Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

Dorcas Annette Walker

Fruit cake is like olives. You either love it or hate it. My mother loved fruit cake. The way she handled and stored her wedge of fruit cake each year at Christmas was like a ceremony that intrigued us kids. The fact that our dad couldn’t stand fruit cake only heightened our curiosity. We’d watch our mother carefully slice a small piece, take a bite, and savor the flavor. Not a crumb was wasted. Then she’d generously offer us a taste. The fruit cake would hit our taste buds with its exotic flavor and only the very brave among us would venture a second bite. It wasn’t until I was older that I really fell in love with fruit cake. After I was married I began searching and trying out different recipes. Once you’ve tasted a homemade fruit cake you’ll never enjoy a store version again. I’ve hesitated to share my recipe because many do not like fruit cake. Despite having fruit cake each Christmas both of my kids still roll their eyes and excuse themselves from eating any declaring it is a “parent thing” and not for them. Several times my husband, who is a great fan of my fruitcake, has urged me to share my recipe.

Since I am unable to get out and enjoy the holiday festivities like I used to, I started a tradition of inviting friends to our house for an evening of singing carols by the fire. I gather all the bells I’ve collected of each state we traveled through and we have a merry time ringing them as we sing. There is no program planned and everyone is free to join in as they wish. Last night after singing for an half an hour around the fire our pastor asked for past Christmas memories. Only a generation ago children didn’t receive toys for Christmas. To them Christmas meant getting an apple, orange, and some candy. One lady confessed that the first doll she ever received she never took out of the package it came in. Instead she would hold and stare mesmerized through the cellophane at her doll. Our pastor reminisced about the first train set he received for Christmas. He played with it all day long. The general census was that we feel sorry for this generation of kids, who are so used to receiving candy and toys throughout the year until Christmas doesn’t have the meaning it used to have. We finished our evening with a snack of Christmas cookies, candy, fruit cake and hot drinks. One fellow was simply enraptured over my homemade fruit cake. So to those of you who believe that Christmas is not complete without a fruitcake this recipe is for you.

Making a fruit cakes used to involve a complicated process that took days of soaking in prepared brine. My Ole Fashion Fruit Cake is a simpler version of the old recipes with the same moist nutty and fruity taste. You can add or substitute ingredients to personalize what your family enjoys. This Ole Fashion Fruit Cake takes ten minutes to prepare (not counting baking time) and serves at least sixteen.

Ole Fashion Fruit Cake

In a large mixing bowl cream together:
1 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tb vanilla
1 tb lemon juice

Add:
2 lb candied mixed fruit
1 lb candied cherries
½ lb chopped pecans
Then stir in 2 c self-rising flour and mix until all the ingredients are blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 12 baking dish lined with wax paper. Bake at 350º for one hour. While still hot prepare glaze and pour over cake. Cool and store in an enclosed container!

Glaze
Bring to a hard boil for three minutes in a small saucepan:
½ c brown sugar
1 c syrup (or honey)
1 tb orange juice
1 tb lemon juice

Weekly tip: For a moister fruit cake: pour half a cup of orange juice over a baked fruit cake and seal in an enclosed container!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Dorcas Annette Walker

There are times as a parent while raising children that you wonder what they will remember when they are grown. You try to instill the right principles, make sure they are fed and clothed, and give them all the opportunities possible in hopes that they will emerge as a responsible adult. Then one day you look around and they are gone leaving behind a huge empty spot. It was years of past memories they helped me adjust after my daughter got married and started a home of her own.

When Dawn was expecting her first child she confided to me that she wanted to always keep homemade cookies on hand. I was rather shocked as growing up store bought cookies were what my kids went wild over. Especially so after finding out that during the school years my homemade cookies were traded and exchanged for more modern delights. Dawn said, “I could always count on homemade cookies and milk as a snack every day after school.”

And my mind went back to a little girl, who always begged to help every time I baked. During those days I watched a preschooler concentrate to get the right amount of dough on the spoon, carefully space the cookies, and then count how many were on a tray. In a few more years she was measuring and beating the batter with a large spoon, reluctantly letting me stir at the end to make sure that all the ingredients were mixed. What a day of triumph when Dawn made her first batch of cookies by herself. I still smile every time I think of the teenage, who tended to burn the cookies due to her nose being stuck in a book.

Every holiday was celebrated with some kind of cookie. At Christmas we went into high gear turning out dozens of cookies. I’d always make up a decorative plateful to give to the neighbors and we’d take cookies to church holiday functions. I made plenty as everyone loved to sample whatever was baking. Gingerbread men cookies quickly became a Christmas tradition and are something that today Dawn makes every year at her house. My Gingerbread recipe is already on my Creative Mountain Cookin blog that can be accessed through my website at: http://www.dorcasannettewalker.com/ Another Christmas cookie standard is an old Sugar Cookie recipe that has been in our family for years. This recipe makes six dozen cookies.

Sugar Cookies

1 c shortening
2 c sugar
2 eggs
½ c milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 c self-rising flour
Stir the dough until well mixed. The dough will be stiff. Roll out thin like pie crust on a floured surface and cut into fancy shapes. Place on a greased cookies sheets and sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake for ten minutes at 350º. Cool and store in an enclosed container!

Weekly tip: Cookie tips: Dip the cookie cutter into flour before cutting into the dough. After pressing into the cookie dough, hold the cookie cutter firmly and wiggle gently to ensure a sharp cut. To keep baked cookies soft always add a piece of bread with the cookies!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Christmas Truffles

Christmas Truffles

Dorcas Annette Walker

One of the neat things about cooking is the control involved. If you are the cook you have the distinction of choosing what to cook. One of my favorite sayings is that if you can cook you have the privilege of making whatever you want. Cooking is also very versatile. You can carefully plan ahead for days only for on a sudden whim decide to change your mind or find yourself at the last minute trying to conjure up something. What cook hasn’t frantically searched through the refrigerator, cupboards, or freezer for a sudden inspiration to whip up a quick meal. Other times leisure hours spent in the kitchen over the stove is sheer pleasure. To my way of thinking anyone who hasn’t cooked has missed out on a large part of life.

This week I had planned ahead as usual what recipe I was going to give. Then I received a couple emails asking for some holiday candy and cookies ideas. I put aside my planned recipe and instead experimented around in the kitchen with a new candy recipe I had collected. It was an instant hit. I’m not one to lick out the bowls when cooking, but this time I couldn’t resist. You’ll know what I mean if you try out these Christmas Truffles. The best part is that they are not complicated to make. Next week I’ll give you a Christmas cookie recipe. For other holiday recipes of candy and fudge check out my other blog recipes or email me for a copy at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net .

My Christmas Truffles have a rich creamy chocolate center with a smooth chocolate coating of different flavors that melts in your mouth. This candy will make you the envy of your friends. These easy Christmas Truffles are great for using your imagination and catering to individual taste buds guaranteeing an instant hit with everyone. The Christmas Truffles have only two basic ingredients and takes about fifteen minutes to prepare not counting refrigeration/freezer time. This recipe makes thirty-six Christmas Truffles.

Christmas Truffles

24 oz pkg of almond chocolate bark
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
Mix until creamy: softened cream cheese and eight squares of the chocolate. Freeze or refrigerate until firm. Then mold a teaspoon of the candy mixture into a small ball and place on a waxed tray. Melt the remaining chocolate squares. A tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter or a drop or two of mint extract to some of the melted chocolate will give a delightful flavor. You can also substitute white chocolate. Dip the truffles into the melted chocolate until coated and let harden on the waxed tray. Garnish with finely chopped nuts, crushed peppermints, sprinkles, coconut, or powdered sugar!

Weekly tip: Unopened packages or unused portions of the chocolate bark can be kept year round in your freezer for instant access!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Holiday Cranberry Salad

Holiday Cranberry Salad

Dorcas Annette Walker

What end-of-the-year holiday isn’t complete without a cranberry salad? The bright red berries symbolize the holiday season brightening up our table while outside the world is bleak and bare. Cranberries can be used as an icy centerpiece by freezing them with evergreen sprigs and nuts in a bunt pan then placing a large candle in the middle or floating on water in a crystal dish with mini candles.

Cranberries are hard-shell berries that grow on vines only in certain conditions. They require an acid peat soil, fresh water supply, sand, and a growing season from April until November. Most cranberry bogs are in the northern hemisphere with Massachusetts being the largest producer of the entire cranberry industry. Some vines in Massachusetts are over one-hundred-and-fifty- years old. Cranberries were first used by the Native Americans for food, dye to color rugs and blankets, making pemmican with dried deer meat and melted fat, and to heal arrow wounds. Early pioneers decorated their Christmas trees with garlands of cranberries and popcorn to brighten their harsh wilderness surroundings. In 1683 the first cranberry juice was made by settlers and today is a popular health drink. Whalers and mariners carried cranberries along on voyages to prevent scurvy.

When I thumbed through my recipes I found four different cranberry salad recipes that I have used throughout the years. This Holiday Cranberry Salad is a quicker version of the traditional cranberry salad passed down in our family and is easy to make. My Holiday Cranberry Salad is a tangy fruity salad with a hint of nuts that can be served as individual molds or in a fancy dish and can be made up the day before. This festive Holiday Cranberry Salad is guaranteed to brighten any holiday meal. My Holiday Cranberry Salad takes only ten minutes to prepare- not counting the refrigeration time- and serves ten.

Holiday Cranberry Salad

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (16 oz) can of whole cranberry sauce
2 (3 oz) pkg raspberry jello
1 large peeled and diced apple (your choice)
1 c chopped nuts of your choice
2 c mini marshmallows (optional)
Drain pineapple juice and add enough water to make three cups. Bring to a boil and add jello. Pour into a medium sized bowl and stir in the cranberry sauce until dissolved. Refrigerate for one-and-one-half hours until slightly thickened. Fold in the pineapple, apple, nuts, and marshmallows. Place in individual molds or a large crystal bowl and refrigerate for four hours before serving.

Weekly tip: To make a festive side dish add canned whole cranberries to a jar of applesauce and garnish with mint!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Apple Cranberry Pie

Apple Cranberry Pie

Dorcas Annette Walker

I’ve made it a habit to use the month of November to focus on things I am thankful for. I always try to have a thankful spirit, but it is easy in the rush of life to get sidetracked and concentrate on things that need accomplished or changed rather than counting my blessing for what I already have. Thanksgiving is ideal for showing our thankfulness by reaching out and sharing with others. At an early age I learned to share my mother on holidays. When working on the surgical team at a local hospital, Mom was often was on call over weekends and especially holidays. Often our mother was paged on Thanksgiving for an emergency surgery leaving us with an empty spot at the table. When my husband and I pastored churches out of state and were unable to get back home, we used Thanksgiving to reach out to others in the area. There always was someone, especially elderly folk, who were alone. Each of those Thanksgivings became a memorable time. At one church we attended a local assisted-living home during holiday celebrations in order to be a family for a man, who attended our church and was all alone. It meant juggling our schedule that was already packed with church activities, but seeing Gene’s face beam every time we showed up was worth the extra effort.

I want to share with you though one time I almost missed out on sharing with someone. I was right in the middle of last minute preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner when my husband came into the kitchen to inform me that a neighbor boy was at our door. Billy’s folk rented a run-down trailer down the road from us; these renters rotated every couple of months. The parents left their kids to fend on their own and invariably the kids would find their way to our house. When my husband suggested asking Billy in for Thanksgiving I said, “no”. We already had our daughter, her husband, grandkids, and another special guest. My table was festive with holiday decorations, each place was set, and I was in the process of putting the food on the table. I figured we could always feed Billy another time. A minute later my husband with a sheepish grin on his face came back with Billy. Billy, who was skinny and small for his age, loaded his plate with everything that was passed around. While my grandkids picked at their food, I tried not to stare at Billy, who crammed food into his mouth devouring a huge plateful and a second helping until I was afraid he’d become sick. Billy left with a big grin on his face, a bulging stomach, and some food to take home with him. I’ve always been so thankful since that my husband overruled my decision and interrupted my perfect Thanksgiving dinner. A couple of months later Billy and his family were gone.

This holiday season add a bit of zest to your apple pie with cranberries. My Apple Cranberry Pie will make a colorful dessert to finish up your meal. You can also add chopped nuts if you wish. The Apple Cranberry Pie takes around fifteen minutes to prepare (not counting baking time) and serves eight.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Enough dough for a double nine inch pie. Roll out the pie crust and line the bottom of the pie pan.

In a medium size bowl mix together:
5 to 6 large apples (your choice peeled and sliced)
1 c cranberries
1 c sugar
2 tb self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
Pour into the pie then cover with a top crust. Poke holes in the top crust with a knife. Bake at 350º for one hour until the apples are soft.

Glaze:
Mix together ¼ c of powdered sugar and 1 tb of warm water. Spread on the pie crust while still warm. Can garnish the pie with fresh cranberries!

Weekly tip: Cranberries can be bought in bulk while in season and stored in the freezer all year long to enjoy out of season. Freeze cranberries in the package they came in!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Fried Apples

Fried Apples

Dorcas Annette Walker

This time of the year as one enjoys autumn’s brilliant display of colored leaves one can also see apple trees bent under the weight of fruit ready to pick. Stores and markets are filled with a wide assortment of apples to choose from. To me there is nothing like the smell of apples cooking or baking to make a homey atmosphere in one’s house. One chilly day this week as the fire crackled in my woodstove, I fried a pan of apples. It was up here in the mountains of Tennessee where I first discovered Fried Apples.

There are at least 7,500 recognized cultivated varieties of apples in the world; wild and crab apples have 35 species. Apples come in all kinds of different sizes, colors, and shapes. Each seed chamber contains two seeds for a total of ten seeds per apple except for the Northern Spy, which contains four seeds per chamber and therefore may develop up to twenty seeds. Most apple trees are partially self fertile and will produce a fair crop even in the absence of a pollenizer. Some apples are sweet while others are tart due to the different amount of sugar they produce. The flesh can be hard or soft; the skin thick or thin. Commercial apples are picked when not fully ripe to prevent bruising while shipping. Today the U.S. is the top apple producer country in the world with the state of Washington taking first place, followed by New York, then Michigan.

Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman, lived in the days of the America frontier. He dreamed of a country where no one went hungry due to the land being covered with apple trees. Beginning in his twenties for nearly fifty years, this nurseryman roamed the wilderness planting orchards in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Johnny Appleseed changed the landscape and left a lasting contribution.

Research shows that apples promote good health. Apples contain numerous essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are beneficial to your teeth, skin, digestive system, nerves, and overall health. An apple a day helps prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Studies have also shown a link between daily consumption of apples to lowering the risk of other illnesses including certain cancers.

Cooking apples is a genetic term used to describe apples that survive cooking well or are so tart that they aren’t as enjoyable unless they are cooked and sweetened. Some types of apples break down making them good for applesauce while others species hold their shape thus making them ideal for baking, stewing, or using in apple pies. The main difference between eating apples and cooking apples is due to the sugar content as cooking apples tend to be tarter and are better for storage. Apples that are good for eating fresh, in salads, and pies include: Red and Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Winesap, Criterion, Gala, Jonagold, Newton Pippin, McIntosh, and Gravenstein.

The mountain folk often eat Fried Apples with biscuits for breakfast. Fried Apples have a chunky texture that melt in your mouth and can be eaten by itself, cold or hot, or used as a side dish with pork chops or meatloaf. Cranberries, raisins or other fruit can be added as well as nuts if desired. Preparation time for my Fried Apples is thirty minutes and this recipe serves two.

Fried Apples

Melt a half a stick of margarine in an iron skillet. Then peel and slice four medium cooking apples. Add one half cup of brown sugar and one fourth cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until soft and golden brown. Garnish with cinnamon!

Weekly tip: To store apples for four to five months: use only perfect fruit, separate by size and eat the larger ones first (smaller apple last longer), wrap in newspaper, and store in open cardboard or wooden boxes in an unheated garage, cellar, shed, or basement. If any turn soft make into applesauce!

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 Mountain Cookin page at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com