MOMMAW'S PUMPKIN CAKE

4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 15-16 oz can of Libby's pumpkin

Cream sugar and eggs, then add oil and mix well. Stir dry ingredients together and then slowly add to the mixture a bit at a time. Add pumpkin last and mix together thoroughly. Pour into an ungreased tube or bundt pan and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool in pan some before putting out on a cake plate. Loosen the sides with a knife and shake pan to make sure bottom is loose. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese frosting

NOONA'S (AND MOMMAW'S) COFFEE CAKE

1 pkg Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix (with butter)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Margarine or Butter**
1--8 Ounce Carton Sour Cream
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix together then put into two 8x8 pans.

TOPPING:
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Sprinkle topping on top of cake and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Makes two 8x8 coffee cakes. Freezes well.

**PLEASE NOTE...MARGARINE IS NOT THE WHIPPED KIND BUT MUST BE THE BAKING KIND

MOMMAW'S TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Bring to boil: Stir

1 Cup Margarine or Butter**
6 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 Cup Water

Remove from heat and stir in:

2 Cups Sugar

Then Add:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat until smooth. Next beat in:

2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk

Spread in greased cookie sheet (large). Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. While cake bakes make frosting.


FROSTING:

Bring to boil in large saucepan:

1/2 Cup Margarine or Butter**
1/4 Cup Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk

Remove from heat and beat in 1 pound box of confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over warm cake.

1 Cup of chopped nuts may be added to frosting if desired. Mommaw usually sprinkled nuts on top.

** PLEASE NOTE: MARGARINE IS NOT THE WHIPPED KIND BUT THE KIND USED FOR BAKING.

Asparagus, Tomato and Portabella Pizza

See my post here today for a recipe! Yum.

Mammaw's Carrot Cake

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon black walnut flavoring
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts (black walnuts are best, but we use pecans or English walnuts)

Cream eggs and sugar, then add oil and mix well. Add dry ingredients, then carrots, vanilla, black walnut flavoring, and lastly nuts. Mix all ingredients together well and then pour into an ungreased tube/bundt pan. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes at 325 degrees.
Mammaw Smith used to make this often years ago. My mom (Granny) makes it often now. It keeps well and is better the second day. No frosting is necessary for this yummy cake. Some people put cream cheese frosting on their recipe for carrot cake but trust me...you won't want to do that to this cake.

Gina's Chicken Noodle Soup

To prepare the chicken and broth:

Make a bed on the bottom of your 5 quart crock pot of 1/2 of a large onion, and one celery stalk, both roughly chopped. Lay a 3-4 pound chicken on top. (skin removed--I know, yuck! I hate that job too) Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and fill nearly to the top with water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (I usually put it in at night before bed, then deal with it in the morning) When it's done, turn it off and allow to cool for a bit.

For everything else:

While you're waiting to dig into that chicken, sautee 1 large onion, 3 carrots and 2 stalks celery, all chopped, in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until tender.

Meanwhile, prepare 16 oz. of extra wide egg noodles according to package directions. After draining, add the cooled broth from the crock pot to the noodles and set aside.

Remove chicken from bones and tear into bite sized pieces. Reserve half of the meat for another meal, (yahoo!) throw your carcass back into the crock pot with a few more veggies and fill with water to make some more broth. Let it cook all day and then cool it and freeze in 2 cup portions. How economical is this turning out to be?!

Add the chicken and the sauteed veggies to your pot of noodles and broth, then season with salt and pepper to taste. You may need to add a little more liquid to have enough to actually call this soup. If so, you'll need to add some more salt, too. Serve with biscuits, crackers or our favorite: grilled cheese sandwiches.

Potatoes Extraordinaire

Ingredients:
5 pounds potatoes, peeled
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp onion salt (or powder)
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Directions:
Peel and cook potatoes, drain and mash well. Add in cream cheese and butter in pieces. Let sit for a few minutes to melt/soften. Add remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Scrape into 2 quart casserole dish. Top with pieces of butter here and there and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook at 350 until heated through.

Can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. It is rumoured to freeze okay, but I haven't tried it yet!

This is another recipe from my mother-in-law. Yummy!

"Grandma's" Casserole

Ingredients:
1 package egg noodles
1 lb ground beef (I rarely use this much)
1 chopped onion (I never add this)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
garlic powder, onion powder (if not using real onion), seasoned salt, italian seasonings to taste

1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook egg noodles and place in bottom of 9x13 pan. I usually mix with a bit of the tomato mixture for better flavour.
Cook together ground beef and onion until brown and drain fat. Add in tomato sauce and spices. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Pour over noodles. Spread the sour cream, then cottage cheese, then sprinkle with cheddar.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned.

Enjoy! This is a recipe I got from my husband's mother. It is so tasty! Apparently his grandma made it once and it has forever been labeled "Grandma's Casserole."

It freezes well but can become a bit watery.

Cucumber Spread

2 medium cucumbers
11 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 8oz pkg. + 1 3oz pkg.)
3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts both)
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 t. garlic salt 1 t. dried chives (optional)
1/2 t. seasoned black pepper
1/4 t. hot pepper sauce
Thinly sliced bread and/or party crackers

Peel cucumbers, slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Grate by hand or with food processor. Squeeze by hand, then place between layers of paper towels and press hard to get out all moisture. Combine cream cheese with rest of ingredients in a food processor or mixer and mix well. Carefully stir in the cucumbers. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

The secret to this recipe is to squeeze out all the moisture out of the cucumbers before adding them to the other ingredients. I first fell in love with cucumber sandwiches in South Africa where they were served with tea. There they usually slice the cucumbers very thinly, lay on paper towels to press out the water. Then they spread cream cheese on one side of the thinly sliced bread and then on the other slice of bread they spread butter. They were delicious.
This particular recipe comes from Darlene Warden of "As You Like It Catering" .

Pennsylvania Dutch Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar...add eggs and blend. Mix dry ingredients together and slowly add into the creamed mixture. Add vanilla and blend. Wrap in wax paper and store in refrigerator to chill. When chilled roll out thinly on well floured surface. Cut into shapes and Bake 6 to 10 minutes. Before baking you can sprinkle with colored sugars and decorations or you can ice when cool.
from Joanna Chapmon

Broccoli Soup

1 cup broccoli, cooked


2 Tablespoons margarine or butter
1/3-1/2 onion minced
3 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1-2 beef bouillon cubes (can use chicken)
1 cup shredded cheese (I use cheddar)

While the broccoli is cooking melt the butter in a skillet and add the onion. Cook until the onion is done and add flour making a paste. Slowly add boiling water stirring constantly. Add bouillon cubes and stir until melted. Just before serving add the cheese....or you can sprinkle a spoonful of cheese on each bowl and serve.
I usually take whatever broccoli I have and wing it. I thicken by mixing flour with hot water in a jar and shaking. And I use the powdered bouillon and add to taste. I really love this soup. It is low in calories and very tasty.

Pumpkin Dessert

Filling:
6 eggs (slightly beaten)
3 cups Libby pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Topping:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

Beat together all filling ingredients with mixer. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Cut 1/2 cup butter into one box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines deluxe yellow cake mix). Spread lightly this mixture on top of the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (pecans) if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until knife inserted into the middle of the filling comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.

This recipe is like a rich pumpkin pie. I got it from Mrs. Heijermans when we were in candidate school to be missionaries in 1985. We love it and it's very quick and easy to prepare.

Greek Salad

In a large bowl add together, mixing after each addition:
3 large tomatoes, slice in half and then chunk into bite size pieces
1 small onion (red ones are pretty)slice thin in half or quarter rings
1-2 cucumbers, peeled (I use 1, of the English variety) chunk into bite size pieces
1-2 cups lettuce (I like to use Romaine) torn up into small pieces
1 can pitted whole black olives,drained (I like the small ones..some like the large)
8 oz. package Feta cheese cut into small pieces, can use less if you want
1-2 teaspoons oregano (crush 1 tsp. in the palm and sprinkle over all, mix and then add more if you want)(I use 1 1/2-2 tsp.)

When ready to serve add:
salt and pepper to taste (remember to be stirring after each thing is added)
1/4 cup olive oil and 1/8 cup red wine vinegar added at the same time (can mix together first if you want to)

This recipe was demonstrated to me by my good friend, Olga Tzinovos and was enjoyed on many occasions. It is a wonderful memory for my family and is traditionally always made with our lamb and Greek potatoes or our lemon chicken and lemon chicken soup...or any other meal. We all love it.

Spaghetti Sauce

4 pounds ground chuck (can use hamburger)
2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste
2-15/16 oz cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
3 medium to large onions chopped very small
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons salt
6 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons vinegar
hot water

Combine all ingredients in a LARGE heavy pan. Don't brown the beef or cook the onion first. Add 1/2 can of hot water from each can. (I swirl it around to get all the bits out and pour from can to can.) Stir all together and stir often at first to make sure the ground chuck doesn't clump together. Simmer uncovered slowly on a medium low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. It does tend to pop out of the pan some so prepare for a clean up later. I would make it like this at first but in an emergency you can use a quart or so of home preserved tomatoes instead of the sauce and paste. I sometimes use two of the 28 oz tomatoes(crushed, pureed, whole, whatever) from the store or one or two of my quart size frozen tomatoes. This is pretty flexible...just be sure you have lots of tomatoes and don't forget the extra WATER. Add more water if you like it thinner.
I can't even remember where I got this recipe originally, but I have changed it to suit our tastes. It is very reminiscent of Jim's Spaghetti, a local restaurant.
We usually had this spaghetti when we were having guests and then the leftovers were either frozen in a freezer bag or made into baked spaghetti. If you thaw the leftovers you will likely need to add a 1/4 cup water or so to it to warm up without burning. It would serve us a couple of times later. Great served with a salad, garlic bread, and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!

Corn Dogs

1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together and dip hot dogs, rolling to cover completely. Fry in hot oil (375 degrees) until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and serve with mustard or catsup...or both. ;-D You could cut wooden skewers in half to provide holders to insert in the hot dogs after frying.

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mom passed this along to me quite some time ago, and I had forgotten about it until now. It was a big hit and will remain in our "keeper" pile for whenever we need something super easy and fun.

All you need:

1 yellow or chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat first three ingredients together until smooth and add chocolate chips. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 for 8-10 minutes and enjoy. (I will say, I think a little non-stick cooking spray couldn't hurt. I had a little trouble getting them off the trays)

Chocolate Cream Pie

I'm not sure where this recipe originated...but I think my mother perfected the art of making it. She made it for my dad's birthday most years. So what better time for me to whip it out than for my husband's 30th? And this time, I took pictures.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 squares baker's chocolate
5 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pre-cooked, 9" pie crust


Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or ingredients for the perfect pie crust mentioned above. So, I had to make do with a standard. It bubbled when I cooked it, making the pie even more unsightly. But it was delicious. I can testify.
Directions:
In a large, microwavable bowl, place 1 cup of the milk and chocolate. Microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. In another bowl, combine sugar, salt, flour, and other cup of milk. Mix well. Add to melted chocolate mixture. Cook in microwave for one-minute intervals until thick, stirring between each minute. Stir in egg yolks. Return to microwave and cook one minute longer, stirring once after 30 seconds. Remove from microwave. Add butter and vanilla. Pour into baked pie crust. Allow to cool at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream if desired. This can easily modified to cook on the stove top; however it does take more time than does the microwave version.

Chicken Casserole

5 Chicken Breasts or Whole Chicken

2 Tablespoons Flour
4 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
1 Cup Milk

1 Can Campbell’s Creamed Chicken Soup
1 Can Campbell’s Cream of Celery Soup
1 can Broth (can use 1 can of the water you cooked the chicken in)

1 stick butter or margarine
8 Ounce package Pepperidge Farms Dressing Mix


Cook chicken until tender in water to cover. Set the breasts to cool out of the water. Reserve water. When cool chop.

While chicken is cooling, in a skillet or pan over low heat melt butter to make a white sauce. Blend in the flour and stir until smooth. Then whisk in 1 cup milk. Let thicken over the heat, careful not to let it burn.

When thickened add cans of soup and the can of broth. Stir until smooth.

In another pan melt the stick of margarine or butter. Remove from heat and add the dressing mix stirring to coat well.

Grease a 9X13 baking dish and layer lightly half the dressing, half the chopped chicken, then the soup mixture. Then the rest of the chopped chicken, then the soup and end with the dressing on the top. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
This casserole is great with leftover green beans or broccoli added. You can substitute cream of rice or mushroom soup or another canned soup for the celery soup. When I make this I usually don't use the canned soups at all, but make a lot of white sauce with flour, hot water, lots of broth (either from the chicken I cook or bought), and a bit of milk. If you don't use the canned soups be sure you salt to taste the chicken broth or the white sauce. It will be very bland without the salt. This casserole does freeze nicely.

One of the highlights of our missionary experience was meeting so many people who fed us and cared for our needs with the love of Jesus in their hearts. One of those was the Hupp family, Oscar and Ruby. Ruby made this casserole for us the first year we were in Grace Gospel’s mission conference, about 1985 or '86, when they invited us for dinner. We loved the casserole and the Hupp’s. Ruby and I were always going to make a cookbook together. Sweet lady.

Recipe for Water (Kind of)

How about a recipe that is all up to you? No measurements, and whatever suits your fancy with an outcome that does not disappoint! Check out the Fruity Water post over at Working Title. Waiting for testimonials...

Oatmeal Cake

Pour:
1 1/2 cups boiling Water over
1 cup Oats and
1 stick of Butter

Blend together in a different mixing bowl:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs

Mix in another bowl:
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

Add the flour mixture to the sugars and egg mixture, then add the oats mixture. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes in a greased and floured 9 by 13 pan. While cake is still hot add the topping. I always double the topping. Topping must cool for 15 minutes before adding to cake so you can make it while cake is baking and have it ready.

Topping: (doubled)
1/2 Cup Sugar (1 cup)
1/4 Cup Butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk (1 cup)
1 Egg Yolk (2 yolks)
Cook these until mixture boils. Remove from heat and add:
1 Cup Coconut (2 cups)
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (2 cups...sometimes I don't double this part)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)
Let cool 15 minutes before putting on cake.
From Aunt Con