a Friend

December 8

Shadows in the Home

Sunbeams

December  9

Hans Has His Way

Introducing Jacob Poot and His Cousin

December 10

A Catastrophe

Hans

December 11

Homes

Homeward Bound

December 12

Boys and Girls

The Crisis

December 13

Gretel and Hilda

The Awakening

December 14

Bones and Tongues

A New Alarm

December 15

The Father's Return

The Thousand Guilders

December 16

Glimpses

Looking For Work

December 17

The Fairy Godmother

The Mysterious Watch

December 18

A Discovery

The Race

December 19 

 Joy in the Cottage

Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas Higgs

December 20 

Broad Sunshine

Conclusion

Our favorite edition is the 1918 Hans Brinker (pictured above) because of the delightful illustrations by Maginel Enwright--used copies of which are still easy to find from online sources. 

For more ideas about creating a Hans Brinker Christmas, see Vol 4 No 1 of The Storybook Home Journal.

Heidi's Christmas Carols

By Elspeth Young

Painting by Viggo Johansen

Christmas isn't Christmas without inspiring music, and Heidi's Christmas just wasn't complete without a carol arrangement.  Any reader of Heidi knows that carols are never specifically mentioned within the book, but Spyri left ample clues as to her own hymn favorites, and it was just a small step from there to choosing Heidi's very own Christmas carol.  Though every translation I've ever seen of Heidi seems to choose different hymns and poetry to replace Johanna Spyri's original choices for the Grandmother's "old prayer-book with beautiful songs," looking at the original German, Spyri was very specific in her choices.  Hymns read or recited by Heidi include Die güldne Sonne Voll Freud und Wonne, Kreuz und Elende, and Befiehl Du Deine Wege by Paul Gerhardt, and Gott will's machen, dass die Sachen by Johann Daniel Herrnschmidt--all of 17th and 18th century creation, and all beautiful.

Painting by Franz Skarbina

Inspired by Gerhardt's texts, Tanner and I choose to adapt his Christmas carol, Kommt und laßt uns Christum ehren ("Come and Christ the Lord be Praising"), for voice, keyboard, and flute--leaving the original melody in the keyboard accompaniment, and exploring some pretty polyphony for the voice and flute parts.  The sheet music is found on page 22 of Heidi's Christmas.  (I was sorely tempted to choose another famous Gerhardt carol, Fröhlich soll mein herze springen, ("All My Heart This Night Rejoices")--a favorite of mine since childhood--but opted for the lesser known text and music, in the hopes of sharing something delightfully new with Journal readers.)  Due to space limitations within the Journal itself, we could only include verse one in the sheet music, so we provide more verses, below, to aid in Christmas performances.

The quest for Heidi's carol, however, need not be over.  So many beloved carols have their birth (or at least their popularization) in Alpine climbs.  My Swiss grandmother has often told me of childhood days she spent beneath the Christmas tree, clasping hands with loved ones, singing traditional carols of Christmas and advent.  Inspired by the thought of such Swiss traditions, here are ten German and Swiss-German carols I love, and which Heidi or Klara might easily has enjoyed during the warm glow of Christmas in Frankfurt or Dörfli:

Heidi's Christmas Carols

Illustration by Maria L. Kirk

Alle Jahre wieder

Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming)

Ihr Kinderlein kommet (O Come Little Children)

Joseph, lieber, Joseph mein  (Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine)

O du Fröhliche (Oh How Joyfully)

O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)

Still, still, still (Still, Still, Still)

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night)

Vom Himmel hoch

Was isch das für e Nacht

Come, and Christ the Lord Be Praising
English translation by John Kelly, 1867

Come, and Christ the Lord be praising,
Heart and mind to Him be raising,
Celebrate His love amazing,
Worthy folk of Christendom!

See what God for us provideth,
Life that in His Son abideth,
And our weary steps He guideth
From earth's woe to heav'nly joy.

His soul deeply for us feeleth
He His love to us revealeth,
He who in the heavens dwelleth
Came to save us from our foe.

Jacob's Star His advent maketh,
Soothes the longing heart that acheth,
And the serpent's head He breaketh,
Scattering the pow'rs of hell.

Op'd hath He and freedom gain'd us,
Now the prison that contain'd us;
Where much grief and sorrow pain'd us,
And our hearts were bow'd with woe.

Beauteous Infant in the manger,
O befriend us! beyond danger
Bring us where is turn'd God's anger,
Where with angel hosts, we'll praise!

Thanksgiving Gluten-free Alternative to Stuffing...

Facing the first Thanksgiving with our newest sweetheart-of-a-niece-in-law just diagnosed with gluten intolerance, this was our concoction designed to give some of the satisfactions of stuffing, without the wheat-laden woes. Of course it doesn’t go inside the bird, but it’s as moist and satisfying as it if had. And while it's unlikely that anyone's going to mistake it for grandma’s stuffing in a blind taste test, it’s a very nice, very filling side dish all on its own.  We thought we’d share it in case any of you face similar challenges either for yourselves or your holiday guests. 

Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Pie can also be converted to a gluten-free status by changing the crust recipe to 2 cups quick oats, 1 ¾ cups ground almonds and 1/4 cup rice flour, 12 tablespoon butter and 1 cup sugar—it’s more expensive and more fattening, of course, but it’s also more delicious!

Instead of Stuffing—Sage and Celery Polenta

Photograph by Elspeth Young

by Nancy Young

4 cups milk, heated

4 cups hot water

11/4 cups polenta meal

1 teaspoon salt

6 fresh sage leaves or 3 dried sage leaves

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons dried

½ teaspoon Aromat seasoning (optional) or salt to taste

2 grated shallots or ½ teaspoon onion powder

5 to 6 dried sage leaves rubbed, or about ¾ teaspoon ground sage

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 to 2 tablespoons dried celery flakes

2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Melted butter or olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place polenta meal into an oven-proof 11-quart stockpot, and stir in milk and water, mixing well—then add the sage leaves and put the pot into the oven.  Check after about 20 minutes always using hot pads or oven mitts to do so, and stir again being careful that no polenta is sticking or clumping around the bottom sides of the pot.  Return polenta to the oven and check every 5 minutes until done—25 to 30 minutes is typical.  When polenta is cooked and thickened, stir in the butter and Aromat or salt to taste, then add all the remaining ingredients, testing and adjusting flavorings as desired.  Pour into a large casserole and allow to cool and set—it will take about an hour.  When polenta is cooled it can be cut into pretty shapes,  drizzled with a little butter or oil and put under the broiler to lightly brown.

Christmas is Coming!

Heidi's Christmas is almost here!  We're just putting the finishing touches on this latest issue of The Storybook Home Journal, featuring the delights and magic of a Christmas on the Alm.  While you're waiting, mix up a batch of Cup O' Cocoa Cake Batter and bake away!  You can use some left-over hot chocolate or cocoa from one of these cold autumn evenings as the third of a cup of "very dark cocoa" called for in the recipe, or use the equivalent as listed below.

 

Cup O' Cocoa Cake

Photograph by Elspeth Young

by Nancy Young

4 egg whites beaten to soft peaks
10 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup very dark cup of cocoa or ¼ cup warm water and ½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond, vanilla, rum or hazelnut flavoring
½ cup cream
½ cup milk
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups whole wheat flour or 2 ¼ cups white flour
¾ to 1 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Extra Sugar for sprinkling
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375° and butter or baking-spray any 7-cup or larger pan or mold. (We used a 12 x 5-inch ceramic cake pan.)  Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, and then beat in egg yolks until mixture is light.  Beat in the flavoring, "cup of cocoa," cream and milk.  Mix the salt and baking powder into the flour and mix lightly into the batter, and add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.  Carefully fold in the egg whites.  Spoon evenly into the prepared mold, sprinkle lightly the top with sugar and bake until cake tests clean about 45 to 55 minutes.  Remove to wire and rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding.  Allow unmolded cake to cool thoroughly on wire rack, and then dust with powdered sugar. 

Forgotten Films: Arsenic and Old Lace & The Ex Mrs. Bradford

 I'm sure I'm not the only one who would never think of classifying Arsenic and Old Lace as a "forgotten film," but after an hour of listening to a movie reviewer and his radio-talk retinue of phone-in suggestions for viewing on All Hallows Eve, and never hearing Frank Capra's classic recommended by anyone--the grisly, ghastly, macabre, and just plain silly apparently being preferred--I don't want to miss the opportunity of recommending what I consider to be the Halloween equivalent to Capra's ultimate Christmas film:  It's a Wonderful Life.  Of course, there's no angelic instruction or soul-searching (Christmas warrants it, Halloween does not), but there's still the full Capra-esque exploitation of what Halloween ought to be--a rollicking romp with a bit of a shiver.

According to Capra's autobiography, he was headed into the army in the early part of 1941, and needed to make a quick film in order to help his family pay the bills during his absence.  Adapting a hot Broadway play seemed to be the solution.  However, rights to the play he hoped for--Arsenic and Old Lace--had already been bought up by producer Jack Warner, so Capra put together a capable crew, a scanty budget (with a fat candy-bag portion of it devoted securing the talents of Cary Grant), two cameras, and an "imposing cast" of veteran "scene stealers" whom Capra would eventually let "run wild."  With all this going for him, he talked Warner into letting him direct the film.
 

A short bit of filming commenced, but almost immediately the bombing of Pearl Harbor changed everything,  Capra could only beg a 6-week extension of the deadline for reporting for military duty; six weeks in which to film, finish, edit, and preview his movie.  And then the film couldn't be released until 1944, when the play finished its Broadway run.  By then, most of Capra's first earnings went to pay income taxes.

Despite all of these obstacles, Capra created an enduring Halloween treat. Cary Grant was worth every bit of his star salary and more, although John Alexander, Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey, James Gleason, and Edward Everett Horton knock repeatedly and firmly at the upstaging door. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair as the Brewster sisters, and Priscilla Lane, (one of the talented quartet of Lane sisters) as the newest newlywed Brewster, are all delightful as well.  The film is a great Halloween lark for all but young children who may  be rather frightened by it, and a bit befuddled by its dark humor.

Capra referred to James Gleason as his "favorite character actor," and he wasn't alone.  Gleason was in constant demand to add a comedic, fatherly sense of reassurance (as well as to write dialogue) in dozens of films.

Gleason and another wonderful forever-in-a-supporting-role-actor, Grant Mitchell, are also in the cast of another of our favorite end-of-October romps:  The Ex-Mrs. Bradford.  Gleason's wife, Lucille, makes up part of the cast as well.

While most audiences know William Powell best for his portrayals of the bright, witty, never-entirely-sober Nick Charles of The Thin Man series, Powell played a range of detectives in a slew of films.  In most of them he depicted yet another character based on best-selling crime novels--S.S. Van Dine's, bon vivant Philo Vance. In The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, he's a whole new breed that would become the stuff of television mysteries:  The detecting doctor. The "Ex-Mrs." in his life, Jean Arthur, is a prototype of yet another string of film and TV hits:  The detecting crime writer. 

Arthur reappears--unannounced, uninvited, and somewhat unwelcome--in Powell's becalmed life to insist that he produce the unpaid alimony he owe her, or to requite her proposal of a second try at their marriage.  She promptly moves into his spare room to help ensure that one or the other of her demands is met, even though she is blatantly more interested in marrying him again.  And just as promptly she draws Powell into the investigation of the suspicious, mid-race death of a jockey riding the favored horse at the local racetrack.

Thus the very full stage is set for a galloping gambol of a whodunit.  There are enough suspects to fill a waiting room;, some fine, healthy repartee; and even a mild dose of suspense.  Powell is his usual dapper-detective self, and Arthur is able to walk the challenging line between sophisticated savvy and stereotypical screwball--helping Powell solve the crime, albeit more by bravado than brains.

There's nothing to take too seriously in either films.  Like Arsenic and Old Lace, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford may be a bit frightening to tots, but it's generally quite tame.  All in all, the pair make for a fine double-feature-recommendation:  "Watch two movies and call me in the morning."