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The Joy of Cooking |
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It has been a hard day at work, or a long weekend of ministry. How do some BVMs relax and rejuvenate their energy? Some curl up and read a book; some clean house; some attend a movie; or visit friends; some go to a ball game or go for a ride....and some cook. Ann Cronin and Anne Kendall (Robertine) are two BVMs who enjoy cooking as a leisure activity. They find it relaxing, as is the activity that precedes it—purchasing the ingredients.
The two Ann(e)s approach cooking differently. Ann rushes in with vigor as she minces, chops, stirs and mixes. What takes her two minutes, takes Anne Kendall five or ten. Ann Cronin can whip together a meal in minutes, while Anne Kendall can’t be rushed. Essential to a cook is a recipe. In time, the basic recipe is modified and changed, as the cooks’ creativity emerges and the taste buds give an inkling of what might help improve the basic contents. Ann Cronin is willing to plunge in and experiment, while Anne Kendall takes the cautious approach before changing and/or adding. Both Ann(e)s have their favorite recipes which are often repeated; however, they are also “on the hunt” for new recipes, looking in newspapers and browsing in bookstores. Now that the two are living in different cities, there is a whole shelf devoted to recipe books both in Phoenix and San Francisco. BVM convents are a great source of cookbooks. Many parishes and organizations have published recipe books on the occasion of anniversaries, or for fund raising and these end up on the kitchen shelves. These gems usually have two or three recipes with “possibilities” that aren’t repeats of other recipes in the other books. While visiting the convents of other religious communities of Sisters, treasured cookbooks are also discovered on their shelves. It is fun to read old cookbooks. Some BVMs even read them to relax before going to sleep at night, which makes for pleasant dreams. As is to be expected, the older recipes never mention our modern utensils and tools like microwaves, bread makers, blenders and food processors. They use words like “a pinch of salt,” “a handful of flour,” or to “puree a mixture through a fine sieve.” Yet, there are times when the old cookbooks are the only ones that demonstrate how to make a particular dish of food. In the 1990s, Ann and Anne put together a cookbook of their most frequently used favorites. This conglomeration contained recipes from many sources—Mary McCauley, BVM (Mercedie), Mae Cronin (Ann’s mother), Loretto Kendall (Anne’s mother) and Teresita Poulin, BVM.
In turn some of these recipes came from the next door neighbor, a handout at the grocery store, a newspaper article or an old, old cookbook. The two Ann(e)s also contributed recipes to the Two Spiders Lodge Cookbook compiled by BVMs who have frequented Two Spiders Lodge in Hayward, Wis. (See p. 12.) Other Western Region BVMs are noted for their cooking—Pat Rogers (Albertine) for hors d’oeuvres, Ann Lenore Eifert for her bread and Teresita Poulin for her Mexican cuisine. While cooking relaxes and is enjoyable, it helps put the BVM core value of hospitality into practice when others come to share the fruits of the labor of Ann(e). About the author: Anne Kendall, BVM teaches history at Xavier College Prep, Phoenix, Ariz. Ann Cronin, BVM is principal of St. Philip Elementary School, San Francisco, Calif. Return
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