The newlyweds were honeymooning in the charming village of Hessel, Michigan, located in the upper peninsula of the state, and staying in a cabin owned by Abilene residents, John and Ruth Dieter. “The day after we fried chicken, we made another trip to the grocery store. Following a conversation with the butcher, we joined him in the cooler where Mike inspected a hanging quarter of beef. He selected a portion and the butcher then cut steaks to order.” That night Cathy learned the finer points of grilling.
“When I was growing up, I made brownies from a package but that’s about all,” she confessed. After graduating from Kansas University, Cathy taught at South Junior High in Salina for a year. “My roommate made meatloaf one week – we ate it all week long. The next week I made tuna-noodle casserole and we alternated those two menus throughout the entire school year,” she admitted.
Although she wasn’t involved in food preparation in her early years, she does have many fond memories related to food and those remembrances give us a glimpse into Abilene’s culinary history and her family history as well. Lena’s restaurant, located on Old Highway 40 (site of the present day Mr. K’s Farmhouse), was one of the places where families gathered for Sunday dinner. According to Cathy, “It was always crowded and we often had to wait in line. Grandfather Morse liked to order a plate of fried chicken livers; most of the rest of us had fried chicken.”
Some Sundays the Morse family would gather either at the home of Cathy’s parents, Ernie and Betty Morse or at her grandparent’s house. “Grandmother Morse would make the most delicious roasted pork loin and my mother served roast beef or fried chicken with rice and gravy. We always ate at the dining room table,” Cathy recalled. Platters of food were set in front of the host and he (either Cathy’s grandfather or father) portioned the plates and then passed them around the table. That form of English service was also used for most weeknight meals in the Morse household.
The family ate breakfast together at the kitchen table. Menus were varied and consisted of hearty foods such as bacon and eggs, pancakes, or poached eggs on toast. Cathy and her sister, Anne, ate their noon meal at home during their grade school years; the entire family typically lunched on sandwiches, soups, or other casual fare. And, Cathy noted, “We got plenty of exercise in those days because we walked six blocks to and from school twice a day.”
Eating out was the exception rather than the rule but there were some interesting places to dine. Duffy’s, located in the Bowling Alley, provided everyday food plus an added attraction – Mrs. Duffy kept a monkey on the premises! The Sunflower Hotel offered more elegant dining and Cathy remembers that every once in awhile she walked from Garfield School to the Citizen’s Bank (located at the corner of Second and Broadway) where she would meet her father. Then the two of them would walk to the Sunflower for lunch. “It was a special treat,” she pointed out. The hotel was a fancy place and the ballroom on the second floor hosted many elegant events including some that were attended by President Dwight David Eisenhower.
Friday was bridge night for Cathy’s parents and that included dinner out with friends. “So, my dad would take me, Anne and our dog, Taffy, to Nockey’s ‘In and Out’ to pick up hamburgers. Anne and I’d also ordered French fries, and chocolate milk shakes. They’d always give Taffy a tootsie roll,” she said. The meal was taken back home and the girls were allowed to eat at the coffee table as they watched television.
“American” food was the standard during Cathy’s youth; she didn’t have pizza until she spent the night with a friend. “Her mom bought a Chef Boyardee pizza mix (complete with packaged dough mix, canned sauce, and a spice mix) and we made it.” Asked about how she rated her first experience with international food, she replied, “It was just okay!” Her first taste of Mexican food came later as a freshman at KU. “I went to a Taco Grande with friends but was hesitant so just ordered a taco burger.”
Her culinary tastes have certainly expanded, as have her skills in the kitchen. Cathy spends lots of enjoyable hours cooking and friends and family attest to the fact that she is really an excellent cook. After those first lessons from husband Mike, she turned to Betty Crocker’s Cooking For Two cookbook and has been a cooking enthusiast ever since. Cookbook collections line the walls of her kitchen. “Sometimes at night I just grab a cookbook and spend the evening reading,” she acknowledged. She’s always on the lookout for new recipes and finds “good” ones in newspapers, magazines, and online. But the most prized are those found in recipe boxes that belonged to her mother and grandmothers. “I have plans to put together a family cookbook that features those recipes sometime in the future,” she vowed.
Unfortunately the family recipe for fried chicken will not appear in that book or in this column. “When the girls were young, I’d fry chicken about twice a week. They were picky eaters but loved fried chicken so it seems like I was always fixing it,” she explained. It’s not that she’s unwilling to share or that she is withholding any secrets, there is just no written recipe for this family favorite!
When it came time to select recipes for this column, she asked for advice from Mike and their two daughters, Rebecca and Martha. They recommended family recipes – ones from both sides of the family. Cathy also added a few other favorites that she has discovered over the years.
Cinnamon Rolls
Makes two 9” cake pans or 4 pans depending on the size of rolls desired.
The Whitehairs prefer bite-sized cinnamon rolls. Cathy explained why, “They’re like the gooey center of the bigger rolls.” She used to serve them the morning after Rebecca and Martha’s slumber parties and they were always a hit. They are quick to make (with just a 20 minute rise) so, with a little planning, warm cinnamon rolls can also be on your breakfast menu.
Dissolve 2 (1/4 oz.) pkg. (5 T.) yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (about 110°). Let set for 10 to 15 minutes.
Mix in large bowl with the yeast and water (can mix by hand or by mixer):
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons (or 1 T.) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (add a cup at a time- sometimes I can’t add the last 1/2 cup)
After mixed, put dough in plastic zip lock bag for 20 minutes – dough will rise.
Roll dough out in rectangle. Spread with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll dough and slice. Put in greased pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
English Muffin Bread
Makes 2 standard loaves or 3 smaller loaves
Like English muffins, slices of this bread are toasted. This bread is a staple in the Whitehair household and Cathy often makes 30 to 40 loaves to give away at Christmas.
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 (1/4 oz.) pkg. (5 T.) yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk (can use reconstituted powdered milk)
1/2 cup water
Cornmeal
Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and soda. Heat liquids until warm (about 120°). Add to dry mixture. Beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make a stiff batter. (Sometimes I can’t add all the flour). Spoon into greased bread pans that have been sprinkled with corn meal. Cover. Let rise to top of pan (45 minutes). Bake in preheated 400° oven for 25 minutes.
Potato Rolls
Betty Jane Peck Morse first made these for a Thanksgiving family dinner when her daughters were young. “Anne and I liked them so much that we ate them all,” Cathy revealed. They are still a family favorite and a recipe that Cathy makes often.
Dissolve 1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. yeast in 1/2 cup warm water; let stand 10 minutes.
Mix in large bowl:
1/2 cup Crisco® shortening
1 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Add yeast and water to shortening mixture. Then, add . . . 1 cup cooked potatoes – mashed without milk, etc. (I use my grandmother’s ricer to mash the potatoes)
Cover bowl and let dough rise to top of bowl. When dough has risen to top mix dough and add 2 1/2 cups more all-purpose flour. Mix well. Cover bowl and put in refrigerator. Dough will rise to top again. Can leave dough in refrigerator overnight. Punch dough down. Form into rolls. Place in greased pan - I use round cake pans. Let rise to top of cake pans. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
This recipe can be used for cinnamon rolls too or other rolls.