Recently we have been at work to remodel our kitchen. It was last remodeled in 1941. It has brought us an added appreciation for how workers before us put such good quality in their workmanship.
We boxed away and neatly hid light fixtures and decorative items away in the basement. Much went to the basement, but for our sustenance and survival during this remodeling adventure we kept a few necessities upstairs. Dishes, the microwave and food items had been moved to the dining room where they sat on a sturdy shelving unit.
With things having been removed it was time to get to work. The cupboards had to be removed. For years they provided the only insulation against the howling winter winds and the summer’s blistering temperatures. We purposed to insulate the wall that the cupboard had clung to for these past 83 years.
With saws-all and wrecking bars my husband and son went to work. Little by little there were signs of the structure loosening up. Big nails sunk deeply into the structure made the removal quite a challenge. But at last the cupboards came free.
The shelves and drawers were made of solid wood which has proved to be reusable. My husband brought the cupboards to our storage building. They will be come in handy for my husband there. So the change in location will not change their usefulness.
Once the cupboards came down, the lath and plaster became the focus for the next job. My family wielded mallets and hammers which steadily cracked the plaster into dusty pieces which settled in piles across my kitchen floor.
I got to be the one who handled the shovel. Over the years, I swept and mopped that floor. But shoveling it was quite a change of pace.
Since we have had a mildly warm January and February, we could work with one window open. That is where my shoveling came in. My husband had a wagon parked outside the window ready to catch the refuse I threw out the window.
Wrecking bars tore away the sturdily nailed spikes which held the laths in place. Once they came down, our room seemed larger. I could hear the echo of my footsteps as I made my way across the floor. This room had not always been a kitchen. My husband’s father was born in that room.
The boards between the studs are almost pretty from the stripe patterns left on them by the laths and plaster. Much of this old house was well made. It has served several families well. Each generation has left its mark on how to improve it for the next ones who will be blessed to live here.
Spice’n Crumb Banana Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine (shortening works, too)
1 cup (2 small) thinly slice bananas
¾ cup coconut
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon mace (optional)
½ cup dairy sour cream
1 egg
Combine the first 4 ingredients. Mix at low speed until crumbly. Press 1½ cups of crumb mixture into an ungreased 13×9 inch pan. Reserve ½ cup crumbs for topping. To remaining crumb mixture, add remaining ingredients. Beat for one minute at medium speed until well blended. Pour over the crumb crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 3-4 dozen bars.
Recipe credit: 1979 KUMV-TV Favorite Recipe Cookbook; Mrs. John Show, Jr.
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