After my mother died and we were going through what was left of her 98 years of life, at the bottom of her ancient cedar chest I found a brown, leather-covered book filled with old sepia photos and handwritten notes. I’d never seen it before, which surprised me as I’d been through that chest several times in the past, but never spotted the book.
I realized, after a few minutes of leafing through the pages, that it was my mother’s yearbook from her junior year in high school at Breckenridge High in Breckenridge, Texas. Fascinated, I spent the next hour or more reading the many notes her friends had written, to a “beautiful, exciting” young woman I’d known only as “Mom,” and certainly never thought of as “daredevil” or “mischievous.”
But there she is, lolling against a tree trunk, her long black curls cascading from a flamboyant scarf tied like a headband around her forehead. Her slender ankles are crossed, stockings are rolled at the knee beneath a short, form-fitting dress that appears gauzy and, dare I say it about my mother, even sexy.
Both my parents were raised in Seattle, graduated from Queen Anne High School, and married soon after in my grandmother’s home in West Seattle.
But, prior to that, my mother had lived for two years in Breckenridge, Texas, where her stepfather had taken the family in hopes of finding oil. When that didn’t happen, they returned to Seattle, where Mom finished her senior year at Queen Anne and met my Dad. The brown book I found was filled with farewell notes from her Breckenridge friends.
“To Jo, first on the dance floor and last to leave, we’ll miss your flying feet.”
“Dear exciting, beautiful Jo, who will take your place in my arms when I go to the Saturday night dance after you leave us.”
“Jo, no one will ever make me laugh as you do, or make me cry as you are now, by leaving us.”
“To Jo, the only girl I’ve ever been able to talk to and tell my secrets to. Must you go, Jo?”
“To Jo, whose black hair and laughing blue eyes will be in my heart always, please write and tell me how to find you when I come to Seattle.”
All of those notes were signed by young men, and in several of the old photos, Mom and her best friend are surrounded by laughing, posing young men. Somehow, I’d never given more than a passing thought to what my mother might have been like as a teenager, but it now became clear that she was no shrinking violet and was probably giving my beloved little grandmother Ada frequent headaches. Of course, according to Ada’s mother, my fearsome great-grandmother, Ada had been no quiet, shy little girl herself. A genetic wild streak, perhaps?
During my high school years, I often wondered why my mother was so strict with me, imposing what I considered to be ridiculous curfews and keeping track of every boy I even mentioned, let alone went out with. The brown book I found in her cedar chest gave me some very good clues.
My mother obviously remembered full well what it was like to be 17.
RECIPES
Strawberries were one of my mother’s favorite treats; she always ordered strawberry milkshakes, or sundaes topped with strawberries, and the aroma of fresh strawberries always brings fleeting thoughts of Mom with it. Here, for Mother’s Day, are some strawberry recipes that may give your mother pleasure on her day. This first one combines everything good: fresh berries, peanut butter, chocolate and cream cheese. What’s not to love? Remind yourself that strawberries are packed with antioxidants (that means they’re very healthy) while you’re eating this.
STRAWBERRY PEANUT BUTTER PIE
For the crust: 1/3 cup butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
For the filling: 1 pkg.
(8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
½ cup chunky peanut butter
1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
Chocolate fudge ice cream topping (homemade or purchased), optional
To make the crust: Stir the sugar into the melted butter; add graham cracker crumbs and toss to combine. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate to make a firm crust. Cover and chill about 1 hr., or until firm, or you can bake the crust in a 375-degree oven 4-5 min., or until edge is lightly browned; cool on a wire rack before filling.
To make filling, in a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until combined. Divide this mixture between 2 bowls. Add the peanut butter to one of the bowls and beat with electric mixer on med. speed until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Add the strawberries to the cream cheese mixture in the other bowl, stirring gently to combine. Fold in the rest of the whipped topping.
Spoon dollops of peanut butter mixture alternately with the strawberry mixture into the prepared crust. Use a narrow metal spatula to smooth and swirl the mixtures slightly to create a slightly marbled effect. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hrs. (or up to 3 days). Let frozen pie stand at room temp. for ½ hr. before serving, topping with a bit more whipped cream and drizzling chocolate topping over the slices, if desired. Serves 10.
When strawberries are ripe, fresh and in season, there is no better fruit. If you overbuy or over-pick, as I always do, macerating and refrigerating is one way to extend their life. You can also freeze macerated strawberries in plastic storage bags and keep them for up to a year.
MACERATED STRAWBERRIES
1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
½ bottle of Pinot Noir or Merlot wine
2 T. honey (orange blossom honey is excellent with strawberries)
½ t. lemon zest
½ t. black pepper (yes; a touch of black pepper really brings out strawberry flavor)
½ cup sugar
Place all ingredients in an airtight container and stir gently to combine. Cover and chill for at least 2 hrs. before using. If you wish to freeze some, assemble ingredients in heavy duty storage bags; freeze for up to 1 yr. Great for ice cream or shortcake topping.
For an unusual, healthy and delicious salad, great for a picnic, combine strawberries with a couple of surprise ingredients.
STRAWBERRY CANTALOUPE SALAD
2 cups cantaloupe, cubed
2 cups hulled, halved strawberries
1 cucumber, halved, seeded and thinly sliced (I sometimes use the small Persian cucumbers, which don’t need seeding)
1/4 slivered red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 T. honey
1 t. seeded, minced jalapeno pepper
Pinch of salt
Toss melon, berries, cucumber, onions, mint, salt and pepper in a large bowl (use a clear glass bowl if you have one as this is a visually pleasing salad).
Whisk together the lime juice, honey, jalapeno and pinch of salt. Drizzle over the fruit and toss to coat. Refrigerate until almost ready to serve; flavor is best if brought to room temp. Makes 4-5 cups salad.
Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic springtime combination. Make up a batch of this compote and use it at breakfast with a dish of Greek yogurt, or for dessert over pound cake or ice cream or whatever.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB GINGER COMPOTE
2 lbs. strawberries, cut in half if they’re large
1 lb. rhubarb, cut in 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup sugar
3 T. minced crystalline ginger
1 T. fresh lime juice
3/4 t. grated lime peel
Place 1 1/2 lbs. of the strawberries (reserve remaining 1/2 lb.) and the rhubarb in a saucepan. Mix in remaining ingredients and cook over high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring often. Boil for 4 min., stirring often; reduce heat to medium and simmer just until rhubarb is beginning to fall apart, 2-3 min. Remove from heat, stir in remaining strawberries. Cool, then chill until cold. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Makes about 5 cups.
