Grandma B’s recipes #11 ginger cookies

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 #4 & 5: Gilding the Lily

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A long time ago I learned the phrase “gilding the lily” from my Aunt Jean. (Of course it was in reference to food.) She told me about how her husband, my Uncle Ernie, used to spread preserves on the already magnificent cream buns that Grandma made.

Let’s pause here for a moment. My Grandma Brubacher used to make the best treat ever known to man. The cream bun. It is a sweet yeast roll with a delicious fluffy cream spread in the middle. Nothing else needed. Spreading preserves on a cream bun is a quality example of “gilding the lily”.

With that in mind let me tell you about my creations from Grandma’s recipe box this week. I made cookies: Butterscotch Oatmeal Drops. And I also made a fruit concoction called Polynesian Fruit Fluff.

Sunday after church we had company over for lunch- our pastor and a mutual friend of ours who was visiting from out of town. I’ve never felt so confident about using Grandma’s recipes in this setting, following her example of hospitality. Sunday lunch – what could be more like Grandma?

We had a cold lunch of sandwiches and pasta salad, that kind of thing. The fruit fluff and cookies were perfect on the menu! But, let me tell you what happened! Our pastor, Al, loved the cookies and the fluff so much – and he pulled an Uncle Ernie! He scooped a spoonful of the fluff right onto his cookie.

That’s right. He definitely gilded the lily. And he was quite happy about it!

Here are the recipes – and a few pictures for you to enjoy!

A few quick notes about the recipes: I added mini chocolate chips and white chocolate chips to the cookies instead of nuts. It seemed more festive. For the fluff, I did not use dream whip – I guesstimated the amount of cool whip and it seemed right. Also – I added mini marshmallows to the fluff!

Let me know if you try any of these recipes! I’d love to hear about it!

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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!