Remembering Mildred

I've known a lot of "Mildreds" in the church all around America.  It seems like every area has a "Mildred" participating in the service projects, teaching Sunday School, or cooking for the potlucks.  I met Mildred in Saltville, Virginia, just before my husband and I were married, more than 20 years ago.  Her husband, Buck, had passed on a short time before, and she was running his Drive-In with the help of her children and grandchildren.

Buck Maiden opened Buck's Drive-In in Saltville, Virginia, years ago.  I don't know what year it opened, but people we knew there talked about going when they were kids.  It is off the beaten path and little-known by the outside world, but the parking lot is packed on a Friday night after a high school football game.  People who have moved away from the area will drive hours just to go back and get a Buck's hot dog or milkshake.  Buck and Mildred lived in a little house behind the Drive-In, and when Buck left this world, Mildred kept the staple of the community going.  It has always been one of the most popular places around.

When my husband and I got married, my husband was preaching at Mildred's church, Main Street Christian Church in Saltville.  The first time we went to eat at Buck's, Mildred would not take our money.  She said our meal was "on the house."  Each time we went back, it was the same.  "I know preachers don't make a lot of money," she said.  "I can do my part to use the business God gave me to help provide for my preacher."  One time we tried to sneak by quickly when Mildred was not there.  We took our money out to pay for our meal.  "Oh, no!" said her granddaughter.  "Grandma won't let me take money from you.  Her preacher is not allowed to pay here!"

While we did not want to take advantage of Mildred's kindness, I will admit there were some days in those early days of our marriage when the grocery bill was tight.  We would get a little tired of the beans-n-weenies or the ramen noodles. We would head down to Buck's Drive-In, and Mildred would always feed us.

In the years since we've left Saltville, we've ventured off the interstate and stopped by Buck's many times when we were traveling through.  We've taken friends and our kids.  I'd like to think we've given enough business back to make up for all the free meals we ate, but I know Mildred never wanted us to pay her back.  What she gave, she was giving to God.  I daresay we were not the only hungry people she fed.  She was a member of the priesthood of believers, using her livelihood to serve God because serving God was a way of life for her, not something she just did on Sundays.

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.

Colossians 3:23 CSB

When I went to Buck's Drive-In this past weekend, I found out that Mildred left us in 2015.  She is greatly missed, but Buck and Mildred's legacy lives on.  This weekend, I introduced my youngest to the best hot dogs (or corn dogs) this side of the Mississippi, as well as an important part of our family history.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in.

Matthew 25:35 CSB

Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 25:34 CSB

Molly Crew Review: Everyday Cooking

Years ago, a 10-year-old girl would have spent quite a bit of time in her family's kitchen.  My girls have read a lot of the American Girl books, which are each about a girl "coming of age" around the age of 10 in a different time in history and a different part of the country.  In many of them, 10-year-old girls began taking on quite a bit of household responsibility.  My own mother-in-law began cooking for the family at a very young age, and having to adhere to strict dietary restrictions, because of her mother's failing health.  Now, however, when I tell people that my 10-year-old daughter can fix dinner by herself, they are quite surprised.  My son, at age 13, would already eat better than the average bachelor if he were living on his own (in fact, he's becoming quite the grill-master), and my 9-year-old daughter is learning her way around the kitchen well.

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My girls, who love cooking and aspire to become gourmet cooks, have thoroughly enjoyed the book Everyday Cooking that we have been reviewing from EverydayHomemaking.com.  This cookbook was written by a busy homeschooling mother of eight who understands that many home-schoolers are not really home all that much, and that they need solutions to feed their family healthy dinners that fit within their time and monetary budgets.  Vicki Bentley expanded the cooking chapter from Home Education 101, another book in the Everyday Homemaking series, into this 100-page cookbook, complete with cooking tips and pictures.  While it is not specifically a "health-food" cookbook and it does contain some lovely desserts, the emphasis is on whole foods and healthy living, within reason.

With sections in the back of this delicious cookbook on basic measurements, helpful tips, menu-planning, shopping hints, kitchen accessories and equipment, and mastering basic kitchen skills, I found this to be a fantastic teaching cookbook - for my budding pre-teen homemakers, for a newlywed, or for a mom that's just never made herself comfortable around the kitchen but has a desire or a need to do so. It is not "feminine" in appearance or layout, and would be just fine for boys as well, but my daughters were the ones who enjoyed it the most.  Why continue telling you when I can show you?

Chicken Noodle Casserole, p. 36:

The boys did enjoy eating the results!

The Pumpkin Muffins, p. 24, were a big hit at a church fellowship dinner in August.  We put them in little fall-themed cupcake wrappers.

Some of our other favorites are the brownies and the cheesy garlic biscuits, like they serve at a certain seafood restaurant with a large crimson crustacean on the sign. YUM!!  Oh, yes, the cookbook contains a large number of healthy main dishes and sides, but I just really love these!!

We reviewed the PDF version of Everyday Cooking.  My daughters also loved that; what says "Modern Mini-Homemaker" better than your very own cookbook on your iPod?  This is not their grandma's cookbook!

You may sample a few of Vicki's recipes for yourself, and learn how to make your own Vanilla Extract, on her webpage.

We were thrilled with Everyday Cooking from EverydayHomemaking.com and would highly recommend the cookbook.  If you would like to try it, here is the pertinent information:

Product:  Everyday Cooking

Vendor:  EverydayHomemaking.com

Ages:  Pre-teen and up (or anyone old enough to help in the kitchen)

Price:  $17.99 +shipping for the glossy hard-cover edition

           $14.99 for the PDF e-book (immediate download)

Some of my fellow crewmates reviewed Everyday Cooking, while others reviewed the Everyday Chore System.  See their reviews by clicking the banner below.

Disclaimer:  I received a free PDF download of Everyday Cooking in exchange for a fair review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.