The Plucky Housewives

Its strawberry season, so we thought it most fitting if we found a gadget we really liked that had to do with strawberries.  So what else, but a strawberry huller! This is a tool that I love the most, this time of year.  It works great and takes no time at all to hull those baskets full of strawberries.   This particular one shown here is the one I got from Williams and Sonoma .  It is well worth the few dollars!   They come in a variety and can also be found here at Amazon.com.   This week we will feature lots of recipes with strawberries, so you will definitely get your use out of the huller!  Hawley

About 10 years ago, I received a present from my mother-in-law.  It was a beautiful red (wonderful color) pie dish with this ceramic bird in a plastic box.  The plate I was thrilled with, but the BIRD?  Why was this bird in the pie dish.  It was cute, but so are a lot other things!  I used the pie plate a lot, but put the bird away.  Then, one day, I was reading in one of my favorite magazine,  Country Living , and saw that there were people out there actually collecting pie birds!  I remembered receiving a pie bird and quickly looked through my kitchen gadgets and found it.  I made an apple pie with the bird in the middle and it came out fun and delicious. What the pie does is it gives the pie (a double crust fruit pie) an outlet for the steam to escape, thus making it so your pie filling stays in the pie and not all over your oven!! Take your pie crust and cover the bottom of the pie dish.  Center the pie bird in the pie plate, on to...

Spaetzle is a staple in most German households, but in spite of my heavy German heritage, I did not learn to make spaetzle from my mother or grandmother, but from Eugenie Mayer Bolz. Mrs. Bolz was the granddaughter of Oscar Mayer. I was fortunate enough to spend a summer working for her as her live-in companion. I learned a tremendous amount from that amazing woman, not just about food, meats, but about her family, her history and her traditions. I later adapted this recipe, after trying spaetzle from a variety of wonderful cooks. This has become a staple in my home, with my children and I know will be passed on for generations. In the Madison WI area, Orange Tree Imports carries this product, as does The Kitchen Gallery on Williams St.   Otherwise, there are several varieties on Amazon.com at good prices! Recipe 2 cups of flour 4 eggs 2 t salt 8 T sour cream Whole milk to thin out batter Sift flour and salt. Lightly beat eggs and add to flour mixture. Add sour cream ...