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Let’s Eat-Desserts!

12 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

PIES – PART 2

Another pie that I love to make – and especially eat! – is what I have always called “Granny’s Chocolate Pie.”  I have the recipe in her handwriting, and have made it for years and years.  All the family love it, and have called it Granny’s Chocolate Pie, along with me.  Just for fun one day, I looked up chocolate cream pie on the internet – and there it was!  The same ingredients and directions as Granny’s!  Actually, I was a little miffed!  It’s MY Granny’s chocolate pie recipe – for all I know, she invented it in the 1940’s!!

Granny also had a recipe for butterscotch pie with meringue, and lemon meringue pie, but I never got those recipes before she died, much to my regret.

In any case, I wrote about my Aunt Jessie (Granny lived with her), and how she owned a small diner in downtown San Antonio, Texas back in the 1940’s.  Granny made the pies for that diner that were enjoyed by all who had a slice.  People would frequently purchase an entire pie, but it could be purchased by-the-slice, as well.

And so, I hereby present Granny’s Chocolate Pie recipe for your enjoyment:

GRANNY’S CHOCOLATE PIE

Filling:

2 cups sugar                                                 2 Tbsp cocoa, level

4 heaping Tbsp cornstarch                        ½ tsp salt

Mix the above ingredients together with a whisk in a large cooking pot.  Add and mix well:

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks beaten (save the egg whites for the meringue)

Cook this mixture over not too hot a fire (medium heat), stirring constantly. When thickened, remove from the heat and add 1 Tbsp butter (not margarine!) Add 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix and cook this first and allow to cool while baking the pie crust, stirring occasionally.  Put the filling into the baked crust, top with meringue and brown.

Meringue:

3 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tarter

6 Tbsp granulated sugar (⅓ cup)

½ tsp vanilla (optional)

Beat the egg whites until frothy and stiff.  Gradually beat in the sugar, a little at a time.  Continue beating until stiff and glossy.

Pile high on pie filling, being very careful to seal meringue onto edge of crust.  Brown in a 400̊ oven for 8-10 minutes.  Serve when cool.

Crust for a 9″ single crust:

1⅓ cups sifted flour (I use unbleached)

½ tsp salt

½ cup Crisco solid shortening (use the stick kind – it’s easier to measure)

3 Tbsp water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the Crisco until the mixture is uniform and very fine.  Sprinkle water over this mixture, a little at a time, tossing lightly with a fork. Work dough in a firm ball.  On a lightly floured surface (or between two large sheets of wax paper), roll dough about ½” thick.  Place in the pie plate.  Trim ½” beyond the edge of the plate.  Fold edge under and flute.  Prick generously with a fork over the bottom and sides.  Bake at 425̊ for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.  

Cool before adding filling and meringue.

Photo credit Google search and pinterest.com

                                        ~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Lets Eat-Desserts

5 Jan

akingSUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills 

PIES – PART 1

Okay…I said pies, but I have one more cookie recipe that I want to share.  It’s a favorite of mine even if I don’t make it very often.  It is soooo easy!  Got the recipe from an old friend of my Mother’s from Dallas, Texas days.  I’ve just always known them to be called “White Cookies.”  There are probably other names for them, but that’s what I call them.  Here they are:

WHITE COOKIES

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

⅔ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1 package butterscotch morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350̊   Put aluminum foil on the oven rack.

Whip the egg whites until they are stiff and very dry

Add ⅔ cup sugar to the egg whites and whip

Add 1 tsp vanilla and whip

Fold in 1 cup chopped nuts

Fold in 1 package butterscotch morsels

Lightly spray the foil with PAM.  Drop the cookie mixture by teaspoon onto the foil covered rack

Turn off the oven heat as you put the rack in the oven.

DO NOT OPEN the oven until the oven is completely cool.  I frequently do this in the evening, and let them sit overnight.  Remove carefully – they are delicate!

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now on to some of our favorite desserts – PIES!!  

I guess my favorite pie to make – and eat – is cherry pie.  Fred especially loves cherry pie, so it’s a labor of love when I make one for him.  And the best part is that I get to eat it, as well!

A history of cherry pies in my family goes back quite a ways.  Bosque Farms…cherry picking…cherry pitting with the hand-cranked machine Mother had.  Made a mess, but those pits just popped out, seldom missing any of them.  If it did miss one, when we found it in the pie, we just said that it proved they were real cherries!  Mother would wash and pit the cherries and freeze them, so she could make the pie just any time she wanted.

One of our favorite things was to make the pie on a Sunday afternoon.  Stop by Fitzgeralds after church on Sunday night for some home-made ice cream.  Then have the cherry pie with ice cream as a treat when we got home.  WOW was that good!

Below is my recipe for cherry pie.  It’s not exactly like my Mother’s, since I add Almond extract to the mix.  Fred really loves it that way, and I’ve come to love it that way, as well.  Mother didn’t like the taste, so she didn’t add it.  But this is good!

CHERRY PIE

1 cup granulated sugar

1 Can red sour pitted cherries                                                       

¼ cup flour 

¼ teaspoon almond extract                                                                           

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon  

1 ½ Tablespoons butter                                         

Crust for double crust (9″) pie plate

In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and juice of the can of cherries.  Sift the flour into the mixture, resulting in no lumps.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils (about 7 minutes).  Remove from heat.

Stir in extract.  Stir in cherries.  Pour into a 9″ pastry-lined pie plate.  Dot with butter.

Cover with top crust; seal edges and crimp/flute.  Cut vent design in top crust.

Bake at 425º for 30-to-35 minutes until nicely browned and juice bubbles through vents.

Serve warm with or without vanilla ice cream.

Makes 6-to-8 servings.                       

Pie and photo by Judy Wills

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Memories of New Years Past

29 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I wrote this blog in 2013, but it still fits today, so I would like to reblog it here in 2024.

I guess I am just like most people when it comes to New Years – “I AM going to lose those _____ pounds this year!”  “I AM going to get the house in order!”  “I AM going to scan all those pictures and get them in an album!”  etc., etc., etc.

So, resolutions not-with-standing, what are my memories of New Years past?  I guess my favorite memory is of growing up in my church in Albuquerque.

Photo credit First Baptist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico-Original building

For many years, on New Year’s Eve, the church would have a program that started about 6:00 p.m. with a dinner.  Now, this was a fairly large church, and we had a paid staff who made the meals every Wednesday evening, before the regular activities began.  And those ladies made the BEST dinner rolls!!!  Nothing I’ve ever been able to duplicate!

Anyway, dinner started at 6:00 p.m.  After that, I remember either a movie shown on a large screen in the sanctuary, or games.  Perhaps there were games for the smaller children – I just don’t remember.  But then there was a time of “remembrance” or sharing.  Just being thankful for the year that was passing away, and looking forward to the new one approaching.

But the best thing about the entire evening, was that, after the sharing time, we would – literally – ring the outer edges of the sanctuary, holding hands to make a funny-shaped circle, and pray in the New Year.  We could hear the fireworks going off, and people yelling outside the church building.  But inside, we were asking God to bless the New Year, and us in it, and our part of it.  It was an extremely wonderful time.

And then I remember some New Year’s Eve’s in our small church in Virginia.

Credit-Judy Wills: Seaford Baptist Church, Seaford, Virginia

We would gather for a time of sharing and remembrance, then share the Lord’s Supper together, and then pray in the New Year.  The pastor would try to do the Lord’s Supper differently some times, to make it more meaningful for us.  I remember a time when he had a loaf of bread, and we pinched off our own little piece.  I also remember a time when there was a community cup for each family to share the “wine” (grape juice in the Baptist church!).  

But in all the memories I have, it always culminated with prayer for the New Year.  And I can’t think of a better way to start any New Year, than asking God’s blessings upon it.

May YOUR New Year be blessed beyond measure.

            Credit ChurchArt.com

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Christmas Memories

22 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I wrote this back in 2013, but it fits today as well, so I am reblogging it here.

Christmas memories……..so many……all good.  I remember, as a child, waking up to Christmas morning and rushing into the living room to see what Santa had brought.  And then to opening all the presents from Mom, Dad, Granny and Aunt Jessie.  I suppose my brother had gotten me something as well, but I just don=t remember that. 

Bill and me – 1953

Bill and me around the Christmas tree – 1951

I remember Daddy sitting us down and reading the Christmas story from the Bible.  He and Mom always made sure that we knew the true meaning of Christmas – why we celebrated the season and all the gifts that came with it.  And why we gave gifts to each other and to those who didn=t have all we had.

Daddy – 1954

Bill and me – 1954

I remember one Christmas that we were traveling to San Antonio from Albuquerque to spend the holiday with Granny and Aunt Jessie – this was before they moved to Albuquerque.  We had a car wreck along the way and Aunt Jessie came to pick us up and take us to her home.  We still had Christmas!  We didn=t have a workable car any more, and Bill had a broken arm……….but we still had Christmas!

Bill and me – San Antonio – 1950

I remember the last Christmas my Daddy was on this earth.  He’d had a very unfortunate accident in the hospital and was really banged up.  Fred and I flew in from California, and Bill and DiVoran, with their two children, flew in from Florida, to celebrate that time together.  I remember the children tearing into their presents under the tree that morning, and DiVoran stepping out of the way to urge Bill to get in the best position to get some good pictures of that.

Renie and Billy – Albuquerque, New Mexico – 1966

And there was Daddy, with that black eye, just enjoying his grandchildren and children around him.  It was a time to treasure.


All the gang – Daddy’s last Christmas – Albuquerque, New Mexico – 1966

I remember traveling from the Florida Panhandle to Titusville to have Christmas with my brother and his family, and then across the peninsula to Clearwater to have another celebration with Fred’s parents.  Being with family at this time of celebration is so very precious, and we cherish each memory.

And now I remember a recent time with the family in Titusville and the significant others that have joined the extended family.  I wouldn=t trade it for anything – no amount of non-Christian beliefs and just the time for partying is nearly as satisfying and delicious as being with family, in the Spirit of God’s blessings.

Nope………Christmas Memories are just too precious.

Credit ChurchArt.com

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat!-Desserts-Cakes

15 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

DO-OVER

Photo Credit Google Search and allrecipes.com

Let me apologize for this posting.  Back on October 20, 2024, I wrote about my favorite pound cake.  At the time, I said I didn’t remember where I got the recipe.  Turns out (after I found the recipe in my recipe file) that I was given it by my now “famous” Mabel in Wiesbaden, West Germany.  I therefore would like to pass it along to my readers.  This really is the very best, most moist, sweet, delicious pound cake I’ve ever eaten.  For those who don’t like icing – this is the perfect cake.  It can be eaten plain – yummmmmm – or with a glaze, or fruit topping.  All is good.  So, here’s the recipe, and I hope it will give some enjoyment.

MABEL’S POUND CAKE

Cream:   

    ½ pound butter with

     2½ cups granulated sugar

    (After mixing well, turn mixer to “whip” and whip until “white”)

Add:             

 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition

  1 cup buttermilk – mix well with ½ tsp soda**

  3 cups sifted cake flour***

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla 

1 Tbsp warm water

DIRECTIONS:

Cream the butter and sugar well; add eggs, continuing to beat well.  Add the buttermilk and soda mixture alternately with the salt and flour.  Last, add the vanilla and warm water.

Pour into tube pan (Angel food pan – Bundt pan) and bake one (1) hour and 15 minutes at 325̊.

Serve either with or without icing.

ICING:

½   8-oz. can of crushed pineapple

¼ stick butter (2 Tbsp)

¼ cup granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (fresh-squeezed if you want – I use thawed Minute Maid frozen

 lemon juice)

1   3-oz package cream cheese (or half of an 8-oz. package)

1 box confectioner’s sugar

Cook pineapple, butter and granulated sugar until “dry”; COOL!!

Combine lemon juice and cream cheese

Blend in confectioner’s sugar.

Add pineapple mixture

Mix well

Spread on cake

ENJOY!!

This cake doesn’t really “work” unless you beat/whip the butter and sugar mixture until it looks “white.”  The difference in color and texture is noticeable.

**I don’t usually have buttermilk on hand, so I make my own:

1 cup milk, mix in one (1) Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, stir and let sit.

***If you don’t have cake flour: 

 sift regular flour – measure out three (3) level cups, then take out 3½level Tbsp).  That is equal to cake flour.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat-Desserts

8 Dec

Cookies-Part 2

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills 

There are a couple of cookies that I have made in the past – the very distant past – but my family thought were quite good, so I would like to share them here.

One is called Eskimo Cookies, that my beloved sister-in-law, DiVoran got from a good friend of hers, Jenny.   I have taken these to cookie-exchanges before, and they seem to be a hit.  The good thing about them, is that they are a no-cook cookie.  How can that be, you ask?  Well, here it is:

ESKIMO COOKIES

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp water

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 cups uncooked oatmeal

Directions:

Let the butter stand in a bowl until soft.  

Cream with a wooden spoon and add the sugar.  Cream well

Stir in the vanilla, water and cocoa powder.

Add oatmeal, and mix well.

Shape into small balls and roll in powdered sugar..

Keep in the refrigerator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 1971, when we were moving from Loring AFB, Maine to San Antonio, Texas, we stopped in a neat place called Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  It is a ways from Boston, but not far from the Connecticut state line.  It is very like Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, but we hadn’t seen Colonial Williamsburg by that time, so this was a unique experience for us.

While there, we purchased some of their home-made cookies.  We enjoyed them so much, that I purchased a small booklet of cookie recipes.

I must admit that I only tried one of the cookie recipes, but we enjoyed them, all the same.  They are called “Quakers.”  Here’s the recipe:

QUAKERS

As you can see, I made a notation for myself – the 2 cups of brown sugar equals one (1) 16-oz. box.  I usually pack the sugar down into the measuring cup.  And I admit that I have never tried to make any other cookie from this cookbook – even the Hobnails on the next page…although they sound intriguing. 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat-Desserts

1 Dec

Cookies Part 1

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Another cookie I thoroughly enjoy making – and especially eating!! – is what I call Pecan Puffs.  I’ve heard some people call them Italian Wedding Cookies, and other names, but I’ve always called them Pecan Puffs.  My Aunt Jessie gave me the recipe, and I make them every year.  I’ve tasted some that other people make, and I really like mine the best (of course)!

PECAN PUFFS

Photo credit Google Search and Dinner then Dessert

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. butter (4 sticks)

½ cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-3 cups ground/chopped pecans

4 cups cake flour

DIRECTIONS:

Set the butter out in a large mixing bowl to warm (covered with plastic wrap).  When soft, add and cream the sugar into the butter.  Add the vanilla extract.  Add the pecans and flour alternately, mixing well.

Bake on greased baking sheet at 300o for 45 minutes.  Or place parchment paper on the cookie sheet, and cookies on top of that (that’s my favorite way to do it!).

Let  the cookies cool, then roll in powdered sugar (pour some powdered sugar into a ZIP-lock bag, place a handful of cookies in the bag and shake it well to coat the cookies). 

Keep in a tightly covered container (Tupperware/Rubbermaid).

Yield:  about 9 or 10 dozen cookies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yet another cookie that I am thinking of making this Christmas, is what I call Chocolate Buttersweets.  I got this recipe from the now-famous Mabel and her daughter, Judy in Wiesbaden, West Germany, 1968.  They are actually some of my favorite cookies, but I haven’t made them in quite a while.  I’ve decided it might be a nice addition to the ones I usually make at Christmas time.

Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of large marbles (1” or slightly larger).

CHOCOLATE BUTTERSWEETS

Photo credit Google search and lovefoodies.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2-2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Cream butter.  Add sugar, salt and vanilla; cream well.

Gradually add flour.

Shape by teaspoons into balls.  Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Press hole in center of each (thumb print)

Bake at 350̊ for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown.

Cool….fill….frost.

FILLING:

Soften 3-oz cream cheese.

Blend in 1 cup confectioner’s sugar (sifted – no lumps), 2 Tbsp flour, 1 tsp vanilla and cream well.

Stir in ½ cup chopped nuts and ½ cup flaked coconut.

Fill the hole in each cookie with filling.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

Melt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels and 2 Tbsp butter with 2 Tbsp water over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Add ½ cup confectioner’s sugar and beat smooth.

Frost cookies.

This makes about 36 cookies.  Double the cookie recipe – because the filling and frosting recipe makes more than what you need for one batch of cookies. ~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Let’s Eat!-Desserts-Between Cake and Pie-Part 4

24 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Another one of these desserts that I used to make quite often I called Chocolate Chip Bars.  I got the recipe from a friend living in the same stairwell we lived in, while in Wiesbaden, West Germany in the 1960’s. If I remember correctly, the same Mabel that gave me the recipe for the “Mabel’s Chocolate Sheet Cake” is the same Mabel that gave me this recipe.  Our girls loved to eat it (as did Fred and I), and consequently,  I made it so often I could do it without the recipe in front of me.  I’m sure the girls enjoyed it because I gave each of them one of the mixer beaters to lick after I was finished with them.  It takes a little bit of work to make, but the results are wonderful!!  Crust, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and egg whites beaten with brown sugar…yummmm!

Please notice that I said the recipe was from Judy Younger.  Judy is the daughter of the now-famous “Mabel”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, on to another type of “between cake and pie” are….cookies!   And I have some favorites that I make and love to eat!

Back on January 10, 2016, I wrote a post about “Go Run” concerning eating all the Christmas goodies I make.  It was a story of the German Springerle cookies that I make.  I have made them every year since we lived in Wiesbaden, West Germany, 1967-1970.  Fred’s Mother gave me the start to make them, as she did so every Christmas.  Then she gave me a cookbook from the Military Officer’s Wives that had the best recipe in it.  It also has several different recipes for Springerle in it, but this one works the best.  They are a bit of work to make, but the outcome is amazing and wonderful.  Please refer back to that posting to see the entire story.

Because they are so time-consuming to make, I had decided that last Christmas (2023) would be the last time I made them.  I sent some to our granddaughter, who shared them with her in-laws – who happen to be of German descent!  They LOVED the Springerle cookies!!  So either I will continue to make them, or show our granddaughter how to make them.   What a neat serendipity!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat!-Desserts-Between Cake and Pie-Part 3

17 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills 

One of my favorite desserts to make is what I call Lemon Squares.  Others may have a different name for the same dessert, but that’s what I’ve always called them.  I got the recipe from another Air Force wife while we were living on Tyndall AFB, Florida, back in the 1970’s, and have used it quite often since then.  It’s an easy thing to make, and it is a great dessert to take to dinners or other functions.  Since I’ve had my Cuisinart food processor, it is quite easy to make it in one “pan” so-to-speak.  I make the crust in the food processor, and while it is baking, I make the filling in the same processor bowl.  I do not take the time to squeeze the fresh lemons – I use the thawed frozen lemon juice by Minute Maid.  Works just as well.  I knew one lady who, when making this for a large church group, would just throw the entire lemon in the food processor – peel, seeds and all.  I found that method to taste quite bitter.  What I wanted was sweet-tart.  Of course, I like mine the best.

LEMON SQUARES

CRUST:

1 cup butter (2 sticks, firm)

½ cup packed down powdered sugar

⅛ tsp salt

2 cups all purpose flour

Blend together with a pastry blender until like very coarse meal. (See NOTE: below)

Spray a 9” X 13” glass pan with PAM.  Press above mixture firmly into the glass pan, trying to make it as even as possible.

Bake in a 325º oven for 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown.

FILLING:

Mix together while crust is baking:

            4 eggs

            2 cups granulated sugar

            Heaping ⅓ cup all purpose flour

            ½ cup lemon juice  (juice of one lemon)

Pour filling over the baked crust.  Bake crust and filling together at 325º for 15-20 minutes.  “Jiggle” the pan – if the filling seems more-or-less firm, not juicy, then it is done.  DO NOT OVERCOOK!  The filling will crack.

Remove from oven and sift powdered sugar over the top.  Cool before cutting.

NOTE:  This is really easy if you have a food processor.  

            For the crust:  place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl and blend briefly.  Cut the butter into “pat” size and dump in the bowl on top of the flour mixture.  Blend with the metal blade until it begins to stick together – dough like.  Press the mixture into the greased pan and bake.

            While it is baking, in the same processor bowl (no, you don’t have to clean it before you do this step), blend the eggs briefly.  Add the sugar and flour and blend until well mixed.  While the processor is running, pour the lemon juice into the bowl until it is mixed.  Run the processor a time or two during the time the crust is baking.  Then continue as above for baking the filling and crust together.

Photo by Judy Wills

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Let’s Eat! Desserts-Between Cake and Pie-Part 2

10 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I’m not a big “brownie” maker or eater, but one of our friends in our church here in Orlando gave me her grandmother’s recipe for brownies.  It includes small marshmallows, and frosting on top of the brownie.  While I’ve never made them, I have sampled them when my friend brought some to a church function.  They are really delicious!!

GRANDMOTHER’S BROWNIES

From Amy

BROWNIE:

            1 stick butter, room temperature

            3 TBS cocoa

            2 beaten eggs

            1 tsp. Vanilla

            1 cup of sugar

            ¾ cup of all-purpose flour

            ¾ to 1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, cream butter and slowly add cocoa, followed by each additional ingredient in the order listed.  Pour mixture into a lightly greased brownie pan.  Mixture will be thick, but spread out evenly.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes (may need less or more time depending on your oven, where you live, what you’re wearing.  (This is the tricky part, because you want the brownies almost done, and it seems a different amount of time each time I bake these brownies) Quickly place about ½ to ¾ bag of miniature marshmallows on top of the brownies and place back in the oven.  Let the marshmallows puff up but NOT brown.  Remove from oven, then carefully spread the marshmallows over the brownies.    Set aside to cool.

ICING:

            1 stick butter, room temperature

            3 TBS cocoa

            1 box confectioners sugar

            1 tsp. vanilla

            4-6 TBS buttermilk (maybe a little more or less)

In a bowl, cream butter and then slowly add cocoa followed by the sugar and vanilla.  Add enough buttermilk (approximately 5 TBS) to make icing creamy, but not runny.  Cover COOLED brownies with frosting and place in fridge awhile to set.  Then cut brownies into squares to serve

TROUBLE SHOOTING:  If your brownie is too sticky or soft you may not have baked it long enough.  If you have trouble spreading the marshmallows….GET OVER IT!  It’s messy no matter what!  However, I’ve found that the back of a wet spoon helps (wash off the marshmallow a few times as you are spreading it).  Lastly, if your icing never “sets” or is just too soft, try using a little less buttermilk.  I also store mine in the fridge which helps keep them firm.

A PERSONAL NOTE FROM AMY:  This recipe was found by my grandmother years ago and was not handed down in “written” form, which explains the variations.  I got it from my aunt who learned how to make them from Grandmother, and then wrote the recipe down for me.  I’m the only person my aunt has shared this “secret” recipe with.  She has chosen to keep it a family secret.  I, however, feel that it is a way to honor my grandmother…to share with my friends something that was a wonderful memory and “tradition” for me. 

A note from Judy:  I have found that I need to “sift” the confectioners sugar, through a mesh strainer.  Otherwise, there will be “lumps” of sugar that are difficult to get out.  Makes the icing much smoother.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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