Category: Cooking

Ham, Beans, Potatoes 2

Family Foods

What foods conjure memories of your family past and present? A few weeks ago, while planning a trip to my parents’ house, I asked if they had any favorite dishes that their parents used...

Mummeli Glazing 4

Traditional Gingerbread Men: Mummeli

Each Christmas, my wife Sara and I prepare cards and treats for the various family members we will see during the holiday season. This tradition encourages us to spend time together and allows us...

Ginger Beer Glasses detail 0

Homemade Ginger Beer

Before the holidays, I was reading a non-fiction book entitled Life on Muskrat Creek which tells the story of a family homesteading in Wyoming during the early 1900s. One chapter describes a Christmas celebration...

Sauerkraut and Dumpling Detail 1

The Sauerkraut Diaries

On January 2, 2018, I wrote an article about New Year’s Day memories from the early 1900s. Some of these remembrances were gleaned from the diary entries of my mother, Irene (Faus) Hagenbuch. Of...

Wintergreen Cake Detail 15

Family Recipes: Wintergreen Cake

In a previous article, I recounted visiting with my great aunt, Gloria (Felix) Faus (b. 1931), in southern California and discovering a family recipe for bean chow-chow. The recipe had been given to her...

Bessie (Robbins) Sechler Remedy Detail 2

Home Remedies

Recently my father, Mark Hagenbuch, handed me a recipe book once owned by Bessie Mae (Robbins) Sechler (b. 1888, d. 1973). It was previously in the possession of Harold Sechler (b. 1923), who is...

Holiday Baking Detail 2

Holiday Baking, A Family Tradition

Every year, as we approach Christmas and New Years, many families prepare for the time-honored tradition of holiday baking. Looking back, I can fondly remember platters stacked with pressed cookies, powdered snowballs, and sugar...