Microwave Peanut Brittle

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present a very special guest poster....

Grandma Joan Allen!

I know, you're all as excited as I am that Grandma is posting on the blog today.

So, with no further ado, let's talk about peanut brittle.

I remembered a recipe I always made at Christmas that Grampa Joe loved and could not leave alone either. I haven't made it since he left- but I have definitely made many many platefuls for the holidays over the years.

Grandma's story behind this: About 28 years ago I began demonstrating this recipe in different wards' homemaking meetings (Aunt Karen Cook Anderson also demonstrated this so it's actually connected to both sides of the family!). One night I was doing it at the old white church building on 4th Ave when someone ran in and said my daughter had been hit by a car and was at the hospital. Needless to say I did not finish the demo. I felt so guilty as Grampa was Home Teaching and I was teaching RS and a neighbor had to come to the church to let me know. And so you know that was your Mom, although at the time I thought it was Melani riding her bike. Truly, recipes do bring back memories.

The recipe:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. raw peanuts
• 1/2 c. white corn syrup
• 2 T butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanila

1. Into a 4 cup measuring cup (Grama uses a pyrex quart cup) place sugar, peanuts, and corn syrup.
2. Put in microwave and boil 4 minutes- stirring at 2 minutes.
3. Add 2 T butter
4. Cook 5-6 minutes stirring half way through
5. Remove from oven
6. Add soda and vanilla and stir.
7. Pour onto greased cookie sheet
8. Cool and break into pieces

This is delicious and not too expensive and makes a lot. If it is overcooked even a tad it is too brown and burned. It depends on your microwave. They all heat differently.

Have a great Christmas. I love you.

-Grandma

Kelsey again. I thought I should take a moment to note the "daughter got run over by a car" part of that story. I always had a sense of pride in my elementary years that I could say "oh yeah? Well my mom got run over by a car!" I don't know, things like that just give you standing on the playground. Grama sent me an email telling me about it all....

Once upon a time, a man was drunk. he left the Kimberly police station (still drunk) and headed home because the police said they wouldn't cite him if he drove straight home. My mom and her friend Melanie happened to be walking on the road he chose to drive home on. Mom was 16 and got hit by the rear view mirror and was thrown into the borrow pit and shattered her elbow. A neighbor friend, Jon Wagstaff, put her in his truck and drove her straight to the hospital.
Grandma said she freaked out when she got to the hospital, but all Mom wanted was a blessing, which Grandpa gave her. She was in surgery for 3 hours because they had to pick out all the shattered bone. She couldn't use her left arm for a while and says it's still not the same.
Want to know what happened to the truck driver? He was cited for hit and run, no insurance, no driver's license, running a stop sign, and drunk driving, and was fined a whopping $14.50 in court fees. I don't think it would have gone over the same now.
I had to literally beg for this picture. But here's the scar down her arm where they had to put a plate in for a while. I'm telling you, this story is the stuff of celebrities at school.

Sugar Cookies

Another guest post! I'm thrilled. I have been meaning to make these sugar cookies to put on this blog because they really are part of our family. We make them in heart shapes for Valentines day, pumpkins and headstones and ghosts on Halloween, and ornaments and snowmen for Christmas. Since we're getting to the end of the year I figured Christmas was the last shot I got, but with the move it just hasn't happened! (I had to be banned from cooking the past few weeks so I could actually get something done).

So, I'm just so excited that Aunt Kim made these for the blog. Take it away, Kim!

Hi! This is Kelsey's favorite aunt, Kim. I have a picky husband and three year old, so if a recipe gets their approval, it must be good. This is a perfect cookie for any time of the year.

The recipe:

Cookies:

1 c. sugar + 2 Tablespoons

3/4 cup shortening 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla 3 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 3 tsp baking

powder Cream sugar and shortening, beat in eggs; add milk and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking powder, mix well. Chill in fridge (for about an hour). Roll out using as little flour as possible. Cut out, bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for about 10 minutes (mine take 11.5). Remove from the cookie sheet after a few minutes.

Frosting:

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1 cup powder sugar

1 Tablespoon

milk (I usually double or triple the milk)

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting is best when it is slightly runny, but not too runny that it will run right off the cookies. I add the food coloring when I put a portion in zip lock bags. I cutoff a tiny bit of the corner so I can do designs. Remember a little goes a long way (except when you re-frost your three year olds cookie, then you just need a lot). The frosting will setup in about an hour, so you can s

tore them easier. If you want to eat them immediately, just use less milk. Enjoy!!

Sorry that picture's so small, Kim, I couldn't get it to go any bigger!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Great News! Even though nobody responded to the "group effort" idea, Katelin has volunteered to go first. (My profound apologies for not including her in the initial guilt list from last post.) This is proof that family recipes follow you no matter where you go. Even to the ends of the happiest place on earth. So take it away, Kate.

Hi there. Katelin here.

I don't have much to contribute, because I'm very lazy when it comes to cooking. But, today I busted out chicken broccoli casserole. It's not much, but it's something I learned from mom. So, here we go. (even though you all already know how to make this, let me feel like I'm helping.)

I like to have my chicken already cooked, it's fastest to poach it. aka boil it in some water while you watch Lost. So, after your chicken is done, let it cool down!

Get your pan out, line it with foil to make for easier clean up. (I'm all about saving time and energy) Throw in some broccoli. Frozen, fresh, whole, cut, whatever. It's casserole, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Then cut up your chicken and throw that in too.

Then whip out a can of cream of chicken soup. Throw that on there. Stir it if you want, but it'll probably end up the same if you don't. Then slap some cheese on top and bam! You got yourself a casserole! Almost!

Cover with foil and stick in the oven on like 350º then get your rice going, however you make your rice. I had to make it on the stove so it took a while. The casserole needs 20-30 minutes, so figure out the timing :)

Then whip em both out, throw onto a plate, throw the leftovers into some tupperware and take that to work with you. Eat while watching Lost. The end.

Group Effort

I haven't really cooked much lately. I don't know if I should try to give an excuse for that (finals, work, the holidays, moving), or just admit I've been slacking. Anyway, I have an idea. How about we make this more of a GROUP EFFORT?

We could do it "guest blogger" style or you can email me your pictures of the family recipes you make- Mom, I'm pretty much talking to you. I figure you, Mel, Courtney, Kim, Grama, Jen and Emily, especially Katelin - everybody makes the recipes we think of as "family recipes" so how about you just take a picture of your family eating the meal, or just the food itself and send it my way with the recipe? I realize only a few people will read this but we can still accumulate a few.

OK? Ok.

Feast

Yes, I spent all day Thursday eating. And I don't regret it one bit. We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving and saw aunts, uncles, cousin, and grandmas. It was a fun couple of days!

While I was up there I paid close attention to what I could consider our "traditional" family foods. So, I thought I should spotlight a few treats that are special in our family.


**note: these pictures are just pulled off of google- I was too busy eating to take pictures of the real thing last week.

First: CHOCOLATE FUDGE (the actual recipe is called 5-pound-fudge...because that's how much it makes, and also because you know that's how much you've just added to the scale after devouring a tray full of it)

Years ago when Katelin was in elementary school, she had an assignment to write a report and draw a picture of one of her favorite parts of Thanksgiving. She chose fudge. She wrote that Grandma Allen always brings fudge to Thanksgiving and it's her favorite treat, etc. etc. She drew a lovely picture of the fudge on the front. She brought that school project with her to Idaho that year to display by the fudge on the hors d'euvres table, only to find that Grandma had decided to make something different that year and there was NO FUDGE. Grandma felt so so so terrible about that and we've never had a Thanksgiving since without fudge :)


The Recipe:

• 5 c. sugar
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 12 oz. hershey bar
• 13 oz. marshmallow cream
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 cube butter
• walnuts or pecans
  

1. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in a 4 qt saucepan.
2. In a separate tupperware bowl, put the chocolate and marshmallow.
   
3. Stir heated mixture constantly on high heat until boiling.
4. Boil 5 minutes and turn to low.
5. Simmer 5 minutes.
6. Pour mixture into chocolate/marshmallow tupperware
   
7. Have pans ready: 9x13 with nuts and 7x7 plain
8. Rub butter around pans
9. Pour mixture into pans
10. Set for 1 hour

Next up: CARAMEL CORN

Grandpa Joe used to love this caramel corn.Grandma says he just couldn't leave it alone until it was gone. She'd always tell him he'd be sick if he kept eating it but he said it was all worth it. She said he actually did end up sick a lot of the time from all the butter, but he really didn't care. I think we can all relate to Grandpa on this one! Now Dad is carrying on the tradition- he loves it. Grandma made him three huge bags of it this trip, but you can probably guess we'd finished it off before we got home on Saturday!

The Recipe:

• 2 cube butter
• 1 c. Karo syrup
• 3 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 8 qts popcorn.

1. Bring butter, Karo, sugar, and salt to a boil.
2. Stir for 5 minutes
3. Drizzle over popcorn.
4. Bake at 250 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Last thing we'll talk about is the CHEESE BALL. You can't have Thanksgiving (or Christmas or Tyson's birthday) without a cheese ball.

Last Christmas I made a cheese present- instead of shaping it in a ball I made it a box and made a bow out of green onions. Wish I still had that picture.....

The Recipe:

• 2 blocks cream cheese
• 3 tsp accent salt
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp milk
• green onions
• beef lunch meat

1. Mix together the cream cheese, accent, worcestershire, milk, and onions
2. Add anything else you feel like having
   
3. Mold mixture into a ball
4. Cover outside with diced lunch meat
5. Serve with crackers
   

Happy Halloween!

Here are some close ups of our HORROR D'EUVRES...... most of these ideas I got fromthegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com- her blog is grrreat! That got me thinking (googling) about other recipes and I think it all turned out pretty good in the end!

First up, the Halloweenies. Vienna sausages with crescent rolls to mumify them. Mustard eyes add the final touch!

Next time I'm using real hot dogs. I didn't know it until today, but apparently vienna sausages are disgusting.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Puffs: Reese's peanut butter puffs cereal + scotcheroos recipe = YUM!

Witch's Hats: Fudge stripe cookies and a Hershey's kiss- so easy. The tube frosting we used was solid rock though. Made it tough. But Kennedi and Dad did a great job. Don't you agree?

Candy Corn Trifle: Yellow cake, butterscotch pudding, cream cheese/whipped cream... Collette made this all by herself. Wonderful job :)

Apple Pie

I'm so glad Aunt Mel came down this weekend and could help me make this pie! Grandma Manning is THE PIE MAKER in our family. Every Thanksgiving since the beginning of time she has made pies that everyone looks forward to. So, we used her recipe (Mel's done it a time or two) and baked ourselves an apple pie today. (Yes, I did feel like Snow White the whole time)

The crust:

• 1/3 c. shortening
• 1 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. water (or less)

1. Cut shortening into flour+salt mixture
2. Mix until crumbly
3. Add water, as little as possible (1/4 c should be ok- too much water will make it tough!)
4. roll out on floured counter, big enough to more than cover the pie tin.

**You'll want to make two crusts for apple pie (top and bottom)

The filling:

• 7-8 fresh apples (tart is best),
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 T flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg ( or a little milk)
• Sugar

1. Peel and slice apples, making about 4-5 cups.
2. Sprinkle flour over top
3. Mix in sugar and cinnamon enough to coat the apples
4. Pour the apple mixture into the crust
5. Lay the second crust on top
6. Pinch the edges together all the way around.
7. Cut holes in the top (as decorative as you want)
8. Brush crust with a beaten egg (or milk)
   
9. Sprinkle a good amount of sugar over top to give the crust a crunchy texture

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until it's golden brownWhala! Enjoy with some of your favorite people! Thanks for your help Mel!

Grandpa's Mac N' Cheese

Grandpa Cook passed away when I was little. But still, a few things remind me of him. Funny thing is, almost all the things I can think of are food!

1. Poached eggs (more the smell than the actual dish, but I remember when we used to go to Aunt Karen's house it smelled so gross!! Now I know it was the poached eggs.)

2. Snowcaps (the colorful ones) and sugar-free candies


3. Homemade mac-n-cheese

4. Also the phrase "Oh my lands!" Every time Grandpa is on one of our home videos he says that. It's so cute.

5. Oh, and his belly- he always used his 'built in pillow' to rock one of his grand-babies to sleep.

6. One more thing, my uncle JC. Every time I see him I just can't stop thinking of Grandpa.

SO ANYWAY...

Dad says the fun fact about this recipe is that it was never the same thing twice. Grandpa would use whatever he had around the house and threw it in. Sooo..... here it is.
Ok, so it's not a looker. but, it is what it is, and that's that.

The recipe:

• 1 c. dry macaroni
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp Wocestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
  

1. Cook and drain 1 c. macaroni
2. Beat eggs well
3. Stir in milk and seasonings
4. Layer macaroni and cheese in 1 1/2 quart casserole pan, ending with a layer of cheese
5. Pour egg mixture over top
6. Sprinkle with additional paprika
7. Bake in microwave 4 1/2 minutes
   

Scotcheroos

This IS a family recipe. I defend this stance all the time with Danny....every time we go to a ward activity, or any other potluck-style dinner. Scotcheroos are always there. And I swear, the recipe we use in my family IS BETTER than the recipe everyone else uses. Other people may bring chocolate covered rice krispy squares, but I hold the one and only perfect scotcheroo recipe.

The Recipe:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. karo syrup
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 6 c. rice krispies
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. butterscotch chips

1. Bring sugar and karo syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Add peanut butter and mix
   
3. Stir in rice krispies and get them well coated.
4. Press mixture into 9 x 13 pan (don't press it down too hard; it'll make them too dense)
5. In the microwave, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together. Start with 1 minute and then increase with about 20 second intervals until you can stir it smooth. **burning the chocolate will ruin the whole shebang. So, microwave as short a time as possible to get them melted.
6. Spread chocolate mixture over top of rice krispies mixture and let set a few hours
7. That's all folks!
   

Berok

Aunt Mel told me about this one. I guess Grandma used to make it and Great-Grandma made it before her. For some reason, every time I make something with cabbage I think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- they had cabbage soup for dinner every night. So to be honest, I'm trying to imagine my family eating it years ago, but all I can think up are scenes from the movie.........

The Recipe:

• 4 c. cabbage
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 2 yellow onions
• 36 rhodes rolls

The directions are just too easy! First set out your rolls to thaw. Put the cabbage and onions in a frying pan, let them cook together for a few minutes. Then add your (already cooked) hamburger and let the flavors cook together for a bit. I love the green color from the cabbage. Note: this step can be stinky. May bother your husband's upper lip syndrome. Flatten out your roll, put a spoonful of the filling in the middle and wrap it up so it makes a ball. Then bake about 12 minutes on 350.

Yes, You Can! Bagels

I first made this recipe last week in my Family Meal Management class. Then I tried it with my sisters. It was a fun family activity, especially for a Sunday afternoon. So I think it qualifies for the family food blog. We spent the afternoon laboring over the bagels, then when they were finished we pulled out the old family videos and had a bagel/movie party. Funny how food and the past make such fun memories. We noticed that in several of the videos I was found sitting on the counter helping Mom with the cooking....or licking a beater....or snitching a taste from the bowl...... not much has changed huh?

The recipe:
(from Chef Emeril's "There's a Chef in My Kitchen")

• 2c warm water (110 degrees)
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 3T sugar (+1 more T for later)
• 5-6 c. bread flour
• 2t salt
• 2t vegetable oil
• 2T yellow cornmeal

Note: This is NOT a good recipe to just mix together everything in the ingredient list. The directions are a big deal here!

1. Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. gradually add 4 c. flour and salt. Mix.
3. Add 1-1 1/2 c flour 1/2 c at a time until very firm and stiff (should be stiffer than regular bread dough)
4. knead until no longer sticky- about 5 minutes, adding flour if necessary.
5. grease bowl with 1 t oil. Let rise covered in warm spot until doubled in size. (about 30 minutes in warmed oven)
6. Remove and punch down dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces.
7. Poke a hole in the middle and form doughnut shape.
8. place on lightly floured surface. Cover with cloth, let rest 20-30 min
9. Preheat oven to 400
10. Grease baking sheet with remaining oil and cornmeal.
11. In a large pot, bring to boil 12 c. water and 1T sugar. Boil bagels (about 3 at a time) 2 minutes on each side.
12. Place on baking sheet. Brush with egg for shine (if you want to add toppings like poppyseeds, cinnamon sugar, etc. do it here.)
13. bake about 25 minutes
14. Let cool on a wire rack
15. Get out the cream cheese, juice, and family videos and enjoy!
    

Good Wife's Guide

Have you all seen this before? I just came across it while planning some lessons for an Adult Roles class. I just think it's so funny. My how the times have changed. Instead of trying to cut and paste, I'll just type what it says:1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

6. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

7. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

8. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

9. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

10. Your goal: try to make your home a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

11. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

12. Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

13. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

14. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

15. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

16. A good wife always knows her place.

Enough said.

Sweet & Sour Hamburger

I always HATED it when my mom made this as a kid. Looking back though, I just don't know why! So I got to thinking I should really give it another shot. I'm glad I did because sweet & sour hamburger is a lot more tasty than I remember! I asked my mom about it and she told me she got the recipe from her Aunt Marge. So she'll get the credit for this one.

The recipe:

1 1/2 lb. hamburger
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. chopped onions
2/3 c. cracker crumbs
1 tsp. salt

• Mix the above ingredients and make into patties. Set aside.

2T cornstarch
1/2 c. brown sugar
2T soy sauce
1/4 c. vinegar
1 c. water
1 chopped green pepper
2 cans pineapple chunks

• Drain pineapple juice, and keep enough to make 1c. If there isn't enough, add water.
• Put in saucepan with cornstarch, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Stir until thick and clear.
• Cook hamburger in frying pan (for me it was the George Foreman)
• Place pineapple and green pepper in sauce. Heat.
• Drain grease and simmer all together 15 minutes
• Serve with rice.
  

Chicken Noodles

I don't have many memories of my Cook Grandparents. They both died when I was little. This recipe, however, is one the Grandma used to make, so I felt like I was getting to know her just a little better when I made this. Aunt Mary is the expert on making homemade chicken noodles, so I called her for tips.

The recipe:

Noodles:
Whisk the following together with a wire whisk:
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
Using a fork, mix in 1 cup of flour.
*Dough will be sticky

Using lots of flour, roll half the dough into a circle, as thin as you can get it. Make sure there is plenty of flour on top of the dough. Then roll it up and cut it into thin (1/8") noodles. Fluff them a little so they come unrolled. You can let them sit on a baking sheet (my mom has always dried noodles on a sheet so I put a pillowcase over my baking sheet).

Boil a whole chicken, or you can boil just parts for a small group. Usually about an hour or on lower heat a little longer. Take the chicken our and remove meat from the bones. bring the broth to a boil. Add chicken bouillon to the broth for taste. When the broth is boiling, add the noodles and let cook for about 15 minutes stirring constantly. Turn down the heat so you don't scorch the noodles.

Then make your mashed potatoes, and serve the chicken and noodles on top. Sounds crazy, but it's delish! Danny even said he liked it- and that's saying something. He wasn't as excited to pose with his food, but he obliged. There he is with his "seconds"

6-Week Bran Muffins

There are two scents that take my mind straight to my Grandma Allen's house: chicken noodle soup, and warm bran muffins. I probably asked Grandma to make muffins for breakfast just about every time I visited there as a child. Even today, there's something comforting about that smell.

The recipe:
-Mix 2 cups boiling water with 5 tsp. baking soda. Let cool.
-Cream 1 cup shortening, 2 cups (or less) sugar, and 4 eggs, beaten until fluffy.
-Add water to shortening mix, and add:
-2 cups All Bran Cereal
-4 cups bran flakes cereal
-1 qt. buttermilk
-5 cups flour with 1 Tbsp salt

-Mix all into a 10qt container. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Best part of the recipe? It's good for 6 weeks!! (Just keep the batter in an airtight container in the fridge)

Some of My Own

I'm going to include some of the things I make here on this little blog too. So here we go...

CUPCAKES :)

Basketball cupcakes for Danny's birthday- no real special ingredients, just fun frosting.



Penguin cupcakes for Collette's birthday-

Penguins:
-Using thick frosting as glue, stack a mini doughnut (cut in half lengthwise so you have a flat bottom), and then a doughnut hole. Put those in the freezer to set.
-Put a few drops of black food coloring into a tub of chocolate frosting. Microwave it so it's runny.
-Dip the cupcakes into the frosting so the whole doughnut stack is coated.
-Take two Oreos (I got the oval shaped "dipper" kind), take out the cream and place them on the body for wings.
-Cut marshmallows up and stick on for the tummy.
-Let that set up in the freezer for a few minutes (not too long, because you have more to stick on)
-Use half a starburst to form the mouth
-Put a dot of white frosting for eyes and place a mini chocolate chip for the black part of they eye
-Freeze it like their life depends on it! We made ours on a hot day and our poor penguins' faces melted off

Icebergs
-Frost the remaining cupcakes with white frosting.
-Sprinkle with coconut
-Add rock candy, pop rocks, and Swedish fish however you like!

Toy Story Alien Cupcakes for Katelin's surprise Disney goodbye/birthday party


-Most grocery stores sell neon food color- use the neon green to color a tub of frosting.
-Frost all your cupcakes with the green.
-Place 3 mint mentos for eyes, and add the black dots with dots of black frosting.
-Use green apple sour straws for the antennae
-Cut green apple sour tape (or whatever you can find that's big enough) into ears. (I thought "leaves" when I cut mine and they turned out right
-Put a dot of black frosting for the mouth so they look like they're saying "oooooh"
-That's IT!

Letters from Freida

A few years ago, my Great-Grandma Manning took the time to write out several of her recipes and compile a cookbook for her grandchildren. As I looked through it today to pick some recipes out, I saw these notes and pictures in the inside cover. I thought they were so special so I want to have them here on my blog. Grandma Manning has always been so good at writing letters to her family so I want to keep them handy.



Ok so those are a little hard to see but at least you can tell they're there. On the "About Me" note, she starts off by saying "I have no talents like music, art, dance, etc. So I've decided my talent must be foods- from growing vegetables in my garden, to canning and storing fruits from my orchard and the veggies." Amen, Grandma! I think all of her descendants would agree with that. Here are some pictures of Grandma working on her talents.

I remember visiting Grandma Manning and picking raspberries- she gave us buckets that were made of washed out ice cream tubs with ropes tied onto them. We threw them around our necks and filled them with berries. (Which she turned into wonderful raspberry jam)

Canning applesauce... Who remembers that kitchen?

Blue ribbons won from the fair

Rye Bread... I'll attempt that soon enough

Birchcreek Cattle Drive Applesauce Cake

I wish I could take a picture of the way this cake smells! It's divine. My family has a ranch in Idaho called Birchcreek. For years now, my Manning relatives have kept cattle there. When my Grandma Joan was young, they would have a cattle drive every year. Applesauce cake was always on the menu, made by my Great-Grandma Frieda. This past June we had a Manning family reunion and this cake was dessert one night. We got to hear all about the cattle drive and other Birchcreek traditions. So fun!

The Recipe:

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. melted butter or shortening
1 c. raisins (optional- I'm not a fan myself)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. soda in spec of cold water
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c applesauce
1 egg, unbeaten

Bake in "slow oven" in an 8x8 pan**. I greased it with shortening and lightly floured it, just for good measure.

No directions! What the heck is a "slow oven?" And how do I measure soda in a "spec" of cold water? I suppose the good news is there's room for fudging around a little bit, ovens will vary and your "spec" might be my "morsel." I determined "slow" would be 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

My mom says the only way to eat this is with chocolate frosting on top, so I whipped some of that up (the normal, cocoa, pwd sugar, butter, vanilla) and spread it on top. If you're a health nut, forgo the frosting- but in our family that's not an option!

**I prefer this in a sheet cake form, so if you want to do that, double the recipe and use a jelly-roll pan and you'll be set.

Ready, Set, Go!

Over the past week or so I've had a LOT of extra time. I'm in between semesters right now so when I haven't been at work, I've been finding little projects to work on. I've spent a lot of my time trying new recipes. Although I'm no chef, I really enjoy making new creations with food. For whatever reason, my thoughts keep going back to nostalgic family recipes.

Today I realized I should put those thoughts to good use: I'm going to research family recipes, try them, then write about them here. I'm not going to guarantee good results, but I'll post a picture nevertheless.

Read it, or don't. But I figure this is my shot at getting to know my family better, kitchen to kitchen.