“In life, a person will come and go from many homes. We may leave a house, a town, a room, but that does not mean those places leave us.”
-Ari Berk
My mom kept several gardens on our 7-acre hobby farm when I was a kid. Our acreage was shaped like a triangle and my mom was always finding new ways to put almost every square foot to good use.
There was a big vegetable garden, an even bigger strawberry patch, a “Christmas tree” grove and a small orchard for apples and plums. The fruit trees were planted right next to our clubhouse and it was definitely a “branch and to bite” lifestyle for me and my brother back then. 😉
Mom had several flower beds and gardens and around the property too. All different varieties sprang up at every turn- lilies, phlox, snapdragons, tulips, lilacs…if it could be grown in Minnesota, I’m sure we had it there on the farm.
My mom was always pulling food out of the ground and making it into something magical too. Of course, I don’t remember thinking that at the time, what with all the weeding involved, but looking back, I sure do feel lucky to have a mom who experienced so much joy working with the Earth and that was so effortlessly creative.
We were at her house (in Florida) a few weeks ago and she decided to whip up some pesto with the basil in her backyard. The recipe came from a cookbook called (by Susan Branch) and my mom said she bought her copy in 1986.
I found this photo of the author online yesterday and I loved reading that she wrote the book at her dining room table…
That last sentence got me curious about the German Pancake so I did a quick Google search and this is what I found:
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3 teaspoons butter
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter a heavy 10″ oven-proof skillet. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork to blend. Slowly add the flour, beating constantly. Stir in the salt and milk. Pour the batter into the skillet and drop the butter by teaspoonfuls into the batter, distributing evenly. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sift with powdered sugar (and strawberries or fresh fruit of choice). Serve with heated maple syrup.
Wow! Is your mouth watering too?
Anywho- back to the pesto recipe. It’s incredible as well. Here are some video clips of us making it together at mom’s house last month:
…and here are the ingredients/instructions:
And like my mom mentioned in the video, I’d suggest not putting the olive oil in the processor. She says it makes the pesto taste bitter and apparently lots of folks on the internet agreed. Just stir it in by hand in a separate bowl with all the other ingredients. It’s SO delicious!
Do you have a favorite Susan Branch recipe? 😀
Layla
Thank you for sharing this lovely family video. You look so much like your beautiful mother. I love pesto and look forward to trying this recipe! I so enjoy your postings and follow you regularly!!!
I had a few recipes I loved to make back 25 years ago when living in New Mexico! Fast forward to present day living in Arkansas and we lost our log home almost 5 years ago along with my Heart of the Home cookbook. Reading your blog and watching your mom make the pesto rekindled my love and remembrance of my days using my Susan Branch cookbooks. They’re beautiful just reading them! So I ordered the updated version of Heart of the Home! Looking forward to reading it! Susan Branch also wrote a novel autobiography of her life prior to writing her cookbooks and I highly recommend it. Poignant reading about her life. https://smile.amazon.com/Marthas-Vineyard-Dreams-Susan-Branch/dp/0996044027/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534161572&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=susan+branch+novel
I love Susan Branch. I have all her books and get a wall calendar
Every year. I’ve saved them all. I love having it hang in my kitchen.
They are like my journals. Her artwork is precious.
German pancakes are so good! You must try them! They are so good sprinkled with strawberries and brown sugar!
Have you ever searched for Susan Branch on YouTube? She gives a quick tour of her kitchen and another room. Such cozy spaces! Makes you want to go stay there! 🙂
Love Susan Branch, I have several of her items ❤️
I adore Susan Branch! I have her recipe binder and I love it so much. Now I’m going to be on the hunt for this book. Also if you’ve never tried”ditch babies or German pancakes” they are amazing!!!
I adore Susan Branch! I have her recipe binder and I love it! If you haven’t tried Dutch babies also known as German pancakes they are amazing!!! We love them with fresh squeeze lemon and powdered sugar!
Layla,
What a charming video. You look like your mom 😉 , she seems like a strong and healthy and amazing woman, I enjoyed seeing your son and she interacting.
We used to sell Susan Branch in our Christian book store way back when..everything looks good.
Susan Branch’s books, ‘The Fairy Tale Girl’, ‘Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams’, and ‘A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside’ are such wonderful, interesting memoir. There is serious talk of making her life story into a movie! She is a beautiful soul!
Pesto is life! Can’t get enough of it in the summer, fresh basil out of the garden….heavenly! Such a sweet video! Your Momma is beautiful! Thank you!