Not your usual suspects : Grandma B’s recipe #13

My youngest loves trying new things in the kitchen with me. Last week we decided it was time to try another recipe from Grandma’s box. It’s been a while since we tried one of Grandma’s recipes because the past few months have been a little nuts around here.

We looked thru some of the cards and decided to try something we hadn’t ever heard of before. “Graham Wafer Squares”. My mom informed me that she remembers these as “Funeral Squares” because it was something mennonite women would bring for the funeral dinner after the service. We weren’t sure if this was promising information or not.

At any rate, we made sure we had all of the ingredients and got started. In the midst of beginning the recipe, we decided to make some changes and make the squares our way.

You can see the recipe below. To those ingredients, we added chopped pecans to the filling, and a chocolate ganache sort of layer before the final graham cracker top layer. One issue: we weren’t sure what “ice” meant – glaze? royal icing? frosting? We used a cream cheese frosting to top the squares and it was a little too much. In the future, we may do something a little less rich.

Side note: I was especially happy to make a recipe that was credited to my Grandma’s sister, Aunt Betsy – who I loved dearly and spent a lot of time with in my childhood. Also, I can tell you that I think Aunt Betsy would have endorsed our changes. I believe I may have seen her “gild the lily” in her kitchen on more than one occasion.

Friends, these squares, especially with the chocolate and pecans, were wonderful! We loved them and will definitely make them again. Just reading the recipe, it’s hard to know what they will be like. I mean, graham crackers, with graham cracker filling doesn’t necessarily sound promising. But, I can tell you they are worth making – and you should try them! If you do, let me know what you think! 🙂

A few tips: We made these in a 9×9 pan. The chocolate layer was simply about a 1/2 cup of hot cream, poured over a 1/2 cup (ish) of chocolate chips, let the mixture rest a bit til the chocolate melts, whisk and ladle over the graham cracker mixture. I think a nice mixture of milk and powdered sugar with a bit of vanilla extract would work nicely for the glaze.

Grandma B’s recipes #11 ginger cookies

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Well, friends Its been a while – September and October have been busy with anniversary and birthday celebrations, and travel and so much more. But, Mackenzie and I decided to make a new recipe this past weekend!

We needed to make a fall dessert and so we chose this recipe: Ginger Cookies!

Let me tell you – these cookies did not disappoint! In fact I’m going to tell you to make them. now. don’t wait. They are fantastic. soft and chewy, and perfect for fall or Christmas baking.

I can’t say that I remember Grandma making these cookies – maybe one of my aunts or my mom can recall having them before? But in any case, they are worth the time. If you enjoy ginger, sweet and spicy flavors, these are for you!

As far as the recipe goes, we followed the card instructions and didn’t really make many changes. I did add nutmeg and cloves to the sugar mixture that we rolled the dough in and it added a nice little bit of warmth and zing. We did make them a little big, so the batch was just under 2 dozen cookies. I do think you could make them a little smaller, and bake them for a shorter time.

Alright – that’s it for now – please let me know if you make them and how it goes! I hope you love them as much as we did!

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

Grandma B’s recipe #6: Summer’s Best

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A long time ago I learned to eat rhubarb. It grew in a prolific patch at the back of our property where we lived in Danville, Illinois. One day in early summer my sister got me to try some. And I learned then what I still believe now: Rhubarb is best eaten with a lot of sugar, preferably in baked goods.

One of my favorite “recipe memories” is of my GG’s rhubarb crisp. She made it in the summer when we would visit and there was always a healthy dollop of cool whip. Oh it was delicious! But I digress.

It is no surprise then, that one of the recipes from Grandma’s box I’ve chosen to try is Rhubarb Cake. While rhubarb grows heartily farther north, it isn’t so easy to come by in Tennessee. So, when my mom texted and said they were at Publix and had found rhubarb in the produce section and did I want some… I gave a resounding YES!

Recipe # 6 is Rhubarb Cake!

The card looks as though Grandma may have made it a few times over the years, although my mom doesn’t remember tasting it. I followed the recipe as written. However, it didn’t indicate what size or type of pan, so I chose a bundt pan.

Initially, I tried a few “scrumpies” from the bottom of the pan, and oh boy was it flavorful and moist. What I didn’t realize would happen is that the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture that I sprinkled on top soaked into the batter – it completely disappeared from the top.

The cake turned out to be very moist and a lovely texture. It was delicious, not overly rich – but, I would add a LOT more rhubarb – maybe another cup. Other than that, we topped with whipped cream and it was just right! You should make it – it is yummy!

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Grandma B’s recipes #1-3

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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!

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

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!