Buttermilk Scones

Mom found this recipe in Sunset magazine.  The recipe's title is "Buttermilk Scone for Two," but she wrote the following on her typed index card:  "I like to double or triple this and make smaller biscuits, baking them for a shorter time.  I think it needs more buttermilk than what it calls for."  The following is the original recipe:

1 cup flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon soda
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
3 Tablespoons currants
1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

In a bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar, baking powder and soda.  Add butter; rub with your fingers to form fine crumbs.  Stir in currants and orange peel.  Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.  Stir with a fork until dough holds together.  Pat dough into a ball, knead on a lightly floured board five or six turns.  Shape dough into a smooth ball and place in a greased 8 or 9 inch cake or pie pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, then, with a sharp knife, quickly cut a cross 1/2 inch across top of scone.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.  Serve warm.

I made the scones using Mom's alterations and the results were delicious.

Frozen Lemon Pudding

We had a lemon tree in our backyard in California which produced an abundance of lemons, some of them as big as grapefruit.  Our home was built on a former orange grove, so the soil and climate were no doubt ideal for citrus growing.  Mom was never one to waste, so she gave lemons to the neighbors, squeezed lemons and froze the juice in ice cube trays, and tried to find as many ways possible to use lemons in her cooking.  I've found so many recipes with lemon that I'm creating a lemon category, starting with an ideal dessert for the hot summer we've been having: frozen lemon pudding.

This is not pudding in the real sense because nothing is cooked.  Instead both egg whites and evaporated milk are whipped to make a light summertime dessert.  Mom made this quite often, so it will bring back memories for many.

Chill until icy cold:  1 cup evaporated milk

As milk chills, mix together in large bowl:  2 egg yolks (retain whites)
                                                                     6 Tablespoons sugar
                                                                     1/2 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
                                                                     2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Beat until stiff:  2 eggs whites
                         1/4 cup sugar

Fold egg whites into lemon mixture.
Whip chilled milk until fluffy.  Add 3 Tablespoons lemon juice and continue beating until stiff.  Fold into lemon mixture.  Gently spread into a 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers.  Put into a freezer set at the coldest temperature for several hours.  Cut into squares and garnish with mint or maraschino cherries.

My favorite new kitchen gadget is the Ultimate Microplane tool from Williams-Sonoma (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-ultimate-citrus-tool/?pkey=cfruit-vegetable-tools%7Cctlfvtfru).  It makes grating lemon rind a breeze!

A Birthday Tribute/Fruity Ice Cream

Ruth Bryan on July 14, 2004

Happy Birthday, Mom.  We all miss you more than words can say.

In honor of what would have been Ruth's 87th birthday, I am posting an old family recipe for Fruity Ice Cream.  Her grandchildren can attest to the fact that Ruth always had ice cream in her freezer.  In her later years she would often request an ice cream cake for her birthday, like the one pictured above.

Fruity Ice Cream

This recipe requires a 4 quart ice cream maker.  If you only have a 2 quart machine, cut the recipe in half or freeze it in two batches.

2 cups whole milk

3 cups sugar

3 cups heavy cream

Blend all three of the above ingredients in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.  Put the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes, then add the following:

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

2 small packages of frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed and mashed. 

3 bananas, mashed

Use the freezing process for your specific ice cream maker.  I used an electric 4 quart bucket freezer that requires ice and rock salt and it took about 40 minutes.  

My 4 qt. container filled to the brim

I always thought this recipe came from my grandma Annie, Ruth's mother.  However, I recently compared this with my sister Leanne's recipe, taken straight from Annie's lips, and it was different.  Hers made 6 quarts and used pineapple.  This isn't surprising, as Annie was famous for having a mental recipe box (i.e. not writing things down).  There could be even more versions of this recipe floating around out there, though it would be hard to beat this one!

California Guacamole

A Party Passion: That's the subheading for this recipe which was clipped from a newspaper and may have been part of an advertisement for a California agricultural group.  I didn't check the sticker on my avocados to see if they came from California, but the guacamole was fantastic.


2 medium California avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and mashed
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons diced green chiles
1 tsp. minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small clove garlic, minced

Combine dip ingredients and mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill.  Serve with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables.  Makes 2 cups.

Ruth's Lasagna

It's my birthday and if Mom were here to cook me dinner this is what I would ask for.  This was Mom's "go-to" recipe for all occasions.  If she had to take a meal to a family in need or bring a dish to a pot luck dinner this was her first choice, which reveals how generous she was with her cooking skills because the sauce does require a bit of time and attention.  Mom was never one to get angry or hold a grudge, but she would still sigh and get a pained expression when someone reminded her of the time Dad dropped a pan of her lasagna on the garage floor as they were getting ready to go to a church dinner.  Who can blame her?  This lasagna is the best.

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

salt and pepper

handful of chopped fresh parsley

1 large can (28 oz.) tomatoes, blended

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 can tomato paste

1 3/4 cup water

3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 pint Ricotta cheese

1 tsp. Accent

10 to 12 lasagna noodles

In a large frying pan, brown the beef and sausage with chopped onion and garlic.  Drain off excess fat and transfer to a large kettle.  Add parsley, tomato puree and water.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add Italian seasoning and tomato paste.  Simmer uncovered on low heat for three hours, stirring occasionally.  

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Stir 1 teaspoon Accent into the Ricotta cheese.  Spoon 1/3 of sauce into a 9 x 13 pan.  Layer 1/2 of noodles on top of sauce.  Spread 1/2 of Ricotta cheese onto noodles.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of mozzarella cheese.  Add another layer of 1/3 sauce, remaining noodles, Ricotta, then mozzarella.  Top with remaining 1/3 of sauce.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Let lasagna sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Note:  I usually use 10 noodles in the lasagna but boil 12 in case a few break.

Pecan Candy Cake

This cake is definitely for a time when calories are no object!

1 yellow cake mix
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup chopped pecans
4 large heath bars, crushed

Spray 13 x 9 glass pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle half of the pecans on the bottom of pan.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Pour batter over pecans and bake according to package directions.  Immediately after taking cake from oven, punch cake full of holes with wooden spoon handle.  Pour condensed milk over top of cake.  Sprinkle crushed heath bars over top of cake.  Sprinkle remaining pecans over cake & candy.  Let cool before eating.  (Do not remove entire cake from pan).

Sweet & Sour Baked Beans

Having a large crowd over for a Father's Day barbecue?  This baked beans recipe could feed an army!

2 large cans (42 oz.) pork & beans
2 cups catsup
1 pound bacon, cooked until crisp  and crumbled
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 small cans (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
3/4 cup brown sugar

Mom's only directions are "bake in slow oven 2-3 hours".  I'll let you decide what "slow" means, but for me it was 300 degrees.  Make sure you use a very large covered dish.