Introduction

For many years, I know that both my wife and I have found ourselves on occasion calling home to get one of our Mom’s recipes.  If it wasn’t one of our mothers that we called, I know it was someone else; someone who we knew must have had the recipe we needed.

My two grandmothers, whether they knew it or not, were a great inspiration to my compiling this book.  Recently I spent a weekend in Chicago going through my paternal grandmother’s old recipe box, deciphering the code between the stains on the browning index cards and hoping they wouldn’t disintegrate before my very eyes without the chance to save them onto a computer disk.  After typing them all into the file, my cousins clamoring at me to play with them (not seeing the significance of the history before them in all the tattered brown cards and papers), I realized there was probably more out there that needed to be rescued from a similar fate.  Not to mention the entire box-load in my closet that had never been entered into any sense of order since we were married.  In compiling this book I have come to realize that it not only contains recipes, but probably more importantly, memories, traditions, and heritage.  As I stumbled through the piles of recipes, I was reminded of the many evenings camping with the Boy Scouts or with my family, Christmas and other holiday meals, family get-togethers, and evening meals with a friend, birthday and other celebrations, but most of all tradition! 

Several of the names of those who contributed are not family members, but they have succeeded in contributing to our family’s traditions through cooking.  I marvel how some of the most simple recipes have become something that I know I as a child enjoyed, and that now my own children request on many occasions.  We recently started teaching our children to cook meals for the family.  They all have mastered certain meals that they enjoy the most.  It has been wonderful watching as they make a dinner that they now recognize was made by their grandmothers years ago as well.

By gathering recipes from friends and our extended family to include in this book I hoped this collection of ‘traditions’ can also help shed some new ‘light’ into our weekly menus.  The change and diversity brought to each other through the recipes of our own history can become someone else’s traditions as well.  Our own children now prefer a certain waffle over any other thanks to a special Aunt who cooked them for us one morning and consequently shared the recipe.  Little did she probably know that her waffle recipe would some day become part of another family’s traditions.  It is my sincere hope that all of you can find new traditions for your families within the pages of this book.

I have tried to include some notes with many of the recipes to add to its historical significance.  Additionally I have attempted to notate anything significant about the recipe that may be of interest regarding the recipe or for what occasions we found ourselves making it.  I have included a few pages in this book detailing those who have helped contribute to this book with their recipes, whether they knew it or not.  It should also clear up any questions about who is who for both sides of our families.

Michael R. Fletcher

August 2003

Acknowledgements

This list contain the names (past and present) of family members, friends, associates, colleagues, etc. who have contributed to this collaboration.  Many of the recipes are originals from the individuals who contributed them and I have tried to give the appropriate credit to those who helped.  However, there are some recipes for who we could not give credit for a variety of reasons.  In these instances, the name of the person who submitted the recipe has been used.

Charles & Barbara (Rhodes) Seng – Now retired, they are enjoying a more relaxed phase of their lives (without raising 2 sets of twins) traveling in their very large RV and cooking very small meals somewhere in central Florida!  They have 5 children and 25 grandchildren.

Mark Seng, son of Charles and Barbara Seng, married to Ginny (Martin Brock) Seng living in Canton, GA.

Charlene (Seng) Fletcher, daughter of Charles and Barbara Seng married to Michael Fletcher, son of Ronald & Nancy Fletcher.  They both live with their 3 chidren in Kennesaw, GA.

Christine (Seng) Robbins, daughter of Charles and Barbara Seng married to Martin Robbins living in Thornton, CO with their 4 four children.

Amy (Farnsworth) Seng, wife of Michael Seng, son of Charles and Barbara Seng. The currently live in Richfield, UT with their 6 children.

Stacie (Barraclough) Seng, wife of Matthew Seng, son of Charles and Barbara Seng.  They now live in Blandon, PA with their 5 chidren..

Ronald & Nancy (Miller) Fletcher – Both just very recently retired and living in Marietta, GA, now enjoying not having to live by an alarm clock or rush hour traffic.  They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Patricia (Rhodes) Kelley & Kim Kelley – Pat is the infamous “Aunt Pat” we all love and adore.  She is Barbara Seng’s sister.  She lives in Eustis, FL.  Her daughter, Kim, is the equally infamous “Cuzzin Kim” who now lives in Frisco, TX.

Lucille (Lorentz) Rhodes – (1919-2000) mother to both Barbara Seng and Patricia Kelley.  She just recently passed away after living many years in Eustis, Florida but has left us with many wonderful recipes.

Nora (Geis) Miller – (1911-1998) My grandmother, late mother of Nancy Fletcher, lived her many years with her husband Edward Miller in Elmwood Park, IL and retiring for many more years in Seminole, FL.  She was a wonderful cook, and has contributed some great old recipes.

Florence Geis – My Great Aunt, she married Nora Miller’s younger brother, the late James Geis, my Great Uncle (1916-1985).  She now resides in a retirement community in Chicago.

Lena Seng – is the wife of Kenny Seng, a cousin to Charles Seng.  She and Kenny live in Spanish Fork, Utah.  They have 4 daughters have all just recently get married.  Lena is a wonderful cook.

Clement Geis – (1900-1961) My Great Uncle, the eldest brother of Nora Miller.  He was a baker by profession.

Lucille Miller O’Connell – (1883-1959)My Great Grandmother, she was the mother of Edward Miller (Nora’s husband and Nancy Fletcher’s father)

Amanda Seng – Daughter of Mark Seng, now on her own, thinking about joining the military.

Ryan Fletcher – My son who likes to putter in the kitchen, usually eating!

Katelyn Fletcher – My daughter, who has caught the cooking bug!

Eloise and Carol Lorentz – both great Aunts to Charlene Fletcher.  Both these great ladies live with their husbands in the Spokane, Washington area.

Ruth Fletcher – My grandmother.  Married for over 65 years to my grandfather Ludd Fletcher (1913-2001) who only recently passed away.  She has since moved into an adult care facility outside of Chicago.

Karen Barraclough – mother to Stacie Seng.  She lives with her husband Roy in Orem, Utah.  Many of the Seng family grandchildren (ours included) affectionately call her Grammy Bear!

Thelma Daniels – Charlene Fletcher’s grandmother, the mother of Charles Seng.  Most recently has been living in Missoula, Montana.

Janet (Fletcher) Morrow – My Aunt and sister to Ronald Fletcher, living in Canton, Georgia with her husband Jimmy. 

Sandi (Pollacci) Fletcher – My aunt and wife of Raymond Fletcher, Ronald Fletcher’s brother.  Raymond and Sandi live in Roselle, Illinois with their four children.  Sandi is a great cook with both Italian and Polish influences in her own family background.

Nat Housholder – a good friend of the Fletcher family originally from Michigan, passed away a few years ago, and is dearly missed and remembered.

Gladys Kallas – (1899-1999) My Great Aunt, she was Ludd Fletcher’s oldest sister.

Ann Eads – a good friend of the Seng family, living in Seabeck, Washington with her husband George.  Charlene Fletcher used to babysit her daughters on occasion when she was a teenager.

Evelyn Nuffer – the mother of the missionary who taught me the gospel before I was baptized.  She has some great ‘old’ family recipes of her own that aren’t all listed in here!

Trudy Neuffer – the wife of Brian Neuffer (Evelyn’s son).  Trudy comes from a great cooking family too!  I have several of their family’s cookbooks with wonderful recipes.

Shalyn Kessler – former wife and mother to one of Michael Seng’s daughters – Kaeli Seng Kessler.

Shawna Manning – was a former mission companion of Charlene Fletcher’s while she was serving her mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Mission.

Mrs. Crooks – is the grandmother to some friends of mine I knew in Marietta, Georgia several years ago.  She was from Panama visiting her son’s family in this country when I met her.

Gerry & Sister Engle – Church members Charlene Fletcher met while she was serving her mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Mission.

Amber Edwards – has become a friend of our family here in Kennesaw through church and other activities.  At one time their daughter was attending the same karate classes our kids attended.

Laurie Wild – is a friend of ours from several years ago whom we met while working with her at a Tax Office.  Laurie is of Lebanese descent and has many other unique ethnic recipes not included here.

Madame Eveline Pithois – was a French woman, and member of the church I met in Guadeloupe while serving on my mission in the French West Indies Mission.  She and her husband, originally from Equerdreville, France have traveled the world through her husband’s job with the French government and as a Douanier (Customs Agent).

Jack Fearn – was one of my former Boy Scout leaders in Michigan.  Jack was also a father to one of the other scouts, and always had some interesting meals to offer around the campfire.

Mama Jan Carlisle – Jan was originally from La Grange, Georgia.  The mother of two daughters “properly raised in the Southern Tradition” as she would say, was also a great cook of ‘good ole down home cooking’.  She has since moved to Kearns, Utah.

Sister Fisher – was a lady from church Charlene met while she was serving her mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Mission.

Gayle Daly – a good friend of the Seng family, she and her husband Fred still live in Bremerton, Washington.

Sister Litz - a member of the church Charlene met while she was serving her mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Mission.

Judy Bell – is a friend of my parents from Huntington Woods, Michigan.  I used to babysit for their two children when I was much younger!

Irene Philgence – was a woman from the church that I met while serving my mission in the West Indies.  She lived on the far side of the island of St. Lucia.  She is the perfect example of someone who has everything yet has nothing.  She lived in a 12 x 12 square shack, yet had the wealth of family and friends constantly around her.  She cooked all day outside her shack in the coals, preparing meals for her many family members in the village.

Sister Niko – was a lady from church Charlene met while she was serving her mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Mission.

Mary Ann Gilchrist – She was a Young Women’s Leader at church for Charlene in Silverdale, Washington.

Shirley Gillham – is a friend of my parents from Huntington Woods, Michigan.  Her husband and son were involved with the Boy Scouts with me while we lived their.

Shirley Ciemega - is a friend of my parents from Huntington Woods, Michigan.

Gloria Olschiewski – is a friend of ours from church in Acworth, GA.

Becci Rogers – Becci is a dear friend and has been our girl’s piano teacher for a few years as well.