I have been going through old cards and letters that have been saved over the years.  I opened one letter last night from a family cousin who is now deceased.

One of our family’s special memories from visiting her had to do with her hostessing practice.  Every time we visited her she had a special pastry to share with us.  It is called Kringle.  It is a Danish pastry made famous by a bakery in her home town of Racine, Wisconsin.  

I decided today that I would try to make Kringle myself.  My first try did not come out that bad.  It will be a treat to enjoy for supper, but I think I want to try making it with a different filling.   Today I tried raisins and black walnut filling since they were on hand.  Yet from our past recollections, fruit or pecan fillings are superior.

It is interesting how this dear, aged cousin formed the basis for us to associate pleasant memories with her.  We still enjoy good memories from our times with her, but the Kringle is definitely one that is sweet.

What memories are you making for your family and friends?  If you can’t put your finger on anything special, I recommend Kringle.
photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau

Eyes wide with delight, my eldest grandchild announced,  “This is the best I ever saw.  It’s a glass table!”

For Christmas Eve several family members joined us, including three of our grandchidren.

Our 6 year-old grandson eagerly helped us get the celebration set up.  We could not have our Christmas party until Grandpa finished milking.  Hence, we had until 8 P.M. to finish the “set up”.

On the farm, “functional” is quite  normal.   Only on special, festive days do we get out the “beautiful”.  I purposed to make our table of Christmas goodies look special.  I spread a festive red tablecloth on the dining room table and overlaid it with a white lace one.  We garnered each setting with a glass snack plate and it’s accompanying glass teacup.  Shiny stainlessware added sparkle to the table.

Although paper, plastic and styrofoam plates have their place and can be an advantage sometimes, their absence made this table very special.  The old glass plates made the evening celebration a fit way to celebrate birthday of our King Jesus.  Our traditional Christmas goodies never looked better.
photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau

It is true.  Nobody make apple pie like mom.

I  have used her recipe many times.

Crust for a 2-crust  pie:

1 cup Crisco shortening (or 3/4 cup lard)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

6 Tablespoons cold water

Mix these ingredients; divide into 3 balls.  If they seem sticky, add flour to get the desired texture.  If they are too dry to roll out nicely, add a teaspoon of water and mix till the texture is more pliable.

Roll out 2 balls, one at a time, onto a floured surface.  Roll out dough to  a 10-11 inch circle.  Fold the circle in half and in half again.  This 1/4-size  transfers easily into the pie plate.  Position it so that the point made by the 2 folds is centered in the pie plate.  Unfold it.  Roughly trim edges and fill in empty spots with extra dough, if needed.

Add the filling.   (See below for Apple filling.)  Dot with butter.

Prepare the second pie crust.  When folded in fourths, use the rounded edge of a spoon to cut 3 slits on the folded edges.  These will serve as steam vents as the pie bakes. Top the pie with this folded pie crust.  Again roughly trim the excess pie crust from the edge of the top pie crust.  Patch the top crust if needed with these excess amounts of pie dough.  Pinch the edges of the 2 crusts together.

Sprinkle the top crust with a generous amount of sugar and cinnamon, to taste.  (If you have excess amounts of scraps from the 2 crusts, you may make them into a small ball and roll out.  Put it on an ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 350° for 15 minutes and you will have a treat to enjoy.)

Bake the pie at 350° for 50 min. or until the crust is lightly browned and the filling shows thick bubbling.

NOTE:  The 3rd ball of crust is unused.  Flatten the ball into a 1-inch thick circle.  Put into a freezer bag and freeze.  The next time you make a  1-crust pie, thaw it and you are ready to go!

Apple Pie Filling

4-5 cups of pared, sliced apples.  (I like apples with some tartness like a Jonathan. Sometimes I substitute rhubarb in this filling.)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

Mix these ingredients together.  They are yummy right from the bowl, but be sure to put some in the crust!

photo credit: jeffreyw via photopin cc

Since I have lived here on heritage farm, I have become acquainted with a part of life that was new to me.  Yet, in my heart, I knew that many people had similar history.   The  story of our ancestors immigrating to this country and starting a new life has captured my imagination in several ways.

Tools made life easier.  Family made life endearing.  Farming and gardens supplied material needs.  Art-styles and needlework added beauty to necessity.  Hobbies of our kin became of interest.

This is to say, then, that I like to capture a piece of yesterday on a piece of paper as I sketch.

Since there are old tools on the farm,  I can sketch them.  My own dad had many of them when I was a child.  When I see them here,  I have an attachment to them from my past.  They bring back fond memories.

Living on the farm opens up opportunities that city- or town-dwellers rarely experience.  Preserving food has fallen by the wayside, so to speak.  But on the farm, we grow, freeze and preserve much of our garden produce and our meat.  These unique activities, bring me ideas for subject matter.

Some days I see beauty in a flower in the yard or garden; it comes from our Creator.  At other times, heirloom plants in the house capture my attention.  Things that He has done or provided may trigger an idea for my sketching or writing.

The buildings in which we work and live also become my subjects.  Those things in our lives that are “normal” and “everyday”, will someday be changed or gone with no memory left behind. 

My family also provides me with subject matter.  Their faces, their unique interests become fodder for creating pictures or stories.

Keep vigilant.  You, too, can look for ways to preserve some of your own heritage and things that God Himself has made.