Holiday Flavors by Discover Hawkins County

November 17, 2018 A special publication of

THE ROGERSVILLE

REVIEW

y a d i l o H FLAVORS DOWN HOME FOOD: Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Hawkins County Connection Making Hard Candy ● Wassail ● Gingerbread: Cake and Cookies ● Cola De Mono ● German Glüwhein ● A Holiday Meal for Every Diet ●

2 • Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 | The Rogersville Review

Tennessee Ernie Ford in Rogersville, ca 1961-62, believed to be standing in front of the Hawkins Co. Courthouse. The gentleman in the background is James Gladson.

Tennessee Ernie Ford (far right) receives the Key to the City. Pictured from left: James Gladson, Jr., Lawrence Freeman, and Dan Bailey. (Photo courtesy Hale Vance)

DOWN HOME FOOD: Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Hawkins County Connection

hen I was looking Bailey through some old photos Brothers and recently I ran across a couple of James photos my Uncle Charlie took Gladson, Jr. of Tennessee Ernie Ford when who was my he paid a visit to Rogersville friend Sarah somewhere around 1961 or Floyd’s father. 1962. Ernest From what I was able to find Jennings Ford out, he came back to sort of was born in reunite with some of the Bristol, TN. singers and musicians who had He became an crossed his path through the announcer at years, and quite a few of those WOPI-AM were from right here in radio when he was only 18, and Hawkins County. Among them the rest was pretty much were Lawrence Freeman, The history for him. He quickly

gained a following and went on to fame as recording and television star Tennessee Ernie Ford. He apparently never forgot his humble beginnings and wanted to reunite with these people again. Some of these he had met on the “Midday MerryGo-Round” and on Cas Walker’s radio program. The Cas Walker television program is where Dolly Parton got her start. James “Junior” Gladson got his start singing in church in the Gills Chapel Church choir. He sang on the “Midday Merry-

Go-Round” and also on Cas Walker’s radio program. Band members included Danny and Charlie Bailey, Lawrence Freeman and Buck Ledford. Tennessee Ernie Ford was the disc jockey. When Tennessee Ernie visited Rogersville, he was welcomed with open arms. A stage was set up in front of the court house, and he was given the key to the city. A group of musicians, including Hale Vance, were all set up and ready to play. They started singing “Sixteen Tons”, and Ernie joined right in.

The Rogersville Review | Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 3 My friend Sarah Floyd said One or two packages of turkey her and her siblings were even giblets (make sure you’ve got it allowed to skip school to attend all....neck, gizzards, liver and the event. heart.) I guess the most popular Two pounds of hot and spicy song Ernie Ford ever recorded pork sausage (don’t get the mild was “Sixteen Tons”, a song .... you’ll take the tang out of it! about coal mining. I’ve always One bunch each of celery and loved his gospel music and still green onions. listen to it today. I remember One bay leaf. watching him on television Powdered sage. when he was on “The Ford Black pepper. Show.” (Ford Motor Company was his sponsor). When Ernie Ford was on TV, one of his sponsors was the Martha White Flour Company. I found a recipe for his mother’s applesauce cake in a Martha White Cookbook. I found another recipe for Ernie Ford’s Cornbread and Sausage Holiday Dressing in “Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee” cookbook. The recipe was donated by Ernie’s son Buck. I have given both recipes just as they appeared in the cookbooks. All right, now, here’s what The one for the dressing in kind you do.... of lengthy, but I love all Ernie’s special notations. Both recipes DAY ONE are very holiday appropriate. After you’ve finished breakfast, As always, enjoy! pull out a big deep stew pot and ERNIE FORD’S CORNBREAD pour just a little water in the bottom. AND SAUSAGE Unwrap your giblet packages ... HOLIDAY DRESSING rinse the giblets off, and place Hey .... This is good for them in the pot. (Don’t cut making two pans – you might anything up; that comes later). want to double up if you’ve got Add more water until the giblets a big crew comin’ over! OK, first are covered. off, here’s what you’ll need.... Get that bay leaf out, and toss it Enough corn meal mix to in there. make two (2) good sized pans of Measure out close to ½ cornbread (yellow or white....it’s teaspoon of sage, rub it between up to you. Make sure it’s Martha your hands (did you wash?) And White®.) dust it into your pot.

Add two healthy pinches of black pepper. Cover the pot, and put it on the back burner .... somewhere between simmer and low–no higher–we’re going to let her steep just about all day. Check the water level every once in a while making sure the giblets stay covered. After supper, take the pot off the stove and set it to one side, letting it cool a little on its own.

Then, just before you hit the sack, put it in the fridge for the night (keep the lid on!) DAY TWO (Doesn’t your kitchen smell great this morning?!) In a couple of standard 1-inch deep baking pans, bake your two pones of cornbread. While they’re baking, take your pot of giblets and broth out of the fridge, and warm things up just a tad. Get your best iron skillet out, unwrap your sausage, pinch it off in chunks, and brown all two pounds of it. Drain the grease off, and set the sausage to one side. Take your celery and onions out, and chop them real fine. Take that pot of giblets off the

stove, and .... and set the broth to one side. Cut, slice, chop, and pull all your giblet meat up (It’ll peel right off that neck bone...) Get out the two BIGGEST mixing bowls you’ve got. Crumble both your pones of cornbread into both bowls. OK .... add your browned sausage, your giblet meat and your chopped celery and onions to your pones of cornbread up into both bowls. (Make sure you’ve got a good, balanced mix in each mixing bowl.) Now, slowly add your broth to each mixture, one bowl at a time. Get your hands in there (did you wash?) And go for it until you’ve got a nice, consistent, moist mix. Moisture is the key word....you don’t want your dressing to be dry. Get your baking pans back out and level off each pan with your dressing mix. If you’ve got any broth left over, lightly pout the remainder over the top of each pan of dressing. Put both pans in the oven at around 350-375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until you’ve got a nice, light brown, moist sheen on top.

Are you ready? Call everybody to dinner. Say Grace, and watch your dressing disappear. Tennessee Ernie Ford

(Ernie Ford’s son Buck shared his dear father’s recipe with us.) Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee

Continued on page 4

4 • Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 | The Rogersville Review From page 3

MAMA FORD’S APPLESAUCE CAKE

3 cups boiling water 1 pound seedless raisins 5 cups Martha White® All- Purpose Flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cloves ½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter of margarine, softened 3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 2 cups applesauce 1 cup chopped black walnuts Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and four a 10 inch tube pan. Pour boiling water over raisins in medium bowl; let stand while mixing cake, stirring

occasionally. Sift flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt together in large bowl. In large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar and applesauce; beat until smooth and light. Gradually blend in flour mixture and mix just until no dry ingredients are visible. Drain raisins. Fold raisins and walnuts into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and

45 minutes or until toothpick inserted one inch from edge comes out clean. Cool cake completely in pan. Remove cooled cake from pan and wrap tightly. This cake is best if allowed to several days before slicing. Makes 12 to 15 servings. From Martha White’s Southern Sampler

Making Hard Candy

hile the expression refers to a Christmas so poor the only presents are hard candy, with a little know-how, some science and a lot of sugar, you can make your own hard candy holiday one that shines. HARDWARE

To make your own hard candy, you’ll get a large, stout pot that holds heat well. Look for a thick bottom and tall sides. Also grab a spoon or spatula that you’re comfortable holding. You might be there a while. Additionally, head to your local grocery or kitchen goods store and pick up a candy thermometer and make sure it fits well on the sides of your pan without the bulb hitting the bottom.

SOFTWARE

Grab some bags of sugar while you’re at the grocery and some light corn syrup. These will form the backbone of your candy. Also grab extracts and food coloring to flavor and color your confection. Your finished product will also need a dusting of confectioners sugar, and you’ll need wax paper and airtight containers for storing and gifting, if that’s your pleasure.

HARD CANDY

3 ¾ cup white sugar 1 ½ cups light corn syrup 1 cup water 1 tablespoon flavored extract ½ teaspoon food coloring Confectioners sugar, for dusting

1. Stir together the white sugar, corn syrup and water in your pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring all the while, until the sugar dissolves. Then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300-310 degrees according to your thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small amount of syrup into cold water. Look for hard, brittle threads to form when it’s ready. 2. Remove the candy from the heat and stir in flavors and colors. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet and dust with confectioners sugar. Let cool, then break into pieces.

The Rogersville Review | Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 5

hough it sounds like a German word, wassail is a punch from the U.K. It comes from the Old English waes hael, or be hale, referring effects of a cup of the warm, fortifying mulled cider. It’s made famous by the carol “Here We Come A Wassailing”.

HISTORY

Wassail

The earliest versions of wassail were made from sweet mead warmed and combined with toasted crabapples that boiled in the mead until they burst. This drink, called lambswool, was traditionally consumed around Lammas Day, the first harvest festival of the year. That drink evolved into a mulled wine, cider or fruit juice concoction, spiced and sweetened. Modern recipes frequently start with fruit juices

instead of wine; mulled wine is a separate but similar warming holiday drink.

WASSAIL BOWLS

Wassail bowls, according to craftsman and researcher Stuart King, were traditionally made of lignum vitae or guayacan, a hard and durable wood from South America. They were huge goblets, essentially, usually ornate and perched on a thick stem. Today, we can sub out a good punch bowl or, to keep the drink warm

and toasty, the slow cooker.

WASSAIL

2 quarts apple cider 2 cups orange juice ½ cup pineapple juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2-3 cinnamon sticks Dash of ground cinnamon Dash of ground cloves, or to taste 1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the cinnamon sticks and transfer to a slow-cooker on low for party service. For a toasty adult beverage, add a tot of rum or bourbon to the cup.

6 • Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 | The Rogersville Review

Gingerbread

atch up to a holiday tradition with toasty fresh-baked gingerbread. Gingerbread refers to a variety of baked goods with a prominent flavor of ginger and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses or honey. They can be fluffy like a cake or crisp like a thin cookie. This makes gingerbread the perfect versatile holiday treat.

Gingerbread Men

he term gingerbread originally referred to preserved ginger and then to a candy made with honey and spices.

Whip up this fluffy gingerbread cake, warm up a cup of tea and watch the snow fall for an afternoon.

GINGERBREAD CAKE (recipe by King Arthur flour)

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger or 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cloves ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ cup unsalted butter, melted ¾ cup molasses ¼ cup water 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk ½ cup diced crystallized ginger (optional)

1. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add the molasses to the melted butter, then to the dry ingredients, mixing to moisten. Add the water and stir to combine. 3. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk, then stir into the batter. Add the crystallized ginger, if using. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sides just begin to pull away from the pan. 4. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing. It’s best served warm.

Now, we remember it most from the folktale “The Gingerbread Man” and from the ornate gingerbread houses we construct around the holidays. Start any of your holiday constructions with this crisp ginger cookie and a good set of cookie cutters. Pipe them with store-bought tubes of colored frosting from your grocer for a convenient, fun and beautiful holiday memory.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES (recipe by King Arthur Flour)

¾ cup unsalted butter ¾ cup brown sugar, packed ¾ cup molasses 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves 1 large egg 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1. Melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt and spices. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and let it cool before beating in the egg. 2. Whisk together the baking powder, baking soda and flour, then add to the molasses mixture. 3. Divide the dough into two thick rectangles, wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled before rolling it out or it will be sticky. 4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour a work surface. 5. Roll the chilled dough to ⅛ to ¼ of an inch thick — the thinner the dough, the crisper the cookie. Flour the top and bottom of the dough if it starts to stick or use parchment paper or plastic wrap. 6. Cut shapes with a floured cookie cutter and transfer the cookies onto the baking sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until they’re set. Let cool completely before decorating.

The Rogersville Review | Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 7

Cola De Mono

he name of this Chilean holiday drink literally translates into “tail of the monkey.” It’s become so popular, though, that it’s usually shortened to colemono. It contains aguardiente — literally fire water — strong, clear alcohol distilled from whatever local ingredients are handy. Aguardiente is mixed with milk, sugar, coffee and cloves to create a drink similar to a white Russian.

NOMENCLATURE

Theories abound as to how the drink got its name, but a popular story involves Chilean President Pedro Montt, who served from 1906-1910. He was

nicknamed El Mono (Monkey) Montt. He was trying to take an early departure from a holiday party and asked for the return of his Colt revolver, but was convinced to linger. The guests eventually drank up all the wine and mixed up the first cola de monos, which were quickly dubbed Colt de Montts and evolved to cola de mono. Or so the story goes.

COLA DE MONO

Makes a party-sized portion, but leave your revolvers at home.

20 whole cloves 5 cinnamon sticks 1 cup water 1 gallon cold milk ¼ cup instant coffee granules 1 cup white sugar, or to taste 1 teaspoon vanilla, or to taste 1 cup white rum or brandy 1. Simmer the spices in water until reduced by half. Add a cup of the milk, return to simmer, then add the sugar and coffee. Stir until dissolved. 2. Strain the mixture into the remaining milk. Add vanilla and alcohol. Store in the fridge and serve chilled. To make a nonalcoholic beverage, just omit the booze.

German Glüwhein

ermans often toast the holiday with a traditional cup of mulled wine, or in German, glüwhein.

There are many variations on this drink, but the basics are usually hot red wine mixed with spices and fruits, probably citrus. There’s even a version called feuerzangtasse, or fire cup, featuring a flaming cone of sugar on top. You can make your own mulling spices or look for readymade packets and mixes in your local grocery or liquor store near the wine. Serve your mulled wine in cups or mugs rather than your stemware.

GLÜWHEIN

¾ cup water ¾ cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick 10 cloves ½ cup orange juice 1 orange, sliced into thin rounds 1 750mL bottle of red wine

1. Mix the water, sugar, spices and juice together in a saucepan. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until syrupy. 2. Add the wine and cook until warmed through. Serve in warm mugs with rounds of orange. NOTE: This is a basic recipe. Feel free to adjust to your tastes by lessening or adding sugar, adding other spices (ginger, star anise), other flavors (vanilla), or fruits (lemon, apples).

8 • Holiday Flavors • November 17, 2018 | The Rogersville Review

lanning holiday celebrations around people with special diets can seem intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be.

many of these products; ask your local grocery store for suggestions. Plan plenty of vegetable dishes and choose salads and dressings without cheese or cream.

GLUTEN-FREE

COMMUNICATE

Most people with special diets are used to either accommodating themselves or helping others to accommodate them. You can’t help the occasional attitude, but what you can do is thoughtfully ask your guest what their preferences are. If it’s a potluck, invite them to make a dish for everyone; you might be surprised how good it is. Never say that someone will never know meat, dairy or wheat are in a dish. Sneaking in certain foods can make a guest very ill.

VEGETARIANS

Vegetarians, simply put, don’t eat meat. Some people may be pescatarians, in which they eat fish or shellfish. When cooking for vegetarians, be careful what you use for flavoring dishes. For instance, don’t add bacon to a largely vegetable side dish, and avoid using chicken or beef broths in

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Here are tips on keeping the dietary drama on low for your holiday feasts.

Gluten is a mixture of two proteins found in some grains. It’s what makes bread dough stretchy. But it’s not just bread you have to watch for. Gluten hides in a variety of foods like soups, pasta, cereals, sauces, rouxs, salad dressings, malt, food coloring and beer. Your local grocery probably © ADOBE STOCK has a gluten-free aisle or section where you can buy onetheir food. Instead, substitute for-one flour mixtures, glutenspices or vegetable broth for a free crackers and cookies, punch of flavor your guests can pastas, and other items to stomach. round out your menu. Also VEGANS remember to avoid crossVegans don’t eat any foods contamination. derived from animals. This Don’t prepare gluten-free includes milk, butter and eggs, dishes around grain-based staples of holiday baking and dishes that have gluten, and cooking. The good news is provide separate utensils for the there are substitutions for gluten-free versions of any dish.

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A Holiday Meal for Every Diet

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