Small Cherry Chest

Small chest made as a Christmas present. Another hand tool project and the first one with handmade moulding.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Cream together (electric mixer)

3 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
Add 6 egg yolks and beat well

Combine:

16 oz carton sour cream
3 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add to sugar mixture and beat well.  Add 1 tsp vanilla.

Beat 6 egg whites till stiff peaks. Fold into batter.

Pour into greased floured tub pan. Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees.
DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN

Frosting (if desired)

3 oz cream cheese
powdered sugar
milk or cream to thin to desired consistency
Spread on cooled cake.

Source: Tom's first cousin Verlie Allen

This cake balances richness and sweetness. It stands well alone but could nicely paired with any kind of fruit.  I'm don't think I'd want to add the frosting to this fine cake.

Grandpa Thompson's Hot Toddy

Toddy Recipe

1 oz Bourbon
1 sm box hard rock candy
1/2 oz glycerin
juice of 1 lemon

blend all ingredients and drink as needed for cough

Note: Strictly for medicinal purposes!

Bedside Tables

Completed a pair of bedside tables in cherry with poplar as the secondary wood.  

Bookcase

Finished built-in bookcases for the living room.  Shelves and outer frame are made of wormy maple.  Inner frame is black walnut.

Whiskey Cabinet

Finished making the whiskey cabinet using hand tools. It's composed of figured and flamed birch with some cherry. I used cypress from a friend in Florida for the back panel.

Granny's Vegetable Beef Soup

INGREDIENTS

about 6 beef short ribs (bone-in)

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 cups diced potatoes (Yukon Gold works best)

1 ½ cups of diced carrots

14.5 oz can of peas


Spices:

3 bay leaves

black pepper

salt

DIRECTIONS

Place the short ribs on a baking sheet and place in 300 degree oven. Roast meat until the bone marrow starts to melt. Transfer the ribs along with fat to a 7-10 quart pot and cover with water, add bay leaves and a some pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for at least two hours.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board. Separate the meat from the bones and trim remaining fat and other tissue. Return the meat to the pot. Discard the remainder.

Add carrots and tomatoes. Simmer for an hour.

Add potatoes. Simmer for an hour.

Add peas about 30 minutes to one hour before eating.

Season with salt to taste.

Throughout, add water to maintain the consistency of soup. Otherwise, you’ll be preparing beef stew (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

NOTES

My Grandmother, Evelyn Wear, prepared this soup as part of a Christmas Eve tradition in our family. The meal would consist of Granny’s Soup served with dinner rolls topped with melted cheese, sliced ham, and a few other condiments. A trip to church for the Christmas Eve service followed.

There’s nothing delicate about this recipe or the result. It is a hearty and wonderful soup that requires a bit of time to prepare from simple ingredients. To my mind, the bone-in short ribs are the key and, as with most soups, building a solid foundation of stock is the key to a great outcome.

SOURCE

My memory.