Cheers to 90 Years

Happiest Birthday Jo 

From Spring Hill to Cleveland to St. Pete and all in between ... they came!

to eat Sweet Potato Casserole and vegan Lemon Cupcakes and Turnip Greens and Brunswick Stew

YUM

To sweeten Fathers Day

Not like Jo used to make it but worth sharing. From Americas Best Lost Recipes.

TENNESSEE STACK CAKE

Filling:

3 (6 ounce) bags dried apples

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Just cover apples with water and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are completely softened. Drain and let cool until barely warm. Puree the apples in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Can be refrigerated for two days. 

Cake:

6 cups all purpose flour

1T baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/4 t alt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla extract

16 T (2 sticks) unsalted, softened, butter

2 cups granulated sugar

Adjust two oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 

Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a large measuring cup.

With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy - about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in two batches, beating after each addition until combined.

Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Work with two portions at a time on a lightly floured surface - rolling each out into a 10 inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 9 inch cake pan as a template trim any excess dough to form two perfectly round 9 inch disks. Transfer the disks to prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown - 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate and switch baking sheet halfway thru baking. Transfer the disks to racks and cool completely - at least on hour. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

This is where I go - WHEW. 

Jo would divide dough equally between 4 cake pans and bake like a regular cake - and repeat - having eight layers. 

These layers can also be wrapped tightly in plastic for two days.

To assemble - place one layer on your cake plate and spread with 3/4 cups of cooked apples. Repeat until you get to the top layer. 

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 2 days. Allowing the cake to sit for 24 hours moistens the layers and makes a tender apple flavored cake.

Dust with confectioners sugar and serve. 

"Lately all my friends are worried 

they're turning into their fathers ....

I'm worried I'm not" 

unknown

Moving Hostas Day

 

36 Years Ago

Just Another Birthday

going on 90

Authentic Florida's Key Lime Pie 

Pie Shell

• 1/3 of a 1-pound box of graham crackers
• 5 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup of sugar 

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes - cool

OR use store-bought graham cracker crust

Pie Filling

• 4 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
• 2 teaspoons of lime zest - zest before you squeeze the juice
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 24-36 limes depending on freshness of limes), or 6-8 regular fresh limes (again, depending on freshness)

Preheat oven to 350

In an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat the 4 egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of lime zest at high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Gradually add the can of condensed milk and continue to beat until thick, 3 or 4 minutes longer.  Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the 2/3 cup of lime juice, mixing just until combined, no longer. Pour the mixture into the crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack. 

Meringue Topping

• 4 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon, cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Prepare meringue and spread over filling - seal to edge of crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.  Place in the refrigerator and let it chill for 2-3 hours.

OR use whipped cream

Jo didn't want traditional birthday cake this year for her 89th birthday so Sis Faye brought a smorgasbord of 'store bought' pies for everyone. Strawberry. Coconut Cream. Chocolate.  Fake Key Lime and Real Key Lime.

Real Key Lime won.

SOURCE: Found this in Jo's recipes from Authentic Florida (2015)

special guest - Zippy Phillips

Happiest Birthday Jo !

We found there are many variations of the old Hummingbird Cake. My sister, Faye, baked this one from Southern Living magazine for Jo's 88th birthday. 

coffee time. . . .  

Source: Southern Living Magazine

The Day After

After Dick's fritters on New Year's Eve and black eyed peas on New Year's
Day, today is a good time to use up your left over dried apples. Three ingredients if you sprinkle sugar on top for your husband.

Dried Apple Cake

Told you.

Except it was cake instead of pies . . . . . .

SOURCE: Jo

Garlicky broiled salmon and tomatoes

SOURCE: Real Simple

Banana Pudding

and, a lot of this  . . . . .

Dried Apple Pies

WooHoo! Company coming! The wer-man herself. And, I imagine this is what we will be doing:

dried apple pies need no recipe - peel apples, boil down until done and add to the middle of your little circle of dough . . . . . bake for a few minutes. Eat all. 

or . . .  you can put them in an iron skillet like I do  . . .

SOURCE: JO

Egg Custard

Mamo's Favorite

SOURCE: Jo and Mamo

Lemon Pie

I think this is Mamo's Lemon Pie . . . 

my favorite right behind Coconut Cake

Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with one cup of sugar and 1/8 t salt into medium saucepan.
Mix 4 large egg yolks with 2 cups of milk and 1/3 cup of lemon juice and add to saucepan over medium heat. 
Bring to a boil and stir constantly - about one minute.
Remove from heat to add 3 T butter, 1 t grated lemon rind and 1/2 t vanilla extract. Stir til smooth. 
Pour into lightly browned pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap.

If you want to use meringue spread onto pie while still warm and bake at 325 degrees for abut 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
We liked ours plain.

Mamo made her crust from scratch, of course. This is what I do (Source:Popsugar)

To Make in a Food Processor:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
2. With the machine running, add about half of the water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream; stop when the dough holds together without turning wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide the dough ball into two, and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill for at minimum 1 hour (this time increment allows for the water to fully hydrate the dough, making for a more cohesive product that's easier to roll out).

Makes 2 pie dough rounds, or enough for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies.

Jenny's Wedding Cake

Mamo's Coconut Cake

Happy Birthday Mamo

PS: what goes great with coconut cake? 
a cold glass of sweet milk !

Old Time Muffins

my cousin Barbie has this old recipe of my grandmother's. myself, my sister and brother and all of our cousins enjoyed these muffins about 52 times a year. sometimes they would have fresh blueberries in them. sometimes fresh peaches. most of the time they were just plain and THE BEST 

Mamo's Muffins

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup shortening, melted

flour

mix all ingredients together, using enough flour to make a cakelike batter. Divide into 12 muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

SOURCE: MAMO VIA BARBIE

Instant Chocolate Cake

single serving  . . . . .

Whisk 1/4 cup flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and a dash of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug until smooth.

Mircowave until puffed - about 2 minutes.

SOURCE: food network

Chocolate Pie

Mrs. Hunter's Chocolate Pie

Mrs. Hunter was Mackie's (Jo's sister) mother in law. We had a lot of great food there - from chocolate pie to watermelon hot from the field to chicken and dumplings. They had a dairy farm so the ice cold milk was endless. 

Chocolate Gravy

very nutritious with a big biscuit

** NOTE TO JO: is this the same as lona's and callie's ?

Martha Washington's Great Cake

Happy President's Day

Martha Washington's original recipe:

Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a froth. Then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work'd. Then put 4 pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2 hours will bake it. Add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a pint of wine and some fresh brandy.

Modern adaptation of recipe:

In making Martha Washington's famed cake, Mount Vernon's curatorial staff followed Mrs. Washington's recipe almost exactly. Where the recipe called for 5 pounds of fruit, without specifying which ones, 2 pounds of raisins, 1 pound of currants, and 2 pounds of apples were used. The wine used was cream sherry. Since no pan large enough was available to hold all the batter, two 14 layers were made and stacked (note: the original was one single tall layer). The layers were baked in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours. Should be iced with a very stiff egg-white based icing, flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.

SOURCE: GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MT. VERNON - http://www.mountvernon.org

NOTE TO JO: FRUITCAKE?

Five Pound Fudge

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Happy Valentines Day

SOURCE: JO

Smoky Chocolate Crackers

getting ready for valentine's day

SOURCE: BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

Tennessee Whiskey Cake

Live freely.

Drink sensibly.

Jack Daniels

The town of Lynchburg is the seat of Moore County, the smallest county in Tennessee. Even though it’s home to the Distillery, it’s a dry county and has been ever since Prohibition.

Baked Sweet Potato

SOURCE: REAL SIMPLE

Mrs. Johnson's Rolls

*** NOTE TO JO: Who is Mrs. Johnson?

Coconut Cake with White Frosting

Happy Birthday Jo 

If you ask anyone in our family 'what's your favorite cake?' we all say 'coconut!'.

Mamo was the coconut cake queen. we all got a coconut cake on our birthday and even a wedding cake (see March). somehow, I do not have her recipe. But, Jo got a coconut cake and white frosting recipe from her good friend Luzy that comes the closest to how Mamo made hers . . . . .

*** NOTE TO JO: remember this ?

SOURCE: LUZY