Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had the best holiday season, and that the new year is turning out to be a successful one so far.  After a slight holiday hiatus, I am back to continue my blogging quest into my grandmother's recipe collection.  When going through my recipes to find a new one to the new year with, I ran into a lot of articles and small clippings that had cooking/baking tips.  I think that these tips are very interesting and fun, so this year, I am going to periodically add some of these tips that my grandmother saved. 

Over the holidays, my mother dropped off a picture of my grandparents when they were around my age ( or around, my grandpa was 8 years older than my grandmother.) 

From Left to Right: My grandma Elizabeth Cruden, grandfather John Cruden, Great Uncle Jack Rubino

This picture was taken around the early 1940's, because it was taken on a cross country trip visiting national parks that my grandparents took before my mom was born (my mom was born in '48.)  They took a whole summer to travel across the country. My grandfather was quite the naturalist and spent his younger years work for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) planting pine trees in the parks of Michigan.  He really enjoyed being outdoors, and loved to garden.  After the CCC, he got a job on the General Motors factory line as a welder.  I never really got to meet him, because he died of cancer shortly after I was born.

I'm not to sure what my Great Uncle Jack Rubino did.  I remember my mother telling me that he used to sell 'stag magazines' to the factory workers.  I think my mom said that he was involved in his own family's business of some sort.

But enough about me.  My next recipe is going to be a Raisin Ribbon Bar, which I will post very shortly.  For today, I decided that I would post one of my grandmother's cooking/ baking tips.  I hope maybe google can tag me on some these!

Tip of the Day

Substitute For Condensed Milk

"Ever wonder what you might do as substitution for a can of sweetened condensed milk?  Here's a simple recipe which fills the bill perfectly.  What it makes is equivalent to a 14- ounce can of regular sweetened condensed milk."

Substitute Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup instant powdered milk

1/3 Cup boiling water

3 Tbps Butter, melted

2/3 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Tsp Vanilla

Dash Salt

Combine powdered milk, boiling water; melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in the blender.  Process until smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

Hope that this helps someone out!! Again I wish everyone the best New Years.  Please look forward to all of my new 2011 posts!

One Love,

Virginia