Get to the source, part 2

This isn’t a story about an infestation of flies again. It is a story about a stench in a house. It wasn’t my house, but that is all part of the story. 

When entering a friend’s house several years ago, we noticed an odor that was certainly off putting. We didn’t say anything, but right away Isadora (not her real name) started apologizing about the smell. She said she had been trying to find where it was coming from. They were sure that an animal had died under the house.

While we were there, Rick and Ellsworth (not his real name either) looked under the house and could not find anything, and the smell was not strong there. We were all afraid that whatever it was that was causing the smell was in the heater ducts, because it seemed to be throughout the whole house. 

Because we hadn’t been in the house with the stench for days like they had, we started looking and sniffing. It did seem like it was coming out of the heat system, but it wasn’t as strong in the far reaching rooms. They already checked under all of the beds, in the closets, cupboards, under the furniture. It had been days and they just couldn’t locate the source of that awful stench. 

Finally as a last ditch effort I started going from room to room sniffing every corner, crack and crevice. The stench was certainly stronger in the kitchen, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source. The guys were out looking at something in the garage when Isadora excused herself to use the bathroom. While she was gone I literally got down on the kitchen floor and crawled around sniffing. I had just gotten to the pantry cupboard and determined that the smell was much stronger at the bottom of that door when she returned and asked me what I was doing. 

I told her my findings. She opened the door to that cupboard and started looking. And yes we had found the source. Several days before she had brought chicken home from the grocery store. The package had just slipped into the crevice of a paper bag and she stuffed the bag in the cupboard where she kept them for use in a garbage can. She grabbed that bag and held it out the door for Rick and Ellsworth to take out to the garbage can. 

Once the smell was found, we all sat and had cookies and coffee. As we discussed the wherefores of it, Ellsworth mentioned that the cold air return wasn’t far from that cupboard. That is why it seemed to be coming from the heating system. 

Once again, getting to the source solved the problem. 

I have found an old recipe box that we found somewhere, I am not sure where, I think it may have come from an old Emblem family. It is chock full of clipped recipes from magazines, containers, newspapers and even some hand written ones. All are from the previous century. I will be working my way through this box and sharing the recipes. 

Brown Sugar Apple Pie

1 pkg pie crust mix (any piecrust will be fine. 

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons flour

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch salt

6 cups thinly sliced, pared, tart apples

1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 egg yolk

Make pastry as package directs, or roll out whatever pastry used. Preheat oven to 425º. In a large bowl mix sugars, flour and spices, add apples and toss lightly to combine. Turn apple mixture into pastry lined pie plate. Mounding up in the center. Sprinkle with lemon peel and dot with butter cut in small pieces. Trim lower crust, roll out top crust and cut steam vents. Place top crust on pie and seal edges. Mix yolk with 1 tablespoon water, brush on crust. Bake 45-50 minutes until apples are tender and crust golden. 

From McCall’s Magazine.