Fall colors and orchard fruit set the table for apple cranberry bread

Autumn’s clear skies, cooler temperatures and crisp air arrived just in time for my trip to Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. Not only was the trip up and down the mountain breathtakingly scenic, but signs at the foot of the mountain as we came back down pointed the way to Pryor’s Orchard.

With acres of apple, peach, cherry, plum and other fruit trees, the orchard was beautiful and reminiscent of those I visited as a child with my father Sheldon Owings when he made his annual pilgrimages to orchards for apples to make cider.

**Pryor’s Orchard Market building brimmed with baskets of peaches, pears, apples and other fruits plus green beans from the garden.**

The market building at the end of Pryor Road was filled with myriad varieties of apples, peaches, pears and plums plus fresh-from-the field green beans, jams and wines. There were antique farm implements on display that dated back to the orchard’s beginnings as a dairy farm in 1905. There was an amazing display of ribbons won in past competitions

*The peaches were the best I’ve ever tasted and that went for all varieties.* So were the apples.

**Everyone visiting the orchard market exited with their arms full .**

I left the market carrying bags of deliciousness…..with the exception of wine which I planned to buy at our next stop, Springfield Manor Winery, where the surrounding fields were filled with lavender and the tables were filled with very satisfied customers, many of whom came out from Washington, D.C. for the day.

Needless to say, I arrived home a very happy camper and immediately set out my bounty. Then I pondered what to make.

**I had three kinds of apples, Bartlett pears, yellow peaches, Damson preserves, peach butter, and enough green beans for two meals.**

Answers came easily. I had eggs, milk and bread on hand so I sliced some of the peaches over a quick batch of French toast for breakfast.

The peaches were so good, I simply sliced the rest over store-bought pound cake and topped them with whipped cream. for a splendid dessert.

The green beans were cooked with a ham bone from my freezer just as my grandmother made them.

For the apples, however, I concocted a new quick bread I called Catoctin Mountain Apple Cranberry Bread in honor of the fun trip. I based it on a wonderful recipe for Blueberry Tea Bread that was featured in the Severna Park Farmer’s Market 20th Anniversary Cookbook. I switched out the blueberries in the original recipe for apples and cranberries, added a touch of yogurt and changed the spice. A bit of prep work is required but it’s simple to make. Here’s the recipe:

Catoctin Mountain Apple Cranberry Bread

2 cups flour (all purpose or unbleached)
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced apple (preferably slightly tart ones like Winesap or Granny Smith)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries sliced in half
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon yogurt
Between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon or orange peel
Dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

Assemble and stir together dry ingredients including 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Then prepare the fruit.

Slice the cranberries in two until you have half a cup.

Stir fruits into the dry ingredients until well blended. Then whip eggs, milk, grated lemon rind and a dash of cinnamon together, pour into the dry mixture, and stir to combine.

Pour batter into a lightly-greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Then invert to remove from the pan, place on a serving plate or wooden board to cool completely and lightly sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar

My experiment to transform the farmer’s market recipe for Blueberry Tea Bread to my own more autumnal Catoctin Mountain Apple Cranberry Bread worked. The contrast between the cinnamon flavored dough, mellow apples and tart cranberries was wonderful. I served the bread for brunch following omelets. It was so good that everyone wanted a second piece.

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August 5, 2020August 5, 2020

Summer’s bounty yields Marco Ridge Farm blackberries for an elegantly simple dessert

Last year, peaches from Oxford, Maryland inspired me to recreate my grandmother’s Perfectly Peachy shortcake recipe (http://www.sharonleestable.com/oxford-peaches-inspired-old-fashioned-desserts-on-the-porch/ ) .

This year, plump, juicy blackberries from the rolling fields of Marco Ridge Farm in Davidsonville, Maryland were the inspiration for another old-fashioned dessert. I was lucky enough to buy the last box of berries before they sold out.

Visiting local shops, farmer’s markets and farm stands is one of my favorite things to do. So, while driving through Davidsonville on Route 424, I was delighted to discover Marco Ridge Farm Produce,

Judging by the number of cars pulling in and the well-stocked tables of corn, tomatoes and other veg, I figured the stand had a loyal following. So I pulled in too.

I wasn’t disappointed. There were fat, red beefsteak tomatoes, green tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, freshly picked corn, green peppers, cantaloupes, melons, sunflowers and a few precious boxes of blackberries. Pointing to blackberry stains on her shirt, one of the gals at the check-out table told me she’d just picked them.

Surrounded, on both sides of Route 424 with fields of corn as high as the oft-mentioned “elephant’s eye” and other crops, the farm is beautiful everywhere you turn.

**Tomatoes and squash were producing heavily in one field while sunflowers were getting ready to burst into bloom in another.** Photos by Sharon Lee Tegler

**There were fields and fields of corn.**

I allowed myself one last look before leaving for home with bags of corn, peppers, tomatoes, berries and a cantaloupe on the backseat of my car.

Deciding to save the corn for the next day’s dinner, I laid out some of the other produce.

**Veggies and berries comprised fixin’s for dinner. Though symmetrically challenged, the cantaloupe proved one of the sweetest I’d ever tasted.**

Along with herbs from pots outside my kitchen door, the tomatoes and peppers would be combined with garlic, onions and zucchini already on my cutting board for pasta with savory summer vegetables.

To protect my herbs from nibbling deer, I’ve grown some then on my porch including the sage and basil plants flanking the scarlet zinnia.

However, the bowl of blackberries captured my immediate attention. I tasted one, then two. They were scrumptious and I knew they’d be great over a simple cake. You can substitute store-bought pound cake but I like this easy-to-make version of the recipe I featured in March of 2017 for “My Mother’s Cake” (http://www.sharonleestable.com/my-mothers-cake/) .

Fond of layer cakes with chocolate icing, my mother Margaret Owings always used the recipe as written but you’ll see that I’ve split the batter into two pans (for two desserts). Here are the quick and easy directions.

My Mother’s Cake – Plain version

Grease and flour two 8 inch pans (I used one square pan and one round pan)
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of butter cut in pieces – margarine or shortening work too
1-1/3 cups of granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of flour (all purpose or unbleached)
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Cream together the half cup of butter with the sugar and eggs till smooth. Add both cups of flour, three teaspoons of baking powder and a half teaspoon of salt. Add half of the cup of milk and mix with the dry ingredients until blended. Lastly, add the half teaspoon of vanilla and remaining half cup of milk and mix at medium speed.

Pour the batter into greased cake pans.

(I divided the batter into two pans – the square pan for my blackberry dessert and the round one to be saved and split to fill with custard and top with chocolate icing.)

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

While the cake bakes, wash the berries and sprinkle one or two tablespoons of sugar over them depending on their natural sweetness. Fold the sugar in with a spoon and allow the berries to macerate in the refrigerator until the cake is out of the oven.

**While cake cools, add one or two tablespoons of sugar to the blackberries depending on their natural sweetness.**

**Stir the sugar into the berries and allow them to macerate in the regrigerator.**

Slice large or small pieces of cake from the square pan. Remove the berries from the fridge and spoon over the cake. For the perfect touch, add a dollop of whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream works great too.

**A dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream adds a perfect touch.**

Enjoy!

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April 30, 2020

Butterscotch Chippies – decadent, delicious and delightfully simple to make

Back in the kitchen after many busy days, I thought it was time for a treat…..something rich but with a bit of crunch. Thus, I decided to make Butterscotch Chippies – a cookie creation I cobbled together by modifying a recipe I found in a 1960’s era cookbook.

The butterscotch flavor depends on a combination of melted butter and shortening and equal measures of brown and white sugar. The recipe is so easy, the cookies practically make themselves.

Butterscotch Chippies

1/4 cup of butter or margarine
1/4 cup of shortening
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of white granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups sifted flour (I prefer unbleached but all-purpose is fine)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 to 1 cup of white chocolate or peanut butter chips

Having pre-measured the brown and granulated sugars, your first step is to melt the butter or margarine and shortening together in a saucepan and pour into your mixing bowl. Add both cups of sugar and mix well. Add the egg and beat until lighter in color and frothy.

Combine the flour and baking soda and add to your mixing bowl. At this point, you can switch from using a mixer to mixing by hand.

You’ll next add the vanilla followed by the walnuts and white chocolate or peanut butter chips. (The white chocolate chips taste great but I love the peanut butter ones even better for that extra bit of richness.)

Using a lightly greased cookie sheet (mine is old and disreputable in appearance but bakes perfect cookies) scoop out even portions of dough. I prefer to use a small, round scoop but you can also use a teaspoon and then shape the dough into balls. Place into a 375 degree oven (middle rack) for 7 to 10 minutes watching carefully. Remove at once.

Relatively small and dainty, the cookies look as appealing as they taste when placed on a pretty plate and surrounded by a favorite cup or two for coffee or tea. The rich butterscotch flavor combined with melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter chips and a crispy texture, delight the taste buds while lifting the spirits.

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

Pocketbook Cookie recreation – Trial and many errors

A seldom-made but wonderful childhood treat were the raisin-filled Pocketbook Cookies baked by my late mother Margaret. Out of the blue one day, I remembered them. They’d been fun to make because they resembled tiny pocketbooks. But I hadn’t tasted them in years.

Eager to bake some, I discovered I didn’t have a recipe for them among my family favorites. In my cookbooks I found recipes for dainty filled cookies called Rugelach and Hamantaschen… but nothing resembling the sturdy “pocketbooks” I craved.

Finally, I asked my sister Barbara to check her recipes. Eureka! She found a written list of mom’s Pocketbook Cookie ingredients …but without any instructions. Nevertheless, I determined to recreate those cookies… which proved quite a challenge with lots of experimentation and many mistakes. Preparing a cookie dough came first.

Pocketbook Cookies

Sugar Cookie Dough

3 1/2 cups flour (unbleached is good)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1 egg (beaten)
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Step one was to cream together the butter, sugar, beaten egg and teaspoon of vanilla. For step two, I combined the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a separate bowl;. Then I folded the dry ingredients slowly into the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon. Step three was adding the 1/3 cup of milk.

I next used my hands to gather the dough into a ball , covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to firm up.

With the dough cooling its heels, I turned to making the filling. Here’s the recipe.

Raisin Filling

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Vinegar???
2 tablespoons of butter

Note that there are question marks by the ingredient vinegar. I have no idea if this meant you could substitute vinegar for lemon juice or add vinegar in some undetermined amount. You may wish to experiment but I chose to ignore it..

I began my filling by chopping raisins, placing them in a saucepan and adding the 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water and tablespoon of flour.

Squeezing lemon juice came next. (Half a lemon made two teaspoons worth.) I added the juice, followed by the butter, cooking them over medium heat. .

It’s necessary to keep stirring the filling as it begins to caramelize and thicken. When sufficiently thick, let the filling cool.

Time to retrieve the dough from the refrigerator, divide it in two, roll it into a ball to flatten it and roll it out on a floured surface. This dough rises considerably as it bakes so roll it out fairly flat.

Mistake #1 – The dough is sticky so I had to keep flouring my fingers, the rolling pin and marble surface I was using.. Through experimentation I found it better to roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap.

Mistake # 2 was using a beer glass as a cookie cutter. In the oven, they puffed up and became huge even when folded in half.

And then, of course, it was time to place the cookies on a cookie sheet and fill them. Thus, I grabbed by favorite old tried and true cookie sheet to which cookies never stick.

I filled the cookies with 1-1’2 teaspoons of filling – a bit too much – and folded them over like a pocketbook. Then remembering that, as a child, I’d seen my mother crimp them with the tines of a fork, I did the same…badly

Mistake #3 – I missed seeing my sister’s note to “grease” the cookie sheet and bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Mistake #4 – I bore down too hard on the tines of the fork while crimping. Consequently, my cookies stuck, baked too long and looked more like seashells that pocketbooks.

For my first batch, the cookies were huge, a little overdone and leaking filling. So it was time to try, try again.

For my second batch, I used a water glass to cut the cookies out, achieving smaller circles of dough. I reduced the amount of filling to 1 teaspoon and learned how to best pinch them together. I also used a lighter touch crimping them with the fork tines. However, they still puffed up when baked and didn’t look like my mom’s.

I reverted to cutting my final batch of cookies out with a juice glass. Success at last!

They were the right size and almost resembled my mom’s.

And they were delicious….no matter which size!

November 26, 2018

Mid-November harvest yields pumpkins for “Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread”

We’ve had a warm autumn so I’m not quite prepared on November 10th when the weather report calls for the first frost to occur overnight. By afternoon, the temperature is already dropping so I head for my garden to harvest herbs, collards and a veritable bounty of green tomatoes. I also grab some “pie variety” pumpkins.

I’ll dry or dehydrate the herbs on trays in the refrigerator while I spread my green tomatoes out on the marble counter to ripen or be used “as is” in recipes. The collards are headed for the saute pan for dinner but the pumpkins will be turned into puree.

Smaller and more solid than the large ornamental varieties used for Halloween jack-o-lanterns or porch decorations, pie pumpkins yield a lot of bright orange flesh to puree for soups, muffins, pancakes, pies and other desserts along with seeds for roasting. I turn my pumpkins into puree which I divide into 8 oz. portions and freeze. Here’s how to do it:

Pumpkin Puree

(This puree may also be made with acorn, butternut or other winter squash)

Wash pie pumpkins – Do not peel
Fill a large baking pan with 2 to 3 inches of water.
Add 1 large or two small pumpkins to each pan.
Bake at 375 degrees until done. (Rind will darken, take on a sheen…sides will collapse and flesh will be soft.)
Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (rinse and save for roasting)
Scoop out flesh into large container
Use hand blender to turn the flesh into a smooth puree. Alternatively, add the flesh to a food processor or blender.
Divide the puree into ½ cup or 1 cup portions and use or freeze.

Pumpkins and squash are loaded with vitamins and minerals and the seeds are nutritional powerhouses.

One of my favorite uses for pumpkin puree is to make my mother Margaret Owings’ pumpkin cake. She dictated the recipe to me over the phone and I jotted it down in my recipe book. I called it Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread. Whenever I make it, my kitchen smells heavenly. Rich, moist and fragrant with spices, the bread is truly comfort food for the soul.

Mom’s recipe was “purely pumpkin” though she often added nuts. While she generally made two loaves at a time, I prefer to make one. I’ll improvise and toss in extra ingredients like nuts, seeds, or raisins. Here’s my latest version of her recipe.

Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread

8 ounces (1 cup) pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup water

2 eggs

1-3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 /2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (or grate fresh nutmeg if you have it)

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 cup raisins plumped in hot water

1/4 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds

2 handfuls of fresh cranberries chopped

Plump the raisins by pouring scalding water over them while you assemble the other ingredients.

Combine oil and water with sugar and and mix.

Add eggs and pumpkin and continue to mix until frothy.

Then add flour, the teaspoon of soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.

Finish by adding a handful or two of fresh cranberries that you’ve chopped along with the quarter cup of plumped raisins and quarter cup of sunflower seeds for texture and crunch

Pour mixture into a loaf pan which you’ve greased or oiled. (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper so the loaf comes out easily.) Bake at 350 degrees for 50 or 60 minutes.

The aroma of the baking bread is amazing. You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden brown and firm to the touch.. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes.

Then turn it out on a cooling rack. When cool, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

The final step complete, move the loaf to a pretty plate or tray and find a serrated knife for slicing. Offer slices to your family and friends with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’ll likely ask for seconds.

Sweet…but not too sweet…. and richly flavorful with sunflower seeds for crunch and fresh cranberries to add a hint of tartness, Grandma Owings’ Pumpkin Bread is a treat for the taste buds.

Having made five different pumpkin bread recipes from my cookbook collection over the years, I have to say this is the best of them. It’s especially enjoyable during the holidays and makes a wonderful hostess gift. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do..

September 4, 2018

Oxford peaches inspired old-fashioned desserts on the porch

What could be more magical than a trip to Oxford, Maryland on a sunny summer day? Heading toward town on Route 333, we were enjoying the scenery – a mix of agricultural land and waterfront estates – when a family-run farm stand called Taylor’s Produce popped up. The opportunity to buy fresh-from-the-fields corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers and melons was too good to pass up. The corn looked great and was going for $6 per dozen ears. But it was the heavenly scent of peaches right off the tree that drew me like a bee to honey.

I buzzed right past the other produce and purchased some with visions of the peach shortcakes my grandmothers used to make.

Arriving in Oxford moments later, the trip that began with an offer to treat sons Eric and Jan to a birthday lunch at a restaurant of their choice turned into an all-day adventure.

Once a colonial port, the tiny Eastern Shore town on the southern bank of the Tred-Avon River fell out of use after the American Revolution and became the town that time forgot.

A stroll through four-century-old streets took us past some lovely old homes – a few dating to the 1700’s. Set against the backdrop of the river, several homes could only be approached down shady lanes like Swan’s Way or behind picket fences like River House. Gardens surrounding a majority of the well-kept residences were fully in bloom and beautiful. Historic buildings still in use included a market, a museum, and a small library.

One of three houses of worship, St. Paul’s Wesleyan Church was originally constructed in 1865. Known, at one time, as St. Paul’s Pilgrim Holiness Church, the structure was added to over time.

In a town surrounded by water, I assumed “fish” would star on restaurant menus but was only partially right.

At Capsize, the beer was cold and the wings with Old Bay seasoning delicious as we spent a lazy hour or two watching weekend boaters tie up at the docks in search of the ice cream for which Oxford is apparently famous.

Seafood was featured prominently on the Capsize menu too with Scallop Risotto an especially tasty entree.

We had more exploring to do, of course, and another restaurant to try. A steel band concert taking place on Sunset Grille’s outdoor deck and the tropical vibe of the place hooked us as did exotic drink specialties and seafood-based entrees. The crab imperial stuffed mushroom caps truly tickled my taste buds.

The lasting reward to our day away was my haul of produce – I’d gone back for corn – but especially the peaches.

Recalling that both my grandmothers preferred their peaches straight off the tree and unadorned, I initially found a cutting board and sliced some directly into dessert dishes.

Having invited friends to taste them, I added a few berries from my own patch to fancy them up. Unlike my grandmothers who sometimes topped peaches with cream straight from the cow, I offered Reddi-Whip. They were great. Luckily, I reserved enough peaches for that shortcake I was craving.

I first prepared the peaches by slicing them into a bowl, sprinkling a tablespoon or two of sugar over the top and placing them into the refrigerator. Then I got to work preparing the shortcake dough . Both grandmothers’ recipes are lost in time but I believe they modeled their shortcakes on biscuit recipes while my mother used Bisquick . I prefer to use a recipe for a sweeter lighter biscuit I adapted from one in Lighthearted Everyday Cooking by Anne Lindsay which is still in print.

Perfectly Peachy Shortcake

Between six and nine peaches depending on size with sprinkling of 1 or two Tbsp. of sugar
2 cups flour (I use unbleached)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. softned trans fat free margarine (I like Land O’ Lakes)
3/4 cup non-fat or low-fat milk

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Divide margarine, add to flour, and use two knives to cut butter in till mixture is crumbly. Combine with milk.

Gather dough into a ball and pat into a circle approximately 3/4 inch thick.Use a three inch cutter or glass dusted with flour to make rounds of dough and place on a cookie sheet. (I use my faithful old aluminum one.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown (though my oven runs a bit hot so I cut cooking time to 11 minutes or lower oven temperature to 440 degrees.

Cool shortcakes on a rack for 10 or 15 minutes.

Then carefully slice them in half .

Spoon sweetened peaches over each half and and garnish with juicy blackberries. (Makes six to eight desserts.)

Though old fashioned, Peach Shortcake on the porch on a summer night is delightful. My taste testers gave it an A-Plus.

March 27, 2018March 27, 2018

Chicks & bunnies by the bunch – Easter critter cookies kids love to munch

Baby chicks and bunnies arrived at Anne Arundel County Farm, Lawn and Garden Center and Homestead Gardens Severna Park this week, reminding me that it’s time to bake sugar cookies in the shape of springtime’s cutest critters.

I first baked my Critter Cookies to bring along to my parents’ annual Easter dinner as a gift. Much appreciated by the grandchildren, they became a tradition.

I’ve honored the tradition, making and rolling out cookie dough on the same marble topped cabinet my great-grandmother Kate Shipley used. Grandma Kate handed down the cherry wood cabinet to her grandson – my father, Sheldon Shipley Owings, Sr. Nowadays, it resides in my kitchen.

It’s great fun to recruit kids to help cut out and decorate these cookies once you’ve assembled the ingredients and made the dough. You’ll need cookie cutters (I use chickens, bunnies and Easter Crosses) and a lightly greased cookie sheet or two.

Easter Critter Cookies from Sharon Lee’s Table

I slightly altered this decade-old recipe I found in an issue of Country Living Magazine and sometimes half the recipe which works equally well.

1 cup unsalted butter – room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose or… I prefer unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Icing

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners’ sugar sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla
Milk

Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and fold them into the mixture.

Then remove the dough and, with floured fingers, lightly form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. You’ll need to chill the dough for at least 3 hours or leave it overnight.

Retrieve and divide the dough into sections for rolling out on a lightly floured surface.

Roll it out in a circle to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes with your cookie cutters.

You should be able to cut out four dozen shapes. Arrange them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or two (I prefer my time-worn sheets that aren’t pretty but bake evenly.)

Place in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until cookies are just golden.

Cool on a rack and prepare icing. Divide into as many bowls as you like and add food coloring.

Spoon icing into pastry bags using your favorite tips. (I’m partial to ones that allow for plain piping.)

The cookies are delicious plain but it’s more fun to decorate them. You can spread icing over the entire cookie or you can outline them.

Add character by piping on eyes, wings or bunny tails… even dots or stripes.

You’ll have lots of yummy cookies to plate for a gift or for your Easter table….

along with a bowl of dyed Easter Eggs.

(See “Easter Eggs The Easy Way” under the Seasonal Category or Archives for April 10, 2017.)

March 5, 2018

“Hummingbird Cake” – Your guests will hover round Brenda Justice’s heirloom dessert

One afternoon, over coffee, my friend Atalie Payne’s mother Brenda Justice mentioned an old southern recipe with the charming name “Hummingbird Cake”.

She described the three-layer cake made on special occasions by her mother, the late Virginia Thomas, as sweet, dense and delicious. Daughter Atalie remembered tasting her grandmother’s Hummingbird Cake while visiting the family home in Cumberland, Maryland as a kid and finding it scrumptious.

Grandaughter Atalie Justice Payne, her mother Brenda Justice and her grandmother Virginia Thomas who said she’d gotten the recipe from her sister.

Brenda graciously offered to share the recipe her mother jotted down so many years ago on the 3 x 5 cards seen below. You’ll note that they are well-worn.

Like hummingbird nectar, Hummingbird Cake is sweet, as can be seen from the list of ingredients. So it’s offset with a cream cheese frosting made from four simple ingredients.

A native of Mathias, West Virginia before moving to Maryland, Virignia loved southern recipes like this one. Brenda and her daughter are equally fond of it. And now, her granddaughter Elise has tasted Hummingbird Cake for the first time….and loved it! So, chances are, the recipe will live on through four generations.

The Justice and Payne families now share it with us. We’ll take you through it step by step.

Hummingbird Cake

I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of cook and figure the fewer ingredients, the better. So I was seriously intimated by this recipe… with three layers and a dozen plus ingredients. But I laid out the ingredients ahead of time and plunged ahead.

I first measured 3 cups of flour and 2 cups of sugar into a large mixing bowl. Then I added 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

I turned the dry ingredients over from the bottom until well blended.

Then it was time to prepare and add the wet ingredients.

The recipe requires 2 cups of mashed bananas. I discovered I needed four bananas to equal 2 cups. Next, I beat 3 eggs together and measured out 1 cup of oil and set them aside. (I used canola oil but other vegetable oils work fine.)

I continued preparations by opening and setting aside an 8 ounce can of pineapple and finely chopping the required cup of pecans.

Next I added the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients, followed by the cup of oil.

The instructions said “DO NOT BEAT” so I stirred the liquids into the dry ingredients… a task that took a bit of muscle.

The resulting batter was stiff.

Luckily, it thinned out considerably when I added the pineapple, followed by the bananas and vanilla, and gave the mixture a good stir.

By the time I folded in the pecans, the batter had become dense but smooth and workable.

I was now ready to pour the mixture into three 8 inch layer cake pans I’d lined with rounds of brown paper cut to fit. (The recipe calls for greasing and flouring the pans which would probably work just as well. )

The filled pans were ready to go into a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

With so many good ingredients, the layers were already looking yummy.

They did not disappoint. They were golden brown and fragrant when I tipped them out to cool on racks for ten minutes.

Then it was time to assemble and frost the layers. For the icing, I creamed together 1/2 cup of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese, added one 16-ounce package of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat till light and fluffy. I iced the first layer, set the second atop it, applied more icing and topped it with the final layer.

I finished the frosting with a swirl and carried the cake to my dining table…

where it took pride of place as a special dessert to be served with coffee.

Hummingbird Cake, with its bananas, pineapple and pecans, to say nothing of its creamy icing, is sweet, dense and delicious.

I generally depend on an easy-to-make standby recipe I call “My Mother’s Cake” (see the final blog entry under the dessert category) so I was apprehensive that I wouldn’t get this cake right. However, I received the seal of approval from both Brenda and Atalie who said my version tasted just like the Hummingbird Cake made by Virginia Thomas.

Though time-consuming, Hummingbird Cake was worth the effort. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

November 19, 2017November 28, 2017

Temps were crisp so I made “Apple Cranberry Crisp”

Between a neighbor’s apple tree and two of my favorite produce stands, I’ve accumulated quite a haul of apples. Just before Halloween I drove to Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis in the waterfront community known as The Maritime Republic of Eastport.

Found crates and crates of apples and pears from Adams County, Pennsylvania ranging from Honey Crisp, Crimson Crisp, and Red and Golden Delicious to Fuji varieties.

Adams Co., Pa. apples from Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis.

Pumprheys Farm Stand in Milersville, Md. had great Winesaps, Granny Smith’s and Golden Delicious varieties.

A week later drove to Pumphrey’s Farm Stand in Millersville, Maryland where I was guaranteed to find great Winesaps, Granny Smith’s and Golden Delicious from Maryland orchards right up til’ Thanksgiving. (Include chopped Winesaps in my turkey stuffing.)

Froze the apples from my neighbor’s tree and some of the Winesaps by slicing them and layering them in sealed freezer bags. (Learned the trick from “The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest”.) They come in handy in the dead of winter when you can use them for pancakes, upside down cakes, or sauteed as a side dish.

On the first cold day of November, I hunted up my notebook of personally collected recipes and raided my store of apples to make Apple Cranberry Crisp. I chose a mix of sweet and sour apples including Crimson Crisps, Golden Delicious, Winesaps and Granny Smiths.

My favorite Apple Crisp recipe can be found on a yellowed page I clipped from The Capital newspaper a decade ago. I’ve altered the recipe by adding cranberries for an extra bit of tartness and renamed it accordingly. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

4 cups of baking apples (about 6 medium)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped raw cranberries

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

Soften butter.

Blend flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter together.

Mix in nuts, and raisins.

Meantime, grease an 8-inch round or square pan.

Peel and slice the apples and layer them in the pan along with the chopped cranberries.

Spread the crumb mixture over the apples and cranberries patting into place.

Bake in a 350 degree oven 35 minutes. Depending on the firmness of the apples, I might bake a few extra minutes. Remove from oven and set out to cool for a few minutes. Then slice and enjoy with or without a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a steaming cup of coffee.

Serve the Apple Cranberry Crisp while warm with or without a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

My idea of comfort food, Apple Cranberry Crisp is really great to serve for dessert or as a special treat when friends drop by. It gets raves every time.

August 3, 2017August 10, 2017

Company coming and pinched for time? Pork’s the answer

Company’s headed to my house for dinner…a sister and an assortment of sons, nieces and nephews. But I’ve no time to spare…not even a few minutes to run to the supermarket.

Today, even those who love to cook – like me – are sooo busy we worry about having guests. Will we be able to get dinner on the table in time?

I decide there’s no reason to panic.

I thawed a pork loin I took out of the freezer and have leftover ham slices to grill for a nephew who prefers it. There are apples to saute with cinnamon and rice and peas for equally quick side dishes. A cake and fresh peaches will suffice for dessert.

So I can relax a little.

Roasting a pork loin is easy….and takes little time to prepare

Find a shallow roasting pan and place the pork in the center. Coat the roast with olive oil. Tear or finely chop fresh thyme, sage and rosemary and sprinkle over the pork. Or, substitute dried herbs.

Add a quarter cup of water to pan. Roast on middle rack of oven at 400 degrees for one hour and fifteen minutes… or slightly longer for a larger roast. (Can cut the pork loin in half to reduce cooking time.) If you wish, lightly salt meat halfway through cooking.

Meantime, set the table and prepare the side dishes.

Sauteed apples are simple.

Just wash and slice the apples and layer them in a non-stick saucepan in which you’ve melted two tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon. (Add a tablespoon or two of water if needed.) Turn with a spatula as they cook. Keep warm.

Rice would be nice…even better with olives and mushrooms.

Rice with olives and mushrooms

1 cup white rice

1 clove garlic smashed, diced

1 teaspoon diced onion

2 tablespoons diced red pepper

1 tablespoon diced celery

4 to 6 mushrooms sliced

4 or 5 black olives sliced

4 green olives sliced

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric for flavor (or more according to your taste)

Add rice to a saucepan and rinse several times until water runs clear. Drain rice and move to side of saucepan. Add olive oil and saute garlic, onion, red pepper and celery. Then fold the rice into the oil with the veggies. Add the mushrooms followed by 2 cups of water and teaspoon of salt. Add the olives and turmeric and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked.

Dinner’s ready and the pork looks great.

Need last minute dessert

Fresh peaches over cake

Am lucky I didn’t ice the cake I made yesterday.

And luckier still to have someone volunteer to slice it.

Mix sliced peaches (these were from a nearby produce stand) with a little sugar and a few raspberries. Pour them over the slices of cake. (You can easily substitute store-bought pound cake slices.)

All that’s needed is a dollop of whipped cream.