WHITE FROSTING

Here is another old frosting recipe. Notice the person who sent this last statement. The recipe is from a 1980s Home Cooking paper recipe book.

GRANDMA'S CHOCOLATE FUDGE

This is a delicious chocolate fudge made with marshmallow creme, chocolate chips, and evaporated milk.  My mom always made her fudge with evaporated milk and I still like mine that way today.

4 cups sugar
2 cans (5-oz each) evaporated milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 pkg (12-oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 jar (7-oz) marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped walnuts*
1 tsp vanilla

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and extend the foil over the edges.  Butter the foil and set aside.

Butter the sides of a heavy 3-quart saucepan.  Combine the sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in the saucepan.  Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat to boiling.  Continue to cook while stirring until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage or 236 on a candy thermometer.  This will take 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, walnuts, and vanilla.  Stir hard until the chocolate melts.  Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.  While still warm, score the candy into squares.  When firm, cut all the way through the squares.  Store in refrigerator or a cool place.

Yield:  Aproximately 3 1/2 lbs

*We had a black walnut tree across from our home in Southern Indiana.  We used them or hickory nuts in our fudge.  For you who don't know what a hickory nut is, it is a lot like a pecan, and we used them in recipes that called for pecans.  I later, as a mother living outside Indiana, I started using mostly pecans.  Since I live in Texas now, we have pecans instead of hickory nuts.  And my children never cared much for walnuts.  In my opinion, just about any nut would be good in this fudge.

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BLACK WALNUT BARS WITH SAUCE

This is another old Indiana Recipe.  We had lots of black walnut trees there and found lots of uses for the nuts.  As a child, I hated gathering the nuts and cracking them.  But I sure enjoyed the goodies made with them!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease and flour a 15-inch jelly roll pan and set it aside.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, unbeaten
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ground coconut
1 cup black walnuts, chopped fine

Sift the flour and salt together; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and brown sugar together until creamy.  Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla to the butter mixture, beating well.  Gradually blend in the flour.  Add the coconut and walnuts, stirring to blend in well.  Spread the mixture into the prepared pan; set aside.

Prepare the following sauce:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, butter, cream, and corn syrup stirring until well blended.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to the soft ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer).  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.  Drizzle over the prepared batter before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until done.  Cool in the pan for 30 minutes then cut into 54 bars.  To serve, remove carefully from the pan.

 

EASY HUSH PUPPIES

2 1/4 cups cornmeal

1 tsp salt
2 tsp onion flakes
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
hot fat (in the interest of health, I recommend updating to a healthy oil)

Combine the cornmeal, salt, onion flakes, and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.  Add the buttermilk to the cornmeal mixture and mix well.  Heat canola oil (1-inch deep) until hot.  Drop the batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil an cook until browned.  Cooking should take a couple of minutes.

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen hush puppies.

Excellent served with fish.

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GINGER BEER

Ginger beer is like root beer; no beer is involved.

2 quarts water

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp grated lime rind

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Pour ginger mixture through a wire -mesh strainer into a large pitcher, and discard solids. Chill until ready to serve. Serve over crushed ice. 

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MOM'S WASHDAY DINNER

Remember when it took all day to do the family laundry with the old wringer washer and clothes lines?  I can even remember watching my grandmother washing clothes in the big old black pots over a fire in her backyard.  There was little time left for cooking, thus washday dinners.  This one is made with potatoes and smoked sausage.

1 T. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 to 3 large potatoes, sliced
2 T. flour
1 can tomato juice, or V8 juice
1 pkg smoked sausage, sliced
water
salt to taste
1 cup shredded cheese

In a large casserole pan, melt butter.  Line bottom of pan with thick layer of onions.  Add generous layer of potatoes, sift flour over potatoes.  Pour can of tomato juice over top.  Cover with thinly sliced sausages.  Add water to cover.  Add salt to taste.  Bake slowly for 3 hours.  If sausages begin to brown too much, turn them over.  When done (potatoes are tender and casserole is bubbly), sprinkle with the cheese and bake 10 more minutes.

 

OLD FASHION BLACK FOREST TORTE

This is an old recipe from Imperial Sugar shared during their 150 year anniversary celebration.

1 3/4 cups Imperial Granulated Sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup (2 sticks) softened margarine
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Combine all ingredients except eggs into large mixer bowl.  Beat at low speed to blend, then beat 2 minutes at medium speed.  Add eggs; beat 2 minutes longer.  Pour one-fourth of batter into each of four greased and waxed-paper-lined 8-inch layer cake pans; layers will be thin.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees about 15 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Two layers may stand while first two bake, if necessary.  Cool slightly; remove from pans and continue cooling.  Fill and frost layers with chocolate filling and whipped cream, alternately.  Makes 16 servings.  Frost and fill with chocolate frosting of your choice and whipped cream. Top off with maraschino cherries.

OLD TIME THREE CHEESE ENCHILADAS

8-oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8-oz Cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cut-up
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 can (12-oz) evaporated milk
1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
8-oz tomato sauce
22 flour or corn tortillas, your choice

In a skillet cook the hamburger and onion until meat is crumbled and browned and onion is transparent.  Drain and return to skillet.  Add the chili powder, cumin, and tomato sauce; cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheeses.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the evaporated milk, green chilies, undiluted cream of chicken soup, and Velveeta cheese.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a long casserole dish.  Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll to form the enchiladas.  Place side by side in the prepared casserole dish.  Spoon the cheese/soup mixture over the enchiladas.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

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MUSTARD-GLAZED HAM LOAF

 This is a recipe from a small old cookbook from my late mother's recipe collection.

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

This is another recipe that my mother clipped from an old newspaper years ago.  I found it, after her death, among her boxes of clippings.

six or seven slices of white bread (I would recommend whole-wheat)
12 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb sausage, browned, crumbled, drained
1 tsp fennel seed
3 1/2 to 4 cups milk
2 tbsp chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan.  Line the bottom of the dish with the bread.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the bread.  Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees or until bubbly and browned.  Done with a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serves 12.

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Note: May also add some cooked, crumbled bacon, if desired.