Grape Sherbet

GRAPE SHERBET

During the hot and humid (and often very dry) days of August garden work slows down outside but continues inside with canning.  It is while working over a hot stove and keeping jars filled to can that I am most thankful for central air.  Years ago when I was younger and my children small we had a large window unit to try and combat the summer heat that never could keep up with the canning season.  By the end of the day the last thing I wanted to do was cook supper after working at the sweltering stove all day so I’d often pack sandwiches and our family would head down to the nearby park to try and cool off.  Sometimes I would grill hot dogs or hamburgers for supper on our small grill in the front lawn under the largest tree- before grilling outdoors became fashionable- just to get out of the hot kitchen. Today with central air, I’ll take a break from canning in the afternoon indoors and enjoy an ice cream cone- something the younger generation takes for granted.  Growing up ice cream cones and homemade ice cream was a rare treat.

I’ve always loved the taste of sherbet fascinated by its rainbow array of colors and flavors.  To my dismay this summer I noticed that sherbet was nowhere to be found in the ice cream frozen section of the stores.  I don’t know if the demand for sherbet has decreased until the managers have decided not to stock it anymore or what. So I was quite delighted while organizing my pile of recipes to try one hot afternoon to discover an article and recipe on how to make sherbet. I couldn’t believe how simple sherbet is to prepare.  All it takes is fruit juice and a simple syrup water combination that you freeze together. I had just harvested and made grape juice earlier in the week and had some juice left over after make grape jelly.  Even though grape juice wasn’t listed in the fruits (I can’t imagine how it was left out considering all the fruits you’d first think of like strawberry, blueberry, orange etc they had grapefruit, watermelon, and even tea) I decide to make some Grape Sherbet.  My Grape Sherbet was absolutely delicious and turned out perfect.  Talk about a classy desert! Needless to say I am hooked on making sherbet.

GRAPE SHERBET

2 c grape juice or any other fruit you desire that is pureed and chilled

2 c simple sugar syrup

Combine the juice and syrup together with a Wisk. To make sure the mixture has the right density drop an egg into the mixture (I washed the egg first) and submerge it completely.  If the egg floats to the top with only part of the shell showing about the size of a quarter the mixture is ready to freeze.  If the egg doesn’t float add more sugar syrup.  If too much egg is exposed add more juice.  Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze like you would ice cream.  The finished sherbet should be smooth and thick. Freeze 2 hrs or overnight before serving.

Tip:  To make a simple sugar syrup bring to a boil equal amounts of water and sugar (like 2 c of sugar and 2c of water) and then let cool!

FOURTH OF JULY NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE

 

FOURTH OF JULY NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE

The older a person gets the more they become aware of how much they act and sound like their parents.  Often the things that drove us crazy about our mother or father, or embarrassed us as a teenager until we’d say, “I’m never going to do that,” comes back to haunt us in our adulthood when we find ourselves doing and saying the very thing we were positive we’d never do. I’ve discovered as a grandmother that the mannerism and habits we have inherited bring fond memories to cherish. One of my dad’s Dutch sayings when something went wrong or he got exasperated at something was- with a shake of his head, “If that isn’t the berries.”  Without realizing it (only to be brought to my attention by my one of the family members in amusement) I’ve found myself saying, “If that isn’t the berries,” myself.  Life has a way of bringing things in a full circle.  Hopefully one of these days my grand-kids will continue to carry on our Dutch family’s sayings.

This year for the 4^th of July celebration, I made a special dessert I discovered while going through my pile of recipes to try and tweaked that was an instant hit with my family.  The month of July is always hot and humid and the last thing one wants to do is spend hours in the kitchen baking and cooking.  My luscious Fourth of July No-bake Cheesecake is a perfect dessert for summer with its light, cool, creamy, and fruity texture.  The colorful red, white, and blue Fourth of July No-bake Cheesecake will add the finale to your festivities all summer long. You can mix match fresh fruit to the Fourth of July No-bake Cheesecake. And finally, what cook can resist a no-fail dessert that only takes around fifteen minutes to prepare?

 FOURTH OF JULY NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE

12 graham crackers crumbled (about 2 c)

4 pkg cream cheese

1 c sugar

1 (8 oz) cool whip

1 c fresh strawberries sliced

1 c blueberries

Put the crumbled graham crackers in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip until smooth. Fold in the strawberries and blueberries leaving a few for garnishing.  Pour over the graham cracker layer and chill for 4-6 hours until firm. Serves sixteen.

Tip:  Here is an excellent recipe for fruit toppings to use in multiple desserts. 2 c of fresh fruit, (blueberries, raspberries, etc.) ½ c sugar, 2 tb cornstarch, and 1 c water. Bring to a boil the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Add the fruit and cook until thickened and

Pumpkin Trifle

Pumpkin Trifle
Dorcas Annette Walker

November is the month where I focus on counting my many blessings that have been bestowed upon me and my family. Despite our country’s economic and political woes there is still much to be thankful for. This year the top of our family’s appreciative list is my husband. As most of you know that read my column, Dana, suffered a heart attack and open four by-pass heart surgery the first of April. Since then my husband has been in and out of hospitals due to chronic lung problems as well as being a severe diabetic. He also has suffered mini strokes affecting his short term memory. There have been constant doctor visits, filling out stacks of paperwork, and endless phone calls to the state, social security, and disability office. Even with stressful days when Dana’s health took a nosedive, juggling our sudden drop in finances, and having to take over the leadership in our family we are very grateful to have Dana still with us. This holiday season will be extra meaningful for our family.

Like my grandmother always said there is a silver lining to every dark cloud in life and a rainbow of blessings if one will look for it. Our rainbow with Dana’s health issues has been getting to know so many caring and wonderful nurses. From the many ER nurses and cardiac staff to the cardio rehab team each one has spread a touch of brightness with individual rays of color into our lives. Knowing that they will be there day or night, week days and weekends, if needed is such a support. Our lives have been greatly enriched with their cheerful smiles and words of encouragement these past months every time we have come into contact. To each nurse that has had a part in caring for my husband we send a big hug and grateful thank you!

For Dana’s birthday, I decided to make a Pumpkin Trifle substituting Splenda for sugar in the pumpkin bread and using sugar-free pudding and caramel. You can add nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips to the pumpkin bread and even replace the pumpkin with sweet potato. Either way the Pumpkin Trifle makes an elegant holiday dessert. Preparation time for my Pumpkin Trifle is ten minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves eight.

Pumpkin Trifle

8 slices of pumpkin bread
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding
4 c cold milk
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip
caramel topping
chopped pecans or walnuts

Cut bread slices into cubes and make up the pudding as directed. In individual dessert dishes or one large glass bowl divide and layer the pudding, bread cubes, cool whip, and warmed caramel topping twice. Finishing by garnishing with chopped nuts.

Pumpkin Bread

2 c sugar
½ c cooking oil
2 eggs
2 c mashed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 c self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg, ginger, allspice & ground cloves

In a large bowl beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add the flour and spices mixing well. Divide the batter and pour into two greased loaf pans baking at 350º for 1 hr.

Weekly tip: To make homemade pumpkin cut the pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds, and bake at 350º for one hour in the middle of the oven to soften the skin. Let cool, peel, and cut into chunks. Put into a Crockpot covering the bottom with water, cover, and cook on high for five hours then low for five hours. Let drain for a couple of hours and then freeze or can in pints!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Double Strawberry Delight

Double Strawberry Delight
Dorcas Annette Walker

Ever since I was a small girl and planted my first wild strawberry plant in a sty foam cup placing it on my sunny bedroom windowsill, I have been enchanted with strawberries. Each day after school the first thing I did was to check on was my strawberry plant talking to the green leaves and making sure to keep it watered when the soil dried out. I still remember the excitement of seeing tiny berries form and slowly redden after the white flowers had died. My mother was quite impressed with my green thumb as every plant died on her. In fact that tiny plant became the conservation piece of our household. It was triumph indeed when my father actually came to my bedroom to see my strawberry plant. The day I harvested tiny strawberries and shared them with my family clinched my fascination with plants. From one strawberry plant on my windowsill my love of living green things grew to covering every available space in my house with plants as a young housewife until my husband complained that we lived in a jungle. Today the lure of seeing things grow has stretched outside to several gardens that I delight to work in.

Early this spring, Dana built a wooden fence to protect my newest flower garden in front of our woods where we keep my two German Shepherds. At one end of my garden is a steep hill where I planted several strawberry plants that thrived and produced strawberries. It was delightful to go out first thing each morning and see which strawberries were ripe. So you can imagine my shock when one morning I discovered that my two “wolfies” had jumped the wooden fence and dug out several of my strawberry plants killing them. I loudly scolded Shep and Natasha severely wagging my finger threatening in front of their long black noses telling both what bad dogs they were for getting into my strawberry patch. Even though they whimpered and apologized by licking my hand to reassure me that they had learned their lesson, I decided to take no chances on further raids in my garden and had Dana run electric wire around the fence. Some folk might claim that strawberries and German Shepherds don’t mix, but I am determined to have a patch of strawberries regardless of having German Shepherds in the same area.

My Double Strawberry Delight is an excellent simple light summer dessert with fresh strawberries, angel food cake, and cool whip. You can substitute other fruit in season like peaches or raspberries coordinating the jello as well. The Double Strawberry Delight is a colorful dessert that also can be served year round using canned or frozen fruit. Preparation time for my Double Strawberry Delight is fifteen minutes (not counting baking or cooling time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Double Strawberry Delight

1 angel food cake mix
1 (3 oz) box of strawberry jello
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip
1 lb fresh strawberries

Prepare the angel food cake mix according to the directions folding in the strawberry jello before baking. Tear the cooled cake in half placing bite-size pieces in the bottom of a glass dessert bowl. Layer half of the cool whip on top. Hull and slice half of the strawberries on top of the cool whip. Repeat using the rest of the cake, cool whip, and strawberries. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: Strawberries do not ripen after harvest so choose ripe strawberries. Medium to small berries usually taste better than large ones. Use strawberries as soon as possible, but leave the caps/stems on and do not wash the strawberries until ready to use. You can store strawberries in the refrigerator for several days if you layer them with paper towels!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff
Dorcas Annette Walker

This month I am sharing some summery dessert recipes that I am experimenting with myself. So welcome to my air conditioned kitchen as we mix together some ingredients to help beat the heat. Right now a lot of fresh fruit is in season and can be bought at a low price making it not only healthy for your family, but economical as well. Last night I served this week’s masterpiece and as we taste tested it, we were tossing names around that would aptly describe this fruity dessert. My son, Dwight, came up with the winning title: Triple Layer Fruit Fluff. Normally Dwight is rather picky about eating fruit so I wasn’t sure how he would like a bunch of fruit all mixed up together, but he was quite enthusiastic over my Triple Layer Fruit Fluff.

It used to be that when making an Angel Food Cake cooks had to save up a dozen eggs first. Now-a-days you can whip up an Angel Food Cake with a box mix or buy one already made. Speaking of eggs, I was quite excited to find the first egg laid by the chicks we bought and raised this spring. The way they gobble up the food and scraps I throw them these past months have turned them all into fat hens. Lately I’ve been given them broad hints about laying eggs as the reason for their feathery existence in my hen house. I’m reserving dark threats about wringing their necks and putting them in the pot for any laggards that show up in the flock. So I was quite pleased to discover a few bright ones (my Cornish Rock hens) amidst my mixed group of chickens that decided to start laying. The way I lavishly praise the sight of an egg, you’d think that there would be a mad rush of hens to sit on the nests and lay eggs, but unfortunately chickens are a bit bird witted at times. It was a sad day about a month ago when my huge majestic rooster (about the size of a small turkey) suddenly died. I miss his loud crow early in the morning, although my large white ducks- Daffy Duck, Quack Quack, and Snow Queen- do their best to fill in the gap. Whenever I stick my head out the back door it is amazing the racket those ducks make trying to get my attention. We bought a small plastic kiddie pool that we keep filled with water in the chicken yard, which the ducks enjoy splashing around in. Romeo, my male Mallard duck’s head is turning a gorgeous shade of green while his feathers are starting to sport brilliant colors. Sweet Juliet looks rather drab blending in with the dirt where you usually find her sitting contently while her mate struts around the pen.

My Triple Layer Fruit Fluff is a light fruity rainbow dessert, easy to make, using fruit, angel food cake, and cool whip that looks elegant in a glass dish. You can mix match all kinds of fresh fruit and substitute the cool whip for vanilla ice cream if you prefer to turn the Triple Layer Fruit Fluff into a frozen dessert. I used sugar-free jello for my diabetic husband. Preparation time for my Triple Layer Fruit Fluff takes around thirty minutes and this recipe serves fifteen.

Triple Layer Fruit Fluff

1 angel food cake
1 pkg (3 oz) of strawberry, lime, and orange jello
1 (10 oz) can Mandarin oranges drained
2 c blueberries
2 c strawberries- hulled and cut into pieces
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip

Divide the angel food cake into thirds and tear into bite-size pieces in three medium bowls. Sprinkle a box of jello over each bowl and toss with a fork until well coated. In the bottom of a glass dish place the orange cake pieces, layer with Mandarin oranges, and cover with cool whip. Repeat with the lime cake pieces and blueberries covering with cool whip, and then the strawberry cake pieces and strawberries covering with cool whip. Garnish with slices of fruit. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: Crushing strawberries and adding sugar before freezing in zip lock bags gives the strawberries a fresher taste when thawed, saves space in your freezer, and makes an instant filling for pies or shortcake!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

August is the hot humid month of summer when outdoor temperatures soar. Now-a-days the month of August is also the start of another school year. Each year school is moved up into what we used to consider summer vacation time. Of course back then we didn’t have air conditioning only open windows and fans stirring the hot air as we sweltered in the heat trying to get our minds focused on textbooks once again. I’m very thankful today for modern conveniences such as central air during these hot summer days. This week I made up a Strawberry Ice Cream Cake; an ideal summer dessert.

Aluminum foil is a widely used household item for wrapping food, grilling, crafts, etc. The earliest production of aluminum foil was in France about 1903. Commercial foil was made from a thin leaf of tin in 1910 at a Switzerland plant near the foot of the Rhine Falls that used water energy to produce aluminum since 1886. This foil was pliable and easily bent or wrapped around objects. Here are some aluminum and tinfoil facts:

- Tinfoil is stiffer than aluminum foil.

- Aluminum is prepared in thin metal leaves.

- Tinfoil is fragile and sometimes laminated to plastics or paper.

- In the United States the commercial production of aluminum foil began in 1913.

- Aluminum foil supplanted tin foil in the mid 20th century.

- World War II established aluminum foil as a major packaging material.

- In North America aluminum foil is also called Reynolds Wrap after Reynolds Metals- the leading manufacturer in the USA.

- In 2003 the annual production of aluminum foil was approximately 666,000 tons.

- Aluminum foil is extremely durable and is 100 percent recyclable.

- Americans throw away around three pounds of aluminum foil annually.

- It takes roughly 400 years for aluminum to break down naturally in a landfill.

- Recycled aluminum takes 95 percent less energy to produce aluminum.

My Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is a light sweet summer dessert containing rich creamy strawberry ice cream with a crunchy graham/chocolate cookie base surrounded by cool whip. You can substitute the chocolate graham cookies with chocolate or Oreo cookies. Other fresh fruit such as peaches, blueberries, etc could be used instead of strawberries. Preparation time for my Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is around twenty minutes (not counting the freezing time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

1 lb strawberries
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 oz) container of cool whip
1 (12.5 oz) pkg fudge covered graham cookies

In a medium-size bowl crush ¾ of the strawberries. Stir in the condensed milk and ½ of the cool whip with a Wisk and mix well. Pour into a tinfoil-lined loaf pan. Crush half a pack of the cookies and gently press into the entire top of the strawberry mixture. Freeze overnight (or at least six hours until firm). Turn out onto a serving dish, peel off the foil, ice the cake with the remaining half of the cool whip, and garnish with sliced strawberries!

Weekly tip: For easier lining of tinfoil in a pan cover the outside of the pan first. Also a cardboard covered with tinfoil makes an excellent cake dish!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt
Dorcas Annette Walker

Even though America has become the melting pot of diverse cultures, Thanksgiving is one holiday that unites us with the focus on food; the traditional turkey usually as the main centerpiece. Before Thanksgiving Day arrives my daughter and I will be busy each in our own kitchens cooking up storm. When our families get together the main hub will be my kitchen bursting with energy and laughter overlaid by a strong aroma of tantalizing smells that always draws the guys. Soon we will have to dodge bodies and shuffle for space while trying to make order out of all the chaos to reach my goal of another Thanksgiving dinner. Without fail my husband will ask, “Honey isn’t it time for dinner yet?” His question always signals that fact that once again I am running behind schedule. In desperation I will start shoving dishes into any nearby fellow’s hands pointing them to the table in order to give us room to finish up the last minute details. At last a spot will be found for each one to squeeze in around the table, grab hands to pray, and give thanks for another year of bounty, each family member, and the many blessings we daily enjoy.

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I get out all my recipes and cookbooks and start browsing to make up a menu choosing the dishes and desserts that have become a family tradition while pulling out and studying new recipes or ideas that I have collected. Holidays are a great time, when one is already spending lots of time in the kitchen, to try out something brand new. This year I decided to try a Greek Yogurt recipe that my sister gave. I always keep a batch of homemade yogurt in my refrigerator year round. Adding yogurt to casseroles with cream soups, cheese and macaroni, mashed/scalloped potatoes, puddings, and fruit desserts always gives the dish a creamier texture with healthful benefits added without changing the taste. The more I uses for yogurt that I find the more endless possibilities I discover. To add pizzazz to your holiday meals this year make up a batch of Greek Yogurt. Preparation time for the Greek Yogurt takes around seventeen hours (I let the yogurt sit overnight) and this recipe makes seven to eight cups.

Greek Yogurt

1 gal regular or 2% milk
2 c plain yogurt

Scald the milk, turn off the heat, and let cool slowly (about an hour). Gradually stir in the yogurt that has come to room temperature. Put the pan in the oven with the light on and let sit for sixteen hours without opening the door. Pour into four layers of cheesecloth covering a colander sitting in a pan. Let the yogurt drain for four hours in the refrigerator. Then ladle into sterilized jars or containers and refrigerate.

Weekly tip: Substitute this spread for your butter this holiday. Mix: 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 3 tb of honey, and ¼ tsp of cinnamon together until well blended, chill, and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

A hand-written letter sent in the mail has almost become obsolete with how most people correspond with others. While I still occasionally send out a note written by hand, I’ll have to confess that emailing is a lot quicker and easier for me. Communicating through cyber space is not without its perils though. I first signed up with yahoo email. A couple years passed without any problems. Suddenly one day my phone started ringing as friends from out-of-state began calling asking what was going on. Someone had hacked into my email account and was sending out frantic letters asking for money using my name telling folk that I was stranded in Africa. After a couple of months yahoo was able to run this person down. I started a new email account, but was left shaken at the thought of being sabotaged again. By then my local telephone company had email accounts so I signed up with them, changed all my addresses, and notified my editors. Months passed by and once more I began to relax. Lo and behold if I didn’t discover that randomly people posting emails to me would get their emails returned with my address blocked. A friend of mine using the same telephone company would sometimes have to send an email to me three or four times before it would go through. I called the technical support a couple of times about this problem. The last support fellow I talked with, stating my frustration and trying to impress upon him the vital importance for me to be able to be in contact with my editors and them with me, I was told that the only way they could completely solve the problem was for me to forward the blocked emails. I hung up the phone feeling quite confused. How I am to get a hold of emails that never even come to me is beyond my understanding. Maybe the local company thinks that I have psychic powers. So I have signed up with gmail after being assured by friends that using gmail will solve all my email problems. We shall see. You can now reach me at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com

Thankfully food is one way of interaction that never fails. You can count on smiles of satisfaction whenever you prepare a lip-smackin dish. Not only does food satisfy a basic human need, but it also gives comfort along with an artistic touch. My Pumpkin Bread Pudding is a new twist to an old dish that makes a perfect fall dessert. You can add raisins or pecans to the Pumpkin Bread Pudding, and drizzle Carmel, honey, or maple syrup over it before serving. Preparation time is fifteen minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves twelve.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

12 slices of wheat bread
4 c milk
6 eggs
2 c or 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tb pumpkin spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
powdered sugar

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a buttered 9x 13 baking dish. In a medium-size bowl beat until smooth: the milk, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour over the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake at 350º for one hour (covered with tinfoil for the first 30 minutes) until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Weekly tip: For an even crunchier bread pudding texture, toast the bread before cubing!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Toasted Banana Pudding

Toasted Banana Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Every time my mother made toast we made sure to be in the kitchen. The object that kept us enthralled was a tall thin metal appliance. When plugged in a conveyer belt would start to move. My mother would put a slice of bread at the opening and inch by inch the bread would enter the tunnel-like entrance. As soon as one slice of bread disappeared, she would put another slice at the opening until it looked like a train of bread moving through a tunnel. What was even more captivating was the tiny glass window about the size of a quarter in the middle on either side of the toaster where one could see the bread as it slowly moved through the toaster. We would take turns catching the toasted slice of bread waiting until the last second before it began to fall. It wasn’t until my high school years that I discovered that nobody else had a toaster like ours. Whenever I’d invite a friend home with me they always wanted to make toast sitting spellbound besides my mother’s toaster watching as slice after slice of bread got toasted. Today it is rare to find a toaster like my mother’s even at an antique store.

People have toasted bread since the Romans era over an open fire with a simple metal frame or long-handled fork. The word toast comes from the Latin word, “tostum”, which means scorching or burning. The first electric toaster was invented in 1893 in Great Britain. In 1909 the first American toaster only toasted one side of the bread at a time. In 1913 the Copeman toaster was patented, which automatically turned the bread. Then during World War I, Charles Strite, tired of the burnt toast served in the company cafeteria invented a pop-up toaster. The first fully automatic pop-up toaster was invented in 1926 by Toastmaster one-A-one and was considered a prized wedding gift. When the first pre-sliced bread when on sale in 1928, toaster sales skyrocketed by 1933.

Toaster facts:

- In Norway, every other Tuesday, people gather and pay homage to the almighty god “Tohstre”.
- An estimated 75 million Americans eat toast every day.
- The average person spends 35 hours a year making toast.
- Toasters are the subject of a 2005 Kaiser Chiefs song.
- Toasters cause 95% of deaths in children under 5.

My Toasted Banana Pudding captures the last days of summer with its light texture and mild banana taste. Preparation time for my Toasted Banana Pudding is thirty minutes (not counting cooling time) and this recipe serves fourteen.

Toasted Banana Pudding

1 baked angel food cake
4 bananas
2 (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 c milk
2 c plain yogurt
cool whip

Cut up the angel food cake into inch-size pieces, spread on a large tray, and bake at 350º for 15 minutes; turning every five minutes with a large spatula. Spread toasted cubes in a 9 x 13 dish, slice bananas, and layer on top. Mix up pudding as directed and add yogurt. Pour over bananas and stir until everything is covered. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm. Garnish with cool whip and serve!

Weekly tip: A toaster uses almost half the energy as an oven; energy is wasted if a toaster is left unplugged after use!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Plum Delicious Dessert

Plum Delicious Dessert
Dorcas Annette Walker

The last couple of weeks I have had been going plum crazy as I harvested the fruit off of my two loaded plum trees each day. My plums are dark purple when ripe bursting with sweet juice that runs down your chin as soon as you take a bite. Talk about plum good! There is nothing like picking and eating a fresh plum that has been warmed and ripened by the sun. I’ve been plum busy canning jars of plums and cooking plum jam. So I thought I’d give you a recipe for a Plum Delicious Dessert to enjoy.

Plums are a smooth-skinned fruit that comes in a wide variety of color, sizes, and taste (sweet or tart) with a creamy yellow or bright red flesh containing a flattish pointed stone in the middle of each fruit. The Romans introduced plums to Northern Europe and by 1864 there were 150 species of plums with hundreds of varieties. Plums are native in China, America, and Europe with most placed into two categories: Japanese and European. The plum tree can reach a height of 20-33 feet, is considered a stone fruit tree that is different from other fruit trees in that the shoots have a terminal bud, and blossoms in early spring. California is famous for its export of plums.

Plums are often dried as prunes, but can be stewed, canned, made into jams, jellies, puddings, or used in pies, and cakes. Fermented plum juice when distilled produces brandy. Although plums are high in carbohydrates, they are low in fat and calories, and are free of sodium and cholesterol. Plums contain iron, Vitamin C and A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. They are good for allaying thirst, are proven to have just as much or more antioxidants than blueberries, used in the treatment of arthritis, and helps regulate the function of the digestive system.

Plum Delicious Dessert

1 c crushed graham crackers
1 qt canned plums
½ c sugar
½ c cornstarch
½ tsp almond extract
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Place graham crackers in the bottom of a glass dessert dish. Pit the plums and place in a medium saucepan with sugar. Add enough water to make a liquid paste with the cornstarch, add to plum mixture, and bring to a boil stirring with a Wisk until smooth. Take off the heat and add the extract. Cool for half an hour than pour over the graham crackers. Let cool for another half an hour before spreading the cool whip on top. Take a knife and swirl through the cool whip and fruit. Chill overnight before serving! Preparation time for my Plum Delicious Dessert is about fifteen minutes (not counting an hour for cooling time) and this recipe serves eight.

Weekly tip: Store fresh plum in a cool dark place. And here’s an idea for you- how about using plum jam with your peanut butter and jelly sandwich or instead of sliced bananas and peanut butter substitute fresh slices of a plum? Be plum inventive!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Grandma's Rice Pudding

Grandma’s Rice Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

I beg your indulgence as I continue to reminisce while giving another recipe of my grandmother. My English grandmother’s big bowl of Rice Pudding was a dish that I always knew I’d find at her house whenever we would visit her. Along with a cup of tea, we would eat a bowl of rice pudding as a dessert or in between snack as this one of my mother’s favorite desserts. A few occasions I got to be with my grandmother and help her make Rice Pudding. I was fascinated seeing her stir the Rice Pudding with a wooden spoon as it slowly baked in the oven because the wooden spoon in our house functioned for a totally different purpose.

The wooden spoon in our household was used for discipline starting at an early age. I grew up in the dark ages where children were expected to obey their parents. I don’t know if my grandmother also employed the wooden spoon for correction or if my mother started the tradition on her own. I do know that when my children came along I soon found the wooden spoon to be very handy not only for baking, but as an ideal aid for obedience. My husband called me “Machine Gun Kellie” whenever I applied the wooden spoon. My daughter, who hated the sound of my kitchen drawer opening when she knew I was getting out the wooden spoon now, uses a wooden spoon of her own. When Dwight worked in the body shop he told about his wooden spoon experiences growing up and was asked to make a wooden spoon for one of the fellows. Dwight toyed with the idea of going into business making and selling “Mom’s Wooden Spoons”.

I am totally against child abuse. I was taught that a child’s will was not to be broken, but molded in the right direction. I’ve noticed that it is often the parents who don’t discipline, but let their children run all over them or slowly do the countdown eventually reach a breaking point and end up abusing their children. Instead of children being seen and not heard, now-a-days you hear children while shopping before you ever see them inflicting havoc on everyone’s nerves. I often wonder what the harassed mothers of screaming children, who inform everyone that she can’t do anything with her young’un, will do once the child reaches his teen years. In such cases I often wish I had a wooden spoon to hand out.

My Grandma’s Rice Pudding is an old fashion filling creamy dessert that can be served by itself, with canned fruit, or cake. Raisins or other dried fruit can be added for color or taste. Preparation time for Grandma’s Rice Pudding is fifteen minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe serves ten.

Grandma’s Rice Pudding

2 c cooked rice
1 c sugar
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
Nutmeg

Butter a large baking bowl. Mix the rice and sugar together. Pour each can of milk in a 4 c measuring cup, fill up with warm water, and microwave for three minute- twice. Add to rice mixture and stir. Sprinkle nutmeg on top and bake at 350º for one hour stirring at least once. Serve warm or cold. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: Quick ways to butter a baking dish is to partially un-wrap a stick of margarine and rub along the sides of the dish or use an empty margarine wrapper!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com

Snow Cream

Snow Cream
Dorcas Annette Walker

This past week when we got six to eight inches of snow here on the mountain we once again became snowbound on our dead-end road. It took my husband five tries before he finally was able to make it over our steep hill yesterday. Since we are one of the last side roads for the snowplow to reach- and that just in later years- we always keep a bucket of ashes handy to help give traction in order to make it out to the main road.

The recent snow bought back memories of my first introduction to winters in the Tennessean Mountains when we pastored a rural church in Morgan County where the closest neighbors lived a mile away. I was expecting my son and in my sixth month began having labor pains. Each week we traveled down to Oak Ridge where the doctor would shake his head and tell me to try and hold out a little longer. I didn’t become too worried until winter set in. Although we lived on the main road the snow plow went by once a day and after that we were on our own. We discovered the year before the army had to send up a tank in order to get a lady down to the hospital. Dana was intrigued with the thought of using a trip with me in an army tank as an advertisement for our church. I flatly refused to consider being hauled off the mountain in an army tank. I told my husband that he would have to find some other promotional idea. Each time a big snow hit, my husband would hover close by asking me how I felt. My son didn’t make his appearance until early spring right on his due date.

Once again I couldn’t resist the newly fallen snow and made up a batch of Snow Cream or what some might call “poor man’s ice cream”, although to begin with only the very wealthy enjoyed ice cream made from snow. The Emperors of China were the first known people to eat ice cream that their cooks made by mixing snow and ice with fruit, wine, and honey as a tasty treat. In 62 A.D. Roman Emperor Nero wanted snow ice cream so badly he sent slaves up into the mountains on a special trip to bring back snow and ice so his cooks could make some for him. In 1295 Marco Polo returned from China with a recipe for snow ice cream that used yak milk. Soon the rich people of Italy were enjoying frozen milk that eventually evolved into the ice cream we enjoy today.

My Snow Cream can be made using a variety of flavors or eaten with different toppings. Snow Cream tastes like homemade ice cream with its soft creamy texture and should be eaten slowly. Once frozen though Snow Cream becomes solid and hard. Preparation time for my homemade Snow Cream is ten minutes and this recipe makes one gallon.

Peach Snow Cream

1½ gallons of fresh clean snow
1 c sugar
4 tb vanilla extract
2 c frozen peach jam (thawed)
2 (12 oz) cans of evaporated milk

In a large bowl mix together the snow, sugar, extract, and jam. Drizzle the evaporated milk over the snow and stir until well blended. Immediately serve and freeze leftovers!

Weekly tip: Use only wooden or plastic utensils to make snow ice cream as the snow will stick to metal making it difficult to mix!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Apple Danish

Apple Danish

Dorcas Annette Walker

The month of October heralds autumn at its best here in the Tennessean Mountains. The warm temperatures drop, frost arrives, and leaves change into many hues setting the mountains ablaze with brilliant colors. Gardens die and the last bustle of canning and preserving is done to save remaining crops. Apples are in abundance and there is nothing like the tantalizing aroma of spicy apple butter cooking slowly or apple pie filling being made. While I’m busy in the kitchen I always like to pop something in the oven. When I work with apples I usually end up making an Apple Danish somewhere along the line.

Here are some apple facts for you. Apples were the favorite fruit of the ancient Greeks and Romans and have been around since 6500 B.C. The pilgrims planted the first apple tree in Massachusetts. In colonial times apples were called winter banana or melt-in-your-mouth. The crabapple is the only apple native to North America. 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in all fifty states making apples available year round. The Red Delicious apple is the most popular apple here in the United States. The apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan and Arkansas. It is the state fruit of: Minnesota, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Illinois. One out of every four apples harvested in the U.S. is exported.

Apples are members of the rose family. Most apple blossoms are pink when they first open, but gradually fade to white. Apple trees can grow over 40 feet high and live over 100 years. Apple trees take four to five years to bear and it takes the energy of 50 leaves to produce one apple. Today most apples are still picked by hand. Fresh apples float because 25% of their volume is air. The largest apple weighed three pounds. The longest apple peel was created by a New York sixteen year old girl in 1976. The peel was 172 feet and 4 inches long.

Americans eat 19.6 pounds of fresh apples annually. Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free; a medium apple contains 80 calories and 5 grams of fiber. Don’t peel your apple as two-thirds of the fiber and antioxidants are found in the peel. Two pounds of apples make a one-inch pie. A bushel of apples will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce while it takes 36 apples to create one gallon of cider.

Apple Danish

3 c self-rising flour
1 c shortening
¼ c sugar
1 egg
½ c cold milk
2 qt apple pie filling
2 c powdered sugar
¼ c shortening
1 tsp vanilla
¼ c milk

To make the pastry mix together the first five ingredients until a ball forms. Divide in half and roll dough out thin in a rectangular shape on a floured surface. Place the crust in a greased large tray. Spread the apple pie filling over the crust. Roll out the second crust to match, fold in fourths, and unfold on top of the apple filling. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes.

Glaze:

Beat together in a small bowl the powdered sugar, shortening, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Ice the baked crust with the frosting and garnish with cinnamon! Preparation time is around 25 minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe makes 24 pieces.

Weekly tip: To ripen an apple store at room temperature in a paper bag. Otherwise keep apples in the refrigerator or cool cellar. Just make sure that the apples are firm and don’t have any spots or bruising!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Raspberry Delight

Raspberry Delight

Dorcas Annette Walker

Raspberries have a sweet mild tart taste with an almost melt-in-your-mouth texture. Any dessert made with raspberries immediately becomes elegant. I love raspberries and started a patch of raspberry vines several years ago beside our orchard. I was surprised at how easy it was to grow raspberries. Since then I’ve made up raspberry jams and keep frozen raspberries for toppings and sauces. Whenever I see the price of raspberries in the store, due to being one of the most limited and perishable fruits, I am doubly thankful for my raspberry patch out back.

Red raspberries are a native berry to Turkey and Asia Minor. History says that there were raspberry vines growing in the foothills of Troy in the first century. The Romans are thought to have spread raspberries throughout Europe. In Medieval Europe, raspberries were considered to be both medicinal and utilitarian, although only the rich could afford them. By the Middle Ages raspberries were used for food, wine, vinegar, sweets, jams and even employed in art for paintings and illuminating manuscripts, but it wasn’t until the seventeenth century that raspberries became popular. When settlers came to America they found the Native Americans eating and drying the berries for preservation and ease of transportation. In 1761 George Washington moved to Mount Vernon where he began to cultivate raspberries in his extensive gardens. By 1867 over 40 different varieties of raspberries were known.

The raspberry bush or vine grows up to three feet in height and comes in colors of red, yellow, orange, purple, or black. 60-70 pints of fruit can be harvested from early summer through fall in a 100 foot row. Today there are over 200 species of raspberries that can be grown from the Arctic to the equator. The leading producing regions for raspberries are Washington, Oregon, and California with Washington accounting for nearly 60% of U.S. production at nearly 70 million pounds per year. Raspberries are purported to fight cancer and heart disease and offer many health benefits. They are high in Vitamin A, B1, B2, C, Niacin, mineral, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and potassium.

My Raspberry Delight has raspberry jello on top of a cream cheese mixture with a rich nutty crust underneath. This light dessert is a feast for the eyes and palate. The Raspberry Delight takes only three steps to make and can be made up the day before. Preparation time for my Raspberry Delight takes about an hour and this recipe serves sixteen.

Raspberry Delight

1c self-rising flour
¼ c brown sugar
½ c chopped pecans
½ c melted margarine
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 (8 oz) container cool whip
1 c sugar
2 (3 oz) pkg raspberry jello
2 c boiling water
ice cubes

Step 1: Mix together the flour, brown sugar, pecans, and melted butter and press in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes and cool.

Step 2: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the cool whip and mix until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

Step 3: Pour the boiling water over the two pkg of raspberry jello and stir until dissolved. Add ice cubes until the mixture is jelled and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Chill until solid. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries before serving!

Weekly tip: Fresh raspberries will only keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days if spread out and lined on paper towels. Do not leave raspberries at room temperature or expose them to sunlight as they spoil quickly. Instead freeze raspberries for year round use!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com