Nana’s “Melt in Mouth” Blueberry Cake

This is another one of my Grandmother Burrell’s incredible recipes. I can remember walking down our driveway to her house and smelling the most wonderful aroma of fresh blueberry cake that she would often make just for me after I would go over to their friends house on Dewey Lane and pick a batch of enormous Cape Cod blueberries.

I’m placing it here for posterity and to share with everyone who loves blueberry cake!

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs Separated
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• ½ Cup of Shortening
• ¼ Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
• 1 ½ Cups of Flour
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/3 Cup of Milk
• 1 ½ Cups of Fresh Blueberries

Steps:

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Add ½ cups of sugar to keep them stiff. Cream the shortening and add the salt and vanilla. Add the remaining sugar gradually. Add the unbeaten egg yolks and beat everything until it is light and creamy. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Fold in the fresh berries. (Take a bit of flour and gently shake berries in the mix so they won’t settle) Turn the mix into an 8” x 8” aluminum pan (Preferably one that has been in the family for at least 30 years). Sprinkle the top of the batter lightly with granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Find some adoring relatives and serve it to them with a big glass of milk and lots of love!

Peas Lorraine

I thought that I would post another one of my favorite receipes that my Mother makes on Thanksgiving…Not sure where the ultimate credit goes for this one but she has been making it for years.

2 packages frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon tarragon (dried)
1 large, cut clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 tablespoon butter

Cook peas in 8 tablespoons boiling salted water with seasonings, 5 minutes. Shake pan frequently to mix well.  Drain peas, remove garlic and add the butter.  Serve at once.

Spicy Noodles

Another recipe you ask?

Kerry and I have been cooking a lot at home lately, now that the recession is kicking in full swing. As such, we’ve been dusting off a lot of old recipes that are not only tasty but easy to make.

A recipe that a friend gave us a few years back is a favorite of mine so I thought I would post it in hopes of beefing up the recipe catagory of my blog. If I can’t seem to finish Freedom Hall, maybe I’ll publish a cookbook in the meantime.

Spicy Noodles:

• 3 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 Scallions Sliced Thin
• 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
• 1 Pound of Linquini

Combine sauce ingredients and let stand for 1 hour.

Mix with cooked, cooled linquini.

Serve at room temperature.

Helen’s Chicken Soup

Far be it from me to try and turn this blog into a recipe site but by sheer coincidence Kerry cooked a chicken yesterday so today we are going to make some chicken soup using my mother’s recipe.

Like so many times in the past, I gave my mom a call and she rattles the recipe off from the top of her head, this time as she and my dad are out “tootling” around Tuckerton.

• Start by pulling off any extra meat from the Chicken Carcass to be used in the finished soup. (If you have too much for the soup, make chicken salad!)
• Put the Chicken Carcass in a pot and cover it with water.
• Add one Onion cut in half (not chopped or diced)
• Add ample amount of cut Celery and Carrots
• Add one Garlic Clove
• Add fresh Parsley
• Add Kosher Salt to taste
• Add Pepper to taste
• Simmer for one hour
• Strain contents of pot through strainer and place broth in separate bowl and refridgerate
• Wait until fat solidifies on top of broth
• Remove fat and reintroduce contents
• Prepare pasta or rice separately and heat soup.
• Add pasta or rice to soup.

Serve and enjoy….

Ruth Burrell’s Meatloaf Recipe

I have decided to memorialize some family recipes for future reference and to share them with the world. One of my favorites is my grandmother’s Meatloaf recipe that takes me back to our kitchen table in Cotuit.

• 1 1/2 Pounds of Chopped Meat (She never worried about how lean it was and she lived to 94!)
• 1 Cup of Tomato Juice
• 3/4 Cups of Oats (She used Quaker of course)
• 1 Egg-Beaten
• 1/4 Cup of Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 1/4 tsp of Pepper

Mix it all up, put a layer of ketchup and a few strips of bacon on top and cook on 350 degrees for just about 1 hour….

Yummy!!!