Fresh Florida Oranges!



Somewhere along Indian River in the late 40's. I love this picture I found in Granny's box! Zoom in and see the people and fruit lined up on the ground. This is how they shipped alot of fruit to packing houses from the groves. Barges came up the river to load the fruit and take it to a packing house set up to pack the fruit for interstate shipping by truck.



I'm not sure who this little guy is. But he is a cutie! A distant cousin or uncle I guess.

 My Great Grandfather, Henry Sims, lived in South Florida in the Ruskin Area. This was my Granny's father. He moved there after seperating from my Great Grandmother in the late 40's. I know the least about his family. I am now beginning to gather more information. He has a nephew, the son of his youngest brother still living in Ruskin. I am contacting him today if possible, to ask if he has any family information. 

Henry is the tallest and we may assume the oldest child in this family portrait. Houston, Henry's brother, is pictured on my Great Great Grandmother Sims lap. I don't know the other brothers and sisters. I met Uncle Houston in Ruskin. He farmed tomatoes there.

My Great Grandfather Henry was raised in Jackson County Florida, close to where my Dad's farm is now. I believe they lived somewhere between Marianna and Graceville, Florida.
I don't know what happened to my Great Great Grandfather who is absent in this picture. I don't know his name either.....I hope this oldest living cousin can help fill in the blanks a little.








 

Henry and Eddie Sims. Henry's only son. Eddie did not have any children. He worked for the Barnum and Bailey circus for a while as a driver. He also worked for Johnny's United Shows, who was the featured attraction for the National Peanut Festival in the 60's. This picture was taken in Granny's living room around 1968.







Roasted Peanuts

I always have raw shelled peanuts in the freezer. Daddy was always bringing home a gallon bag from the peanut mill in the fall when he was working there on a dryer or elevator. I roasted some peanuts yesterday for the first time in a very long time. Here's how Momma taught me to do it.

For the peanut brittle.  Place a layer of peanuts in a jelly roll pan and cook at 350 for 4 min. Just long enough to heat them up and make the husk pop. Let them cool. Take peanuts in your hands and rub the peanuts together, between your hands....this is to rub husk off the nuts. Take the jelly roll pan and a bowl outside in the wind. The wind will blow the husk away. Pour peanuts from pan to bowl allowing wind to blow husk away. If you find no wind get someone to help you and have them help you blow the husk away as you slowly pour the nuts from the jelly roll pan to the bowl and back from bowl to pan. Keep repeating until most of the husk are removed.

To have fully cooked roasted peanuts cook at 350 for 12 min. stir halfway through. I use a heavy dark jelly roll pan. You can use cast iron too. Any heavy metal pan will work. You can remove some of the husk after the peanuts have cooled. Use the method I described above.

Usually raw peanuts are refrigerated or frozen in the grocery. Ask your grocer they are probably in the frozen food section.

If you have raw peanuts in the shell wash and completely dry. Then roast 350 for 12 to 15 min. Stir after 6 min. Break one open at 12 min and test for desired roast flavor. Remove from oven and pour into a bowl to cool. The nuts continue to cook for about 5 min. after being removed from the oven.

Pea Picking Cake

This is an old recipe Momma has always made. I asked her why it’s called Pea Picking Cake and she said because they always made it during pea picking time. So I guess you could call this a good summer time cake. Actually it’s good anytime! 

 Memories......
Picking peas was sometimes a family affair. We all picked a couple of bushels each time, early in the morning and then everyone sat around on the porch and shelled peas with Granny's old oscillating fan blowing on us.
When enough peas were shelled, either Granny or Momma put a big pot on to cook for lunch and we had peas, fried corn bread, fresh sliced tomatoes, and of course a big glass of ice tea and usually fried chicken and potato salad.
Either Momma or Granny would blanch the peas and prepare them for the freezer as they were shelled. By the end of the day they usually had somewhere between 20 to 30 quart bags.
When the peas were shelled and the hulls were cleaned up is when the pea picking cake came on the scene! Delicious! :)

Pea Picking Cake

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix

1 cup less 2 tablespoons Crisco vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 - 11 ounce can mandarin oranges include juice

Beat all ingredients for cake together for 4 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees in 3 layers for 20 to 25 min. Cool completely.

Icing:

1-3 ¾ oz Jello instant vanilla pudding

1-15 ½ oz. can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, include juice

1 9 oz. container cool whip

Mix all ingredients and frost layers. Store in refrigerator, if you have any left!

Crunchy Peanut Brittle in Microwave

Earlier today I posted a microwave recipe for peanut brittle. I went to the kitchen and made as directed. The candy was delicious but it was a chewy peanut candy not a crisp brittle, that I am most familiar with. So I went searching for the old recipe I have always used.  Same quantity of ingredients, you just cook it longer.
The peanuts for the chewy version can be dry roasted peanuts or regular peanuts you buy for snacks.
The longer version needs to be raw peanuts. The extra 4 min. will make the peanuts cook.

Crunchy Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1 cup raw peanuts or raw pecans chopped

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease a flexable cookie sheet.

This candy will be very hot when you take it out of the microwave oven so be very careful.

In a microwave safe bowl mix sugar, corn syrup, nuts and salt. Cook in microwave on high for 4 minutes stir and cook 4 minutes more. Add butter and vanilla and stir. Cook on high 1 minute more. Stir in teaspoon baking soda stir until foamy. Pour onto greased cookie sheet and cool. Break into small pieces and store in air tight container. Keep in cool dry spot.

Chewy Peanut Candy made in the Microwave....Easy to do!

Good for gift giving and sharing with neighbors and friends.

Microwave method is a great way to make this candy.......

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1 cup peanuts or pecans chopped

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease a cookie sheet.

This candy will be very hot when you take it out of the microwave oven so be very careful.

In a microwave safe bowl mix sugar, corn syrup, nuts and salt. Cook in microwave on high for 4 minutes until light brown. Add butter and vanilla and stir. Cook on high 2 minutes. Stir in teaspoon baking soda stir until foamy. Pour onto greased cookie sheet and cool. Break into small pieces and store in air tight container with layers of wax paper in between layers. Keep in cool dry spot.

Lane Cake and Old Fashion Whiskey Nut Cake For the Holidays......

Lane Cake For the Holidays......

This is a recipe from Granny's box. She made her lane cakes with ground fruit, and sometimes chopped. I like the old way of grinding the fruit and nuts together.

I am guessing this was clipped in the 40s or 50s...."Modern Day Cooks" love it! Use parchment paper to line your pans with.

One of my favorite memories is helping Granny make this Lane Layer Cake.  She used a cast iron meat grinder that clamped to the edge of her counter top to grind the pecans, raisins and coconut.  I was the lucky girl who was allowed to put the pecans and raisins in. The modern day equivalent to Granny's meat grinder is the food processor. Just add 1 cup of pecans, 1 cup raisins and 1 cup coconut together and pulse until well chopped.  The meat grinder was more fun!

The next recipe is for a loaf pan Whiskey Cake. This cake uses 1 cup bourbon!!! Guess this was before Modern Day Cooks! I haven't made this one yet. I have a regular loaf pan and I think this recipe may be too much for it. There probably are larger loaf pans than mine...... Oh well I will fill some small individual ones with the extra.  But if you are buying one for this purpose choose a large one.

OLD-FASHION WHISKEY NUT CAKE

2 CUPS BUTTER

2 ½ CUPS SUGAR

6 EGGS SEPERATED

4 TABLESPOONS VANILLA

3 CUPS FLOUR SIFTED AND DIVIDED

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

1 TEASPOON NUTMEG

1 CUP BOURBON WHISKEY

2 POUNDS CHOPPED PECANS

1 POUND WHITE RAISINS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Separate the eggs, setting the whites aside.  Add the yolks one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift 2 ½ cups flour with the baking powder and nutmeg and fold into the batter.  Add the bourbon.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Mix the pecans, raisins and the remaining ½ cup of flour and stir gently into the mixture.

Pour into a large loaf pan and bake at 250 degrees for two hours.  Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely on wire rack.  When completely cool cover and let it stand at least two days before serving. 

GRANNY STORED HER FRUIT AND NUT CAKES IN A LARGE TIN AND CUT APPLES AND LAID THEM IN THE CAN AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAKE PAN. THE APPLE AROMA MELLOWS THE WHISKEY FLAVOR…..THIS WAS ALWAYS A TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY CAKE FOR OUR FAMILY. SHE MADE THIS CAKE AT LEAST 2-4 DAYS BEFORE SERVING IT. ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A TIN OR PLASTIC CONTAINER FOR THE CAKE TO REST IN, JUST WRAP IT IN PLASTIC WRAP, OR PLACE IN CAKE DOME AND LET IT STAND IN A COOL PLACE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls

2-3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2-3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

6 cups confectioners sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl mix together sugar, butter, peanut butter and vanilla. Dough will be loose. Form 1-2 inch balls from the dough. Refrigerate balls for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

In a double boiler melt semi sweet and unsweetened chocolate. Dip balls in chocolate with a tooth pick.  Set on wax paper to cool. Let stand for an hour and store in air tight container.

If you want to roll the chocolate in chopped pecans or finely chopped walnuts it is delicious. Just dip candy into melted chocolate, let cool slightly, roll in chopped nuts……Stand on wax paper until dry.

Rum Cake and Pineapple Upside Down Cake



This is a yummy cake that you may remember from days gone by......I remember Momma Peacock making this one. Everybody liked it!



Rum Cake

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 Duncan Hines Butter recipe cake mix

1- 3 ¾ oz. Jello instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

½ cup cold water

½ cup oil

½ cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.

Sprinkle nuts on bottom

Mix all other ingredients together until smooth.

Pour over nuts in greased and floured pan.

Bake one hour. Test for doneness with toothpick.  Sit on cooling rack. Leave in pan until almost cool, then invert on cake plate.

Glaze:

½ cup butter

¼ cup water

1 cup sugar

½ cup dark rum

Combine all ingredients and boil 3 minutes. Prick top of cake and pour slowly over cake until all is absorbed.

Another cake Momma Peacock made that we all loved was Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Sliced canned pineapple in heavy syrup drained. Enough to cover bottom of 9” cast iron frying pan in single row.

3 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons brown sugar

Maraschino cherries

Melt butter in bottom of 9” cast iron frying pan. Add the sugar and cook until blended using low heat. Remove from heat and arrange pineapple rings in the sugar, butter mixture. For a pretty festive cake add a maraschino cherry to the center of each ring.  Let stand.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cake batter:

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup butter

1 egg separated

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ cup pineapple juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar, blend until fluffy and add the egg yolk. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together add alternately with the pineapple juice and vanilla. Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into the batter. Pour this batter over the pineapple sugar mixture in the frying pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 min.

Let stand in pan for a few minutes. Turn out onto serving dish. Serve with whipped cream or French vanilla ice cream.

This is an easy cake to make. Hope you enjoy it!




Field of cotton at sunset. Thanksgiving 2010.

 

Rum Balls and Thanksgiving Pics

Rum Balls

2 ½ cups crushed vanilla wafers

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

3 Tbsp corn syrup

¼ cup rum

2 Tbsp. cocoa

Mix wafers, cocoa and nuts in large bowl. Mix syrup and rum together and stir into wafer mixture. Shape in small balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Store in airtight container.

I just rescued the vanilla wafers! Lee Ann was munching on them. Guess I better get these made real soon. :)

Two of my favorite Guys!!!

Amber and Hudson Thanksgiving morning!

Pineapple Pound Cake

Gracie, Colton and Donya front
Steve holding Holland
Isabel and Brooke in the background.
Thanksgiving 2010



The day after Thanksgiving. Steve holding Holland, Colton in front of Momma
Steve and Colt just came back from bird hunting.



This is an old Charleston recipe. Brother Steve loved this cake when he was a wee little one!

Pineapple Pound Cake

1 ½ cup butter

8 ½ cups confectioner sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ½ cup crushed pineapple, drained ….little less than 2 cans usually

3 ½ cup sifted flour

Drain the crushed pineapple in a colander for at least one hour. Occasionally toss with fork. Reserve juice for glaze

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Add the sifted flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon. Stir in drained pineapple. Pour the mixture into a greased tube pan. Bake 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours. Test for doneness with tooth pick.  When almost cool turn out of pan onto cake stand.

Combine pineapple juice with 2 cups of powdered sugar. Blend well. Slowly spoon icing over cake.  Icing will run down the side of the cake.

Lola's Macaroni and Cheese

This is a very good Macaroni and cheese recipe. The lady that helped me take care of the girls when they were little gave me this recipe. The girls love it! It's a big recipe. I have split it into two dishes and put one in the freezer. Use plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and wrap tight for the freezer.

LOLA’S MACARONI AND CHEESE
2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 cups milk
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 ½ cups sharp cheddar divided
1 cup soft white bread cubed ( remove crust from 4 slices cut enough to lightly cover top of casserole)
¼ cup butter melted

Cook macaroni by package directions: drain and set aside
Warm Milk in microwave for 1 min.
Mix together milk, flour, onion powder with wire whisk. Whisk for 1 min. until smooth.
Stir together, flour mixture, macaroni and 3 ½ cups of cheese.
Pour into lightly greased 13 x 9 or two 8-9” square casserole dishes.

Cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese and spread breadcrumbs evenly over top. Drizzle the melted butter over the bread crumbs.

Bake 350 for 45 min or until golden brown.

For 2 to 4 people the square 9” casserole size is great and you can freeze or refrigerate the second casserole. But if you have a crowd they will gobble up the whole thing so go for 9 x 13!

White Bar Be Que Sauce, Pulled Pork Roast, Pepper Corn Bread

I cooked a pork roast this afternoon while baking some banana nut bread and a bananna cake. I bought about 12 ripe bananas in the grocery. Wade has been asking for some banana bread so I made several small loaves. I thought they would be nice for gifts for neighbors and friends. 

The cake I have never made before. I will blog about that when I finish it. It's another really old recipe that I found in a 1931 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook, by Fannie Farmer. I am making a few changes based on ingredients I have.

I am posting the recipes for the pulled pork roast and our favorite pepper cornbread and the white sauce. I have been trying to cook in a way that will stretch our dollars as far as they will go. This roast will probably make 4 to 5 meals for us.  We will have bar be que sandwiches, and pulled pork soft tacos with salsa and quacamole, and I will use the stock from cooking the roast to make mushroom soup. 

The cornbread is great with soups! Or by it's self. Cornbread has always been my favorite. Granny used to laugh because for a snack I would ask for cornbread and iced tea! I will share her fried cornbread recipe with you soon in another blog. My cousin Niki and I could eat fried cornbread and collards until we turned green! I have a cute story to tell about Tricia, who loves collards as much as Niki!  This pepper cornbread recipe is baked.


Try these recipes if you haven't already. I posted them earlier in August or September.  They are really good!



White Bar Be Que Sauce

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup sour cream

Mix all with a wisk and refrigerate for about an hour before you serve it.  Store in refrigerator in an air tight container up to a week.

Pulled Pork Roast

Rub

1 ½ tsp paprika

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

5 to 7 lb. pork butt shoulder roast

Directions:

In large pot with lid combine:

2 stalks Chopped celery

½ Vidalia onion rough chop

Combine spices in bowl when mixed

Spoon onto roast and rub in thoroughly on each side

Place Roast with rub in pot with celery and onion and cover with water. Place fatty side up in pot.

Bring to a boil. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium low.

Cook for 4 to 5 hours until tender.

Pull, slice or chop to serve. Serve with barbeque sauce on buns

Pepper Cornbread

1/2 cup plain white cornmeal
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegtable oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 cup buttermilk
1 small can cream corn
1 small can chopped green chiles
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon butter


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Mix meal soda and salt in a bowl. Add oil, eggs, sour cream, onion, buttermilk, corn and chile peppers. Mix well.


In a well seasoned iron skillet place 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the skillet in the oven and allow the butter to melt and skillet to heat. Remove skillet make sure butter covers the bottom. Pour half of the
mix into skillet. Layer 1/2 of the cheese and then pour the remaining mix and layer the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 425 for about 25- 30 mins.


Remove from oven let stand for 5 mins. serve hot with butter. Serves 6 to 8.


Preheating skillet will give you a crisp crust on the bottom.


You can use all white cornmeal or all yellow cornmeal. Do not use a cornmeal mix. You want plain cornmeal. I like the texture the yellow cornmeal adds. The original recipe called for all white cornmeal.

Sanders Holland



I am wondering if this could be Sanders and Millie Kirkland Holland. Sanders was killed in 1863. He and Millie had 4 children. There are only 3 children here. Morgan my great grandfather was their youngest child.  Or this could be Morgan and his first wife, Elsie Kirkland.





This is Morgan and his second wife Emma McInnis



I don't know who this is either. I am thinkig it may be one of Morgan's brothers.

This looks like Morgn

Morgans Children

Cookies

I am not the worlds biggest fruit cake lover! But these cookies are delicious.

To My Children

This is a scan of a verse my Mom has framed in her home. Thought you might like to see it. Be sure to zoom in on it. In small writing a bible verse is referenced under each line. I'm so thankful for my family.

I have been researching our family tree now for almost a year. So far I have found information about some of my great great grandparents. They were all very strong, in body, mind and spirit. I know now that my paternal great great grandfather, Sanders Sane Holland, was killed in the civil war in 1863 in Virgina. I don't know which battle or where he was buried, or if he was buried......If anyone has any information about research you may have done on civil war casualties, that might help me, plese let me know.  

Thanks, Kaye

Madrid Methodist Church Cookbook



Madrid Methodist Church Founded 1850. Current building constructed in 1903.

Madrid Methodist Church has a new recipe book. There are some really good southern home cooks that contributed their family favorites. The books are for sale for 10.00 plus 3.00 shipping per book. If you would like to have one, please send a check or money order payable to Madrid Methodist Church,  Include your name, address and zip code. Mail to:  K. Everett 311 Summit Drive Destin, Fl. 32541.  The proceeds of the sale will be used to replace the cushions on the antique pews in the church, and go towards maintenance of the 107 year old structure.

If you are local to the Dothan area or Destin,  just send me a note on facebook or this site and I will deliver to you.

Thanks for your interest. I am sure you will enjoy this cookbook.

Date Balls, Mound Candy, Peanut Chow Mein Candy

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Some More Candy recipes from Granny.

This recipe is very much like the Martha Washington Candy recipe. Almonds would be good instead of pecans.

Sock It To Me Cake, Milky Way Cake

These recipes are from Granny's box of recipes.

Another good tube pan recipe.

Granny liked this recipe.  It is delicious!

Mother and I were talking about products that she uses that she will accept no substitution for. Yes she is picky!

1.  Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix

2. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

3. J. T. Pollard Cornmeal, a local company that is the very best. We like extra fine grind.

4. Pillsbury plain and self rising flour

5. Crisco Oil and Shortening

6. Kraft mayonaise

7. Swans Down Cake Flour

8. Arm and Hammer Baking Soda

9. Clabber Girl baking powder

10. Argo corn starch

Family Tree Holland/Kirkland

Yesterday my Mother gave me a little more information on the Holland family tree. Previously I told you about Morgan and Emma. Emma was Morgan's second wife. His first wife was Elsie Kirkland. After her death Morgan married Emma. I dont' know yet why Elsie died. She still has a grand daughter alive that I am going to visit soon.
Morgan's mother was Elsie, "Millie" Kirkland from Abbeville, Al. His father was Sanders Sane Holland. They had five children, Morgan was the youngest. Sanders was killed in the Civil War in battle in Virginia. Millie moved in with her father, Josiah Kirkland with the children. Sanders was buried in Va. and Millie is buried in Abbeville in Piney Grove Cemetary. I plan to go there as soon as possible. There is a good resource of information available on the early residents of Henry County.
The information Mother gave me traced the Kirkland family lineage back to the early 1700's to Benjamin Kirkland, in South Carolina. Benjamin married full blooded Cherokee named Aueclye. They had one son named Moses.
I will get more of this information together and pass it on to you in better form. I was excited to find this. Hopefully I will come across some more pictures too.

Martha Washington Candy

This is a favorite recipe from Granny's box.....the orginal is hard to read and no details so I am going to retype it for you.

Martha Washington Candy

4 tablespoons butter melted
1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk
2 1 lb boxes confectioner sugar
2 quarts pecans chopped fine
1 8 oz. can coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 6oz. packages semi sweet chcolate
3/4 block parafin wax

Mix melted butter and milk, add sugar and mix well. Add nuts, coconut and vanilla mix well. Use your hands for this! Then roll into small quarter size balls. Lay on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Lay out enough wax paper to lay the balls on when coated with chocolate. 
In the top of a double boiler melt parafin and chocolate. Turn stove off. Working quickly using a tooth pick dip the candy balls in the chocolate and lay on wax paper to harden. Be sure to keep the parafin/chocolate in the double boiler. The chocolate will harden quickly when removed from heat!
Store in air tight container layered with wax paper.
This candy should keep in air tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Bob Holland holding baby raccoon.

Granny loved this candy and so did we!  It's easy to make try it! Happy Holidays. If anyone has a recipe in mind they would like to have just let me know and I will post it as soon as possible. Also if anyone has a favorite memory they would like to share write or call me. I will be happy to post it for everyone. That's why I started this blog! Love you guys. :)

Granny's newspaper clippings.....Contentment

I found this poem "Contentment" In a big box of newspaper clippings that Granny saved. I have been busy scanning many of them to share with you. This one is sweet and I know it touched her heart and made her smile.

Clippings from the newspaper Granny saved.

Marie Holland in 4 H

Theresa Holland in Miss Cottonwood Beauty Pagent

Kenneth Childree is Granny's cousin. Kenneth's mother was my Granny's Aunt. Rosa Lee, Kenneth's mother, was 3 years older than Granny. Rosa Lee's mother died when she was a baby and Alli B., Grannys mother, Rosa Lee's sister took Rosa Lee to raise with her children. So Rosa Lee, and Luvern, my Granny were more like sisters. They were very close all their lives.



Allie B. English, Jesse E. English,father, Effie Mae standing next, Lula Anderson English seated Alma standing next to Lula, Ruby in front of Jesse and Anderson is in Lula's lap. Anderson was born in 1912 and he looks to be around 1 year old so we are guessing that this was taken around 1913. Rosa Lee was not born when this picture was taken.



This is Kenneth as a toddler with his mother and father Rosa Lee and Tullie Childree.



This is Alli B. with her grandchildren. Standing left is my father, Doyle, his brother Bob is on the car and his cousin Faye is standing.

  

We are not sure who this is. Alli B. had a sister, Effie Mae, who died when she was about 21 years old. This may be her.
If  any one knows let me know.








 


 


 

Candy Recipes

I am posting two recipes from Granny's box. I have been in Alabama at the farm for the past week. I have many many things to post and stories to tell you about but I have been too busy to write. Stay tuned though it's coming.......

Chicken and Dumplings using Tortillas..

In an earlier post I told you about Aunt Bertha's wonderful Chicken and Dumplings. I have to tell you the easier version for dumplings that we use most often.

Cook the chicken in boiling water with salt, pepper, 3 stalks celery chopped and 1 small onion chopped. When tender remove from the water and let cool. Remove from bone and chop.
Use flour tortillas and cut them into strips.Add about 1 1/2 cups chopped chicken back to water. Bring the water you cooked the chicken to a level of a little over half the pot. Bring to a boil and lay the sliced tortillas on top of the water, one at a time. When you have them all in the pot do not stir. Take the back of your spoon and push the tortillas down into the broth and turn the burner off and cover with lid. Do not stir.   That's very important. Serve immediately with dressing and giblet gravy.

Sweet Potato Crunch



We have some fine Quarter Horses for sell. These are some of the stud horses during exercise.

 I came home to the farm Monday. I have spent the past two days cleaning and raking leaves with Momma, and playing with the nieces and nephews. The weather has been nice but too warm! The forcast calls for cooler weather on Friday and we are looking forward to that.
Today we are going to begin cooking for tomorrow's big dinner. The first thing I am going to make is the Sweet Potato Crunch. I am sharing the recipe with you below.

There are many different recipes for sweet potatoes. This is the one that we like the best.
The recipe calls for canned sweet potatoes but we have fresh sweet potatoes so I will peel 4 large sweet potatoes and boil them until tender. Then drain and beat with mixer. The mixer pulls the strings out and fluffs the potatoes.

Sweet Potato Crunch

3 cups canned sweet potatoes, mashed in own juice
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs beaten

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pou into a well greased baking dish add crunch topping

Crunch topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

I certainly hope everyone has a nice safe holiday.