wonder bread, part two {september 9, 2022}

What would a walk around Columbus' historic Italian Village neighborhood be without passing a beautiful church, Chiesa Italiana San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist)?

The cornerstone having been laid in early 1898, St. John the Baptist was conceived as a location to minister to the needs of Columbus' Italian population. More than a century later, the church stands strong as a place of worship, as well as the host of the annual Italian Festival.

What struck me about St. John the Baptist and caused me to wonder is the juxtaposition to its next door neighbor, the old Wonder Bread bakery. 

It made me think back to the day when I taught CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) to 2nd graders, the year they received their First Holy Communion. There is wonder and joy in this sacrament and the wonder and joy evolves as we grow. And boy, is there wonder in 2nd graders.

We gathered as a class the week after the little ones received their First Communion and talked about this first experience. We talked about all the family members who came to share in this special day, the gifts they received, the clothes they wore. But one of the students commented that she really liked the God bread.

“The God bread?” I asked.

She went on to explain that “God gives us bread as a gift every week and he gave us Jesus. This is a pretty big deal. I wonder why we don’t get a bigger piece of bread.” A communion host was her piece of wonder bread.

wonder bread, part one {september 8, 2022}

After dropping T off at the airport, I didn’t want to drive in the crazy interstate traffic around Columbus so I got off of I-670 as soon as I could. My off-the-beaten-path route took me through the historic Italian Village. I had time on my hands so I found a free parking spot (lucky me…few and far between), got out of my car and strolled round this charming neighborhood. 

At the turn of the century Italian Village was a melting pot of Italian, Irish, and African immigrants who worked, lived, shopped, and worshipped in this early suburb of Columbus. This neighborhood was defined by its industrial warehouses, spotted with Italian Catholic churches, a few retail buildings, and a mix of single- and multi-family residential properties. 

A big eye catcher in Italian Village is the Wonder Bread sign. You can see it from the interstate. Between 1890 and 1930, many residents of Italian Village worked for the Jeffery Mining Company, the largest employer in Italian Village which employed 2,500 people at its peak. Thousands and thousands of workers reported to work every day to help build coal mining machinery, and Jeffery Mining Company needed a way to feed all those employees, hard at work. In 1916, they built a bread factory across the street. All those Jeffery Mining employees were working up large appetites, and the company needed a way to keep everyone going. This bakery site produced baked goods for the Jeffery Mining Company and its company cafeteria. It also provided baked goods for the company’s cooperative employee store. At its peak, the bread factory produced up to 5,000 loaves per day.

Throughout the years, this bread factory changed names and owners many times. In 1920, it was known as “The Columbus Bread Company” and three years later it changed hands to the “Holland Bread Company.” In 1929, it became the “Ward Brothers Company” and finally, in 1934 Wonder Bakeries were handed the keys, which is when this building first became home to the Wonder Bread name we know and love today. At Wonder Bread’s peak, this facility churned out no fewer than several thousand loaves per minute. This huge volume of bread was then quickly shipped across the United States. 

In 2009, the Wonder Bread Factory stopped baking. Wonder Bread’s parent company, Interstate Bakeries Corporation, closed the Columbus factory, along with a sister factory in Missouri. 

During this time, the American bread industry saw a drop in bread purchases, as Americans became more health conscious (and afraid of carbs.) Since the Columbus factory didn’t have the ability to bake Wonder Bread’s new all-natural bread line, they had no choice but to close their doors.

Today, the iconic Wonder Bread Factory, has been transformed into a hot spot apartment building, the Wonder Bread Lofts.

wordy wednesday...mirepoix {september 7, 2022}

As fall approaches, thoughts turn to warmer foods and more comfort foods. In my cooking, many of these are flavored with mirepoix. Many chefs consider mirepoix to be the key ingredient for adding that extra umph to a dish. It’s the secret sauce; the essential ingredient; the reason your food tastes so good. Mirepoix plays an important role in flavoring soups, stews, casseroles, braised meats, and marinades.

What Is Mirepoix?

Mirepoix (pronunciation: meer-PWAH) is the aromatic flavor base made by lightly cooking onions, celery, and carrots. The vegetables are cooked slowly in butter or oil in order to coax out the flavors without browning or caramelizing them. Mirepoix is traditionally used as a flavoring ingredient, which means the vegetables are typically strained out or removed from the final dish before the end of the cooking process.

The word mirepoix comes from the last name of a French aristocrat, the Duke Charles-Pierre-Gaston François de Lévis, duc de Lévis-Mirepoix, whose cook is credited with establishing this mix of ingredients as a staple in French cooking in the eighteenth century.

Mirepoix Variations

Mirepoix is the classic French combination of aromatic vegetables, but other cuisines around the world have their own variations. Here are other aromatic bases you might encounter.

1. Cajun Holy Trinity: An aromatic base used in the American South, the holy trinity consists of onion, green bell pepper, and celery in the following ratio: two parts onion, one part green bell pepper, and one part celery.

2. Italian Soffritto: This variation on mirepoix uses minced rather than diced vegetables, and is typically cooked in olive oil (not butter) until the vegetables are soft and brown.

3. Spanish Sofrito: A basic Spanish red sauce that combines tomatoes, onions, garlic, and other vegetables (like bell peppers or herbs, for example).

4. French Pinçage: French pinçage (pronounced pin-sahge) is mirepoix with tomato paste added. It’s a great option for adding mirepoix to sauces.

5. German Suppengrün: Suppengrün means “soup greens” in German, and includes carrots, leeks, and celery root (celeriac). It can also include herbs like parsley or thyme, as well as other root veggies like onions and rutabaga.

6. Chinese: garlic + scallions + ginger with cooking oil

7. Indian: onion + garlic + chilies + ginger with ghee

8. Polish Włoszczyzna: the translation of which is fantastic: "Italian stuff"—is another variety of soup vegetables with a similar lineup to the suppengrün. Even heartier than the others, a włoszczyzna is likely to focus on cabbage as a primary ingredient.

ohio state v. notre dame...{september 6, 2022}

The People. The Tradition. The Excellence.

Ohio State’s slogan took on new meaning for this non-football fan when our daughter and her boyfriend told us they bought tickets for the OSU/Notre Dame game. Daughter is a diehard Buckeye fan; her boyfriend a diehard Irish fan. The atmosphere leading up to the first game of the season with these two tradition-oriented teams was electric. 

The PEOPLE.

One thing in common on game days, 99.9% of the people in Columbus are rooting for the Buckeyes. It’s a feeling of unity unlike no other until you experience it.

ESPN GameDay came to Columbus to start off the college football season. The U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, performed their precision jumps into Ohio Stadium. Former Buckeye and current Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow made an appearance and was recognized during the first quarter and the fans went wild. LeBron James and his son Bronny wore Buckeyes gear on the sidelines and people were starstruck. (Is LeBron making a play to return to Cleveland to finish his career?)

The TRADITION. 

There are few Columbus traditions stronger than a game day tailgate. Tents fill the lots and line all the roads leading to the stadium.

Another tradition that never fails is the O-H / I-O chant. Random people shout out 

O-H; other random people respond I-O. In the stadium, an O-H-I-O chant goes in a wave around the four sides.

TBDBITL. The Best Damn Band in the Land. Their pre-game Skull Sessions (a free pep rally) and their halftime shows are timeless traditions.

TBDBITL marching into St. John Arena to the drum cadence for the Skull Session

The EXCELLENCE. 

Members of the 2002 undefeated National Championship team along with their coach Jim Tressel were honored at the end of the first quarter of the game.

Fans love their Buckeyes. Ohio State beat Notre Dame 21-10 in this top five matchup. At the end of the game the band, football team, cheerleaders, and coaching staff gather in the end zone and along with the fans sing the alma mater “Carmen Ohio.”

Until next Saturday, Go Bucks!

"How firm thy friendship, O-HI-O"

empty the veggie bin {september 5, 2022}

For the past week one of my daughters has been in the house and we like to cook! She and her boyfriend went back to Chicago today and my vegetable bin is full of bits of this and that: a handful of spinach, four giant leaves of Swiss chard, a half box of mushrooms, a bunch of cilantro, and a sprinkling of parsley. T has gone out of town for a few days, I have all these veggies, it's been a busy, fun-filled week, I'm worn out, and a little sniffly. With all these leftover veggies plus a few more, I'm going to make a pot of soup.

One of my yoga instructors believes that food is medicine and during the pandemic lockdown, she shared a recipe for immune boosting soup. So many good-for-you goodies in this and all of them are in my fridge.

⁕ Onion, celery, and carrots: The mirepoix (what a cool word) for a must have flavor base.

⁕ Garlic: Lots of garlic for rich flavor but also for anti-inflammatory healing properties.

⁕ Ginger: Famed for its powerful medicinal properties for centuries.

⁕ Greens: Kale, spinach, chard, bok choy - whatever you love - will work great for an extra dose of nutrients and texture.

⁕ Broth: my yoga instructor is vegetarian so vegetable broth for her. I prefer chicken broth. 

Lots of bold flavors, lots of health benefits, and no food is going to waste.

Immune Boosting Soup

This feeds a big group; adjust as needed. You can't mess it up.

3 boxes of vegetable broth (I use chicken broth)

A whole head of garlic, chopped

3 inches of minced ginger, grated

3 onions, chopped

1 T. curry powder

1 bag of cilantro

4 carrots, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

Bok choy, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, or any other green you like (your choice!)

Add all ingredients to a large pot, bring to a boil, simmer until vegetables are tender.

I add brown rice to my soup to add a little bit of substance.

raindrops and reflections {september 4, 2022}

Crazy weather day...gray storm clouds, heavy rain, wind, sunshine, blue sky, white fluffy clouds and then a sparkly sunset reflecting on the raindrops on the sun roof of my son's Tesla. A magical moment drawing my eye to the palette of the sunset colors reflecting in the drops, the blue sky and fluffy clouds mirrored on the window. Inside each glove of water is a tiny upside-down world.  Look closely and you'll see clouds in the droplets. The marvels of the world right there on a car sitting in a driveway.

 

pumpkin spice {september 3, 2022}

In 2003, Starbucks began selling its pumpkin spice latte this week in anticipation of the crisp cool days of autumn. It has become the most successful drink of all time. Never mind the fact that summer sweat is still rolling down our backs. Like death and taxes, pumpkin spice is now inevitable in a plethora of products.

The spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice reminds us of fall and the warm feelings of family, home, and nostalgia that the season brings. And boy, oh boy, have companies jumped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon. 

In my book, the last day of summer is September 21. Pumpkin Spice can wait until September 22 or later 😊. Even though I don't partake in the pumpkin spice craze, it is a reminder that fun family times are just around the corner.