Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Scrapbook Memories

There was a time when people were avid scrapbookers. They don’t do that anymore. They can always click on Google and find out anything they want to know.
This week I ran across a treasure trove. It was a scrapbook compiled by my mother-in-law which included newspaper clippings of the 1940’s. It was filled with clippings she had cut and pasted from the local paper, mostly about hometown boys who were stationed overseas and news they had sent home to their parents.
Coming from such a small town, the news of every mother’s son, every woman’s husband, every childhood friend, was an everyday thought of every citizen in the community. If one of their own was killed or missing in action, the whole town mourned.
Whenever a soldier was granted leave to visit his or her family, everyone in town turned out to welcome them. I recall one story about my husband who was stationed in France that showed the family feeling of oneness and caring that existed in his neighborhood.
When he wrote that the army had given him permission to call his family, giving the date and time of the call, word spread quickly throughout the town.
On the night of the call, my in-law’s living room was filled with friends and townspeople anxious to hear his voice. “How was he doing, where was he stationed (he couldn’t say), had he seen other hometown boys, how was the food.” To everyone in the room, it was a connection to their loved ones so far far away and with whom their thoughts were a constant presence.
In the scrapbook there were notices of men visiting their families, where they were being deployed, their promotions, and letters to the folks back home, always cheerful… “Don’t worry Mom, I’m fine.”
Every message, every memento was passed around or noted in the newspaper. One special piece of good news was that of a young Lieutenant who had survived the Bataan death march and was coming home. He got a heroes welcome.
I looked at pictures of boys my husband grew up with and played with daily. Many of them came back but sorrowfully, a lot of them were killed in action. There is a large memorial to their memory on the court house lawn.
But in such a small town that gave so much, the memorial will always be in the hearts of its people. And so it will always be in small towns and big cities across our nation.

Deliciously awesome Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars using fresh homemade lime curd or store bought lime curd.

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

FOR THE CRUST:
2 cups graham crackers or digestive biscuits, crushed
1 stick/113g butter, melted
FOR THE LIME CURD:
1 stick/113g butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup + 4 tbsp fresh lime juice
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
2 8oz packs cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
2 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
green and yellow food colouring (liquid or gel)

FOR THE LIME CURD:
Beat butter and sugar into a large bowl. Slowly add the eggs and the yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the lime juice and mix again. Expect the mixture to look curdled, this is normal.
Cook the mixture over a medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan until it looks smooth and no longer curdled. Increase the heat slightly and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Using a thermometer, cook until the mixture reaches 170F/77C.
Remove the curd from the heat and transfer into a bowl. Press plastic wrap in the surface of the lime curd to keep a skin from forming. Chill the lime curd in a refrigerator, the curd will thicken more as it cools. It will keep in the fridge for approx. 2 weeks.
FOR THE CRUST:
Preheat the oven to 325F/175C, line a 10×10 inch pan with parchment that overhangs the edges. Mix the butter and graham crackers or digestive biscuits together and press into the bottom of the pan evenly. Bake the crust for 5 minutes and allow to cool completely.
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
Tint ¾ of a cup of the lime curd with the green and yellow food coloring until a lime-rind green and set aside. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
Beat in eggs on low speed until blended then beat in the sour cream, vanilla and plain/all purpose flour until just blended. Remove 1 cup of batter and reserve.
Pour the remaining batter over the crust. Mix ½ cup of the tinted lime curd with 1 cup of the reserved batter. Place spoonfuls or dollops of this mixture, in no particular fashion, on top of the plain cheesecake batter. Repeat with the remaining ¼ cup lime curd onto the previous mixture. Using a skewer or toothpick, swirl the mixture together to create a marbled effect.
Bake for 35 minutes at 325C/170F. Allow to cool completely in the pan then refrigerate. Once chilled, lift the cheesecake out of the pan with the parchment overhang and cut into bars before serving.