I was very close to my granny as a child, my mom’s mom. We spent a lot of time together and she taught me how to cook. I was said to be her favorite, probably because I’m a foodie:) Cooking was her love language. Family dinners, especially on holidays, are among my favorite memories. Her gift to me each birthday & holiday was a 3 layered German Chocolate Cake. I still remember my delight in going to the back closet on her rear porch which was actually a pantry that held cakes, pies, cookies, soaking/brining hams & turkeys, fudge & sugar cookies & all manner of Granny’s most delectable things.

This year for an April birthday I’m making her German Chocolate Cake. I’m sure it won’t taste the same without her. What I’d give to sit down with her at her round table on the back porch for coffee & cake & tell her how much she means to me. There are so many questions I wish I’d asked her that I never thought of till I grew up & realized what truly matters. Maybe that conversation will be held in heaven instead.

I just know there will be cake!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 package German’s Sweet Chocolate from Baker’s Chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2-1/2 cups Swans Down Cake Flour

1 cup buttermilk

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites, swiftly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Melt chocolate in boiling water, then cool. Cream butter & sugar together in a bowl till fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, & beat well after each. Add melted chocolate & vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together salt, baking soda, & flour. Add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate & butter mixture, beating well till smooth. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form & fold into batter. Divide mixture between cake pans & bake each at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/4 pound margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups coconut

1 cup pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, oleo & vanilla in a saucepan & cook over medium heat till thickened. Stir frequently. Remove from heat, add coconut & pecans & beat till thick enough to spread. Frosting should make approximately 2 cups. Spread between cooled cake layers & on top of the assembled cake.

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When I was traveling in the south the month of May, my sister-in-love, Nicia, served this salad & it’s so good I must share! Just combine fresh spinach, fresh blueberries & or strawberries, chèvre or feta cheese, pecans or sliced almonds, as much or as little as you like. For dressing, we use organic poppyseed, specifically Brianna’s. Some even add watermelon & grilled shrimp as shown here.

 Bon Appétit!

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It’s hard to believe 2022 is drawing to a close. The year has brought many ups & downs but despite the challenges, there are so many reasons to be thankful. And so many Thanksgivings to look back on! My best Thanksgiving memories are of my granny’s house in Berea, Kentucky. Ever since I was born, we celebrated holidays there until her homegoing at nearly 100 in 2007. She was a wonderful southern cook, having been taught by a black woman in the kitchen of the mayor’s house where she worked as a young child in Virginia. She’d survived the Spanish flu epidemic which took the life of her teen brother & sisters in a poor family of 10. The mayor she worked for eventually sent her to Kentucky where she attended Berea College, worked as a weaver, married into a Kentucky family & settled down.

Granny cooked for days ahead of the holidays. Thanksgiving was both feast & feat! She lived in a Craftsman on a country road that had a back closet where she would soak her turkeys & store her hams in big crocks on the floor. On the back closet’s shelves were all the pies & cakes she would make for celebrations. Coconut Cake for my mom & aunt, German Chocolate Cake for me & my cousins, & fruit pies or cream pies with meringue for everyone, including brownies & fudge & sugar cookies. The back closet was always colder than the rest of the house, a foodie paradise. I’d give anything to go back to those Thanksgivings that never seemed like they’d come to an end. We even ate pie & cake for breakfast:) Granny never owned a dishwasher so I well remember all the dishes we washed by hand after those family gatherings.

I always make Granny’s cornbread dressing, her deviled eggs, & other dishes. I even wear aprons like she did. I still miss her buttery, yeast rolls and find it hard to recreate them. Thankfully, her warm, faithful, hospitable spirit lives on & I’m so thankful.

This year there will just be 2 at our Thanksgiving table, my husband & myself. A far cry from the family feasts of my childhood! But seasons change along with traditions & sometimes a quiet holiday is what’s called for. From our family to yours, in whatever season or stage you’re in, I hope your Thanksgiving overflows with goodness!

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Yes, it’s a tradition! I post this recipe every Christmas though I always find a deliciously different photo. These sugar cookies hail from Kentucky and are a family favorite. I’ve tried a lot of sugar cookies over the years and this is the winner…

KENTUCKY SUGAR COOKIES

Cream together: 1 cup butter and 2/3 cup sugar
Beat in: 1 egg
Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2-1/2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
Mix all ingredients until well blended.
Chill dough 3-4 hours before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. Bake 8-10 minutes or until barely colored. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.
Cookies can be frosted and decorated or just eaten plain.

FROSTING

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Melt butter: combine all ingredients and beat till smooth. Add food coloring if desired.
Yield: 1/3 cup frosting {I usually make a double batch of frosting}.

Happy baking. And Merry Christmas!

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How to Cook a Husband

As Mr Glass said of the hare, you must first catch him. Having done so,
the mode of cooking him, so as to make a good dish of him, is as follows.
Many good husbands are spoiled in the cooking; some women go about
it as if their husbands were bladders, and blow them up. Others keep them
constantly in hot water, while others freeze them by conjugal coldness.
Some smother them with hatred, contention and variance, and some keep
them in pickle all their lives. These women always serve them up with tongue
sauce. Now it cannot be supposed that husbands will be tender and good if
managed in that way. But they are, on the contrary, very delicious when
managed as follows: Get a large jar called the jar of carefulness, (which all
good wives have on hand), place your husband in it, and set him near the
fire of conjugal love; let the fire be pretty hot, but especially let it be clear – above
all, let the heat be constant. Cover him over with affection, kindness and
subjection. Garnish with modest, becoming familiarity, and the spice of
pleasantry; and if you had kisses and other confectionaries let them be
accompanied with a sufficient portion of secrecy, mixed with prudence and
moderation. We would advise all good wives to try this receipt and realise
how admirable a dish a husband is when properly cooked.

If you’ve read any of my books you know how much I enjoy creating heroines who cook & bake. Or who are chocolatiers like Esmée Shaw in A Heart Adrift! While researching her story, I came across this antiquity of a recipe which is timeless & true & worth sharing. In the meantime I’m creating some delicious posts to pair with the novel’s January release. Cannot wait!

Only 113 days!

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Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Happy almost Thanksgiving! If I could I’d love to learn what’s on your holiday menu this year, both Thanksgiving & Christmas. Here at our house we bring out the best china and glassware and heirloom silverware and set the table in advance. Sometimes days in advance.

This year we’re feasting on a smoked turkey, cornbread stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese bites, sweet potatoes in puff pastry, cranberry sauce, green beans, deviled eggs, & dinner rolls. Iced Christmas cookies & a banana cream pie are for dessert at my son’s request as it’s also his birthday. Oh, & strawberry pretzel salad:) We then enjoy leftovers for days & days.

If you’ve read any of my novels you know that I love putting delicious details into each one. At a Zoom book club meeting this past week, more than one reader said she loved the food my characters enjoyed & then proceeded to quote from the novel! Truly, food is a gift from God we can enjoy not just in person but on the page. I’m so thankful we have a holiday devoted to giving thanks around a bountiful table.

Wishing you a peaceful, joyful holiday season!

The post Thanksgiving appeared first on Laura Frantz.

My Kentucky kitchen

Simple White Bread

1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
1 ¼ cups warm water, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Dissolve sugar and yeast in ¼ cup warm water in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with knife. Add 1 cup warm water, flour, and salt to yeast mixture; stir until soft dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface. Knead dough till smooth and elastic about 5 minutes.

Place dough in large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in warm place free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.

Uncover dough, and punch dough down. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Roll into a 14×7-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place roll, seam side down, in an 8×4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Uncover dough, gently brush with egg. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Reduce over temperature to 350 degrees (do not remove bread from oven). Bake an additional 15 minutes or until loaf sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

ENJOY!

Yield: 12 servings/1 loaf

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I’ve eaten a lot of sugar cookies in my lifetime and these are, hands down, my favorite. I’ve been baking these for over 25 years now and this is the tried and true recipe. I don’t frost them as prettily as these shown here. Honestly, we eat them too fast. Here’s hoping you enjoy every bite, too!

COOKIES

Cream together: 1 cup butter and 2/3 cup sugar
Beat in: 1 egg
Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2-1/2 cups sifted flour
Mix all ingredients until well blended.
Chill dough 3-4 hours before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. Bake 8-10 minutes or until barely colored. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.
Cookies can be frosted and decorated or just eaten plain.

FROSTING

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Melt butter: combine all ingredients and beat till smooth. Add food coloring if desired.
Yield: 1/3 cup frosting

Happy baking. And Merry Christmas!

The post Kentucky Christmas Cookies appeared first on Laura Frantz.

Now I have my own kitchen but alas, no back closet. I still tie my aprons on like she did and make some of the same dishes. Sadly, she left no recipes as they were all in her head. But she seems especially close in spirit at Thanksgiving and I’m very grateful for her Godly presence and all that home cooking.

Here’s our menu this year:

Roast Turkey
Cracker Barrel Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Gravy/Green Beans
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Brussel Sprout Sauté
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Deviled Eggs
Rolls
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Pumpkin Pie

And a favorite German Chocolate Cake recipe.

Wishing you overflowing hearts and not just tables this Thanksgiving!

The post Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday… appeared first on Laura Frantz.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

FROSTING:

¼ cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

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