Delicious Reading: 'Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook'

Thank you, Mom. Thank you, "Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook."

One of the first things I ever tried to make by myself was a shake. I was in first or second grade and I had probably been told to wait or that we weren't making them that night, and I decided to take matters into my own hands. I scooped Neapolitan ice cream into our blender and added some water. I frapped that together and was so disappointed when the runny substance that I then poured into a glass looked terrible and tasted worse. I remember that I got into a little trouble with my mother for going rogue in the kitchen, but I also learned it was milk that made ice cream sip-able.

Despite that rocky start, my mom encouraged my culinary endeavors. She and my Grandma Rell let me assist them and taught me some basics. Then, I started checking out cookbooks from my grade school library. My favorite was "The Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook."A revised version came out in 2000, but the edition I used was originally published in 1957. The orange and green cover featured a smiling boy and girl surrounded by pies, meat and dancing utensils. Very detailed instructions and explanations were given with each recipe, as well as in the glossary. The book featured main dishes, sides and desserts, but my favorite section was the breads. By preparing dinner bread, I could always add a little something to dinner without the high stakes of being responsible for the whole meal. There were relatively few ingredients and they were all things we already had.

My greatest success was popovers. They were so memorable -- in a good way, unlike the shake -- that my mom mentioned them in her handwritten dedication in a book she gave me for my birthday.

I think I will make popovers again this Mother's Day for my mom, who bravely let me make mistakes and celebrates my successes -- not only in the kitchen, but in life. I hope my children will feel I do the same for them.

Popovers (makes about 10 popovers)

__Ingredients:__

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

__Directions:__

Butter muffin pans, custard cups or cast-iron gem pans.

Mix the eggs, milk, butter, flour and salt just until thoroughly blended, without overbeating -- a 1-quart glass measure with a spout is good for mixing, because you can pour the batter right into the pans. Half fill the prepared pans and set them in a cold oven. Turn the heat to 450 degrees and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake about 15 minutes longer, until they are puffed and golden brown on top. Remove from the pans and serve piping hot.

----------------------

About Brooke

Brooke Clubbs is a Jackson mom of three, a freelance writer and a communications instructor.