Contributions & Quotations

When I created the recipe book, "Bonnie's Kitchen, Volume 1," I asked friends and family to provide me with some of their favorite memories of Bonnie's dishes.  This is what some folks had to say.  You will notice I have done my best to be specific about who these folks are in relation to Bonnie.  If you have a memory you would like included here, please let me know and I will be more than happy to add it to the dedication.

Kimberly Ann Caslin, Bonnie’s first born daughter (1^st  child)

“I loved it when Mom made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. She made it for every birthday of mine when I lived in Arcata. It was full of pineapple, carrots and walnuts.  She put on lots and lots of cream cheese frosting....yum.”

Marjorie Kay West, Bonnie’s 2^nd daughter (2^nd child)

“I've had a hard time picking one thing, out of all of Mom's delicious meals.  I always crave her Tomato-potato cilantro soup, though I have no recipe for it.  I also have, surprisingly enough, fond memories of her tuna casserole, of all things.”

John Wilson West, Bonnie’s first born son (3^rd child)

“I think you could guess my favorite, Mom’s chicken and dumplings, the flat kind that she rolled out real thin.  I will have the taste of them with me my whole life.  I have tried to make them a couple of times but can't do them just like she did.  Talisha gave me the recipe and told me how to do it from her memory.  Melissa really likes them also, Mom made them for us when we came there a few summers ago.”

Tracy Michelle Keenan, Bonnie’s 3^rd daughter (4^th child)

“Chumbutt! Yum, yum!”

Tanya Renee Hunt, Bonnie’s 4^th daughter (5^th child)

“Every year for my birthday it had to be Butterfinger pie!”

Talisha Leigh Hunt, Bonnie's 5^th daughter

(6^th child)

“This cooking became a ritual with me and Mom......We would start to feel the glow in our tummies on a rainy day in the redwoods, mmmmmmm mashed potatoes for lunch! A side dish as a main dish!!!!!  So mashed potatoes it is we would holler!!!  With russet potatoes, lots of fresh butter and half and half or cream.  We would look in the cabinet to see what we could scrounge up for gravy. A can of "Franco American" beef gravy would somehow always be there hiding in the back. We would sauté a little onion in some butter chopped really fine and then add some sliced mushrooms, even better Mom told me she loved the canned mushrooms in this!  So we would add those and then some crushed garlic and finally the can of beef gravy. Oh, lots of salt and pepper too! You would think with all of Mom’s homemade culinary talents, she would scoff at the thought of this canned gravy...but she told me it was one of her favorites. I agreed.  It is really good. Those piping hot mashers on a cold winter day in Arcata are one of my warmest memories of comfort food with my Mom. I haven't kept these ingredients on hand since I moved into my new apartment here in San Francisco, but after writing this I feel like running to the store and getting some Franco American canned beef gravy.  It's raining here today. I love you Mom and I love our mashed potatoes, I still feel the warmth.....the light.” 

Easy Mashers for Two

4 russets peeled cut into chunks add teaspoon salt while boiling

2/3 cup of cream or half and half

Cut up and boil potatoes until soft, then drain completely, add half a stick of butter and whip until creamy! Salt and pepper to taste.

Franco American Beef Gravy

Two cans Franco American beef gravy

(You can get turkey but we found that the beef one is the best)

half a stick of butter

four tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 cloves of fresh garlic (important that it is fresh!)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1 cup of fresh or canned mushrooms (sliced).

Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the butter then add the canned gravy, simmer for 15 minutes.  Make an indentation in your pile of warm mashed potatoes and pour the gravy in like it were a swimming pool.  Get ready, and dive right in!  YUMMY!!!”

Michael Adlai Hunt, Bonnie’s 2^nd son (7^th child)

“Butter beans!  I remember every birthday Mom would make me my favorite, German Chocolate Cake.”

Dylan Anthony Hunt, Bonnie’s 3^rd son (8^th child)

“Mom always made me tea and toast and it always made me feel better.  For my birthday she would always make me Banana Cream Pie.”

Ashley Rachel Hunt, Bonnie’s 6^th daughter (9^th child)

“Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cream gravy with corn is my all time favorite.  I especially loved it when Mom made this and have so many memories of watching her laboring over two or three frying pans popping grease spats.  Somehow she always served everything at the same time, piping hot!  Whenever I have family come to visit me, I always like to make this one for them.  The blend of tastes is the epitome of Mommy nostalgia.”

Ciara Jean Hunt-Arnold, Bonnie’s 7^th daughter (10^th and last child)

“An Ode to Comfort Food”

“Oh

Mashed

Potatoes

Creamy and hot

With a buttery steam

Milky mix of mashed white

How I long to taste the spuds

With my eagerly waiting taste buds

Pearly pile of potatoes on my plate

How I love to pour gravy over and around them

My private swimming pool of Mom’s home cooking

The perfect dish for anyone healthy or sick

Often adorned with mushrooms or corn

I’ll whip them up in no time

A mouthwatering mound of

Golden Russets Shoveled

into my mouth like a pile of snow”

Charlotte Robyn Hunt, Bonnie’s 1^st daughter by marriage

“Chicken and dumplings and green beans with tamari and garlic are what come to mind but food and Bonnie go so far back with me...I can remember a tiny apartment in Illinois in which Bonnie and Bob first lived. I believe Tracy was in a high chair and Bob and Karen Meyer were B & B’s closet friends and they were visiting then. If Tracy was in a high chair then I was not much more than ten or eleven and Shawna would have been three years younger than that.  That night Bonnie had made the largest stem pot of corn on the cob ever and Bob Meyer challenged Shawna, or maybe it was the other way around, to a corn on the cob eating contest.  Big man, little tiny girl.  As I recall further, Shawna won! She was a connoisseur even back then. No doubt there was lots and lots of butter and a lion’s share of napkins.  So perhaps that is Shawna’s story not mine but I remember it vividly. Vividly and with the most precious portions of delighted laughter tossed in.”

Shawna Rohrbach Bonnie’s 2^nd daughter by marriage

“Mushroom Barley Soup with Sour Cream and Apricot Bars (California Gold Bars).  I learned to make these with Bonnie. I think the recipe was on a jar of jam and we tried it for the first time together one afternoon and just couldn't believe how fantastically delicious they were.  I can just hear us both moaning with delight! For apricot lovers....they are HEAVEN. Here is the recipe for all to enjoy.”

California Gold Bars

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup walnuts (or other nut of choice)

3/4 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots (optional)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Beat together the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla Stir in flour and nuts The batter is fairly thick. Spread half of the batter in a 9 inch square glass casserole dish, or deep pie dish Then spread on the jam, and then the rest of the batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Let cool a bit before cutting and store in an airtight container.

Robert Hunt Jr., Bonnie’s 1^st son by marriage

Creamerier, butterier, and sweeterier – no one could do that like Bonnie.   Flour and butter were especially well taken care of in her kitchen.  From homemade donuts that made your teeth shake, to the fluffiest chicken and dumpling dumplings you'll ever devour, to holiday dinner rolls that melted in your mouth and were the coveted base for cheese toast rolls the morning after.  Bonnie just had that magic touch with everything she made.  Why I’d swear that even a Coke on ice tasted better if she did the pouring.  Thank you Bonnie for years of tummy joy.  We miss you!

Jane Rogers, Bonnie’s dear friend

“The first time I was in Bonnie’s kitchen, she started opening drawers and cupboards and explaining where everything was.  We’d just met.  I’d never had this happen to me.  I asked her why she was dong this and she said because she just knew I’d be spending hours in her kitchen cooking and she wanted me to be comfortable. I knew at that Moment what a treasure she was.  She went on to become central to my life and touch me in the deepest of ways.  Another memory:  What a wonderful feeling it was to climb the deck steps up towards Bonnie’s kitchen, look through the window and see the cascade of white hair, the tie-dye T-shirt, her hands, face and floor sprinkled with the ingredients of her latest creation, and the welcoming smile calling me inside for what was always a wonderful evening together simply celebrating life.”

Chuck Rogers, Bonnie’s dear friend

“Wow, where to start?  Fried chicken.  Rueben sandwiches (with a specific sauerkraut and mustard.  I know it was Mendocino Sweet Mustard.  I have some of the sauerkraut at home and I'll get the brand name for you.).  Guacamole. Tamales.  Making tamales in the kitchen during the holidays!  And the ribs. Oh, the ribs. She would boil them first, then grill them, then cover them with a mix of Larrupin Barbeque sauce and Bull's Eye Barbeque sauce, then put them in the oven for about a half hour or so. UMMM! So, good. Some of the best ribs I've ever eaten. And the fried chicken.  And the potato chip sandwiches--sandwiches covered with Lay's potato chips and baked in the oven. Did I mention the fried chicken? See, here's the thing, I'm a southern boy and I know good fried chicken when I taste it and this was good, no great, fried chicken.  Anyway, I went home for lunch today and found the jar of sauerkraut. It's Steinfeld's Home Style Sauerkraut with the green lid!  You know, come to think of it, she had a bread preference for those Reubens, too. It was a particular loaf of dark bread that Los Bagels bakes.”

Cindy Terry, Bonnie’s dear friend

“Ham that she marinated overnight in beer and brown sugar.”

Robert W. Hunt, Bonnie’s 2^nd Husband

“Just off the top of my head:  for holidays, Cornbread Dressing; in general, Mushroom Stroganoff and Waldorf Salad. There are, of course, many more if I go way back in time and include meat, poultry, and so forth.  But, let's stick with these for now.  The stroganoff, which in our red meat-eating days, was made with steak, pleased my palette for the pasta that was enhanced by some sort of sauce or light gravy.  It continued to be just as delicious with just mushrooms and no meat.  The cornbread dressing just epitomized the finest taste and texture of anything else in the midst of a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  Along with the tasty gravy, it was always just as good with leftovers for a few days afterwards.  With any meal, there was just always something about Waldorf salad with its unique ingredients of apples, celery, walnuts, and some wonderful sauce or dressing that coated everything.  I don't recall ever having just one helping of this!”

Raima Jean Cash, Bonnie’s dear friend (Annie’s  1^st daughter)

“It wasn't made by your Mom, but I always loved the Taco salads that someone would bring when the families got together!  I don't remember who made it, but it definitely reminds me of her.”

*The recipe mentioned here, adopted by Bonnie, was coined by her dear Friend Micki Aronson.  One of the original recipe variations was made with Doritos “Taco” flavored chips that unfortunately are no longer available.  Plain corn chips or other flavored ones will work just fine.

Sondra Schaub, Bonnie’s dear friend

“Fresh toasted on Whole Wheat bread, juicy BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches with Coke for your Mom and H2O for me.  They always tasted the best with her good vibes and kind heart.” 

Gena Pennington, Bonnie’s dear friend

“There is no question here: her divine CHICKEN CURRY!  I actually still have one or two dehydrated packages of curry we made together-they are for backpacking.  I suspect I'll cry the whole time I'm eating it.  It isn't quite as good as fresh.”

Joe Carroll, Bonnie’s dear friend and Hunt family physician

“Tomato potato cilantro soup, or was it potato tomato cilantro soup?”

Tanya Michelle Hunt, Bonnie’s daughter in law (Michael Hunt’s wife)

“I remember the huge stirfrys Bonnie would make for us, but the fruit pizzas were my favorite. Oh yeah, and her chocolate chip cookies with walnuts.”

Monica DeGottardi, Bonnie’s dear friend

“Your Mom always made me a turkey burger.  I also have a salad recipe that she gave me and I will send it to you.”

Pat Hunt, Bonnie’s brother in law (Bob Hunt’s Younger Brother)

“When your Mom and Dad returned from a trip to San Francisco and stopped in Denver to visit Genny and me in about 1966-67, we made a trip to the neighborhood ice cream parlor where our favorite was something like raspberry-chocolate.  From that point on when we had the munchies Bonnie Jean insisted on some exotic ice cream flavors.”

Maryanne Jerome, Bonnie’s dear friend

“I have wonderful memories of dear Bonnie showing up at my door with fresh spinach and cheese and pie crust and all the fixings for her wonderful spinach pie.  It was wonderful.”

Cathie Browner, Bonnie’s dear friend

“It has to be the most innocuous of all her foods but the moment between us was the origin of our lovely bond so I have to say, the bologna sandwiches we made for the girls when they came home from school. This was way back in Venice and it was the first time I went to Bonnie's house. our first afternoon together.  I was aghast at the amount of mayo and the Oscar Mayer bologna and the WHITE BREAD and iceberg lettuce.  But what really got me was how fricking DELICIOUS the concoction was!  It was pure Bonnie in the old days. And I loved it and her precisely because of the non-health food, non-yuppie nature of the sandwiches.  And of course, they were scrumptious because Bonnie had that bibbity-bobbity-BOO way with any and all ingredients!”

Heidi Claasen, Bonnie’s dear friend (Sondra Schaub’s daughter)

“Oh how I remember your Mother and her heavenly creations!  Chicken Curry with rice, Manicotti, Taco Salad and, back in the day, Donuts (Pillsbury Rolls, buttermilk or/country) holes cut with a Coke cap, fried and glazed with a powdered sugar and milk potion J  Blueberry Pancakes and California Apricot Bars”

Craig Keenan, Bonnie’s son in law (Tracy Hunt-Keenan’s husband)

“Your Mom's Chili Colorado was awesome, as was her turkey soup.  Tracy says the Chili Colorado was not yet on your list.  I can recall the Tamale Party where she had that and the Chili Verde... Incredible!  Also, her teriyaki chicken, although simple, was a way that she brought big groups together.  Early in my relationship with Tracy, she would "make" me do the BBQ teriyaki chicken to get me involved and feel more like part of the family.   I always appreciate her doing so.  It was a way that she would link with me -- someone with different spiritual and even medical beliefs than hers -- to make me feel that I belonged there.  That and our love of family.  Sounds corny, but....I miss your Mom.”

Cathy Cheshire, Bonnie’s dear friend

“I have so many memories of Bonnie cooking.  Giving her my curry recipe was a treat because now it has changed and grown to quite a festive meal.  Of course, my best experience was the weekend I was on a no food diet and spent the time in the kitchen, putting in new windows and watching the family cook, eat and enjoy and breaking down late Sunday night to eat a bite of biscuit.  Another time, arriving at women's camp to see all the food laid out before us,  I can't think of Bonnie without thinking of wonderful meals, good time and close friendship.”

Meka Zoe Hunt, Bonnie’s daughter in law (Dylan Hunt’s wife)

“I remember how special it was when Mama made a point of taking a whole day teaching Will how to make Banana Cream Pie.  I have a great picture from her of him holding his very own homemade pie with a note that proudly read “My First Pie!”  This pie is an annual family tradition for Dylan’s birthday that we carry on.  Another memory:  Mama would say “I’m craving mushrooms!” and would proceed to whip up some sautéed mushrooms with a little butter, soy sauce (sometimes garlic and onion) and salt and pepper.  Whether served alone or as an accompaniment to any of her famous dishes, this simple dish is a real treat.”

William Orion Hunt, Bonnie’s first grandson (of Bonnie’s and Bob’s 7 children)

“My Grandma made the best, best, best, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn.  I loved to mix it all together on my plate and lick my plate clean.  Yummy!”

Edward Hunt-Arnold, Bonnie’s son in law (Father of Ciara Jean Hunt’s children)

“Turkey Lasagna!”

Micki Aronson, Bonnie’s dear friend

“I do remember having GREAT bacon tomato avocado sandwiches with potato chips and a Coke for lunch alone with your Mom or with bunches of people there or stopping by joining in lunch.”