Éclair Cake

2 small boxes French Vanilla Instant Pudding

1 12-ounce carton Cool-Whip

1 box crumbled Graham Crackers

2½ cups 2% milk

Mix pudding and milk. Fold in Cool-Whip.

In a buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch container, put one layer of crumbled graham crackers. Then pour half of pudding mixture on top. Place another layer of crumbled graham crackers and the rest of the pudding mix. Then place a final layer of crumbled graham crackers on top.

Glaze

One square of unsweetened chocolate

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. milk

½ cup powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter. Add milk and powdered sugar. Stir over low heat until blended. (For best results use double boiler.) Spoon on top of cake. Must be refrigerated 12 hours before serving to soften graham crackers.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 package Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a baking pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in pan. Drain pineapple slices. Arrange pineapple slices in the sugar mixture. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter over the fruit. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

From Angie Lantz, 10-30-91

“Cooking may be as much a means of self-expression as any of the arts.”

                             --Fannie Farmer

Successful Cakes

Success in cake making depends on:

1.      Good materials

2.      Careful measurements

3.      Skill in mixing

4.      Proper baking

Materials. Buy the best materials available…Sugar, unless otherwise specified, implies fine granulated.

Measurements. A spoonful, or a cupful means level full. Flour should be first sifted before measuring, then sifted again after adding the baking powder.

Mixing. Directions for mixing are usually given in the recipes for various types of cake.

Baking. Generally speaking, the richer the cake, the slower should be the heat of the oven. If too slow a heat is used, however, the cake will first rise, then fall with resulting heaviness of texture. On the other hand, too hot an oven means that the outside of the cake will bake first and form a crust, then when the heat reaches the center, expansion of the mixture is likely to cause it to burst the cake surface. Small cakes such as cup cakes, may have a hotter oven than large cakes; layer cakes require a hotter oven than loaf cakes.

Cakes may be tested for “doneness” by running a wooden toothpick into the center. If this comes out dry the cake is done; if batter still adheres, bake a little longer, then test again.

In baking cakes, the oven should be preheated at the indicated temperature. This is most easily done by setting the proper temperature before starting to mix the cake. Thus no time is lost in getting the cake into the oven when it is ready.

Tony’s Favorite Carrot Cake

3 cups grated carrots

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

4 eggs

½ cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup raisins

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Grease a tube pan or two loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together carrots, sugar, flour, eggs, and oil. Add vanilla, soda, salt, cinnamon, nuts and raisins. Beat well.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan(s).

Bake cake until inserted toothpick comes out clean—about 50 minutes. Cool completely before icing cake.

Icing

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tsp. milk

1 pound powdered sugar

Beat together butter and cream cheese, at medium speed, until completely smooth. Beat in milk. Beat in powdered sugar until well blended.

Rhubarb Pie

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 egg

3 cups rhubarb, cut into pieces

2 unbaked plain pastry crusts

Set oven at 425 degrees.

Mix sugar, flour and egg together with rhubarb.

Line 9-inch pie plate with plain pastry. Spoon in filling. Put top on crust or lattice top.

Bake about 40 minutes.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie

3 cups rhubarb, cut into pieces

¾ cup sugar

⅓ cup flour

1 small package frozen strawberries, thawed and undrained

2 unbaked plain pastry crusts

Set oven at 425 degrees.

Combine rhubarb, sugar, and flour. Mix well. Stir in strawberries.

Line 9-inch pie plate with plain pastry. Spoon in filling. Put top on crust or lattice top.

Bake about 35 – 40 minutes or until mixture is bubbly in center.

From Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Plain Pastry

Plain pastry is generally used for dessert pies, but also may be used for meat or fish pies, tarts, dumplings, turnovers, cobblers, and deep-dish pies.

Hydrogenated shortenings, which include lard and vegetable shortenings, have a bland, neutral flavor and a firm consistency which makes them ideal for pastry, since they blend easily and well with the flour.

Any good all-purpose flour is suitable for use in pastry.

The ticklish business of adding water to the fat-flour mixture in making pastry would be much simpler if an exact measure of water would give just the right degree of moisture for a given amount of fat and flour. However, this cannot be done, for the measure varies with the temperature and firmness of the ingredients and the rate of adding the water. The amount is less for warm ingredients than for cold, less for finely divided particles than for coarse, and more when the water is added slowly than when it is added quickly.

A small quantity of water tends to produce a crust, which is crumbly rather than flaky, while too much makes for toughness. The important point is that the water be added in such a way as to distribute it evenly among all the fat-flour particles. They tend to absorb more water than is really necessary. If this happens, the mixture will have to be stirred more vigorously, or more flour will have to be added in order to make a dough which can be rolled out. In either case, the crust will be tough and rubbery.

To distribute the water evenly, sprinkle it over the fat-flour mixture. The water should be ice cold.

With the lightest possible springy motion, roll it from the center to the edge, then in the opposite direction, and then criss-cross, so that every part is rolled evenly. Never turn the pastry over during the rolling process, since there is danger of rolling in too much flour. Roll out to a thickness of one-eight of an inch for both under and upper crusts.

After the dough has been rolled to the desired thickness, fold one half over the other, forming a semi-circle. Do not grease the plate. Remember that, “good pastry greases its own pan.” Lift it carefully to the pan or pie plate, laying the crease in the center, and unfold it so that it covers the entire surface of the plate, having the bottom crust about two inches larger than the pie plate. With the right hand, press the pastry to the pie plate so that it fits like the proverbial paper on the wall. The left hand should lift the pastry from the pan or plate to permit the escape of any air which will cause bulging of the crust in baking. Never stretch the pastry, but take enough in the beginning to ensure covering the entire surface. From now on, the treatment of the crust will depend on the type of pie for which it is to be used.

Hints on Plain Pastry and Fillings

To prevent air bubbles in a baked pastry shell, prick the bottom and side of the crust with a fork before placing it in the oven.

Before you roll out pie dough, chill the dough thoroughly. This makes it easier to handle. Then roll out just enough dough for one pie at a time. Work quickly and roll from the center to the outside.

Sift together salt, sugar (if any), flour and spices (if any) before adding shortening.

Derby Pie

¼ cup butter (½ stick)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

¾ cup light corn syrup

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup pecans

2 Tbsp. bourbon

Unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Set oven at 375 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Gradually add beaten eggs, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, chocolate chips, nuts and bourbon. Stir well. Pour into shell. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until golden brown.

Heavenly Pie

½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped English walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Set oven at 375 degrees.

Mix flour, sugar and eggs. Then add butter. Stir in vanilla. Fold in chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes. Then test with a knife or toothpick. Pie should not be loose and runny, but chewy and on the thick side.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. bakind soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs, well beaten

1¼ cups oil

2 tsp. vanilla

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (undrained)

¾ cup pecans

¼ cup black walnuts

2 cups bananas, chopped

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not use a mixer!

Stir in vanilla, pineapple and nuts. Finally add the bananas.

Spoon batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until done.

Icing

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 14-ounce box powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (for top of cake)

Combine cream cheese and butter. Cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla.

Once the cake has cooled, stack each layer—adding frosting to each layer, the top and edges. Carefully draw a circle on top layer with toothpick. Fill in circle with chopped pecans.

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like.”

                       --Mark Twain

From J. Moore

2100 Utica Pike

Jeffersonville, Indiana

Pecan Tarts

Crust

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup flour + a dash of salt

Blend thoroughly and chill for 2 hours or over night. Divide among 24 mini tart pans, and spread around the cups.

Set oven at 325 degrees.

Filling

1 egg

⅔ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

⅔ cup pecans, chopped

Blend egg, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt together. (If you like, place in a saucepan ‘til blended.)

Spread ⅓ cup of chopped pecans over bottom of tart shells. Then divide the filling over top of pecans. Add remaining ⅓ cup of chopped pecans over the 24 tart shells.

Bake until set, about 20 minutes.

Pecan Puffs

½ cup butter

1 cup flour, sifted

1 cup nuts, crushed

1 tsp. walnut and vanilla flavoring, mixed

Set oven at 325 degrees.

Mix butter, flour, nuts and walnut/vanilla flavoring. Roll with hands to form balls.

As Good As Sex Cake!

1 bar German chocolate, melted

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix with pudding in the mix

⅓ cup oil

3 eggs

1 cup water

1 8-ounce package sour cream

1 cup chocolate chips

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Melt the German chocolate in a double boiler.

Then mix chocolate cake mix, oil, eggs, water, and sour cream together with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in the chips.

Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 2 9-inch round layer pans.

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until done.

Icing

1½ sticks butter

1½ cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup evaporated milk

1 cup flaked coconut

2 cups pecans, chopped

½ cup chocolate chips

Place butter, sugar, and milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. While still warm, but not hot enough to dissolve them, stir in the chocolate chips. Spread over cool cake.

(This icing mixture is for a 2 layer cake. Half the recipe for a 9 x 13 size cake.)

“Research tells us that fourteen out of ten individuals likes chocolate.”
                   --Sandra Boynton

Better Than Sex Cake!

1 Box buttered Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix

1 8-ounce package sour cream

4 eggs

½ cup oil

¼ cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small box Instant Chocolate Pudding

1¾ cup chocolate chips

               ¾ cup pecans, chopped

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Blend cake mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, water, vanilla, and instant pudding together ‘til smooth.

In a small bowl, mix pecans and chocolate chips with a small amount of cake mix—just to cover.

Then fold in pecans/chocolate chip mixture into the rest of the batter. (This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake pan.)

Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 2 9-inch round layer pans. Bake for 50 minutes or until done.

Icing

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup milk

1 – 2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter and brown sugar. Cook until bubbly, stirring constantly. Add milk. Continue cooking until mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat. Add enough powdered sugar until slightly thicker than runny.

Hermit Cookies

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 Tbsp. sorghum molasses

3 Tbsp. hot water

3 eggs, well beaten

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. cloves

1 tsp. vanilla

¾ cup nuts

1 cup raisins

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar, and molasses. Then add hot water, eggs and flour mixture alternately. Then add vanilla. Beat well and add nuts and raisins. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown.

Chewy Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick butter, melted

½ cup cocoa

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups quick rolled oats

1 small box Biscuit mix

¼ tsp. salt

1 10-ounce bag vanilla chips

1 10-ounce bag peanut butter chips

Set oven at 350 degrees.

By Paula Ginicis?? Copied by Dorothy Baker

From Cricket to her dad

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

½ cup milk

⅓ cup cocoa

½ cup peanut butter

3 cups uncooked oats

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter, sugar, milk, cocoa and peanut butter. Boil 1 minute. Remove from stove and then add oats and vanilla. Drop by tablespoon on wax paper.

Lippy Lemon Bars

½ cup butter

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 cup flour

Mix and pat into 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Filling

2 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 cup sugar

2 heaping Tbsp. flour

½ tsp. baking powder

Mix ingredients for filling and spread on first mixture. It will be soupy. Bake 20 – 25 minutes.

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. lemon

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. milk

Mix then spread on bars, when cool. Makes 2 dozen bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Mom’s Jam Cake

3 cups flour

2 tsp. allspice

3 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1 cup nuts

1 cup jam

¼ cup wine (or grape juice)

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Mix shortening and sugar and beat well. Then add eggs and baking soda to buttermilk. Then add a little of the flour mixture at a time to the milk. Fold in raisins, nuts, jam and wine.

Pour into greased/floured tube pan and bake for 1 hour, or until dark brown on top.

Should this have a Carmel icing??

Carmel Icing

⅔ cup margarine

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup carnation milk

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook 5 minutes. Let stand. Spread over cooled cake.

“No mean woman can cook well, for it calls for a light head, a generous spirit, and a large heart.”

Pig-Pickin’ Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

¾ cup oil

1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, cut into pieces and not drained

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, slightly drained

3-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

9-ounces non-dairy whipped topping

1 cup chopped pecans

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil and oranges. Mix until smooth and pour into three 9-inch layer cake pans that have been greased and floured.

Bake for 18 minutes.

Cake will rise but will fall and make three narrow layers.

Icing

Combine pineapple and pudding mix. Add whipped topping and nuts. Frost between layers only.

Store cake in refrigerator.

Persimmon Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

1 cup persimmon pulp

⅔ cup sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

1½ cups milk

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

½ tsp. salt

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Combine persimmon pulp with remaining ingredients. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 1 hour or until filling is set.

Persimmon Fudge

1 cup persimmon pulp

¾ cup margarine

⅔ cup evaporated milk

3 cups sugar

2 cups marshmallow cream

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

Nuts, optional

Combine persimmon pulp, margarine, evaporated milk and sugar. Bring to boil, stirring constantly until mixture gets to soft ball stage (232 – 238 degrees on candy thermometer). Remove from heat and add marshmallow cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Blend well. Pour into greased pan.

Add nuts, if desired.

Cool, cut into squares.

The persimmon was the first native American fruit to be described and praised by early explorers. In the early seventeenth century, John Smith commented, “If it be not ripe, it will draw a man’s mouth awrie with much torment.”

The American persimmon is a yellowish-red fruit not exceeding three inches in diameter which may or may not have seeds. It is a wild fruit, very astringent when green on account of the large amount of tannin present. This may be counteracted to some extent if soda is added to the pulp before it is heated. The quantity of soda to use varies with the degree of ripeness and the variety of the fruit, but one-fourth teaspoon of soda to one cup of persimmon pulp is the average. Persimmons will discolor if cooked in tin utensils.

The Japanese persimmon is now being cultivated in America. The fruit is of two types—non-astringent, with crisp, sweet flesh, or hard and astringent until fully ripe, when the flesh becomes sweet and juicy. The color of both types varies from yellow to dark red, and the shape from round to oblong. The average size is about that of an apple or tomato. The non-astringent persimmons are best for use in preserving.

Served raw, the persimmon should be accompanied by a sharp pointed spoon, so that it may be easily dug out of its skin and wine may be added to give flavor. The Japanese add saki when serving the fruit. Other people prefer quarters of lemon or lime with it. The skin may be marked in quarters and peeled back, forming an attractive service. The fruit should always be washed and chilled before serving.

Persimmons may also be added to salads. Some varieties should not be cooked, as heat develops their astringency. To avoid this, mash the pulp and add it to cooked desserts, such as rice or cornstarch puddings, after the mixture has been allowed to cool slightly. The pulp of persimmons is excellent in ice creams, milk drinks, jellies, pudding sauces and pies.

Excerpt from The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery, published in 1949, pg. 881-882.

Persimmon Cake

2 cups persimmon pulp

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Steam the persimmons just enough to loosen the seeds, but not enough to dissolve the skins. Run them through a food mill to take out seeds and skins. Measure 2 cups.

Put pulp in a large bowl and mix the baking soda with it. Sift or stir together salt, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Then add butter, milk, and eggs to the persimmon pulp and beat 5 minutes at medium speed.

Turn batter into 2 greased and floured cake pans and bake for 60 – 70 minutes or until cake tests done. The cake will be a little chewy in the center, but absolutely delicious! Cool thoroughly before frosting.

Persimmon-Caramel Frosting

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup persimmon pulp

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

5 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

1 cup chopped nuts, optional garnish

Persimmon Pudding

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

lump of melted butter!!!

½ cup milk

1 cup flour

1 cup persimmon pulp

¼ cup nuts finely chopped, if desired

Set oven at 325 degrees.

Mix sugar, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and butter together ‘til smooth. Alternate milk and flour until smooth. Add persimmon pulp and nuts (if desired). Stir well.

Pour into well-greased loaf pan. Bake one hour.

Note: I haven’t the foggiest what constitutes a “lump” of butter. Therefore, I’m going to guess and say ¼ to ½ cup butter!!

Sauce for Persimmon Pudding

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. flour

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

¼ cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan. Blend with a wire whisk and cook over medium heat until thick. Add vanilla. Pour over hot pudding.

Like most other vegetables, squash should be steamed, never boiled. This is particularly true of summer squashes, which have a sweet delicate flavor, which is entirely lost when the vegetable is cooked in large quantities of water. To steam summer squash, wash well and wipe dry. Cut in convenient pieces, removing the stem attachment. Do not peel, unless the squash is old and tough. Place in a saucepan with just enough boiling water to prevent scorching. Cover the pan tightly and let the squash cook in its own steam for about 15 minutes. (May take longer, if steaming larger winter squashes.) It should then be tender enough to mash. The strained pulp of the winter squash makes an excellent substitute for pumpkin in pies or puddings…

Excerpt from The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery, published in 1949, pg.1115–1116.

Fitzpatrick Persimmon Pudding

2 cups persimmon pulp

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup evaporated milk (canned)

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ cup cooking oil

Set oven at 325 degrees.

Combine pulp, sugar and eggs. Stir in baking soda into buttermilk. Add buttermilk and evaporated milk to batter. Then add dry ingredients. Last, add the vanilla and oil.

Transfer batter to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan and bake for one hour.

This pudding will rise high and, when cool, fall some. It breaks away from the pan.

Squash Pie

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

1¼ cups steamed and strained squash

1 egg, slightly beaten

⅞ cup milk

9-inch unbaked pie shell

Set oven at 425 degrees.

Pumpkin Cake

1½ cups sugar

1½ cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

4 eggs

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups pumpkin

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients, except baking soda. Mix oil, eggs and baking soda together. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well and then add pumpkin.

Pour into well-greased 9-inch tube pan. Bake until done (about 30 minutes). Let stand 10 minutes then turn out to cool on a rack.

Icing

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 stick butter

1¾ cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Mix ‘til smooth. Spread on cooled pumpkin cake.

Wacky Cake

1½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. cocoa

1 Tbsp. vinegar

6 Tbsp. melted shortening

1 cup warm water

1 cup chopped dates, optional

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Sift dry ingredients into 9-inch baking pan. Add vanilla, vinegar and shortening. Pour warm water over mixture and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are moistened. Add dates and nuts, if desired. Bake for 25 minutes.

The instructions for the above cake do not indicate whether it should be frosted or not. In the event that it should be, here’s a Chocolate Frosting recipe from the Acree Recipe archives:

¼ cup Crisco, melted

½ cup cocoa

¼ tsp. salt

⅓ cup milk

1½ tsp. vanilla

3½ cups powdered sugar

Banana Rum Cake

1 yellow cake mix

⅛ tsp. baking soda

⅔ cup dark rum

⅔ cup water

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3)

⅓ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Blend well, then beat at medium speed for 2 to 4 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch pans and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Rum Frosting

⅓ cup butter

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. dark rum

Blend thoroughly or beat ‘til smooth. Frost cooled cake.

Oatmeal Pie

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 stick margarine

2 cups oatmeal (one minute kind)

3 eggs

1½ Tbsp. vanilla

Nuts, optional

1 unbaked pie shell (deep dish)

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Pour in both sugars and mix. Then add oats, eggs and vanilla. Heat until it starts to bubble. Add nuts, if desired. Pour into unbaked pie shell (deep dish). Bake for 30 minutes.

How to frost cakes the professional way

Cool cake before frosting. Use a pastry brush or your hand to brush loose crumbs from sides of each layer. To keep serving plate clean, arrange strips of waxed paper around edge of plate. Place cake layer, top side down, on plate. Spread about ¼ of the frosting over the first layer. Place second layer, top side up, over frosted layer.

Spread sides of cake with a thin coat of frosting to seal in crumbs. Use about 2/3 of the remaining frosting to spread a thicker layer over the sides, making decorative swirls. Spread remaining frosting atop cake, joining frosted sides at edge. Swirl frosting with a spatula. Carefully remove waxed paper strips from under cake.

Excerpt from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, published in 1981, p. 103.

“You have to eat oatmeal or you’ll dry up. Anybody knows that.”

--Eloise, Kay Thompson

Blackberries are found throughout the U.S. In the west, the berries grow in mountainous country, mostly at higher altitudes. The blackberry is a shrub with thorns. The stems are flowering and clustered; the flower is white and five-petaled. The leaflets are 3 to 5 in number and the fruit is black or dark purple. The blackberry is sometimes called bramblebush.

Fresh Blackberry Cake

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. cloves

½ tsp. allspice

2 Tbsp. cocoa

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups fresh blackberries (or frozen, drained)

Set oven at 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar with flour, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cocoa, and salt. Then add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat thoroughly. Then gently fold in blackberries.

Pour into a greased 9-inch square cake pan, 1¾ inches deep. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

Topping

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

¼ cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook above ingredients to a full boil, stirring constantly. Beat ‘til cool enough to pour on cooled cake.

Pineapple-Banana Layered Dessert

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

⅓ cup margarine, melted

3 bananas, sliced

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

3½ cups cold milk

1 large package instant vanilla pudding

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 8-ounce carton cool whip (thawed)

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine together and press down into a 13 x 9 x 2 pan or dish.

Line bottom layer with bananas. Beat cream cheese with wire whisk; then add milk. Beat in pudding. Spread evenly over bananas. Then spread a layer of pineapple, followed by a layer of cool whip. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top, if desired.

Applesauce Bars

2½ cups flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. cloves

¾ cup chopped nuts

½ cup raisins

1 cup applesauce

¾ cup oil

1 tsp. baking soda

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Place flour, cinnamon, salt, allspice, cloves, nuts and raisins in large bowl. Mix well. Combine applesauce, sugar, oil and baking soda in small bowl. Mix well. Pour into dry ingredients; mix well. Pour onto greased 12 x 15-inch cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Frost with white icing while warm.

“Nothing is really work unless you’d rather be doing something else.”

            --Peter Pan, James Barrie

“Cooking is like love—it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”

                     --Kitchen graffiti

Banana Bread

½ cup shortening

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1¼ tsp. baking soda

½ cup sour milk (1½ tsp. vinegar and ½ cup milk may be used)

2 cups flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup nuts

1 cup mashed bananas (3 or 4)

1 tsp. lemon juice (pour over bananas)

Set oven at 325 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs. Dissolve baking soda in sour milk and add alternately with sifted flour and baking powder. Add vanilla, nuts and bananas. Turn into well-greased bread pan. Bake about 1 hour.

Chocolate Pie

2 cups sugar

4 or 5 heaping Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. Hershey’s cocoa

2 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)

2 cups milk

1 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. butter

9-inch pre-baked pie shell

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Mississippi Mud Cake

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

Pinch of salt

1½ cups flour

40 small marshmallows

½ cup cocoa

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Melt butter. Add sugar and cocoa and then add to rest of ingredients except for marshmallows. Pour into oblong pan and bake for 35 minutes.

When done, spread 40 small marshmallows over cake and put in oven and melt. Cool slightly. Pour on icing.

Icing

1 box powdered sugar

⅓ cup cocoa

½ cup milk

½ stick margarine, melted.

Cream above ingredients well and spread.

Turtle Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix

½ cup evaporated milk

¾ cup butter

14-ounce bag of caramels

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, chopped

Set oven at 350 degrees.

“We are rooted to the air through our lungs and to the soil through our stomachs.”

                           --John Burroughs

When cake rises too high in the middle, too much flour has been used; when it cracks, too much heat…

In putting batter in pans, allow from one-half to three inches for rising. Allow space according to the size of cake and shape of pans…

Do not remove mould cakes from pan until cold…

Excerpts from What to Cook and How to Cook It, copyright unknown, pg. 238-239.

Lucida Welhite

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup melted butter or margarine

1 pound box powdered sugar

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Grease bottom of

9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle pecans and coconut in bottom of pan.

Mix cake according to package directions.

Combine crease cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Pour over cake batter, leaving ½ inch on each side.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Pecan Pie

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup of chopped pecans

Unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter. Stir well. Stir in nuts last. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes.

Molasses Pie (sorghum pie)

2 8-inch unbaked pie shells

2 cups molasses or sorghum syrup

Juice of 2 lemons

2 Tbsp. flour mixed with a little water

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

4 eggs, separated

½ cup sugar

Set oven at 425 degrees.

Partially bake pie shells for eight minutes and remove to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir molasses (or sorghum) with lemon juice. Add flour-water paste and mix thoroughly. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and butter.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very light and stir into molasses (sorghum) mixture. Beat the whites until stiff but not dry and fold into pie mixture.

Pour filling into prepared pie shells. Bake 30 minutes, or until set. Makes two pies.

Cheese Bars

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

3 eggs

1 box powdered sugar

Set oven at 350degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, butter, egg and vanilla. Press into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

What is the difference between sorghum and molasses? Are they interchangeable in recipes?

Both are plant sugars, but there is a difference. Molasses is a byproduct of the process of refining sugar. It’s thick syrupy and brown-black.

Depending on whom you talk to, sorghum can mean many things. The term generally refers to a generic name for certain grasses and grains that grow prolifically in loamy, sandy soil. It is common in Indiana’s and Kentucky’s mountain regions.

Grain sorghum, sometimes called milo, is a common feed.

Sweet sorghum, or sorgo, stems are crushed for juice. The juice is boiled and allowed to evaporate briefly until it becomes a thick syrup for bottling.

In recipes, sorghum can stand in for molasses. The consistencies are similar. But with sorghum, results will be lighter in color, milder and perhaps less sweet than if molasses was used in equal amounts. Molasses also darkens batters and breads. Nutritionally, molasses has more potassium and iron than sorghum.

Excerpt from the Cook’s Corner, from The Courier-Journal. Date unknown.

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.”

                --Dr. William Butler, 1535-1618

Strawberry Shortcut Cake

1 cup miniature marshmallows

2 cups (two 10-ounce packages) frozen, sliced strawberries in syrup, completely thawed

1 package (3-ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin

2¼ cups flour

1½ cups sugar

½ cup solid shortening

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Generously grease bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; sprinkle marshmallows evenly over bottom of pan.

Thoroughly combine completely thawed strawberries and syrup with dry gelatin; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, shortening, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla and eggs. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Pour batter evenly over marshmallows in prepared pan. Spoon strawberry mixture evenly over batter.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool with ice cream or whipped cream.

Rhubarb Crunch

1½ cups sugar

2 cups cooked rhubarb

1 cup quick oats

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 stick butter, softened

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Combine sugar and rhubarb. Pour in greased baking dish.

Then combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle over rhubarb.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Vanilla Cream Pie

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie shell

¾ cup sugar

⅓ cup flour

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Variations on Vanilla Cream Pie:
Banana Cream: Slice 2 large bananas into crust; pour in vanilla filling.

Coconut Cream: Stir into vanilla filling 1 cup flaked coconut. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle Meringue with 1/3 cup flaked coconut before baking.

Butterscotch: Substitute ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar for granulated sugar.

Chocolate: Increase sugar to 1 cup. Add 2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, cut up, with milk.

Cranberry Supreme

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup margarine, melted

2 cups cranberries

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

¼ cup chopped nuts

2 Tbsp. orange marmalade

8-ounce package cream cheese

⅓ cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 8-inch square pan.

Combine cranberries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in nuts and marmalade; chill.

Combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Fold in whipped cream; spoon over crust. Top with cranberry mixture.

Chill several hours or overnight. Makes 8 servings.

Apple Custard Pie

2 unbaked plain pastry crusts

3 eggs, slightly beaten

3 Tbsp. milk

2 cups sugar

¼ cup flour

¾ tsp. nutmeg

1 Tbsp. butter

4 cups peeled and sliced cooking apples

Set oven at 400 degrees.

Prepare bottom crust of pie; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together eggs and milk; set aside. Sift together sugar, flour and nutmeg; cut in butter until it resembles small peas. Stir in egg mixture. Pour over apples and toss to mix. Turn into pie shell. Using remaining pastry, cover top of pie with full crust or latticed top.

Bake 50 – 60 minutes. Serve warm with wedge of cheddar cheese. Any left-over pie should be stored in the refrigerator.

Variation:

Rhubarb Custard Pie: Substitute 4 cups cut-up rhubarb for apples.

Hints on Plain Pastry and Fillings

To prevent liquid from berry pies or other juice pies from running out into the oven, place small heatproof funnels (three-inch lengths of macaroni will do) upright in slits cut in the top crust; thus the juice can bubble up but will not run out. Or, sprinkle one to two tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca into the filling with the sugar.

To prevent fruit filling from soaking into the bottom crust, dust the bottom crust with a little flour mixed with an equal part of sugar before adding the fruit. You may also brush the bottom and sides of the pan with unbeaten egg white.

Excerpt from The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery, published in 1949, p. 850.