COOK OF THE WEEK - MABEL ERICKSON

This past week I was privileged and honored to visit in the home of Mabel Erickson. This special lady will be 107 years young on Aug. 9. This week we are honoring Mabel as our Cook of the Week just in time for her birthday. While I was visiting with her she stated that she doesn’t go near the stove any more but I have a feeling that in her younger days she has cooked many a meal more than a lot of us have. While visiting with Mabel she gave me a little bit of history about her life. She grew up on a farm in the state of Vermont with four brothers and four sisters. She was working for a fur company in Burlington, VT, and met her husband to be, who was from Humboldt, originally but had headed to New York to the big city and had attended the New York School of Photography. Leslie Molander had ended up in Vermont working in a photo studio. They met while eating meals at the same boarding house in Burlington, VT. This was probably in 1926 or 1927. They got married in 1929, shortly before the Wall Street crash. Their jobs ended and they took the train to Humboldt. When they got to Dakota City Mabel wondered where the “city” was. They lived upstairs in Leslie’s parents’ residence. Shortly after arriving in the Humboldt area, their son, Gene was born in June of 1930. Doctor Coddington came to the house and delivered the baby for the “princely sum of $25.” Mabel said it took quite a while to pay him back. Later Les opened the Molander Photo Studio somewhere on Sumner Avenue. Eventually they moved the shop to the Legion Building. Mabel’s husband, Les, was stricken with MS at a young age and Mabel had no choice but to take over the studio with training from a salesman sent from Eastman Kodak out of Sioux City. In 1948, they endured another hardship. A Christmas Eve fire destroyed their apartment behind the studio and everything in the studio was water-soaked but Mabel didn’t complain and kept going. This tells us a lot about Mabel’s character. The years passed. Leslie eventually passed away. A farmer by the name of Adrian Erickson became friends with Mabel and they ended up getting married. She was back on a farm. She was finally a farm wife. “She walked beans, helped with getting the crops in and everything else that a farm wife is expected to do,” Mabel stated. Back when Mabel was able she traveled quite a bit, she told me. They traveled to the Holy Land and to the Scandinavian Countries, to Hawaii and to Alaska, but mostly they traveled by car. Mabel still maintains the character of never giving up! Almost every day Karen Lund comes and picks her up and takes her to EZ Trim to exercise and returns her back home. Every Sunday someone picks her up for church. She never misses a Sunday. In visiting with one of her friends, it sounds like even on one of the coldest days last winter she still attended church. She is still active in the Birthday Club at her church. This month she gets to choose where they will go out to eat. Mabel is a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Humboldt. She is a lifetime member of the Humboldt Hospital Auxiliary and was probably one of the original members. She is also a member of the Humboldt County Museum and as stated before still active at EZ Trim in Humboldt. Mabel isn’t able to do handiwork anymore, but when she was able she did needlepoint, made quilts, made rugs for the museum and helped clean the church. She also helped and worked at the Harvest suppers their church put on. She said, “Why not, we always had fun while working together.” “My niece, Ruth Erickson, helps me a lot,” Mabel told me. “She stops in sometime during the day almost every day,” Mabel went on to state, “Ruth is a wonderful niece.” Mabel is such a pleasant lady to visit with. I can see why she has so many friends that check in with her. Although she doesn’t cook anymore and receives meals from Meals on Wheels, her friends have many memories of the good food she brought to church functions. These many friends have shared some of the recipes that Mabel shared years ago in one of their church cookbooks.Lemon DessertCrust:1 cup flour1/4 cup brown sugar1/2 cup margarine1/4 cup walnuts, crushedFilling:1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk1 small can frozen lemonade concentrate9 ounce tub Cool Whip Mix crust and press in 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely or make day before. Filling – Beat milk and lemonade together. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over crust that has been baked day before. Serves 15.Butter Bars1 stick butter or margarine, melted and partially cooled1 egg1 box yellow cake mix2 eggs1 pound powdered sugar8 ounce package cream cheese1/2 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon salt Beat butter, 1 egg and cake mix with electric mixer until crumbly. Put in bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat for 5 minutes 2 eggs, powdered sugar and cream cheese. Add vanilla and salt. Spread over base and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. In some ovens you may need to bake longer.Graham Cracker Barsgraham crackers, whole1 cup brown sugar1 cup graham cracker crumbs1 cup coconut1/2 cup milk1/2 cup butter or margarinepinch of salt1/2 teaspoon vanillaFrosting:1 pound confectioners’ sugar1/3 cup Crisco1 egg white1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla2 tablespoons hot water Line bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan with graham crackers.Filling: Combine sugar, crumbs, coconut, milk, butter, salt and vanilla in saucepan. Cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Spread over graham crackers. Cover with another layer of graham crackers.Frosting: Beat all ingredients until creamy. These are better made a day ahead.Easy Dessert50 Ritz crackers1 stick margarine Crush crackers and mix with margarine. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. 1/2 gallon sherbet8 ounce container Cool Whip Mix sherbet and Cool Whip, and spread over crackers. Save a few crumbs and sprinkle on top. Use any sherbet. I use raspberry for the color.Jiffy Cake Dessert1 Jiffy cake mix (white or yellow)1-3/4 cup milk8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature1 small package instant vanilla pudding Mix cake according to package and bake in a 9 x 13 inch pan. When cool, spread next mixture on cake. Next, put on 1 medium-sized can crushed pineapple, drained. Top with Cool Whip and sprinkle with coconut. Keep refrigerated.No Name Dessert1 package yellow cake mix1 can mandarin oranges, juice and all1/2 cup salad oil4 eggs1/2 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon orange flavorTopping:1 small box instant vanilla pudding20 ounce can crushed pineapple, juice and all1 can flaked coconut Mix cake ingredients well and put in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. For topping stir the pudding, crushed pineapple and coconut until thick and fold in 8-ounce container of Cool Whip. Refrigerate. Can be made a couple of days early.Cranberry Salad(2) 3 ounce packages raspberry Jell-O1 tablespoon Knox gelatin (1 envelope)3 cups boiling water2 cans whole cranberry sauce2 can’s crushed pineapple, drained Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Dissolve Knox in a little cold water. Add to hot Jell-O; stir well. Add a little pineapple juice; cool. Add cranberries and drained pineapple. Put in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Chill to set. Serves 15. Sandwich Filling7 ounce can tuna, drained2 tablespoons onion, chopped2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish3 boiled eggs, chopped1/4 pound cubed cheese2 tablespoons stuffed olives, chopped1/2 cup mayonnaise Mix all together. Makes enough for 25 buns. Wrap in foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Cuthbertson, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com. I will be happy to email or send you my short questionnaire and set up a time to come and visit you at your convenience. I’m always looking for NEW Cook’s of the Week. Also, if you are new in town, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the Humboldt community and surrounding communities. I look forward to visiting with you. The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.