Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Jan here, with an age-old problem.

Spring fever. Every year it hits me! Sometime in April I get antsy, watching for the first greengrass to appear.

Not green yet, but no longer winter-brown, either!

Watching for the orange baby bison (they have started arriving, but we haven't seen any yet.)

And longing for delicious spring foods - Asparagus! Rhubarb! Strawberries!!!

But this year...with everything that's going on with the virus and quarantines and short supplies in the grocery store...I'm going to have to wait.

Until then, enjoy this post I shared back in 2013. This is still my favorite strawberry shortcake recipe. I'll have to make some and top it with the frozen berries I keep on hand for my morning smoothies!

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

I must be coming down with a bad case of spring fever. The first symptom is a craving for strawberry shortcake, months before strawberries are in season.

It all starts with an innocent trip to the grocery store...and there...right in the produce department...it begins.

Oh, they're so beautiful! (I say)

But it's too early... (my pragmatic self tries a counter argument: reality)

I just want to smell them!

They're way too expensive... (my frugal self goes for the throat)

Look! They're on sale!

They're probably spoiled... (my pragmatic self tries again)

No! Look! They're beautiful! sniff...sniff... I can smell them through the plastic!

Every time you buy those, you're disappointed in how bland they taste... (that's the Mom me...I should learn to listen to her)

(But then I lay down the final blow...) I could make SHORTCAKE!!!!

.....and the strawberries jump into the cart!


And now I get to make shortcake :-)

My shortcake recipe came from my grandmother...but was never written down. You know the kind of recipe I mean: "Start with biscuit dough, put it in a pie plate, add sugar."

That's the way I always made shortcake, thinking Grandma's recipe was unique and wonderful.

Then I got married, and for Christmas that year my mother-in-law copied some family recipes for me. Imagine my surprise when I saw her mother's shortcake recipe!

It was almost exactly the one I had always used!

That's when I knew I had married into the right family - that, and the fact my mother-in-law loves chocolate as much as I do.

Maybe more.

And she raised at least one wonderful son (I only married one of them, so I can't vouch for the other three!)

Over the years I've taken Grandma Crumrine's recipe and Grandma Ebenhoeh's recipe, combined them, added a few touches of my own...and we have the perfect shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (either all-purpose or 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 whole wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (you can substitute other sweeteners, or leave it out)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, plus 1 Tablespoon butter (save for later)
2/3 cup milk


Preheat your oven to 325°.

Stir together the dry ingredients, then cut in the 1/2 cup butter (just like you're making biscuits) until the dough is crumbly. Stir in the milk.

Grease a 9" pie plate (or you can use a similar sized baking dish) and put in the dough. Pat the dough into the edges of the pan, and then dot the top with the 1 Tablespoon butter.

Last of all, sprinkle the top with 2 Tablespoons sugar or 1 teaspoon stevia or other natural sweetener.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges start browning and the center is done (I use the spring test - touch the center lightly. If it springs back, it's done.)



Now comes the best part.

While the shortcake is still warm, cut it into six or eight slices. Split the slice in half and layer quartered strawberries between the halves, replace the top, and then spoon more strawberries over the top.

What's that, you say? Whipped cream? Ice cream? No way!

You take a couple tablespoons of heavy cream (aka whipping cream) and pour it over the top, just like your farming grandparents used to do.

Heaven.

Or, at least it would be if this was June and the strawberries had some flavor.... I need to learn to listen to the Mom me.

* * * * * *

Yes, I definitely need to bake a batch of this shortcake!

Recipes like this one are memory triggers, aren't they? When I make this shortcake, I'm transported back to my grandmother's kitchen in Indiana. Windows open to the fresh air, flour sprinkling the red formica table, the heat radiating from the oven on one side of the room... Her many fruit trees blooming, Grandpa's bees buzzing, and the overwhelming fragrance of an eastern spring.

I'm so thankful for those memories of time gone by! And the opportunity to make new memories.

Like this ancient cottonwood tree.

Located on the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, this tree is amazing. It is growing next to French Creek with its roots in the damp loamy soil of the creek bed.

Every spring, I make sure we drive by this tree. It has withstood fires, drought, deer, elk, bison, insects, wind, blizzards...you name it. It has to be more than one hundred years old, but is isn't as tall as some of the big cottonwoods in town. Instead, it spreads out, with broken branches resting on the ground around it. (It reminds me of a big Live Oak tree from Texas!)

And every spring, before any green shows up, it's branches are tipped with gold. It reminds me of the Robert Frost poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Be sure to look up this short poem to read it. The first lines are:

Nature's first green is gold, 

Her hardest hue to hold.

What are some of your favorite spring memories? And what new ones are you making this year?

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and baby border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.

Strawberry Scones

With spring comes strawberries!

I found these at our local Sam’s Club over the weekend, and after taste-testing one (I love the free samples at Sam’s!), I decided they were worth the price I had to pay.

Because nothing says “Hello, Spring” like fresh strawberries!

At the same time, I’ve become gently addicted to British mystery and travel shows on Netflix, which started a craving for scones.

So you know what comes next – Strawberry Scones!

I started with my favorite scone recipe, and substituted strawberry bits for the raisins:

Strawberry Scones

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ cup strawberries, diced very small

Preheat your oven to 375°.

In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt together, stirring until blended.

Cut in the butter, and stir. Add the sour cream mixture and egg, and mix just until moistened.

Stir in the strawberries.

Turn the dough out on a floured board and knead briefly. Pat into a circle, about ¾” thick.

Cut into wedges (I never make two the same size!), and lay on a baking sheet, two inches apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375°, or until golden brown on the bottom.

Now that you have your scones, bring them up a notch! They make a great base for strawberry scone shortcake!

Layer a scone, then sliced strawberries, and top with whipped cream.

Yum!

What is your favorite way to make strawberry shortcake?

And before we go, we must wish Thatcher a Happy Birthday! He turned four on Thursday. We celebrated with new chewies for everybody! (Well, everybody who wanted one....)

Thatcher at 8 weeks

And since Thatcher and Ruthy's Jeter share a birthday, Happy Birthday to the big furball in Upstate NY, too!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Strawberry Shortcake: a delightful rerun recipe

Things are hopping like mad at our house these days.

First of all, there's this:

Photo credit: Magnified Photography

The wedding is just over a month away. Four more Saturdays. (But who's counting?)

And then there's this:

"Naomi's Hope," the third book in the trilogy, is due on my editor's desk in three weeks.

(You know, when I signed that contract two years ago and saw that "June 1, 2016" due date for the third book, that day seemed so far away.... But now it's just around the corner!)

And Mattie's Pledge (releasing in September and available for preorder here!) is getting to the end of the editing process. So much fun!

Throw a few other non-writing related events into the mix, and you've got crazy demands on my time and energy.

Which means no cooking. Convenience foods. Fire up the grill for hamburgers again (by the way - no one complains when I do that!).

So for the next couple weeks, I'll be sharing rerun posts. Call it "revisiting my favorite recipes" or "a trip down memory lane." Come on along - it will be fun!

We'll start out with this post from three years ago. Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

I must be coming down with a bad case of spring fever. The first symptom is a craving for strawberry shortcake, months before strawberries are in season.

It all starts with an innocent trip to the grocery store...and there...right in the produce department...it starts.

Oh, they're so beautiful! (I say)

But it's too early... (my pragmatic self tries a counter argument: reality)

I just want to smell them!

They're way too expensive... (my frugal self goes for the throat)

Look! They're on sale!

They're probably spoiled... (my pragmatic self tries again)

No! Look! They're beautiful! sniff...sniff... I can smell them through the plastic!

Every time you buy those, you're disappointed in how bland they taste... (that's the Mom me...I should learn to listen to her)

(But then I lay down the final blow...) I could make SHORTCAKE!!!!

.....and the strawberries jump into the cart!


And now I get to make shortcake :)

My shortcake recipe came from my grandmother...but was never written down. You know the kind of recipe I mean: "Start with biscuit dough, put it in a pie plate, add sugar."

That's the way I always made shortcake, thinking Grandma's recipe was unique and wonderful.

Then I got married, and for Christmas that year my mother-in-law copied some family recipes for me. Imagine my surprise when I saw her mother's shortcake recipe!

It was almost exactly the one I had always used!

That's when I knew I had married into the right family - that, and the fact my mother-in-law loves chocolate as much as I do.

Maybe more.

And she raised at least one wonderful son (I only married one of them, so I can't vouch for the other three!)

Over the years I've taken Grandma Crumrine's recipe and Grandma Ebenhoeh's recipe, combined them, added a few touches of my own...and we have the perfect shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (either all-purpose or 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 whole wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (you can substitute other sweeteners, or leave it out)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, plus 1 Tablespoon butter (save for later)
2/3 cup milk


Preheat your oven to 325°.

Stir together the dry ingredients, then cut in the 1/2 cup butter (just like you're making biscuits) until the dough is crumbly. Stir in the milk.

Grease a 9" pie plate (or you can use a similar sized baking dish) and put in the dough. Pat the dough into the edges of the pan, and then dot the top with the 1 Tablespoon butter.

Last of all, sprinkle the top with 2 Tablespoons sugar or 1 teaspoon stevia or other natural sweetener - yes, Virginia, I'm thinking of you :)

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges start browning and the center is done (I use the spring test - touch the center lightly. If it springs back, it's done.)



Now comes the best part.

While the shortcake is still warm, cut it into six or eight slices. Split the slice in half and layer quartered strawberries between the halves, replace the top, and then spoon more strawberries over the top.

What's that, you say? Whipped cream? Ice cream? No way!

You take a couple tablespoons of heavy cream (aka whipping cream) and pour it over the top, just like your farming grandparents used to do.

Heaven.

Or, at least it would be if this was June and the strawberries had some flavor.... I need to learn to listen to the Mom me.

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com.

Memories and Lazy Eats

Tex here, fresh off a weekend at our family ranch. This weekend held extra meaning for me, but not because it was Labor Day. You see, today our "farm" looks like this.

 

But two years ago this weekend, it looked like this.

 

Yes, that's smoke. Notice how everything is brown. We were in the midst of one of the worst droughts in Texas history. Throw in thirty mile per hour winds and sparks from a downed power line and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

This marked the beginning of one of the roughest seasons of our lives. Today we stand on the other side, scarred, but in awe of God's mighty power.

 

I kept the eats as easy as possible this weekend. And while our resident GAL was crossing the line from summer to fall, I was still celebrating summer. And what says summer better than strawberries and strawberry shortcake. This isn't near as yummy as Jan's strawberry shortcake (recipe here), but when you're feeling lazy, it fits the bill just fine.

 

First you need some strawberries.

Slice them into a bowl (yes, you must rinse them first) and add some sugar. I had two quarts, so I added somewhere between 3/4 and 1 cup of sugar. Stir and set aside. You want to get those juices flowing. The strawberries, that is. Now yours.

 

Next you'll need some of these. (Ruthy, stop rolling your eyes. We're doing lazy eats today)

 

A store-bought angel food cake will work too. (Actually, I prefer it, but this was all I could find)

 

You may also want some of this.

 

Now for the assembly. My lovely assistant, Michael, will show you how he likes his shortcake.

You start with this.

 



Then you add a layer of whipped cream. Personally, I like to add my berries first, but this is his dessert, so I'm not saying a word.

Oh, look. Somebody left me a tip! :)

 

Then you fill the center with the strawberry mixture.

 

Now, ever so carefully, you spoon your strawberries around the sides.

 

Then you add more whipped cream. And the extra dollop in the center is essential.

Perfecto!

 

The best thing about lazy eats, is that you can just put the stuff on the counter and let everyone fix for themselves. Of course, when it involves a can of whipped cream, that could spell trouble.

 

Do you ever have lazy eats? If so, what?

 

 

Strawberry Shortcake!

I must be coming down with a bad case of spring fever. The first symptom is a craving for strawberry shortcake, months before strawberries are in season.

It all starts with an innocent trip to the grocery store...and there...right in the produce department...it starts.

Oh, they're so beautiful! (I say)

But it's too early... (my pragmatic self tries a counter argument: reality)

I just want to smell them!

They're way too expensive... (my frugal self goes for the throat)

Look! They're on sale!

They're probably spoiled... (my pragmatic self tries again)

No! Look! They're beautiful! sniff...sniff... I can smell them through the plastic!

Every time you buy those, you're disappointed in how bland they taste... (that's the Mom me...I should learn to listen to her)

(But then I lay down the final blow...) I could make SHORTCAKE!!!!

.....and the strawberries jump into the cart!


And now I get to make shortcake :)

My shortcake recipe came from my grandmother...but was never written down. You know the kind of recipe I mean: "Start with biscuit dough, put it in a pie plate, add sugar."

That's the way I always made shortcake, thinking Grandma's recipe was unique and wonderful.

Then I got married, and for Christmas that year my mother-in-law copied some family recipes for me. Imagine my surprise when I saw her mother's shortcake recipe!

It was almost exactly the one I had always used!

That's when I knew I had married into the right family - that, and the fact my mother-in-law loves chocolate as much as I do.

Maybe more.

And she raised at least one wonderful son (I only married one of them, so I can't vouch for the other three!)

Over the years I've taken Grandma Crumrine's recipe and Grandma Ebenhoeh's recipe, combined them, added a few touches of my own...and we have the perfect shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (either all-purpose or 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 whole wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (you can substitute other sweeteners, or leave it out)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, plus 1 Tablespoon butter (save for later)
2/3 cup milk


Preheat your oven to 325°.

Stir together the dry ingredients, then cut in the 1/2 cup butter (just like you're making biscuits) until the dough is crumbly. Stir in the milk.

Grease a 9" pie plate (or you can use a similar sized baking dish) and put in the dough. Pat the dough into the edges of the pan, and then dot the top with the 1 Tablespoon butter.

Last of all, sprinkle the top with 2 Tablespoons sugar or 1 teaspoon stevia or other natural sweetener - yes, Virginia, I'm thinking of you :)

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges start browning and the center is done (I use the spring test - touch the center lightly. If it springs back, it's done.)



Now comes the best part.

While the shortcake is still warm, cut it into six or eight slices. Split the slice in half and layer quartered strawberries between the halves, replace the top, and then spoon more strawberries over the top.

What's that, you say? Whipped cream? Ice cream? No way!

You take a couple tablespoons of heavy cream (aka whipping cream) and pour it over the top, just like your farming grandparents used to do.

Heaven.

Or, at least it would be if this was June and the strawberries had some flavor.... I need to learn to listen to the Mom me.

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com.