Two of My Favorite Things and One of My Favorite People

Since childhood, one of my favorite places in the world, though I haven’t traveled that much, is my grandparents’ farm. I found a sense of peace, a connection to the Earth, and the warmth of belonging there I haven’t found anywhere else. I believe in large part these feelings bloomed in me because of my grandmother, Pearl Henrietta Blaess Walter. (Side note for a chuckle—growing up, my paternal grandmother told me she’d wanted me named after my grandmothers. Her suggestion had been both their first names, Goldie Pearl. Yikes, huh?)

My Grandma Walter holding me with my Uncle Wayne sitting beside us.

Now back from the side trip to the main highway.

Many of my other favorite things come from my Grandma Walter. She taught me to crochet and sew. Working with her in her garden taught me to appreciate that activity and value the calming it can bring to the soul. My love of and value of the past and old items, came from her. Many of the things I cook or bake are her recipes. Two of my favorites she made were cream puffs and angel food cake. (I think I’ve shared I requested her angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream as my birthday cake.) I regret never asked for her angel food cake recipe. Or rather that I didn’t do as I did with the recipe I’m sharing today. Because she carried the recipes in her head, one day when she made cream puffs, I grabbed pen and paper. I’m smiling as I write this remembering when I asked how much flour she put in. She said she guessed about a cup. She couldn’t be sure because she used an old coffee cup to scoop out the flour. Yes, she was an I-toss-in-about-this-much-and-cook-it-until-it’s-done kind of cook.

 

A year or two ago I was back in Iowa to bury my parents’ ashes. I had the opportunity to visit the family farm, now a B&B owned by a cousin. Though the land looks different today because nature has reclaimed it, the minute we turned into the driveway, the memories flooded back making me smile.

Cream Puffs

1/2 C butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 C water

1 C sifted flour

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place water, butter, and sauce in sturdy pot. Bring mixture to a full bowl. Dump in flour all at once. Stir until mixture sticks together and pulls away from the pot. Transfer to a bowl. Cool 5 minutes. Then add eggs one at a time, stirring after each until fully incorporated. Drop a tablespoon amount, heaping in the middle on a greased baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce heat 35o degrees and bake 10 minutes more.

Filling:

1 C milk

1 egg yolk

4 TBS sugar

2 TBS milk

1 TBS cornstarch

Mix egg yolk,, sugar, cornstarch, and the 2 TBS milk until smooth. Warm 1 C milk in heavy saucepan, but do not boil. Pour egg mixture into milk. Stir until thickened. When cooled, combine with whipped cream and fill cream puffs.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for one of my favorite treats, that I learned to make at with one of my favorite people, in one of my favorite places.

Where is your favorite place? Leave me a comment to tell me all about it.

 

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Julie Benson has written five novels for Harlequin American, and her Wishing, Texas series is available from Tule Publishing. Now that her three sons have left the nest in Dallas, when she isn't writing, Julie spends her time working on home improvement projects, rescuing dogs, and visiting Texas wineries with her husband. Visit her at www.juliebenson.net.

31 thoughts on “Two of My Favorite Things and One of My Favorite People”

    • Denise, thanks for being here today. Yes, my grandmothers were amazing ladies. My paternal grandmother’s first husband died when my dad was 14. She ran a small town grocery store and raised four boys by herself. Not an easy task any time, but in the 1940s when the opportunities for women were few, it was amazing.

      I hope you enjoy the recipe. It is truly one of my favorite desserts.

  1. My favorite place is wherever my favorite people are, so it can change from day to day (although it’s usually at home). I also have wonderful memories of time spent with grandparents! Thanks for sharing a bit of your memories with us!

  2. Hey Julie! The old home places are a nice visit! That was a nice story today. Reminds me of both of my sets of grandparents. If I was named after my grandmothers it would have been Narcissa Abigail. Whoa! LOL I did give my children my parent’s middle names. My father was Billy Joe(son-Robert Joe—Bobby Joe—-now just Bobby) and my mother, Oveda Lynn(my daughter—Myssi Lynne). Yes, I asked my maternal grandmother how did she give such a grown name to a baby, Oveda? But, I have always loved my mother’s name. Names are so neat. Even though Goldie Pearl would make a good novel name!

    Loved your post. And so nice that the ole home place is a B&B! What a nice thing to do! Both of our grandparents places are gone now. Paternal grandparents place burned, but my Uncle built a home on it. My maternal grandmother’s place was purchased and tore down. And the stories and pictures live on! And there is no place like home!

    • Tracy, thank you for making me smile. Narcissa Abigail is the first name I’ve heard that rates right up there with Goldie Pearl! Thank goodness our parents didn’t stick us with those names!

      I too, have used family names for my kids. My oldest son’s middle name is Paul after my husband’s grandfather. He was a wonderful man full of patience and joy. My middle son has my Grandma Walter’s maiden name Blaess (pronounced blaze) for his middle name. Our youngest son’s middle name is Arlyn after a pastor my husband and I both admire.

      Unfortunately, the farmhouse my grandfather built is no longer there. Lack of upkeep as my grandparents aged combined with it being empty for a year, took its toll making it unsalvageable. My aunt who owned the farm before my cousin build a house that while bigger, from the front looks identical to the original.

      Thanks again for stopping by today and playing the name game with me. Have a wonderful rest of the week.

  3. this is how I learned to cook as well, no one measured anything, just threw it in and tasted it!! The nose and tongue will guide you!

    • Teresa, maybe your nose and tongue will guide you, but I’m not sure about mine. You wouldn’t believe the simple recipes I’ve managed to mess up. I am not good at just whipping something up. Thanks for being here and have a wonderful rest of the week.

  4. My favorite place uses to be my grandparents’ farm. I would get this warm fuzzy feeling just driving by it, but it sold to strangers over 20 years ago. My grandmother had the same kind of recipes – “about” this much, a pinch of that. She never followed a recipe. Thanks for your recipe.

    • Karijean, I hope you enjoy the cream puffs. The recipe is simple, but so good. My husband and boys treat me at Christmas by making them for me.

      My heart breaks that your grandparents farm was sold. I would get the same feeling as we got closer to the farm, too. It wasn’t the same being there all these years later, but I was amazed how many memories bubbled up from my memory the minute I stepped on the land. I can’t believe I’m blessed enough to have mine stayed in the family.

      Thanks for being here today. Have a terrific rest of the week.

  5. There was a path in a park near my house that led to a small waterfall. My daughters and I would often go for picnics there. thanks for the recipe.

    • Debra, that sounds beautiful. I’m sure years from now your daughters will say the picnics you share there are some of their favorite memories. Thank you for being here and sharing that story with me.

  6. thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I remember one of my favorite people was my grandma D. dads mom. she was so special in so many ways. I learned a lot from her and loved her dearly. she will always be in my heart. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    • Lori, my grandmother’s actually played more positive roles in my life than my mother did. I admired them more than I can say. What’s funny is how they taught me such different things. My Grandma Walter was a farmers wife. She was very connected to the home, had seven children, and worked in the fields. My dad’s mother was a business woman and ran a small town grocery store. She was widowed when my dad was 14 and raised her four sons by herself. I think of them often and am grateful for all the love they gave me. Thank you for being here today. Have a great rest of the week.

  7. My favorite place was where I was raised as a child. My grandparent were in the same place but about a mile away, so we got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents.

    • We always have a special place in our hearts for where we grew up. I think another reason I connected so much with my grandparents’ farm was because we moved quite a bit when I was a kid. Then when I went to college my parents moved multiple times again. The farm provided me with that place I grew up feeling.

      Thanks for being here today. Have a wonderful rest of the week.

  8. My favorite place was the family farm where I grew up. My parents sold it when my dad could no longer keep up with the work. I miss it very much. If I was named after my grandmas, my name would have been Ednamae Gladys. Our oldest son was named after both grandpa’s. Both grandpa’s had the name Robert Dean. Our son goes by Bobby.

    • Barbara, I’ve never heard anyone who had a potential name that rates up there with Goldie Pearl. That was until today. Tracy in an early comment said she could’ve been named Narcissa Abigail and now you with Ednamae Gladys. While Abigail and Pearl are becoming popular again, I don’t think we’ll see too many little girls named Goldie, Narcissa or Ednamae. Thank you for playing the name game with me and making me smile. Take care and have a great rest of the week.

  9. One of my favorite places is NW GA. Most of my extended family lives there. One of my aunt and uncle’s used to own at apple orchard, and I loved visiting their house!! I usually have a problem sleeping the first couple of nights when I go on vacation, but I never had that problem at their house, nor at another uncle’s house, and usually had the best sleep at either, except for at home.

  10. What a walk down memory lane Julie. The cream puff recipe is the same as my grandma used to make. I tried making an angel food cake from scratch once and it turned out very heavy. From then on I used a boxed cake mix. I guess I’m a chicken! I save any handwritten recipes from my mom and grandma and I just put them in a favorite cookbook. I love handwritten recipes that are all stained with cocoa powder and what not. My favorite place to visit is Wyoming. The mountains just resonate in my heart and I have special love stories that were centered in Wyoming. Great to read your blog today. Love you lots.

    • Kathy, thank you for being here! What I love about my grandmother’s cream puff recipe is the filling. It’s not just whip cream or frosting. My grandmother called it vanilla pudding but it’s what chefs call a pastry cream. Then adding the whip cream lightens it. When I went through my mom’s things I discovered recipes in my grandmother’s hand writing. I didn’t even know she had written anything down!

      I’ve never been to Wyoming, but I hear it’s beautiful. It’s definitely a place I want to visit.

      Take care. Love to both you and your sweet hubby.

  11. My grandparents farm was my happy place as well along with their vacation home on Hood Canal. She taught me to cook and bake when I was old enough to sit on the counter. Thank you for sharing.

  12. Good morning Julie, wow , what a beautiful post, I enjoyed reading it and thank you for sharing the great sounding recipe. My favorite place is here at my home as both my 2 now adult children grew up and now 2 of my grandchildren are growing up here also. Our youngest grandson and our son live 6 hours away. Lots and lots of beautiful memories here at our home. I loved it at home where I grew up where one of my brothers lives and has been living there for awhile, he bought the house from my parents when they moved to New Mexico. Both my parents have now passed, so this here where I have been living for a 45 years is my home with cherished memories.

    • Alicia, I’m so pleased the post spoke to you. How wonderful that you’ve lived in the same home for so long. So many people never get that luxury because of job moves. My parents moved a lot so I never formed that connection with a home. I think that’s why my grandparents’ farm meant so much to me. No matter where my parents lived the farm was an anchor for me.

      Thank you for being here. Take care and have a wonderful rest of the week.

  13. When I was in my early 20s, I took a vacation trip to Colorado with my parents. We spent two days in Pagosa Springs and went horseback riding in the mountains. We were staying in some cabins, and I got up early one morning and decided to walk down the gravel road that ran past them. When I got to the dead-end, there was a beautiful log barn with horses in the pasture and the mountains in the background. I can still close my eyes and see it. It was so beautiful. We went to Colorado Springs for two days after, and I also really loved the Flying W Wranglers Ranch.

    • Kim, thank you for stopping by and sharing that beautiful memory. Visiting Pagosa Springs, Colorado is going on my bucket list because of your description. Take care and have a fabulous rest of the week.

  14. My favorite place is where my Mom was born and raised. It is in a small community that used to be a lumber town in West Virginia. The mountain ridge sits behind the house. There used to be a barn down by the road. Across the road is a stream, Red Creek. As a child, we would go down there and play in the water. I loved being able to be with my family and away from the city. I have so many wonderful memories of walking the road and exploring. Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories. God bless you.

  15. I really don’t have a favorite place. We have been to and lived in some wonderful places. There is something special about most of them.. My favorites are regions. We love New England having grown up in the NE corner of New York state. From my house in the Adirondack Mountains I could see the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My other favorite is the American West. We were stationed in Colorado Springs for 3 wonderful years. The entire Rocky Mountain region and the lands to the east of them offer a spectacular variety of terrain and environments.

    My maternal grandmother taught me to sew. I worked in the garden with my paternal grandmother and learned about canning. They each had special dishes I liked, but I didn’t really get the recipes from them. My paternal grandmother did give me the recipe for pumpkin cookies, but I have had no luck with it. Like your grandmother, it doesn’t use standard measurements: shortening the size of an egg, enough flour to make a dough, ….. I have yet to have them turn out right.

    Thank you for the walk down memory lane in a variety of directions.

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