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Mud Pies and Other Recipes

Thursday, June 27, 2013



Not many books take me back to my childhood like Mud Pies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow.  Published around 1960, it is a recipe for dolls, and apparently dolls like to eat found objects and common things found in gardens.

I can remember making mud pies with Paulette Alexander.  She lived down the street from me, and I loved playing at her house.  She had a playroom with a million toys in it, several cats, and a very large backyard.  We made many hundred mud pies during summer vacations, and we always added wild onions to them.  Yum!  We never wore shoes, and Mrs. Alexander sprayed us off with the garden hose after playing in the mud.  I still remember the sting on my shins from the nozzle!

Paulette was two years ahead of me in school, so she could do everything better than I.  She was the best colorer in the neighborhood because she knew how to outline pictures in coloring books before she filled-in the pictures.  She knew where all the trails behind her house led, and she knew all about mud pies.  Paulette moved while we were still in elementary school, and I have been thinking about her a lot since I found this adorable mud pie book.  Paulette could have written her own!

I had so much more freedom as a child to explore and play, especially during summer.  My children had a much more structured childhood, and it makes me sad for them.  I certainly watched my children play, and we planned play dates rather than sending the girls outside to find someone to play with.  I don't know whether it's the difference between growing up in a small Southern town compared to a Southern suburb or or the times we live in now. I doubt that my girls ever made a mud pie.





The above photos are from a very cute blog called Here We Are Together. Aren't the photos too cute!  They are from a post entitled In the Garden. Miri was kind enough to let me use these delightful photos from her blog, and I hope you will visit her blog and say hello!  She has young children, she homeschools, and she and her family live on England's south coast.


 photo afb7329c-5593-47b6-9b30-f493f4f8d29b.jpg

The perfect hors d'oeurves tray for dolls



One of my favorite recipes is for Honeysuckle Wine:

"Put a honeysuckle blossom beside each plate.  They should be slightly chilled in the shade before serving."

I remember drinking honeysuckle nectar as a child.  This book brings back so many wonderful memories, and I think it could make new memories for the youngsters, dolls, and young at heart people in your life.


Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

15 comments

  1. This book has a cute cover and subject and I like your recollections of you and Paulette making mudpies. I did similar things and I think today's children are often overscheduled. Summer was leisurely for us then, a time to dream and play. I liked to sip the nectar from a lilac flower the way you describe honeysuckle wine.

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  2. Where have I been, how did I miss this book? I have got to get one. I can tell the illustrations are wonderful. Yep you just couldn't beat mud pies and all the make believe fun. Great post. Kathy

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  3. Oh-What a wonderful book. I made tons of mud pies when I was a kid. It was so much fun...we baked them in the sun and even made "chocolates" from heavy clay soil and then covered then with chocolate (dark mud). Do you know what happened to Paulette? Have you found her on Facebook or anything? xo Diana

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  4. This is delightful! I may have to check out that book. I just know my sister would love it too.

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  5. What great memories came to my mind as I read your post! Loved making mud pies, honeysuckle nectar, dresses and dolls...GREAT times and memories!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  6. Great memories. I grew up in the city, got dirty, and we played outside till our moms called us in. My sons communicated on social media more than face to face. lol I don't think it's just about growing up in a small town. I think it's the times we live in.

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  7. This is such a sweet and memory-stirring post, Ricki Jill. I also grew up in the South and made many, many mud pies. My own children grew up in a small Oregon town and had many of the same freedoms. I worry that today's parents hover way too much, and our children and grandchildren do not know how to just simply PLAY. Everything has to be planned out for them and they are losing some of those magical experiences of creative child's play. I wonder what that will mean for the kind of adults they will become.

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  8. oh Ricki Jill this post took me way back.
    We always made our mud pies in the fall Behind Mr. Nicolas' trailer
    He had a rock stack wall that was falling apart underneath the persimmon trees. We would gather the old and rotten persimmons and mix them with the mud on top of the crumbles of concrete from the wall falling, then on occasion add red heart candies :)
    I think it is a thing of the past of sending our kids out to explore the backyard and the woods below. I too grew up in the south and everyone knew everyone. We were allowed to wander, wonder and grow in nature with no fear. It is sad how things have to change for our children. What I wouldn't give for a day back with my own son in Mr. Nicolas' yard under the persimmon trees.
    Great post!!
    Amy

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  9. What a cute post Ricki! We made mud pies too, and the mud came in handy when I got bit by a bee on the bottom of my foot. My daddy put mud on my foot, and the pain stopped almost immediately ;o)

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  10. Wonderful and fun..what an enchanting post...beautiful images..and awesome recipes!Wishing you a summery day!
    Victoria

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  11. I can't believe you talked about wild onions. We did the same thing! We lived on a creek and the woods. My friends and I would gather weeds and the wild onions and pretend like we were Little House on the Prairie. We would drink the nectar out of honeysuckle - that's pure fun! Such fun times to think about. I am so incredibly lucky that I still have my same childhood friends and since we've moved back to Texas, we spend lots of time together. :)

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  12. Beautiful photos. Interesting book concept.

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  13. I've enjoyed reading your post, too. It sure brings back memories thinking of my childhood, too. Can't wait to read this book! Sweet Southern hugs!

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  14. Hi Ricki! Thank you for linking up in my shy Sunday series :)

    I enjoyed reading this post because I always appreciate stories of childhood memories. They are priceless. They will forever remain in our hearts and for some reason, there's always a trace of that rare smile when we recall them.

    As for the structured environment of your children, I believe that it worked for them and much of what they are right now was because of your excellent parenthood. I'm not a parent yet but I believe that more than the approach, it's the love and presence of their parents that matter most. You are blessed with two wonderful daughters. When they will recall their own childhood memories, I'm sure you are always a part of the happy stories.

    I love this post Ricki.

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  15. Oh my goodness! I'm going to have to look out for this book in case I have any girls. My sister and I used to make mud pies all the time when we were little.

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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