Cheese Dips, Cheese Balls, Layered Taco Dip and Party Meatballs!

My beautiful cousin Cicely and her daughters Abigail and Isabel. Isabel is being shy!

I am posting some easy party appetizers that you may like to try.

Shrimp Dip
1 can tiny cocktail shrimp
1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 package "Good Seasons" Italian dressing mix

Combine shrimp, including water and juice from can, cream cheese, sour cream and Italian dressing mix and lemon juice. Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers.

Cheese Dip

1/4 lb. of ground beef browned and drained
16 oz. Velveeta cheese cut into cubes
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes

In a microwave safe bowl add cubed cheese and 3 tablespoons of milk. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir and add the rotel tomatoes and cream of mushroom soup. Microwave again on high for 3 minutes. Stir and add the ground beef.  Microwave again for 1 min. or until all cheese and soup are melted. Let stand for 3 to 5 min. before serving.
Serve with corn chips. Doritos Restaurant Style are our favorite brand.
You can double this recipe if you have a big crowd.

Susan's Jalapeno Hamburger Dip
1 pound ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can jalapeno relish
1 can refried beans with chilies
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese grated

Brown hamburger, onion and bell pepper together in skillet and drain. Combine remaining ingredients in crock pot. Add hamburger mixture and stir until blended. Cook in crock pot for 1 hour. Reheat as needed.
Serve with "Scoops" Corn Chips.
This is a very good dip and it's easy to make!

Layered Taco Dip

1 can refried beans

1 ripe avocado mashed with 2 teaspoons lemon juice

12 oz. sour cream mixed with ½ package of taco seasoning mix

1 small can of chopped ripe olives

1 small can chopped green chilis

1 12 0z block of Monterey Jack Cheese grated

4 green onions chopped small include green tops

1 small tomato chopped fine

Layer in 9x9 as listed above. Reserve tomatoes until ready to serve.

Best to make this dish at least 1 hour ahead, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you don't have fresh ripe avocados available you can use pre packaged guacamole dip. Delete the lemon juice. One small container will be enough.

Sausage Balls

1 pound of ground mild Italian Sausage

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded

1 cup Bisquick baking mix

Mix sausage, grated sharp cheddar and baking mix in a large bowl. I use my hands to blend this together good. Roll into small bite size balls and place on baking sheet. Place in refrigerator for 30 min and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until brown. Serve immediately.

You can freeze these before baking. Best results will come from freezing in a plastic container and lay the balls in layers with wax paper. Then thaw to room temperature and bake as above.

Festive Cheese Ball

2- 8oz. packages cream cheese room temperature

1 jar dried beef, chopped

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 green onions chopped....greens and whites

1/2 chopped roasted red pepper

chopped pecans to coat

Coat a red pepper in olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool, remove seeds and chop half of the pepper fine.

Mix together, cream cheese, chopped dried beef, lemon juice, green onions, and red pepper. Roll into a ball and roll in chopped pecans. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers.

These meatballs are always gone by the end of the party. The big guys love them.....

Party Meatballs

Meatballs:

2 pounds ground beef

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Mix together and roll small bite size meatballs.  Place in large oven proof dish, 9x13 works well.

Sauce:

1-12 oz can of chili sauce or spaghetti sauce

1-10 oz jar grape jelly

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix together in medium mixing bowl until well blended. Pour over meatballs. Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hour. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes. Remove to serving dish. Provide toothpicks to eat with.

Pistachio Creole Cheese Log, Egg Nogg

This recipe has been in my recipe box for a long time. Not sure where it came from.

Pistachio Creole Cheese Log

1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup coarsely grated sharp white cheddar (4 ounces)

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Crackers, for serving

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, cheddar, Dijon, and Worcestershire until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until slightly firm, 1 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, toast pistachios over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.

Transfer cheese to a piece of waxed paper; using paper, shape into a 6-inch-long log. Roll lightly in finely chopped parsley. Cover with pistachios, pressing to adhere. Wrap log in a fresh piece of waxed paper; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Serve with crackers.

EGG NOGG

Beat the yellows of 12 large eggs until they are very light, stir in as much white sugar as they will dissolve, gradually pour in one glass of brandy, and then one glass of old whiskey, one grated nutmeg, and three pints of rich milk. Beat the whites of the eggs to froth and stir in last.

This is an old recipe from 1901. Today you can use half and half and pre packaged grated nutmeg I am guessing that a fresh grated nutmeg will equal about 1 tablespoon of bottled ground nutmeg. I am going to start with that and add a little more if needed.

Aunt Shirley Christmas 2009. Every year Momma and her brother and sisters take turns having the entire family for Chirstmas day. Everyone brings food. There's  a lot of food and around 50 to 60 people usually.

Greg and Isabel!

Joshua and Abigail

Marcee and Red



 I love this picture. Wanted to share it with you. My niece Marcee in 2008. She was expecting my nephew Micheal in July. Little Red is a real sweetie, with a sweet tooth. She's giving him a sugar cube.

Marcee May 2008, with Red

This is sharing!



Lasagna...The girls favorite meal!

Today I am making Lee Ann and Tricia's favorite meal, lasagna and spinach salad.  This is an old recipe that was given to me about 30  years ago by a friend of Granny Jane.

Lasagna
1 number 2 can tomatoes.....that's the large can about 3-4 cups peeled tomatoes
1 lb ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
salt
pepper
1 16 oz. carton of cottage cheese small curd
1 egg
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
1 lb. thin sliced mozzarella cheese
8 lasagna noodles cooked per package directions

Brown ground sirloin. Season with salt and pepper. Drain meat. Add garlic, oregano, thyme. Cook on medium for a minute and then add the canned peeled whole tomatoes. Cook on medium heat and break down tomatoes with spoon. After about 5 minutes reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 min. or until almost all of the water has cooked out. Taste and add salt if needed.
Cook the lasagna noodles until tender. Drain and rinse with cool water. Let stand for 5 min. toss occasionally. You want them to be drained well. I usually add a teaspoon of olive oil to the cooking water and a little salt.
Mix the cottage cheese, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Layer 1/2 of the lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the cottage cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella, and 1/2 of the meat sauce. Repeat layers ending with meat sauce on top.
Bake in oven for 30 to 35 min. until bubbles in center. Let stand for 5 min. after removing from the oven.

Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach
1/2 small chopped onion
2 boiled eggs grated
4 or 5 pieces of bacon cooked crisp
"Accent" seasoning

Wash and drain spinach for at least 1 hour. Toss occasionally.
Chop 1/2 of a yellow onion
Boil and grate eggs
Crumble bacon

Layer in salad bowl as listed above and season with "Accent".....Accent is a seasoned salt

Serve with Italian dressing and toasted Italian bread.

The way I drain lettuce and spinach is this. I rinse the leaves in a colander and then I toss and let drain for about 10 to 20 min. Take a couple of paper towels and wrap around the leaves and place back in colander. Sit the colander on a plate and sit in the refriegrator for about 30 to 40 min or until ready to use.

Pumpkin Roll

I'm not a big fan of pumpkin but this is a very good dessert for the cold nights of winter and the holidays.

Pumpkin Roll

¼ cup confectioner sugar approximately to dust cloth with

¾ cup plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin

1 cup chopped pecans

Filling:

1-      8 oz. package of cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup confectioner sugar

7 tablespoons butter room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Confectioner sugar to dust top with

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Grease jelly roll pan and line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin cotton towel with confectioner sugar. Use adequate amount to cover towel so the cake will not stick when rolled.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixing bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture and spread into jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. May take longer depending on type of pan used. Test for doneness at 11 min.

Turn out immediately onto cotton towel covered with confectioner sugar. Remove wax paper. Roll up cake in towel starting with small end. Place on cooling rack.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup confectioner sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. Unroll cake and spread with cream cheese mixture. Reroll cake without towel.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with confectioner sugar when ready to serve.

Orange Citrus Bars

Orange Citrus Bars

2 ¼ cups plain flour

½ cup confectioner sugar

1 cup cold butter cut into cubes

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup orange juice

½ teaspoon baking powder

Zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Crust:

In a large bowl combine flour and confectioner sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Press evenly into bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Bake 20 minutes until lightly brown.

Filling:

In a medium bowl whisk sugar, eggs and juice until well blended. Stir in flour and baking powder and ¾ of the orange zest.

Pour on top of hot baked crust and bake 25 minutes or until set. Cool the bars and then glaze with the following glaze.

Glaze:

Mix together 3 ½  cups confectioner sugar, ½ cup orange juice, or enough to make a smooth creamy glaze, add the remaining orange zest and mix well. Pour over cool bars. Let stand for about an hour before cutting.

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.