Light Gingerbread

This is a recipe of your Great, Great Grand Mother Henderson and it was a favorite of your Great Grand Father Roberts.

½ c boiling water

½ tsp salt

½ c shortening

½ tsp baking powder

½ c brown sugar

½ tsp soda

½ c molasses

¾ tsp ginger

1 well beaten egg

¾ tsp cinnamon

1 ½ cup flour

Pour water over shortening.  Add sugar, molasses, egg.  Beat well

Add dry ingredients.  Beat until smooth.  Bake in 8” pan @ 150* for 35 minutes.

Cool in pan.  Serve with lemon sauce.

LEMON SAUCE

½ c sugar

1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch

dash salt

dash nutmeg

1 ½ c boiling water

2 Tbsp butter

1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice

Stir dry ingredients together.  Add boiling water.  Boil until thick.  Add lemon juice and butter, stir and serve over gingerbread.

Christmas Morning Lucia Bread

2 Tbsp yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water

½ cup sugar

½ cup shortening or margarine melted and cooled

1 ½ tsp salt

5 to 5 1/3 cups sifted flour

¼ c powdered milk

2 eggs

½ tsp ground Cardamom  (This is expensive and I keep it in my freezer from year to year.)

Soften yeast in water.  Combine shortening, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm.  Stir in 2 cups of flour; beat vigorously.  Add eggs; beat well.  Stir in softened yeast, cardamom and enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead till smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes (5 or 6 in bread mixer).  Place dough in lightly greased bowl; turning once to grease the surface.  Cover; let rise in a warm place till doubled.  Punch down.  Divide dough in half; cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Divide each half into thirds.  Roll each third into a 20 inch strand.  Place a greased juice glass in center of baking tray and brain the 3 strands around it, seal ends together to form a continuous braid.  Remove the glass, cover and let rise in warm place until double.  About 1 hour.

Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes until golden.

Remove to cooling rack.  While wreath is still warm brush with glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

add just enough milk or cream and 1 tsp vanilla to make of spreading consistency.

Decorate with walnut halves, red and green candied cherries if you wish.  Or sprinkle with red or green colored sugar.

From Grandma Call:

I read this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens November 1982 magazine.  Since my Grandmother Henderson came to America from Sweden when she was 12 years old I wanted to try it.  It has been a family tradition ever since.

Makes two braids; one to eat and one to give away.  I usually double this recipe and use my Bosch bread mixer.  This will make 4 large braids or you can divide the dough so as to make smaller braids.  You can actually get 8 small braids out of the double batch.  They are still a good size for giving.  The perfect Visiting Teacher-Home Teacher gift.

I have also made this at Easter and decorate it with jelly beans.

Danielle's memories: 
Every Christmas morning Mom would slice each of us a piece of Christmas bread from Grandma Call.  Eating that bread was as much of a ritual as opening stockings or presents.  I am excited to make it for my family this Christmas.

Cherry-Oh-My Cheese Pie

1 9 inch crumb crust or baked shell

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 15 oz. can Borden's Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.  Any brand works as well as home made with powdered milk.

1/3 C lemon juice--1 tsp. vanilla

16 oz. can prepared Cherry Pie Filling or Cherry Glaze.  Any fruit glaze would work.

Let Cream Cheese soften to room temperature; whip till fluffy.  Gradually add the condensed milk while continuing to beat until well blended.  Add lemon juice and vanilla; blend well.  Pour into prepared crust.  Chill 2 to 3 hours before garnishing top of pie with cherry pie filling or glaze.

Eldona's Famous Peppermint Brownies

This was your Great grandma Roberts’ recipe, I only made them famous.

Melt 2 cubes butter in large bowl in microwave.  If hot, cool a bit then add 1/2 C cocoa powder and stir in.

Beat in: 2 C sugar

             2 tsp vanilla

             4 eggs

Stir in 1 ½ C flour

          1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake in greased jelly roll pan. (15X10X3/4).  If you wish thicker brownies use 9X13 pan.

Bake 350 degrees 20 Min. Cool

Frosting

1/4 C butter

2 ¼  C powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons milk

1 ¼  tsp peppermint extract

5 drops green food coloring (optional)

Beat the butter until light.  Beat in the powdered sugar, milk, extract and food coloring.  Spread over the cooled brownies.  Let set until firm.

Chocolate Frosting

4 Tbsp. Butter

2 squares Bakers chocolate- Or use dipping chocolate

Melt together, stir well, cover mint layer.  May need to set up in refrigerator.

When well set, cut into sticks.

Cranberry Salad

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 pkg 10 ½ oz. miniature marshmallows

2 cups sugar

1 cup celery chipped fine

1 pint whipping cream

1 cup chopped nuts

1. Wash, dry and chopped cranberries (coarsely in food processor.)
2. Chop celery fine (in food processor also.)
3. Combine berries, marshmallows, celery and sugar.
4. Add marshmallows and refrigerate overnight.
5. Fold in whipped cream and nuts.  Chill thorough

From my sister-in-law Judy Roberts

Orange Bowknots

Orange Bowknots

2 pkg dry yeast

2 ½ cups warm water

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp salt

2 eggs beaten

½ cup orange juice

3 T grated orange peel

2 cubes melted margarine, cool

¼ cup powdered milk

10-12 cups flour.

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar over top and allow to bubble.  When bubbling add 1/3 cup sugar and 1 T salt.  Add melted margarine powdered mile and 6 cups flour.  Mix to form gluten.  Add orange juice, grated orange peel, eggs and enough flour to pull away from bowl.  Knead until dough blisters.  Let rise until double. Divide dough in 3rds or 4ths.  Roll each piece in rectangle 5”wide.  Slice ¾” wide down length of dough.  Dip each strip in melted margarine, tie into half granny knot and place on pan.  Let rise until double about 50 min.  Bake at 400 degrees 12-15 min.  Cool on rack and glaze with:

Orange Glaze:               1 T grated orange peel

                                    4 tbs orange juice

                                    2 cups powdered sugar

Makes 48, they are so good you can’t eat just one. !!!

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
Every special holiday - Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, I look forward to Grandma Call's delicious Orange bowknots.  These rolls are an excuse to eat dessert with our dinner.  Grandma makes dozens of these rolls and we eat as many as we can.  I've always wanted the recipe to make them for myself, but for the sake of eating healthfully, I will have to keep up the tradition of making them for special occasions.  Thanks Grandma for sharing your delicious recipe with us!

Giant Oven Pancakes/Yorkshire Pudding

3 T butter
1 C milk
1 C flour
1/4 t salt
4-6 eggs

Preheat oven to 450, melt butter in 9x13 pan.  Mix milk, flour, salt, and eggs in blender.  Bake for 10-15 min, until top looks brown so it is done in the middle.

Growing up, it was a treat to have Giant Oven Pancakes for dinner.  We would put jam, powdered sugar, butter, and even lemon juice on them.  Since they weren't Dad's favorite, we mainly got this meal when he wasn't going to be home for dinner.  When I got to college, I learned that this dish had many other names:  German Pancakes or Dutch Babies (and of course no one else called them GIANT oven pancakes :)  When I got married, I learned some more shocking news.  Keith's family ate them with gravy!  That's different.  In fact, Yorkshire pudding was a side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  Now when I make them, I make some brown gravy for Keith and get out the powdered sugar for myself.  Yum!

Orange Julius

1/2-3/4 C frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 C milk
7 ice cubes
1/4 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Blend all ingredients until smooth.
 
When Marseille was in high school, she learned how to make these Orange Julius's.  We loved having them for an afternoon treat and were grateful for an older sister who could make them for us.  Occasionally we had to make a deal with her for these sweet drinks - "I'll do the dishes" was a common bribe.  As time went on, we broadened the flavors of these frozen drinks.  We started adding frozen Marionberries, bananas, strawberries, or whatever other fruit we came across. Keith and I like Pina colada (pineapple and coconut milk), or orange-banana.

Mother Goose Popcorn

2 C sugar
1 C milk
2 T butter
1 t light karo srup
food coloring
1 t vanilla

Over med-high head combine sugar, milk, butter and karo syrup.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for about 12 minutes, scraping the bottom frequently.  After 10 minutes test syrup in water.  When syrup is at the soft ball stage, take off heat and stir in food coloring and vanilla.  Pour over 2 poppers of popcorn.  Stir, flip and scrape to get popcorn evenly coated.  Mixture will be hot and becomes solid as it cools.

I remember Mom making this treat for my preschool class whenever it was at our house.  She could make it just about any color and use it for any holiday.

Lemon Bisque

Filling:
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 C boiling water
1 pkg lemon jello
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C lemon juice


Crust:
10 graham crackers
1/2 C melted butter

Chill evaporated milk in shallow pan in freezer until icy crystals form around the edge (less than an hour).  While milk is icing, add jello to boiling water.  add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Place in fridge until slightly jelled.  To make crust, mash graham crackers in bowl and mix in melted butter.  Put 2/3 of the mixture on the bottom of 9x13 pan and save 1/3 for a topping.
Whip milk until thick and fluffy.  Add jello gradually.  Add lemon juice gradually.  Pour in pan and chill 1 hour.  Sprinkle with remaining topping and serve.

Grandma Schaelling gave me this delectable dessert that is a poor man's pleasure.  This low cost treat feels like a cloud in your mouth with a tangy zing.  The Schaelling children used to say:  tisk, tisk lemon bisque.