Grandma Anderson's Coffee Cake

For the first time Dad and I are going to Worthington without you. It is bound to seem very strange. I'm sure you will be fine. But we are not used to being there without you. Grandma keeps asking if "you'll be coming after all". We will be staying with Grandpa & Grandma. You and the Tonn's will not be there to entertain us. This could be interesting!

There are some pretty predictable things that most trips to Worthington include. We will talk about baseball. We will be going out to the Stude farm, Curt and Nancy are building a new house. We will go to Indian Lake Baptist for Sunday church. Dad and I will do some walking (or in Dad's case, running) around town. Dad hopes to get back to that little Mexican bakery and I will try in vain to find a Tazo chai latte. We plan to take G&G out for dinner somewhere, Grandma has a new/old place in mind. We will spend a lot of time watching Grandpa work the remote, I'm bringing 2 books and 4 magazines. I'm sure they will have saved a stack of newspapers for Dad to read so he better bring his glasses! There might be some drives in the country or to see some changes in town. But the one thing we can count on is food, food, and more food!

Grandma is big on feeding everyone until they are stuffed, and then feeding them again, and again, and again. Don't get me wrong, she is a very good cook. And, she certainly can feed a crowd! She is just really bad at estimating what a normal stomach can hold in a day. Grandma often is heard to say "There is not enough left to save, someone needs to eat it up"! So, trust me, we will be eating, a lot!

One of Grandma's classic creations is her coffee cake. This moist, lightly spiced cake, which is really more of a dessert, appears at the breakfast table on most of our visits. It is a favorite of Uncle Dwight's, so she always has it on hand when he is in town. It's very comforting to have a big slice of the cinnamon-y pastry when the family is all gathered for Anderson Christmas. It has become a tradition for us overnight guests.

Now, I have never baked it myself but I do have her recipe, so it's time to share it with you. Enjoy a big slice! Or two. Or three. Someone needs to eat it up!

Grandma Anderson's Coffee Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Combine and beat for 8 minutes.

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

chopped nuts, if desired

Grease sides and bottom of a 9 X 13 cake pan or angel food pan. Pour in half of the batter and sprinkle with half of the topping. Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the rest of the topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

4-H Memories- SnickerDoodles

The 4-H Pledge

I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,

my Heart to greater loyalty,

my Hands to larger service,

and my Health to better living,

for my club, my community, my country and my world.

When I was growing up on the farm, all of us Anderson kids were members of 4-H. Most farm kids were 4-H club members and attended weekly meetings. Our local club was called The Rushmore Central Hustlers. I'm not sure that is a very good name these days but I checked online and they are still using it. Hmmmmm.

At the 4-H meetings we learned about a variety of things from our leaders or other kids in the club. Topics could include livestock, farm machinery, sewing, foods, gardening and well, you get the idea. You could focus on certain areas of interest and then bring your "projects" to the county fair for exhibition and judging. Ribbons of different colors were given to designate placement in the competition. We always hoped for the dark purple grand champion ribbon. If you did well at the county fair you might win a trip to the Minnesota State Fair!

Aunt Shirley and I usually brought the following entries to the county fair:

* a poster about safety or health

*one or more baked items

* a clothing item we had sewn

* 2 or more hogs

and occasionally

* an updated household item or piece of refinished furniture

Although Grandpa raised beef cattle and hogs, he had given up on letting us little girls show cattle at the fair because it had been too hard for Aunt Janice. I always felt a little cheated, but I gotta admit that showing our hogs was a lot of work. But, it was also the most fun!

I have great memories of the county fair, so it was a big disappointment last summer to see how much it has changed. Somehow, selecting a store bought outfit to exhibit is just not the same as sewing your own garment for competition! One of the highlights of the county fair, back in the day, was the Dress Revue. Girls would model whatever garment they had sewn and walk across the stage at the grandstand, kind of a country girls fashion show. The younger girls would start out with an easier project, like an apron. Each year you would try a more difficult sewing project. The picture above (taken in the 1970's) is of me in the last outfit I remember sewing for the county fair. Check out the swoopie bangs, oh my!

The same was true for baked entries. Each age group was given a recipe to make, so we were all competing to bake the best example of the same item. For example, Beginning Foods competitors would start with baking powder biscuits and then move on to snickerdoodle cookies the next year.

One year, Aunt Shirley and I decided to divide and conquer. She would do all of our sewing projects and I would do our baking. This seemed like a good idea because she was the better seamstress. I got frustrated easily if things didn't go so well. Plus, I have always loved baking. Okay, to be honest I don't think it ever entered my mind that this was cheating, sorry to set a bad example. Anyway, I set to work on perfecting that year's assigned recipe: Angel Food Cake. Aunt Shirley sewed a nice dress for me to enter but it only earned a Red ribbon, about equal to a D on a report card. But, the cake I baked for Shirley got the Reserve Grand Champion ribbon! One of the best ribbons I have ever won at the county fair! Aunt Shirley is still a better seamstress than me, but I can bake a prize winning angel food cake from scratch any day!

The recipe I want to share with you is not for angel food cake, why bother when you can buy a perfectly good box mix! No, sometimes the easy, beginner recipes are the best ones to share!

SNICKERDOODLES

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix in the vanilla, salt and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until dough is smooth. If dough is too soft, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape the dough into 1 inch round balls. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 -10 minutes, or until light golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Makes about 6 dozen cookies. This easy recipe will earn you a blue ribbon any day!

Swedish Brownies

Today at church we said goodbye to Pastor Paul & Cheryl Bengtson. Pastor Paul has done a fabulous job as our interim pastor. They came to us while our church was trying to bounce back from a very difficult situation. And they brought JOY with them! We had been without it for a long time and it has been wonderful to feel joyful again. Paul and Cheryl seem to have touched the lives of everyone at church in a very short time. It was great to see the outpouring of love for them today as people shared how they have been affected by Paul and Cheryl's ministry.

I will always think of hugs when I think of Pastor Paul. He hugs everyone! He certainly is good at making people feel included and welcomed. I know he made efforts to befriend both of you, although he may always call Tyler "Kyle"! I'm sure we will miss his big laugh and easy friendship.

One Sunday, Paul & Cheryl invited Dad and I over to the little blue house on Greenview for lunch. We had a great time getting to know them better. Cheryl served a dessert we had never had before. She introduced us to Swedish Brownies! There is no chocolate in these yummy bars because they are Swedish, they are blonde! They have become my new favorite, hope you like them too!

Cheryl Bengtson's Swedish Brownies

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp almond extract

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

Mix in order given. Spread in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle generously with sugar (and 1/2 cup sliced almonds if desired). Bake 30-35 minutes at 350. Enjoy with your favorite Swede or North Parker!