baking – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Reports from Joanne in St. Augustine Florida – Guest Blog

Here is what is happening with my friend Joanne in St. Augustine.

A guest blog report in gallery form. It was actually Joanne’s idea to post photos from friends in different locations showing what they have been doing as they shelter in place and are isolated from friends and family. Since she has been updating me daily I’m a bit overwhelmed cause she has been doing A LOT. Her to do list and the documentation of it is lengthy. Here are some of the photos that tell the story of her activities in St. Augustine Florida (where my sister and I visited just last month) Thanks for sharing Joanne. I am posting your crossword still life first.

It tells a story all by itself. She titles them Isolation Day Activities. Here’s the gallery with her photos. One thing I can tell you for sure is that is a lot brighter where she is than Pittsburgh PA.

These photos were taken throughout the week, not just one day. Phew!

Then she and Dan visited through a sliding glass door window

Dan through the glass

Joanne through the glass

Made some comfort food (banana bread and tuna casserole) from my very first cookbook I bought in 1971. Made extra to give to my neighbor

Ironing/laundry

Craft time with champagne cork

Watching Portrait Artist of the Year 2020 on YoutubeKnitting a sock that’s been dormant for a few years

Naming her plants

Tennis with distancing

Beach glass finds

Greetings for her sister

Walgreens shelves

Score from the store

Comfort Grilled Cheese

March 23, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Guest Blog, PhotographyTags: baking, comfort food, cookbook, cooking, crossword puzzle, friendship, guest blog, houseplant, ironing, isolation, knitting, postaday, shelter in place, St. Augustine FL, tv 6 Comments

Silent Sunday

December 15, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Baking, foodTags: baking, family, farmhouse, kitchen, photography, postaday, pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, silent Sunday, thanksgiving 6 Comments

Polish Poppy Seed Rolls – Makowiec

Southwestern Pennsylvania is famous for baking poppyseed and nut rolls for the holidays

Refrigerator case at the Polish Deli in Pittsburgh’s Strip District Friday afternoon

Makowiec Polish Poppy Seed Roll

Here’s another recipe for Polish Poppyseed Roll

In the video/ slideshow Marlene “bakes” Hungarian Nut Rolls with her sisters eight years ago. She bakes it for real every year. It’s delicious. I found the words “beigli – a traditional Hungarian pastry roll filled with walnuts” and Kolache

Here’s a post I did on Povitica -a Croatian Bread that looks similar

December 6, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, holidays, Hungarian Nut Roll, makowiec, nut roll, Pittsburgh, Polish deli, Poppyseed roll, povitica, Southwestern Pennsylvania 6 Comments

Homemade Devil Dogs and Store Bought Snowballs

A couple of weeks ago I was given a homemade Devil Dog from Priscilla, my friend Jen’s mother. She hails from Connecticut. I haven’t seen her mom’s original recipe but I found another one for Devil Dogs in my old Junk Food Cookbook by Lydia Sager.

Her individually wrapped Chocolate home baked Devil Dog snack cake tasted really good.

I’m serious.

I couldn’t find commercial Devil Dogs in the grocery store. Here are some coconut marshmallow skin covered chocolate Snowballs snack cakes filled with probably hydrogenated fat.

I purchased these at Weiland’s Market and Kroger in Columbus a few weeks ago.

Thanks Steve got helping taste these. I think you can keep these indefinitely and they don’t get moldy.

So would you eat one?

October 29, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Childhood, ChocolateTags: baking, chocolate, coconut, cookbook, Devil Dog, grocery store, guilty pleasure, healthy eating, junk food, Kroger, photography, postaday, snack cake, snowball, Weiland's Market 5 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

September 24, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Wordless WednesdayTags: #wordlesswednesday, Baker, bakery, baking, bread, French Bakery, Jean-Marc Chatellier, Millvale PA, photography, postaday, wordless wednesday 6 Comments

Fresh Peach Crisp in the Oven

Fresh Peach Crisp in the Oven. As good as apple crisp for sure. There were quite a few ripe peaches asking for someone to do something with them. E put plain yogurt on top of a warm serving but I was thinking vanilla ice cream would have been a prefect combination, too.

Monday- a beautiful summer evening in Ohio where I’ve come for a few days to help celebrate Michael’s birthday.

August 20, 2019 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: baking, dessert, family, ohio, peach, peach crisp, photography, postaday, sunset 10 Comments

Peach Cookies Practice Run

These fancy peach cookies, which are more like a full scale dessert item, were created by Rebecca. She’s going to be in her friend’s wedding and she’ll be baking six dozen peach cookies for the big day.

I met Rebecca while I was taking a Sunflower Granny Square Crochet Class, taught by Sarah at Yarns by Design in Oakmont. Rebecca brought a dozen of these peach cookies to share with the Knitters and crocheters. A trial baking run. The verdict was unanimous-excellent job, Rebecca! Delicious.

There are many steps to making these. Baking, hollowing out center to make room for cream. Peach Schnapps is involved. Big sparkly sugar, pastry cream, maraschino cherry for the center. She’ll add a tiny green stem and leaf to the ones she makes for the wedding.

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Baking, CrochetTags: baking, bridesmaid, cookie table, crochet, dessert, granny square, knitting, Local Yarn Store, Oakmont PA, peach cookies, photography, sunflower, wedding cookies, yarn, Yarns by Design 6 Comments

Babka or Paska for Easter

This loaf was purchased at Weiland's Market in Clintonville Ohio
Babka or Paksa.  That's what's on the Reinecker's Bakery label.

Babka

“the Polish and Belarusian noun babka and the Belarusian,Ukrainian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Russian baba means “grandmother” or “old woman”, and as applied to the pastry probably refer to its shape, a tall cylinder, sometimes with corrugations resembling a skirt’s pleats.^[1] “

or Paska.

“Paska breads are a traditional element in the easter holidays of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Romania, Moldova, Georgia and parts of Bulgaria”

“Paska is made with milk, butter, eggs, sugar, except in Romania, where the recipe most commonly includes sweet cream, cottage cheese and/or sour cream with eggs, sugar, raisins and rum. An egg and water mixture is used as a glaze.”

I can tell you that it tasted delicious. It is said to have a Brioche-like quality and there is a richness due to those moist golden raisins and the bread has just a hit of sweetness. Add a little butter. Mmmmm.

Here is a recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker for Paska Easter Bread and it has FIVE egg yolks.

Here is a recipe for Polish Babka Easter Bread from King Arthur’s Flour with three whole eggs.

April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 by Ruth Categories: BakingTags: Babka, Babka recipe, baking, bread, celebration, Easter, Easter bread, Eastern European, food, holiday, loaf, Macedonia OHIO, Paska, Paska Recipe, recipe, Reinecker's Bakery, traditional, Weiland's Market 3 Comments

Traditional King Cake for Mardi Gras

“The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.” Wikipedia

This King Cake created at the Party Cake Shop in Brookline on the Boulevard where I got the Paczki last Thursday.

Here is a Traditional New Orleans King Cake Recipe made with yeast .- a brioche like dough https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/traditional-new-orleans-king-cake/

March 4, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Baking, cake, New Orleans, PhotographyTags: Ash Wednesday, bakery, baking, cake, celebration, dessert, King Cake, King Cake Recipe, Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Party Cake Shop, photography, postaday, Pre-Lenten, tradition 7 Comments

Apples to Apples on the Blog over the Years

A few days ago I posted Erika and two of the grandkids walking in the apple orchard.

Then Steve’s art on the mantel with the Granny Smith apple.

Just for fun I did a google search – Apple and rutheh. Quite a few photos of apples or some form of apples appeared in the results. Many apple photos over the years of blogging. Some other fruit appeared and even some tomatoes as I scrolled down. Here are a few examples of apple photos from previous posts.

There is the Before they Get to the Store post showing how Honey Crisps are grown in Washington.

An early blog post from August 2009 Anna is 15 now

Like a science experiment. Drastic temperature change. Anna (5) said “Get your camera and take a picture. You could win a prize!”

So this is what it looks like when “the bottom falls out”!

Cider making in North Carolina in the first photo and a Cider Press in Pennsylvania in second.