www.MichiganFarmer.com July 2009 / 43 ■ Great Lakes Lifestyle Dolls fill MSU Museum’s toy chest Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series on the agricultural collections stored by Curator Val Roy Berryman at the Michigan State University Museum. For more information about the museum, contact Berryman at [email protected] or 517-355-0322. — Jennifer Vincent By VAL BERRYMAN L ast month we looked at early handmade toys for boys. This month we will do the same for the girls. Just as the boys’ playthings helped familiarize them with potential adult jobs and responsibilities, such as farming and national defense, girls were also being trained and indoctrinated into what was seen as their traditional role. The Michigan State University Museum has a large collection of toys including some homemade toy kitchen utensils, but perhaps more relevant are the dolls. The nurturing role of women was encouraged in young girls by giving them toy people to take care of, dress and feed. The earliest dolls were not toy babies; they were small, adult-looking dolls. Dolls that looked like actual babies came into popularity in the latter part of the 19th century. COME HERE, ROVER! Keely Gleespen (in photo below) records the catalog numbers for homemade rag dogs. Gleespen is a Central Michigan University student who hails from Chelsea and is working at MSU on a Museum Studies Internship Program for the summer. Even pets like these could be quickly produced by a loving mother reaching into her rag box. The dogs were made from popular patterns that were found in late 19th- and early 20th-century women’s magazines. This playful pup sports a blue neck ribbon and has black shoe-button eyes — perhaps making it a good companion for the doll with the shoe-button eyes (in photo at left). DOLL DUO: These two rag dolls have some contrasting features. The one at the left was almost certainly made by a mother, aunt or grandmother for a small girl. Although its head is a bit of a flattened lump, it has all of its arms and legs, and its clothing is quite accurate for the mid-19th century. In addition to the carefully made dress with decorative trim, it has two undergarments — a quilted slip for warmth in winter and a pair of long-legged pantaloons. Its face and bangs are penciled on, but it is unknown how the hair on the back of the head was represented originally because it is all gone now. The rag doll at right looks like it could have been made by a child. The head is an even more misshapen lump than the first rag doll, and the body is simply a larger lump of stuffed fabric. Its only facial features are the two eyes made from shoe buttons that were probably removed from a child’s outgrown or worn-out shoe. The dress is a sack that is gathered by a drawstring at the neck and again around the stubby arms. It’s easy to imagine, however, that those soulful shoebutton eyes returned a lot of love to some young country girl. DOLLS DERIVED FROM NATURE: The best commercially manufactured dolls came from Europe, specifically Germany and France. They were also very expensive and not very many families could afford them. A long-standing feature of dolls is that they really don’t have to look or feel exactly like real humans for youngsters to cherish them. The first two dolls shown above could have been made with small scraps of fabric and natural materials found on the farm. The larger doll has a body made from a corncob wrapped in a white cotton underslip. Its head is a hickory nut with simple facial features inked on it. Its crossed arms are two folded pieces of white fabric sewn together. The smaller doll is made of dried corn husks for the body and clothing. The husks are specially wrapped and tied with string, and facial features are again painted or inked on. The blue pattern of her apron is also painted. Good for wallet and waistline S AVING money doesn’t have to mean sacrificing good nutrition. It’s possible to make smart food choices that save money and bring nutrition to the table. Here are some tips to help you make meals that make sense — and save dollars: ■ Avoid empty-calorie foods that provide little nutrition. Many designer drinks and sodas don’t help your wallet or your waistline. Drinkable yogurts and flavored milks have nine essential nutrients that help fuel the body. ■ Skip the expensive snack aisles and focus on convenient snacks that pay you back, such as yogurt and string cheese. ■ At 25 cents per serving, milk is one of the most economical sources of highquality protein and calcium, making it one of the best beverage bargains in the supermarket. ■ Cheese has 8 grams of protein per ounce, and is most cost-effective when you buy it in block form and shred it over veggies or use it in casseroles. For more about how to get the most out of your meals, visit www.dairymakes sense.com. Turkey Tetrazzini With Cheddar and Parmesan Nonstick cooking spray 1 package (12 ounces) whole-wheat penne pasta 2 tablespoons butter ¹⁄₄ cup flour 3 cups low-fat milk 1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth ¹⁄₂ cup dry white wine (or more chicken broth) ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper 2 cups sliced white button mushrooms ¹⁄₃ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 cups diced cooked turkey breast 1 cup frozen peas 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a shallow 2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Stirring constantly, cook about two minutes. Whisk in milk, chicken broth, wine and pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Stir in mushrooms, reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until mixture thickens and mushrooms are soft. Stir Parmesan cheese, pasta, turkey and peas into milk mixture; spoon into prepared baking dish. Top with Cheddar cheese and cover the dish loosely with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bubbling at edges and heated through. Makes six servings.