This portray of a pair of cardinals showcases one in every of Tammy Calhoun’s many abilities.
Having traditions and recipes from previous generations is particularly good at Christmas time. Tammy Calhoun incorporates her household’s cherished recipes into her Christmas cooking and baking every year.
Her youngsters, Sarah and Andrew Modica, come on Christmas Eve, anticipating Grandma Ruth’s Rice Pudding, Mother’s Calico Beans and different household favorites to be served with the ham dinner. Despite the fact that they’re grown, they nonetheless keep in a single day on this particular night time. Simply as once they have been youngsters, they’re given one reward on Christmas Eve, which is a pair of pajamas. Their mother has all the time wrapped the reward to resemble a large piece of sweet with a ribbon tied round every finish. When her son was younger, he known as the package deal a tamale, which has all the time puzzled his mom and to today, the standard reward is known as “the tamale.”
One other Christmas season will need to have is the Holly Decorations recipe, which is a cross between a cookie and a sweet. This confection has been a part of Mrs. Calhoun’s Christmases for 35 years, longer than her daughter has been on earth. The truth is, she was making them whereas she was in labor for her, refusing to go to the hospital till she was completed.
The household goes to her husband, Gene’s, sister’s home on Christmas Day the place all his household gathers for a meal and nice dialog.
Each Tammy and Gene labored at Gowanda Electronics till he received an concept that modified their lives in a course they by no means might have imagined.
Tammy Calhoun holds classic cookie cutters in anticipation of baking Christmas cookies.
Photograph by Beverly Kehe-Rowland
The couple dwell within the midst of the native Amish group, a gaggle that doesn’t use electrical energy. Through the years they’d let a number of of their Amish associates retailer ice cream in a freezer that’s situated in an outdoor constructing. After watching the frequent comings and goings for the frozen treasure, Mr. Calhoun began to experiment with ice cream making. His family and friends members loved sampling the results of his new passion and inspired him to promote it. The choice received simpler after they took into consideration the quantity of site visitors that handed by their door every day and once they noticed how many individuals stopped at their yard sale.
The method to open an ice cream enterprise started. With the assistance of his nephew, Calhoun tore a journey trailer all the way down to the body after which constructed an ice cream stand on it.
“I’ve had quite a lot of assist alongside the way in which, totally different folks at totally different occasions. Once I suppose again of all of the those that helped me, it’s overwhelming,” says the standard man.
An Amish-built shed was added later for storage.
“The Amish have been instrumental on this entire thought. They’ve executed quite a lot of work for me,” says the entrepreneur.
Colquhoun’s Ice Cream opened somewhat prior to anticipated on a day in July of 2021. Not figuring out it might be the well being inspector’s final go to and they’d be given a allow to open, they opened whereas they nonetheless had piles of gravel of their car parking zone.
“We needed to get open, because it was so late (within the season) so we weren’t fully arrange and (we’ve) by no means stopped,” she states. “Gene is the brains of the operation. He has the concepts and the flavors. The truth is, opening the enterprise was his thought. I deal with the containers, the books and the grunt work and provide you with the flavors I all the time needed as a child.”
One among her childhood favorites was Bubble Gum ice cream and since she didn’t just like the onerous gum balls it contained, she cuts mushy bubblegum into little items for his or her model of that taste admiting it’s a tedious job.
They’ve mushy serve in the summertime for these wishing to have cones. The obtainable flavors are everchanging. Their onerous ice cream is bought by pints and half pints for which they provide spoons. Half-gallons of the selfmade ice cream have been added this fall, however they’re too busy in the summertime months to fill the big containers.
“Within the summertime it goes out the door as quickly as we make it,” she says.
“It’s been wonderful from the day we opened,” her husband provides.
Twenty-five to thirty flavors of onerous ice cream are all the time obtainable out of over 200 enjoyable and distinctive flavors. Amongst them are 11 varieties with peanut butter and others containing numerous fruits, caramel, cookie dough and items of brownies. Varieties containing fashionable sweet bars comparable to Equipment Kat, Milky Manner, Child Ruth, Butterfinger, Caramello and Heath Bar are different decisions. Peanut Butter Overload was essentially the most requested taste the primary yr they have been open. For the time being, the most well liked, however not actually, vendor is Scottish Espresso Toffee and though they make 30 — 40 pints, it sells out. Dying By Chocolate can also be extremely popular.
“We’ve received to have a cheesecake taste available always,” Mrs. Calhoun says.
Christmas-themed flavors comparable to Eggnog, Peppermint Chip, Christmas Cookie, Peppermint Bark and Gingerbread Cookie are presently obtainable.
Clients make requests for flavors they take pleasure in and for experimental flavors too. As a result of they’ve requested for “warmth” added to the chilly, creamy combination, the homeowners have added Ghost Pepper Butter Almond, Strawberry Jalapeno, Raspberry Jalapeno, Scorching Pepper Jelly, Carolina Reaper Orange Marmalade and Carolina Reaper Butter Almond to the listing of flavors, lots of which have been the concepts of their prospects.
I personally tried the favored Scottish Espresso Toffee, which was scrumptious, however I’m ready for Maple Bacon to make a return.
“My husband would make all of them,” says the spouse. “He provides something and all the things that isn’t tied down.”
The essential vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream fan can all the time be accommodated.
After being instructed by an Amish businessman that he was regularly requested by his prospects the place they may purchase an excellent sandwich, submarine sandwiches have been added to their menu final February. Not solely have they been effectively obtained, however after some Fb selling, sixty subs have been bought on St. Patrick’s Day, together with many Reuben subs.
“We went over to a restaurant and tried their Cubans to see what goes in it. I requested my baker to make a pumpernickel rye sub roll so we might promote reubens round St. Patrick’s Day. They’re so fashionable, we’re promoting them yr spherical,” he says.
Ice cream, soup, subs and scorching sandwiches are bought within the winter months however solely ice cream and subs are bought within the hotter months.
They’re seeing many repeat prospects from the native space and the members of the Amish group cease each day. Though it’s a new enterprise, Colquhouns has turn into well-known within the surrounding cities, with prospects coming from as distant as Bemus Level and Stockton.
“We’ve got had prospects ship ice cream to Tennessee,” says Mrs. Calhoun.
Except for the ice cream enterprise, the entrepreneurs take pleasure in creating artwork in numerous types. Throughout the pandemic, they bought fairly a number of strolling sticks which he carved and she or he painted, a few of which have been customized orders. She additionally paints on glass they usually each do woodburning. Their work could be seen on their Tammy and Gene’s World of Artwork Fb web page. One other of his abilities is clock restore.
“We have been trying to have an antique-themed restaurant the place you’ll have various things to take a look at, virtually a visit to yesteryear,” he.
Colquhouns Ice Cream is situated at 5543 Route 62 in Conewango. Their winter hours are Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Summer time hours are noon-8 p.m. Pre-orders could also be positioned by calling 716-485-8118.They’re closed on Tuesdays throughout the summer time. Till just lately, they’d no days off, apart from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New 12 months’s Day and no time to make ice cream.
“It’s quite a lot of onerous work and I don’t suppose folks have any thought what goes into it,” he says.
“That man by no means rests. If he’s resting, he’s sleeping,” provides his spouse.
“It’s undoubtedly not mine. God places it in our laps and it’s our job to comply with it,” he says. If we’re profitable or fail, it’s as much as Him.”
Mr. Calhoun has three youngsters, Christopher, Sean and Kimberly Calhoun. The couple additionally has six grandchildren.
Among the following recipes are discovered within the Parker Household Cookbook, which Mrs. Calhoun was thrilled to amass at a household reunion she attended a few years in the past.
Holly Decorations
30 massive marshmallows
1/2 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp inexperienced meals coloring
3 1/2 c corn flakes
3 purple scorching cinnamon candies for every cookie
Mix first 4 elements till melted, stirring regularly. Add corn flakes, stirring till completely coated. Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper and adorn with candies earlier than cookies cool.
Grandma’s Rice Pudding
1 1/3 c sugar
1/2 c immediate rice
1 1/4 c water
1/4 tsp salt
1 T butter
6 c milk
8 massive eggs
Nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 levels. Combine rice, water, salt and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Prepare dinner on excessive for seven minutes or till water is absorbed. Put aside to chill. In a big sauce pan on medium warmth, scald milk (milk will bubble to the highest of the pan when executed). Wisk the eggs in a big glass bowl till foamy. Add sugar and blend completely. Stir rice into egg combination. As quickly because the milk is scalded, mix with egg and rice. Sprinkle nutmeg over rice. Bake instantly at 350 levels for an hour.
Mother’s Calico Beans
1 lb floor beef
10 slices bacon elective (not elective in my ebook)
1 medium can pork and beans
1 massive can purple kidney beans or any beans of your alternative
1 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T white or cider vinegar
Brown beef in a skillet. Drain grease. Microwave bacon. Reduce bacon into bite-size items. Mix all elements in a big crockpot and prepare dinner low over night time or bake in oven at in a 2-quart dish at 375 levels for an hour.
