"Sock It To Me" Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  This is a cake that my mom used to make on special occasions. It is an interesting recipe, as this was one of the first cakes I remember her making in a bundt pan.  It also doesn't have a traditional frosting, but instead has a glaze.

Combine:
1 Box Duncan Hinds Butter Cake Mix
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nuts
1/2 pt. sour cream

Mix together:
     1 tablespoon brown sugar
     1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pour half of batter in pan.  Sprinkle half of sugar mixture over batter.  Pour other half and sprinkle rest of mixture.  Bake 325 for 1 hour.
While cake is warm glaze with:
     1 cup powdered sugar
     3 tablespoon milk
     1/2 teaspoon vanilla
     1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

Now that I really look at this recipe, I don't know if I ever remember seeing a "butter" cake recipe or "butter" flavoring.  Guess that is something that I am going to have to look for the next time I am at the store.  Curious if they still have those.

Next time you need a cake for company or to take to a pot luck, give this one a try.

Mexican Cornbread

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  Cornbread is such a classic.  No southern lady would be without her go to recipe.  But there is always that occasion when you need something a little special or maybe with a little kick!  Maxine had this one in her drawer.

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

2-3 eggs beaten

1 reg. size cream corn

1 cup milk

1 1/2 - 2 jaleppano peppers chopped fine

1/2 cup bacon drippings or oil

Mix & set aside -- Blender is real good

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 large onion chopped

1/2 lb graded cheese

1 bell pepper

garlic powder or salt

Brown meat & pepper & 1 t. salt to taste.

Drain on paper towel.

Take 10" skillet & heat on top of stove & sprinkle cornmeal lightly & brown slightly

Pour half of cornbread mixture in skillet & put cheese (grated) over meat mixture then onion & rest of cornbread mixture

Bake 350 degrees - 45 min.

This is a hearty cornbread.  Even though it could be a bread, it is more like a side dish or even a main dish if you are eating light.  I know that there are a couple of misspelled words, but I didn't want to change what is written.  I figured that you all would understand.  The layering instructions are not well written, but my understanding is to put half of the cornbread mixture, then the browned meat/peppers, then the cheese, then the onion and finally the remaining cornbread.

I find the instructions on heating up the skillet (I would assume that this would mean a cast iron skillet) very interesting.  I actually learned this trick when watching my own mother, Pat, make cornbread, and my husband's grandmother, Lola, (Maxine's mother) make biscuits.  Pat would put the shortening called for in the recipe in her iron skillet, stick it in the oven and allow it to melt while the oven and the skillet heated up.  She would then pour the hot, melted shortening into the batter as the last ingredient, stir it in and then pour the cornbread batter into the hot skillet.  This made the cornbread very crisp as it almost "fried" in the skillet.

Lola, on the other hand, left the melted shortening in the skillet and she would place her biscuits into the pan, thus causing the same effect, basically "frying" the biscuits just a little, making them very crispy.

While interpreting a recipe for biscuits that my mom's aunts had written down, belonging to my great-grandmother, Stella, I noticed that there were a few tablespoons of oil.  Since there were no instructions to this recipe, just a list of ingredients, I chose to follow this train of thought.  Heating the oil in a cast iron skillet and basically "dipping" both sides of the biscuits in the hot oil.  My husband really likes these biscuits, with the very crispy outside.  You might give this a try the next time you have some oil or shortening in one of your quick bread recipes.

Pizza Loaf

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  Here is a great combo between meatloaf and pizza.  Sounds like it might make a great item to serve at a party.

1 egg

1 10oz can (1 1/4 c.) pizza sauce

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

3 c. Kellogg's Corn flakes

2 lbs. ground beef

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1  4 oz can (2/3 cup) mushroom stems & pieces, drained (optional)

1  6 oz pkg. (4 slices) natural mozzarella cheese or cheddar

1. -- Place egg, pizza sauce, salt, pepper & Cornflakes in large mixing bowl; beat until thoroughly combined; add ground beef, onion & mushrooms; mix lightly but thoroughly.  Place half the meat mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan; place 2 slices of cheese over meat mixture; place remaining meat mixture evenly over cheese.

2.--Bake in moderate oven (350 F.) about 1 hour or until meat begins to shrink slightly from sides of pan.

3.--Meanwhile, cut remaining cheese into narrow strips; Remove loaf from oven; Lay cheese strips diagonally over top of loaf; Return to oven & bake about 3 min. longer until cheese strips are slightly melted; Cut into squares; serve hot, garnish with parsley & sweet cherry peppers.

Yields 9 servings

Sounds like a gooey, cheesey version of meatloaf, with some pizza flavors, with no crust.  Looks like it would be a great option for those not wanting to do pizza because of the crust.  Think I might give it a try!

Glue Sniffer's Delight

This is a recipe from the drawer of Maxine.  So....I just thought I had to include this recipe because the name is SO CRAZY!!!!!  I guess this is basically a fermented fruit topping that you would use on ice cream or pound cake or.... you choose.  There are no serving suggestions listed on the recipe.

Use wooden spoon & glass cup.  Use only canned fruit, well drained.

Pineapple tidbits, sliced peaches, cut into 1/2 inch pieces & maraschino cherries, cut in half.

Add 1 c. fruit & 1 c. sugar, wait two days, then stir.

Then stir each day til next addition.

Wait at least 2 weeks between additions.

Always have at least 3 cups mixture left in jar.

Add fruit & sugar on 1st & 15th of each month.

Repeat.

Cherries

Pineapple

Peaches

--in the same order each two weeks or more.

This recipe does leave some interpretation.  First, if you are going to have several cups of fruit and be making additions as you go along, you will need more than a glass cup.  I am thinking a large glass bowl would be better.  Next, I would think that you would want to add a combination of fruit each time, but I guess you could interpret it to mean that you would add 1 c. of a single fruit and a different fruit each time.

Another point left to interpretation is the frequency.  I guess you can add once each two weeks, or you can add twice a month, as both time frames are mentioned in the recipe.  

Just personally this sounds like it would be VERY sweet, if you add a cup of sugar every time you add a cup of fruit.  Also, I see it that you would need to go at least two months before you could use any of it, because it would take you 6 weeks to get 3 cups worth, and it says to always have at least 3 cups of mixture left in the jar.  So on your 8 weeks addition you would have 4 cups worth, so at that time you could use a cup of the mixture.

Anyone adventurous enough to give it a try??