Great Great Grandmas Pioneer Trail Milk Syrup Food

GREAT GRANDMA PEARL'S ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH PEACHES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until smooth and glossy, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the egg whites to a large, wide bowl. Using a fine sieve, gradually sift the flour over the egg whites, gently folding in the flour with a spatula. Fold in the vanilla and almond extracts.
• Scrape the batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Using a table knife, slice through the cake batter several times to release any large air bubbles. Tap the cake pan once or twice on a flat surface. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 35 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert the pan onto the neck of a wine bottle and let cool completely.
• To loosen the cake, run a thin-bladed knife around the side and tube of the pan. Unmold the cake and transfer to a platter. Cut the cake into wedges and drizzle with some of the reserved syrup. Serve with the sliced peaches and whipped cream.

GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the lard, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in buttermilk. If dough is not pliable, add just enough buttermilk to make a soft, puffy dough that is easy to roll out. Knead dough on lightly floured board about one to two minutes or 25 to 30 times. Roll out dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut with floured biscuit cutter, or use a glass of the right size. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
• 2. *** I don't use LARD. I use either Butter Flavored Crisco or Margarine. The Pioneers cooked them a bit differntly as there were no modern ovens on the trail... They made make-shift ovens that were sitting on coals of the campfire and more coals on top to get a hot oven effect. They also spent a lot of time baking as the ovens were small. They also sometimes made them in a skillet or a heavy pot with a lid (Dutch Oven)with coals under and about 12 - 15 on top.

GRANDMA'S BUTTERMILK SYRUP

Steps:

• Heat sugar, buttermilk, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until mixture starts to boil, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir baking soda and vanilla into buttermilk mixture.

GREAT GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL - SALT COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside
• 2. Cream together the shortening, sugar, then add eggs and vanilla.
• 3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, in small amounts at a time. Add nuts.
• 4. Form the dough into an oval shaped log. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate over night.
• 5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 6. Remove dough log from refrigerator and remove wax paper. Slice very thin. Place slices on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 -15 minutes.

GRANDMA'S BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Steps:

• Lightly grease a cast-iron pan or griddle with vegetable oil, wiping off excess with a paper towel. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks into the buttermilk, then whisk in the butter. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then sift these dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture. Lightly whisk together until the batter is just mixed (a few lumps won't hurt). In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with a whisk until soft peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter. Don't overwork the batter; keep it light and fluffy.
• Heat the griddle over medium-high heat until hot. (To test, flick a bit of water onto the pan; it'll bead up and dance if it's hot enough.) Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle. Cook until little holes appear on the surface and the cooked side of the pancake is golden brown (lift the edge to check), about 1 minute on each side. Don't worry if the first one or two don't turn out well-that's normal. Continue making pancakes, regreasing the pan as needed. Stack pancakes on a plate, slather generously with butter, and pour on a few good glugs of real maple syrup. Makes 4 batches of 3 pancakes (4" in diameter).

GRANDMA'S FAMOUS MEATLOAF WITH SALTINES

Steps:

• Mix all together; I generally use my hands.
• Form mixture into a loaf shape.
• Put in a baking dish (I use a pie plate).
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
• NOTE: I always put a little water in my pan. I've never done it any other way, so I don't know what would result if you don't.