Mama’s Kitchen

The foods and times of Jean Anderson, the Mile

High Mama

Cody Badaraca

62 | zone4magazine.com

I’m not much of a cooking guy, but most of the cookbooks I’ve read were just filled with recipes and food tips…which is fitting, because that’s what a cookbook is. On its fundamental level, Mama’s Kitchen is a cookbook. A good one, too—it’s easy to follow and has all the ingredients offset and in bold. As per Mama’s request, the book is set up so it can lay flat on a counter or table. Paulie Anderson, the publisher of Mama’s Kitchen and the son of Jean Anderson, or “Mama,” or “Mile High Mama”—depending on who’s asking, said, “She told me, ‘Paul, I don’t like a cookbook I can’t lay flat on the counter.’ She was a big fan of the old Better Home and Garden cookbooks and the Joy of Cooking cookbooks.” But the book is much more than a cookbook of ingredients, recipes, and baking instructions. Mama’s Kitchen is a memoir through food and stories, and a tribute from a son to a mother. Jean was a regular contributor to an alternative newspaper in Steamboat Springs, Colorado called The Local, which was started by Paulie and Scott Glackman. Her column “Mile High Mama” would feature a story and recipe from Mama’s life and vast cooking repertoire.

Mama had a lot of recipes up her sleeve that run the culinary gamut from easy bachelor food like “Bronco Beans” to mouth-watering desserts like “Chocolate Delight” or “Rustic Apple Tart.” Likewise, the stories cross the emotional scale from nostalgic tales of Mama’s youth growing up in Hugo, Oklahoma, to funny anecdotes about battling rodents in the backyard. Some pieces are quips on the weather, and one is a downright tirade on Tupperware parties. “Food came with a story,” Paulie said, “My brother and I were raised by her to know that meal time is where you sit down with the family. That’s where you learn about the day, you laugh, you talk, and that was the most important part of our lives.” While some of the recipes reflect the culinary talent of the South, like “Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders,” a lot of the food caters to mountain living. Even though Mama was born and raised in southeast Oklahoma, she called Colorado home. Stews, chilies, and a recipe for fish (aptly named “Delicious Trout”) show an appreciation for the variety of game that Colorado has to offer, while “Amanda Spjut’s Rhubarb Sauce,” “Green Tomato Pie,” and “Versatile Squash” utilize the good veggies and fruit that the mountains have to offer.

Of course, there are the recipes that pay tribute to the blue and orange. Mama was a big fan of the Denver Broncos football team, and paid homage with meals like “Bronco Beans,” “Bronco Blitz Kuchen and Peach Syrup/Sauce,” and “Bronco Sunday.” “I spend my Sundays (and any other day they’re playing) worshiping the Denver Broncos,” wrote Mama in her article “Testimonial of a Bronco Disciple.” Mama wrote her column for The Local from 2001 until 2007, when she became ill. “There was some evidence… that she wasn’t doing well,” Paulie said. “She had this cough and she thought she had emphysema.” A long-time smoker, Jean went to the doctor in early December of 2007 and was diagnosed with lung cancer. “That’s the first we knew that she had cancer,” Paulie said. On January 26, 2008,

Jean Anderson in the 1950s (top) and when she was a candidate for Rose

Queen at Oklahoma University.

Photo: Courtesy Paulie Anderson

In memory of his mother, Paulie Anderson compiled her favorite recipes into a handy looseleaf book.

taste of the zone

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Jean “Mile High Mama” Anderson died. Mama’s Kitchen was going to be a Christmas present for Jean from Paulie. “I asked an intern at The Local to photocopy every one of Mama’s recipes, and was going to make it into a scrapbook,” Paulie said. “It would have been out a year earlier if I could have focused on it without crying.” While still very emotional, Paulie hopes the book will serve a double function as a cookbook and a coffee table book, and that people will get to know Mama through her stories. “You can read it like a book and you get an idea of how this woman behaved on a yearly basis. You got a feel for somebody’s life through her kitchen,” he said, noting that cooking was like therapy for Mama. “I think cooking made my mom feel like a good mom,” Paulie said. “She just enjoyed food, and she enjoyed taking care of people. People eat food. It’s a basic need that I think she was able to fill for people very well.” Mama’s Kitchen is available through Deviant Productions, Inc. For more information, e-mail deviant@springsips.com. This book is dedicated to mothers everywhere who know that sometimes the best way to say “I love you” is through a hot meal or sweet treat.

In loving memory of Jean AndersonAKA Mile High MamaJanuary 15, 1939 – January 26, 2008

3 cups rhubarb cut into ½-inch dice3 cups strawberries, cut in quarters

or eighths if berries are quite large

3/4–1 cup sugar3 tablespoons flour

Combine all in a large bowl and set aside while you assemble the topping:

1 cup flour½ cup oatmeal½ cup butter1/3 cup brown sugar, packed½ teaspoon cinnamon

TUSCAN BEAN SALAD

2 cans (15 oz.) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed1/3 cup diced onions or scallions½ cup red bell pepper, chopped2 or 3 homegrown tomatoes, diced, or about 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halvedAbout 15 Kalamata olives, seeded and choppedA handful of fresh basil leaves, torn or coarsely choppedSalt lightly, pepper generously

Combine all ingredients except basil in a salad bowl. Dress with your favorite vinaigrette or Italian dressing. Either serve immediately or chill before serving. Just before presentation, add fresh basil and toss well. Serves 6–8.

¼ teaspoon salt½ cup chopped walnuts

Place all ingredients except walnuts in food processor. Pulse several times until you get pea-sized crumbs. Stir in walnuts. Or: Mix all ingredients but walnuts, using your hands or a pastry cutter. Stir in walnuts. Pour fruit into a 9 x 13 inch pan, or one of similar size. Cover evenly with topping. Bake at 375° for 50–60 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves about 10–12 people.

STRAWBERRY/RHUBARB CRUMBLE

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taste of the zone

summer 2011 | 63