marie-madeline studio

Blue

Hello everyone~

We just wanted to drop in for a minute and give you all a yummy recipe to try.  This is SOO good warm with vanilla ice cream!  It's pretty easy too, so we'd recommend serving it to last-minute company.  God willing we'll be back again very soon, with some more equally yummy things.  (But you can't eat these!)

xo, the Long ladies

Blueberry Crisp

4 cups blueberries

4 TBSP lemon juice

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

4 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/3 cups oats

1 cup flour

2/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss blueberries with lemon juice in bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Mix brown sugar, sugar, and cornstarch together; sprinkle over blueberries.  In seperate bowl mix oats and flour; cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over top.  Bake 30-40 minutes, or until light brown and bubbly.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

 

when life gives us lemons

We just make Lemon-blueberry bundt cake, of course!

 

Wouldn't you like to join us for a slice?

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake
For bread:
    3 cups unbleached bread flour
    1/2 t. baking soda
    1/2 t. salt
    3/4 cup butter, melted
    1 3/4 cups sugar
    2 T. minced lemon zest (you'll need 3-4 lemons for zest & juice)
    3 eggs
    1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
    3/4 cup plus 2 T. milk
    3/4 cup blueberries
For glaze:
    1/4 cup sugar
    1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
    2 T. butter, melted

Beat eggs, sugar, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Add flour, soda, and salt; mix thoroughly.  Then add milk, stirring well and scraping sides of bowl.  Finally, fold in blueberries.  Spoon batter into prepared pan (this can either be done in a bundt pan, or in two loaf pans).  Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean -- approximately 55 minutes.  Let cool slightly; then drizzle 1/2 of the glaze over bread while still in pan.  After cake is inverted, drizzle remaining glaze on top.

Enjoy!

xo~ the Long ladies

make a Southern meal...

Hello everyone!  We hope all of you are having a wonderful Wednesday.  Do you have a free day?  How about making a yummy-purely-Southern-meal (plus a refreshing dessert)?  We made this for Father's Day and it's always a huge hit!   We really want to be back again soon!  xo~ the Long ladies

Chicken Fried Steak

Make a mix of 2 eggs, 1 c. milk, salt & pepper (you may have to add more later, depending on how many pieces of steak your making)

Make a mix of flour, salt & pepper.

Wash and drain on paper towels tenderized pork (or beef) cutlets.  Dip tenderized cutlets in flour mixture, then egg mixture, then flour mixture again.  Put in skillet with hot oil (we use coconut oil).  Cook on both sides till meat raises in pan and is slightly golden.  Transfer to cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  *note: We usually cook ours until we have all of the sides ready.  The extra time doesn't hurt it a bit!

Serve with rice, gravy, green beans, and biscuits. 

Mint Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix

2 1/2 tsp mint extract (divided)

3 c. cold milk

2 sm. packages instant chocolate pudding

1 8-10 oz. Cool Whip- thawed

green or blue food coloring (sometimes others in the family use odd colors. Ahem.)

Prepare cake mix according to directions, adding 1 1/2 tsp. mint extract to batter.  Beat well.  Pour into greased 9 x 13 cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 mintues or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool completely.  In bowl, whisk milk and pudding for 2 minutes or until soft set.  Use end of wooden spoon and poke lots of holes in cake top.  Spread pudding evenly over cake.  Combine Cool Whip, food coloring, and 1 tsp mint extract.  Spread over pudding.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

 

another yummy recipe....

There's nothing like a cool and refreshing dessert at the end of a hot, sticky, summer's day. And this one's no exception!  One of our favorites, Creamy Strawberry Dessert, comes to our table quite often in the summer. It's that good. We think you'll like it too!!!

 

Creamy Strawberry Dessert

-1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 40)

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 cup packed brown sugar

-1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

-2 packages (3 ounces) strawberry jello

-1 cup boiling water

-1 package (16 ounces) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed

-1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

-1 12 ounce cool whip

 

In a bowl, combine wafer crumbs, sugars and butter. Press into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in strawberries and milk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until partially set. Fold whipping topping into strawberry mixture. Spread over prepared crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

 

oh-so-good

Really, who doesn't like breadsticks? It's one of those things you want so bad, so you go to Olive Garden or Fazolis, right? No more-- your horrible craving can be satisfied right at home! We found this oh-so-good breadstick recipe about a week ago and have probably made it 7 times... breadsticks with spaghetti, breadsticks with pizza, breadsticks as a snack... you get the idea.

They are pretty simple so why don't you make them real soon? Pop a pizza in the oven, get your breadsticks made, put a good, classic movie on (don't forget the coke!), and you're set! 

Have a beautiful evening filled with everything wonderful!

xo, the Long ladies

Oh-So-Good Breadsticks

1 tablespoon active dry yeast     

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar   

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the rest of your ingredients and mix.  Dump onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes (your dough should be smooth).  Seperate the dough into 8 pieces and roll out into long strips the size of a restaurant breadstick.  Place on baking sheet and brush with melted butter.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  (10 minutes should be perfectly ample, unless you like your breadsticks browned on top.)  Take out of oven, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt.  Yum!   

Users warning: This recipe only makes 8 breadsticks, so go ahead and plan a couple batches.

pop... pop... pop...

 

Pop Garden fabrics by Heather Bailey-- aren't fabric bows the cutest?

Achaia's birthday was so much fun... we thought we'd share the special cake recipe with you!

 

Strawberry Pop Cake

~one box of yellow cake mix

~one small box of strawberry Jello

~12 oz. of strawberry soda pop (you can omit the pop and make the Jello according to the package, but then it wouldn't be strawberry pop cake, would it?)

Bake cake as directed on box.  Punch holes in top while hot, using the end of a wooden spoon.  Let cool.  Mix strawberry Jello with hot water.  Add strawberry soda pop.  Pour over cake.  Refrigerate.

for icing...

~12 oz. Cool Whip

~2 small instant vanilla pudding mixes

Beat together.  Spread over cake.  Keep refrigerated.  (This cake is tastiest when very cold!)

love, the Long ladies

PS... We are planning on some very serious sales for the next few weeks, so please keep in touch!

Apple-y goodness...

Well!  The last few days have been busy over here.  But not too busy to make apple danish, of course.  This recipe is one of our favorites-- it was given to us by some very dear friends when we had so many apples that we didn't know what to do with them all.  Remember?  Now we can enjoy apple danish all year 'round because of the apples in our freezer.  Hard work pays off, you know? 

 

Apple Danish

for pastry--

4 cups flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

1 1/3 cups butter

1 egg yolk, beaten

Mix dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter using a pastry blender.  Add milk and egg at once.  Fit half of pastry in an 11" x 16" jelly roll pan (or a cake pan, as we did here).  Set other half aside.

for filling--

6 cups apples (we use Jonathan), peeled and sliced

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup margarine (you can use butter, if you like)

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg white, slightly beaten (to brush on top of your pastry) 

Arrange apples on pastry.  Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apples; dot top with butter.  Roll out remaining pastry; place over apple mixture.  Cut neat slits in top pastry and brush with egg white.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Glaze while hot.

for glaze--

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

2-3 tablespoons milk

Mix thoroughly.  Spoon over danish.

Enjoy!

Ice Box Oatmeal Cookies

This is a very special recipe... our family has been using it for generations!  We make Grandma's ice box oatmeal cookies every Christmas, and in between times too.  The recipe always gets doubled, because we like to eat thick slices of dough before we ever bake the cookies.  If you mix a batch of these up today, they'll be ready to pop in the oven tomorrow afternoon!

 

Grandma's Ice Box Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick oats

1/2- 1 cup nuts (we use pecans)

1/2-1 cup coconut

Cream butter and Crisco.  Add sugars, cream until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla-- beat.  Add dry ingredients, then oatmeal, nuts, & coconut.  Lay out two long pieces of waxed paper.  Place 1/2 dough on each sheet, and form into a log.  Wrap log in waxed paper, twisting ends to "seal".  Keep refrigerated overnight.

  

Cut log into 1/2" to 3/4" slices.  Bake at 350 degrees.  Do not over bake!  These cookies should look soft set when taken out of the oven.  (Grandma never says how long to bake them... so you'll have to figure that one out for yourself.  But trust us-- the result is worth the effort!)

PS... Isn't it the cutest thing that Grandma (our great-grandmother who is 92) calls a refrigerator an ice box? 

The best cream-filled cookie ever!

Hello friends! 

You are probably all so busy right about now.  Do you have time to come bake with us?  This cookie recipe is one of our favorites (even if it is time consuming).  Especially one of Mom's favorites... she hides her personal cookie stash in the cabinet above the microwave.  Don't tell!

Cream Wafers

1 cup soft butter (it must be butter, not margarine)

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 cups flour

Mix thoroughly and chill.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out about 1/3 of the dough at a time on a floured board to 1/8"-1/4" thick. Cut into small circles.  (We like to use a little glass for that)

Transfer rounds to a piece of sugar-covered wax paper, using a spatula.  Turn rounds to coat with sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet; prick each round with a fork three or four times.  Bake 7-9 minutes, or until just set (not brown!).

   

Creamy filling...

Cream together-- 

1/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla (or more-- we use more)

Until smooth a fluffy.  Tint with a few drops of food coloring (unless you love color like we do... then you use more like 30 drops of food coloring).  Put cookies together in pairs with creamy filling.

    

  

Warning:  these can be very crumbly, so ice with caution!  And, um, you'll probably need more than one batch.

While you're at it, you may as well mix up some cinnamon rolls.  They make lovely gifts!

      

Aunt Dorothy's Pecan Pie

Here is one of our favorite recipes... we use it faithfully, every Thanksgiving Day and Christmas season (a lot of other days, too).  It's so simple to mix up!  And yummy to boot. 

What are some of your traditional holiday foods?

Aunt Dorothy's Pecan Pie

--3 beaten eggs

--1/2 cup packed brown sugar

--1 cup Karo syrup (light or dark)

--1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

--1 teaspoon vanilla (okay, so we use a little more than that!)

--pinch of nuts (any kind of nuts, if you like)

--1 cup chopped pecans

--1 unbaked pie crust (homemade or store-bought)

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.  Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until pie is soft in center (but not "jiggly").  Enjoy!