Now There's An App For That!

Before there were Apps, there was Aunt Ruth. 

If you wanted to know the conversion of 1 cup to its metric system equivalent, you could call Aunt Ruth, and she would go to her desk drawer, retrieve her Conversion Chart, and tell you, “It’s 230 milliliters.”

If you wanted to know what “earned surplus” meant, Aunt Ruth would say that it is “also known as income retained in the business.  The amount retained from year to year depends on both net income and dividend payments.” She handled her family’s bookkeeping and investments, worked during the war as an accountant for the Navy, and because she wanted fast facts at her fingertips, she kept a copy of How to Understand Financial Statements in her desk drawer. 

She had a United States map with time zones and area codes, Webster’s Thumb Indexed Dictionary, a pamphlet on treating the 15 most common household stains, and another that outlined the Kiddush service for Sabbath.

Aunt Ruth was smart and savvy.  As times changed, her pamphlets and charts did too.  She had data for everything before we knew we needed it.  She was remarkable.

She was fascinated by technology and learning and quite proud that she owned the very first generation of Kindle, and on hers was Thomas Friedman’s, Hot, Flat, Crowded :  Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America along with other selections ranging from current fiction to biographies. 

Aunt Ruth never stopped wanting to know, and one of her many lessons to me was to keep an insatiable Appetite for knowledge.

I wish there was an App for that!  

Sometimes, 1,000 Words are Better

(Please click on image to enlarge)

When Aunt Ruth turned 90,  she didn’t want any gifts.   I sent a postcard asking her friends to choose 1-3 words that described her.  From those words, a cake and cupcakes were decorated with a life’s worth of words  (http://www.honeylazar.com/loving-aunt-ruth.htm), and the words were saved in a wooden box.  

This blog is all about words...words of wisdom, hope, struggle, humor, love, and yes, ingredients for great food.  I love words as much as I love images, but most of all, I loved Aunt Ruth, and so did the 165 people who came to celebrate her 90^th birthday!

This Mother’s Day, let Aunt Ruth inspire you to speak words of love to your own Mother, your friend’s mother, or those who have mothered you when you needed unconditional love.

Aunt Ruth said, “Always make sure you have love in your life,” but I would add that you let those you love hear those words. 

Have a Loving Mother’s Day…Happy 94^th Birthday to Aunt Ruth….

(The words  used to make the I ♥ U are from Aunt Ruth's Birthday Collection)

And The Winner Is....

Aunt Ruth loved long dining room tables, the color orange, and sharing her recipes.  Thank you for visiting the blog, for leaving a comment to enter this giveaway, and most of all, thanks for Loving Aunt Ruth!

ACCORDing to Aunt Ruth...

In the years of photographing, learning from, and eating with Aunt Ruth, I also documented her ingredients for a life well lived. 

ACCORDing to Aunt Ruth:

You must love with your whole heart.  Cooking for family and friends is one way I show love.  We had a big dining room table, and we loved to entertain.  It is a different world now.  People don’t seem to have lifelong friends like we did or even serve big dinners, but one thing I think should never change is that you must respect each other.

With respect to Aunt Ruth, the love she gave to so many, and the delicious food she served, we are offering an ACCORDion book with a selection of Aunt Ruth’s favorite recipes.

The book can be yours if you leave a comment on this blog until midnight, April 21, when I will print comments and drop them into a hat to randomly select the lucky recipient. Please sign your comment with a first name. The name doesn’t even have to be yours to keep your anonymity, but I need a way to recognize you as The Recipe Recipient!

You can leave as many comments as you want.  

Each one is a chance to get the ACCORDION BOOK!

On Monday, April 22, I will post the selected name on this blog, and you can send me a direct email with your address.  The ACCORDion and Aunt Ruth’s love will be yours.  Remember, ACCORDing to Aunt Ruth, everything tastes better shared!

 Every Comment Counts!  Don't forget to share.

The Sweet Taste of Hope

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Aunt Ruth’s kitchen desk had 2 trays filled with recipes awaiting her test kitchen’s rating!   

I asked her about them, and she said:

I am still collecting recipes.  I like to create and eat food, but the best part of cooking is sharing.

This is true for most things in life.

Aunt Ruth served up optimism; everything she made was topped with love.   This blog continues to offer Aunt Ruth’s ingredients for a life well-lived, and today’s entry comes in the form of Apricot Noodle Pudding.

May this recipe be a “very good” addition to your recipe collection.

(please let me know when you make it!)

Everything Tastes Better Shared

Passover is about optimism, rebirth, and faith.

Here is what I learned from the many Seders shared with Aunt Ruth and her friends:

1.  Dress beautifully-this is the Greatest Generation of men and women who do not leave the house without looking their best, so forget that this night is about slouching and being casual!

2.  Listen when others are speaking-remember that while it is tempting to interrupt, you learn more when you pay attention.

3.  Encourage storytelling-if you are lucky enough to have so much wisdom on either side of you, ask questions.  

 4.   Take pictures.  You will want to remember this wonderful night, and it is nice to send the photos to the guests as memories.

Aunt Ruth believed that everything tastes better when it is shared.  May your Passover surround you in love.

Always Make Sure You Have Love in Your Life

Please click on image to enlarge.