Beverly Nye's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Also from the cookbook, A Family Raised on Sunshine. How much easier can homemade candy be to make?

Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Mix well:

1 1-2 boxes powdered sugar*
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

2 sticks margarine (or butter), room temp
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

*3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar = 1 pound

Form into egg shapes and dip in chocolate.

Beverly Nye's "Basic Mints"

In Beverly's cookbook called A Family Raised on Sunshine, she gives this recipe for Spring. While it is nice enough just rolled into patties, you can also mold it in a candy mold for pretty shapes.

Basic Mints

Knead together with hands*:

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
2 lb. package powdered sugar

Color and flavor as desired:

Lemon-Yellow
Mint-Pink
Wintergreen-Green

*I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix these ingredients.

Either shape into small patties or mold with candy molds. I've seen some candy makers roll these in white sugar immediately after shaping.

You can also just add mint flavoring, form into patties, and dip into dipping chocolate.

Mamaw's Marvelous Lemon Pound Cake

I love this recipe! It is one that I cut out of a magazine and "pasted" it in one of the photo albums where I keep such magazine and newspaper articles I've clipped out to save. (The kind that has a plastic sheet that you can lift up and has a sticky background to hold pictures...or magazine articles!)

The recipe calls for it to be baked in a Bundt pan. However, since I was making it the last time for a dessert buffet, I baked it in the mini Bundt pan that makes six mini cakes. I then cut the little cakes into 1/8ths and drizzled the glaze on the cut pieces. This way, all the cake gets some of the drizzle. (There was enough batter left over to make mini muffins, too!)

The article didn't say what magazine this was from but I think it was either Tea Time or Southern Lady.

Mamaw's Marvelous Lemon Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, room temp
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temp
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons pure lemon extract (I used 1 Tablespoon lemon and 1 Tablespoon vanilla)*

*I think orange extract would taste great, too.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons lemon juice (or milk if you don't have juice)

Cream the butter and sugar, beating very well, recipe says "almost beat to death"! Add eggs, one at a time.

Combine the flour, baking powder and lemon extract in one bowl. (I add the extract to the milk, it works better for me that way.)

Add flour mixture and milk to batter, alternating flour/milk/flour/milk. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into a greased Bundt pan and place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 325 and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

For the six mini Bundt cakes pan, I bake in a preheated 350 oven for 35-40 minutes.

For mini muffins, I baked them in a preheated 350 oven for approx. 20 minutes.

Glaze: Combine the powder sugar and lemon juice (or milk), making it as thick as possible (sometimes I have to add a little more liquid for the right consistency), then apply the glaze to the cake. Let the glaze "set" before serving.

(As I said, if I'm serving it buffet style--already sliced and on a platter--I don't drizzle it on the top of the cake, I drizzle it over the slices.)

Oatmeal Coriander Cookies

These were one of the cookies I made to take to the library function last night. I love coriander so when I saw this recipe a few years ago, I was happy to try it. It is delicious! It has been one of my "go to" cookie recipes since then.

I added a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips to this recipe, they tasted great with the dried cherries. The original recipe didn't call for chocolate chips. I'm going to try them with dried cranberries the next time I make them.

Oatmeal Coriander Cookies

1 cup shortening*
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (I use just a pinch)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 cups uncooked oatmeal
2 cups dried cherries** -or- (1 cup dried cherries and a pkg. of chocolate chips)

*I usually use all butter but I have also used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Butter Flavored Crisco. The cookies are flatter when using all butter and a little "puffier" with the mixture.

**I like to pour boiling water over dried cherries or dried cranberries. I let it sit only sixty seconds or so, then pour the water out. It plumps them up nicely without making them "squishy" (hmmm...is that a technical foodie term?).

Cream shortening and sugars. Add egg, water, and vanilla.

Mix flour, soda, salt, and coriander. Add to creamed mixture.

Add oats and cherries (and chocolate chips if you're using them).

Drop by teaspons onto greased cookie sheets. bake 8 or 9 minutes at 375. I've also baked these at 350 if I'm baking a lot of cookies and most call for 350. It may take just a couple minutes longer.

Oatmeal Cake

This is one of my husband's favorite cakes. It originally came from his mother, who has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. I've seen it in Amish cookbooks, too. I used to make this for him and then freeze big slices (wrapped in foil) for him to take with his lunch to work.

I think this cake tastes better the day after it is made. Makes a great picnic cake.

Oatmeal Cake
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (I like to use 1 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 taspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins

Pour boiling water over oatmeal, let stand 20 minutes.

Cream sugar, butter, eggs. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal mix and raisins.

Pour into 9 x 13 pan (well greased) and bake 30 minutes. Frost while warm.

This cake was cut before it cooled so it fell apart.  :)

Frosting Recipe *
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1/2 cup coconut

Mix together and spread on baked warm cake...carefully. May have to spoon it on at first. Place under broiler until it starts to bubble and gets ever so lightly browned. Watch carefully or it will BURN! Let cool before eating.

*I often double this frosting recipe.

Easy fruit cocktail cake

This was one of mother-in-law's favorite cakes. She loved easy recipes like this for her bridge club.

Easy Fruit Cocktail Cake

Mix:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder

Add:
2 cups drained fruit cocktail
1 egg, beaten

Pour into a greased 9 x 12 (I use 9 x 13) pan.

Top with mixture of:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cocoa Bars

This is another good Beverly Nye recipe. So many of my favorites came from her cookbooks! It's simple to put together. It is a cake style brownie but I always bake it as a regular cake. It's one of those recipes that is just as quick as a cake mix but has no additives.

Frost with a favorite chocolate icing (I use the one on the back of Hershey's cocoa).

Cocoa Bars

Beat together:
1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Add:
3/4 cup sour milk (buttermilk or regular milk with a little vinegar poured in--about a teaspoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I now use 1/4 cup with great results)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 taspoon salt

Mix well...pour into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before icing.

Christmas Date Cake

This cake was made every Christmas by my sister's German mother-in-law. She says it is delicious. My sister is in her 70s so this would be another Victorian era (or slightly later) cake recipe.

Christmas Date Cake

Mix together and let stand the four following ingredients:

1 small package of dates, cut up
1 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Cream 1/2 cup butter (room temp) with 1 1/3 cups sugar, add 2 eggs and date mixture.

Add 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Pour into a tube or bundt pan that has been greased and floured.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Frost with a cream cheese icing.

Reuben Chicken

Another of my sister's favorite recipes.

Reuben Chicken

4 deboned chicken breasts
1 16 oz. can sauerkraut, drained well
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups Thousand Island Dressing

Place deboned chicken breasts in shallow baking dish. On each breast put sauerkraut first, then Swiss cheese, cover well with dressing.

Bake uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour or until done (I'd check at 45 min.).

Makes 4 servings...can easily be doubled.

MaMaw's Victorian Jam Cake

My sister, Jean, updated my grandmother's original Victorian era Jam Cake recipe. When she made MaMaw's version, the cake was 12 in. high! This one she says is delicious and managable.

Jam Cakes were very popular in the Victorian age. I've seen them mentioned often in old fashioned books. I have not made this but Jean is an excellent cook.

Grandma Vick's Jam Cake (ala' Jean)

Cream together: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, then add...4 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda (disolved in buttermilk)

4 Cups flour
1 tsp. each: ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice

2 cups blackberry jam (seedless better)

Sift flour and spices; add to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Add jam last, mix well.

Pour batter into four 9" round cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until it tests done. Cool cakes completely before filling and frosting.

Filling:

3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup milk
1 cup butter

Boil to soft stage, stir in:
1 box raisins (1 lb.)
1 pkg. figs, cut up (small package), more if you like
1 cup coconut
Beat until thick (enough for three layers)

Caramel Icing:

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
6 Tbls. butter
Powdered sugar
Cream cheese (optional)

Cook brown sugar and butter to boiling, pour into mixer, while beating add powdered sugar gradually, until thick enough to spread on cake.

Since this icing gets very hard and will crack on cake, Jean mixes in a little cream cheese (1/2 of three ounce package) to keep icing softer.

Can cut recipe in half for a 2-layer cake.

Jean's Sweet "N" Sour Chicken (Easy)

This is a favorite of my oldest sister.

Sweet "N" Sour Chicken

1 cut up chicken (raw)
1/2 cup Russian dressing (red)
1/2 envelope onion soup mix (dry)
3/4 cup pineapple-apricot jam or preserves; (or can use peach preserves)
1 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients except chicken. Place chicken in shallow baking pan and pour mixture over, covering chicken well. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini

It may sound strange but when my sister, Joan (pronounced Jo-Anne), was on her death bed, I looked up suddenly at my other two sisters and panicked. Did anyone get her tetrazzini recipe? Sigh...really.

However, my sisters understood exactly why I would panic for Joan was famous for this particular recipe. (She had been ill for many, many years so her passing was a blessing for her, as hard as it was for the rest of us.)

Yes...my oldest sister had made certain Joan gave it to her. This is the way it was given so I hope you can figure it out. It is fattening, rich, decadent...and delicious.

Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini

Remove giblets and "boil" 2 whole fryers. Add salt, cool and debone. Save stock.

Cut and saute the following in stick of oleo (butter or margarine for those with no Southern relatives):

2 sticks celery, 1 large onion, and 1 green bell pepper.

Boil 8 ounce pkg. thin spaghetti in chicken broth.

Make white sauce: 1 pint milk, 1 stick oleo, 1/2 cup flour.

Add to white sauce: 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, 1 can Cream of Chicken soup.

Mix all ingredients and divide into lightly greased baking dish. (Joan put it at least three smallish casserole dishes.)

Crumble one box Keebler's Ched's* crackers. Mix with one stick melted oleo. Spread over top of casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly for 35-45 minutes. Can be frozen and baked later.

This makes a lot!

*I use Ritz Crackers instead but it does make it taste slightly different.

There you have it, a family treasure. I don't hold myself responsible for any weight gain or other health issues. :)