JABLECZNIK (Apple Cake)

One of Paul’s favorites. Personally, I’ll always remember the time our cat ate a bunch of apples off the top of the cake during a visit to Orchard Park. Can’t blame her – she had excellent taste!

From the recipe card:

Fantastic! Keeps very well in the pan for 8 to 10 days, covered in a cool place.

2-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
½ lb. butter (unsalted) or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
9 apples (approx.) peeled, cored, grated
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup icing sugar (optional)
juice of ½ lemon (optional)

grease 9×13 inch cake pan
preheat oven to 325
sift flour, baking powder and salt
add sugar and cut in butter or margarine with two knives until mealy in texture
add beaten eggs and blend in with fingers
divide dough in half, put ½ into bottom of pan and spread apples over top
mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over apples
place remaining dough over this in bits (like crumbs)
don’t pack tightly
bake for 55 minutes
set on cake rack in pan to cool

spread top with icing sugar mixed with lemon juice to spreading consistency (optional)
cut in squares to serve

Counter Pickles

This is another method, more than a recipe. My mom and I LOVE these pickles, just the thought of them makes the corner of my jaw tingle and my mouth water.

However, it must be said that these are not like the pickles you buy in the grocery store – nothing at all. I just made a batch of these and gave one to my husband, Paul, to taste – he claims I tried to poison him.

small pickling cucumbers, washed
white vinegar (cheap white vinegar – do not use Heinz, it’s too acidic)
garlic cloves, sliced or in large chunks, to taste (we like LOTS of garlic)
fresh bunch of fresh dill – fronds, flowers, etc. stripped from stems

Place cucumbers in a large pyrex or glass bowl.
Add garlic and dill.
Pour vinegar in bowl until cucumbers are covered.
Place an inverted plate, just smaller than the bowl, over the cucumbers and place a weight on it to keep the cukes, dill and garlic submerged.
Set aside in a cool place for about a week. (I kept mine in the basement on a shelf). Check throughout the week to make sure everything is still submerged. Stirring the contents of the bowl is optional.
You will be able to tell when the pickles are ready – they’ll look like pickles and not cucumbers. Trust me, you’ll know.

When ready, store in the refrigerator – either in the bowl, covered, or transfer the pickles, some dill, garlic and vinegar to cover into a jar with a lid.

Eat plain, or sprinkle with a little salt.

Pesto Sauce

Pesto is a newly acquired taste for me, so I was very pleased to find this recipe at the bottom of the stack of my grammy’s recipes. I planted two different kinds of basil in my garden this year, mainly to eat with the neighboring tomatoes. But I think this might be a better use.

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 medium garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
grated romano cheese*
3/4 to 1 cup olive oil
6 tbs. unsalted butter

There were no instructions – I’m assuming one would just pack everything into the blender/food processor and whiz away to the desired conssistency. I guess this could also be done by hand, with a mortar and pestle, but that might not be for everyone.

* I’m guessing 1 tbs. as well

Strawberry Preserves

I probably found this recipe a little late for this year, but I’ll be ready for spring 2008! Perhaps this would work with other fruit as well. I see experiments with raspberries in my future.

This recipe is my grammy Christina’s and was written down by someone else in the family as it’s noted that the recipe comes from aunt Christina and also contains more notes and explanations than I’ve found in this batch of recipes given to me by my mother. It almost reads as if the person was at grammy’s side watching and writing down each step:

1 quart strawberries
4 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice

Wash and hull berries.
Put berries with 2 cups sugar into a small preserving kettle.
Bring up to a boiling point over low fire and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
Add remaining sugar and lemon juice and boil 10-15 minutes.
A watery fruit will require longer cooking time.
Turn into an earthenware jar or deep crock or mixing bowl and let stand 24 hours, stir occasionally.
Seal cold in sterilized jars.
The small quantity and short working period are the secret of the deliciousness of these preserves. The lemon juice preserves the vivid red of the berries. You can make as many quarts of berries that the jar or crocks will hold, but only one quart at a time.

Polish Buttermilk Coffeecake

This cake is just as good for breakfast as it is for dessert, maybe better!

1/2 c. shortening (can use 1 stick margarine)
2 c. sugar (can use only 1 c.)
2 eggs
4 c flour
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c buttermilk

Topping:
1/2 c. butter and equal amounts of flour and sugar to make crumbs

Preheat oven to 325
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside
Cream shortening, sugar and eggs
Stir in flour mixture
Add buttermilk, beat well
Pour into 2 9″ x 13″ pans
Sprinkle topping over dough
Bake 45 minutes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another set of cookies from my mom’s mom, grammy Christina:

1 c butter or margarine
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 t soda
3 c flour
chocolate chips

bake 350 12-15 minutes
______

SUGAR COOKIES

same recipe
eliminate 1 c brown sugar
use 2 c white sugar

may add raisins
sprinkle with sugar

Drop Easter Cookies

Some of my grammy Christina’s recipes are more like lists of ingredients. She just knew how to bake and cook and could just make things without any recipes. Like these cookies:

Cream together:
1/2 lb. butter
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs

add:
1/4 cup milk
4 tsp. baking powder
4 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

drop on greased cookie sheet
make thumb print
bake 8 mins. at 350

Grilled Tomato and Onion Salad

I hesitate to call this a recipe … more like a process. Finally, a perfect use for those rock hard grocery store tomatoes. It wouldn’t work with fresh, perfectly ripe ones picked right off the vine.

* Preheat your grill on high (gas grill – if you have charcoal, prepare the coals accordingly). If you are using a grilling sheet/basket/wok (recommended), place on grill to preheat also.
* Take several large tomatoes and slice horizontally into two or three thick slices.
* Coat with a thin coat of olive oil on all sides.
* Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. You can also use any other spices here you’d like (garlic powder, dried or fresh oregano, thyme, etc.)
* Take a couple spring onions (like scallions, but larger) and trim off any wilted, or “yucky” tops and the roots.
* Coat with a thin coat of olive oil. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty here, rubbing the oil into the green tops is the only way to get a good coating.
* Turn grill to low/medium and put on veggies on grilling sheet/basket/wok. Close grill.
* Check veggies after a minute or two. Flip/turn to other side once first side shows color. The second side will also only take a few minutes – usually less than the first. This is a pretty fast process. The tomatoes will soften, as will the green onion tops. You want some black grill marks, but you also don’t want vegetable mush.
* Remove tomatoes and onions from grill and let cool.
* Slice veggies into chunks. I use scissors for this.
* Drizzle with more olive oil and season to taste with the same spices you used before cooking.
* Cover and place in refrigerator to chill.
* Serve cold, with chunks of crusty bread for dipping.

Notes:
* You could also use vinegar or your favorite vinaigrette to toss the vegetables with before chilling.
* Mix-in ideas: mozzarella, feta or goat cheese, day old bread, torn up basil
* Grilled peppers, zucchini, sweet onions, asparagus, potatoes for a warm or cold grilled vegetable salad, or a grilled ratatouille

Rum Cake

A legend … in cake form. Known far and wide, this was the most favorite of all treats his mom sent to my hubby and his teammates in college. This is still a favorite to this day, in fact, my brother asks for rum cake whenever he hears Elizabeth will be visiting.

1 18 oz. Duncan Hines cake mix (yellow or lemon)
1 small package vanilla instant pudding (3.5 oz)
4 large or XL eggs
1/2 cup dark rum (light rum ok)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup room temperature or warmer water

spray bundt pan with cooking/baking spray
mix all ingredients to moisten
mix on medium speed for two minutes
pour into bundt pan
bake at 325 for an hour

Old World Raspberry Bars

Anna, my sister, says she does not like to cook. But she makes a mean enchilada and a good raspberry bar.

crumb mixture:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg

Filling:
1 jar (10 oz.) raspberry preserves

Heat oven to 350

In a large mixer bowl combine all crumb ingredients.
Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is crumbly – 2 to 3 minutes.
Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture (for the topping); press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of 8-in. square baking pan.
Spread preserves to within 1/2 inch of egde of crumb mixture.
Crumble reserved crumb mixture over preserves.
Bake for 42 – 50 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Notes:
Would also be good with strawberry preserves.
Chopped walnuts or pecans could be added to the filling