A Deliciously Sweet and Bubbly Day

I think punch is the quintessential party beverage. Deliciously sweet and bubbly. Saturated with fruit juice and effervescent soda. Sometimes spiked with vodka or champagne or ice cream. Even its name has energy. . . PUNCH! Punch seems like a mini party in a little glass.
Mom didn't often serve punch. Usually it was reserved for bridal and baby showers, but Jim's upcoming family reunion in Arlington Heights, Illinois seemed like a perfect occasion to mix up a batch. Mom's collection of recipes offered many choices. I immediately disregarded any recipe with ice cream (too messy) or booze (too many kids around the punch bowl). One of her recipes lists "a large ice block" in the ingredients. The ice is not chipped or formed into a pretty mold. The punch is simply poured over the block. That recipe went into the "NO" pile. This recipe calls for 1/2 bottle of Vodka. REALLY? Notice it makes "1 punching bowl". I can't help but wonder if the author was sampling punch when she wrote this recipe for Mom. I chose to make is a beautiful recipe from Mom's dear friend, Eloise Lindem. This was the punch "Auntie" Eloise served when she hosted my bridal shower.

Our party gathered on a perfect summer's afternoon at the home of Jim's niece, Cheryl, and her family. Jim's two sisters, his brother, their spouses and most of the children and grandchildren relaxed under the shade of a honey locus tree. For hours we sipped punch, ate barbecue, and feasted on peanut squares (Mom T's recipe) and brownies. Little cousins romped in the bouncy house until they were exhausted. Teen cousins wandered through the park and later had deep conversations in the family room. Some grandchildren developed their entrepreneurial talents by selling rocks found in the neighbor's yard. The best bargain was Andrew's offerings for 1 cent. The most expensive were Max's river rocks for $1.00. Many grandmother and aunts went home with heavy purses! We all cooed over the new baby and toasted the parents of this beautiful family, Byron and Helen, both long gone but with us always. Mostly we talked and laughed and counted our blessings as a family.

Next year we'll gather again, this time at our home, to celebrate Byron's 100th birthday. I don't know if there will be new family members, or if we'll have punch. I am sure we'll laugh and reminisce and celebrate being a family. After the party is over, we'll be left with deliciously sweet and bubbly memories of a perfect afternoon spent with those we love.
Love to you all,
Patti

Pink Flamingo Fluff

"It's very pink", our friend, Jeff, observed when I unveiled this dessert.
We'd been invited to Chris and Jeff's home for dinner. I always try to bring something I know they love like Peach Cobbler or Blueberry Pie, or my historic Pound Cake. This strawberry dessert was a real departure from my typical homemade bakery, but I knew they'd get a kick out of being part of this experiment.

Mom collected three versions of this recipe. Could three recipes lead me astray? One called for mixing the gelatin with orange juice. Another recommended chilling it in a mold, then turning it out and frosting with 1/2 pint of whipped cream.
I selected this recipe because it was handwritten by my Mom. "Mix strawberries and juice w/small marshmallows," is a bit obscure. What strawberries? Did she mean Jello juice? How many marshmallows? I decided to mash 1/2 cup fresh strawberries with juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 Tab. sugar. One cup of marshmallows seemed about right. I didn't have enough whipped cream to mold the dessert and frost it, so I settled on using Mom's big crystal bowl. I imagine many of you remember it filled with melon balls or 7 cup salad (more on that recipe another day!)

After dinner, the four of us faced our servings of what I called Pink Flamingo Fluff. The electric pink color was a bit alarming and a sure sign that few ingredients found in nature graced the dessert. Our friends were real sports. "It's very light", said Chris. Jeff chimed in, "and very airy." By that point I was laughing so hard I was in danger of wearing Pink Flamingo Fluff!

Really, it was a fine retro dessert. Pink Flaming Fluff tastes a bit like a silly strawberry shortcake. The kids loved it!

How thankful I am for dear friends who can share a laugh over a light, airy, fluffy, pink dessert. Next time, I'll bring Pound Cake!

Love to you all,
Patti

The Gift of Cake

My childhood summers and Christmases were spent with Mom's family in her hometown of Davisboro Ga. Her sisters and their families would gather with us at Grama's home. What wonderful memories I have of barefoot summers, and cousins in matching red Christmas pajamas, and Grama's house stuffed and overflowing with family; memories of making biscuits, and learning to drive, and slicing thick slabs of cake from the bounty that filled the dining room sideboard. I can still see the parade of great aunts and distant cousins stopping by with gifts of cake.

There was always Pound Cake. I love Pound Cake. So did Mom. Maybe that's why her recipe collection is filled with Pound Cake recipes. This recipe is from my Great Aunt Sara and was often one of the offerings on the sideboard. When I found the recipe I couldn't remember it, but after baking it, the crisp lemon flavor brought me right back to my barefoot childhood.

My friend, Allison, who is about to enter 8th grade, wondered how I would choose which Pound Cake recipe to bake. She pondered if I'd make all the cakes in the collection, or select a few. Last week I had lunch with Allison's mother, my dear friend Kris. We talked about the possibilities. I selected this recipe because the lemon is unique in the collection and because of my Aunt Sara's beautiful script. You'll notice there are no baking directions. I beat together butter (not Crisco) and sugar until light, then added the remaining ingredients. Using a buttered and floured loaf pan, I baked the cake at 350 for 1 hr and 15 min. Next time I'll bake it for an extra 5 minutes or so.

After my family sampled the cake, I wrapped up the remainder and brought it to Allison. I was stunned over how she had grown the past year. She's becoming a beautiful young lady. I could almost hear the voices of my great aunts when they arrived at Grama's house on those long ago hot summer's days with gifts of cake. Aunts and distant cousins exclaiming, " I can't Believe how big you've grown. You were just a little girl last time I saw you!" "You're such a young lady, just like you're Mama when she was your age." It made me smile, then and now.

I hope Allison and her family enjoyed their treat as much as I enjoyed baking it. Now I understand the joy that comes from arriving at someone's home on a hot summer's day with a gift of golden cake.

Coconut Sheet Cake

Yesterday, Jim and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. I decided the special occasion deserved a special dessert. Coconut Sheet Cake beckoned me. When I served it after dinner, all conversation stopped. The tender, sweet cake stunned us with its seductive blend of cream cheese, sour cream, cream of coconut, and sweetened coconut.

Amelia asked me not to print the recipe on-line as she believes it's prize worthy. For years, she's wanted me to open a restaurant. We even have a name picked out, The Hummingbird Cafe. Of course we would offer this delight of a dessert ($4.50 a slice declares Amelia). We could even make it into wedding cake. It's a beautiful fantasy and high praise from my teenage daughter.

As Amelia was beating the cream cheese frosting, I remembered Mom making beautiful sandwich loaf filled with layers of pimento cheese, olive nut, and chicken salad then frosted with savory cream cheese and decorated with fresh flowers from the garden. Mom made this for "Silver Tray" occasions like bridal showers or birthdays. You know, the times worthy of polishing your silver. Amelia and I decided to create our own "Silver Tray" occasion and host a tea for her friends. I'd love a menu of ladies sandwiches, cheese straws and petit fours. Of course I'll keep you posted and remember to take pictures!

By the way, I'll gladly share this recipe with anyone I love. That includes my dear friends as well as family.

Love to you all,
Patti

Crumbling paper is everywhere. Pages disintegrated the moment I began leafing through Mom's book, and tattered bits have somehow found their way through my entire home. Thankfully, the loose recipes are in somewhat better condition than the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book.

I estimate Mom collected close to a thousand loose recipes in her book. Some are neatly written on recipe cards, but many are scribbled on bits of scrap paper and check book deposit receipts, copied using archaic transfer papers I've never seen before, clipped from extinct publications, and soaked from vinegar bottles. There's even one written on the back of a quote from our wedding photographer ($298.00 for the entire package).

It's a wild bundle of paper. Recipes that read more like grocery lists than a set of instructions often end with the command "Bake!" or "Marinade!" Yes, Mom, I will Bake! and Fry! and Marinade! and possibly even Stew! But first, I must sort!

I decided to group recipes into categories that made sense to me and began creating piles on my kitchen table. My categories include Cookies, Candy, Cakes and Frosting, Miscellaneous Desserts, Pie, Breakfast Items, Entrees, Hot Dish, Side Dishes, Salads, Pickles and Jams Appetizers, Breads, Product Cards with multiple recipes, What In The World (more on this category later!) I realize there was a certain mania to mom's recipe collection. So far I've counted 7 Pound Cake recipes,12 Croquette recipes, 15 Punch recipes and numerous variations of Salisbury steak and puffed pancakes. I'm charmed at her quest for the perfect amalgamation of butter and eggs or Hawaiian Punch and ginger ale. I can hear her say, "You just never know, Patti" as she copied another variation of Yeast Rolls from a television cooking show. I still don't know what I'll "just never know", but I find myself saying the same thing to Amelia when the conversation is over and I no longer feel the need to justify my actions.

I've had to carefully place the cook book and a large stack recipes back on my shelf. They're too fragile to handle, and I'd like to save some surprises for myself.

Tomorrow, I'll cook. Today, I'll dream of cardamom, and butternut squash, and croquettes fried until they are "Handsomely Brown."

Love to you all,
Patti

Chicken & Rice Salad or Don't Throw Off The Recipe

One of the first times I cooked with my in-laws to be, Jim's dad admonished me by saying, "Don't throw off the recipe," when I tried to "tweek" his chili. Really, it was thoughtless of me to suggest that his recipe needed a pinch of brown sugar or a dash of hot sauce. I have to chuckle because I'm still "tweeking" recipes. . . all recipes.

This lovely salad recipe was written by Jim's mom (I'll call her Mom T from now on). An offering from both my mothers, the one who gave birth to me and the one who welcomed me when I fell in love with her son. What a perfect choice for my first food blog.

Here's where it gets tricky. This is perfectly lovely recipe on its own. Jim declared it to be something our mothers would serve at a ladies lunch. I agree, but I couldn't leave it alone. I added a handful of sliced kalamata olives and some sliced almonds and a bit of black pepper. I think it punched the salad up a bit. Next time, I'll skip the olives and add dried cranberries or fresh sliced green grapes. I believe cooking is where our artistic selves have a chance to shine. With quality ingredients and a bit of love and faith, how can you go wrong!

Dad T finally accepted that I was not a "follow the recipe" kind of cook (neither was my mother). I have many fond memories with my father in law in the kitchen and around his generous table. After all, a bit of brown sugar in the chili sweetens the entire meal.
Love to you all,
Patti

I've Enabled Comments

Dear Readers,
If you've had trouble posting comments, please try again. This is all new to me, and I just figured out how to enable comments for everyone.

I'm trying a salad recipe tonight. Will let you know how it goes!