Category: Recipe Box

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One of the benefits to living in Pennsylvania is the ability to find or grow raspberries. If you don’t have a spot in your yard for a few raspberry bushes (which I totally recommend!), pick nearly any back road, take a short drive, and your bound to find wild raspberries contently growing within eyesight of the road. Raspberries are plentiful around July, with some varieties producing well into fall.

After the berries are washed, you want to remove the seeds. I’ve found that the easiest way to do this is to put them into a fine mesh sieve and use the back of the spoon to crush them. You could also mash up your berries and filter them through cheesecloth. Or, if you’re feeling a little dangerous, leave the seeds in…they’ll sink to the bottom. Careful pouring should avoid any unwanted seeds in someone’s glass.

Once the berries are prepped, add them to a pitcher along with the other ingredients and give it a stir. Might I also suggest heating up a cup or so of your water so you can easily dissolve the sugar in the recipe. It’s not required, but will prevent sugar from sinking to the bottom. It’s that easy. Promise.

Finally, if you’d like to start growing raspberries, or other fruits and vegetables for yourself and your family but don’t know where to begin, check out The 7 Essential Items You Need to Start Gardening.

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Have you ever had a whoopie pie? If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If not, let me explain. Imagine a hybrid cookie-cake sandwiching a sweet and fluffy icing. Are you sold, yet? If you haven’t had one, you really must –I think it’s a life requirement. There are likely hundreds of flavors to choose from, although the original whoopie is a chocolate “pie” with a light, vanilla filling.

These portable and handheld desserts are said to be created by the Amish, which makes sense, as we live just minutes away from their communities. These desserts can be found at nearly every roadside stand you encounter, plus local grocery stores have even gotten on the bandwagon and have started selling these regional treats. And rightfully so; they are delicious!

One of the flavors we encountered in our travels was a Shoo Fly Whoopie Pie. We’ll save the Shoo Fly Pie discussion for another post, but imagine a soft and sweet molasses cookie sandwiching a super-sweet cream with just a hint of vanilla (and molasses).

Google wasn’t my friend when I tried to locate a recipe to make for my daughter’s birthday. She happens to not like cake, but loves the flavors of a good wet-bottom Shoo Fly Pie. Some recipes called for ginger (ewww!) and others called for “goo” in the center. Uh, nope. I wanted a simple and flavorful whoopie pie, so, using what I had on hand during quarantine, I was forced to come up with a concoction on my own. Surprisingly, the balance of unsulfured molasses (which can be strong) with dark corn syrup created a perfectly balanced pie flavor. (It was also good because I didn’t have enough of either to make up the liquid portion of the recipe!)

Lets just say, the pies were the hit of the day. If you’ve been in pursuit of an excellent shoo fly whoopie pie recipe, please try this one out. It won’t disappoint.

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If you’ve been searching for the perfect white bread recipe, I’ve found it! I’ve tweaked it. I’ve mastered it.

Let’s just say, I’ve been baking. A. Lot. And, one of the items that makes it onto my almost daily rotation of kitchen tasks is baking bread. It took me years, literally, to find a recipe that worked for our homestead’s needs. This one is it. It’s the winner. I can use this recipe to make sandwich bread, hamburger rolls, hot dog rolls and even Italian bread. The bonus…I don’t have to buy a special flour to make it; good ol’ all purpose flour is all that is “kneaded.”

If I were to describe this yeasty treat, I would say it is light and slightly moist, with just a hint of buttery flavor. It holds up well to toasting and to egg dipping for breakfast treats and can be used for sandwiches and burgers alike.

Once you master the basic recipe, the sky’s the limit on options. Top it with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic butter, herbs, sea salt, or even cinnamon sugar. If you free-form it on a large pan and proof it a little less, it makes a delicious Italian dinner bread. Shape it into buns and allow it to proof a little longer for light and fluffy hamburger rolls or hot dog buns.

Some of our favorite toppings include a sprinkling of sesame seeds to our hamburger buns, a dusting of garlic powder and herbs on our free formed Italian loaf , and an addition of sea salt on the top of a plain loaf of bread.

Whatever you choose, it’ll take some practice to perfect the density you like best for any given bread. Over the years, I’ve learned that I prefer to hand knead this dough over using a stand mixer –for one it’s therapeutic. I know that my hands have kneaded and formed the loaves that were baked so lovingly for my family. Second, I find I get better results. And, ultimately, it all about the results, right?!

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