Grandma Holmes's Buttermilk Pound Cake

When I first told MDS that I was planning to make a pound cake recipe that I found in his Grandma's cookbook, he did not remember this cake. Then, when he taste-tested the batter, he remembered taste-testing this batter when his Grandma made this cake. Sometimes our taste memory is stronger than any other memory.

This cake is an old-fashioned cake. Many modern cakes are quickly mixed together in one bowl. This buttermilk pound cake requires the use of multiple bowls, an electric mixer and time. But the end result is worth the little extra effort. The cake has a rich taste and texture. I did not put any frosting on the cake, but a basic sugar glaze or a buttercream frosting would be delicious.

Grandma Holmes's Buttermilk Pound Cake 

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

• 2 sticks butter
• 5 eggs, separated
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Gradually add the sugar while beating continually. Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk, add to the sugar mixture alternately with the flour, slowly. Do not under beat this cake.

Wash beaters. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into the cake along with vanilla.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 until cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed with finger. Baking time should be about one hour. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is so easy to make and is so delicious. You can make it ahead and serve it cold or just reheat it. MDS and I both grew up having the canned version that stayed in the shape of a can. No wonder neither of us liked cranberry sauce as kids.

The basic cranberry sauce recipe has a simple ratio: 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 2 cups cranberries. If you have a different amount of cranberries, adjust the water and sugar accordingly. And, the sauce is easily enhanced. I like to use a little less water and sugar and add in a few tablespoons of orange juice and brandy. Other option enhancements could be honey or apricot preserves or anything that you might like. Cranberry sauce can be served warm or cold, depending on you preference.

Cranberry Sauce 

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups cranberries
• optional add ins, such as orange juice

In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil for five minutes. Add in cranberries and optional add ins. Return to boil, then reduce heat. Boil over medium heat while stirring occasionally for about ten minutes or until the cranberry sauce thickens. The cranberry skins will pop. Remove from heat. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!

Hot Rolls

These Hot Rolls are another delicious bread recipe from Mom. They are easy to make, but do require some planning because the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight and, once shaped, the rolls need four hours to rise. But do not let the required advanced planning stop you from giving these rolls a try. Like all homemade breads, the wonderful smell of rising and baking bread will fill you home, making it hard not to eat one of these rolls the moment they are done baking.

Mom's recipe calls for lard. I used butter instead. I have nothing against lard; I just don't keep lard around. I suppose crisco or margarine could also work. Mom's recipe also called for the rolls to be baked at 450 for 20 minutes. I nearly burned the rolls about 15 minutes into the baking time. So, I would recommend 15 to 20 minutes at 375.

Hot Rolls 

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 package yeast
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 egg, unbeaten
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 3 1/2 cup flour

Cream butter, sugar, and salt. Dissolve yeast in warm water (about 115 degrees). Add to the butter mixture the boiling water, egg, cold water and dissolved yeast. Add in flour and blend. Refrigerate dough overnight. 

Grease muffin tins. Make up shape of cloverleaf rolls by taking about a tablespoon of dough rolled into ball, then placing 3 balls in each muffin slot in the tin. Let stand covered for about four hours. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Spam Loaf

Yes, that title is correct. This recipe features spam, and, not the kind that clutters your inbox. I remember having spam as a kid, such as this spam loaf or spam sandwiches. Nowadays, I don't often eat spam, except for spam musubi, which is teriyaki grilled spam on rice and wrapped in seaweed. If you have never tried spam musubi, give it a try. I think it is delicious. Apparently, it is easy to find in Hawaii or from my favorite Hawaiian place, Aloha Eats, in Lincoln Park in Chicago. Or, you could give this spam loaf recipe a try.

This spam loaf is assembled from two ingredients: spam and mozzarella. And, just like Mom's meat loaf, this dish is covered in ketchup. Recently, Mom, Megan and I visited my Godparents, Jim and Eileen O'Brien. Eileen recalled how when we were kids, we would put ketchup on everything. I guess that is how Mom got us to eat things we might otherwise refuse. The ketchup does give this dish a nice flavor.

Spam Loaf 

• One can spam
• Block of Mozzarella cheese
• Ketchup

Slice the spam. Slice the mozzarella cheese in a size similar to the spam slices. Alternate placing the spam slices and the cheese slices into a mini-loaf pan, until pan is filled. Top the loaf with ketchup to cover the entire loaf. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the pan. Enjoy!

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls, fresh out of the oven, are hard to beat. When I was a kid, I did not like cinnamon all that much, so I am not sure that I appreciated these rolls when Mom made them. Now that I have matured, I love cinnamon. These cinnamon rolls are so delicious; it was hard to only eat one when they were fresh out of the oven.

Don't avoid this recipe because it requires the use of yeast. With a little practice, yeast is easy to work with and worth the results. One key is to use the right temperature of liquid. Mom's recipe simply states to use lukewarm water to proof the yeast. Mom never used a thermometer and it always worked for her. I prefer to use a thermometer to make sure the water is about 100 degrees. Proofing yeast means to make sure the yeast is active before adding it to the dough by placing the yeast in warm liquid with a touch of sugar should "wake up" the yeast and it will start to foam, which is the proof that the yeast is active.

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls 

• 1 package yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup milk, scalded
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 4-5 cups flour

Topping

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-4 tbsp. water

Dissolve yeast in water with a bit of sugar until foam appears. In a bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add yeast, vanilla and eggs. Beat in 2 cups flour. Work in 2 more cups flour until soft dough forms. Knead on floured surface, adding in additional flour, until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise until double in size. 

Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Divide in half. Form each half into a long roll. Cut into 12 pieces. Stretch each piece and twist into a rope about 1/2 inch in diameter. Coil dough starting at the center and working out. Dip the top of each roll into melted butter, then the sugar mixed with cinnamon. Place on a buttered baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool.

For the frosting, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and water together until spreadable. Spread or drizzle the frosting on each roll. Enjoy!

Burgers

Mom regularly made burgers. They are easy to make and popular among us kids. The recipe itself is basic, with just a few ingredients. I think the Worcestershire sauce adds a great flavor. But feel free to leave it out, or substitute with another sauce. The ground beef is classic, but ground turkey could be good too. Other seasonings could easily be added, based on preference. In other words, there is no one way to make burgers, and many options could lead to great results. The recipe below makes four good sized burgers. The nice thing about making your own burgers is that it is easy to adjust the size of the burgers to make mini-burgers, jumbo burgers, or any size. Because the burgers will become smaller with cooking, make the burgers slightly bigger than the buns you plan to use.

Any type of burger bun can be used, but look for something that it a bit sturdy to keep it all together. I am partial to pretzel bread buns and English muffins. Any topping can be used, put on whatever floats your boat. I like cheese and carmelized onions.

Burgers 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• Buns
• Toppings

In a bowl, blend together all the ingredients. Form into four round patties. Place on a baking sheet covered with foil. Place on a high rack under the oven broiler for 8 to 10 minutes per side. Serve on buns with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Apple Cake

Mom fondly remembers making this apple cake. I did not remember it, until I made it. The lovely smell of apple, cinnamon and nutmeg brought back this cake to my memory. For Megan, it took just one bite to remember this cake. The cake is sweet, but not overwhelming. It is an excellent treat on a nice fall day when apples are in season.

Apple Cake tastes a bit like apple pie, but is much easier to make. Most of the ingredients are staple ingredients that will be sitting around your kitchen. The cake itself is about half cake batter and half apples. Any type of apple will do. I used Golden Early apples from my farmer's market. Also, I did not include nuts, but Mom's recipe calls for walnuts, but any nut could work. Mom's recipe says to frost the cake with cream cheese frosting, but Mom never did use frosting, and this cake does not need any frosting. In fact the top of the cake had just a bit of caramelizing from the apples and sugar in the cake that added a great taste from which frosting would distract.

Apple Cake 

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• 2 tsps. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 cups peeled and diced apples
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, oil and vanilla. Add flour, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg gradually. Blend well. Stir in the apples and nuts. Pour into greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!