GREAT NORTHERN BEANS SOUP

1 lb Great Northern beans, soak overnight in 8 qts water; rinse and drain

1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 to 3/4 lb diced ham
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon basil
freshly ground black pepper

Add 6 cups water to the beans and add the remaining ingredients.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 1 to 2 hours until the beans are tender.  Add more water during cooking, if needed.

CRANBERRY WALNUT STREUSEL MUFFINS

     An old recipe a coworker gave me many years ago. She used to bring these into work in the Fall.

OLD KENTUCKY PECAN CAKE

As the name implies, this is an old, very old, Kentucky recipe. Many who didn't like the traditional "fruitcake" made these cakes instead. 1 pound sugar (2 cups) 1 pound chopped pecans 1 1/2 pounds seedless raisins 1 pound regular flour 1 cup butter 6 eggs 1 pint wine Line a 3-quart tube pan with greased, heavy brown paper. Cream together the butter nd sugar. Add the egg yolks and combine thoroughly. Add the flour alternately with the wine. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites, the nuts, and raisins last. Bake 4 hours at 300 degrees. When cold pour more wine over the cake. If you prick the surface with a long pin the wine will penetrate the cake better. Pour wine over the cake each day for three days. Store away. Ready to serve in a month.

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SOUR CREAM RAISIN DROPS with ORANGE FROSTING

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup raisins
Orange Frosting (recipe follows)

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in the egg and vanilla extract.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream.  Mix well after each addition.  Stir in the raisins.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until set.  Cool on wire rack until completely cool and frost with the Orange Frosting below:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp grated orange peel
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
4 tsp milk

Beat the butter; blend in the orange peel.  Add sugar alternately with the milk until light and fluffy. 

Yield: Approximately 5 dozen cookies

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POPOVERS

This is another recipe from my little 1980s booklet.

 

GERMAN ANISE DROPS

This recipe is from an old 80s recipe book. I have never made this recipe since I got this little book from my late mother's collection of recipes. I have been a diabetic for almost 20 years now so I stay away from most sweets.

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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