Carrot Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Ora. Now I never had a chance to dig through Ora's recipe drawer, but passed around the family, as all amazing recipes are, I do have this recipe in my own recipe journal. I am sure that I wrote it down from some slip of paper that my mom had, but I don't have a picture of the old recipe. So that means you are going to have to use your imagination to picture this fantastic decadent cake.

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 c. flour
• 2 t. baking soda
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 3 c. grated carrots
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1  - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, untrained
• 1 c. raisins

*Preheat oven to 350°.
*Cream together sugar, oil and eggs.
*In another bowl, blend together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture.
*Then add remaining ingredients.
*Grease and flour layer cake pans or a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add batter to pans.
*Bake layers for 30-35 or 9 x 13 for 1 hour.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 box of powdered sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 t. vanilla

*Sprinkle top of cake with chopped pecans.

Although there are no specific directions on the frosting, I am quite sure it is straightforward.  I am hoping you will give this one a try. It is extraordinary!

Applesauce Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  As I was looking through some of the recipes, trying to decide which recipe to post next, I came across this applesauce cake.  I recognized this recipe as one that I had written in my own recipe journal.  Mine is written down as "Great-Grandma Schaefli's Applesauce Cake."  I got this recipe from my husband's grandmother, Lola, Maxine's mom, and the daughter of Ada Mae Schaefli.

I also found two recipes in Maxine's drawer for this.  One you can tell was well worn and used and the other one was on a nice card and written in Maxine's handwriting.  I am making an educated guess, but I would suppose that the other one is written in either Lola or Ada Mae's handwriting and that Maxine put it in her drawer after Lola passed away.











I don't remember exactly, but I am sure I must have gotten the recipe from Lola, as mine is just the list of ingredients with the cooking time and temperature.  Maxine's copy also has some instructions with it.  So I will definitely want to try this cake again and try the instructions and see how it comes out.


1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. apple sauce
1 c. raisins
1 c. pecans
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 t. cinnimon
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 t soda (baking soda)
1/4 c. hot water

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg.  Stir in applesauce.  Add flour and spices and mix well.  Pour in raisins that have been cooked slightly over low flame.  Mix soda with 1/4 c. hot water and add to mixture.  Add nuts and mix well.   Bake 45 minutes   375 degrees

May bake in Angel food cake pan or Bundt pan.

I have made this cake in the past with success and also without success.  I am hoping that the addition of these instructions will make it come out great every time!

Mystery Sauce

This is from the recipe drawer of Pauline.  Well, today we have a mystery!  You can certainly tell by looking at these ingredients that this is a sauce or a gravy of some kind.  However, the main liquid ingredient is missing and there is no title on this piece of paper.

I think I mentioned before that my grandma Pauline worked for a while at the school cafeteria.  This recipe is certainly a high quantity recipe, certainly more than you would make just for your family dinner.  Of course, remembering how much food my dad, uncle, grandpa and cousins could put away, this may have just been a recipe she had for our Sunday dinners.

If anyone has any ideas about this mystery, I would certainly love to hear your thoughts.

*8 c. (what do you think this mystery ingredient is)
*16 tbsp flour
*8 tbsp parsley
*1 sp celery salt (teaspoon??)
*16 tbsp butter
*8 tbsp onion
*8 bay leaves
*8 cloves
*pepper

So that is it...just a list of ingredients and no directions.  This seems like a sauce or gravy to me because of the butter, flour and 8 c. of something??  With the onions, celery salt and parsley, my best and first guess is a poultry gravy, and using 8 c. of chicken stock/broth.  But I haven't ever heard of a bay leaf or cloves in a gravy.

Let me hear from you... can't wait to hear what you think!

Coconut Cream Pie

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  So today is my mom's birthday.  I wanted to honor her by posting one of her recipes today, and for some reason I have been thinking about cream pies recently.  Not that I have ever really made homemade cream pies, but I have my mom's coconut cream pie on my mind recently.

As you can tell from just looking at this recipe, it has been well used.  There are splatters and the ink is smeared.  That is a sure sign that the recipe will make an awesome dish!  Yep...  I think I need to give this a try myself and I hope that you are so moved as well.  If my memories serve me, you will not be disappointed.

* 9" baked pie shell
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 3 T. cornstarch
* 1/2 t. salt
* 3 cups milk
* 3 egg yolks, beaten
* 1 T. butter
* 1 1/2 t. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in same pan.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolk.  Then blend into hot mixture in saucepan.  Boil 1 min. more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Blend in butter and vanilla.  Pour immediately in baked pie shell.  Finish with pie meringue.  Let cool at room temp or pie may be chilled thoroughly and topped with sweetened whipped cream.
Coconut Cream Pie
Fold 3/4 cup coconut into filling.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup coconut on meringue or whipped cream.
Banana Cream Pie
Cool filling and layer 3 large banana in shell

For thicker pie use coffee cream for milk.  To serve warm, use 1 T. additional cornstarch.

Happy Birthday Mom!  Thanks for the memories!

Holiday Punch

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  This week especially, I have been thinking back about New Years past.  I remember that New Year's Day was always a big celebration in my family.  We always went to my Grandma Adams' house (Pauline).  My cousins were always there and we would have a big dinner and stay all day, eat, play games, and go home way after dark.  I remember watching the parades while we got ready in the morning and my mom would be making some dish or dishes to take.  It didn't take long to get to my grandma's house, so we would finish watching the parades with my cousins when we got there.
One thing that we always knew would be there was Holiday Punch.  Now if I remember correctly, my mom probably got this recipe from my aunt and uncle, because I seem to remember that my uncle was always "in charge" of the punch.  But this is her copy of the recipe.

*2 large cans unsweetened pineapple juice
*1/2 can frozen orange juice
*1/2 can " (frozen) lemon juice
*1/3 can frozen lime juice
*2 large bottles ginger ale
*1 large bottle club soda
*sugar to taste

Prepare punch.
Chill in freezer just prior to serving.
Float ice-ring in punch while serving.






You can see that this recipe has been made over and over many times.  It is quite stained.  And another interesting thing about this recipe is that it was written on a checking deposit slip; probably just the only paper that could be found when my mom wrote it down.

There is probably a couple of amounts here that are worth mentioning.  In the 70's there were not 2 liter bottles of ginger ale nor of club soda.  Large bottles were closer to a one liter size.

There is no mention here on the front or back of this recipe about how to make the mentioned "ice-ring".  I do remember making these when we made this punch.  We always used a bundt pan so that the ice ring would have beautiful scalloped edges.  Slice up oranges, lemons, and limes and lay them down in the bundt pan.  Sometimes I remember my mom putting maraschino cherries in the very bottom of the pan.
Gently fill water to cover the fruit being careful not to displace any pattern you made with the fruit.  Place in the freezer to make the ice.  When you are ready to serve the punch, run water over the bundt pan and the ice ring should pop out.
This tangy punch has wonderful memories... I am wishing I had some right now!

Martha Washington Fudge

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  I have always wondered about the name of this recipe...  did it really come from Martha Washington?  I did a little googling on it and what I could find is just that it is a southern holiday candy recipe.  There are a few variations, but they were all very similar.  This is another recipe that my mom got from her friend and neighbor in Inola, OK.  Boy am I glad that she did!  I cannot remember a single holiday season going by without making and EATING this awesomely, delicious candy.

*1 stick oleo (margarine or butter)
*1 1/2 boxes powdered sugar (24 oz)
*1 can Eagle Brand Milk
*1 can Angel Flake Coconut (3.5 oz)
*2 cups chopped pecans

Combine all ing. and let stand in ref. for 3 to 4 hours.  Roll into balls.
Melt in double boiler:
*1 large pkg. choc. chips
*1/2 stick parafin

Dip balls in chocolate.

So I am encountering in this project the way that recipes can be changed, tweaked and morphed into other recipes.  My own personal copy of this recipe is just slightly different.  I am sure that this accounts for all of the slight variations that I found when I went out looking for explanations of the name.  Each person changes it just slightly as it gets passed down and around.
The amounts are interesting.  Powdered sugar now comes in bags, but the 24 oz. is still the amount I have in my version (1 1/2 lbs.)  Coconut doesn't come in cans any more that I know of, and the recipe that I have calls for 7 oz.  I wonder if that means that I wrote it down wrong, or my mom liked it with more coconut and passed that along to me?  Although my recipe did have 2 cups of chopped pecans, I always found that to be a lot, and have noted on mine to just put 1 cup.  In the past, 12 oz of chocolate chips was a big bag, as the small bag was only 6 oz.  They don't make 6 oz. any more and the 12 oz (large bag) is now actually the smallest bag, as there are now 24 oz and 36 oz bags.  Lastly, my recipe only calls for a 1/4 stick of paraffin.  I am wondering again if my mom just found a 1/2 stick to be too much and adjusted it when she gave it to me?  I tend to use the freezer as well.  Maybe that was just to speed up the process.  The dough gets pretty stiff that way, the balls get harder and tend to melt less when you dip them and the candy keeps forever in the freezer.  (Well, not FOREVER... we eat it too fast for that!)  Any way you make it, these are amazing candies.   Hmmm... I wonder how my daughter and future grandchildren will make it??

Cranberry Salad

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  Cranberry Jell-o Salad has been a staple on our Thanksgiving table since I can remember.  I believe my mom told me that she got this recipe from one of her friends and neighbors in Inola, OK in the late 60's.  We are actually getting a two for one with this recipe, as it is my mom's recipe, but I am pretty sure that this is my sister, Trudi's handwriting.  As you can see from this picture, this recipe has been made a lot.  You can always tell the good ones by the number of stains on the paper.

*1 lg. box Cherry Jello
*2 cups boiling water
*1 can whole cranberry sauce
*1 can plain cranberry sauce
*1 small can crushed pineapple
*juice of pineapple + water = 1 cup
*1 cup chopped celery
*1 orange - chopped
*1 cup pecans - chopped
*1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Dissolve Jello in water.  Add to the cranberry sauces.  Mash with potato masher.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir all together.  Refrigerate.  Best if prepared 24 to 48 hrs. before serving.  Makes 10 cups.

This is different than many cranberry salad recipes.  The celery and pecans make it really crunchy.  I can vouch for this one... you should give it a try!

Pie Crust

This is from the recipe drawer of Minnie.  As we move into the holiday season, many of us do more baking that in the other parts of the year.  I found this recipe that belonged to my grandmother and it makes 5 pie crusts at once.  You can make a pie or two and put the other crusts in the freezer and they will be ready for you the next time you need to make a pie.

• 4 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cup shorteen (shortening)
• 1 table (tablespoon) sugar
• 2 teas (teaspoons) salt
• 1 tabspoon (tablespoon) vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water

*With fork mix flour shorteen salt & sugar in small bowl
*Beat water egg & vinegar
*Add to first mixture
*Blean (Blend) with fork until dry ingreadints (ingredients) is moistened
*Dough can be storyed (stored) in refrigerator up to 3 days are (or) in frozen until ready to use

As you can tell, my grandma wrote the way she talked.  It has been fun to look at and "interpret" this recipe.  Of course, this recipe assumes that you know how to separate and roll out the dough.  This is the recipe that my mom used as I grew up and once you have divided the dough into 5, use the ones that you want and then wrap each of the others in some plastic wrap and then store in a zip bag in the freezer.  It doesn't take long for it thaw out the next time you are ready to make a pie.

Buttermilk Rolls

This is from the recipe drawer of Pauline.  On a recent visit to my sister's house, she pulled out a lot of recipes and cookbooks that she had up on her shelf.  Knowing that I had been looking at old recipes, she said that she had several things that belonged to both of our grandmas.

We found this recipe on the inside front cover of a cookbook.  As you can tell from the picture, it was a well-used recipe; lots of spatters and stains.  I always find that my most used and beloved recipes look like this.

This recipe intrigued me, because I have never heard of a hot roll recipe that called for buttermilk.

1 cup lukewarm buttermilk
1 cake yeast (soak or dissolve in warm milk) (a "cake" of yeast is the same as an envelope)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda (baking soda)
3 Tblsp shortening
Flour enough to make a soft dough, like biscuit dough

*Cream shortening with salt, sugar & soda, then add flour, alternating with milk & yeast (flour approximately 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups)
*Let this dough rest 30 min., covered
*Then make into rolls or cut with biscuit cutter
*Place in greased pans, let rise until doubled in bulk
*Bake in 450 degree oven for 12 to 14 min.
Do not have milk too warm for yeast - just lukewarm

I really do want to try this recipe.  It intrigues me also because I know that my grandma used to work at the school cafeteria...You don't think this might be a recipe for those famous, awesome, school cafeteria rolls, do you??

Raw Apple Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe originally, but she used to make it often.  It was the favorite cake of my dad's best friend, Bill.  My dad and and Bill were truck drivers and often hauled apples.  We usually had several bags of chopped frozen apples in our freezer from their trips to the northwest.

Bill, became my father-in-law and like father, like son.  This is my husband's favorite cake as well, so it was important for me to have this recipe.  I don't have this recipe written in my mom's handwriting, but here it is:

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3 c. apples; peeled, cored and chopped
1 1/2 c. chopped nuts, (optional)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 T. vanilla

*Mix dry ingredients
*Add apples; and nuts (optional)
*In a separate small bowl, combine oil, eggs & vanilla
*Add to main mixture
*Stir with spoon or spatula; do not use mixer
*Grease and flour a tube pan or a 13 x 9 baking dish
*Bake at 350 degrees; tube pan - 1 hour; 13 x 9 - 45 min

There is a secret to making this the awesome cake that it can be.  You have to hide it.  Oh... it is good if you eat it the same day that you bake it.  But make it a day ahead and once it is completely cooled, put a lid on your pan if it has one, or cover it with plastic wrap.  Hide it!  If someone knows you have the cake, they might sneak a bite.  If you can manage to keep it until the next day, you will taste the most amazingly moist cake.  Just before you serve it dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Banana Nut Bread

This is from the recipe drawer of Minnie.  You know that I love quick breads of all kinds...pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, and especially banana bread!  There are so many different recipes circulating around for banana bread and so many of them are good...

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 cup ripe banana
3 tablespoon milk
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 egg
2 cup flour
1 teas soda

Mix well
Put in greased loaf pan
Bake 350 - 45 min

As a banana bread aficionado, I think I had better give this one a try.

"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??

Salmon Ball

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  So as I came across this recipe it made me wonder just how many different ways can you mix up cream cheese with a variety of ingredients to serve in a ball shape with crackers?  It seems that we are pretty obsessed with cream cheese balls...well, I know that I for one love them!!!

1 - 1lb can salmon

1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 - T. lemon juice

2 - teaspoon grated onion

1 - teaspoon horseradish

1/4 - teaspoon salt

1/4 - teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3 Tablespoon parsley

Drain & flake salmon; remove any skin or bones

Combine the salmon & cream cheese and all seasoning

Mix thorly (I assume this means "thoroughly")

Combine the pecan & parsley

Shape salmon in ball

Roll in nut mixture

Chill well

Serve with assorted or rye crackers

I must admit...this is a little more sophisticated than most cheese balls I am familiar with.  Maybe I'll try it for the next game and see if I can "up" the sophistication just a little bit.

Sugar Jumbles

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  I came across this recipe and have to admit that I am confused.  The ingredients make it look like a cookie recipe, but the amounts are quite small and so I am not sure that it will make cookies.

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. sugar

Mix

Add:  1 egg

Add:  1 teaspoon vanilla (from reading Maxine's recipes, I have deciphered that what looks like a capital T, is really her abbreviation for teaspoon)

Add:  1 1/8 c. sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drop by spoonful

Bake 375 degrees, 10 minutes

If you notice on the right side of the recipe it says "over".  There is a small note on the back that says:

Sprinkle sugar before putting in oven

So, I am seriously thinking of trying these out, just because I want to see if they are cookies, or come out as something else.  If anyone in the family ever had Sugar Jumbles, please comment and let me know something about this recipe.

Corn Dip

This recipe is from the drawer of Maxine.  As we near the beginning of football season, many of us begin to look to our stand by dip recipes... and then we begin to wonder if there are any "new" dip recipes we could try this year.  Well, I found one in Maxine's drawer.  So maybe this one will sound good enough for you to try, and see if you want to add it to your recipe standbys.

8 oz.  1 pkg. cream cheese
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 can whole corn (drained)
1 can chopped black olives (drained)
Green or Red pepper (chopped)
Green chilies  4 oz  (chopped)

Serve - Lg. corn chips (scoops)

Well, I have to tell you, that I spent quite a bit of time having to decipher that first line.  I couldn't understand what "83" meant.  You know, this is one of the ways that recipes like this, that are hand-written, get changed and tweaked; sometimes it can be difficult to read the hand writing.  But I definitely think that the 8 oz makes since, especially since we are talking about cream cheese.

Another way that recipes get changed, is if the new cook doesn't particularly like one of the ingredients.  If I decide to make this dip, it will not have black olives in it.  So, it will be just a little different than Maxine's.  What we won't ever know, is if her version was maybe just a little different than the person she got it from.  Happy dipping!

Hummingbird Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  Hummingbird Cake...it is certainly a traditional, southern dessert.  This is my sister's favorite cake.  And since her birthday is this month, I thought this recipe would be appropriate. I remember my mom making this cake, but only on very special occasions.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
2 cups chopped bannana
1 cup nuts

1.  Sift dry ingredients together.
2.  Add all others
3.  Stir until mixed well - do not beat
4.  Bake in 10" tube pan 350 degree oven 1 hour 10 mins or until cooked.  Cool in pan.

Frosting

2 - 3 oz. cream cheese - softened
1 stick margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box confectionery sugar

Since I knew that this was my sister's favorite cake, and I have actually made it for her a couple of times from a recipe my mom gave me, I thought I would look up her recipe and see if there was very much of a difference.  What I found was an almost identical recipe...the only differences were these:

*2 cups of nuts instead of 1
*Bake in 3 layer cake pans instead of a tube pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
*Basically double the frosting recipe:  2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese, 2 sticks of margarine, 2 tsp. vanilla and 2 boxes of confectionery sugar.  This will be enough to frost the three-layer cake.

By the way... I can highly recommend this cake, but be careful... it is very rich!

Mandarin Orange Cake

This is from the recipe drawer of Maxine.  This is one of those recipes that you imagine Maxine got from a friend at work.  How can we tell?  It is written on a notepad from Southwestern Bell Telephone Company where she worked for many years.  When someone brings a great dish to a work potluck, where do you write the recipe or have them write it for you?  More than likely in this day, they either send it to us in an email or by text.  Just another little detail that gets lost from the recipe.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can Mandarin oranges w/juice
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil (in the second half of the 20th century, if it doesn't say, the oil is most likely vegetable oil)

Mix and pour in greased floured pan.
Bake 425 degrees 30 min. 9 x 13
Break up oranges; mixer or blender

1 sm. box instant vanilla pudding
1 sm. can pineapple w/juice
9 oz. carton Cool Whip (I don't think that you can buy a 9 oz Cool Whip; probably 8 oz)

Mix and spread.
Set in fridg (refrigerator) for 2 days
Optional - pecans on top

One thing I would always suggest when making a hand-written recipe is to read it all the way through before you begin.  You may find little notes, that give you better directions farther down in the recipe.  For example, it isn't until after we get the baking directions, that it tells us we need to break up the oranges with either a mixer or blender.  If we just started making it we would have whole orange segments in the batter.  Now I am not saying that the cake would not taste good... but it would be one of those occasions when you would have tweaked the recipe and it would start to be different...not wrong... just different.