Apricot Pie

Yet another recipe from a while ago. I'll start making some new stuff soon. 

Pies are an odd thing for me. I don't hate them. I don't love them. They are great when I'm craving something different but they are not typically something I search for.

I can't remember where I found this fantastic little gem! It is Marvelous Meals with Minute Tapioca by Mis Dine-about-town from 1938. I purchased it mainly because of the cover.

But this amazing intro just sealed the deal. I had to get it!

This recipe interested me. I hadn't seen an apricot pie before. I love apricots though so it seems like a good one to try.

I had to get almost all the fruit since I just didn't have it on hand. I couldn't find apricot juice so I settled on peach. Seemed like a good fit. We have peach, apricot, and pineapple flavors. 

Cooked and drained apricots. The look less appealing than the dried one.

Mixed it all together while 'making' the pastry crust. Pre-made pie dough is the best! It will changed your life. If you haven't tried it, do it! I think I used the generic version this time.

Everything goes in the crust.

Okay, I am going to attempt a lattice top. My pies never turn out pretty, no matter how delicious they taste.

Still couldn't crimp the edges but the lattice doesn't look half bad. I'm satisfied!

Ohhh....they baked up so pretty! And smells amazing. Baked fruit filling the air...

Well, it that promptly fell apart. Still smells great!

This was a tasty, unique pie. Next time I would use higher quality dried apricots and bake it a little while longer. Strangely it didn't have a very strong apricot taste. It was mostly pineappley. I think using the peach juice instead of apricot helped to cut the flavor.

My Rating: Tastey! A nice change from the typically pie flavors.

Cinnamon Buns

This year we have have only gotten one good snow day so far. I didn't think we would get any but it just waited a little before it it dumped a few inches on us. I am not a fan of snow or any kind of cold weather but it is pretty to look out. From the window. Wrapped in a blanket. With a mug of hot chocolate. Far far away from the snow. Since I had a boyfriend lazing around the house and enjoying his snow day I thought I'd make something sweet and simple. 

I found this nice recipe in a 1936 booklet from Arm & Hammer and Cow Brand called Successful Baking for Flavor and Texture. Looks super easy and uses sour milk, just like my last baking adventure.

There is nothing too unusual about these ingredients. Except for the sour milk. 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar then add milk to the 1/2 cup line. Easy peasy. Still looks gross.

Man, this came together really easy! Pretty much just mix everything together.

A quick knead gives me this lovely little ball.

Even though I now have marble countertops, I still love to use my marble slab. And now I have a lovely, new, handmade, rolling pin! I am pretty certain it is about a quarter of an inch think even if it's not exactly a perfect rectangle. 

Such a beautiful layer of cinnamon and sugar!

In true Jenn fashion I decided not to measure. But I'm feeling good about this! It cut nice and easy and almost no filling fell out. Yeah!

The recipe said I could add pecans if I wanted. What a weird thing to say. Who wouldn't want to add pecans?! After placing all the buns in the pan I think I may have cut them a little too thin. I had to squish the last 2 in the middle but it doesn't look too bad.

Such cute little buns!

I'm not going to admit how long it took me to find the baking information on the recipe. Always read the entire recipe before starting even the fine print at the bottom. I ended up baking them for 30 minutes total, 10 more than recipe. The center ones were looking a bit undercooked.

Smells delicious! Looks...okay. I can't tell if the pecans burned or just caramelized. I thought there was going to be a little more sauce on the top almost like a sticky bun. That didn't happen. Still smells really good!

Delicate little pecan cinnamon buns!

Is this picture sideways?

Although not the prettiest, these turned out pretty tasty! I still think the pecans burned a bit but Dylan insisted it was all caramelization. I probably over baked them. Next time I think I would do slightly wider rolls and a larger pan. These were the perfect size to snack on all day. None of them made it to the next day. 

My Rating: Easy and tasty enough to bake again!

Dylan Rating: I really like these! Delicious!

Gin Fizz

By now I think everyone needs a good drink. Gin Fizzes are one of my favorites because they are so easy and delicious! But I have always wanted to try the variations. Being stuck inside with a crazy boyfriend makes for a perfect time to try some drinks! I pulled out both the 1935 The Savoy Cocktail Book and the 1950 Here's How! by Stouffer's to get a nice variety of recipes.

I used the recipes from Stouffer's as a base since it was a lot more specific.

I am still trying to figure out what exactly a 'glass' is. Thanks Savoy.

I typically like to use lime juice in my basic gin fizz but I decided to stick with the lemon juice. Kept the generic club soda but went a little fancy with Hendrick's gin. The boyfriend loves Hendrick's.

When you ask for help be prepared for a little bit of craziness!

From left to right: regular Gin Fizz, Silver Fizz, and Golden Fizz. All in whatever glasses I could find.

A variation of the Ruby Fizz. We had an interesting debate on what exactly a 'splash' was. I don't know why. I don't write the cocktail books!

I didn't have rum but decided to have a try with gin instead.

I had a little bit of Mango Mango preserves left and thought it might be tasty in a drink.

It was quite a mixture of good and bland. The silver and golden fizz were creamier tasting but I didn't think they added anything to it. Ruby fizz was my favorite but needed a little bit more Chambord. The Pineapple Fizz was also nice but, again, I thought it needed more pineapple. The flavor was very light. The mango was a bust. Not bad tasting but very, very little flavor. I was expecting something a little more tropical. All in all a nice experimental evening. I have had other cocktails that included raw egg so that was nothing too out there for me although it was something new for my sweetie. 

My Rating: I'm going to stick with the basics, regular old gin fizz...with lime.

Boyfriend Rating: None of them were bad but the pineapple was my favorite.

Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins

Sometimes you just have to bake! I was really really craving something small and sweet but didn't want to venture out into the world. I felt good when I saw a lot of social distancing while shopping the other day but then I drove by the beach...sigh... And naturally I didn't pick up any snackies because I was saving money. Guess I have to make some! I had everything on hand for Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins from the 1971's edition of Hershey's 1934 Cookbook.

Easy recipe and only make a dozen. Nice! So many older baking recipes make lots to share. Not being in a sharing situation I appreciate a single family recipe. I used a mix of semi-sweet and bitter-sweet chocolate chips and my last mandarin orange.

I know I took a picture of the ingredients. I set everything out all pretty, a nice pile of chocolate chips, a cute mandarin orange...I have no idea what happened to it. It disappeared! So let's jump to step 2: milk, egg, and oil added to the flour mix.

Best step, adding the chocolate chips! The orange zest adds a nice, bright touch of color.

I used baking liners because I'm that kind of person. I planned on giving some away and storing some so liners just make it easier. Easier for clean up as well. The recipe said 12 muffins so that's what I did. The dough only filled the liners halfway, less than what I would normally do.

They are so cute! Naturally they did not get as big as the muffins nowadays, we are bigger muffin people now.

These smell so good...

Yes, I took them out of the liners for pictures.

I had to sample one just out of the oven (who doesn't love a warm muffin?!) and was less than impressed. The chocolate was good but overall the muffin was bland. So, I took a few pictures, separated them to give away, and sat down to watch tv and think about my sewing pile. The next morning I was feeling a bit peckish. I'm not much of a breakfast person but the muffin seemed just the right amount. Wow! What a difference a night makes. These taste so much better after cooling off completely. A nice light hint of orange. I think milk chocolate chips would actually taste better.

My Rating: Good! A nice little muffin!

Friends and Family Rating: "These are delicious. I ate them all..." "My son loved the muffins! My friend said they were the best she ever had."

Prince's Smile Cocktail

Just open a cocktail book and pick a page! Ta Da! The Savoy Cocktail Book gives us Prince's Smile Cocktail from 1934. I wish I knew the story behind this name.

Easy to make but I hate dashes. Just give me exact measurements! 

Yep, avoiding people and shops so I used bottled lemon juice. The bottle is not pretty enough to include. I'm sure fresh is better but bottled is easier.

Looks pretty! Smells nice and fruity.

Okay...not bad...not special though.

I made this because I had everything on hand and the name is intriguing however it is nothing special. Maybe fresh lemon juice or calvados might make it a little more exciting. If you have everything, give it a try but your not missing anything if you don't.

My Rating: Just okay. Don't know why the prince is smiling...