tradition – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Basket Cheese

I was standing at Labriola’s Italian Grocery deli counter and it’s the first time I saw Basket Cheese. I asked about it. It’s only sold at Easter time. It can be used to make Easter pies or you eat a slice with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. A firm ricotta like cheese. There are recipes. Recipes to make basket cheese at home and recipes to use the store-bought version to bake savory pies for Easter. There are sweet recipes too. Here’s a recipe for savory Italian Easter Pie

It’s called “basket cheese” because it’s formed in a basket and you can see the imprint of the weaving on the side of the cheese.

“Basket cheese is mild in flavor, so it forms a great combination with bread. It is eaten along with jam or honey and thus forms a great breakfast. Many people enjoy basket cheese as an afternoon snack. Relish its taste with olive oil, pepper and salt its yummy.”

March 22, 2023 by Ruth Categories: food, PhotographyTags: basket cheese, Easter, Easter Pie, food, Italian recipes, Labriola’s, photography, postaday, tradition 8 Comments

PĄCZKI is pronounced Poonch-Key or Punch-Key

Happy Fat Tuesday.

Today some friends brought over this fancy box of Pączki from the Oakmont Bakery, decorated with a Mardi Gras mask. What a nice surprise to find on the porch. Steve and I cut one in half and shared it.

Later we cut another one in half and shared it. So a total of one apiece but two different fillings on Monday.

Looking forward to Tuesday’s sampling. The idea is to eat the last of rich fatty treats prior to Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Lent.

Two years ago I posted how my friend Donna introduced me to Pączki in the Brookline neighborhood Party Cake Shop bakery. (pronounced Poonch-Key or Punch-Key)
Pączki means “little package” in Polish. It is a traditional filled baked good fried in deep fat and filled with different fruit or cream fillings. They can be glazed or sugared on the outside.

Bakery Case in the Party Cake Shop in Brookline

Here is a fruit filled one. Some have custard or cream. Pączki is from 2019 post at Party Cake Shop Bakery

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Ash Wednesday, bakery, Brookline, Christian holiday, doughnuts, fat, Fat Tuesday, Lent, Mardi Gras, Oakmont Bakery, Party Cake Shop Bakery, Pittsburgh PA, Polish baked goods, tradition 17 Comments

Cranberries Cooked Sauce or Raw Relish?

This post is from Nov 2011

I’m getting the ingredients tomorrow

Do you like cooked fresh cranberry sauce or raw relish? Or neither? Or both? Or the slices of Cranberry Jelly from a can?

Here’s the 2011 post

ONCE A YEAR RECIPE/RITUAL

The annual making of the cranberry-orange relish. I don’t make this any other time of year.I’ve heard lots of different renditions of cranberries and everyone has their favorite. My mother used to use a metal meat grinder and screw it onto a table or chair with a woven potholder to keep the wood from being marred. Her recipe was strictly cranberries and navel orange. I add a Granny Smith and today a HoneyCrisp as well. I used to have one of those grinders and ground relish with Mark when he was a boy in the same manner as my mother. My friend J from Omaha gave me her MagiMix French Processor when she got a Cuisinart. That was more than 25 years ago and it still works. It has a European plug so I have to keep a little extra piece to plug it in. So two bags of cranberries, washed and drained, two oranges, two apples(peel on) 1 3/4 C sugar.

That is all there is to it. Refreshing and tart and sweet simultaneously. And thanks to Susan K for the Turkey towels. Very festive.

Happy Thanksgiving. I will put the bowl in a cardboard box so it doesn’t spill and drive to dinner at the other Grandma’s.

November 24, 2019 by Ruth Categories: foodTags: apple, cranberries, cranberry, cranberry relish, food, Food processor, kitchen, postaday, pyrex bowl, reblog, ritual, thanksgiving, tradition 5 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

The Early 80’s -my counted cross stitch phase

Saturday morning, I hung the ersatz garland up in the front hallway and positioned the ornaments so the fronts were visible. The little embroidered dates on them surprised me. Some of my friends were serious counted cross stitchers (Aida!!) I was more of a dabbler. Focusing on smocking and knitting when time allowed although Laura wasn’t born until ’83 so that explains why there wasn’t a mouse stocking with her name on it.

A surprise gift from my sister from Arundel Ladies Booth.

My friend Joanne knit the tiny sweater years ago

One ornament from my needlepoint phase

December 18, 2016December 18, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Childhood, PhotographyTags: #countedcrossstitch, Christmas decorations, counted cross stitch, embroidery, memories, Ornaments, photography, postaday, tradition 23 Comments

Baking Wedding Cookies in all the Family Kitchens

Forget about the number in the series of the wedding cookies posts.

It’s an all out family effort!

These photos just in (thank you Marlene) from multiple sources and family members baking cookies for Vicci and Ben’s Wedding this Saturday.

Everyone in Pittsburgh is baking. -including cousin Jaclyn’s St. Bernard Floyd in his Steeler’s apron and oven mitt

What’s your favorite cookie?

Will be sure to photograph the wedding cookie tables and post. If you live in another part of the world, be sure to read about Pittsburgh Wedding Cookie Table Traditions in this article by Amy Rosen In Pittsburgh, the wedding cookie table is a peculiar and wonderful local tradition

or this one in the New York Times In Pittsburgh, It’s ‘I Do’ and Pass the Cookies by Ron Lieber

Everyone is lending a hand at Georgeann’s

Using the dining room table at Aunt Linda’s

Pecan Tassies by Shannon

Cousin Shannon

Nice angle

Cousin Jaclyn’s Selfie

Baking sheets ready

Peanut Blossoms

Have to find out what these bars are

Spreading the chocolate frosting

Melissa baking at Mother of the Bride’s kitchen

Here’s Floyd in his Steelers apron

June 5, 2014June 5, 2014 by Ruth Categories: Photography, WeddingTags: Amy Rosen, baking, cookie table, dessert, dog, family, food, kitchen, photography, Pittsburgh PA, Pittsburgh Wedding Traditions, Ron Lieber, St. Bernard, tradition, wedding cookies 9 Comments

Alexis and Jarrett Tie the Knot and Jump the Broom

A happy wedding celebration. Alexis and Jarrett exchanged vows and rings in a beautiful ceremony, witnessed by family and friends. They were declared husband and wife………..

then they jumped the broom (the bride’s mother had decorated it in the wedding colors)

Alexis and Jarrett granted me permission to post photos from their Saturday March 31st wedding.

Wishing them every happiness!

(You might remember the Christmas party of Pastor Garland (his mother) when I photographed their church dinner. They’re in that picture too!)

April 1, 2012 by Ruth Categories: Wedding, Wedding PhotographyTags: African American tradition, church, family, jump the broom, Jumping the Broom, marriage, McKeesport PA, Pittsburgh, postaday, tradition, wedding, wedding photography 16 Comments

Cupcake Tree and 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe

My friend Joanne in Omaha shipped a box of cupcake items to Columbus so I could create a 4th of July/Birthday Cupcake Display Tree and marthastewart.com directions/photo of flag cupcake.

Cupcakes are all the rage around the city these days. You can bake them at home but not today in the heatwave.

1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe from Swans Down Cake Flour Box and Grandmothers who came before- Anna used Red White & Blue Sprinkles and red licorice lace Joanne sent.

1 cup butter+ 2 cups sugar + 3 cups cake flour + 4 eggs +1 cup milk 3 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt and 1 t vanilla I used buttermilk so added a tsp of baking soda (made 36 cupcakes- 1/4 C batter per)

Basic Buttercream Icing- 1 C butter+ 4 C 10X sugar + vanilla +2 T milk

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July 9, 2010June 1, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Childhood, Cooking and EatingTags: 1-2-3-4 cake recipe, 4th of July, baking, birthday, cake, cupcake, holiday, Martha Stewart, recipe, tradition 9 Comments

Tag: tradition

Basket Cheese

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PĄCZKI is pronounced Poonch-Key or Punch-Key

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Cranberries Cooked Sauce or Raw Relish?

ONCE A YEAR RECIPE/RITUAL

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Traditional King Cake for Mardi Gras

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The Early 80’s -my counted cross stitch phase

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Alexis and Jarrett Tie the Knot and Jump the Broom

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Cupcake Tree and 1-2-3-4 Cake Recipe

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