Speakers' Corner Preview Live with Jennifer Jones, Lynda Heines and Barbara at Projectkin

Thank you Sam Brown, Genera Genealogical Services,Kyla Bayang, Sylvia Jacobs Books & More1818, David Hames, Kathy Stone, Tamara Buzyna Adams, Linda Teather, Judy Sall and many others for tuning into my live video with Lynda Heines and Jennifer Jones.

I can’t tell you how much it means to me here on the American Pacific coast to see all of you joining from across the American states and Canadian provinces. Your thoughts, comments, and encouragement are the glue that holds this community together. The little ❤️s you drop keep us motivated and give this series a little more visibility. Feel free to create clips from this post to share with your friends.

Projectkin programming is offered free thanks to the kind support of our generous patrons around the world.

What better way to reconnect with your siblings, parents, and ancestors than through the foods we eat and the stories we tell while eating? Today’s conversation with Lynda Heines of Heines Sight turned out to be the one-year anniversary of Jennifer’s Speakers’ Corner series for Projectkin. Though I can’t say we anticipated this at the beginning, the series creates an opportunity for family historians to share their stories to an appreciative audience — something we don’t always see (if we’re honest) at home. Here you’re among fellow travelers.

Even better, our travelers sometimes bring snacks.

Today gave us a preview of the food-centered conversation Jennifer will have with Lynda and Lorinda Brandon of Name on the Recipe Card on Thursday. If you haven’t already, be sure to grab your personal Zoom link here. 👇

Families & Food in our Stories

Though they may not get an explicit mention, the foods we eat with our families are always at the heart of our stories. Jennifer delighted us with a preview of Thursday’s conversation, featuring fun regional, historic, and cultural food traditions Lynda collected from her family.

She started with a pumpkin chiffon pie that she grew up thinking everyone knew, only to discover it was a less-sweet variation specific to her family. (Whiskey is apparently key, though Lynda was careful not to share the pie magic in today’s program.) Read more about her work on her mother’s recipes in her publication:

Talk of pies sent us on a flood of memories that would frighten Marcel Proust. Among the perfectly circular treats were:

* Mock Apple Pie (neither mocking birds nor apples are involved!) Mock Peach Pie (a topic for therapy 👀) and other surprises in a box of Ritz.

* Flapper Pie, a Canadian prairie treat made with graham cracker crust and vanilla filling with a meringue topping.

* Both of which led to discussions of

* Economic factors such as the 1930s depression sparking creativity for home cooks to work with ingredients on hand.

* Technology innovations that made specialized techniques accessible to home cooks: stand mixers (e.g. Kitchen Aide) for whipping meringues.

* And specialty foods from other regions that get their own local treatment, such as the Texas Kolaches, a “Texas-sized debate,” as Kyla Bayang, our voice of Texas, added.

I drop these examples here to whip up your enthusiasm and examples (ideally with recipe links) below in the comments. I just know you have a few 👇.

As Projectkin, we’re here to help families tell their stories in any form. I feel strongly that our collections of recipes, like photos and other artifacts, are keys that unlock our memories and, in turn, our stories. It’s time to bring them out and give them some air. I hope you’ll join us in the Speakers’ Corner.

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