old-fashioned

Fresh Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie

/ Jodi / 42 Comments

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice

Last night, I made my favorite old-fashioned homemade pie.

Fresh Blackberry Pie.

Baking this pie brings me joy for so many reasons…

fresh blackberries

It reminds me of hot summer days spent at Grandma’s house where she did her best to tame the wild blackberry bushes that framed the edge of the woods that surrounded her house.

I remember picking them with her (begrudgingly at the time) and eating more than I put in the bucket or bowl I was assigned to filling.

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice 2

I remember the way the house…

and the porch…

and even the yard smelled when the pies were baking as fans were blowing and windows were wide open in Grandma’s non air-conditioned home.

I can picture her wiping her brow with the tea towel that was on her shoulder…

I can hear the joy in Grandpap’s voice when he came home from work and smelled it too.

Fresh Blackberry Pie 2

Any time I bake a pie, it also brings back warm memories of my mother-in-law and time spent with her and my sister-in-law and the entire family as we made dozens of pies in assembly-line fashion.

I recall the guys sitting on the porch pitting cherries or peeling apples or blanching peaches or cleaning berries while us girls were in the basement mixing filling and rolling out crusts.

My mother-in-law is the one that taught me the secret and magic to the perfect pie crust, and it is one of the things that hubby brags on me about.  It always makes me smile when I think of this simple pleasure.

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice 3

And then there is the joy my family expresses when eating a perfect pie that makes my heart soar.

I have to admit, I had two bites before asking who would finish my piece (still trying to lose 20 more pounds!), and it was GLORIOUS!  Might have even been worth skipping dinner for!

blackberries

It took me about a week to pick enough berries to make this pie.

You see, you have to try to beat the birds and the deer and the rabbits and all the other critters that also love these sweet and tart bursts of summer sunshine when they ripen.

And then you have to battle the thorns and the poison ivy that seems to love to grow in the same area as the berry bushes.

Fresh Blackberry Pie

I collected them by the handful on walks to the mailbox or around the yard.

I would then lay them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them, toss in a Ziploc bag after frozen, and wait until I had enough to make this glorious pie.

And it is SO WORTH IT!

Have you ever made a fresh homemade old-fashioned wild blackberry pie?  If not, I so urge you to give it a try.

I’m guessing your family will thank you, and I’m also guessing you may just begin creating some pretty amazing memories for them like I have when I recall some very special family times from my past.

Fresh Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie

Ingredients:Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice

  • 4 cups fresh wild blackberries (or frozen if not available)
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp Minute Tapioca
  • Dash of salt
  • 1/2 Fresh Lemon (juiced)
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Double Crust Recipe (See our “Secret Family Pie Crust Recipe” here)
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Prepare Pie Crust. 
  • Line 9 inch pie pan with bottom crust.
  • In large bowl, mix blackberries, sugar, tapioca, salt and lemon juice.
  • Pour berry mixture into pie pan.
  • Dot with butter.
  • Cover with top lattice crust.
  • Brush with milk, and sprinkle sugar over top crust.
  • Cover edge of pie with strips of foil to prevent crust from burning.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until berry mixture begins to bubble up in between top lattice crust.  (Remove foil for last 10 minutes of baking to brown edges.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

Old Fashioned Peach Dumplings

/ Jodi / 30 Comments

peach dumpling

What is better than a warm apple dumpling with a scoop of vanilla ice cream?

How about an old-fashioned peach dumpling with ice cream and peach brandy in the caramel sauce?!?!

peach dumpling 4

O M G are these amazing!

Hubby loves peach pie, and I had some peaches getting very ripe on the kitchen counter Father’s Day morning.

peach dumpling 1

So I decided to make him this special treat of flaky pie crust wrapped around sweet juicy fresh peaches stuffed with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and vanilla and drizzled with a creamy, caramely, brandy infused sauce.

Is that Merv a lucky guy or what??!!

peach dumpling 2

It was a great weekend, beginning with my boss winning Entrepreneur of the Year Friday evening at a gala I was so fortunate to attend with him and some of our colleagues and friends, and ending with having the kids over for Father’s Day.

Our oldest son, Jake, grilled an amazing pork tenderloin he marinated in fresh herbs and lemon, and he also brought over his homemade macaroni salad (one of hubby’s faves).  Our  daughter-in-law, Colleen, brought hubby more goodies – homemade apricot turnovers and homemade cinnamon swirl bread.  He’ll be set for a while!  And this is all after being treated out to breakfast at one of his favorite spots with our youngest son, Nick.

Unfortunately, I ended up getting some kind of nasty “crud.”  It started Friday evening at the gala when my voice started going and my throat got scratchy and sore.  I woke up Saturday morning with my right eye sealed shut, coughing up a storm, and absolutely no voice.  I tried to take it easy, and we had to cancel Saturday evening dinner plans with friends.

I’m still feeling pretty punk, but oh well – still bucked up and prepared this yummy treat and enjoyed visiting with the family and playing Cranium and laughing way too much!  Did you ever try to do a humdinger challenge with no voice?!  Thank goodness whistling worked!

peach dumpling 3

But back to these amazing peach dumplings…

I am the queen of improvising in recipes and had not had a chance to go to the grocery store this weekend feeling like I did, so when the recipe I found (at A Flock in the City) called for heavy cream in the sauce and I had none in the refrigerator, I decided to try substituting vanilla ice cream.  Where there is a will there is a way!  And I’m not sure I’d do it any other way after this!!  I made a few other tweaks – using my own standby pie crust recipe, blanching and peeling the skin from the peaches, leaving out the nutmeg, and adjusting a few quantities of sugar and butter, but I really liked this recipe I found.

peach dumpling

Hubby loved them, so I’m glad I made this treat for him.  I also got him a new bird feeder – a Squirrel Buster (thanks for the recommendation Jo) and an Oriole feeder, so the birds are sure having a good time.

The squirrel however…..  well – just watch this video (thanks Nick for allowing me to share!)

Old Fashioned Peach Dumplings

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup peach brandy
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and blanch peaches for 2 minutes.  Immediately remove to ice water.  The skin will slip right off to peel the peaches.
  • Cut peaches in half and remove pit.
  • Roll out pie crust and cut into 6 squares (approx 4″ x 4″) or large enough to wrap peaches
  • Place one peach half in center of each square, and fill with brown sugar and cinnamon, a dollop of butter, and a drizzle of vanilla.
  • Place second half of peach on top, and wrap entire stuffed peach with dough – sealing to keep juices in.
  • Place in 9 x 13 rectangular baking stone or dish.
  • Prepare sauce by melting brown sugar and butter.  Bring to a boil.
  • Add vanilla ice cream and stir until melted and boiling again.
  • Add peach brandy, and continue boiling for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add vanilla and salt.
  • Pour sauce into bottom of baking dish around dumplings.
  • Bake at 450 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
  • Serve warm with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Hope you all had a nice weekend celebrating Fathers and families.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Old-Fashioned Homemade Butter Mints

/ Jodi / 22 Comments

old fashioned homemade butter mints

I have always loved these soft smooth buttery mints. Not those hard so-called “party” mints that crack your teeth (and like Grandma sometimes had in her candy dish), but the butter mints in soft yellow or pastel shades that were often put out as “after dinner” mints at special occasions or for parties when I was growing up.

I had pinned a recipe for homemade butter mints some time ago on my Pinterest page, not knowing when I’d get around to making them, and/or deciding on an occasion to make them so I wouldn’t eat them ALL myself! Then a friend recently asked me about them for a special party she is working on, and it was the perfect opportunity to give the recipe a whirl.

And whirl I did indeed! Woohoo! Are these ever EASY peasy and even better than I remember.

old fashioned homemade buttermints 2

Did your Grandma always have a candy dish full of these little treats at her house like mine?

Grandma kept hers in a special candy dish atop the server in her dining room.

I can still picture it vividly. It sat on the far left back corner of the server, and it was amber glass with a pointed dome lid on a pedestal. We always tried to carefully lift the lid when we were sneaking taking a piece so as not to “clink” the glass and make it ring throughout the entire house (at least that is what it felt like!)   Because if you did happen to just tap it ever so lightly to make a tiny tingy noise, Grandma’s little dog, Felix, would come a running! Felix loved those mints, and you always had to throw him one if you wanted to prevent the entire house from knowing you were in the candy jar again!

My brother was often known for purposely rattling the jar just to get Felix all worked up.  The poor little thing did practiccandy dishally have a heart attack when he heard that dish a ringing!

When I was trying to describe the candy dish, I thought I’d google it using the descriptive words I came up with, and to my surprise, I found what I believe would be the EXACT match (at least as far as my memory serves)!  It is actually for sale on Etsy.  I saw several.  I guess they are considered somewhat prized antiques at this point.  I’m kinda tempted to get it, but I think I’ll just keep the memory.

Here is the recipe I found on Barefeet in the Kitchen.  (Mary even made a cocoa mint version if you want to check that out too, and her recipe is slightly adapted from Averie Cooks)

Homemade Old-Fashioned Butter Mints

  • Servings: Approx. 200 mints or 3 cups
  • Print

Ingredients:old fashioned homemade buttermints

1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 1/4 – 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Optional: Food coloring for the desired shade you would like

Using an electric stand mixer, combine the soft butter and salt, and beat to combine. Add the condensed milk and beat again to combine. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating to combine thoroughly. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring if you are adding. The dough will be mostly crumbs, but should stick together when squeezed into a ball.  If it is sticky, add a little more powdered sugar.

Remove the dough from the mixer and pull off golf ball size pieces. Roll each ball with the palm of your hand into a long skinny log about 1/2″ in diameter – just as if you were making a snake with play dough.  Slice the strips into tiny mint-size pieces. A pizza cutter works great for this, and you can cut several strips at a time quick and easily.

Spread the soft pieces across a baking sheet and allow them to sit at room temperature overnight. You could speed up the process and put them in the refrigerator uncovered.  When they have hardened enough to store, transfer the mints to an airtight container.   Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Grandma’s Easy Poppy Seed Cake

/ Jodi / 24 Comments

poppy seed cake

As a child, my Grandma made me a poppy seed cake every year for my birthday.   Sound odd?  Well – my birthday is on New Year’s Eve, and who isn’t sugared out by then after all the Christmas cookies and holiday treats?

So this poppy seed cake was always just right – not too sweet – no heavy, sugary icing – just a fun old-fashioned bread-like cake that speaks love to me.

poppy seed cake slice

Marty used to make it for me sometimes through the years; but the older we get, the more I just don’t want anything sweet by my birthday. (Red wine, however, is ALWAYS welcome!) 🙂

So I have had a hankering for poppy seed cake lately, and when I passed a package of poppy seeds in the grocery store yesterday, I just threw them in the cart and came home and baked it!

poppy seed cake 2

Don’t be surprised if it reminds you more of a sweet bread – more like banana bread or zucchini bread. It is yummy for breakfast with coffee or just as a treat.  (And of course it goes well with red wine.  What doesn’t?)

Here’s our recipe:

Grandma's Easy Poppy Seed Cake

  • Servings: One Yummy Cake
  • Print

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup poppy seeds
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour 10 inch tube or bundt pan.
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Make a well in the center and add eggs, vanilla, oil, and milk.  Mix well.
Fold in poppy seeds.
Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn onto rack to cool.

When cool, sprinkle generously with sifted powdered sugar.

ENJOY!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

My Favorite Old-Fashioned Raw Apple Cake

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

raw apple cake 4

This Raw Apple Cake recipe I received from a neighbor friend, Denise, years ago, is one of my ABSOLUTE favorites, and I make it at least once or twice every Fall/Winter.

raw apple cake 3

My favorite way to enjoy it is with coffee for breakfast/brunch, and I love it kept cold in the fridge, though refrigeration is not at all necessary – just my preference.

raw apple cake 1I made it for our Un-Thanksgiving celebration this year, where we served it with dollops of whipped cream.

If you try it, let me know what you think.  I have never had better!

Raw Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Mix together:
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp salt

Combine dry ingredients in another bowl:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Add to batter.

Fold in:
2 c. chopped apples
1 c. golden raisins (optional)
1 1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours.

While cake is baking, prepare topping.

Topping:
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 c. milk
Cook in saucepan 2 1/2 minutes.

Cool cake 10-15 minutes, then gently loosen at outer edges and spoon topping all over and down edges until absorbed.

Let cool for several hours in pan while cake soaks in the topping.

raw apple cake 2Invert and serve when completely cooled.

raw apple cake 4

Every single time I make a cake in a bundt pan, I can’t help but chuckle remembering this scene from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” “Is a bunnnnn ttt!” “Is a kick!”

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles

/ Jodi / 17 Comments

snickerdoodle 1

I made some Snickerdoodles this past weekend to take along to Krautfest.  They are such a simple, old-fashioned cookie, but one that folks seem to really love.

Every time I bake these, I think of my friend, Janet and her sweet mom.  Before them, I had never heard of Snickerdoodles.  I recall visiting one day, and their house smelled so cinnamony wonderful with these fresh-baked treats cooling on the kitchen table.  I can remember tasting my first one and loving it.  They are a bit crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender and chewy on the inside. Nobody in my family had ever baked these – not even Grandma, but they have become one of our family’s favorites.  I have passed this recipe on to my daughter-in-law, Colleen, who has begun making them too.

snickerdoodle 2

The nice thing about Snickerdoodles is you can make them in a pinch as you typically have everything you need on hand.  They can also be made pretty quickly, as this is one dough that really doesn’t need refrigerated before baking like I usually prefer to do.  I think because shortening makes for a firmer dough – but if there is someone out there that knows more about this than me, I hope you will offer your feedback.

snickerdoodle 3

Snickerdoodles

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter, soft
½ cup butter Crisco shortening
2 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

  1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
  2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
  3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Press down slightly.
  4. Bake approx. 8 minutes or until set.  I usually give a gentle push on them with two fingers to flatten a bit more right before pulling them out of the oven to get them to “crackle” a bit.
  5. Cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then remove to cool on wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

My cookie secrets include: Always add a little extra flour (included in this recipe), underbake, bake on well-seasoned baking stones, use electric oven.

ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi