Sharing a "Grandma's Recipe" Blog Event

A woman named Laura, who writes a blog called The Spiced Life (which I am a regular reader of -- and whose comments you may have read, here), was reflecting on her Grandmother last month, and floated out the idea of a "Grandma's Recipe Blog Event" celebrating the recipes we all have gotten from our grandmothers. 

Although I talk a lot about food in this blog, I haven't ever written about recipes, but this seemed like a good reason to put the first one into my portion of the blogosphere. 

Both of my grandmothers were pretty major cooks. My father's mother was a German cook and the mother of eight kids. I remember the kitchen in her house as being mostly off-limits, though. She was a cook who didn't want to share her recipes for fleischkeukle or kuchen or bread-and-butter pickles, and took many of them with her when she died. But the flavors and the memories of them all have stayed with all of us for years.

On the other side of the family, my maternal grandmother was French-Canadian, and lived in Los Angeles when I was a kid. While she wasn't a gourmet chef, she did enjoy entertaining. When we would go to visit (from South Dakota), almost every evening meal was eaten out in the backyard beneath a gorgeous old tree. Frequently it was hot out, so chilled desserts were always enjoyed, including the "French Cream" which I've included, here. I made this for a buffet-style dinner a few years ago and layered it in a trifle dish, instead of doing individual servings. It was great. Even after all these years. 

(Sorry... No photos of it. And the photo I wanted to upload of my grandmother doesn't seem to want to go out on the 'net. Guess you'll have to take my word for it on these...)

Grandma Simpson's French Cream

1 pkg Crushed Vanilla Wafers

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Butter (softened)

2 Eggs

1 pint Whipping Cream (or 1 quart whipped or CoolWhip)

1 small bottle Maraschino Cherries cut into 1/4-inch chunks

3/4 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans

1. Line the bottom of an 8x8 inch freezable pan with waxed paper.

2. Cover the paper with 3/4 of the Crushed Vanilla Wafers.

3. Cream together Powdered Sugar, Butter, and Eggs. 

4. Fold in Whipped Cream.

5. Fold in Maraschino Cherries and Walnuts.

6. Spread Cream mixture over Crushed Wafer layer.

7. Top with the remaining 1/4 of the Crushed Vanilla Wafers.

8. Place in freezer for at least 24 hours before cutting into squares and serving. 

*If doing this in a trifle bowl, simply layer once or twice, and use a spoon for serving.

Thanks, Laura, for instigating this event!