Nathaniel Witherell Gets Cooking!
12/2/15 UPDATE: COOKBOOK IS NOW IN WITHERELL GIFT SHOP. $15 EACH OR TWO FOR $25.
Calling all chefs! The Nathaniel Witherell is reaching out to residents and their families, volunteers, staff, board members, and supporters to contribute recipes for its upcoming cookbook. The working title is From Soup to Nuts: A Collection of Witherell Family Favorites.
According to Sally Van Leeuwen, volunteer coordinator and cookbook committee member, “The goal is to get 200 recipes by August 15, and we hope to have the cookbook published and in our gift shop by the holiday season.” All proceeds will benefit The Friends of Nathaniel Witherell, and will go toward enhancing services at our short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing care center.
Among the more intriguing recipes is “Mom’s Tomato Soup Cake,” which was submitted by Carol Lindstrum, a Witherell volunteer and secretary of our Family Council. Lindstrum’s mother, Margaret Nizlek, who was a Witherell resident here before her passing, handed it down. It originated with Lindstrum’s grandmother, during World War II, and substitutes condensed tomato soup for eggs, which weren’t readily available during wartime.
Another recipe comes from Carolyn Holcombe-Roberts, who also volunteers at the Witherell, along with her husband, Harry Roberts. Holcombe-Roberts’s mother, Edith Arzio, was a Witherell resident before her recent passing. Arzio was a wonderful cook and one of her greatest joys was sharing her homemade Italian desserts with her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and many friends. When she came to Witherell, Arzio assisted the food service department with a presentation for all of the residents, making her favorite pizzelle recipe.
Edith Arzio
The cookbook, the first ever to be published by The Nathaniel Witherell, is the brainchild of Angela Mariano, Witherell’s clinical nutrition manager, and Fran Misuriello, patient care coordinator, both avid cooks. In addition to Van Leeuwen, other committee members are Witherell’s own Linda Marini, administrative assistant; Justine Vaccaro, director of social work; and Lynn Bausch, deputy and director of nursing.
If you are interested in submitting a recipe, please call Sally Van Leeuwen at 203.618.4228 or email her at sallyvanl@live.com . Following is Edith Arzio’s recipe, and a sneak preview of what is to come in the Witherell cookbook:
Pizzelle
Pizzelle iron needed
6 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 cup melted butter, cooled
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons vanilla or anise flavoring
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix eggs, butter, and sugar together. Add egg mixture, slowly to flour until smooth. Add flavoring.
This recipe can be chilled until ready to use. Follow directions on use of your pizzelle iron (about 1 tablespoon per cookie). Yields 4 dozen.
