On the Table - Mother's Day Special

Click the link below for a Recipe Card Freebie.

In honour of Mother’s Day this coming weekend, I’d like to share a few recipes here at ‘On the Table’ from my two mothers’ tables. As the only girl in our house, I have fond memories of cooking with my mom. The first time a cooked a whole meal by myself, I took instructions via the telephone. She was at work and I’d call her to ask her what to do next. It took a while, but we got it done, together. I also remember spending Saturday mornings, making biscuits. It was the same ones every time, but we didn’t mind at all. Biscuits were a treat and she made sure she made at least two biscuit tins full to last a few days. She carefully planned every meal, even the leftovers. She did amazing things with the little we had and I don’t remember ever being hungry.

What amazed me, this recipe was not written down anywhere. She had it down to an art. I remember having to leave the Rama margarine out in the window sill to soften. Gathering all the ingredients on the kitchen table and preparing the biscuit pans with butter and flour. Our kitchen wasn’t big, but I remember the sun shining in from the door and the breeze gently blowing the red lace kitchen curtain. The instructions carefully given, ‘Cut so much butter. Two eggs are enough. One teaspoon vanilla per egg.’ I once asked her how she remembered the recipe; she had it all figured out. ‘It depends on the butter; you add just enough flour and coconut to make a soft ball of dough. One teaspoon of baking powder to one cup of flour.’ Ordinary cups and spoons were used – no measuring cups were needed. There was this brown glass cup that seemed to be just the right size; the baking cup.  We also used this old metal biscuit gun. You’d fill the dough into the back and you’d push it through moulds to make these perfectly identical biscuits. The most exciting part for me, was to put on the sprinkles, hundreds and thousands we called it, on top of each biscuit before we put it in the oven to bake. The smell would fill our small three-bedroom home. Mmm…something to look forward to. 

These biscuits have become somewhat of a family heirloom. I make them regularly for my family and my son enjoys putting on the sprinkles just as I did. So, I decided to make a batch this week and share it with you. 

First, I gathered all the ingredients.

Detailed instructions included in the free download below.

You can use your cake mixer for the wet ingredients, but you'll soon have to get your hands in there to lightly knead the dough. I start of by creaming the sugar and butter until smooth. Then added the vanilla essence and eggs. The dry ingredients are best mixed in by hand. I mixed it until it formed a soft, dry, dough.

I then rolled it out and used cookie cutters to cut out shapes. I placed it on a prepared baking sheet and baked it till golden. 

They turned out pretty good and we enjoyed a couple with some tea. Reminded me of my mother so much. It's amazing how a simple thing like cookies can make home feel more like 'home'.

The first memory I have of my mother-in-law is of her cooking a meal for us. She’s the only woman I know who has mastered the art of cooking rice in the microwave. We never had a microwave, so this intrigued me. And it wasn’t the only thing; she would make vegetables and even cake. She's amazing and fearless.

She has a cupboard full of cookbooks and little pieces of paper with hand-written recipes. In fact, when I asked her to send me a recipe, she sent me a photo of hand-written ones.

Every mom I know, has one or two of those and I know she has her favourites. She shared her Custard Cream biscuit recipe with me. Originally, the recipe needed 1/2 cup icing sugar, but that was too sweet for our house lol. 

I have never made these cookies before so I was excited to see how they'd turn out. The first thing I notice was the lack of  'wet' ingredients, apart from the butter. I wondered how it would all come together. To my surprise, it came together well and it was rather easy to shape into balls. I used a tablespoon measure to keep them all a uniform size.

Then it was time for the trusted cherries. It took us a while to find them but Roland came to the rescue and got them for me at the last moment. 

My trusted photographer

They looked perfect; I didn't know they were going to look very different afterwards. 

The recipe said 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes but I suggest you keep a keen eye on them. I must've turned away for just a moment and they started to burn. They smelled delicious though. 

I enjoyed making these. While I was baking them Roland was sharing stories of other things he could remember his mom making. Making memories around food. What else do you need?

Note the little brown edges. Watch them like a mama hen. Very delicate cookies these.

Milk and Cookies

So, in honour of my mothers and my sisters who are all mothers, I've put together a set of free recipe cards for you to keep. They include recipes from my mothers, sisters and my kitchen for you to enjoy. Print it out on some cardstock and cut them out. They make 4x6 cards, which will fit most commercial recipe boxes. You can even laminate them for durability and include them in your Mother's Day Gift set. 

Download them for free here. It will open in Dropbox; just click 'download'.

Happy Mother's Day to all. Hugs and kisses to my mom and mom-in-law. 

Click here and here to buy recipe boxes online. 

💖Always

Leazille

Please feel free to leave a comment below. Send me an email at givingiteverythingandmore@gmail.com and receive updates of new posts.

Once again, thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you today.

Do you have a family favourite recipe? Feel free to share.