Mom's Cream Puffs

My friend B has this amazing blog called vertigobcooks. She's a wonderful writer and can make any recipe come to life! In one of her posts (of which I can't find!) she asked about cookbooks. If there was one that you just couldn't live without in your kitchen. Well, I have 2. The Lancaster County Cookbook by Louise Stoltzfus and Jan Mast and Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. My mom was born and raised in Pennsylvania Dutch country. She can't cook for 2 or 4 for that matter...she has to cook for at least 10!
Mom made cream puffs all the time when we were kids. I never thought I'd be able to replicate them. She always did them from memory and they turned out perfect everytime. Now, she made the puffs and the cream. There is nothing store bought here.
So, when I got married 12 years ago, my hubby and I used to dig through the bargain book section of any bookstore. I came arcoss Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. I bought it, just out of curiosity, never thinking that I'd find so many of my mom's "from memory" recipes!


Cream Puffs
1 cup water
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Put water in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add butter and salt. When melted, add flour and stir bristly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to med-low and cook till mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Cool 5 minutes. Beat the eggs 1 at a time until batter is smooth and well mixed. Drop by spoonsful onto greased cookie sheet, shaping the batter into a point. Place 2 inches apart. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and cook another 25-30 minutes.
Cool and fill with your favorite filling. Pierce a hole in the side of the puff and pipe in filling or split half way around and fill with a small spoon.

Vanilla Cream Pudding
3/4 c sugar
6 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Combine sugar, flour and salt in a small bowl . Scald milk in a large heavy saucepan and gradually pour in the sugar mixture, stirring constantly over med heat until thickened (about 5 minutes) add butter and stir. Remove a small amount of thickened filling and pour it over the beaten eggs. Mix together and pour into the filling, simmering over low for 5 more minutes. Remove from the stove and add vanilla. Cool (place a piece of wax paper on top to prevent the top from drying)
Recipe taken from Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook

30 minute Potato Soup

With the sickies around here, I struggle with how to make dinner. Everyone needs my attention, all at the same time, including dinner. 30 minutes is about all I have at the moment to get dinner from the stove to the table!
I"m so thankful my mom taught me how to cook. Not just how to pull out a blue box of macaroni and cheese but really cook.
Tonight I made potato soup. Hardy yet soft on the tummy and warm on the throat. So easy and you can make it as vegetable friendly as you want. Tonight, I just made it the "old fashioned" way. But I've made it loaded with vegetables too. Just as yummy.

1/2 stick of butter
1 small onion
2 stalks of celery.

Saute these up. While it's simmering away, pull out your potatoes. I used 5 small ones because it was just me and the kids.

Peel and cut up your potatoes into small pieces and throw them into the pot with the butter, onion, and celery. Saute this for about 5-6 minutes. The potatoes should start to get a little soft. At this point, I added probably 1 cup of water and let this simmer again for 5-6 minutes. Now, take your potato masher and mash this all up. Not as smooth as mashed potatoes but enough to see small pieces of potato. Now, take some milk (i like to use 1/2 and 1/2) but if you don't have any, you can use whole milk or even 2%. Obviously, the more fat, the creamier! Pour it over the potatoes, enough to cover it nicely.

Let this simmer again for maybe 5-6 minutes. You should start to see it thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

You can add some shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and chives to make it more adult friendly! Remember, this recipe serves maybe 3 adults. I served 3 kids and 1 adult (i had 3 bowls...ok, I admit it!) and there wasn't a spoonful left in the pot.