Betty Baker's Best Easter Eggs

Betty Baker's Best Easter Eggs

2 lbs 10x sugar (aka powdered sugar)

1/2 lb butter/margarine (1 stick/ 8 T)

1 1/2 T canned milk (condensed milk)

1 t vanilla

Mix milk and vanilla together. Set aside.

Kneed sugar and softened butter together with your hands gradually adding in the milk mixture.

Do this for about 1/2 hour until the mixture has a satin gloss.

Form into bite sized egg shapes.

Cover with wax paper and cool in refrigerator for 24 hours before dipping

Chocolate Icing

1 Box un-sweet Chocolate (8 oz box of Baker's Unsweeted Chocolate)

Melt in double boiler with 3 T melted paraffin.

Dip eggs using a 2 pronged meat fork.

Cool on wax paper.

Jitterbug Cookies

Mom always made these cookies at Christmas time. They were my sister's favorite. I recently went looking for the recipe and couldn't find it. So I turned to the internet and found a recipe for a Danish sugar manufacturer. http://www.dansukker.co.uk/uk/recipes/christmas-jitterbug-cookies.aspx

I've converted it so I can try it out. Will let you know how it goes.

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
~14 T butter
1 egg yolk

Mix flour and sugar in bowl.
Cut in butter with a fork 'till crumbly
Add yolk and work into dough.
Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Meringue Ingredients:
2 egg whites
~1/2 cup brown sugar (I'm going to use dark)
1 T gingerbread spice

Whisk egg whites 'till stiff
Mix in sugar & spices carefully (ie. fold them in)

Roll out dough 20"x12"
Spread meringue mixture over dough
Roll up and freeze 1/2 hour
cut into 1/4" thick slices
Bake 20 minutes at 320 degrees F

Pat Boyd's Peanut Brittle

My mom always made peanut brittle during the Christmas holiday. I remember her cursing a lot too trying to get it just right as she used the cold water testing method for temperature. She vowed that you couldn't make peanut brittle on a humid day.

In honor of her, I headed off to the kitchen with her old cookbook, and a thermometer! to see how well I would fare. I think she'd be proud of the result.

Pat Boyd's Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 cups un-roasted Spanish or Virginia peanuts
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter (her recipe called for 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla (my addition)

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water.
Cook slowly, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Cook to soft-ball stage (238*).
Add peanuts and salt.
Cook to hard-crack stage (290*) stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.
Add butter, soda and vanilla.
Stir slightly.
Pour evenly into well-greased shallow pan.
When cold break in pieces.

Esther Kraus's Hamburger Goulash

Esther Kraus's Hamburger Goulash

Fry 1 lb hamburger in small balls until brown.
Add 2 Tbsp chopped onions and brown.
Then add 1 can mixed vegetables + 1 can tomato soup.
Thicken to please yourself.

Note: March 20, 2013
I made this tonight for dinner. All I can say is, "Did mid-west farmers not have taste buds?"  It was just boring as could be. I ended up adding paprika, garlic powder, onion salt, ground pepper, celery salt, beef bullion and marjoram just to make it taste like something, and I'm not thrilled with it with the additions. Perhaps it's just the whole canned vegetables and tomato soup. It just doesn't taste "fresh".

I'm sorry Grandma, may you rest in peace, this is just not a keeper.

Rose Mary Rolf's Clark Gable Cake

Rose Mary Rolf (ne. Kraus), was my aunt on my mother's side. She was also my godmother with a prankster sense of humor. 

Rose Mary Rolf's Clark Gable Cake

Combine in large mixer bowl:
1 cup lard
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
Beat thoroughly.

Sift 3 cups all purpose flour with 6 tbsp cocoa in 1/2 cup hot water
(Recipe says "Add milk to completely fill 2 cups" WHAT?!
"Now add to that same cup 2 tsp vinegar, 2 tsp soda, 2 tsp vanilla. Beat well")

Okay, so I think this means:
Add 2 cups milk.  Mix.
Add 2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp soda
2 tsp vanilla
Beat well

Bake 350* 'till done

No pan measurement given. Looks like enough volume to fill up two rounds or one 9x13

Mother Boyd's Date & Nut Bread

Mother Boyd's Date & Nut Bread

1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup nut meats
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 t. soda
2 eggs
1 T shortening
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

Place nuts, dates, soda & shortening in bowl and add boiling water.
Beat eggs and sugar together.
Then add flour.
Combine mixture stirring well.
Pour into greased bread pan, 4 1/2 by 8 inches at the bottom & 2 1/2 inches deep (Lord she was specific!)
Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Mother Boyd's Coconut Drop Cookies

Mother Boyd was what my mom always called her mother-in-law Mae Boyd. Mother Boyd gave mom this recipe on 10-15-1949, about a month before Mom got married.

Mother Boyd's Coconut Drop Cookies

1/2 cups butter
1/2 cups lard
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
Cream together.

Then add:
2 beaten eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 level tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tarter
3 cups flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup nut meats

That's it. No oven temp. No bake time. As if to say, "Girl. You are marrying my son, you better know how to use an oven and make a cookie."

I'd say 350* for 8-10 minutes.          

Alice Boyd's Hot Pepper Jelly

1 Cup Green Bell Pepper Strips

1 1/2 Cups Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup Quartered Jalapeno Peppers w/ seeds

5 Cups Sugar

3 oz pouch Liquid Pectin

5 Drops Green Food Coloring

Combine pepper strips, vinegar, jalapenos in blender.

Process to desired fineness.

Combine with sugar in sauce pan and bring to boil.

Boil 5 minutes.

Remove from heat an skim top to remove foam.

Cool 2 minutes.

Mix in pectin and food coloring.

Pour into sterilized jars and fasten lids.

Process in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Cool

Great with cream cheese and buttered bagel!

Yum Yum Gems - Mae Boyd (1949)

Ingredients
1/2 c shortening
1c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. sour milk
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
1 c raisins
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 c nuts

Beat and pour into greased muffin tins. Bake @ 350* for 15-20 minutes
Makes about 18 cupcakes.

Frosting

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites

Directions
Boil the brown sugar, salt and water until it spins a thread (232 degrees). Pour 1/3 of this syrup over stiffly beaten egg whites, beating while pouring.

Put the remainder of the syrup back on the fire and cook until it forms a soft ball in cold water (238 degrees). Add this syrup to the original mixture and beat until it is the consistency to spread.

Esther Kraus's Chewing Taffy

Ingredients:
2 c sugar
2 c table molasses
2 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla

Cook until hardens in water.
Then add a pinch of baking soda. Stir and put on buttered platter.
When cool enough, dip hands in water and pull 'till white

Esther Kraus's Divinity

Esther Kraus's Divinity

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
pinch cream of tarar
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp vanilla


Boil together 2 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 c syrup & 1/2 c water until it forms a soft ball in cold water.
Beat 2 egg whites until stiff, adding a pinch of cream of tarter to eggs before beating.
Pour half of the syrup mixture over egg whites and beat.
Return the remainder of syrup and boil until hard ball forms in cold water.
Pour over egg whites and beat.
Just before pouring into buttered pan, add 1 cup nuts and 1 tsp of vanilla.