Grandma Baughman's Double Pie Crust

Grandma Baughman’s Double Pie Crust

2 C flour

1 C shortening

½ C water

1 t salt (or less)

Mix flour and salt, cut in shortening with a fork. Add water. Knead and roll out. Makes a double crust.

Grandma Baughman always had room at her table, and she always had a pie baked and ready for company to devour. Her apple pie was amazing. At Christmas we were blessed with her pecan pie. No matter what the flavor, her crust was flaky and delicious. 

Candied Pecans

1 cup sugar

5 Tbsp. cold water

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups pecan halves, toasted

Combine sugar, water, salt and cinnamon. Cook over low heat until mixture forms a soft ball, about 10 minutes. Do not stir while cooking. Remove from heat; add vanilla and pecans. Stir until nuts are well-coated with mixture. Pour onto waxed paper and gently separate with fork.

Delicious in your favorite salad.

Fresh Cranberry Jello Salad

This salad is delicious to serve with your Thanksgiving dinner. I fix it every year for our "Praise in the Park" Thanksgiving celebration at LifeChurch. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 package fresh cranberries
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 large package raspberry Jello
1 cup boiling water
1 can crushed pineapple (drained)
¾ cup diced celery
2 apples (grated)
1/2  cup pecans (I like more so I use 1 cup)

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Servings: 12.

Grind or chop cranberries in blender or food processor. Work sugar into cranberries until completely dissolved. 

Dissolve Jello in boiling water and add to cranberries. 

Add pineapple, celery, apples and nuts. 

Chill for a few hours before serving.

*This recipe was shared by Jennifer Gregory for Thanksgiving 1999 in Stockton, California. It was her mother’s recipe. It was an instant hit! I’ve been making it every year since.

Alfredo Sauce

SERVINGS 4

1⁄4 lb sweet butter (1/2 cup, light butter works fine)

1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup light cream

3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt to taste

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in saucepan

2. Add cream and heat for about 5 but do not boil.

3. Add Parmesan cheese and warm until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste (If serving with shrimp, you may not need much salt.).

Pour over 4 servings of warm pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Notes: Serve it with cubed, grilled or broiled chicken breast mixed in with the noodles or shrimp. Add a green salad and have a complete meal. Margarine and canned Parmesan cheese works good too.

Sunshine Semlor

SWEDISH SEMLOR (SUNSHINE SEMLOR)

By: Louise Sunshine Vernerstrom

INGREDIENTS

Rolls:

2/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups almond milk (heat to 82 degrees F)

1 envelope of active dry yeast

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 eggs

5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder (mix with flour)

Almond paste filling:

1/2 cup milk

5 ounces almond paste or marzipan

Topping:

2 cups whipping cream

2 tablespoons white sugar

powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1.  Melt butter, add warm milk. Put yeast in a large bowl and add butter & milk mixture. Stir until yeast is completely melted. Add cardamom and eggs. In separate bowl mix flour 1/2 cup white sugar, salt and baking powder together. Add flour mixture to milk mixture until all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.

2. Form dough into 20 balls (or 40 if you would like smaller semlor). Place balls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rise about 45 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Bake for about 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool buns on a wire rack.

5. Once the balls are cool, cut the top off each one to make a "lid" for the semla (about 1/2 inch) and set aside. Take a fork and gently scoop out the middle of the bun to make a "cave." Save the center bread for the almond paste filling in a large bowl.

6. Grate the almond paste and set aside. Moisten the bread from the center of the buns with milk, then mix in the almond paste until smooth. Continue adding small amounts of milk (or heavy cream) until it resembles a thick pudding.

7. Spoon almond paste filling into each bun "cave" and top with whipping cream mixture.

8. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whipping cream. Beat until whipping cream makes stiff peaks. Put generously on top of the almond paste filling then top with the bun "lid". Use a sifter to dust tops with powdered sugar.

This is authentic Swedish Semla made by my friend Louise Vernerstrom from Falun, Sweden. Semlor was originally a pastry exclusively eaten for Fat Tuesday. However, it is so good, that tradition has changed drastically. Many serve it all year round.