Old-Fashioned Fruitcake

A true family favorite here! This is "Aunt Stella's Fruit Cake," and it's delicious (and labor intensive). As with many old-fashioned recipes, you'll have to use some intuition and general cooking know how. I can find many of these ingredients in my local grocery's bulk section, so I "eyeball" some of the amounts. Photos of some of the steps follow the main recipe. It's also part of The Recipe Box Project.

Old-Fashioned Fruitcake

• 1 pound butter
• 1 pound sugar
• 1 dozen eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 pounds flour
• 1 t. nutmeg
• 1 t. cloves
• 1-2 t. cinnamon (we use 2)
• 1 t. allspice
• ~12-oz. raisins
• 1 pound candied cherries (we like a mix of green and red)*
• 1 1/2 pounds mixed candied fruit (pineapple, citron, lemon, and orange peel)*
• 1 "package" currants, optional (~6 ounces?)
• 1 "package" dried figs (~6 ounces?) or small jar fig preserves
• ~6-7 ounces dates, preferably chopped
• 1 pound nuts (we like pecans), preferably chopped
• cheesecloth
• bourbon

*you will need 2 1/2 pounds, total, of candied fruit. The more you can find already chopped, the better. Mixed fruit containers are fine, but you will want at least one small container of whole cherries if you want to use some to decorate the top.

Directions:

1. Prepare pans: line with parchment paper and spray thoroughly. We use aluminum loaf pans in various sizes. Preheat oven to 200-250 degrees (aim for the middle if you don't know your oven well).
2. Sift flour and spices together. Set aside.
3. Chop all fruit and nuts that aren't already chopped. You can combine them all in the same (large) bowl. Set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar together.
5. Beat eggs and gradually add to butter/sugar mixture, beating thoroughly as you go.
6. Gradually add in flour/spices mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition.
7. Add in preserves, if using.
8. Pour batter over fruit/nut mixture. Stir well with a giant, wooden spoon, or go ahead and use your hands! (This is what we do.)
9. Scoop batter into prepared pans.
10. Bake for around 3 hours in a "very low oven." Check after 2 1/2. You're looking for a clean toothpick, but also that the top looks done. 
11. Remove cakes from pans and let cool. When completely cooled, pour some bourbon over (you can poke a few holes in the top of the cakes with a toothpick for even more bourbon flavor).
12. Wrap cakes in cheesecloth. Place each cheesecloth-covered cake in a tin with a lid and let "cure" for a few weeks. It will taste best after a few weeks of this "curing" stage.
13. Fruitcakes may be frozen before the bourbon/cheesecloth stage. 

~Makes 3 standard loaf-pans.

Directions with some photos:

• Prepare pans: line with parchment paper and spray thoroughly. We use aluminum loaf pans in various sizes. Preheat oven to 200-250 degrees (aim for the middle if you don't know your oven well).
• Sift flour and spices together. Set aside.
• Chop all fruit and nuts that aren't already chopped. You can combine them all in the same (large) bowl. Set aside.

• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Beat eggs and gradually add to butter/sugar mixture, beating thoroughly as you go.
• Gradually add in flour/spices mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition.
• Add in preserves, if using.
• Pour batter over fruit/nut mixture. Stir well with a giant, wooden spoon, or go ahead and use your hands! (This is what we do.)

• Scoop batter into prepared pans.
• Bake for around 3 hours in a "very low oven." Check after 2 1/2. You're looking for a clean toothpick, but also that the top looks done. 

• Remove cakes from pans and let cool. When completely cooled, pour some bourbon over (you can poke a few holes in the top of the cakes with a toothpick for even more bourbon flavor).

• Wrap cakes in cheesecloth. Place each cheesecloth-covered cake in a tin with a lid and let "cure" for a few weeks. It will taste best after a few weeks of this "curing" stage.
• Fruitcakes may be frozen before the bourbon/cheesecloth stage. 

~Makes 3 standard loaf-pans. If you did it right, your kitchen will look something like this ;-) :

And, just for fun, a little peek into the recipe box archives:

Butterfudge Cooky Pie

In honor of Pi Day (March 14), we make a pie, naturally. This year's recipe was chosen from the Recipe Box. The spelling of this recipe title is what is on the card!

Full disclosure: there are a LOT of luscious looking pie recipes in that box. I forbid anyone choosing any fruit-based recipes because now is not the season for delicious fresh strawberries, peaches, and so forth. The kids chose this simple pie out of all the non-fruity ones. We could make a pie every week and it would be fall before we ran out of new recipes from the box! Sounds like a tasty problem to me.

Note: This is essentially a giant, richly chocolatey cookie as the crust with ice cream on top. The texture is reminiscent of shortbread, but not quite that crumbly. If you're not a butter pecan fan, other ice cream flavors that work with chocolate would be delicious (especially something like mint chocolate chip or a dark cherry).

Butterfudge Cooky Pie
~from my grandmother

• 1/2 c. soft butter
• 1/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2-oz. melted semi sweet chocolate and cooled slightly
• 1 quart butter pecan ice cream (or other of your choosing)
• hot fudge topping

Directions

1. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly. Sift flour and salt together. Add to butter mixture and blend. Add melted chocolate and blend well. Chill 30 to 40 minutes (it's helpful if it's in a ball or flattened round--any stray bits will be hard to reincorporate). This step is important. I didn't chill mine enough, and the crust sank a little as it cooked, so you can't see a "fluted edge" or anything in my pictures.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat dough in a 9-inch ungreased pie pan. Flute edge, prick, and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool.
3. Add softened ice cream and fudge sauce right before serving.

Serves 8

Recipe card in my grandmother's handwriting pictured below. 

Simple Slaw

Need a quick, lightly dressed slaw for a side dish? This one is simple, but delicious. The dressing isn't overpowering, the cabbage stays crisp for at least a day after it's made, and there are no complicated ingredients. 

There's a mystery behind this recipe from my grandmother's recipe box, though. It was placed in the "vegetables" category instead of the "salads" category, but the really interesting thing is this: no one seems to know who wrote the original recipe (the women of my family don't recognize the handwriting--and we're all old enough to have seen and used actual handwriting enough to know whose is whose. My grandmother's usual slaw recipe was a creamy style.)

Even stranger is the recipe on the back of this little slip of paper: it's for fried catfish, but the directions are downright intimidating. Since I live in the Northwest, I'm not likely to wrangle any fresh catfish anytime soon, so that means I'm a'gonna pass on this here gem. See the card pictured below if you're curious--would YOU try this recipe? ;-)

Simple Slaw

2 bags slaw mix

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color; original calls for green)

1 onion, chopped

Dressing

1/2 c. neutral oil (canola, vegetable, etc.)

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

Combine dressing ingredients in jar with a lid; shake to combine. Mix slaw ingredients together. Make a "well" or hole in the middle and pour the dressing in. When ready to serve, toss together. Add salt and pepper at the table as needed.

Makes about 8-10 cups slaw

Recipe from the Recipe Box pictured below. Handwriting/origin is a mystery!

Asparagus Dressing

This is a simple Hollandaise-style dressing to serve with cooked asparagus. I roasted my asparagus at 425 degrees (tossed with olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic salt first) for about 10 minutes. Older/thicker asparagus would need a bit more time. Asparagus can be served at room temperature when prepared like this. Recipe is from The Recipe Box Project and was typed on an old typewriter by PW (I think).

Asparagus Dressing

~from my grandmother's recipe box

1 T. vinegar
3 T. vegetable or canola or other neutral oil
yolk of one hard-boiled egg, mashed
1 t. Dijon mustard
Roasted asparagus

Mix dressing ingredients together, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle over cooked asparagus.

~Makes almost half a cup, enough for a couple pounds of asparagus.

Recipe card typed on an old typewriter

Fresh Spinach Salad

A fairly standard fresh spinach salad recipe, this came from my grandmother's recipe box! I used green onions instead of red, and they worked fine. The dressing makes quite a bit (2 cups!), so be prepared for leftovers!

Fresh Spinach Salad

~from my grandmother's recipe box

1 pound fresh spinach

1 small red onion, sliced

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked, chopped

1 small onion, minced

1 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. vinegar

1/3 c. sugar (or less)

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 t. celery seed

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and tear spinach. 
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a lidded jar: minced onion, oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Shake and chill. 
3. Arrange spinach, eggs, bacon, and eggs on plates and drizzle with dressing.

Recipe card in my grandmother's handwriting

Fresh Fruit Salad

This simple, delicious fruit salad can be made ahead of time and uses fruit that is readily available year round. Fruit amounts are flexible; I added a few more grapes. Note: this is very similar to Aunt Elsie's Fruit Salad, but it uses more natural ingredients and isn't quite as sweet.

Fresh Fruit Salad
~from my grandmother's recipe box

2 small bananas, sliced
2 small apples, diced
1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 c. seedless red grapes
1/2 c. seedless green grapes
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
3 T. orange juice
1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine all fruit ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup water, orange juice, and lemon juice until blended. Bring sugar mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Pour mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours.

~Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe card from my grandmother's recipe box--in her handwriting

The Recipe Box Project

It's been TEN years since I started this little food blog.

When I started full tummies, I envisioned it an "interactive cookbook" rather than a fancy food blog loaded with images and lots of text. I still envision it that way. And so, it's time to begin a new project: testing out the recipes in my grandmother's recipe box!

I inherited her recipe boxes when she left this world for heaven. After weeding out the obvious rejects and the duplicates (um, how many tomato aspic recipes are really necessary?), I'm left with an interesting collection of family favorites. Sweets and side dishes dominate. Ordinary, old-fashioned fruits and vegetables are plentiful; there is nary a single recipe for kale.

I'll post a photo of the recipe card along with a new typed recipe as I try each recipe. I'll also post a picture, but I am NOT a "photographer." Initials with the recipes will help family members know the source of the recipe. I do not plan to explain them more fully.

Chicken and Dumplings

A terrific, comforting meal that's really not very hard to make. We like chewy, hearty dumplings in our family. My grandmother's recipe box had the recipe I grew up eating, but I didn't have that recipe when this post first posted! After some trial and error in Betsy's kitchen, some dumpling triage assistance from Carrie via phone, and careful comparison of Mom's recipe, Carrie's recipe, and the "other" potential recipe, here is our compilation (feel free to make it "your way"):

Chicken and Dumplings

• 1 whole chicken, cut up or not as you please
• 1 sprig rosemary, optional
• 1 sprig thyme, optional
• 1 onion, optional
• 2 carrots, optional
• 1 stalk celery, optional
• water

In a large stockpot, place your chicken and cover with water and salt. You can stop there and boil it or you can add any or all of the remaining ingredients. Betsy likes them all, Mom uses the onion and celery, and Carrie leaves it as just chicken. If you use the veggies, just cut them in half and throw them in. They're just for flavor. Remove about 1/2 cup of the stock at some point to let it cool slightly. Boil until chicken is done and remove to a cutting board. Add dumplings* to boiling stock and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. (You will have to turn the stock down to a simmer once you add the dumplings or the pot will overflow... trust me on this.)

Dumplings:

• 2 c. flour
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• (or use 2 c. self-rising flour instead of the above)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup or so of chicken stock

Mix dry ingredients. Add egg and stock and stir until dough comes together. It will be about the consistency of biscuit dough--just add more liquid or more flour as you need it. Mom's way: roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut 1x3-inch strips. Betsy and Carrie's way: pinch the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter.

Serves 4-6

My grandmother's recipe card pictured below--in her handwriting! I didn't include the back of the card because I've already given those directions above. Still, you can see that she used celery and onion, no carrots, in her broth.

Hotel Peabody Vanilla Muffins

These are nice, plain, sweet muffins that go with just about anything. This recipe is originally from the Hotel Peabody in Memphis, but I learned it from my grandmother and grew up eating them. These get better as they cool (sweeter tasting), but they're delicious straight from the oven. Half whole wheat flour works nicely, and they make terrific mini muffins (pictured).

Hotel Peabody Vanilla Muffins

• 4 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 c. milk
• 1 T. baking powder
• 4 oz. melted butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 T. vanilla

Beat sugar and eggs together. Add flour, milk, baking powder, butter, and vanilla. Stir until moistened (don't overmix). Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. These work well as mini- or regular size muffins; just watch them and time accordingly.

Makes 3 dozen regular muffins

Recipe card in my grandmother's handwriting pictured below