The Antlers American

Snow Community News • By Shirley Taylor

The May Potluck was a booming success. Many folks and some wonderful food were shared by the folks attending. Those were: Jim and Barbara O’Brien, Andy and Kristen Johnson with their sons Alex and Jake, Van and Kathy Johnson, Jim Tittsworth, Annette Kimball, Pat Denton, Rick and Robyn Mulhaney, Thomas and Barbara Potter, Randy and Julene Carter, Ken and Barbara Autry, David and Shirley Taylor, Barry and Carol Brown, and Mike Ridley stopped off at the end. Word is Evelyn is up in a wheel chair now, but prayers are still appreciated for her recovery. Thanks to the Potters for taking Jim home his food after the dinner. A question was asked of some folks, “How did you overcome “tough times” in the Good Old Days? It seems like we just might be living those good ole days again. Someone said they heard their grandmother helped disguise the tough times by coming up with unique meals, on a very tight budget, one was cutting up hot dogs and their them into a can of cream of tomato soup. They poured it over a generous helping of mashed potatoes in place of gravy. I have heard there was cornmeal gravy instead of flour gravy as well. One story was of home-made toys made of clothespins, they made perfect dolls to put inside empty matchboxes. The matchboxes were also used as cars, beds, or anything else their imagination could invent. Out in the country there were electrical poles who used insulators on top. When some would fall off, they made fancy bowls and dishes for the little girls. They were mostly a dark green or blue color. Someone mentioned, first and foremost there was no complaining. We were happy for what we had. Second, we appreciated what we had and took care of what we had. Third, we lived within our means with no credit cards. Everything was paid for in cash Some people called and froze veggies from the garden and made jams and jellies from wild berries. We harvested apples and walnuts from trees we had planted. They sewed and knit all their clothes, including hats, sweaters, socks and mittens. They had milk and eggs from their own farm, ate day-old bakery items, and resoled shoes. Some might think the good old days weren’t so good but growing up on a farm you really didn’t know how bad things were. God Bless the farmers of the world that keep things going throughout the years and years to come. Back in the “good ole days” the end of school just meant another list of chores to accomplish around the farm that they have more time to do before they could run off to the fishing pond or run through the pastures playing and trying to avoid the cow patties near and far. Now the end of school brings dreams of sleeping late and possibly getting to the next level in your favorite screen game. Taking a trip to your grandfather’s farm always brought back good memories it also brought back the list of farm chores your grandmother kept by the kitchen stove. On that list would be; chopping wood, bringing it inside to sit by the stove, helping with the laundry outside by putting up the clothesline that your grandmother kept prompted up by two 2x4s, gathering eggs (while avoiding being pecked by those same hens) pulling up onions from the garden, and then later picking blackberries off the bushes while also gathering enough chiggers to form a colony that decided to live inside your new white socks. Yes, going to your grandparents meant farm work, but it seemed to thrill every summer. Bringing forth a scrap book of memories that no Mario Bros could ever accomplish. At the end of the day your grandmother always had a yummy dessert no matter how hot the kitchen got during the day. One of my all-time favorites was her blackberry cobbler. So good with just a little cream from Ole Bess that was milked that morning.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER, This kind of old-fashioned blackberry cobbler is very much like a deep dish pie with extra juice. Many cobbler recipes have a drop biscuit topping over syrupy, soupy fruit. Back in the day, cobblers were often made with a flaky crust layered or ‘floating’ between scoops of juicy fruits. The crust on a pandowdy is cooked on top then pushed down into the juices while it bakes to make the most of the juices. What makes this recipe special is that the delicious middle layer of pastry is pre-baked to a crispy golden brown, and so does not get soggy. Make the berry mixture as instructed in the recipe and pour into the prepared pan. Cover the berries with mounds of the sweet biscuit topping and bake. The recipe for the biscuit topping can be found on our Easy Plum Cobbler recipe. one double crust pie pastry – this can be store-bought or homemade. 1 cup granulated sugar cornstarch to thicken the juices – use double the amount in flour if desired ground cinnamon. boiling water. fresh blackberries – if using frozen blackberries there’s no need to thaw first. Reduce the water by 1/4-cup. Wild blackberries are not as juicy as the giant store-bought blackberries you’ll find in the grocery store. You may need to adjust the cornstarch and/or water as needed. lemon juice as needed to add tartness – again store-bought blackberries may be sweeter than wild so add lemon juice for a zing of acidity. unsalted butter large egg coarse sugar for topping. First prepare a double crust pie pastry The crust can be store-bought, or you can try our easy homemade pie crust in 3 easy steps. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch casserole dish, baking pan or skillet. Set aside. In a medium saucepan mix 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and boiling water. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the blackberries and any accumulated juices. Stir gently until the blackberries release some juice. Set aside. Cut on of the pastry disks in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick. Cut the pastry into a square roughly the same size as the prepared baking pan. Reserve any scraps. Place the pastry square on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until firm, lightly browned with bubbles starting to form on the crust, about 10 minutes. This will be used as the middle layer of the cobbler. While the pastry square is baking roll out the remaining dough to a 12?12-inch square. Ease the dough into the prepared dish pressing it into the corners without stretching. Trim the edges leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Spoon half the blackberry mixture into the prepared pan. Top with the pre-baked pastry square then all the remaining blackberries. Dot with butter. Roll out the remaining dough to a 10inch square. Cut the dough into strips and weave a lattice design on top. Trim the excess and fold together with the overhanging bottom crust. Crimp or seal the edges with a fork. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place the baking dish on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 45 to 55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature. Each summer when I was a young girl we’d get up early (early for summer) dress in long sleeved shirts, long pants, boots and hats and head out with Mom and Dad to pick blackberries. The extra clothing helped protect us from ticks and chiggers. We headed out to the fields near our home and picked blackberries until our fingers were purple and the heat was too much to bear. Then Mom would spend the day cleaning berries, make jelly or jam and of course, dad’s favorite blackberry cobbler. We continued the annual blackberry picking tradition with our kids when they were little too, however when we moved to the city we couldn’t find good wild blackberries to pick. So, a few years ago we built an arbor and planted our own blackberries in the backyard. This has been the best year yet with plenty of blackberries to enjoy. Garden to table baby! A mixture of granulated sugar, cornstarch and water is boiled until thickened then combined with the blackberries before layering in the cobbler. For this cobbler pictured above I used 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in the sauce but normally use only one. My family loves a soupy cobbler so if yours does too, try the recipe with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead of flour. I made a lattice crust on this cobbler and love the way it looks when juices bubble up in between the crust. You’re welcome to cut a square of pastry and float it on top of the berries instead of creating a weave. I’ve made it all different ways over the years and each one is delicious. Occasionally I ladle a little blackberry sauce into the bottom of the baking dish then add one square of pastry to cover. Next layer half the remaining blackberries, another layer of crust using scraps or pieces of dough, then the last of the blackberries with the final layer of crust on top. If you’re looking for quick and easy way to cobble together an amazing dessert, this is it!

Please keep all our family and friends in your prayers. This season can bring aches and pains and be hard for some to enjoy the time as others. The crazy weather isn’t helping with the temps going from 32 one day and back to72 the very next. Thanks to everyone that have been helping keep the land around the community building nice and clean. Special thanks go out to Lee Joslin for mowing the yard. Also, the Finley Community normally has a lunch on each Friday at noon. Days Finley are not open or only doing take outs will be posted on their Facebook page. Anyone wanting to add to the article please turn them in before Friday at 5 p.m. Additions can be emailed to me at: freylake123@yahoo.com or call me at 580-208-0870, Have a blessed week.

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2022-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://theantlersamerican.pressreader.com/article/281565179382018

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