Pie & Cake Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Clea's Open Cherry Pie
Crust:
2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C chopped nuts
1 C margarine

Mix crust in a mix master until crumbly. Pat in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Take a fork and break up crumbly. Pat back.

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C confectioner's sugar
2 pkg. (envelopes) Dream Whip
1 tsp vanilla

Beat dream whip as directed. Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla in another bowl. Mix together. Pour over crumble mixture. Cover with cherry pie filling. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Aunt Myrna's Apple Pie Filling

Key Lime Pie
1 baked 9 inch pastry crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C fresh lime juice
3 large egg yolks (or 4)
3 large egg whites (or 4)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
6 Tbsp sugar
green food coloring

Combine milk and lime juice in a medium bowl. Blend in yolks. Turn into cooled crust. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, until whites form stiff glossy peaks. Spoon over filling. Spread to edge of crust to seal. Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate.

Banana or Coconut Cream Pie
1/4 C cornstarch
2/3 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 C scalded milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp
1 C moist shredded coconut or sliced bananas in the bottom of a baked pie shell

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt. Gradually add milk and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Cook 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add small amount to egg yolks and stir (temper). Add yolks to remaining hot mixture and stir. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add butter and vanilla and cool slightly. Pour into cooked pie shell. Cover with waxed paper. Serve with whipped cream.

Aunt Alice's Picnic Cake
1 C dates, cut
1 tsp soda
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 C sugar
1 C margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 C brown sugar
6 oz chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts

Add soda to dates, pour boiling water over. Cool. Cream white sugar, margarine and eggs until fluffy. Add date mixture, dry ingredients, and vanilla. Pour into a well-greased and floured 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
May press several half dates into batter before sprinkling with topping.

Texas Sheet Cake
Mix 2 C sugar, 2 C flour, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
Boil 2 cubes butter, 1 C water and 4 Tbsp cocoa in mocrowave.
Remove and add to dry ingredients.
Add 1/2 C sour cream, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp soda. Blend together. Batter will be thin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes in a greased and floured sheet pan. Test with tooth[ick, and frost while warm.

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting
Melt 1 cube butter, 6 Tbsp milk, an 4 Tbsp cocoa in the microwave.
Add 1 C chopped nuts, 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Womped Up Apple Cake
4 C chopped apples
2 C sugar
2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 C oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C chopped nuts
raisins

Put all ingredients together. Stir well. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick margarine
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz cream cheese

Janalee's Carrot Cake
1 1/4 C oil
2 C sugar
3 eggs
2 C grated carrots
1 C crushed pineapple with juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1 C nuts
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Cream oil, sugar and eggs together. Add the carrots and pinepple, mix well. Beat in dry ingredients, vanilla and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (For a gas stove 325 degrees.)

Carrot Cake Frosting
1 lb box powdered sugar
1 cube margarine
3 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Fern's Cream Filled Cupcakes
1 pkg. Devil's Food Cupcake Mix
Follow directions on box and bake. (See hints below.)

Mixture 1:
5 Tbsp flfour
1 C milk
5 Tbsp sugar
Milk sugar and flour together, add milk and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and refrigerate until very cold.

Mixture 2:
1/2 C margarine
1/2 C Crisco (no substitute)
3/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla, or more if desired
dash of salt
Beat on hig speed for 5 minutes. Add mixture 1 to mixture 2. Blend together with a mixer and you are ready to fill cupcakes. Fill from the topp fof the cupcake with decorator's tip #230. Fill AFTER have been baked and cooled.

Hints:
Use Devil's Food cake for better coloring and taste.
Don't fill pastry bag too full - you can control the flow better.
Bake in baking cups, filled only 1/2 full.
You can extend your batter to make about 40 cupcakes by adding 1 pkg dry Dream Whip, 4 eggs and 1 C water to cake mix.

Variation: Use sponge cake or yellow cake mix to make it like a Twinkie.

Main Dish Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Chicken Magnifique
4 chicken breasts (boned and split)
1/4 C butter
2 C sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp crushed thyme
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
2/3 C light cream (or evaporated skim milk)
toasted, slivered almonds

Brown chicken in butter. Remove chicken. Saute mushrooms (barely). Stir in soup and seasonings. Add chicken and simmer 35-40 minutes. Blend in cream. Serve with rice.

Baked Egg Casserole
1 lb grated sharp cheese
2 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and mrepared mustard
1 C diced ham
8 slices white bread, no crusts, diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 green pepper, diced
1 C mushrooms

Mix together milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and mustard. Put bread in a buttered casserole dish and pour liquid over. Add cheese, ham, mushrooms, and green pepper. Let stand 8 hours in refrigerator. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours over a pan of water. (Start checking for doneness after 1 hour.)
4 times this recipes will serve 50+ people.

Chicken Divan
2 (10 oz) packages frozen cut broccoli
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp worchestershire
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 C sliced cooked chicken
1 C mayonnaise (or combo of mayo and plain yogurt)
1/2 C soft bread crumbs, mixed with a dash of paprika

Cook broccoli, drain well. Arrange in baking dish. Mix next 4 ingredients together, pour half over the chicken. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese. Top with chicken and remaining soup, then cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Beef Stoganoff
1/4 C margarine
1/2 C minced onions
1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 C sour cream
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1 lb mushrooms (or 2-4oz cans), sliced
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

Heat butter and saute onions until tender. Stir in meat, garlic, flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Simmer 5 minutes, stir in soup, simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Just before serving, add mushrooms and sour cream. Heat and serve over rice or noodles.

Company Lasagna
1 lb hamburger
1 lb Italian sausage
1 clove garlic
onion, chopped
1 lg can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 C water
1 Tbsp oregano
pinch basil
Simmer above ingredients for 30 minutes.
Shredded mozzarella and monteray jack cheese
cottage cheese
12 lasagna noodles
Layer as follows: sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, noodles, sauce, shredded cheese (repeat). Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
1 lg onion
1 green onion
2 Tbsp sugar (opt)
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
8 0z bottle of catsup

Brown meat, onion and green onion. Add other ingredients. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

BBQ Pork Tenderloin
2 lb pork tenderloin
2/3 C fresh orange juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp rosemary
fresh ground pepper

Combine orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary and pepper for marinade. Marinate the tenderloins for at least 2 hours. Remove the tenderloins and grill for approximately 20 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes. Slice thin and pour reserved marinade on the slices. Great hot or cold.

Dessert Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Clea's Apple Pudding with Sauce
2 C apples, grated
1 C raisins
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C melted shortening
1/2 C fruit juice or water
1 egg, beaten
1 C chopped nuts

Grate apple and mix with raisins. Sift flour and add dry other ingredients. Pour dry ingredients over apples and raisins. Add chopped nuts. Add fruit juice to beaten egg. Pour wet mixture over and mix until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sauce:
1 1/2 C water
1/2 pkg (box) brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
salt
vanilla
lemon

Thicken with cornstarch. Serve over pudding, topped with whipped cream and cherries.

Candy & Cookie Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Carol Leavitt's Christmas Toffee (Janalee)
1 C sugar
1/2 lb butter
3 Tbsp water
1/2 C blanched, slivered almonds (opt)
12 oz milk chocolate Hershey bars
3/4 C finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Mix sugar, butter and water. Cover and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occassionally. Raise heat to medium, remove lid. Add almonds and continue cooking until it starts changing color. The color will change to a dark caramel - it starts to smoke and is darker against the bottom of the pan. Pour into a buttered 10x12 inch pan. Break chocolate into sections, and lay on hot candy. Let melt and spread around. Sprinkle with nuts. Let cool for several hours or chill until chocolate is set. Break into pieces with a table knife.

Pulled Taffy (Janalee)
2 C sugar
1 C water
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 rounded tsp butter

Mix water and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Add cream of tartar. Boil 10 minutes without stirring. Add butter. Cook to hard ball stage (265-275 degrees). Pour into a buttered dish. When cool enough to handle, pull until white. Break into pieces.

Chocolate Kiss Cookies (Janalee, originally submitted by Sharon)
1/2 C shortening or margarine
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Hershey Kisses

Cream together shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Beat into the creamed mixture. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes. Put candy kiss on for the last minute.

Jeanne Pfeifer's Nanaimo Bars (Janalee)
1/2 C butter
1/4 C sugar
1/3 C cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Blend together and add the following:
2 C graham cracker crumbs
2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C walnuts
Press into a 9x13 inch pan and chill.
1/4 C butter
2 Tbsp vanilla instant pudding
3 Tbsp milk
2 C pwdered sugar
Blend and spread on top of first mixture, chill.
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 Tbsp butter
Melt together and spread over other mixtures. Chill. Cut into squares and serve chilled.

Bread Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Clea's Bran Muffins
5 tsp soda
2 C water
5 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
4 beaten eggs
1 qt buttermilk
3 C bran cereal
2 C bran flakes

Dissolve soda in water in separate bowl. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Then, mix in shortening until a coarse crumb texture forms. Mix in eggs and water mixture. Add buttermilk and cereals, mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Can refrigerate batter for up to 5 weeks.

Beverage Recipes from The Cooks Cook

Cranberry Ice Recipe from Kent's Grandma Weeks
2 pkg cranberries
3 C sugar
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Cook cranberries in 3 C water for 10 minutes. Pour through strainer and use liquid and pulp. Throw away cranberry outer layer. Add sugar, lemon juice and 3 C cold water. Put in a shallow dish and freeze. Let soften and put in glasses, adding 7-Up to taste, about a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of cranberry slush to 7-Up.

Clea's Grapefruit Ice
1 C grapefruit juice
1 C water
1/2 to 1 C sugar

Put in ice cube trays until frozen. When ready to serve, crush cubes with a fork. (Or freeze in a shallow dish, let thaw and break up with a fork.) Serve over chilled fruit cocktail and fresh sliced bananas and/or strawerries.

Calling All Cooks!

Hey, everybody! It's time for an update - in more ways than one. We need to update the recipes that were contributed before many of the "cooks" were added. Here's how we'll work it:

1) Collect 5 of your VERY favorite recipes prior to the family reunion, and bring them along.
2) Recipe will be cataloged by type and main ingredient.
3) New recipes can be added at any time. Yeah!