By BETTY SMITH
Press special writer
TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS
February 27, 2008 04:33 pm
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Cooks can find new favorite dishes for the family and help a good cause at the same time when they purchase “Hometown Recipes,” a new cookbook benefiting Hope House of Cherokee County Inc.
Hope House, established in 1989, provides shelter to homeless families, serving men, women and children. Director Laura Garner said the shelter can house 23 to 25 children at the same time, with parents and children sharing a room.
“It’s usually a single parent, generally single moms,” Garner said.
The shelter also accepts single fathers with their children, and single women without children. It does not provide housing for single men because of security concerns.
“We help them to get housing, we help them to get jobs, we put them in touch with the appropriate agencies,” Garner said. “It depends on the individual who comes. Not everyone has the same needs.”
Hope House was the brainchild of Doris Hinds, longtime co-owner of Hinds Department Store. She used to close the downtown store and, as she walked to her car, see homeless people gathering up cardboard boxes to use as shelter.
She contacted city and county officials, and public service volunteers, and Hope House was formed. All of this takes money, and Hope House can always use donations of money and usable supplies. The agency holds regular fundraisers, including the chili lunch in January.
“Hometown Recipes” made its debut at that event, but everything didn’t go as scheduled.
The chili lunch originally was planned for December, with sales of the cookbook making attractive holiday gifts. But mechanical problems at the Cherokee County Community Building forced postponement for a month.
Still, cookbook sales are picking up, and Garner hopes more copies will be distributed throughout the community as word is spread.
Garner enjoys cooking and loves to look through cookbooks, hoping to discover tasty dishes to prepare for her family.
“It was just an idea that had never been done before,” she said.
Hope House staff and friends sent out the call for recipes. Garner and her family, as well as Shelter Manager Helen Spottedhorse, contributed a number of favorites, as did county officials, homemakers, professionals, and others active in the community.
“People in the community were kind enough to submit them to us,” Garner said.
She noted they are good, basic, simple recipes. Most require no special equipment or ingredients not readily obtained at local supermarkets. “They’re something you could pull together with ingredients out of your pantry,” she said.
Probably the youngest contributor was Garner’s daughter, Taelor, 8. She offered a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich – also a royal favorite, if one considers Elvis Presley the king of rock ‘n’ roll.
“She had to have that in there, because she’s an Elvis fan,” Garner said.
While Taelor likes the concoction, her mother doesn’t let her eat it often, citing health interests.
Another recipe is one of Garner’s childhood favorites. Connie Rhodes submitted one for mom’s best sugar cookies, in memory of Carmie Smith.
“We always raved about it,” Garner said. “At Bible school at the Peggs church, we knew when Carmie brought them, they would be delicious.”
Another recipe is for Peggy Liston’s pecan squares.
“She brings them to all of our fundraisers,” Garner said.
People who attended January’s chili luncheon got the chance to sample them.
One of Garner’s personal favorites is her recipe for sweet potato casserole.
“It’s a good holiday dish,” she said.
County Assessor Erlene Luper was glad to submit several recipes for a good cause, and always attends Hope House fundraisers.
“It’s a very good organization, and Laura is doing a fine job,” she said.
She had one of the more unusual recipes, for Mexican candy. She admits she first wondered what it would be like when reading the recipe, but decided to try it.
“The Mexican candy is something easy, and my family just loved it. I make it for church a lot,” Luper said.
And, as the book displays, cooking can be a “man thing,” too. Former Undersheriff Dan Garber submitted a recipe for an “old time continental sandwich, probably preferred by men.” It calls for Braunschweiger or liverwurst, sharp cheese, onions, rye or pumpernickel, and plenty of spiced mustard. “Eat sandwich. Brush your teeth. Use mouthwash. Repeat,” Garber advised, cautioning diners to have dinner mints on hand.
And Grand View School Superintendent Mike Bilby offered a simple recipe that wouldn’t challenge even the first-time cook. It involves two slices of bread, three pieces of bologna and mustard. “The hard part is peeling the little red stripe off the bologna,” he cautioned.
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