Pause and Remember – 1/27/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

Snickers likes the Civil War Quilt

“Yee-haw! I Get My Quilt!”

That was my daughter’s reply when I e-mailed that the quilt was ready for her to pick up.  After one year, twenty-five days and fifty-three blocks, the Barbara Brackman Civil War Quilt is completed.

I’m not good at free-motion quilting, so the quilting was stitch-in-the-ditch with decorative stitching in the sashing and borders.

The finished quilt measures 63×83 inches per my daughter’s specs.  She prefers a fleece backing and I used a pretty, gently-used fleece blanket as both batting and backing.  This made a very heavy quilt which was difficult to wrestle through my Bernina, but it will be a toasty-warm quilt for my daughter to use.

I used the label that Barbara Brackman provided and made it into a pocket big enough to hold an 8-½ x 5-½ list of all of the block names by row, printed on a sheet of printable fabric which was cut in half and sewn together so the printing shows on both sides.

It was quite an adventure throughout the weeks of 2011 and I thank Barbara Brackman for the series and thank heaven the quilt is finally finished and in its new owner‘s hands.

Spice Cake – a 1940s Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

I made this Spice Cake twice because I misread the handwriting in the book and used too much vinegar the first time.  I also thought apple cider vinegar would work well but it didn’t. This cake is what I would call a weekday-supper cake.  It’s easy to mix, spicy, and a good cake – just not a Sunday dinner cake.

SPICE CAKE

• 2 eggs
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups sifted cake flour*
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. allspice
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup soft shortening

*Substitute for cake flour:  For each cup of cake flour, Place 2 Tblsp. cornstarch in a one-cup dry measure.  Fill to the top with all-purpose flour.

My vintage Swansdown cake flour scoop

Have all ingredients at room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans

In a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together for one minute:

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.  Add gradually to the egg/sugar mixture until the dry ingredients are absorbed.

In a one-cup liquid measure combine the vinegar, milk and vanilla.

Add one-half of the milk mixture along with the shortening to the mixer bowl and beat for one minute.

Add the remaining milk mixture and beat for one additional minute.

Pour into the two prepared 9 inch layer pans …

….and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.

Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn cakes out onto the rack to continue to cool completely.

The recipe didn’t specify a frosting, so I used the only one in the book (for Peppermint Candy Cake and left out the crushed candy).  It’s a basic frosting that my mother would have called “butter cream icing”.

FROSTING

• ¼ cup softened margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 tsp. milk

• ¼ cup pecans (for topping)

Beat together the margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Gradually add 3-4 tsp. milk until frosting is of a good spreading consistency.

Frost the top of the bottom cake layer.

Place the top layer on and frost the sides, then the top of the cake.  Place pecan halves on the top of the cake.

6 to 8 servings

Tart Cherry Cobbler

Back in the 1980s we had a small house on about 2 acres of ground, almost every inch filled with something good to eat that my husband had planted.  We all loved the tart cherries and had to join in and pick quickly before the birds got them.  I used netting for a while, but got too upset when a bird got caught in it, although we were always able to set it free without injury.  Instead, we just kept an eye on the tree and tried to beat the birds to the harvest.

Eleven years ago, we had to leave the two acres and all its bounty behind and since then I’ve had no luck in finding fresh or frozen tart cherries – only the small cans of discolored fruit for an annual President’s Day pie.  But recently, my online friend, Darlene, mentioned on her blog that she buys tart frozen Morency cherries at her Meijer store in Columbus, Ohio.  I couldn’t wait to check out the freezer section of my Cincinnati area store, and, sure enough, they carry a 24-oz. bag.

TART CHERRY COBBLER

The Cherry Filling

• 24-oz. bag of frozen tart cherries, thawed with juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

The Cobbler Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the filling:

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, mix the cherries, juice, sugar, tapioca and salt.  Cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally.  Boil for another minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract.  Pour cherry mixture into a 10-inch or 1-1/2 qt. ungreased  baking dish.

To make the cobbler topping:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening until well distributed.  With a fork, stir in the milk.  Drop batter by tablespoonful onto the top of the piping hot cherry mixture.*  Place baking dish on a flat pan to catch spills and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Remove baking dish to a wire rack to cool.

Best when eaten warm with whipped cream/topping or ice cream.

Servings:  6

*I never had a lot of luck with cobblers until I read in an old Farm Journal cookbook that the filling should always be piping hot when the batter is spooned onto it.  This tip always works for me.

My President’s Day Pie

Pause and Remember – 1/20/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

Grandma Helen’s Tea Set

Quilt Blocks and a Bag from Leaders and Enders

For years, I’ve heard about leaders and enders (little scraps of fabric inserted at the beginning and ending of a seam to avoid tangled threads and to save thread), but my attempts to do this were always distracting and I’d give up on it.  Lately, though, eye problems have made it difficult to thread the needle and I re-evaluated the leader and ender pieces of fabric.  I know a lot of quilters keep a box of scraps near the sewing machine to use in this manner and eventually have enough scraps sewn together to make a quilt.  Anything that will use up small scraps appeals to me and I got out my jars of scraps which are sorted by color and cut several colors into 2-inch squares.  This size accommodates a lot of my fabric pieces and is easy to stitch together.   I carried it another step further and put the pieces together to make a 9-patch rather than having another box full of 2-inch patches to put together – SOME DAY.

Before I begin to sew, I put two 2-inch squares right-sides-together and stitch them.  Then, without breaking thread, I sew the seam on my current project.  At the end of this seam, I insert another two squares and stitch them together.  I cut the thread on the first set of 2-inch squares, add another square to make a row and this becomes my “leader” or “ender” as needed.  I keep the rows for one block on the ironing board beside me until a 9-patch is completed – then it goes into a basket and I start another set of patches.

I used this technique on a recent mini-quilt project and when I had finished the quilt, I had made 19 five-inch blocks   They are all in coordinating colors so they can be put together easily as needed for a pillow backing, small quilt or wall hanging backing, gift bags, etc.

Now, I’m so accustomed to putting 2-inch scraps together as I’m sewing that I use the process for any project, including making clothes.  No more birds’ nests at the beginning of the seam, no more wasted thread and a minimum amount of needle-threading – plus, I’ve used up some scraps and have nice blocks on hand to use with other projects.

I was able to use some of the blocks recently to make a lining for a small bag I made to give to some friends with jars of pickles and blackberry jam.  I used 1-1/2 inch sashing between the 5-inch blocks.  The lining is pretty enough to make the bag reversible.

For the outside of the bag, I used two orphan blocks.

All I had to do was add straps and facing around the top to make a nice little gift bag.

I also have strips cut 1-1/4 inches wide which I like to use for log cabin blocks and pieces cut in 1-1/2 inch squares.  I make sure my basket is full of scrap leaders and enders before I begin any project.

P.S.  My friends liked the bag and the home-canned goods.

Chocolate Drop Cookies – a 1940s Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

These Chocolate Drop Cookies are a very simple little cookie, soft on the inside and slightly crunchy outside.

CHOCOLATE DROP COOKIES

• ¼ cup butter or oleo (margarine)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup shortening
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• Two one-oz squares of semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• ½ tsp. soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1-¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease cookie sheets.

Cream together the butter/margarine, egg, shortening and sugar.  Add the melted chocolate to the creamed mixture.  Stir the soda, salt and flour into the creamed mixture.  Add milk and vanilla.

Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for approximately 8 minutes.  Remove to a rack to cool.

Makes about 54 small cookies.

What better way to serve these cookies than on a vintage EAPG dessert plate.  I have a fair-sized collection of EAPG but recently found the 6-1/2 inch diameter dessert plates which I did not have yet.  They were 50 cents each for 9 plates at the local Goodwill thrift shop.

I baked some of the cookies with an almond pressed in the top and some with a piece of pitted date.

This cookie jar looks vintage but was a Christmas gift this year picked out for me by my 12-year-old grandson.  He knows what I like.

Pause and Remember – 1/12/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

An Easy, Warm Balaclava

Deanna at Wedding Dress Blue posted a tutorial for this nice, warm balaclava.  I was unfamiliar with the term, but when I saw a hood tying tightly around the face with a piece coming up to the nose, I knew it was just what I needed for my three-times-a-day walks in all kinds of weather with my dog, Rusty.

You can find the pattern and tutorial here:

http://weddingdressblue.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/tutorial-balaclava/

The pattern prints out onto 6 sheets of paper which are easily taped together and cut out.  In printing my pattern, I found there was a small gap between the 1st and 2nd rows of paper on the right hand side, but it was easy to see where the cutting line should be.

There’s just one pattern piece to cut out and a simple zigzag stitch to put it together plus a couple of notions – elastic cording and cord stops.  I couldn’t find the single barrel stop Deanna mentions but used Dritz #493-1 2 Cord Stops along with Dritz #9342B Round Cord Elastic (JoAnn’s).  I shortened the cord by about 10 inches for the medium pattern so that the cord stops are on either side of the balaclava, about eye level.

Also, the piece of fleece remnant I picked up was only 22 inches long but worked fine by reducing the cuff to 1-1/2 inches. I had enough left from a 60″ wide piece to make another balaclava if I wish.

I’m sure I’m going to get a lot of use out of the balaclava in the next few months and thank Deanna for the good tutorial.  My youngest daughter served as model.

Peppermint Candy Cake – a 1940s Recipe

One of my Christmas gifts was a small 4-½ x 6 inch leather bound book engraved “Cooking Recipes”, purchased at an antique mall in Sugar Creek, Ohio.  The pages are edged in gold and there are 10 index tabs for food categories.  

The real gold in this book, though, is the collection of handwritten recipes.  There aren’t a lot of recipes – just 25, 22 of which are desserts.  The book itself could have been from the 1930s, but I believe the recipes are from the 1945-1950 era.  This is based on a lot of recipes calling for shortening, for using the word “oleo” rather than margarine in most recipes and the attention given to oven temperatures.  I believe it’s post-World War II because of all of the sugar-laden desserts.  

The handwriting is clear and ingredients are listed correctly, although most of the recipes give no idea of how the item is to be prepared, what kind of pan to use or how long to bake.  That’s why I’ve decided to make each of the recipes, using the products specified, and adding my own instructions.  I like to think that the woman from the 1940s kitchen (who would have been about my mother’s age) would enjoy having someone fuss around with these recipes again and turn out some delicious food for the family.

Here is a nice cake that will use up some of your leftover peppermint candy canes.  Crush the candy as fine as possible by putting it in a plastic bag and hitting it with the flat side of a mallet.

The candy softens when the cake is baked but the pieces sprinkled on top can be a little crunchy.  The next time, I think I’ll substitute peppermint decorative sugar for sprinkling on top.

There were no directions for mixing the cake, pan size or baking time, so this is how I made it.

PEPPERMINT CANDY CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-½ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil (canola)
• 1/3 cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ¾ tsp. vanilla
• 2 drops red food coloring
• 1/3 cup finely crushed peppermint stick candy
• 3 egg whites
• ¼ tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans

To Make the Cake:

In large bowl of mixer, place flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, oil, milk, water, vanilla and food coloring.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

Gently fold beaten whites into the cake mixture.  Divide mixture between the two prepared layer cake pans and bake @ 325 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then loosen and turn out onto racks to continue cooling completely.

Note:  The candy stuck a bit in one of the layer pans but it was easy to remove and  was covered by frosting before adding the second layer.

To Make the Frosting:

PEPPERMINT FROSTING

• ¼ cup margarine, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tblsp. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup finely crushed peppermint stick or a sprinkling of peppermint decorative sugar

To make frosting:

Combine margarine, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla – beat until smooth.  If necessary, add a drop or two of milk or a bit more powdered sugar until frosting is desired consistency.

Frost top of bottom layer lightly.

Place top layer on top of bottom layer and frost sides first, then top.  Sprinkle top with crushed peppermint candy or peppermint decorative sugar.

Servings:  6 to 8

This is a moist, pale pink cake with a mild peppermint flavor.  My family liked it a lot.