Sweet Treats ~

it's that time of year ~

time again to start preparing for Thanksgiving Day & Christmas 

and

everything that goes along with...

...including the baking ~

I usually start dreaming of my mom's peanut butter fudge, or her molasses cookies 

when the weather hints of changing her summer cottons to her winter woolies...

actually, I dream about them all through the year.

little baking table

I've mentioned before that my mom's heritage is Pennsylvania German, or PA Dutch...

she was born in Harrisburg PA and grew up on the outskirts close to Lancaster.

she & her family moved to Bridgeport CT,

and that's where I was born.

all the ingredients ready...

 I remember how my aunts, Mim & Dot, 

...along with my mom would drive to PA to visit their relatives when I was young

and how I hated when she left because I missed her so very much.

but

I also knew that upon her return

she would bring me back candy.

not any candy, but PA Dutch candy!

watermelon slices, clear-candy pops, all sorts & licorice...

and of course, hands-down-thee-best,

C H O C O L A T E

some of my early molds & cutters...

 she would also bring home fresh-baked goodies too ~

wet-bottom shoo-fly pie, peanut butter cookies, whoopie pies 

and fried apple-cakes that were small & tiny and just the perfect size for my little hand....

a dusting of freshly fallen flour...

 I love reminiscing about those days now...

although mom still makes us peanut butter fudge and molasses cookies each year...

still using the same old water-glass to cut out the circles of cookie dough.

~ my small wooden woodsman springerle cookie mold, tin star, flower & tree cutters ~

 when I gather all of my ingredients together for a morning of baking,

I choose carefully...

I want to keep that feeling of homemade alive within me & my family.

...so I use old my egg beaters, butter paddles & wooden rolling pins.

I use our fresh chicken eggs and whole spices ~

beautiful star anise on one of my old butter paddles

 I want to make memories for Hannah & Peter

and for the many friends we have,

I want them to have a happy memory of being here...

being ~

H O M E

colored sugar & sprinkles for a festive touch ~

 I turn to my OLD favorite recipes...

the ones found in a yellowed book that I've had since childhood ~

one that shares secrets of my family's baking history...

recipes with intriguing names like

Christmas Biscuits

Moravian White Christmas Cookies

and

Gutmusser's Apple Cake

my favorite little cookbook

 actually,

I have three of these little cookbooks ~

each one a little different than the next

but

all three dear to me ~

 ~ baking memories ~

 I'm sure that each of you reading this has their own special recipes ~

some old, some new...

and here is a very simple one from me to you:

Graham Cracker Cherry Chip Blondies

1 box graham cracker crumbs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

mix cracker crumbs and condensed milk

stir in chocolate chips & cherries

pour into a greased glass baking dish and bake at 350* for 35 min.

check with a toothpick for doneness and then dust with a little powdered sugar.

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enjoy!

* Blessed be * 

Lori