Hints, Recipes and Tips we learned from Mom

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All this talk of Mom this weekend has made me nostalgic for my Mom and made me more aware of the things I do every day that I got from her.  Not the least of which is the way I cook.  That led me to thinking that I'll bet alot of us make things we learned from our Mom's or things we try to recreate that we missed that she use to make and I thought it might be fun to share those recipes maybe.

This jam is one my Mom made in large batches and froze every fall she served it with venison, elk and duck or goose. I still make it in the fall and freeze it in small plastic containers.  Bob and I love it and so far so does everyone I've ever served it to.  It is delicious wtih roasted or grilled pork, lamb or chicken.  My brother always steals a container when he's in town he likes it on steak on the grill or fresh trout.

Sweet Onion Jam

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds sweet onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (my Mom used Cider Vinegar but I find balsamic gives it more depth)
1/3 cup dry red wine
dash salt

PREPARATION:
Peel onions; cut in half lengthwise then slice thinly.
Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan; add sliced onions and cook, covered, over medium-low heat until tender and translucent. Stir frequently.

Combine the remaining ingredients; add to the sliced onions and stir to blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until syrupy. The syrup should coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days. Freeze in small amounts for later use.

[dot-matrix]

My Mom taught me this tip for getting red wine out of table linen's.  You have to act as quickly as possible, in other words as soon as dinner is over, in the mean time place a wet paper towel on the stain to keep it moist.  Then fill a tea kettle with fresh water and bring to a rolling boil, take up the tablecloth, and stretched the fabric over a pan in the sink. Once the water is boiling, pull a chair up to the sink if you are short like my Mom  {I stand on the floor thank you very much}, stand on it with the kettle, and poured the boiling water over the stain from a height of three to four feet. This stain removing technique works like magic! Then wash and iron as normal.  Mom used this method successfully for years on her own linens and on the altar linens at church and I have continued the tradition.

As I said Mom's tip works most successfully when the stain is fresh. If the stain is dry and has set then try soaking the red wine in white wine to bleach it out. Finally, cover the stain with a thick baking soda paste, leave it for a few hours keeping it moist by spraying it with water from a spray bottle. Wash as normal.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Sounds like good ideas to me, but why does the water have to be poured from a height of three or four feet? 

[Front-Ranger]

I dunno, but when you are folding a tablecloth or sheets with your mom and you bring the corners together with her corners then you have to give her a kiss. That's the rule.

 

[dot-matrix]

Sounds like good ideas to me, but why does the water have to be poured from a height of three or four feet? 

  Great minds!  I asked that same question the very first time she showed it to me and she said she had asked her Mother too!  The standard answer is that linen is made from raw cotton fibers and that pouring the boiling water from a height gives it a chance to cool enough to protect the fiber but not enough to diminish it's stain removing qualities.  Is that true??? Who knows but it works so I do it    My Grandma also rubbed a little salt into the stain but Mom said that does damage the fibers and she wasn't going to rub a hole in her antique Damask for anyone. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

My Grandma also rubbed a little salt into the stain but Mom said that does damage the fibers and she wasn't going to rub a hole in her antique Damask for anyone. 

See, I would have thought that rubbing anything into a stain would tend to set the stain. 

I had to ask about pouring the water from three or four feet because it reminded me of the joke--I forget exactly how it goes--about someone who always cut the end off a roast before she cooked it because that's what her mother always did, and her mother's roasts always turned out fantastic. When she finally asked her mother what the reason was for cutting the end off the roast, her mother said ... because otherwise the roasting pan was too small. ... 

[dot-matrix]

Another oldie but goodie from my Mom.  I find I crave this sometimes so bad    but it's so rich one piece will do it for me.  Bob can handle two as long as they're a day apart after the we give the rest away or cut in slices and freeze it.


Dr Pepper Cake

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teasp baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
3 tablesp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Dr Pepper
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teasp vanilla extract


Frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablesp Dr Pepper
3 tablesp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (1 pound) box of confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teasp vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease but do not flour a  9 X 13-inch pan.  Set it aside.

To make cake, in a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.  Gradually stir in the sugar.  Set aside.  In a saucepan, heat the butter, marshmallows, cocoa and Dr Pepper.  Stir constantly until the butter and the marshmallows are melted.  DO NOT ALLOW MIXTURE TO BOIL.  Pour the marshmallow mixture over the flour mixture and beat well.  Set aside.  In
Another bowl, beat the eggs until they are light and fluffy, stir in the buttermilk and the vanilla extract.  Mix well.  Beat the egg mixture into the flour-marshmallow mixture until well blended and the batter is smooth.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched.  Let the care cool on a cake rack for at least 10 minutes.


To make frosting, in a saucepan combine the butter, Dr Pepper and the cocoa powder.  Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat stirring constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Gradually stir in the confectioners sugar until the mixture is smooth, then fold in the vanilla extract and the pecans.  Spread evenly over warm cake.