Grandma B’s recipes #1-3

This past Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day a week late. Sometimes there’s just no way to do all the things, all at once! Am I right?!? So, I decided it was the perfect time to start baking some of Grandma’s recipes!

The first 3 I tried out were: Pineapple Cake, German Chocolate Upside Down Cake, and Red Velvet Punch! We were celebrating three dads: My dad, Michael’s dad and Michael. So three desserts felt right! It may have been a small sugar high. But it was delicious!

#1 Pineapple Cake: After gathering opinions from the taste-testers, I think the pineapple cake was the favorite. And for good reason! It was amazing. I’ll definitely be making it again. Unfortunately, my mom doesn’t remember Grandma baking this particular recipe. It was pretty dense, like the texture of a pound cake. However it had a very bright flavor because of the pineapple. And – I also added tiny splash of lemon juice to the cream cheese frosting that really gave it a zing!

#2 – The German Chocolate Upside Down Cake was a close second. But, If I’m honest with you, I didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. The topping wasn’t as gooey as the traditional coconut and brown sugar topping you normally make for a German chocolate cake. The cool thing about this recipe was that, while I did find it in my Grandma’s recipe box, she actually got it from my GG, my dad’s grandmother. So, just for that fact- I love the history of it!

#3 – Red Velvet Punch! This is a keeper! I will definitely make it again. I think you could sub ingredients so that it is entirely sugar free. I didn’t do that this time, because I’m trying to make these recipes mostly the way Grandma might have made them. in this case, the punch is made with Cranberry juice so its not super sweet!

It really was the perfect way to kick off this new baking project! We had a yummy time trying everything! And bonus: no one went into a diabetic coma. You might notice the little luncheon plates and cups on the table as a part of the spread. Those were given to me by my mother-in-law – but, they are identical to the ones my GG had – and used all the time when we would visit. Getting to use those dishes – that was the proverbial “cherry on top” for the day!

More baking to come, soon! Later this week!

Begin Again

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2017 was one of the good ones. It was such a fun year for me. Really- it was probably pretty good for my friends and family, too. That was the year I baked a cake a week. Fifty-two bundt cakes in 2017. Many folks enjoyed my endeavors!

Not long after that I had a health situation and I just couldn’t do the extras. Things like cake baking were set aside – and I stuck to the basics. Since then – I’ve baked some here and there – but I’ve longed for a project like “Cake-a-Week”. I knew when the right thing presented itself, it would be obvious and it would feel right to dig in again!

Well, here we are and it’s time!

How do you make a fresh start? How do you begin trying something again, without putting too much pressure on yourself? I had so many thoughts about all of these questions, but I realized I just needed to stop over-thinking things.

So, in an effort to enjoy the process, I got out the recipe box. I read through the cards of several sections and picked out the first 45 recipes that I want to make! Goodness, I have no idea how long this project will take. And, I haven’t set many parameters at this point- only that I will NOT bake with raisins. Among all the cards, there are recipes with hard-to-find ingredients. There are recipes without instructions, only ingredient lists. And unfortunately, there are recipes that do not appeal to me. How will this all turn out? I DO NOT KNOW!

But do you know what I DO know? My heart has already been completely overtaken by these cards. They are handwritten by my grandmother, and the friends and family who loved her. Even more, they are a part of my history, and I’m learning so much about where I’ve come from. It is literally THE BEST!

Ready or not, I’m jumping in the deep end and getting started. Hopefully I won’t drown. I’m starting with the first recipes this coming week, so keep watch! You never know what I might make first! Whatever it is, it probably will have coconut in it – that or Dream Whip- both are very popular ingredients in Grandma’s recipe box.

For my Brubacher family: I’m being very careful to put the recipe cards in page protectors in a notebook for the duration of the project. That way I will be able to reassemble the box when I’m finished!

a bit of history · friends and loved ones · in my kitchen

You’ve Got Mail

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Man, do I have good news for you!

A few days ago, a box arrived. My cousin from up north put it in the mail to me maybe a week or two back. And now here it was in my hands! I was holding my Grandma Brubacher’s recipe box. Full of hospitality and history. Really it is a piece of Grandma herself.

The contents of the box are examples of all the ways she fed and cared for family, friends, missionaries and travelers from all around the world. It’s rich with ideas for ways I can do the same. And I could not be more excited.

More specifically – at first glance it appears that maybe 9 out of 10 cards are devoted to desserts and sweets. Cookies, cakes, pies, breads, spreads & frostings, squares, frozen treats and party punches. Then, there are a few meats, veggies and salads. This is directly proportional to the sweet tooth Grandma genetically bestowed on all of us in the family. Just ask any Brubacher…

After absorbing the good news that this recipe box brought to me, all the way here in Chattanooga, I realized there’s only one thing to do. It’s time to bake and blog. I’m going to take a little time to plan and prepare and then I’m going to work my way thru a bunch of these recipes. When I’m ready, I hope to blog about each recipe as I make them and SHARE THEM WITH YOU! Won’t that be fun!?!

I’m terribly excited about it all. There are recipes for treats like Sparkling Red Velvet Punch, German Chocolate Upside Down Cake, Zucchini Honey Nut Loaf, Dad’s Oatmeal Cookies and Maple Syrup Pie. Don’t those sound delightful?!?

Now, I’ll admit there are also unusual items like Ham and Macaroni Loaf which really makes me raise an eyebrow and possibly question Grandma’s judgement. And there’s also a Raisin Loaf– which I have no words for and definitely do not intend to make. (I do NOT endorse raisins, baked in any form)

It’s going to be quite the adventure! I hope you’ll read along! Watch for more posts later this Summer! 🙂