Countdown to Thanksgiving

We're beginning the Thanksgiving season with a well-worn page from Grammy's cookbook.

Two tips that Grammy would like to pass along, to make your pie even better:
1) Use 2 different varieties of apples for better flavor.
2) There is no shame in using the premade pie crust.


APPLE PIE
Pie crust
6 tart apples, cored and sliced
2 ts flour
1 cup sugar
1 ts lemon juice
1/2 ts cinnamon
1/4 ts nutmeg
2 TB butter

-Sprinkle flour over bottom of pie plate, place crust over and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
-Arrange apples on pie crust and sprinkle with lemon juice.
-Mix remaining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; sprinkle over apples.
-Dot with butter; cover with top pie crust.
-Bake at 425 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread and Autumn Gold Cake

2 for 1 today! These two recipes are brought to us by the Del Monte Kitchens (in much the same way tuna casseroles are brought to us by Campbells soup).

Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 16 oz can (Del Monte) Pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

-Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin, and mix well.
-Sift together dry ingredients, and mix in with water and wet ingredients.
-Pour into well greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60 to 90 min.

Autumn Gold Cake
1 pkg orange flavored cake mix
1 16 oz can (Del Monte) Pumpkin
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup whipped cream
dash of nutmeg

-Combine cake mix, pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs and pumpkin pie spice, and beat for 4 minutes.
-Pour into greased cake pan, bake at 350 for 45 min.
-Serve topped with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.

Baked Squash Pudding

This recipe calls for a Hubbard squash... and I didn't know what that was. After a quick Google search, I've attached a photo of one below.
It also calls for "top milk"... but I'll let you Google that one yourself.


Baked Squash Pudding

1 1/4 cups cooked Hubbard squash
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 ts salt
1/4 ts cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cup top milk

- Strain squash, then mix with sugar, molasses, salt and cinnamon.
- Beat in eggs, add milk and mix.
- Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes.

We're back!

Pardon the hiatus -- I went on a long overdue vacation to visit Emily in her new home in London. She's doing well, adjusting to drinking tea at work, saying British things like "I haven't topped up my mobile phone," etc. Here's a mediocre photo of us at Stonehenge:

Admittedly, we've both looked better. I'm posting this because Grammy Gertie is a bit of a Stonehenge enthusiast, and I thought she's be amused.

We're getting into the fall harvest season, so it's time to post some new recipes. Onwards!

Who are these people?

Yesterday, we paid a visit to Grammy Gertie out in Western MA. She's doing well and sends her regards.
Grammy Gertie, whenever she came across something delicious, would ask her friends for their recipes. I had asked about some reoccurring names that appear on the cards. Here are a few of those people:

In the immediate family, we have her children, Kit and James. James married Ellen (you see her name appear on some of the recipes).
More extended, we have Grandma Beal, Grammy's maternal grandmother (and my Great Great Grandmother). Grandma Beal taught Grammy how to make butter and weave on the rug loom. Grandma Beal also made coconut oatmeal cookies.

Edna Hall - was a librarian in Pittsfield, and her husband was an apprentice at GE at the same time as Grampy Chuck. Grammy met her in 1942.
Edna's Chicken recipe.
Edna's Seafood Casserole recipe.

Dorothy Politis - childhood and Smith College friend of Edna Hall. She taught school in Pittsfield and married a chiropractor named Alex.
Dot's Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe.

Dorcus Lamson - her husband worked at GE with Grampy Chuck.
Here is Dorcus's fruit and marshmallow salad recipe.

Jean O'Brien - her husband and Grampy were in rotary together. She and Grammy were foodies in the Berkshires together, visiting as many restaurants as they could. The O'Briens used to invite us grandkids over to swim in their pool.
Jean's Hot Chicken Salad recipe.
Jean's Punch recipe (contains alcohol).

Hurricanes & Peach Pie

My local farmer's market had a Hurricane Irene special on peaches this week: "Buy them now, before they blow off the trees." Today, the storm hit. We're all fine, but going a little stir crazy being trapped in the house all weekend.

I decided to test out Grammy's Peach Pie recipe. It came out delicious!


Here's the link to Grammy Gertie's Peach Pie recipe.

Concord Grape Pie

Grammy Gertie told me recently that she and her friends in Pittsfield will be making Concord Grape Pie as a cooking demonstration. They're waiting for the Concord Grapes to come into season, which should be soon.

Here's the recipe so that the rest of us can cook along:

Concord Grape Pie

4 cups concord grapes
1 cup sugar
3 TB flour
1/8 tsp salt
pie crust

-Slip the skins off of grapes.
-Heat grape pulp to boiling, then press through a sieve/strainer to remove the seeds.
-Add grape skins back along with sugar, flour and salt... and...
(technically difficulties -- we're missing the other side of the card!)

-Pour mixture into pie crust, top, and bake for... I'm going to say 350 degrees for 60 min
(but let me confirm that with Grammy)