WhoY Who In The Kitchen
Mrs. Rosa Davis Has Love In Her Heart
And “Good Food” On Her Table
By Audrey C. Lodato
Peat Staff Writer
Rom Da via may be a "senior
dtjwm " but there’s plenty of bounce
left in her voice, twinkle in her eye,
love in her heart, and good food on
the table. After growing up in Winns
foro, SC, she and her husband
Robert L. Davis, Sr., moved to
Charlotte. She recalls the First
Ward neighborhood where their fa
mily spent many happy yean.
"There was a love in our neighbor
hood. We didn’t have much, but
there was a feeling of togetherness.”
She praises the education her child
ren got there, too. "There is
something to be said for the school.
The children all grew up indust
rious.*’
me Davis lamuy eventually
moved to Biddleville "because the
children could walk to Northwest
High School and then to Johnson C.
Smith.” Besides son, Robert “Bob”
Jr., and daughter Rosalie (now
Meeks), Rosa Davis took in three of
her brother’s children when they
became orphaned.
With all these mouths to feed, it
comes as no surprise that Mrs.
Davis can cook up a storm. As with
so many women, she learned to cook
from her mother. Her father was a
fanner and her mother “laid out
some good stuff for you. She never
knew whom my father was going to
invite home for Sunday dinner after
church,"shelaughs. “Ihad finished
eleventh grade by the age of 12, andl
was too young to go to college,’’ she
etmtinues. “1 stayed home and
helped my mother cook, sew, and do
housekeeping.” When she was is,
she got a Job cooking for the local
postmaster and his wife.
The young Row was thrifty and
industrious. She Saved her earnings
and married Robert Davis when she
wasn’t yet 16. Herseif the third of
eight children,/family has always
been an important part of Mrs.
Davis’life. Shehas nine grandchild
r« and 16 great granchildren; moat
of the family Uvea in this area. “I
think I’m so fortunate,” she de
clares. “They haven't forgotten
Grandma.” Son Bob often comes
over for one of his mother's meals,
and other family members visit
regularly.
Mrs. Davis shares some of her
philosophy. "There’s no life like
family life," she affirms. “So many
homes have failed. Parents are
more interested in what their child
ren have rather than what they can
be. Character is more important
than material things.” She adds, “I
was good to them, but I was firm. If
I said no, I meant no."
v-nurcn nas also been an important
facet of Mrs. Davis' life. A member
of Mt. Moriah Primitive Baptist
Church for “about 50 years,” Mrs
Davis relates that the whole family
has been involved. "We work in it,”
she remarks. “We have a mutual
respect for each other,” she says of
the members, “We’ve known each
other all our lives.” The niece she
took in as a child was the church
organist from the time she was 11
until she graduated form Johnson C.
Smith at age 22. “1 wouldn’t do
without the church,” Mrs. Davis
adds. “It’s been wonderful for us.”
Although residents of Charlotte
most of their lives, Mr. and Mrs.
Davis spent a number of years in
New York after their children were
grown. They’ve been back 10 years
now. Although she loved New York,
it appears Mrs. Davis can be happy
wherever she is. “Life is meant to
be lived for people,” she asserts.
“God willed it this way.” In thinking
about her eventual passing from this
earth, she says she has told her
pastor, the Rev. T.W. Samuel, “I
don’t want to live for people and die
by myself.”
This very much people-oriented
person shares with Post readers
some of the recipes she loves to
share with family and friends
r=- ECONOMICAL =
SPAGHETTI SAUCE
5-« slices fatback
Onion
Bell pepper C,
No. 2 dan of tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
Salt
Fry out fatback. In the
grease, saute diced onion and
bell pepper. Add tomatoes,
sugar, and salt to taste.
Simmer about an hour. Toss
with drained cooked spaghet
ti and top with grated sharp
Cheddar or other cheese.
I I
=“l-2-3-4” CAKE =■■ |
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. flavoring
Cream butter with sugar.
Gradually beat in eggs and
flour; add baking powder
and flavoring, beating until
well-blended. Pour batter
into 3 round layer pans.
Bake at 300 degrees until
cake begins to pull away
from side of pan and when
toothpick inserted into mid
dle of cake comes out clean.
(“This is the basic founda
tion for chocolate, coconut,
or any other flavor cake.”)
IL ■
Black/Pioneers Cooked With Imagination
By Alfred E. Cain for Kraft, lac.
Special Ta The Peat
During the period just after the
Civil War, the Bleck-American ex
perience reached ka all-time low. In
response to the faltering Recon
struction, Blacks gathered their be
longings, took their fate in their own
hands, and joined the migration
westward. Most settlers, white or
Mack, had similar experiences tam
ing the Wild West Getting there was
half the battle; Because these
pilgrims would be in a sense
; starting a completely new life, they
took with them whatever they felt
; would ease their adjustment to
strange surroundings.
According to the editors of “Better
; Homes and Gardena Heritage Cook
- Book,” “Pioneer cooking meant
working with limited ingredients
; and a lot of imagination. For
- example, when sugar was scarce
and even sorghum molasses was in
; short supply, pumpkin or water
• melon juice boikd to a syrup might
! be substituted. During a blackbird
; plague, blackbirds took a prominent
•i place on the menu. A Nebraska
farm paper... Hats 33 different reci
pes using corn! As for coffee, it
might be made of parched barley,
okra seeds, carrots or corameal and
molasses that had been fried, pow
dered and semi-burned; but it sel
dom had anything to do with coffee
beans. Most households owned a
coffee grinder, but it was used to
grind corn.”
During summer, pioneer living
was relatively easy, but food was
often scarce k> winter. Neverthe
less, families managed to serve up
savory meals The principal cook
ing utensil was the Dutch oven,
which served as try pan, stew pot,
bread, cake or pie pan. It’s small
wonder that one-dish meals were
frequent.
Prominent among pioneer recipes
were dishes featuring mill-ground
Corn bread like the pioneers used to make.
corn. Kraft has developed some
up-dated versions, which are pre
sented here. Cheddar Skillet Bis
cuits are quick and easy. Baking on
top of the stove cuts down on energy
consumption and kitchen heat.
Country Corn Bread has a hint of
-COUNTRY CORN BREAD
l cup oommeal
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
■4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup Parkay margarine, melted
V« cup honey
Combine dry ingredients Add
combined milk, eggs, margarine
and honey, mixing Just laitil mois
tened. Pour into well-greased 9 or
10-inch skillet. If you don’t have an
skillet, a regular baking pan will
do.) Bake at 400 degrees, 20 to 25
minutes or until wooden pick inser
ted in center comes out clean. Serve
warm. _
sweetness and should prove a wel
come addition to your com bread
recipe collection.
— CHEDDAR SKILLET BISCUITS —,
1-2)3 cups flour to cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
to teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Parkay margarine
1 cup (4 ozs.) shredded J.L. Kraft
Select sharp natural cheddar cheese
Combine dry ingredients; cut in
margarine until mixture resembles
•oarse crumbs. Stir in cheese. Add
milk, mixing just until moistened.
On lightly floured surface, knead
dough ten times. Roll to to-inch
thickness. Roll with a delicate touch
or the biscuits will be tough. Cut
with floured 2-inch cutter. Place in
well-greased 12-inch skillet. Cover;
cookover medium heat IS minutes or
until underside is golden brown.
Turn. Cover; continue cooking S
minutes. Serve warm,
minutes. Serve warm.
Approximately I desen_
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WRITE VCX
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graduate.
Your local Army recruiter can
tell you more about the Delayed Entryf
Program. Or call 1-800-USA-ARMY.
We don’t jtwt promise to teach you a
skill. We guarantee it
| ALL YOU CAN BE.
Mrs. Davit prepares to add tomatoes to pan for
“Economical Spaghetti Sauce." Fatback. onion and
bell pepper add flavor to this meatless tomato sauce.
(Photo by Audrey C. Lodato)
j— fUUNU CAKE =
3 c. sugar
1 c. butter
6 eggs .
3 c. flour, sifted
V4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla or lemon
extract
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
j i
Cream sugar and butter.
Add eggs one at a time. Mix
baking powder and salt with
flour. Add alternately with
milk, beating into sugar and
egg mixture. Add extract
and oil. Bake in greased tube
pan at 300 degrees for at least
one hour. (“The vegetable
oil added at the end of mixing
keeps the cake from falling.
Also, don’t open the oven
door for at least an hour
while baking. After an hour,
you can test the cake. Turn
the oven off and leave the
cake ini for a little while.”)
1 jy. ■ ■
j THE CHARLOTTE POST
'
~ BAKED CHICKEN =
(“Like my mother used to
make.”)
Wash whole chicken, rub
with butter, and salt and
pepper to taste. Place a
piece of foil over the breast
and bake in covered roasting
pan at 300 degrees until done
(insert knife blade into chick
en to see if it’s still bloody).
Serve with combread stuf
fing. ._
: CORNBREAD STUFFING =r
Crumble together combread
and toasted white bread.
Add diced celery, poultry
seasoning, sage, minced on
ion, salt, pepper, and some
butter. Mix in some chicken
stock from roasted bird.
Bake in pan until browned.
(“I usually make the chicken
the night before and then
have the stock for the stuf
fing.”)
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