German Potato Salad Recipe

My mom made the best German Potato Salad.  She got the recipe below from a friend when we lived in Harbor Beach, Michigan.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

German Potato Salad

from Audrey

Cook 12 potatoes with jackets on.  When cool, peel and slice.

Chop 1 onion and fry with six slices of cut up bacon.

Gravy:  

4T. sugar

4T. flour

2T. salt

4T. vinegar

1 and 1/2 cup boiling water

1T. oleo or bacon grease

Blend dry ingredients and make paste by adding vinegar.  Add this to the boiling water and oleo/bacon grease.

Cook until smooth.  Combine potatoes and gravy.  Heat only until potatoes are warm.  Sprinkle top with parsley and paprika.

My memory of my mother's bacon grease container.

My thoughts:  Who remembers having a jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator?  I do.  My mother had one, it was a brown ceramic crock with a metal snap lid.  It was recycled and it originally came with cheese spread.  I had a bacon grease container when we were first married, but I kept mine in a jar.

I rarely cook bacon now, and do not keep the grease.  For this recipe you would use the grease from the fried bacon.  Oleo is oleo-margarine or margarine as we know it today. I think using bacon grease adds to the flavor of the dish.

You may think 2T. is a lot of salt and it is, but remember you have 12 potatoes and they need salt.

I remember my mom making German potato salad at New Year's Eve and in the fall. I was lucky enough to be able to take leftover German potato salad back to college with me my sophomore year, after Christmas break. I think it was gone the first night I got back to college, it was that good.

Blueberry Pie -Family Recipe Friday

Blueberry season is winding down here in Michigan.  I bought 40 pounds this year.  I shared a few, froze about 2/3 of them, baked a pie, and ate a lot of them.  There is nothing like fresh blueberries in your Cheerios.

I am more of a cream pie lover, but when blueberry season rolls around I am all for fresh blueberry pie.  The recipe I use is from Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook.  My cookbook is so well loved that I can't find the copyright page.  I received it as a bridal shower gift in 1981.

Blueberry Pie

Prepare pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie.  Combine 4 cups fresh blueberries with 3/4 to 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg, and dash salt.  Line 9-inch pie plate with pastry.  Fill. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon lemon juice; dot with 1 tablespoon butter.  Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam.  Seal.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm.

Notes:  I make my own pie crust, usually.  I like a firmer filling so I add 2 teaspoons cornstarch with the flour.  I add the cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.

Making Date Swirls While in Labor: Family Recipe Friday

 The cooked filling for date swirls.

Cooling and waiting to be eaten.

One of my favorite home baked cookies is Date Swirls.  I remember my mother making these.  My favorite memory of my making them is the day my daughter, Kirsten, was born.  I had put the cookies in the refrigerator the night before.  I went into labor about 4:30 a.m the next morning and I had to bake my cookies before I went to the hospital!  So, I baked them.  My husband couldn't believe it as my contractions were five minutes apart.  No worries, I didn't deliver Kirsten until about 10 hours later.  They are great eaten while they are still warm.  MMMMMM!  Enjoy!

Date Swirls

Filling:

1/2 lb. of dates

1t. lemon juice

1/3 c. water

1/4 c. sugar

Cook together five minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1/2c. chopped nuts.  Let cool.

Dough

1/2 c. oleo (margarine)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1egg

2 cups flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

Combine ingredients.  Beat well.  Roll dough about 1/4"thick.  Spread dough with cooled date nut mixture.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Wrap in wax paper.  Leave in refrigerator overnight.  Slice and bake at 350 degrees, until lightly browned on bottom about 12 minutes.

Church Window Cookies-Family Recipe Friday

Church Window Cookies

12 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick margarine
1-10 ½ ounce bag colored marshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1-7 ounce package shredded coconut

Melt chocolate chips and butter, stirring to prevent burning.  Let cool enough so marshmallows don’t melt.  Add nuts and marshmallows. 

Divide into two portions on wax paper.  Spread with coconut.  Roll on wax paper to form rolls.  Each roll will be about 14 inches.

Store rolls in refrigerator until cold and set.

Slice as needed.

Thanksgiving-52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 48:  Thanksgiving.  What was on your family's Thanksgiving table?  Do you serve the same dishes now as your family served in the past.

Thanksgiving was a celebration of food in my family.  Roasted Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, 24 Hour Salad, Rolls, and Pie are my memories of childhood Thanksgiving's.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

This year for Thanksgiving the menu was very similar to the above except I substituted brussel sprouts for the sweet potatoes, substituted strawberry salad for the 24 Hour Salad and added green bean casserole to the menu.

Here is Mom's 24 Hour Salad Recipe: 

2 eggs
4T. lemon juice
4T. sugar
2T. butter

Beat eggs in small pan over low heat along with lemon juice, and sugar.  Stir constantly until thick and smooth.  Remove from heat, add butter, and cool.  When cold, fold into 1/2 pint of whipping cream, whipped.  Add:

2 cups oranges, cut up
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 cups small marshmallows
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

Store in refrigerator overnight. 

Just Like Mom Use to Make: Pasties

Pasties (pronounced pass-tees) are Cornish in origin and have found their way to the United States, especially the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Miners use to take these pockets of goodness for their lunch.  The U.P. was rich in copper and iron ore in the late 1800's and early 1900's.   My dad is a big fan of pasties and can remember visiting his grandparents, David and Katherine Watt, in Marquette, Michigan and having pasties. 

Enjoying pasties at Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Michigan

Mom, Kirk, and Dad, Summer 2009

I knew of my dad's love for pasties and decided to make some for his birthday this year.  I got my mom's recipe out and knew I couldn't make it just like mom use to.  First of all, where do you find suet?  I haven't had bacon grease in my house in years.  Here is my mom's original recipe and my adaption of it below.

Pasties

Mix:
2 cups grated suet
3 cups flour
1 cup water
4 T. bacon drippings
Form as you would for pie dough.

Filling: potatoes, rutabaga, meat, onion, salt and pepper.

Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Now, luckily I am enough of a cook that I could adapt this recipe to make them heart healthier.  I used my regular pie crust recipe, it is a little dryer than the one above, but tasted good.  I made three double crust recipes for about 12 pasties.

I used 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 carrots, 1 rutabaga,

and 1 pound top round steak.  Dice all.  Mix in large bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out pie crust to 8 inch round.  Put one heaping cup of filling on one side of dough.  Top the filling with one pat of butter or margarine.  Gently fold pastry over filling.  Seal edges, I used a fork.  Place on cookie sheet.  Make two to three small slits on top.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. 

Our family likes them plain.  I have seen them served with ketchup, gravy and even butter. 

Just Like Mom Use To Make: Banana Nut Cake

As a child my mom would always let me choose what kind of cake I would like for my birthday and nine times out of ten I would say banana. Even when I was in high school I remember having banana birthday cakes. I love banana cake, banana cream pie, banana bread, and just about anything made with bananas!

My favorite banana cake is moist and tender. The caramel frosting is sweet and the perfect compliment to the banana cake. Here is the recipe:

Banana Nut Cake
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (crisco)
3 large ripe bananas, crushed
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs, then crushed bananas.  Mix well.  Mix flour, soda, and salt together.  Fold into banana mixture.  Add nuts and vanilla.  Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool before frosting.

Caramel Frosting
Melt 1/2 cup butter.
Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add 1/4 cup milk and continue to cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.
Remove from heat.  Cool.
Add 1 3/4 -2 cups sifted confectioners sugar gradually until right consistency to spread.

Enjoy!  and thanks Mom!