Mulberry and Rhubarb Pie

Last night I waited up to meet my egg fairy, well everyone else might know him as my cousin Mike! He and his wife, Chris, raise free-range laying hens and there is nothing like farm fresh eggs! The best part is he delivers right to your refrigerator! LOL As we are in the middle of Mulberry season I was processing mulberries when he arrived. We then got to talking, as Millers often do, about picking mulberries. I told him how I picked them the hard way the first round... you know the painstaking way of one ripe berry at a time. 

I had to laugh because a couple of days later I went to my brother's and picked more with Sara. She taught me how to use old sheets and shake the tree. We lined the ground under the tree with old sheets and then grabbed the branches above them and shook them until the ripe mulberries stopped raining down on us! In a matter of minutes you are left with sheets covered with ripe mulberries and then all you have to do is grab the corners of the sheets and pour them into your buckets. So simple and fast! 

The truly funny part of that is that it was my mom who told her how to do it that way. I guess she remembered Auntie and Grandma Spratt picking them that way, but somehow she neglected to tell me about it. :) Mike then laughed and said that he could remember picking mulberries when he was younger with his parents. He told me that they used rope or something like that to loop around the tree so that you could shake the living daylights out of it. LOL He said that he even remembered his dad using the tractor to shake the tree! I guess it worked great and there wasn't a ripe berry left on the tree when they were done! LOL Kind of makes me think of the old cowboy motto only modernized by replacing the horse with a tractor... if you can't do it from the seat of your tractor then it's not worth doing!

-Jennifer Figgins
daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan

Mulberry and Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups mulberries with green stems removed
1 cup chopped rhubarb
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
unbaked double-crust pastry for pie

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Combine mulberries and rhubarb with salt, sugar, flour and lemon zest.

Pour the filling into the lined pan.

Distribute the filling, heaping them toward the center.

Brush rim of the pastry with a little milk. 

Cover with the remaining piece of pastry. 

Gently press the edge with thumb tips. 

Cut off excess, holding the knife at a slight angle. 

Flute the edge with your fingertips, then brush the top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Cut a 1/2 inch steam hole or design in the top crust. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Grandma Joy's Homemade Ice Cream

I have been searching for Grandma Joy's homemade ice cream recipe for a long time now.  It took a lot of searching by several family members and I am excited to announce that I think we have finally located it!! 

The following is some of the relaying that lead up to the discovery... 

To Max:
From: Marie Miller
I found this hand written recipe (in one of the girls' handwriting)   I believe it is the one Mom used to use.  Let me know if this is the right one.

To Marie:
From: Max Miller
Thanks, Marie.  It sounds likely, but I don’t know how we would know for sure.  I will send it on to Mary too, so she won’t need to keep looking for pasteurized eggs.  

The email was then forwarded by Max to Mary Bryan.

To: Jennifer
From: Mom (Mary Bryan)
Here is Mom’s Ice Cream recipe or close enough.

...You have to love the game of telephone!! Thank you to all who have searched for this recipe. It is definitely loved by many and will be cherished for years to come!

- Jennifer Figgins

Daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan

Homemade Ice Cream

Ingredients:
6 eggs

2 cups Sugar

1 tsp salt

1 qt cream

1 tbsp vanilla
milk
rock salt
ice

Beat 6 eggs well.

Add 2 cups of sugar incorporating one cup at a time into the mixture.

Next stir in salt, cream and vanilla.

Mix Well.

Pour the mixture into the ice cream-maker container.

Add milk to the container filling it up to the middle of 2nd loop from top.

Next place container into ice cream-maker.

Pack ice around container using 1 part rock salt to 4 parts ice.

Be careful not to over fill ice and salt. The ice should not go over the lip of the container. This could contaminate the ice cream mixture inside.

Serve immediately!

Marcia's Shower Punch

Marcia this post is for you. In my search for recipes for Selena's shower I ran across a recipe card titled, "Marcia's Shower Punch." I have to admit I am feeling a little left out... Will has a punch named after him... you have one... but then again, I guess you might have to have a life changing event, such as marriage or babies, in order to get that honor! LOL I will have to work on that one. Now I am thinking that maybe I should create one for Selena... I wouldn't want to leave her out!

-Jennifer Figgins
daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan

Marcia's Shower Punch

Joy Miller's handwriting and recipe.

Ingredients:

3 pkgs jello

9 cups boiling water

4 cups sugar

4 cups warm water

2 cans pineapple juice

16 oz lemon juice

gingerale

Dissolve the jello in the boiling water.

Add the sugar and warm water.

Mix and let cool.

In a separate bowl mix together the pineapple juice and lemon juice.

Pour this mixture into a ice ring mold and freeze.

When ready to serve pour the cooled jello mixture into a large punch bowl.

Add the pineapple-lemon ice ring.

Finish filling the bowl with gingerale. 

Let set for 3 hours. 

Serves: 50

Mom's Birthday Morning

Growing up it was our family tradition to have a special birthday breakfast waiting for you in the morning. I loved waking up in the morning and running out to the kitchen to see what was there. It was kind of like having your own personal Christmas! When you got to the kitchen you would find the table set for breakfast and your birthday presents waiting for you under your plate. I know it sounds kind of funny but your presents were always under your plate.

Every year for my Mom's birthday I try to carry on this tradition by doing something special for her for breakfast and of course I leave her birthday present! This year her birthday fell during the week so I made her banana nut muffins and fancy coffee so she could eat it on her way to work. It wasn't as elaborate of a breakfast as we had when we were kids but yummy just the same.

Banana Nut Bread/Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (3 large) mashed very ripe bananas 
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 9-by-5-by-3 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray (PAM).

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, and beat until incorporated.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt.

Mix until just combined.

Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. 

Mix until combined then stir in nuts.

Pour into prepared loaf pan.

Optional: sprinkle top with raw sugar crystals. 

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Let rest in pan for 10 minutes before moving loaf onto a rack to cool.

*Note: If you over beat the batter once the flour is added it will make a denser loaf.

Wacky Cake and Fudge Frosting

Guess what I just had to do? Find the recipe for Wacky Cake! :-)
I will attempt to write it here from memory now, but I have the recipe card just in case.

I remember making this cake ALOT, and it was easy to do because I just mixed it up in the cake pan. Michael and I would make roads and holes and hills, and when we added the liquid ingredients to mix in, the roads and holes became rivers and lakes! The hills sometimes turned into volcanoes and erupted, spilling lava down to the rivers. It was great fun, so the recipe was easy to remember.

When I was in Kindergarten, Mom came home from Parent/Teacher Conferences and said that my teacher, Mrs Combs had not believed me when I said I'd made a cake the night before. I then recited the entire recipe for her! I guess she had to double check with Mom about the recipe, because she couldn't write it down as quickly as I said it! Ha. She just didn't believe me!

-Donna Joy Hendrickson
daughter of Maurice and Marie Miller

(Now to see how my memory is 40+ years later!)

Wacky Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp Cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

(YES! So far so good...)

2 cups water
2 tsp vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

(Okay, I only messed up on the vinegar. I knew something was 3/4 cup, but it sure wasn't the vinegar! :-+ Oh, I'd also only written 1/3 cup oil...wouldn't do so good on a test, would I?)

Mix all dry ingredients in the cake pan.

Don't forget to make roads and hills!

Mix liquid ingredients in a pitcher, then pour into cake pan and mix well.

Tap the pan to get rid of bubbles, and wipe the edges clean. 

(I guess we were messy!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This recipe will make 2 and 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Bake cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes.

Now, this Wacky Cake was not complete without the fudge frosting on top!

Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp Karo syrup
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla

Cook to a soft ball: sugar, cocoa, salt, Karo syrup, and milk.

Cool. Add butter and vanilla.

*Note: That was all that the recipe card said, but...

We cooled the first part by placing the hot pan in a larger pan or bowl with cold water. Changing the water often, or keeping the cool water running into the outer pan/bowl.

Tip fudge pan away from running water, being careful not to let any water get into the fudge. We had to stir this vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon. Then add the butter and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. When it starts to stiffen, pour on top of cooled cake, and spread out.

You can make fancy swirls too! If you wait too long to pour, the frosting will clump up really stiff all in the center of the cake! It still tasted good, but didn't look so pretty.

Grandma Joy's Cole Slaw

Growing up most of my favorite memories revolved around Grandma Joy's house and our family get togethers. Whether it was playing croquet in the front yard, smacking the birdie over the badminton net...well, mine never really made it over the net... or just swinging under the big willow trees, family was always the key.

Now that summer is officially here it's time to break out the barbeques and sharpen up the hotdog sticks! I can't say that I remember what we had to eat other than the main events: hotdogs roasted on freshly cut sticks and smores browned to perfection! ...well unless you're Donna and then you burn 'um to a crisp ;-) ... You just can't go wrong with that combo. Throw in some simple salads and you have a perfect recipe for family memories that last a lifetime.

One of my current favorite summer salads is Grandma Joy's cole slaw.  I'm sure as a kid I glanced over it and went straight for the good stuff... you know the jello kind with tiny marshmallows! As an intermediate adult I have learned to broaden my scope to include more than just jello deliciousness on my plate. :-)

-Jennifer Figgins
daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan

Grandma Joy's Cole Slaw

Ingredients: 

1 bag of shredded cabbage
1 apple (optional)Dressing:

1 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 cup cream

Blend together Miracle Whip, sugar, and vinegar.

Add cream and mix well.

Core and slice apple into bite sized pieces.

In a bowl mix together the shredded cabbage and apple pieces.

Pour dressing over mixture and toss to coat.

Saturday Night Pizza

We have had a tradition of making pizza for supper on Saturday night for many years. Shirley first started making homemade pizza when we lived in Berea, Ohio in the early 1960’s. At that time pizza was just starting to become popular in the U.S. In the beginning she used a Chef Boyardee pizza box mix. The box contained a dry crust mix, some grated Parmesan cheese, and a can of tomato sauce as near as we can remember. Shirley added browned sausage and probably more cheese to complete the pizza. As time went by she started making her own dough and bought the other ingredients separately. Over the years she has tried many good dough recipes, but the recipe below is the one she currently uses. We settled on sausage and mushrooms as our favorite toppings although you could substitute other toppings. We have used several types of sausage over the years and two of them are mentioned in the recipe.

-Max J. Miller
son of Hollis and Joy Miller

Shirley’s Saturday Night Pizza 

(for a 17 inch round pizza pan)

Ingredients:
Toppings
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, chopped
4 oz. jar of sliced mushrooms
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (sometimes more)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 1/2 lb. Italian sausage or 1 lb. of Schwan’s cooked sausage links

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 packets quick-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups warm water (120 to 130 deg.)

Place the flours, yeast, and salt in a food processor equipped with a dough blade and pulse until blended. 

Add honey.  

Process more, gradually adding water until a ball forms.  

Once ball has formed, process 60 seconds more to knead dough.

Turn dough onto floured surface and shape into a ball. 

Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half.

Each half will cover a 17 inch round pan.

Use dough immediately or freeze for later use.

Brown the Italian sausage or cut the sausage links into 1/8 inch slices.

Spray pizza pan with Pam and stretch half of the dough to form a 17 inch crust.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the crust. You may not need the whole can.

Then sprinkle the garlic over the tomato paste.

Distribute sausage over the crust and then add the mushroom slices.

Finally sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes until it is done.

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Here is another pizza recipe called Crazy Crust Pizza that you might like.  It is fun to make!