Cooking Our Way

4 c. dates
4 c. sifted cake flour
2 c. broken nut meats
1 t. salt
2 c. boiling water
2 eggs
½ c. shortening
2 t. soda
1 ½ c. brown sugar.

Set oven 350.  Chop dates and break nuts into pieces.  Pour boiling water over nuts and dates and let  stand while mixing batter
Cream shortening in bowl and add sugar gradually and work until smooth.  Sift flour and salt together twice.  Break eggs one at a time into sugar shortening mixture and beat hard after each addition.  Add soda to dates and nuts and stir flour and fruit mixture alternately into creamed batter.  Stir gently and quickly.  Now stir in 2/3 c. water.  Pour into pans and bake 45 minutes.  (4 small loaf pans)

2 cups self rising flour 
¼ c. vegetable shortening
2/3 c. buttermilk

Work shortening into flour until the size of peas. Make well in center and add buttermilk.  Gently work into dough.  Put on floured board and pat to about ½ inch.  Place cut biscuits on lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 14 minutes or until brown and crispy.

2 cups flour
¼ c. shortening
3 tea. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 tea. salt

Sift dry ingredients together.  Cut in shortening.  Add milk all at once and stir well.  Cook in slightly thickened broth in tightly covered pot for 10 to 12 minutes.

Beat slightly:
2 eggs

Add:
dash of salt
2 T.  milk or cream
½ t vanilla:

4 slices bread.  Any good bread will do.  I like an egg bread or sour dough.

Dip bread in this mixture and brown in butter on a medium hot griddle until golden on both sides.  Dust with powdered sugar and  serve with maple syrup.

ALMOND CRUSTED FRENCH TOAST

Prepare french toast as above except add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to egg mixture.  Toast 1/3 cup sliced almonds in 350 degree oven until light tan.  Press on one side of each slice of toast and brown as above putting nut side  down first.  Add cinnamon to powdered sugar when dusting the hot toaast

We used to cook this on the farm, usually at Rubye’s house.  She would serve it warm with whipped cream and crushed pineapple.

1 ¾ c. flour
½ c. molasses
½ t. ea. salt, cloves, all-spice, nutmeg and B.P.
½ c. lukewarm water
1 tea. soda dissolved in ¼ c. boiling water
1 tea. Cinnamon
1 egg
2 ¼ t. ginger
½ c. sugar
1/3 c. oil

Sift together three times, flour, spices and sugar.  Turn into bowl and add shortening, molasses and water.  Beat 2 minutes with elec. mixer.  Add the soda and continue beating for only a few seconds.  Add the egg and beat for one minute Turn into greased 9” pan and bake 350 for about 30 to 40 minutes.

I’m sorry I have no recipe for these delectable and memorable rolls.  I believe it was an Esta Lamb “touch” rather than just a recipe that make them so special and etched the memory of them in our minds.  However, I do know that she used approximately the same ingredients as Refrigerator rolls (See REFRIGERATOR ROLLS).  She put the dry ingredients in a bowl and worked the shortening in with her hands.  She then dumped the liquids in and worked into a dough.  The dough was set to double, covered with a towel.   It was then punched down and rolled out on a floured board to a large rectangle.  Butter generously and put a very generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon on.  Then roll up jelly roll fashion and cut in slices.  Put in pan cut side down and let rise again.  Bake in about 375 degree oven until browned.  Turn out on serving platter.  Good luck!!!

Note: I recently had a visit with Alice Lamb Caskey who, as a teen, visited with her Grandma and learned to make her sweet rolls. She said the secret was that in the step where you spread the dough with cinnamon and brown sugar, she used part white sugar and part brown. She thought using all brown had too much of a molasses flavor.

According to legend, “Hush Puppies” originated at a fish fry when someone dropped corn-bread batter into the kettle of heated fat and tossed the fried cakes to the hungry dogs.  They looked and smelled so tempting that folks have been eating them ever since!

Mix together:
1 c. corn meal
1 c. flour
½ c. finely minced onion
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Blend and add:
1 egg
1 ½ c. milk

Add liquid ingredients all at once to dry ingredients and stir quickly.  Drop by Tablespoonfuls into hot fat in which fish have been fried.  When brown on all sides, drain on paper towels and serve.

1 ½ cups flour 
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup wheat germ
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups bran
1 ½ cups raisins or currants
2/3 cups safflower oil
3 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp. baking soda in ¼ cup water

Combine above ingredients.  Bake in muffin tins in 400 degree oven approximately 15 minutes.

2 lg. potatoes peeled and grated
1 sm onion minced
1 lemon's zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
olive oil or canola oil for cooking

Allow potatoes, once grated, to drain in strainer for appraoximaately 10 minutes, then press to remove excess moisture.  Transfer potatoes to mixing bowl; add remaining ingredients and mix thnoroughly.  Heat oil for pan frying in skillet Teflon ideal, once hot add rounded tablespoon portions of potato mixture to oil and flatten.  Cook until golden brown and flip.  Cook untail crisp.  Drain on paper towels and ENJOY!

For variations: may add additional lemon juice and zest for lemon lovers or additional onions as well per your taste.  We like them best with both of these.  Also herbs are nice.  We make the following dipping sauce and usuallly eat righta from the pan.

LEMONY YOGURT DIPPING SAIUCE

1 c.plain low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. lemon juice
Lemon zest to taste
Dash Dijon mustard

For variations:  fresh pressed garlic, herbs, a dash of soy or worcestershire sauce; we like lots of lemon juice and zest with a little spice mustard the best.

2 eggs
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¾ cup milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. chives chopped
1 cup less 2 Tbsp. flour
2 oz. goat cheese
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs

Grease 6 cup popover or muffin pan with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Whisk together eggs, milk and water.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper and chives until combined.  (Do not over-mix.  Batter can be lumpy).  Pour batter evenly into pans and sprinkle with goat cheese.  Place pan in cold oven, then set to 425 degrees.  Bake 35 – 40 minutes until browned and puffed.  Serve with flavored butters.

FLAVORED BUTTERS

For each flavor, use 1 stick softened butter.

HERB:
Mix 1 minced scallion (green part only) 1 tsp. minced parsley, and 1 tsp. dill, basil or tarragon. Season with salt and pepper.

TOMATO:
Finely chop 3 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, season with salt and pepper.

CITRUS:
Mix 1 tsp. grated lemon, lime or orange zest with 1 Tbsp. lemon, lime or orange juice and a dash of salt.  Form individual balls with melon baler, and chill until firm.