COZY MYSTERY MAGAZINE: nostalgia

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Mystique of Old Blue Willow

By Nancy Jill Thames

Certain things make our lives cozy. For me, those include comfy furniture, someone to talk to, a good book to read and pretty dishes. Over the years I've had many sets, but none so cherished as my Old Blue Willow.
Hollywood often used these dishes as props in movies, especially Westerns. When the dishes were used in The Andy Griffith Show or in Murder She Wrote, somehow my mind told me if I had those same dishes, my life would be as interesting and exciting as Aunt Bea's or Jessica Fletcher's. Raising four children as a stay-at-home mom fulfilled those wishes, I'm happy to report.

My Lovely Old Blue Willow Platter

I still remember the day I received the set from UPS. Lovingly, I took each dish from the box and washed them by hand. I suppose I've always loved playing house, but having these dishes brightened my time spent in the kitchen each day. I would glance at the two doves and be carried away to the plight of the two lovers. One day I changed my decor so the blue dishes had to go. Blue did not go with sage, somehow. I couldn't bear to let go of the set entirely, and thus saved one piece before selling the set in a garage sale.

Notice the Chinese design around the edges. Do you see the pagoda, bridge, boat, and two doves in flight? The story touches me whenever I use this platter for serving food at parties.

Here's the story from Wikipedia if you've never heard it before.

The Romantic Fable: Once there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter (Koong-se). She had fallen in love with her father's humble accounting assistant (Chang), angering her father (it was inappropriate for them to marry due to their difference in social class). He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.
On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant, disguised as a servant, slipped into the palace unnoticed. As the lovers escaped with the jewels, the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped on the Duke's ship to the safety of a secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent soldiers, who captured the lovers and put them to death. The Gods, moved by their plight, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves (possibly a later addition to the tale, since the birds do not appear on the earliest willow pattern plates).

Old Blue Willow will always be one of my favorites. I've linked three sites in blue to purchase if you're interested. What about you? Have you ever owned a set like mine?

Thanks for joining me today on COZY MYSTERY MAGAZINE.

Have a lovely weekend, dear readers.

See you in my books!

~Nancy Jill

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London, England.

To learn more about the author and check out her books, please visit her blog at
Cozy Mystery Author, Nancy Jill Thames.

CONTACT INFORMATION

jillthames@gmail.com

To view and purchase her books on this site, please visit the Cozy Book Store.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Passing the Baton

This Christmas the cooking and baking baton was officially passed to my children. Our youngest daughter compiled a family cookbook and gave them as gifts to her siblings. The gifts were well-received mainly because she included the ancient recipe handed down from my husband's grandmother for Chicken and Dumplings. Now, there's a story behind that particular recipe.

When Granny made the dish, there was no recipe. She simply did what her mother and grandmother before her did - throw a big fat hen in a large pot, add salt and pepper and cook that bird until it fell apart!

For the dumplings, cups of flour were placed in a bowl, salt and baking powder (a rounded spoonful) were added, along with some Crisco, stirred together, milk added in, mixed, kneaded, rolled, cut into strips and squares, and then dropped onto the boiling broth. Finally, a cup of sweet milk was poured over the top, and without stirring, the dumplings were covered and allowed to rest for 20 minutes.

Of course, "the dumminies" tasted better the second day after absorbing all the flavorful broth. After I'd eaten my first plateful of these wonderful pillows of delectable flavors and textures, I had to have the recipe. Since there wasn't one, I had Granny make them for me and recorded, step by step, the entire process beginning with, "Wash hands."

This Christmas, our son made the entire Christmas Day Dinner, complete with turkey baked in the Big Green Egg (Google it if you don't know what one is), and homemade popovers. Delicious - better than I could make. Then, when we arrived at our daughter's house in California, she had not only made the Chicken and Dumplings, but Banana Cream and Chocolate Cream Pies, two of our family's favorites. And what did I have to do? Absolutely nothing but sit back and enjoy forkfuls of delicious food.

So it is with complete and utter joy that I hand the baton of making the family recipes to my children. And I hope and pray the tradition of eating these wonderful favorites continue (at their houses)!

Happy New Year, dear readers!

~Nancy Jill