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Holiday Memories
I am not much of a fall / winter person; I love spring with the new buds
and
flowering trees. However, when November arrives each year,
thoughts of Thanksgiving and then Christmas begin to fill my head with
nostalgic memories. When the family gathers, memories abound of my
Mom's apple and pumpkin pies, her chocolate fudge and divinity, and her
Christmas cookies. I do not spend much time in the kitchen, but I
have copies of many of my Mother's recipes. Somehow, remembering
Mom's wonderful baked goodies seems to tie in with my genealogy
pursuits. I once came across a proverb that says, "We live as long
as we are remembered." Recalling her wonderful treats is one way
our family keeps her memory alive.A few weeks ago, my daughter-in-law was going to bake apple pies for a church sale. My son suggested they be grandma's apple pies. My heart stopped when I could not locate my recipe cards. Thankfully I finally found them. So now I will share Mom's recipes here for posterity.
Enjoy! - Bon appétit - Smacznego
Mom's Apple Pie
My Mom's apple pies were THE best. No one else's compares; all others seem so bland. I think part of the key is all the spices she used. Often Mom would make the apple mixture, put it in a 9 x 13 pan and bake it without a crust or topping. Since I am not a fan of pie crust, these baked apples were my preference.| 6 to 8 apples sliced 1 cup sugar 1 t. cinnamon 1/4 t. nutmeg |
1/4 t. allspice 2 or 3 T. tapioca or flour pinch of salt |
Mix all ingredients (except apples) together. Pour over apples and mix well. Put them into 9-in. pie pan(s). After putting mixture in to pie pans, dot with butter. Put top crust on and glaze with cream. (Can use half & Half just to moisten top.) Then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
Bake 15 min. in 425º F. oven, then cut to 375º F. for 45 min. to an hour.
| 2 1/4 cups flour 1 t. salt |
2/3 cup lard (other shortening 1 cup) 4 T. water |
Sometimes you need a teaspoon or more of water if the pastry is too dry. Follow mixing and rolling instructions from your cook book.
Mom's Pumpkin Pie
Once again, no one else's pumpkin pie compares to Mom's. Again, I am sure it has to do with the spices. The recipe card I typed eons ago says Golden Festival Pie Recipe, which I typed from the can label. I searched the web to see if this brand is still available and found that it was actually Festal Golden Pie Pumpkin. Some sites say it is no longer available, others show that eBay, Amazon and others are still selling it. I wonder if part of the difference in Mom's pies was the brand of pumpkin. Comments on some of the sites say it was far superior in flavor to other brands.As with the apple pie, Mom would sometimes just make the filling, pour it into a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 pan and bake it without the crust. It was like a pumpkin custard. Yummy! She would make real whipped cream to serve with it.
| 1 unbaked pastry shell - 9 inch 1 can (1 3/4 c.) Festal Golden Pie Pumpkin |
|
| 3 eggs slightly beaten 1 c. granulated sugar or light brown sugar * 1/2 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon |
1/4 t. cloves 1/4 t. nutmeg 1/4 t. ginger 1 1/2 c. evaporated milk or use whole milk * |
* I think Mom always used brown sugar and evaporated milk.
Prepare a one-crust pie shell, combine eggs, sugar, salt and spices and beat well. Blend in pumpkin. Add milk and beat well. Turn into pastry lined pie pan. Bake in a hot oven (450º) for 10 min. then reduce heat and bake at 350º for 40 to 45 min. Pie is done when knife, inserted in center, comes out clean.
If I recall there is more filling than fits into one 9-inch pan. Mom would put the extra filling in a bake proof container and bake it with the pie.
Butterscotch Refrigerator Cookies
Ahhh! I loved these cookies!! I may have to make some.| 1 c. butter 2 c. brown sugar 1 egg |
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts 3 c. flour 2 T. baking powder |
Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy. Add egg, beat well. Stir in nuts. Sift flour and baking powder. Work into first mixture. Knead. Shape into 1 1/2 inch diameter rolls. Wrap in wax paper, covering ends so they don't dry out. Store in refrigerator until firm.
Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º F. for 7 - 10 minutes.
Yield: 7 1/2 doz. 2-inch cookies.
Note: 1 T. water or milk may be added to dough if it is difficult to shape into rolls.
Date Filled Cookies
My Grandpa Thomas and my Dad really liked these, as does my nephew
Andy. This is one of those recipes that doesn't give the exact
amount of flour. According to Mom, you put enough flour in until
it "felt right." When my younger son and I made these years ago, I
kept track of how much flour I used: it was between 4 1/2 to 5 1/2
cups.| 2 c. sugar 1 c. butter 1 egg well beaten 1 c. sour milk or buttermilk |
1 t. soda enough flour to roll dough out (see my note above) |
| Filling: Boil together until filling thickens | |
| 1 pkg. chopped dates or any fruit * 3/4 c. sugar 1 c. boiling water |
1 T. flour pinch of salt |
* Mom always used raisins, 1 large box - I think. I think these would be awesome with dried apricots!
There were no written instructions for the assembly of these little delights. These cookies have a bottom and top round of dough, with a dollop of fruit filling inside.
On a floured surface, roll the dough as thin as possible. Using a 3-inch diameter drinking class dipped in flour, cut the dough into rounds. For each cookie place one round on the ungreased cookie sheet, put a spoonful of filling in the middle of the round. Take another round and make a small hole in the middle and place it on top of the fruit filled bottom. Using a fork dipped in flour, crimp the edges of the top and bottom cookie rounds together, so the filling won't leak.
Bake in a 350º - 375º F. oven for 10 - 12 minutes.
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Drops
These are a soft, cake-like cookie. The thought of them makes my
mouth water. Mom would make some with the basic recipe and others
she would put maraschino cherries, or coconut, or walnuts in them.
All were delectable. | Mix together thoroughly |
|
| 1/2 c. soft shortening 1 1/2 c. sugar |
2 eggs |
| Stir in |
|
| 1 c. thick sour cream |
1 t. vanilla or almond extract |
| Sift together and stir in |
|
| 2 3/4 c. sifter flour 1/2 t. soda |
1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt |
| Optional additions: 1 c. moist shredded coconut or 1 c. chopped maraschino cherries or 1 c. chopped nuts or use your imagination! |
|
Chill at least 1 hour. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until delicately browned, just until, when touched lightly with finger, almost no imprint remains.
400º F. (mod. hot oven). 8 - 10 minutes. Makes about 5 doz. 2 1/2 inch cookies.
Toll House Cookies and Spritz Cookies
Mom's chocolate chip cookies were wonderful. She used the standard Toll House recipe on the chocolate chip bag, but they were always so special. For some reason, no one seems to be able to quite replicate how her cookies turned out.Mom always made the pressed Spritz Cookies. I don't know which recipe she used. The recipe in the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook had a lot of spatters on it, so I'm guessing that was the one she used. Mom always made these cookies with butter, never margarine. They would melt in your mouth! We would always decorate these with colored sugar and sprinkles.
Divinity Candy
This was always an iffy project. Most times it would turn out
fine, other times it became "spoon candy," when it wouldn't set up
properly. Mom never used a candy thermometer. She just
always went by instinct.| 3 c. sugar 1/2 c. boiling water 1 t. vanilla |
1/2 c. white syrup 3 egg whites, stiffly beaten nuts |
Boil sugar, syrup and water until it crackles. Pour slowly into egg whites (stiffly beaten). Add vanilla and nuts. Drop by spoonful on buttered platter.
Cocoa Fudge
This recipe came from the side of a Hershey's cocoa can. As with the divinity,
Mom never used a candy thermometer. It has to be the right consistency to make the
drops. It sets up pretty quickly. Mom's first drops were
always a fudge puddle, but as the mixture continued to cool, they became
more formed. You have to work pretty quickly, otherwise this sets up in the pan and you get to eat it with a spoon.| 2/3 c. Hershey’s cocoa 3 c. sugar 1/8 t. salt |
1 1/2 c. milk 1/4 c. butter 1 t. vanilla |
Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a large saucepan (3 quart size). Add milk gradually, mix thoroughly; bring to a “bubbly” boil on high heat, stirring continously. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil the mixture, without stirring, until it reaches a temperature of 234° F or until a small amount of mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. Be sure that bulb of thermometer is not resting on bottom of saucepan. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla to mixture. DO NOT STIR. Set saucepan in cold water to hasten cooling; cool to 110° F. Beat by hand or with electric mixer until the fudge thickens and loses some of its gloss. Quickly drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Cool. Yield 3 dozen.
Cranberry Relish
When my sisters and I were young, Thanksgiving dinner always included the canned, jellied cranberry sauce. I was never a fan of that dish. My first mother-in-law introduced me to cranberry relish several decades ago and I really like it. I have made this with a few added embellishments ever since. I always use Ocean Spray cranberries, because I don't have to throw out many if any bad berries.| 1 bag fresh cranberries 3/4 c. sugar 1 orange, peeled |
1 apple, cored cinnamon allspice nutmeg ground cloves 1 c. chopped walnuts |
The recipe on the Ocean Spray bag uses the cranberries, sugar and an unpeeled orange. I peel the orange and added the apple, spices and nuts.
I use my Cuisinart food processor and shredding disk for the cranberries and apple. Then I use the blade to puree the orange. Mix together the shredded cranberries, apple and pureed orange with the sugar. Years ago I started adding some the spices. I don't know how much of each I use. I like cinnamon, so add quite a bit; then a few shakes of allspice and nutmeg and cloves. Add chopped nuts if you like.
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Created 21 December 2016
Graphics by Marge
From photo of Forget Me Not flowers from my Mom's garden