Dewberry/Black Raspberry

July is a time for berry picking and I have fond memories of it. It wasn't one of our favorite things to do as a child. Cecil Ray , my twin brother and me were asked to pick some dewberries for a cobbler on a hot July day in the 1950s. We went out in the field behind our house and tried to find the berries. We couldn't find any so we went next door to our neighbor, Mrs. Vick and ask her to please come out in the field and help us. Mother had told us to be sure and get the berries. Being the kind neighbor she was, she put on her long sleeve shirt and told us she would help us find the berries and then we could pick them and that is exactly what we did and we had dewberry cobbler for dinner. Mother never knew we had ask Mrs. Vick and she never told on us.

When I go to grocery and see how much black raspberries are, it is much better to pick them. I don't think they grow here. I know they are in New York and North Carolina because my sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Duncan is out picking in New York and Michelle Lewis is picking in North Carolina. I know they will have cobblers and the delicious jam and jelly this winter.

Strawberry Cake

1 pkg. White Cake mix. I prefer Duncan Hines
1 small box strawberry Jello
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries thawed. Drain and save juice.

Add dry strawberry geletin to cake mix. Add water, oil and beat. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well. Fold in drained strawberries. Pour into a 13 x 11 baking pan that has been greased and floured. It will also make three 8-inch layers instead of a sheet cake. Bake at 350-degree oven 35-40 minutes. Layer pans, 30-35 minute. Do not over cook.

Icing

1 stick butter
1 box sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberry juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Cream butter, add sugar and mix well. Add strawberry juice, vanilla and salt. Beat until fluffy. Ice Cake

Vera Leonard
This was my grandmother's favorite cake. I think she had a winner because all the great nieces and nephews like it as well.

Strawberry cake is the favorite cake of the girls. The small photo is Katie Blaine, Lily and me. They are Sherry's granddaughters and we were baking in North Carolina. The other photos are Micayla May, Rebecca and me in Palm Coast and they are Celeta's granddaughters. All of the girls love getting in the kitchen and baking. They love measuring and doing everything. This recipe come from Mama, my grandmother. She loved this cake as much as the girls. I will post the recipe later this weekend.

Strawberry Cake

Making Cornbread

One of the highlights of growing up was being at Mama's (my grandmother) house and her sister, Aunt Atlee Wilson would be there and she taught me to make cornbread. Mama baked her cornbread but Aunt Atlee fried hers. She told me I had to be very patient because it took a long time to make. I know the first time I made it, I fried it quickly and it wasn't very good and I remembered Aunt Atlee's kind face and from that day on, I take the time to fry it correctly.

Here is a picture of my great, great niece Hailey Cronk frying cornbread. I am trying to teach as many as I can how to cook, fry and bake. I really love being with them and part of their lives.

Coconut Cream Pie

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 egg yokes
1/4 stick of butter
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and small amount of milk to moisten. in sauce pan. Add egg yolks, one at a time and mix well. Add remaining milk and butter. Cook over medium heat until it is as creamy as you want. Add vanilla and pour in baked pie crust. Beat egg whites until peaks form and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat. Pour on coconut cream, add coconut to egg whites and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until coconut is brown.


Peach Pie

Slice 5 peaches and put in baked 8 inch pie crust.
Mix 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch well in a sauce pan. Add 1 cup boiling water and continue stirring until thick. Add 1/4 stick of butter and 1 teaspoon yellow food coloring. Mix well and pour over peaches in baked pie shell.

Family Vacations

Our family always went to Jacksonvile, Florida for vacation and we would stay with Aunt Edith and Uncle Cleve, who owned Cox's Flower Shop. One of the things I enjoy most was helping in the kitchen with Cookie and there were 2 other women that helped and they would show me how to fry chicken and bake. I can hear Aunt Edith telling Cookie, don't let Leta May do the work just watch but I really liked getting the flour all over my hands and watching the chicken and knowing when to take it up.

We always went to the best Seafood Restaurant, Strickland's in Mayport. It has since closed but it had the best salads and fried shrimp. I always check, when going through Jacksonville, to see if it has reopened. I guess it is one of those things, you remember as a kid and can't get it out of your mind.

The beach and board walk was wonderful. You drove right on the beach and parked. They had a roller coaster that was a blast. The King's Lake was another place that we would spend the day and it was so clear you could see the bottom wherever you were in the lake. I wonder if it is still there?

This week reminds me of our vacation because Marge's grandson, Jim and his wife, Cheryl are spending a few days with us. I have enjoyed baking some pies for them, Peach, Strawberry, Fudge and Coconut Cream.

July 4th Memories

July was a month, as a young girl, that we always painted the house and July 4th was the big day. Cecil Ray, my twin brother, Marge, my sister, Maurice, her husband and their daughters Sherry and Lisa Ward , Claudine, my other sister, Sonny, her husband and their children, Celeta and Michael Williams would come over and we all painted. The young children did the back porch, as high as we could paint and then someone would come behind us and finish the job. Mother cooked the dinner and Dad always did the barbecue and it was always chicken. His sauce was the best. He cooked the chicken all afternoon and it just melted in your mouth. Mother did the potato salad, baked beans and sliced tomatoes. We had tomatoes at every meal because that was one of dad’s favorite. After we finished eating, dad would get the old hand crank ice cream freezer and mother made the ice cream and the men cranked the freezer. Sometimes mother made a cake to go with the ice cream but most of the time, it was just the vanilla ice cream. We always had plenty but not much was left. It was a busy and tiring day but we loved it because the family was together and as long as we lived in Lone Oak, Kentucky, we did this every year. Then everyone started moving away, going to college and it was harder and harder to get together. We do have the recipes. This year, one of dad’s grandsons, Jon Duncan will be making his bar-be-cue chicken for his son, Benjamin’s Christening dinner. Cecil Ray and Mary Ellen will have their family all together for this special event, which will be Kateri, their daughter. Andrew, Mary Kay, and children, Maura, Cara and Dan. and, Jon, Heather and Benjamin Duncan. I am sure dad will be looking down smiling. Claudine and Sonny will be at our house. We will just grill something and I will bake a pie or cake and make ice cream. It will not be vanilla but it will be ice cream.

Have a great July 4th, making memories with family and friends.

bar-be-cue sauce and vanilla ice cream recipe.



Quote of the Day: Cherish the Memories. Happy Birthday America!


July Birthdays

July 28 Jim Lewis
July 29 Joyce Reingold
July 30 Cara Duncan


I am Leta May Duncan Barnes. I was born and raised in Paducah, KY. I married James Lynn Barnes and we lived in, TN, VA, TX and endied up in FL. We did not have any children but I have plenty because I have many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great, great nieces and nephews. They all seem like mine. I love doing things with all of them. We do crafts and most of all, cooking and baking. You should see my refrigerator, an art gallery of special pictures. So, along with all the things we have to do, you will be meeting my family along the way. If you can’t think of anything for dinner, ask a child, they always have an answer.