My great granny was a very resourceful woman. She lived thru the depression, and I grew up begging for any story she would tell me of those days. She always thought it funny for young girl to want to know about that time in history, but she would still tell me what I wanted to know.

I enjoyed digging in her cellar/basement; I found all kinds of goodies. I loved everything that was old and had a story. I still do, that’s why I love old simple recipes. They have stories and life in them. This oldie was my granny’s she made the best pies! It’s simple and tasty. This really was a simple desert often used during the 30’s and 40’s.

½ c. cocoa

¼ cup cornstarch (or ½ c. flour)

3 eggs

1 ½ c. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cocoa, cornstarch, beaten egg yolks; sugar and salt, then add milk gradually, while stirring. Cook until thick, beating it smooth. Pour into a pre-baked pie shell.

Just a note: I no longer use cornstarch, I substitute with arrowroot flour or unbleached flour. I also use organic sugar or honey in my recipes. 

Enjoy some old fashioned goodness!

You asked for the recipe... so here it is! Enjoy.

Pumpkin Delight

1 large can of pumpkin or two small 15oz cans ( don’t be afraid to use some of your pumpkins from the garden)

3 cups of organic sugar  ( 1 ½ organic sugar 1 ½ honey works too!)

1 cup  of light olive oil or butter

4 ½ cups of unbleached flour  (you can use whole wheat or go half white & half whole wheat. Whatever your heart wishes!)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

4 tsp. soda

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour

Makes 3 loaves of pumpkin bread.

 Simple & Sweet.

Note: I always add toasted nuts and chocolate chips to the top, and slightly pat down before baking. 

My Great Granny always made simple food, and boy was it good. She lived through the depression, and really new how to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

I picked these fresh out of my raised beds a few days ago. I love fresh fruit on my oats!  These berries were the last few still clinging to the plants. End of summer.. Beginning of fall. 

 Oh, but how I love Fall!

Welcome Fall!


 Bring on the Soup, bread, candles, and fuzzy socks.

Fall always brings loads of produce at my feet waiting to go into the larder. So soup is number one on my list during the harvest time. This one is so good, and will warm you to the bone. We used our freshly harvested potatoes and onions. Wow, talk about amazing.

I tried this recipe from a great blog called Artisan Farmstead Living. Simple and satisfying.

Corn Chowder
Serves 6-8 

To a large soup pot add,
1 bunch of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cups diced potato

Add 1 tablespoon of salt and water to cover simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked, then add 2 cups of corn

While the potatoes are cooking make a white sauce with 1 stick of butter, a half cup of flour and 3 or 4 cups of milk. Add the white sauce to the soup. be careful not to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add diced cooked bacon.  CREDIT: Artisan Farmstead Living 

YUMMY!

Happy Fall Everyone!

I’m so happy with the amount of green beans I’ve been getting! Up North we get early frosts and anything frost tender is hard to grow. We started to do row covers on our raised beds and we planted our potatoes in the French Intensive Raised bed style. The green beans were planted in the ditched area below, and I’m amazed at what a bumper crop we are getting! The potatoes really protected the beans from the frost.

Now that I’m getting bowl after bowl, It’s time to do something with this wonderful harvest. We have three ways we put them up for winter. We pressure can our beans. We pickle our beans ( dilly beans yum!) and we blanch them for the freezer. There you have it!

One of our absolute favorite ways to serve green beans at our table, is to take out the blanched frozen green beans, and add them to a hot pan with about ¼ cup of butter, 1 heaping tablespoons of garlic, and some natural ( no MSG) beef bouillon granules about 1-2 tsp. Put the lid on, turn the heat to medium- ish and don’t forget to stir a couple of times. Cook until just tender. Salt & Pepper. Oh, it’s Greek green bean delight! 

How do you like your green beans?

Scones
2 Cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

½ cup butter

2/3 cup buttermilk

Mix like you would biscuits. Then add your fresh fruit. (For a fun fall scone add cranberries, walnuts, and some orange peel.) Pat into a circle and cut into wedges, separate wedges slightly. Brush with a little egg white and 1 T. milk or cream, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

 I used fresh peaches in the scones this time.

Bake @ 400 degrees for about 15-20 min. Make sure it is cooked thru in the center. Then make some Devonshire and enjoy to the fullest!
 

Devonshire Cream:

1 package cream cheese (8 oz.) 
1/4 C sour cream
6 T powdered sugar 

Beat together until smooth and enjoy.

Happy little girl with worms

Can you guess what we did with these worms?

Yep, we went fishing, or should I say our children went fishing. 

They brought home the bacon, so to speak! Daddy put them on the barbie.

Mommy fried the chips....

Then came the dinner "Fish & Chips". Yummy!  Happy tummies = Happy Children

To barbeque trout: Take a piece of foil and fold in half, so its real sturdy. Slather butter onto it real thick. Take a couple tablespoons of garlic minced and spread over the butter, lay fish over that. Sprinkle a little garlic (minced) on top of the fish, add a little salt and lemon pepper and barbeque 10-15 min @ 350 turn fish over and cook 10-15 min. Fish should look done and flake off easily with fork.

Bread, doughnuts and biscuits. Doesn't that sound comforting ? I consider anything with flour, sugar or honey, butter, olive oil, eggs, salt, soda, yeast or any leavening, basic simple staples that can be turned into good old fashioned food. Here are some of our favorites.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115)
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 T. shortening
2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups unbleached flour


Dissolve yeast in warm water, then stir into the lukewarm water, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and 1 1/4 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Knead for 5 mins. Let rise 1 1/2 hrs. Punch down and braid, now brush with butter and let double (40 mins.) Heat oven to 375. Brush with egg yoke mixture
(1 egg yoke, and 2 T. cold water)  Bake 25-30 mins.

This recipe is so easy to make and yummy my daughter makes it for us often.

This is my friends recipe. I love these doughnut ! The first time I made them they turned out perfect. Great recipe.

Better than Crispy Cream's Doughnuts

1 T Yeast
1 3/4 C lukewarm Water
1/2 C Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/3 C Shortening
5 C Flour

• Dissolve yeast in water.  Add sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups of flour.  Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally.  Stir in remaining flour until smooth
• Cover and let rise until double (50 to 60 minutes)
• Turn dough onto flour surface - coat lightly with flour.  Gently roll dough 1/2" thick with floured rolling pin
• Cut with floured doughnut cutter
• Cover and let rise until double (30 to 40 minutes)
• Heat oil to 350 degrees
• Slide doughnuts into hot oil with a wide spatula
• Turn doughnuts as they rise
• Fry about 1 minute on each side
• Remove from oil
• Dip in glaze or roll
  

Doughnut Glaze

1/3 C Butter
2 C Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
4 - 6 T Hot Water

• Heat butter until melted
• Remove heat
• Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth
• Stir in water, 1 T at a time, until desired consistency

Maple Frosting

1/2 C Butter
3 C Powdered Sugar
2 tsp Maple Flavoring

• Thoroughly cream butter and powdered sugar
• Add maple flavoring
• Beat until spreading consistency