Buttermilk Pie

I know here in Hoosier country sugar cream pie reigns supreme, but this buttermilk pie sure gives it a run for its money.  Smooth, rich, creamy, a little tart, and not too sweet, buttermilk pie does not disappoint.  My Grandma Ruth made this pie when I was a child, though I do not remember it.  The recipe has been in the family for years, and I am so glad to have it now.

My grandma gave it too me when I asked her if she had a good sugar cream pie recipe.  When I asked her, she scoffed a little and told me about her buttermilk pie.  Intrigued, I asked her if I could have it.  She gladly wrote it down, and I soon discovered a new favorite pie.

This pie is super easy to make.  I have modified the ingredient amounts a little to to account for one pie.  Other than that, I haven't changed a thing; nor do I need to. 

Buttermilk Pie

Printable Recipe

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 stick melted butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix everything above real good with electric mixer.  Pour filling into an unbaked 9.5 inch pie shell.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, them 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

Marbled Squares

Mmm.  Mmm.  Good.  As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite in our house, and this variation sounded too good to pass up.  It apparently was an old family favorite, too, since Nonna submitted it to the Saint Joan of Arc recipe book.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find the date the book was published.  I did find a newspaper clipping taped into the book from 1966, and all the advertisers still used "GL" in their phone numbers. 

I found a few different versions of this recipe.  The recipe book submission (above) had a number of annotations and double amounts of the ingredients written in pencil (notice the dash next to the salt - omitted!). 

I also found a typed recipe card with the doubled ingredients and baking in two eight inch and nine inch square pans instead of nine by thirteen.

Seeing these different versions, I began to wonder where this recipe originated.  Flipping through the Saint Joan of Arc recipe book, taped to the very last page was a Nestle chocolate chip package.

As I examined the package, I saw 'Toll House Marble Squares" in the bottom right corner.  The instructions are as follows:

Prepare dough for 1/2 of Original Toll House Cookies but do not add chocolate morsels.  Spread dough in a greased 13" x 9" x 2" pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 a 12-oz. Jumbo pkg. (1 c.) NESTLE'S SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE MORSELS over top.  Place in 375 degree F. oven for 1 min.  Remove from oven and run knife through batter to marbleize.  Return to oven and continue to bake.  BAKE at 375 degrees F. 

TIME:  12 to 14 mins.  Cool.  Cut in 2" squares.

It was fun to track down the origin of this recipe, and they are delicious, indeed.  The middle pieces are much like a whole cookie make out of the gooey chewy middle of a traditional chocolate chip cookie.  Yum!

Marbled Squares

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon water

1 egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, salt; set aside.  Blend butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and water until creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Add flour mixture; mix well.  Spread dough in a greased 13 x 9. pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.  Place in oven for 1 min.  Remove from oven and run knife through batter to marbleize.  Return to oven and continue to bake.  Bake for 12 to 14 mins.  Cool.  Cut into 24 squares.

On the omission of salt...

Thanks to my wonderful family, I have amassed a large number of handwritten recipes passed down from generation to generation.  I requested these recipes so I could scan them into my computer in order to preserve their image and share with any and all who may want them.  Three hundred scans later, my project is now complete (until I get more recipes) and I look forward to trying these recipes and sharing the results with you; along with an image of the recipe card, of course. 

In collecting these recipes, there were, in some instances, many versions of the same recipe.  Be it in card form, book form, newspaper clipping, or direct from a package label, it was fun to see the origin and evolution of a recipe as it was transcribed time and time again.  Some recipes were doubled, some had an ingredient tweaked here and there, some were modified drastically, but there was one constant throughout all recipes that were transcribed by Nonna from the original source.  All were written with the omission of salt or with the annotation of "(optional)" after the ingredient.

This was quite intriguing to me, as I often wondered why salt was not included in the ingredients list in most of the family recipes I already had.  More often than not, I found myself adding a little salt to round out the flavor, since that is how I am used to cooking.  I was curious to know if most sweets did not call for salt back when these recipes were printed or if Nonna made a conscious effort to exclude the ingredient when she copied the recipe to the card.  I now have my answer.

I am now curious to know why she excluded salt.  If anyone has any insights, please post away in the comment section.  Stay tuned for more recipes!

Zucchini Casserole

I remember following Grandpa into the backyard where a lush green vine climbed the fence and sprawled into the grass.  He would rummage through the leaves and pull out a brilliant green zucchini.  It was like magic.  I always hoped he would take it in for Nonna to make some zucchini bread.  More often than not, though, when Grandpa brought in a zucchini, he was going to make zucchini casserole.

As a kid, I didn't care for zucchini casserole.  However, when I saw the recipe as I was perusing through Nonna and Grandpa's recipe cards, I knew I had to try it again.  With an abundant supply of zucchini at the market, it was the perfect time to make this casserole.

The recipe is quite straightforward and easy to prepare.  The only modification I made was to the cream of chicken soup ingredient.  Instead of using the cream of chicken soup, I made a roux with about two tablespoons of butter and three or four tablespoons of flour.  I then added a cup of chicken stock to the roux, added a little salt and pepper brought the mixture to a boil.  I cooked it until thick, and I had a simply made substitute to the store bought variety.

I followed the rest of the recipe as written, and it was ready to bake in no time.  With the herb stuffing and creamy consistency, the casserole reminded me a lot of something I would serve on Thanksgiving or in the fall.  It is very good, though, and the zucchini adds a nice freshness and a vibrant green color to the dish.  I am thinking about serving it on Thanksgiving in lieu of a traditional stuffing dish, as long as I can find good looking zucchini.

I didn't know what I was missing as a kid, but I am glad I have rediscovered this casserole.  I will not hesitate to use my zucchinis for this dish instead of zucchini bread.  I am sure it will become a staple at our table during the abundant summer zucchini season, just as it was at Nonna and Grandpa's.

Zucchini Casserole

Printable Recipe

2 lbs. zucchini, sliced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded carrot

8 oz. herb stuffing mix

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan, cook zucchini, and chopped onion in boiling water (salted) about 5 minutes.  Drain.  Combine soup and sour cream.  Stir in shredded carrots.  Fold in drained zucchini and onion mix. 

Combine stuffing mix and butter and spread this mixture in the bottom of 12 x 9 baking dish.  Spoon vegetable mixture on top.  Then sprinkle remaining stuffing mixture on that.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown.

Print those recipes!

I am pleased to announce that the recipes posted here on Family Tree-Eats are now available in a printer friendly format.  With each recipe posted, there is now a "Printable Recipe" link that will take you to a page formatted specifically for printing.  Now it is that much easier to make Family Tree-Eats recipes part of your own collection.  Happy printing everybody!

Nonna's German Sweet Chocolate Brownies

Taken from latent chestnut:

The brownies were a cinch to prepare and filled the house with the sweet smell of chocolate as they were baking.  Waiting for them to cool was an act of patience I don't soon want to repeat, but I stayed strong.  My patience was rewarded as soon as I tried one.  Still a bit warm from the oven, the brownie was rich, dense, chocolaty, sweet and chewy.  My idea of a darn good brownie.  I have posted the recipe below.  The original recipe calls for margarine, but I substituted butter without any issues.  I also omitted nuts from mine.  We're a nutless brownie kind of group in my house.  I also chose not to put icing on the brownies this time, though I'm sure it would be delicious!

German Sweet Chocolate Brownies
Printable Recipe

Makes 16
1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate
1/4 C (1/2 Stick) margarine
3/4 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
1/2 C Flour
1/2 C coarsely chopped Nuts

Melt chocolate and margarine in a 2-quart saucepan over very low heat; stir constantly until just melted. Remove from heat. Stir sugar into melted chocolate. Stir in eggs and vanilla until completely mixed. Mix in flour until well-blended. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 8-inch square pan. Bake 350 degrees – 25 min. (DO NOT OVERBAKE) Cool in pan. Cut in squares.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
If you wish icing -
Over low heat melt 4 (1 oz.) squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate with 1/4 C (1/2 Stick) margarine. Stirring constantly until just melted. Spread over Brownies. Chill. Cut into squares.

Amaretti

Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, these amaretti are a real treat.  The almond flavor is wonderful in these macaroons as well.  A delicate and delightful little cookie.

In order to make them, I had to do some deciphering in order to put together the finished product.  On the recipe card, it calls for "1/4 shelled blanched almonds", and I didn't know what measurement to use for the "1/4".  Since it calls for 1/2 pound of sugar, I decided to use 1/4 of almonds.  That measurement made the most sense to me. 

The next hurdle was the oven temperature.  Since the recipe states to bake the amaretti in a moderate oven, I chose to bake them at 350 degrees.  The recipes also says that they will bake in 5 minutes, which was not long enough for this batch.  I ended up baking them for about 15 or 20 minutes until they were light brown.

The amaretti turned out well.  I have never had them before, so I did not have a point of reference as to what they should be like.  I think this is a recipe that I will have to play around with before I find the perfect way to make them.  The flavor was wonderful, so I will revisit these again.  If anyone has any suggestions or knows the correct measurements and baking temperature, I would love to know!

Amaretti   (Macaroons)

Printable Recipe

Makes about 1 doz.

1/2 lb. Sugar

1/4 shelled blanched Almonds

1/4 t Almond extract

2 egg whites

Chop and pulverize almonds; mix thoroughly with half of sugar and extract.

Beat egg whites until very stiff.  Add balance of sugar; beat again.  Add almond mixture; mix thoroughly.  Shape into balls or cookies about 2 inches in diameter.  Place on greased cookie pan about 1 inch apart.  Bake in moderate oven about 5 min. or until light brown.

Funghi Imbottite

I love mushrooms, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make these funghi imbottite.  Although this was in the stack of family recipes Aunt Joan gave me, I do not remember ever eating these.  It's too bad, too, because they are delicious!

This recipe is very simple to prepare and the stuffing comes together very quickly.  I used freshly greated Parmesan for the cheese, and dried parsley because I didn't have any fresh on hand.  I had some stuffing left over, but I guess the amount needed depends on how big the mushrooms are.  I may have filled them a bit too much because I didn't account for the mushrooms shrinking as they cooked.  I baked them at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes.

The stuffed mushrooms were very tasty.  The slight crunch of the golden brown stuffing and the buttery softness the inside matched with the firm yet tender meat of the mushroom was a magical combination.  The flavors of the garlic and onion were subtle but not bland, and the saltiness of the cheese was present as well.  Served with a salad, this makes for a wonderful summertime meal.

Funghi Imbottite (Stuffed Mushrooms)
Printable Recipe
Serves 4 or 6.

1 Lb. lg. mushrooms

3 T grated Cheese

1 clove Garlic, chopped

1 sm onion, chopped

1 C bread crumbs

1 T chopped parsley

2 T melted butter

6 T Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean and remove stems from mushrooms.  Mix thoroughly bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, butter, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.  Fill mushroom caps.

Pour 2 T of oil in bottom of baking pan.  Place mushrooms in pan, stuffed side up.  Pour balance of oil equally over all mushrooms.  Bake about 20 min. in medium oven.  When mushrooms are tender and tops brown, remove from oven.  Serve very hot.

Yogurt Cake

This time I used Rapadura sugar and lemon juice in the batter and a lemon glaze.

My favorite cake recipe.  This cake is super moist and the recipe is receptive to experimentation, so you can really get creative.  The cake is not too sweet,  easy to digest, and nourishing.   I use whole milk yogurt (cream top) from Farm Peter.   Recipe is from the book Chocolate & Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier, a gift from my mom.   Clotilde says:
'You can add citrus juice or zest to the batter, fold in berries, chocolate chips, or nuts;  substitute ground nuts or cocoa powder for part of the flour; slice the cake in two and spread raspberry jam, lemon curd or ganache in the middle; or dress the cake with whatever frosting or glaze you like.'
(I can't wait to try an avocado buttercream frosting!)

The recipe:
Printable Recipe
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus 1 teaspoon to grease the pan.
1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt, preferably whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon light or amber rum (optional but recommended)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a good pinch of fine sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease the sides of a 10 inch round cake pan or springform pan with oil and line the botton with parchment paper if the pan is not springform.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar.  Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla, oil, and rum, if using, and whisk again.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and salt.  Pour the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and  bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the pan to loosen.  If you're using a springform pan, unclasp the sides.  Otherwise, flip the cake onto a plate and flip it back on the rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Clotilde has a blog you can visit, also called Chocolate & Zucchini.

Chopped Beef Toasts

A fond food memory from my childhood, I remember eating these chopped beef toasts fresh from the oven and savoring every scrumptious bite.  Nonna or Grandpa didn't make these for me very often, and I don't think my mom ever made them at home, so I was delighted when I saw there was a recipe for them.  Once I found the recipe, it went to the top of my list of new things to try.

The toasts are very easy to make and I had dinner ready for the family in about fifteen minutes.  I used my my own fresh ground beef for the recipe, which is a blend of half sirloin and half chuck.  The recipe also calls for meat condiment, which is an ingredient I have not heard of.  A quick internet search for 'meat condiment' did not yield any answers either.  So, I used homemade mayonnaise.  I thought the mayonnaise would be a nice compliment to the meat and not lend any flavors that would overpower it.

An interesting part of the recipe that I did not realize until I was assembling the toast was that the meat is put on the bread raw; though I think that's what makes them so good.  As the meat cooks, the juices are absorbed into the meat creating a texture almost reminiscent of bread pudding.  Speaking of cooking the meat, the recipe states to grill at moderate heat for five to six minutes.  I wasn't sure how to 'grill' the toasts, so I baked them at 450 degrees for five minutes and put them under the broiler for another minute.  Using this method, they tasted just as I remember them.

The beef toasts were a big hit with the family.  Ari ate his whole piece and asked for more and once we got Emilie to try it, she ate her whole serving as well.  Valerie kept talking about how good they were, too. 

If anyone knows what 'meat condiment' is, or how the toasts were traditionally cooked or 'grilled', I would love to know.

Chopped Beef Toasts

Printable Recipe

(2 servings)

1/4 pound chopped raw beef

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/2 teaspoon meat condiment

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

4 slices white bread

1.  Mix the beef, onion salt and condiment.

2.  Spread the bread with half the butter and toast on one side.

3.  Spread the untoasted side from crust to crust with the chopped beef; dot with the remaining butter and grill at moderate heat from 5 to 6 minutes.  Serve very hot.