Thursday, September 19, 2024
We’ve had some hot, sticky days, a bit of rain and lots of mosquitoes, but also some very fine weather for playing (or working) outdoors, and there’s more to come. The forecasters are promising sunny days with highs in the mid 80s and nights in the mid 60s until Sunday night, when rain is supposed to fall again.
The balance of rain and sunshine should show in flourishing fields and gardens.
FAMILY HISTORY
This past weekend I enjoyed some visits back into the Boivin family history due to a wonderful turnout for our first-ever family reunion. Over 100 descendants of the Middle Inlet/Crivitz Louis Boivin (counting offspring and spouses) turned out on Sunday for the get-together at Red Arrow Park in Marinette. We had a great time swapping stories and sharing memories.
I realized more than ever that if we who are old timers now do not pass our memories on to the younger folks that knowledge will be gone forever. Most of it isn’t written in books or recorded in newspapers. In earlier days they would have been shared around campfires at night, but those times are mostly gone now too.
The first known official record of a Boivin ancestor on the North American continent dates back to 1747, when Alain Boivin came to Quebec from France as a fur trapper and/or trader. Many Boivin family members migrated to the United States after the British took over Canada following the War of 1812.
Some of them settled in the Marinette County area, including Louis Geoffrey Boivin and his bride, the former Marceline Daigneault, who established a homestead on what is now County G in Walsh prior to the Peshtigo Fire of 1871.
One of their sons was Louis Boivin, who became a businessman in the Middle Inlet/Crivitz area, and who was my grandfather. He first married Roseanne Paris of Marinette and they had nine children. After she died, he married Victoria Krzewina of Crivitz and they had four children. Both of the wives were excellent cooks, and the Paris family has a long history of cooking. Ancestors in both families earned their original “fortunes” as lumberjack cooks. At least one of the Paris forefathers in Marinette spent many, many summers as a cook on Great Lakes freighters. Some of his children went on to open and operate restaurants in the Marinette and Menominee county area.
Apparently the descendants of these cooks have inherited much of their ability. Food brought to share at the reunion was incredibly delicious, varied and abundant. As one of the far-flung cousins commented after looking around, there was some pretty obvious evidence that these were people who enjoy good eating.
I was bragging to a friend about having a family history that dates so far back on this continent. He was not impressed. Said he did not know when his ancestors got here, but it was long before mine did.
Had to admit he was right. He is a Mohican Native American.
WISCONSIN HISTORY
The first European explorer to land in Wisconsin is believed to have been Jean Nicolet, who landed at Red Banks near Green Bay in 1634 while searching for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. Serious settlement of Wisconsin didn’t start until after the British were defeated in the War of 1812. Green Bay is the oldest settlement in Wisconsin, but Milwaukee quickly grew to be the largest.
Of the Native American tribes who were here before Europeans settled, the Menominees had been living in this area the longest, according to Wisconsin State Historical Society. Other First Nations of the time were the Ojibway, Mohican, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Oneida.
The word “Wisconsin” is believed to have come from a Mesquakie word (language of the Sioux and Fox) which means “red earth place.” “Peshtigo” is believed to mean “land of the wild rice.”
Native Americans from all over our land, TIMESland included, introduced European settlers to cranberries, wild rice and popcorn, and to the hundreds of varieties of beans, corn, pumpkins, squash and potatoes they cultivated.
Incidentally, a few years back we in Crivitz had visitors from Crivitz, Germany who had never eaten corn on the cob, or even sweet corn. To them, corn (maize) was for cattle - until they tasted corn on the cob, and then they were converted.
COOKIN’ TIME
Summer feasting time goes on. Family gatherings, picnics and back yard cookouts bring the best to our tables, wherever they are. With daytime heat, whatever we can prepare without cooking, or cook ahead and then just re-heat in the microwave without heating the kitchen, is a plus. Today’s egg bites are a fine example of this, and they are wonderful to take on camping trips. Keep this recipe in mind for deer camp, too.
BACON SPINACH EGG BITES
Makes six half-pint jars. Eat now or save, refrigerated, for up to three days.
8 eggs
1 tablespoon water
4 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped or lightly chopped cooked broccoli florets
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (or onion salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar, Gouda or Gruyere cheese
Optional garnish: Chopped fresh chives or hot sauce
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat the six half-pint jars with non-stick cooking spray. Buttery flavored is best. Place jars in a 13X9-inch baking pan. In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs with the water, and add the seasonings. Stir in the bacon, spinach, peppers and cheese. Spoon evenly into the prepared jars. Place jars in the baking pan, add hot water to come half-way up the sides of the jars and place the pan on rack in the oven. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until eggs are set. Carefully remove jars from pan and cool slightly. Serve now with the optional toppings or cool completely, cover and store in the fridge for up to three days. To re-heat, uncover jars and microwave for a minute or a minute and a half, 30 seconds at a time, until heated through. Let stand for a minute before eating with the selected garnishes.
Variations: There are several delicious ways to vary these egg bites.
Sausage-Mushroom bites: In a medium skillet melt a tablespoon of butter and in it put two cups chopped mushrooms. Cook for six minutes and add 1/4 cup chopped green onions and then cook another two minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Quarter lengthwise and thinly slice three ounces of fully cooked Andouille sausage or regular breakfast sausage links plus a 1/4 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika and add to the egg mixture instead of the bacon, spinach and roasted peppers (or even in addition to, if you want.)
TEXICAN VEGGIE SKILLET
Quick, colorful and delicious.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup whole kernel canned corn, drained
15-ounce can stewed tomatoes with green peppers and onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juice only
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cumin. Add garlic and fry briefly. Stir in zucchini and yellow squash and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add corn; cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes. Cook and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle in cilantro; stir until wilted. Remove from heat and squeeze lime over mixture.
EASY STRAWBERRY PIE
Our local strawberry season came and went too quickly this year. This recipe makes goood use of the non-home grown strawberries that sometimes are a bit lacking in sweetness. Makes a beautiful glossy red pie that’s as much fun to eat as it is to look at.
1 pre-made pie crust, graham cracker or the regular kind, baked
2 pounds fresh strawberries, divided, plus some for garnish
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups whipped cream (or frozen whipped topping)
Bake the pie crust if necessary and let it cool. Cap the strawberries and slice them in half or quarters; you should have 6 to 7 cups. Add about 4 cups of them to a medium saucepan and set the remaining berries aside. Mash the berries in the saucepan slightly with a potato masher or fork. Add the sugar and stir. Turn on the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, stir the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl until fully combined. Once the strawberry mixture is boiling and the sugar has dissolved stir in the cornstarch and water mixture. Keep stirring as the mixture comes up to a boil, and then boil while stirring for another minute or two. The filling will thicken and turn from opaque to uniformly clear and shiny when it’s ready. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining strawberries along with the lemon juice, if you’re using it, and stir to coat all of the berries. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, but 12 to 24 hours is even better. Up to two days ahead is okay. Serve with whipped cream.
(This column is written by Shirley Prudhomme of Crivitz. Views expressed are her own and are in no way intended to be an official statement of the opinions of Peshtigo Times editors and publishers. She may be contacted by phone at (715) 291-9002 or by e-mail to shirleyprudhommechickadee@yahoo.com.)
Shirley Prudhomme
Crivitz
