good 'n planty

Bet you thought you were getting a recipe, huh? Well I can't talk about Strawberry Shortcake without remembering the doll of my childhood and a story, so you're getting the recipe with a little nostalgia first- (this isn't exacty the same Strawberry Shortcake doll I had as a kid, but it's similar except mine actually smelled like strawberries. Kind of gross when I think about now). Anyways, I always loved to cook and bake, and have never been as good or interested in the cleaning up after myself part, so getting to mess around in my parents kitchen was a real treat when I was little. One exceptionally warm summer evening, my mom gave me a recipe for shortcake, a container of strawberries, and announced we would be eating shortcake for dinner and I would be making it. I thought it was the most fabulous thing in the world. Not only would I get to make my first shortcake, we were eating dessert for dinner! What a special treat. So here is her recipe for a summer standard:

Strawberry Shortcake:

4 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Shortening

Mix until well blended and crumb-y. Reserve one cup.

Add to the mixture:

1 1/2 Cups Milk

3 Eggs

2 heaping tsp's baking powder

Still until smooth and pour into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

(For the strawberry topping, I just slice them and toss with a little sugar and leave them at room temperature while the shortcake bakes).

*Update: I can't cook anything without seeing what it looks like first, so I added a picture of my cute friend Michelle and my own strawberry shortcake :)

Enjoy!

What about you? Have any special family recipes?