Baking back home

The northern winds pushed me home for a winter visit with my mom to check in and catch up. It also meant hanging out in her kitchen. Mom isn’t whipping up big meals of fried chicken or pot roasts anymore, but I can still smell them as I walk through the door.

With Mom being the only one at home in the farmhouse, there aren’t enough people around her table. This is a lesson I’m starting to learn as our children have started their own adult lives. I whipped up a pot of vegetable soup from leftovers that were collecting ice crystals. Mark was excited to warm up with a bowl of soup. He pointed out, though, that I used my big stock pot and created enough soup for an entire week, even though there were just the two of us at home. Oops. Cutting back is a hard lesson to learn. More practice is needed.

Since I’m home, I found recipes from my mom and sister to share. I would love to share Mom’s fried chicken and gravy recipe, but it is one of those things that has no specific recipe. Experience and practice are the key. I have yet to create Mom’s cooking, but that just means I have to keep practicing and inviting people to gather around my table. Enjoy.

Raspberry bundt cake — Becky Dowell

• 1 plain white cake mix
• 10-ounce box frozen red raspberries, thawed, or 1 1/4 cups crushed fresh berries and juice
• 1 small box red raspberry gelatin
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup salad oil

Mix all ingredients together and beat two minutes. Bake in greased bundt pan about 50 minutes at 325 degrees. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze when cool.

Creamy lemon squares — Nancy Dowell

• 30 vanilla wafers, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup cold butter
• 1 package plus 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons lemon zest, divided**
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar

Line 9-by-13 pan with parchment paper. Mix first three ingredients. Press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (for a softer crust, reduce baking time to 10 minutes).

Beat cream cheese and sugar; add eggs and flour. Blend in zest, juice and baking powder.  Pour into crust. Place back in oven to bake 25-28 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate two hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining zest.

** can substitute zest with a combination of orange and lemon zest.

S’more brownies — Nancy Dowell

• 1 package (21.5 ounces) brownie mix
• 6 graham crackers
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 bars (1.5 ounces) milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Prepare mix according to package directions. Spread into greased 9-by-13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. While baking, make s’more goodies. In a medium bowl, break graham crackers into 1-inch pieces. Toss with marshmallows and milk chocolate bars.

Sprinkle baked brownies with s’more goodies. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.