The Jolly Girls
The Jolly Boys’ wives included Violet (my mother), Gloria, Ellen, Elva, and Puffin, and they named themselves the Jolly Girls. High-spirited and good-hearted all of them, these ladies pitched in to assist their husbands in making the shack a success. They went through their kitchens and closets and gave over what must have been, in those days shortly following World War II and not long after the Great Depression, items that meant something to them. They sacrificed pots and pans, tableware, cooking utensils, dishes and glassware, bedding, and towels. Even homemade quilts and coveted flannel sheets were provided by each household. Eventually, many of these items became antiques and collectibles, some rather valuable, but all treasured for the memories and sacrifices they represented.
In many respects, the Jolly Girls came to enjoy the same bond developed by the Jolly Boys. They knew from the beginning that Blue Heaven was for the exclusive use of their husbands, and none of them complained when their husbands left for the nine-day deer season or when it was necessary for them to go up to the shack to handle various construction projects and maintenance. Although the camp was basically an exclusive gathering place for the men in their lives, the Jolly Girls knew there would be many events at Blue Heaven in which they would be included, and all of them were glad for that.
The Jolly Girls (left to right): Ellen Madson, Gloria Dunster, Violet Hanson, Elva Nystrom, and Norma “Puffin” Sugrue
My mother was an excellent seamstress and very talented with her sewing machine. She made the drapes that hung over the entryways to the bunk area. She also made the unique heavy-duty potholders for the cast-iron cookware used on the wood-burning stove. All of the Jolly Girls were superb cooks, and each of them took great pride in sending some of their delicacies up to the hunting shack for the Jolly Boys. One of these delicacies was Ellen’s meatballs. She made them with ground beef, pork, and veal, and they were the size of tennis balls. She always prepared them a day or two before the opening of deer season. Adder would bring them to camp, swimming in gravy, to be served on arrival at the shack so the Jolly Boys didn’t have to be concerned about preparing the first evening meal. Ellen’s meatballs were always served with sliced boiled potatoes and sliced boiled rutabaga with more than ample butter. It was comfort food at its best. When Ellen passed away in 1985, my mother volunteered to take over the chore of making her Norwegian meatballs for us. Although they were good, they were only the size of ping-pong balls. I took over the tradition of the Friday night meatballs when my mother passed away in 2003 and I tweaked her recipe by adding crushed garlic. My two sons who were in their twenties with huge appetites, often competed in a meatball-eating contest at the shack. There was never a clear winner or loser, but both consumed countless meatballs on those first Friday nights in deer camp.
NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS WITH GRAVY
My parents both grew up eating meatballs. My sister and I grew up eating meatballs, and my two sons have inherited the taste and love for what I consider to be the best of the best of all comfort foods. Served with gravy, mashed or boiled potatoes, and rutabagas or a green vegetable, these meatballs will keep everyone at the table until they can consume no more.
My mother’s recipe was simple but somewhat bland. She would purchase about two pounds of finely ground chuck and a pound of ground pork and put them in a bowl. She would then add a teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of pepper, two tablespoons of finely chopped onion, and a few shakes of Lawry’s seasoned salt. Next, she would crack an egg and begin to combine the ingredients with her hands. While all of this was going on, she would have a half cup of breadcrumbs or one slice of dried bread soaking in a half cup of milk. After the bread had soaked up all the milk, she would then mix it in with the other ingredients.
Once the ingredients were well blended, the real work would begin. She would start to roll the mixture into meatballs about the size of ping-pong balls and place them in a skillet to fry in a little oil on low heat, turning them frequently so they would brown on all sides. Often, she would sit in a chair near the stove to watch over the progress of the slowly browning meatballs, lovingly turning them so they wouldn’t break up. Once the meatballs were browned to her liking, she would remove them from the skillet with a spoon, sprinkle two tablespoons of flour into the skillet, and shake the skillet to wet the flour. She would add two cups of cold water and stir the mixture constantly on low heat with a large fork until it thickened. The meatballs would then be put back into her gravy and slowly simmered in the skillet until it was time to serve dinner with the side dishes that she had carefully selected to complement the meatballs and gravy. Indeed, they were loved by all who sat at her table.
When I inherited the task of making meatballs and gravy for the first Friday evening at deer camp, I decided that, although my mother’s recipe was time-tested and great, I wanted to kick the recipe up a few notches and bring it more in line with the other unforgettable menu items we served at Blue Heaven. I immediately knew I could accomplish this by injecting minced garlic, horseradish, and additional minced onion into her recipe. The recipe provides about eight servings.
Ingredients
Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal (if veal is not available, use half ground beef and half ground pork)
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine (for frying meatballs)
3 1/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/4 cup flour or cornstarch
Preparation
Place all ingredients except for the margarine in a large bowl and mix completely, using hands. Allow mixture to sit for about a half hour. Roll the meatballs in the palms of your hands until they are about the size of golf balls. Melt the margarine in a hot skillet and add the meatballs. Slowly brown the meatballs on all sides until cooked. If you prefer, you can bake the meatballs rather than frying them. Using a shallow roasting pan, bake the meatballs at 325–350 degrees F for about an hour until oven-browned.
Prepare the gravy separately. The best way is right in the skillet using the drippings from frying the meatballs. Remove the meatballs and set them aside in a pan or bowl. Add three cups of the milk to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium. Liberally salt and pepper the gravy to taste and add the horseradish. Using a small shaker or a small glass jar with a lid, mix the flour or cornstarch with 1/4 cup of milk and shake well until blended. This will be used to thicken the gravy. When the gravy begins to simmer, slowly add the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the gravy reaches the desired thickness. Turn the heat down and place the meatballs in the gravy, allowing them to simmer gently for at least an hour before serving.
If you’ve decided to bake the meatballs rather than frying them, I recommend using the recipe for Shack Gravy that you will find with the Shack Steak recipe later in this book. To complement the meatballs even further, I highly recommend placing the jar of horseradish on the table when dinner is served.