Pecan Pie

In the Deep South, pecans are part of everything. Okay. I exaggerated. We do cook some things without nuts. It's just that pecans and peanuts are everywhere. They're both big crops in this part of the world. Most of us have pecan trees and some folks -- not us anymore -- grow peanuts. It's that old adage of using what you have.

This recipe came from my Mother's Mother. Gran was a wonderful cook. Pecan Pie is a staple but not everyone can make a pie you want to eat. I know. It's shocking. This recipe is wonderful.

Pecan Pie

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
3 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 tablespoons milk
one unbaked pie crust

Beat the eggs until they are well blended. Gradually add all the other ingredients. Pour into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Enjoy!

German Sweet Chocolate Pie

This pie is scrumptious! You have to eat it slowly so you can savor each bite. My Mother found the recipe years ago on the back of a package of chocolate. Sometimes the company's that sell products have the best recipes. Yes, I know. They're just trying to sell more of their products. In this case, it works.

Have you ever thought about those folks who do nothing but cook and eat all day. They develop recipes so that the rest of us can eat well. I wonder how many dishes of food they throw out before they get it just right. Or maybe they're so good at what they do, that everything is wonderful. I admit that I've thrown out a few things over the years. I made pies one time. I don't even remember what kind they were. I just remember they were awful. Some things the dogs like. I once made a Chicken Pot Pie that I hated. I don't know why I was surprised that it tasted so awful. I don't even like pot pies. But it sounded good so I figured I would try it. Bad mistake. But the dogs loved it so nothing went to waste.

You won't have that trouble with this recipe. Just don't wait for your slice. This pie goes fast.

German Sweet Chocolate Pie

1 package (4 oz) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 14 1/2-oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell OR 2 unbaked 8-inch pie shells
1 1/3 cups coconut (Baker's Angel Flake Coconut works great)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Melt chocolate with butter over low heat, stirring until blended. Remove from heat; gradually blend in the evaporated milk.

Mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt thoroughly. Beat is the eggs and vanilla. Gradually blend in the chocolate mixture. Pour into pie shell.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut and nuts. Sprinkle this over the pie filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Filling will be soft but will set while cooling. Cool at least four hours before cutting.

Apricot-Nectar Cake

This recipe came from my Grandmother. I know this because it says so on the little recipe card I've been using for many, many years. Honestly, though, I don't remember her ever making this cake. I'm sure she did. It's just that when I think of her cooking -- and she was a really good Southern cook -- I always think of her biscuits. Nobody ever made homemade biscuits the way she did. I wanted so badly to learn how. I had the flour bowl and all the other ingredients. But she didn't know how to teach anyone else how to make them. She just sort of threw ingredients into her flour bowl and out came the best tasting biscuits ever. So that recipe is lost. At least this one isn't.

This is a cake my Mother made on a regular basis. I always enjoyed making it because it's good and it tastes like it requires more effort than it does. I love to cook but sometimes time is an issue. When it is, try this. You'll love it and so will your guests.

Apricot-Nectar Cake

1/2 cup Wesson oil

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup Apricot Nectar

1 box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix

Mix all ingredients, blending well. Pour into a tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 or 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

juice of two lemons

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice. The exact amount of powdered sugar depends on how much juice you get from the lemons. Remember that this is a glaze. You need to be able to pour it over the cake -- and then enjoy your super-easy cake.

Apricot Nectar Cake

Carrot Cake

We've been searching for what seems like forever for two jars of junior baby food carrots. My mother uses them to make Carrot Cake. So do I. It works. They taste fine in the cake and no one knows you cheated unless you tell them.

There comes a point, however, when it's time to throw in the towel. Just give up. Grate the carrots. Put them in the food processor. Just get on with it! I reached that point about a year ago. I was alone. My mother never gave up hope. So we've searched for junior baby food carrots in Target and Walmart. We've done so at the commissary (repeatedly!) and at more supermarkets than I care to remember. No junior baby food carrots.

The other day Mother came in and -- you guessed it -- she produced two jars of junior baby food carrots from a brown paper bag. They were suddenly at the commissary. I don't know if the folks out there simply decided to start selling them or if the pleading talk I had with a baby food company rep influenced their decision. I don't even care. We've got the carrots. Now, maybe, we'll get the cake.

Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots OR 2 jars junior baby food carrots

Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Mix with sugar. Beat in oil. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add carrots.

Cut wax paper to fit cake pans. Use margarine on each side of wax paper, then place the wax paper in each pan. Grease sides of the pans.

Divide batter equally in three or four cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake starts to pull away from sides.

Frosting

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 box confectioners sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cream cheese, margarine and sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in nuts until well blended.

Frost cake.

Cornflake Candy

There are few foods I love more than peanut butter. As a child I would dip a teaspoon into the jar and fill it with smooth peanut butter. I would savor it slowly, like a special treat. I suppose this is much like some folks view chocolate. It's that moment when it enters your mouth and the taste is so delicious that it causes your eyes to close so you can fully concentrate on the taste.

While I don't do the teaspoon tasting anymore, I sure haven't given up my love for peanut butter. This candy is a special treat because it's made with -- ta da! -- peanut butter.

Cornflake Candy

1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups cornflakes

Cook Karo and sugar over medium heat until it reaches a white, rolling boil. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in peanut butter and cornflakes. Drop teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. It's best to have two spoons going. Use one to scoop and the other to shove it on to the wax paper. It is very sticky. Let it cool. Eat.

Crispix Mix

This snack mix is something my Mother always makes during the holidays. I don't know why she doesn't make it during other times of the year. It's perfect for any season. This year she made an extra batch in honor of the BCS Championship Game. For those who don't have a clue, Alabama Won. Roll Tide Roll!! This snack should, however, come with a warning. The more you eat, the more you want.

Crispix Mix

1 cup Crispix cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzel sticks
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Combine cereal, nuts and pretzels in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over cereal mixture. Stir until evenly coated.

Bake at 250 degrees about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread out on paper towels to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Black-Eyed Peas

I hope everyone already has their black-eyed peas in a pan soaking. For those of you who aren't privileged to be Southern, black-eyed peas are a tradition. The saying goes that you'll have one day of good luck for every pea you eat on New Year's Day. I don't know if it's true or not. I was never able to eat that many peas in one day, though I did try as a child. Did you know that black-eyed peas have a way of expanding in your stomach?

The other tradition -- another way of saying superstition in this God-fearing land --is to never, ever wash clothes on New Year's Day. The belief is that if you do you'll be "washing for a corpse" before the year ends. I don't have any idea where that comes from but my Mother has always preached it. Every year. To everyone who will listen and quite a few who don't. Her mother believed it. Her mother-in-law believed it. Frankly, it's easier to bypass the washer and eat.

Black-Eyed Peas

1 bag of dried black-eyed peas
salt and pepper to season
piece of ham, slice of bacon, or other meat for seasoning

Place peas in a pan of water. Soak overnight. The peas will greatly expand during this process.

Wash the peas thoroughly. Place in a boiler with water. Add the meat and a little salt and pepper to season. I've used a slice of bacon or a piece of ham left over from Christmas. Of course, you're supposed to add something I would never dream of buying much less touching. Trust me. Ham or bacon works just as well.

Be prepared to cook the peas for a couple of hours. They're done when the peas are tender. That means soft. You may need to add more water. If you let the water cook out, you'll have burned peas. Not a good way to start the year.

Oh, and don't forget the cornbread. Happy New Year!
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