Week of April 26th

Okay, I could spend a lot of time explaining why Iowa is called the Hawkeye State but, once again, I don’t understand the explanations I have found. If you’re looking for a subject for a non-fiction book, here’s one: “State Nicknames for Dummies”.

When planning a state celebration I research the state’s industry, agriculture, famous people from the state (artists, writers, musicians, entertainers), regional attractions and, of course, the food. Believe it or not, there is quite a long list of famous people from Iowa, such as Herbert Hoover, Tom Arnold, Johnny Carson, Glenn Miller, Donna Reed, John Wayne, and Andy Williams. Among the list of Iowan celebrities was an actress that I have always admired, Cloris Leachman. As luck would have it, her memoirs just came out in paperback and I thought this would be an unconventional alternative to the basic state celebration. So I picked “Cloris” up and dug in.

Her book, like the actress, is sassy, funny, unpredictable and I enjoyed the way she says exactly what’s on her mind. Her writing was honest and down-to-earth and not at all “Hollywoodish”. They may have taken the girl out of Iowa but I don’t think they ever got all of the country girl out of the girl.

It doesn’t seem right to celebrate Iowa and not mention one of America’s most famous icons, the painting “American Gothic” by Grant Wood. Wood was an artist from Iowa who was part of the 1930’s art movement, Regionalism. The focus of the Regionalist artist was to dismiss the city life and advancing technology and embrace the more comforting scenes of rural life. I don’t think there’s a college dorm in America, at least not when I went to school, that doesn’t don some satirical version of the man and woman with the pitchfork.

Have no fear; we didn’t leave out the food part of any successful celebration. So, with the table set with a glorious vase of “Iowan” prairie wildflowers - Blue Asters, Goldenrod, and phlox, we sat down to yummy baked “Iowa” pork chops (see recipe below) and sweet early corn. We topped the meal off with Blue Bunny Ice Cream and Weight Watchers Ice Cream bars produced by the Wells Dairy in Lemars, IA.

BAKED “IOWA” PORK CHOPS
6 Iowa pork chops
6 tbsp. brown sugar
6 slices onions (I used a lot more)
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. water
Brown chops and place in baking dish. Top each chop with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 slice of onion. Pour 1/2 cup ketchup diluted with 1/2 cup water over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Color in the “Hawkeye State” with scenes of rural America and travel back east to “The Keystone State” – Pennsylvania. 25 down – 27 to go.