“Do you have a recipe for old-fashioned gingerbread?” the note asked. The writer, Martha Lowe of Big Creek Baptist Church in Anderson County, continued, “My mom used to make it in an iron skillet and then cut it into squares.”
Our joy is to serve.
I looked through a lot of cookbooks and found several recipes, this one from a book published 45 years ago. I tried it, liked it, and shared it with Martha.
It was not my first conversation with Martha. A couple of years ago, I used her recipe for cabbage casserole. Martha attends Big Creek, where Rev. Mitch Gambrell is pastor.
An activity she really enjoys – and one that brings joy to others – is being a member of the Timeless Devotion Senior Choir, an interdenominational group of 38 singers led by conductor Leland Brooks.
The group visits several nursing homes in the Upstate area, going to a different one each week on a rotating schedule to present a one-hour program. The music is always enjoyed by both those who are listening and those who are performing.
Martha Lowe
At other times, Martha does alterations in her home. She has a son (Mark Campbell, and his family in Belton) and a daughter (Carla Newton, and her family in Houston). Her husband Jack has a daughter (Ann Pawaté, who is in school in Nashville) and a son (David, in Williamston). Jack’s grandson has recently returned from service in Afghanistan and is now at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
You will like this gingerbread recipe. Serve it warm or cold, plain or with a lemon sauce. It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. You may cut it into squares, wrap individually, and put into the freezer – then one day soon, you can take this out, warm it a bit, and it will be just the thing for a winter’s … Sunday Dinner.
Gingerbread
¾ cup melted shortening, butter, margarine or lard
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2½ cups pre-sifted flour
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup dark molasses
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9½x2-inch baking pan. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, margarine or lard; then add the sugar, mixing well. Mix in the eggs well; then add the molasses. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix well. Stir in the boiling water and turn batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-40 minutes. Makes 24 squares.
Lemon Sauce (makes 3 cups)
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups water
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; then gradually stir in the water, and then the egg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon rind and lemon juice.