Giant Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 - 1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 - 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat until well blended. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture until well blended. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto 14 by 16 baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let stand 3 minutes before removing. Makes 2 dozen.

Variation: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Makes 5 dozen.

Campfire Egg Custard

1 recipe biscuit dough
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
handful of flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar

Line a small pie pan with plain biscuit dough rolled thin. In a separate bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients and pour it into the crust, using just a little wood so the fire won't be too hot. Bake it slowly until it "sets". It will "blubber up", or bubble, and then the bubbles will settle.

Apple Crisp, Easy

Peel and chop 4 or 5 apples into a casserole dish, then you mix 1/3 cup of honey with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and pour it over the apples. 

Next you put 1/2 of flour in a separate dish and add 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Mix these well, then add 1/4 cup of butter and rub it all together until it feels nice and mealy.

Put this over the top of the apples and honey mixture and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Teabuns, Easy

3 cups flour
1 cup margarine
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins
pinch salt

Blend above ingredients with pastry cutter. Add eggs, milk and raisins. Mix together. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

They are called "Easy Teabuns".

Old Fashioned Rice Pudding

1/3 cup rice
1 - 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 - 1/3 cups milk
1 tbs butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten
raisins (optional), cinnamon (optional)

Combine rice and water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is very tender and most of water is absorbed.

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add milk and sugar mixture to rice. Heat to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Stir in butter and vanilla. Slowly stir about 1 cup of the hot rice mixture into beaten egg yolks in a bowl. Immediately pour back into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until mixture starts to bubble.

Serve warm or chilled, plain or with favorite topping.

1-2-3 Tropical Pudding

2 cups rice, cooked
1 quart milk
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
2 packages (4 servings size) vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup coconut sweetened flakes
1/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1 can vanilla extract
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Prepare pudding with milk according to package directions. Stir in rice, crushed pineapple and coconut. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into individual serving dishes and chill for 1 to 2 hours, garnish with pecans before serving.

Fruit Fluff

1 - 1/2 cups rice, cooked and chilled
2 cups fruit cocktail, drained in light syrup
1/4 cups pecans, chopped
2 tbs granulated sugar
1 cup whipped topping

Add fruit and pecans to chilled rice. Fold sugar gradually into whipped topping. Fold into rice mixture before serving.

Serves 6.

Apple Rice Cobbler

3 - 1/2 cups rice, cooked
1 package vanilla instant pudding & pie filling mix
2 - 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/8 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/8 tsp nutmeg, if desired
1 can apple pie filling
1/3 cup raisins
1 - 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Prepare pudding according to package directions using 2 - 1/2 cups milk. Fold cooked rice, sour cream, cinnamon and nutmeg into hot pudding; set aside. Combine apple pie filling, raisins and lemon juice; mix well. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the pudding into 8 parfait or dessert dishes; top with about 1/4 cup of the apple mixture. Spoon remaining pudding on top of apple mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Serve warm or chilled.

Banana Split Dessert

1 package white cake mix
1 can (16 oz) crushed pineapple
1 package (16 oz) frozen strawberries
3 bananas
1 small package each of the following puddings: vanilla, strawberry, pineapple (vanilla can be substituted for the pineapple)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut

Drain the crushed pineapple and reserve the juice to use in the cake mix. Prepare the cake mix, using the pineapple juice in place of water, in a 9 x 13 baking pan, well greased and floured. When done place on a wire rack to cool. In a sauce pan add 1/4 cup of the sugar to the pineapple and cook over a medium heat until well blended. Repeat with the strawberries and remaining sugar. Remove and reserve the pineapple and strawberries.

Prepare the 3 puddings according to package instructions. Remove the cake from the baking pan and after cleaning, spread the pineapple pudding and cooked pineapple over the bottom. Sprinkle a small amount of the coconut on top. Using a bread knife cut the crust, thinly, from the bottom of the cake. Then cut the cake across about 1/2 inch thick and place that layer on top of the pineapple mix. Then spread a layer of strawberry pudding and the cooked strawberries on top. Sprinkle a little more of the coconut.

Slice another 1/2 layer from the prepared cake and place it on top of the strawberry mix. Spread the vanilla pudding over this and slice 2 to 3 bananas to cover. Prepare and spread a meringue (look under banana pudding recipe) and sprinkle the remaining coconut. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 pound butter or margarine
1 cup light brown sugar - packed
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups Bisquick
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup nonfat milk powder
2 tsp Sanka or coffee powder
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbs Vanilla
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces
4 oz pecans - well-chopped

With electric mixer at high speed, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in sugars, beating until very creamy. Beat in eggs, then each remaining ingredients, except chips and pecans. When dough is smooth, work in chips and pecans with spoon. Make grape-sized pieces of dough for each cookie, placing 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes or until golden brown. 12 dozen itsy bitsy cookies.

Freeze unbaked cookie dough to thaw, shape and bake in 4 months.

Pear Cobbler

Be sure to use RIPE pears!

5 cups, peeled, cored and thinly sliced pears
1/8 tsp ginger
1 tbs self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup water
Cobbler crust (separate recipe)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the sliced pears over the bottom of a 10 x 10 inch baking pan (or over a crust at the bottom of the dish). Mix the flour, sugar, and ginger together and sprinkle over the pears. Pour the water evenly over the pears. Dot with butter. Place the top crust over the pear mixture and bake on the lower rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves 8 to 10.

Apple Cobbler

3 lbs apples
1 tbs flour
1 - 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup water
pinch salt
1 tsp nutmeg
cobbler crust (separate recipe)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and slice the apples and place them in a 10 by 10 inch baking dish, over a bottom crust if you like. Mix the sugar, salt, nutmeg, and flour together and spread over the apples. Pour the water over the apples and dot with the butter. Put a crust over the apple mixture and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves 8 to 10.

Cobbler Crust

Cobbler Crust

Follow the general procedures here for making the crust and baking the cobbler in all the cobbler recipes that you see in our blog. The procedures here call for a crust on top and bottom, but if you prefer, you can omit the bottom crust, placing the fruit mixture, directly in the bottom of the dish and having a top crust only.

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 cup shortening
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the shortening and mix everything together well, using your fingertips, until crumbly. Add the water and mix to form a moist ball of dough. On a floured board, roll out half of the dough to make a crust that fits the bottom of the dish, prick it with a fork a few times, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. It should look done but not brown. Cool 10 to 12 minutes, then put the fruit mixture on top. Roll out the rest of the dough, place it on top of the fruit, and prick it with a fork a few times. Or roll it out if you wish, cut it into strips, and make a lattice crust over the fruit. If you like, brush the top of the crust with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake the cobbler at 375 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes (or as specified in the recipe), until the crust is well browned.

California Fruit Salad Rose

This recipe is from the 1960's.

1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
2 tbs sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1 - 1/4 cup Rose wine
1 cup thinly sliced peaches
1/2 cup sliced bananas
1/2 cup sliced strawberries

In a medium bowl, mix unflavored gelatin with sugar; add boiling water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in wine. Chill, stirring occasionally, until moisture is consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Fold in peaches, bananas and strawberries. Turn into 4-cup mold or bowl and chill until firm.

Serves 6.

Banana Pudding - Mama's Style

2 lbs bananas, ripe but not mushy
Vanilla wafers (about 3 dozen)
2 cups milk (skim milk if you like)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 box (4.6 oz) cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla extract

Slice the bananas and layer them with the vanilla wafers in a 1 - 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix the milk and sweetened condensed milk together in a saucepan and let them get hot over medium heat but do not let them come to a boil. Using a wire whisk, stir in the pudding mix. Cook only until the pudding begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and pour over the bananas and vanilla wafers. Crush a few vanilla wafers and sprinkle them over the top. Serve warm.

Serves 8.

Banana Pudding, World War II Style

2 lbs bananas
3 egg yolks
3 tbs flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
Vanilla wafers
1 large can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can water
1 cup dark Karo syrup

Mix the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Combine the evaporated milk, water, and Karo syrup in a saucepan and heat over medium heat just to the boiling point. Using a wire whisk, stir the flour and sugar mixture into the saucepan. Remove from the heat and slowly add the egg yolks, stirring with the whisk as  you add them. Return the pan to the heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until well heated and creamy. Cut the bananas into 1/2 inch slices. Layer them with the vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 1 - 1/2 quart baking dish, ending with vanilla wafers on top. Pour the custard mix over the bananas and wafers.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
2 tbs sugar

To make the meringue, beat the egg whites with an electric mixture on high speed; slowly add the sugar, beating until the whites are stiff. Spread over the top of the custard. Brown in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Peach Trifle

1 store-bought angel cake (12 to 14 oz)
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
4 cups peeled, chopped or sliced fresh peaches
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup cold water

Tear angel cake into small pieces. Arrange half the cake in bottom of 9 by 13 glass baking dish. 

Combine milk and water in a small bowl. Add pudding mix and beat well. Chill for five minutes in refrigerator.

Spread half the pudding mixture over cake pieces. Place half the peaches on top. Repeat layer: cake, pudding mixture, peaches. Chill for four hours or until set.

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add almond extract near end of whipping process. Before serving, top the dessert with whipped cream.

Serves 12 to 14.

Eula's Home Made Ice Cream

Eula’s Home Made Ice Cream

My Dad gave me this recipe a few years ago from Lib Gurkin's Aunt, Eula, who lived next to the Gurkin Quiet Place in Smithfield, NC - Eula passed away not long ago. Definitely use fresh peaches if they're in season. But I love this simple recipe - it's simple to make and doesn't require an ice cream maker if you don't have one - and you can even make some in the middle of Winter!

• 4 Eggs
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 can Peaches (Sweetened)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Flavoring
• 2 tbs Flour
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 qt Whole Milk

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate overnight.

Pumpkin Molasses Cheesecake

Pumpkin Molasses Cheesecake

We love molasses in the South. One of my favorite things I loved to eat as a little boy was grits and molasses, and biscuits with a hole poked in the middle and molasses poured in the hole. As a matter of fact I still love it to this day. Now here's a molasses-lover's recipe for pumpkin molasses cheesecake. Hmmm, hmmm. Need I say more? Hey, its almost Thanksgiving - give her a try!

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. To prepare the crust, combine crumbs, pecans, sugar and butter in a large bowl. Press evenly on bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

To prepare the filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and molasses; beat until evenly blended. Beat in pumpkin and cream. Pour into crust. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake 50 minutes or until nearly set. Turn oven off and leave cake in oven with door closed 1 hour.

Remove from oven and run a knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.

To serve, remove springform side. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired. Serves 14.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Toffee Icebox Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Toffee Icebox Cake

Before the refrigerator came along, folks had to use Ice Boxes to keep things cold. So obviously folks made all kinds of recipes that had to be stored in the Ice Box - and the names of the recipes usually reflected the fact that they were meant to be kept cold - in the Ice Box. And here is a great old recipe for a really tasty Ice Box Cake - I know you'll enjoy it with some steaming hot coffee this Christmas.

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 36 chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate graham crackers
• 1 (1.4-ounce) Heath bar, chopped

Combine peanut butter and 1/4 cup cream in a large bowl. Stir until smooth and softened. Beat remaining 1-3/4 cups cream, sugar and vanilla in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Fold in remaining cream.

Line a 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap. Using a long-handled, wide rubber spatula, spread a thin layer of peanut butter/cream mixture on bottom of pan. Arrange 12 cookies on top and cover with about one-third of remaining peanut butter/cream mixture. Repeat with two more layers of cookies and peanut butter/cream mixture, ending with peanut butter/cream mixture. Sprinkle Heath bar around top edge and refrigerate 5 hours to overnight. Remove pan side. Gently lift cake by the plastic wrap to remove it from the pan bottom and peel away the plastic wrap. 

Serves 10.