Family Recipe Friday - Granny's Strawberry Poke Cake

Granny's Strawberry Poke Cake

Okay folks, here is the recipe that I have been promising to put up for some time now. It has been requested several times, because of it's versatility.

When my grandmother, "Granny", made dessert, this is the cake she usually made (this or her candied orange cake). This was by far her most popular. And everyone makes it out to be a big deal, when in reality, it's probably one of the easiest there is! And EVERYONE loves it!

You simply need a white cake mix, a large (makes 4 cups) box of jello mix in the flavor you want to make the cake (in this instance strawberry), a tub of Cool Whip, and a carton of strawberries (you can slice them, or leave them whole).

Bake the cake according to directions, and allow it to cool in the pan. Next empty the jello mix into a medium bowl, and add 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until well dissolved. Next, take the handle of a wooden cooking spoon, and poke holes all over the top of the cake, about 3/4 of the way deep into the cake. Now pour the jello mixture all over the top of the cake. It will fill up the holes you have made. Place the cake pan in the refrigerator and allow the jello to set up. Once it is cold, and the jello firm, you are to ice the cake with the Cool Whip. Use as much or as little as you like (I usually make the cake in a 13"x9" cake pan, and use a large tub of Cool Whip.) Then decorate the top with the strawberries. You can also add red candy sprinkles if you like.

To make it another flavor, try using orange jello instead, and top with mandarin orange slices, or candied orange slices.

You can use lime jello, and top with candied lime peels! Use lemon jello and top with candied lemon peels! Use peach jello and top with canned peach slices! If there is a flavor of jello, you can change the flavor of this cake! Just add whatever fruit matches the jello to the top of the Cool Whip after chilling! And everyone loves this!

Enjoy!

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Did you guess the Those Places site from yesterday's post?

If you were in Germany prior to the Regan Administration, you would have seen this familiar site in (drum roll please), Berlin, Germany. You were actually looking at the Berlin Wall, which, of course, is no longer standing.

Did you guess correctly? Let us know how you did!

Family Recipe Friday - Fried Okra

Fried Okra

Borrowed from thekitchn.com

I said this many times on this blog, my dear Mama was not much of a cook. Oh, we didn't starve. She just had a limited repertoire of recipes that she did well. And Mama's fried okra was one of those few things that she could do well!

Mama would take fresh okra and wash it up. Then she'd pat it dry with a tea towel. (What do you mean you don't know what a tea towel is? Child, that's what we used before paper towels!)

Next she'd put yellow cornmeal in a bowl or on a plate. And then she'd mix together milk and an egg. (Mama never did master the use of a whisk, so she simply used a fork to whip it together. Works just as well.)

She'd gather her salt and pepper. Then she'd heat shortening in the skillet, and once the skillet was good and hot she'd dip the okra, piece by piece into the milk and egg, and then she'd roll it around in the cornmeal so it was coated well, and then she'd drop it into the hot grease in the skillet. She'd make sure it was browned completely on one side before turning it onto the other. Then she'd put a clean tea towel on a platter and place the freshly fried okra on it, which she had seasoned generously with salt and pepper. It would take a while to get a whole mess cooked up. And unless you've been in the house, you have no idea how good that okra frying smells!

Mama served it up onto our plates. She and Daddy used hot sauce on theirs. I just liked it with plenty of salt and pepper. It was good!

How - good - was - it?

Well, once you finished eating what you had on your plate, you had to chase your tongue across the table because it was already lapping its way over to the platter just to get seconds!

I guess I thought of Mama cooking the okra because I've been eating a lot of okra lately. I've been eating a lot of veggies since I went vegan! And remembering some of those good recipes that Mama used to make.

Did your Mother have a special recipe that she made particularly well? Be sure to share it with us!

Family Recipe Friday - My Nana's Rhubarb Pie

My Nana's Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

3 eggs - slightly beaten

2-2/3 Tbs. milk

2 cups sugar

4-Tbsp. flour

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 Tbsp. butter

4 cups cut rhubarb [into about 1-inch pieces]

Preparation:

Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, flour and nutmeg until fluffy using an electric mixer. Stir in the rhubarb with a spoon. Pour into a deep-dish 9 or 10-inch pie shell. Cut up the butter into pieces and lay the pieces over the top of the pie. You may add a top crust if you wish. [If added, be sure to cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape, and cover edges of pie with foil to keep it from browning too much.]

Bake at 400-degrees for 50-60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream.

My Nana Dreher was a great cook!

Family Recipe Friday - The Gathering Fraud

This post won't actually include a recipe, mainly because I can't remember it!

This story takes place well over thirty years ago, when I was living in Germany and was a US military wife. Once a month the Company Commander's wife would hold a meeting of the NCO Wives from the company. This would usually be in the form of a tea, and occasionally was enjoyed with a Bunco game.

On this particular occasion it was tea. Each wife from the group was to bring an appetizer, and the commander's wife would supply a variety of tea's for us to try.

Money was extremely tight for us, and I simply didn't have anything to take. But I didn't want to be the odd man, er...odd woman, out. So I tried to think of something that I could take from what was already in my pantry.

I found a box of English soda crackers. Okay... so what could I make to put on crackers?

Then this brain storm hit me. I took two cans of potted meat, added some spices [for the life of me I can't remember all of them, I know mustard and dill were among them, as well as parsley]. I then added a little cornstarch, thinking it would thicken the whole thing. And it did. I tasted it, and didn't think it was too bad.

I put the concoction in a pretty bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and took it and the box of crackers to the event.

Was I ever wowed! The commander's wife took me aside and whispered in my ear, "Cyndi, goose pate is way too expensive! Next time go for something a little less expensive. However, if you should ever invite me over for dinner... I'd love some more!"

Over the years we have come to call this the great "gathering fraud", and have laughed many, many times over the time that I made potted meat take the place of goose pate'!

Family Recipe Friday - Granny's Corned Beef and Cabbage

Granny Dreher was a wonderful cook, and this was one dish that she simply excelled in! And it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day, or any day! Granny used to make this in the oven, but in her later years, she utilized the slow cooker.

Granny Dreher's Corned Beef and Cabbage



 

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 4 large red potatoes, quartered
• 1 pound carrots, cut diagonally into quarters
• 3 cups water
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 corned beef brisket (2-1/2 to 3 pounds), cut in half
• 1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

• Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, and pepper; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Family Recipe Friday - Crustless Coconut Custard Pie

Crustless Coconut Custard Pie

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour

3/4 cup sweet coconut - shredded
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together with electric mixer. Pour into greased pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

 

***This is  loely recipe that my Granny Dreher used to make. It takes merely minutes to prepare, and a short baking period. You can omit the coconut if you want. If you do, you can add a little nutmeg for flavoring.

 

This is one of my favorite "go-to" last minute desserts!

Family Recipe Friday - Indian Corn Pudding

Our Family's Indian Corn Pudding

I wish I could even begin to tell you where this recipe originated in our family. I simply don't know. I do know that both of my grandmother's had copies of recipes called Indian Corn Pudding. Grandma Dreher's was much like this one, except she used more sugar and "canned cream" [evaporated milk] in hers.

This verion comes from a small piece of torn tabletpaper that my Grandma Bean had written the recipe on, and as written in pencil. I long ago lost the note paper [I'd give anything to have it today!], but I have this recipe, and knowing it was the one Grandma Bean used, makes me feel pretty happy!

I don't make this often. I usually save it for Thanksgiving Dinner, reminding everyone that it was Grandma's recipe, and how much I enjoyed hers. [Kind of like her custard! Savoring it at only special occasions!]

Here's the recipe. It's an excellent dish, and your family will love it!

Indian Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups fresh or frozen thawed whole kernel corn, cooked

4 large eggs  

4 cups milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly butter a casserole dish In a medium bowl whisk together & combine flour, salt, and sugar; mix in corn and melted butter. Beat eggs and add to milk. Stir into the corn mixture.

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and stir with long prong fork, disturbing the top as little as possible. [Stir lightly, using a long handled fork, run beneath the surface, and scrape the bottom of the casserole - disturbing the top as little as possible - thus the need for the long handle!]

Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

Return to oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

Return to oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Top should be lightly brown and pudding should be firm.

Family Recipe Friday - Grandma's Sausage Gravy

Grandma's Sausage Gravy

First off.... don't even attempt this without a heavy, cast iron skillet! It simply can't be done! Well, at least not as tastily!

Ingedients:

1-pound country sausage

2-tablespoons all-purpose flour

2-cups whole milk

In a medium [#10] cast iron skillet, crumble and brown 1-pound sausage until no longer pink, over medium-low heat.

Drain off liquid [grease] leaving about 2-tablespoons in skillet.

Add 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and stirring constantly, brown the flour [making a thick rue].

Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until gravy becomes thickened to consistency you like.

Pour gravy over hot biscuits!

Yum, yum!

Family Recipe Friday - Mama and The Pinto Bean Sandiwches

Mama cooked a lot of pinto beans while I was growing up. We ate them at least once a week. And sometimes twice a week. They were cheap. Wholesome. And nutritious.

We never complained! We had them most often simply with cornbread. But more often than not, she'd add a big skillet full of fried potatoes and onions for the side dish.

Sometimes Mama would add a chunk of ham, or bone, to flavor the beans. And sometimes, when money was tight, it was simply a bouillion cube! But pinto beans were always a tasty dinner in our home, that was completely welcomed.

What most folks never knew, was that when the beans were dished up and placed in a big bowl on our dining table, a goodly portion had already been removed from the pot before hand and consumed. The culprit?

My Mama.

Mama simply could never get through a pot of beans cooking without "stealing a few". You've got to understand... these weren't beans that were opened from a can and simply heated up! No sirree! These were beans that had been bought in a bag, dry. They were culled over for bad beans and stones. They were rinsed. Soaked overnight. Drained and rinsed again. And finally set on the stove on a  low setting and watched closely, from about 4 a.m. [Mama's early morning work!], until dinner time around 6 in the evening! The scent of these beans cooking all day wafted into every nook and cranny of the house! There wasn't a corner you could run to that the scent had not permeated.

Finally, about 3 in the afternoon, Mama would sneak into the kitchen, as though she didn't want anyone to know what she was about, and she would scoop out a goodly portion of the beans with a slotted spoon, plunk them onto two slices of bread, and devour them in a matter of seconds. Then she would go on about her regular business until time to set the table for dinner. Once I asked her why she sneaked into the kitchen to do this... she said she didn't want anyone to know she didn't have any self-control when it came to beans! [You'd have to know my Mama's self-control to understand that statement's oddity! Mama was the original female "Stonewall"!]

I don't have any pictures of Mama and her sneaking bean sandwiches... but I managed to find a picture of a bean sandwich on the Internet...

...[via here ]

In 1995 Mama suffered a brain aneurysm, and no longer is able to cook for herself. So, I thought I'd never get to see anyone stealing bean sandwiches again. But in 1998, I married a "good ol' boy" from south-Texas, and guess what he does when I'm cooking pinto beans???

You got it! He likes to sneak in, about mid-afternoon, open up my crock-pot and using a slotted spoon, he makes himself a bean sandwich. Funny how things seem to come full circle, isn't it?

Even more funny? I most often join him in making a pinto bean sandwich!

Have you ever eaten a pinto bean sandwich? If not, would you try one?

Family Recipe Friday - Cowboy Biscuits

Cowboy Biscuits

I got this recipe from a real cowboy, many years ago while living in Texas. By the time I met the old gentleman, he was broken down and getting rather long in the tooth from so many years out on the range. But a nicer, more gentlemanly man I have never met. He taught me all about reading "cowboy books". Yep, he introduced me to Louis L'Amour, Zane Gray, among just a few. And I, as an 18-year old, introduced him to romance novels. A more unlikely pair there never was. But he was kind to me, at a time when I needed it.

I made the batch of cowboy biscuits you see above just this morning, and didn't think till I had them out of the pan to take a picture of them for you. But I did find a picture of them in a pan on another site,

[via here]

Cowboy cooks used to mix these up and put them in cast iron Dutch ovens over the hot coals of a campfire.

To make these I use the following ingredients:

3 - cups self-rising flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1-teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2-cup melted vegetable shortening

1-1/2 cups whole milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Melt shortening in 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.

Mix in milk and stir together [I use a fork for this].

When shortening is completely melted, carefully swirl around interior of skillet to be sure bottom and sides are thoroughly coated. Pour melted shortening into dough, and stir to incorporate. Once the shortening is stirred in, use your hand and gently knead dough in the bowl to mix wel. Only knead a few times, kneading very much will make this dense and rubbery.

Place dough in skillet and pat down and spread over entire bottom of skillet.

Use a glass to cut the enter into a round biscuit. Use a butter/table knife to cut the outer edges into triangular pieces. Cut into the dough, but not completely through. [TIP: Dip glass and knife into flour to keep from sticking.]

Place pan in oven and bake approximately 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot. Make 9 biscuits in 10-inch skillet. [These are BIG biscuits!]

Enjoy!

Family Recipe Friday - Fried Poke

This is probably considered a "poor man's dish", since it is obtained from the wild fauna about us here in the mountains.

As a teenager, we moved to the mountains, and Mama introduced us to some "good eats"! One of them being the lowly poke plant.

Around these parts, poke plants grow on the edge of forested areas. They have a long slender, fibrous stalk, and broad flat, green leaves. The entire plant, stalk and leaves, is edible.

Take the leaves for instance. They can be eaten in a salad, or stirred into scrambled eggs while cooking them. Either way is delicious!

To make poke salad, simply wash and dry the leaves as you would for lettuce. If the leaves are large, tear into smaller pieces.

Fry 6 pieces of bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove bacon from skillet and place on paper towel to drain. Keep bacon grease. Add 1/4 cup cider vinegar and 2-tbsp. cane sugar to bacon grease. Heat thoroughly. Pour over poke leaves and toss. Add crumbled bacon, diced onion and diced boiled egg. Toss. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve.

Or you can take the stem of the plant and fry it, much as you would okra.

Wash poke stems and blot dry with tea towel. Cut stems into 2 to 3-inch lengths.

Dip stems in egg, then roll in cornmeal and fry over medium-high heat until slightly crispy.

This is really good with fish, or eaten in combination with poke salad!

The lowly poke plant provides alot of nutrients for the "poor man's diet".

Family Recipe Friday - Variation on Mama's Cranberry Salad

Mama used to make a very interesting cranberry salad for the holidays. While it tasted okay, I won't even try to describe it to you! At least not what it looked like. A few years after I was on my own, I began to make a variation on Mama's cranberry salad. Whereas Mama put all of her ingredients into a blender, literally pulverizing the contents into a liquid mush, I took the time to chop and dice everything into a much more visually appealing dish.

One winter I came up with an even more interesting idea... how about if I added a little whipped topping and some sour cream? It turned out so good, that the next year I added cream cheese as well!

Today, my family slobbers all over themselves to get a bite of my cranberry salad. And it all began with Mama's version!

So, while I won't give you Mama's... here's my family's cranberry salad:

Cranberry Delight

Ingredients:

1-lb. fresh or frozen whole cranberries, chopped

1 orange, peel and chop, save the rind, remove pith and chop rind into tiny pieces

1- tangerine, peel and chop, save the rind, remove the pith and chop rind into tiny pieces

1 Rome apple, leave peel on and chop into small pieces

1 - cup chopped pecans

2-pkg Jello Strawberry Flavored Gelatin Dessert

1-small tub whipped topping, thawed

1 pkg. [8-oz.] cream cheese, softened

2-Tbsp. sour cream

Mix chopped cranberries, orange and peel, tangerine and peel, apple and pecans together in a large bowl.

Dissolve Jello in 2-cups hot water in a small bowl. Add 1-cup ice-cubes and stir until ice cubes have melted. Pour this liquid over fruit and nut mixture. Stir to make sure everything is covered by the jello.

Refrigerate. After 1-hour stir again. Chill one more hour and stir.

Return to refrigerator and chill until Jello is firm [about an hour].

Remove from refrigerator.

Use a large spoon to break up Jello. Now added thawed whipped topping, cream cheese and sour cream. Mix well.

This can be served immediately, or may be refrigerated up to 24-hours.

The kids absolutely love this!!!

We serve this dish on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. We have made it for Easter as well. If fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries can't be found, we have even used whole berry canned cranberry sauce as a substitute. Just use a little less water in your Jello to help it bind more firmly.

Yum! Yum!

Family Recipe Friday - Grandma's Corn Pudding

Here's a dish when made always reminds me of my Grandma Bean [Mary Elizabeth Faudree Bean]. She didn't have a recipe for this, she simply made it with what she felt were the right amounts of each ingredient. Years later I played around with the ingredients I wrote down in my little Hope Chest Recipes Book [simply a spiral bound notebook!] until I came pretty darn near the same flavors as I recall hers to be.

We always have this dish on Thanksgiving. And any other time I am missing my Grandma.

Grandma's Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups fresh or frozen thawed whole kernel corn, cooked
• 4 large eggs
• 4 cups milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°.

 

Lightly butter a casserole dish. In a medium bowl combine with a whisk flour, salt, and sugar; mix in corn and melted butter. Beat eggs and add to milk. Stir into the corn mixture.  Pour mixture into casserole dish.

 

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and stir with long prong fork, disturbing the top as little as possible.

Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

Return to oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

Return to oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Top should be lightly brown and pudding should be firm.



Family Recipe Friday - Scalloped Potatoes

As a teenager, my family moved from the bustling city into the country. The rolling hills of southern West Virginia became a haven for me.

It was here that my parents introduced my sister and I to gardening. And I do mean gardening! It was common practice to grow all of the vegetables you needed for an entire year in your own garden where we lived. And Mama and Daddy pushed us head first into the gardening pool!

Mama relied most heavily on beans, tomatoes and potatoes. And it seemed we never had a bad years crop of potatoes!

We learned to fix potatoes in about every manner you could think of! Even today, I rely heavily upon potatoes as a kitchen staple. And here's one of my favorite recipes from my Granny Dreher for scalloped potatoes.

Granny's Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

 

Butter [to grease baking dish with]

6 Medium potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin

2-Tablespoons butter melted

salt and fresh pepper to taste

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup evaporated milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large bowl combine potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper. Arrange half of the potato slices in the baking dish; top with 1/4 cup cheese. Add the remaining potatoes.

In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil and pour over potatoes.

Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

This is a real comfort food! And every time I serve it today to my family, I am reminded of what a great cook my grandmother was! Sadly, I doubt I will ever reach the level of expertise she had, but perhaps I will be able to continue to hand down the recipes for that comfort food she served to soothe a fevered brow, fix a skinned knee, and even comfort a broken heart.

Family Recipe Friday - My Birthday Cake

Okay... so maybe that tells you what today is...yep. The old Texicanwife is another year WISER!!! Ha ha, you thought I was going to say something else, didn't ya? Well, I am that as well. But once you reach my age... birthday gifts and My Favorite Chocolate Cake are always welcomed!!!

When I was a child growing up, Mama would ask me what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday. [She always wanted to buy me a bakery cake [and once or twice she did sneak one in]. I would always answer with the same kind of cake, year after year.

"Mayonnaise cake with coconut-pecan frosting!", I would reply. Always quite enthusiastically I might add!

Even today, the thought of Mama's mayonnaise cake sets me drooling! While I still have Mama with me, she is no longer able to cook. But the thought of that birthday cake... there was nothing any better! {Maybe I'll get out my Miracle Whip and cocoa and get to baking my own cake today!]

Mayonnaise Cake

2 Cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

4 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 cup sugar

1 cup salad dressing

1 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, add salad dressing, water and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into greased and floured 9 by 13 inch pan or round cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Allow to cool completely before frosting with your choice of frosting.

Lick, lick, lick... that's me licking the batter spoon!

Happy Birthday to me...

Happy Birthday to me...

Happy Birthday I've great cake...

Happy Birthday to me!

Family Recipe Friday - Aunt Veda's Oatmeal Pie

Here's a recipe I got from my gr-aunt Veda [my Grandma Bean's sister]. Aunt Veda was a wonderful country cook! No one could beat anything she made! From her homemade fluffy biscuits, to her red-eye-gravy, and her delicious homemade sausage! [Well, no one but maybe my Aunt Mildred, my Uncle John's wife. But Aunt Mildred holds her recipes tight to her apron!]

This recipe is one Aunt Veda used to make and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It's especially yummy when autumn's cooling breezes begin to blow! I eat mine plain these days. Just enjoying the delicious richness of the pie by itself!

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie crusts
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8-1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal ( uncooked)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat eggs until frothy.
3. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
4. Add eggs; mix well.
5. Add corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla.
6. Mix oatmeal.
7. Pour into uncooked shell.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.

Yum Yum!

Family Recipe Friday - Mama's SOS Gravy

Mama's SOS Gravy

This was one of those dishes that Mama made frequently. And it was actually one of those dishes that she excelled at! [Mama didn't let any of us go hungry... but her culinary skills left much to be desired for!] This is one, however, that I sincerely doubt anyone could do better than Mama!

This delicious gravy can be served over toast, over biscuits, over regular bread, over rice, over egg noodles, or even over linguine! And I've not met a kid yet that won't eat it!

You can substitute the ground beef with dried beef, which can be kept on the shelf, which makes this a great pantry staple meal!!!

As for the name of the dish? It's an old US Army dietary staple. The SOS comes from the use of dried beef in the recipe, which leaves the dish resembling shingles on a roof when put over toast. Thus the SOS stands for "Sh*t On a Shingle". [Believe me... it tastes so good you'll simply remember it as "that great gravy recipe"!]

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Brown beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper. Saute all together for about 5 minutes or until flour is absorbed. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce. Bring all to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot!

Family Recipe Friday - Granny's Hot Chocolate

WHen I was a little girl, we used to travel from our home in Norfolk, Virginia, to visit my mother's parents in Floyd County, Indiana.

Granny effortlessly blended her heritage of French cooking with my Grandpa Dreher's of German.

On a cold winter's night, Granny wuld slowly make this delicious treat for us. Even now, Texican and I enjoy this late at night, just before bed. We both have wonderful childhood memories of our grandmother's serving this with love!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cupHERSHEY'S Cocoa
• Dash salt
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 4 cups (1 qt.) milk
• 3/4 teaspoonvanilla extract
• Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. 1 Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.
   
2. 2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.

Family Recipe Friday - Mama Bettie's Sh*t

Mama Bettie's Sh*t

 Mama Betty was my Mother-in-Law [Betty Rotge Custer - born 1930, died 2003].

I am told the name of this dish came up when she told her husband one day to come and try this new dish she had "tought up" all on her own! Seems the "old man" took one bite, she asked him what he thought, and he promptly stated, "Tastes like sh*t!" [In all seriousness he loved it, and the family ate it frequently!]

Mama Betty shared it with me, and while we had eaten something similar where I grew up, this is distinctly her recipe.

Ingredients:

1-pound ground meat [Mama Betty used ground beef, I use ground turkey or chicken]

1-larg yellow onion diced

1 clove garlice - minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery - chopped

2 canns [15-oz] tomato sauce

2 cans [15-oz] petite diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

2-tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1-pound elbow macaroni

Preparation:

Cook macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is cooking, in a lagre skillet, over medium heat, brown ground meat, along with onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery. Add seasonings.

Add tomato paste. Mixing well. Drain one can of tomatoes, and leave second can with juices. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Drain macaroni according to package directions. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour prepared sauce over all. Mix well.

Serve immediately while hot. May serve with a side salad and Italian or garlice bread if desired.

Serves 8-10.

Family Recipe Friday - Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice

While this isn't an old family recipe, it has become somewhat of a staple in my household these days. And perhaps those are the recipes I shoul be recording here. The recipes I utilize frequently, for the sake of my grandchildren. [???] Perhaps one day they will look back and say..."I wonder how Grandma made her red beans and rice so tasty?"

Perhaps. And if so... dear grandchildren, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1-pound dried red kidney beans [soaked overnight in salted water and drained]

1-pound polska keilbasa, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2-stalks celery, diced

2-cloves garlic minced

1 large can petite diced tomatoes, drained

4-cups white, long-grain rice, cooked according to package directions

2-tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

In a large cast iron pot [I use a 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven], over medium heat, put oil, bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Sautee until vegetables are opaque. Add sausage and cook until done. Add tomatoes and heat through.

Add beans and enough cold water to cover completely.

Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to simmer.

Simmer over low heat in cast iron pot for at least four hours.

Test beans for doneness. [Beans should be soft inside, yet maintain a firm outer skin.]

When beans are done, cook rice according to package directions.

Serve beans over a bed of rice, adding some of the bean broth for flavor.

Serves 8.