Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

Mix together in microwave safe bowl:

• 1/3 C. sugar
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1/8 tesp. salt
• 2 C. milk
• 2 egg yolks; slightly beaten

Zap mixture in 2 minute increments, whisking in between, until thickened.

Whisk in 2 T. butter and 2 tesp. vanilla. Let cool.

Line the bottom of a bowl with graham crackers. Layer on sliced bananas and pudding. Crumble graham crackers on top.

(This is SOOOOO delicious! I love it when it's still warm. We always make a double batch because it goes so quick!)

Lemon Squares

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

• 1 C. butter
• 1/2 C. powered sugar
• 2 C. flour
• 1/8 tesp. salt

Combine 1st 4 ingredients, pat into a 9 x 13 pan, bake 10 minutes at 350.

Meanwhile, beat together:

• 4 eggs
• 2 C. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 6 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Pour mixture over baked crust, bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Test with sharp knife for doneness. Should be slightly sticky, but firm.

Sift powdered sugar on top of cooled bars for garnish.

Chocolate Pie - a family FAVORITE!

• 1 and 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/2 tesp. salt
• 2 and 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 3 C. milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten (you can save the whites to make meringue if you want)
• 1/4 C. butter
• 1/2 tesp. vanilla
• baked pie crust or graham cracker crust
• cool whip for topping (optional)

Mix sugar, salt, corn starch, flour and cocoa together in a large sauce pan. Beat together the egg yolks and milk. Place pan over medium-high heat then whisk wet ingredients in with dry ingredients.

Bring to simmer and whisk continually until it thickens. (Don't walk away or it will burn!) It's done when it reaches the consistency of thick pudding. Do not overcook or the cornstarch will turn back to liquid.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Cool completely before pouring into pie crust. Yes, you must wait until its completely cool.

*You can just bake a ready made store bought pie crust. I think they're just as good as homemade.

Broccoli Grape Salad

• 1 bunch broccoli, cut bite size
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 C. grapes, halved (or raisins)
• 1/3 C. sunflower kernels or chopped pecans

Dressing:

• 1 C. mayo
• 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1/3 C. sugar
• 1/2 tesp. salt

Toss, sprinkle 3 oz. bacon bits on top, refrigerate until serving.

Waldorf Salad (from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel)

• 3 medium apples; cut into bite size (unpeeled)
• 1/2 C. chopped celery
• 1/2 C. grapes; halved
• 1 C. pineapple chunks; drained
• 1/2 C. pecans
• 1/2 C. mini marshmallows

Dressing:

• 1 C. mayo
• 1/4 C. sugar
• 1/2 tesp. salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix well, cover and refrigerate.

Holiday Cranberry Orange Relish

In a food processor - until finely chopped:

• 2 pkg. fresh cranberries
• 3 oranges; cut into wedges, half the peel removed

Then add 1 C. sugar and 1/2 tesp. salt and pulse until mixed well. Adjust to taste. Refrigerate at least overnight. (The longer, the better it tastes.)

Add chopped pecans before serving if desired.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees
Bake time: 1 hour

Melt: 1 stick of butter in a 9 x 9 cake pan
Smooth in: 1 cup brown sugar into melted butter in bottom of pan.
Cover with: 1 large can of drained crushed pineapple

Mix until creamy:

• 1/4 cup Crisco
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 tesp of the pineapple juice (or vinegar)

Add to above mixture:

• 1.2 tesp. salt
• 1.5 cup flour
• 2 tesp. baking powder

Spread batter over pineapple.
Bake 1 hour. Remove from pan while still warm. Invert onto platter.

Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan.

Mom's Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees
Bake time: 12-15 minutes

Cream together:

• 3/4 cup Crisco
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tesp. vanilla
• 1 tesp. cinnamon

Add: (mix well)

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 tesp. salt
• 1/2 tesp. baking soda

optional: add 1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries at the end.

Make sure batter is slightly tacky. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake.

Makes aprox. 5 dozen.

Mom's Peanutbutter Cookies

Preheat oven to: 375 degrees
Bake time: 12-14 minutes

Cream together:

• 1 cup Crisco
• 1 cup real butter (2 sticks); softened to room temp.
  
• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs

Add in:

• 2.5 cups flour (slowly)
• 1.5 tesp. baking soda
• 1 tesp. baking powder
• 1.2 tesp. salt

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop onto greased cookie sheet. Press down with sugared fork before baking. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Do not overbake!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies (the BEST)

Toll House (Adapted)
Preheat oven: 350 degrees
Bake time: 10-14 minutes

To make a double batch (and why would you make a single, when you can make a double?)
Cream together:

• 1 cup Crisco
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks); softened to room temp.
• 4 eggs
• 1.5 cup sugar
• 1.5 cup brown sugar
• 4 tesp. vanilla

Add:

• 1 tesp. baking soda
• 1.5 tesp. salt
• 4 cups flour (slowly)
  

Once mixed together, dough should be tacky, not stiff.
Stir in chocolate chips (aprox. 1 bag), nuts, toffee bits, etc at the end.

Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-14 minutes.
If you have extra dough, you can scoop it into balls, and place in the freezer in a zip-top bag. Then bake a few whenever you need a sweet fix. :)

Real "Pot" Roast

• 1.5 pounds of beef chuck roast or arm roast
• 2 T. oil
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  
• 1 celery stalk (optional), cut into large chunks
  
• 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
  
• salt
• pepper
• garlic
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• A pot (I use a 6.5 quart Le Cruset cast iron enamel dutch oven but you can use anything of similar size. I just love the cast iron because it brazes so nicely.)
  

Preheat your pot on the stove over medium-high, add oil, and brown the meat on both sides until you get a nice color. Then turn the heat to medium-low.

Then add the seasonings and onion soup mix. Cover the roast to half-way up the side of the meat with water. Put the lid on and let it simmer. Check the water level every 1/2 hour or so to make sure there's still enough. Add more as needed. Cooking time will depend on the size of the roast. A meat thermometer will read 180 when it's well done. But over-cooking won't hurt it... it will just get more tender the longer it cooks.

When the meat is about 10 - 20 minutes from being done you can add the veggies around the sides and on top of the meat. I like to make sure they are all about the same size so they cook evenly.

After the meat and veggies are done, take them all out of the pot and use the juice to make a YUMMY gravy to top everything off.

This is how my grandma makes it and I always love how hers turn out. So she taught me how and now I may never go back to crockpot roast again. Yummy!

Christmas Citrus Salad

• 5 lbs. Naval oranges
• 5 lbs. Ruby Red grapefruit
• 3 large cans mandarin oranges
• 1 C. sugar
• Salt to taste

Over a large bowl, peel and segment oranges and grapefruit, removing all pith and membranes. (This process takes a long time!) Prepare fruit over the bowl so you can catch all the juice - that's what makes it good. Add canned oranges and their juice. Add sugar and salt to taste. (You will probably need a lot more salt than you think.) Mix well.

Place in a large plastic container with a lid. Refrigerate at least overnight, longer if possible.

This is such a yummy family tradition. Because it takes so long to make, we only have it on Christmas morning along with our Christmas Breakfast Casserole. But it's well worth the effort!

"Hobos"

Servings: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: about 20 minutes on the grill, 40 on a campfire

This can be made in any quantity you'd like, we just make two at a time because that's all we use.

• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2 potatoes
• 3-4 carrots
• 1 small onion
• seasoned salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil (or two disposable pie pans covered in foil)

Divide meat and prepare 2 patties. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Place in the center of each piece of foil.

Slice onion into thick rings, and potatoes and carrots into circles about 1/8 inch thick, divide into two servings, place on top of meat, season with salt and pepper.

Fold foil closed, sealing well on the top.

Cook over grill on medium high heat, or over campfire coals that have been raked out away from flames. Cooking time will differ; you know they are done when veggies are tender. Keep the peeking to a minimum as steam escapes when you open the packets.

This is one of my all-time favorite campfire recipes. We made it all the time on my Grandma's fire pit when I was growing up. The high heat of a campfire gives the meat a lovely caramelization on the bottom, and makes the potatoes yummy and soft. You can add other veggies too: like zucchini, squash, celery, or bell peppers. This is just the classic version. We call them "hobos" because supposedly people who jumped trains would make these on their campfires during the depression.

Uncle Larry's Red Beans and Rice

• 1 lb. red beans (soaked according to package directions)
• 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into small chunks
• 1.5 lb. ham, cubed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch cumin
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 C. green onion, sliced
• 1.5 tesp. hot sauce/ Tabasco
  
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Cook sausage with onion and garlic in a stock pot until translucent. Add beans with soaking water, ham, and all other ingredients. Cook 1.5 - 2 hours until beans are tender. Serve over rice.

My Grandma's brother Larry created this dish and it quickly became a family favorite. It is quite a southern recipe, perfect for cold weather, and very hearty.

In my family cookbook, which my mom hand wrote, her footnotes say "Serve with cornbread and Grandma Jost's slaw. A meal fixen's good enough for the Preacher!"

Banana Dream Cake

• 1 yellow cake, made according to package directions in 2 round cake pans. **
• 1 container of Cool Whip, thawed enough to spread easily
• 2-3 bananas, sliced into rounds

**Hint: grease and flour pans well, and use wax paper on the bottoms to help cake release easier.

After cakes have cooled and been removed from round cake pans, carefully slice them in half horizontally, making 4 layers.

Build the cake on the plate you want to serve it on. Start with a layer of cake, spread Cool Whip, then layer slices of banana, then more cake, Cool Whip, bananas... repeat. Once all the layers are assembled, spread Cool Whip on the top and sides, top with banana. Keep refrigerated until serving.

This was my Mom's favorite cake growing up, and on September 23, 1978 my Grandma made it for her . But before she could enjoy a piece, she went into labor with me. She had me early the next morning. It's really easy, and really good!

Fried Apples

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 4

• 6 medium Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or other firm tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 tesp salt
• 1/2 tesp cinnamon (or more if you like)
• 1/2 C sugar
• 4 T butter

Melt butter in non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add apples to butter, stir well, add other ingredients and stir to coat well. Coover and Cook until apples caramelized and soft, but not overly mushy, stirring often. Add a few tablespoons of water if pan becomes too dry.

I love these with pork, especially with Smothered Pork Chops and Stuffing. Enjoy.

Grandma's Pecan Pie

• 2/3 C. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tesp. salt
• 1 C. dark Karo syrup
• 1/3 C. melted butter (no substitute)
• 1 tesp. vanilla
• 1 C. chopped pecans
• unbaked pie shell

Beat together first 6 ingredients until mixed well. Stir in pecans. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake @ 350 for 50 minutes.

Tips:

Bake on a cookie sheet to prevent spills.
Add 1/3 C. semisweet chocolate chips when adding pecans for a chocolate pecan pie.
Cover with foil if pecans start to get too brown.
Check for doneness by inserting knife into center to see if it has set up.

This is our family's traditional Thanksgiving Pecan Pie, which is my favorite of all time! I was in charge of the Thanksgiving meal this year and made it by myself for the first time. It turned out YUMMY!

Fried Corn a la Grandma

Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4-6

• 1 16 oz. bag frozen sweet corn
• 1/2 stick butter
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. white or brown sugar

Melt butter in skillet. Add corn, season with salt to taste. Simmer until water is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add sugar and turn heat to low. Simmer 5 more minutes.

I've always loved this dish when my Grandma Theresa makes it. So, I had her tell me how to do it myself and it turned out just as yummy! It's so easy and fast and everyone always raves about it.

Pie Crust

For One 10 inch shell*

1.5 C. flour
1/2 tesp. salt
1/2 C. Crisco (no substitute)
3-4 T. icy cold water

Cut flour & Crisco together until forming pea sized crumbs. Add salt and blend well. Add water 1 T. at a time until pastry forms ball. Do NOT over mix. Chill 1 hour before rolling.

*For two 9 inch crusts, double the recipe.

This is the basic pie crust recipe my mom and grandma have always used. Using icy cold water and not over mixing is the key to a light flaky crust.