Raspberry Buckle

Every summer my 84 year old next door neighbor sells fresh raspberries from her friend's property in ice cream buckets and Folger's Coffee cans. Being her next door neighbor, I have to buy some. Last year I made Peach Raspberry Jam (which was probably the best jam I have ever had). This year I went with a simple Raspberry Buckle. (This photo was taken before the delicious sugar mixture covered the top.)

Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a go. You can also substitute blueberries if you have a Folger's Coffee can full of them. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 cups raspberries

1/2 flour

1/2 cup sugar

1.2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9x2 inch pan (but also looks quite lovely in a round cake pan). Mix 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder - set aside.

In a medium bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 3/4 cup sugar and beat on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Alternately add milk and flour mixture to egg mixture. Beat until smooth.

Spoon batter into pan. Sprinkle with berries. In another bowl, combine 1/2 flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over berries. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

52 Projects

I have been interested in the 52 Projects series for a while (you can go to the original page by clicking the title of the post) and thought I would try some of them out. Our dear friends Tim and Betony came to visit last weekend and I thought it would be the perfect time to start. Without further ado, here is.........

Project #2

Find a recipe for key lime pie. If you’ve already got a favorite recipe for key lime pie, even better. Make the pie. Take pictures of the pie. Invite some friends over, and take pictures of them eating the pie. Have a friend take a picture of you eating the pie.

Next, get a box and some key limes. Put the limes in the box, along with a handwritten copy of the key lime pie recipe and the pictures that were taken of your key lime pie party. Mail off the box to a friend.

And if you want to have a delicious (yet rich) treat for yourself:

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted
• 2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
• 1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pieshell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using aspatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Max

Max, our little Miniature Schnauzer is gone now. He was a sweet sweet dog that was a part of our family for 13 years. I have pondered why it is that we have pets. Why we poor so much of our time and energy and money into animals. The only conclusion I can come to is that we have an inherent need to care for another living thing and that the affection and devotion they return is something that we yearn for.

They need us and we need them.

I still miss him - I think I always will.

Molasses Magic

Before................................................After

So here is a tip for all of your rusty things you don't want rusty anymore! Turns out that the sugar beet plant that molasses comes from continually collects iron from the ground while in plant form. When the plant is made into the molasses that we know and love today, the atoms in the sugar have not changed and therefore still continue to gobble up the iron that is nearby.

So in short...... the molasses will strip away the unwanted rust from the hummingbird feeder that your grandmother got you on her visit and make it look (mostly) shiny and new. Turns out there is copper under all that rust!

(Pardon the crappy photos..... still don't have a camera, but you get the idea.)

How to: 1 part molasses

9 parts water

mix in a bucket and put outside (covered)

Soak your rusty rusted stuff until rust is eaten off. (This feeder was soaking for about a week and scrubbed with a wire brush.)

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie

This one is from Cindy, but I am not going to risk the chance to not post something this delicious! Enjoy!

100% would make again!

I think the best berries in the world are grown in the Ozarks. We own a small berry farm, and this is one of my favorite recipes. It's delicious served warm. —Elaine Moody, Clever, Missouri

8 Servings

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• Dash salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Pastry for a double-crust pie (9 inches)
• 1 cup halved fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon if desired, salt and water until smooth; add the blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Gently fold the strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and lemon juice into the blueberry mixture. Pour into pastry; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust. Trim, seal and flute edges.
• Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 piece equals 406 calories, 17 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 248 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie published in Country June/July 1992, p47

from TasteofHome.com

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Five star deliciousness. Thought it would be a good one to post after taking a 3 month break! Enjoy!

1 pound chopped fresh broccoli

1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1/4 cup copped onion

3/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp onion power

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 slice bread

olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Cut bread into small cubes and let sit to dry
3. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
4. Saute chicken in olive oil and onion, add spices. Cook until browned.
5. Place the cooked broccoli in small casserole dish. In a bowl, mix the soup and chicken, and pour over the broccoli. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown.