Slapin' Grandma Goodness

While I'm posting recipes, I may as well share this one that I just put together. With the economy in the shape it's in, I figure I better be teaching my kids to love the "old" recipes so that they can be resourceful in years to come, and have quality of life in the midst of hard times. I want them to have the ability to pull together a smashing dinner with very little on hand.

Bread Pudding:

2 cu. milk

1/4 cu. butter

2/3 cu sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cu. bread (I used 1 loaf of Italian bread cut up into 1" cubes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat milk until film forms on top. Add butter. Stir until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Mix sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla well. Put bread in casserole dish. Slowly add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well. Pour over the bread. Bake 45-50 min. Let sit for 10 min. Pour Whiskey Sauce or whipped cream over top and serve.

Whiskey Sauce:

1 1/2 cu. Heavy cream

2 tsp corn starch

2 tbsp. cold water

1/3 cu. sugar

1/3 cu Bourbon (I used Honey Whiskey. Mmmm!!)

Slowly add water to corn starch while stirring until well blended. Set aside. Have sugar measured and handy. Have whiskey handy. Bring cream to boil. Add corn starch mix to cream and whisk constantly. Return to boil. Reduce heat, whisk, and cook for 30 sec. DON'T BURN!!!

Remove from heat. Add sugar and whiskey. Stir until sugar melts. Let cool.

Here are 2 of my favorite Fall recipes.

Enjoy!!!

Layered Pumpkin Bread

Missy posted this recipe last year. I've altered it a bit.

Bread:

1 1/2 cu. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cu. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cu. pumpkin

1/2 cu. canola oil

2 eggs beaten

1/4 cu water

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

nuts (optional)

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts (if you're using them). Beat filling in a separate bowl until well blended. Grease loaf pan well or 4 mini-loaves. Pour half of the batter into pan. Spoon half of the filling mixture evenly over the center of the batter. Cover with remaining pumpkin batter.

Bake 50-60 min. Until straw comes out clean. Turn out of pan. Cool on rack. Serve warm or cold!

Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip

Cookies:
1 1/2 cu. butter, softened
2 cu. sugar
1/2 cu. molasses
4 cu. all-purpose flour
2 eggs
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (or more, if you like)
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
additional sugar

Dip:
1 8oz. block cream cheese softened
1 can pumpkin or pumpkin pie mix (18 oz)
2 cu. confectioners sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Instructions:
Cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add molasses. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Chill (at least 3 hrs.) Shape into 1/2 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Press. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet. I lightly sprayed mine. Bake 6 min. Yield: about 20 doz. *you can store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Dip: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin. Beat well. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat until smooth. Serve with cookies. Yield: 3 cu. * Store in the refrigerator.

I never notice how loud we are around here until it is time to turn on the attic fan, and open the windows.

Grandma's House

We're off to Grandma's in TN this weekend.

Streams In The Desert Devotional

19) Strength From the Sorrow

"Now it came to pass after the death of Moses,
the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spake unto
Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
Moses my servant is dead; now, therefore arise,
go over this Jordan, thou and all this people"
(Joshua 1:1-2).

Sorrow came to you yesterday, and emptied your
home. Your first impulse now is to give up, and
sit down in despair amid the wrecks of your
hopes. But you dare not do it. You are in the
line of battle, and the crisis is at hand. To
falter a moment would be to imperil some holy
interest. Other lives would be harmed by your
pausing, holy interests would suffer, should your
hands be folded. You must not linger even to
indulge your grief.

A distinguished general related this pathetic
incident of his own experience in time of war.
The general's son was a lieutenant of battery. An
assault was in progress. The father was leading
his division in a charge; as he pressed on in the
field, suddenly his eye was caught by the sight
of a dead battery-officer lying just before him.
One glance showed him it was his own son. His
fatherly impulse was to stop beside the loved
form and give vent to his grief, but the duty of
the moment demanded that he should press on in
the charge; so, quickly snatching one hot kiss
from the dead lips, he hastened away, leading his
command in the assault.

Weeping inconsolably beside a grave can never
give back love's banished treasure, nor can any
blessing come out of such sadness. Sorrow makes
deep scars; it writes its record ineffaceably on
the heart which suffers. We really never get over
our great griefs; we are never altogether the
same after we have passed through them as we were
before. Yet there is a humanizing and fertilizing
influence in sorrow which has been rightly
accepted and cheerfully borne. Indeed, they are
poor who have never suffered, and have none of
sorrow's marks upon them. The joy set before us
should shine upon our grief as the sun shines
through the clouds, glorifying them. God has so
ordered, that in pressing on in duty we shall
find the truest, richest comfort for ourselves.
Sitting down to brood over our sorrows, the
darkness deepens about us and creeps into our
heart, and our strength changes to weakness. But,
if we turn away from the gloom, and take up the
tasks and duties to which God calls us, the light
will come again, and we shall grow stronger.
--J. R. Miller

Thou knowest that through our tears
Of hasty, selfish weeping
Comes surer sin, and for our petty fears
Of loss thou hast in keeping
A greater gain than all of which we dreamed;
Thou knowest that in grasping
The bright possessions which so precious seemed
We lose them; but if, clasping
Thy faithful hand, we tread with steadfast feet
The path of thy appointing,
There waits for us a treasury of sweet
Delight, royal anointing
With oil of gladness and of strength.
--Helen Hunt Jackson