Ann's Squash Relish

A great way to use all that yellow squash from the garden!

Ann writes: "I am including this recipe especially for my dear brother-in-law, Bob Shubert. He just loves squash - any way you fix it! Ginger Shubert Snider, who probably doesn't remember this since she was only two years old at the time, helped me make my very first batch of squash relish over 20 years ago. I wanted to make sure she knew how to make it for her grandpa some day!

Now, I guess to keep the story straight for anybody who doesn't know - truth of the matter is that Bobby cannot stand the taste of squash - no matter how you fix it! I pulled a real sneaky on him once, and put squash relish in my potato salad, which he dearly loves, and never made him the wiser until he had finished with two big helpings!"

2 cups yellow squash, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup sweet green pepper, chopped 

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup apple cidar vinegar

2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon mustard seed

Combine squash, onion, and peppers. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand for 2 hours. Drain vegetables, pressing out liquid. Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at the top. Adjust caps and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. I use food processor to chop vegetables.

Banana Nut Bread ~ One Slice at a Time

Cousin Kay Cox says "Jackie Orsag was my neighbor in Waco for 20 years, and she never failed to bring us a loaf of this banana bread every time she baked it. Take my word for it, it is the best you will ever put in your mouth!"

My family has chosen to place this recipe in our Family Cookbook, One Slice at a Time. We all love this Banana Nut Bread!

Banana Nut Bread

from my Daughter 
And Son-in-Law's Kitchen

in North Carolina

Christmas 2014

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/5 cups sugar
• 1/5 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/5 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/5 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/5 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/5 hours or until toothpick comes out clean. This recipe will make 4 small loaves or 2 regular size loaves.

IMPORTANT:Take loaf out of pan. Place on a rack to cool. Take a stick of butter and rub over sides, top and bottom while still hot ~ keeps bread rich and moist.

   Banana Nut Bread

from my Son 
And Daughter-in-Law's Kitchen in Alabama
Christmas 2014

Photographs on this Post

Photographs taken by and belonging to Gail Shubert Blalock and David C. Shubert, December, 2014; digital format used.

Copyright 2015: Judith Richards Shubert

Grandma Gailey's Peanut Butter Cookies made by Angie

I first published Grandma Gailey's Peanut Butter Cookie recipe on November 17, 2008 here. It appears in our Family Cookbook, One Slice at a Time; however, in the cookbook there are 4 ingredients that have been left out. The recipe published on the blog and the one Angie used in this delicious plate of peanut butter cookies yesterday has all the "stuff" to make all of the Pruett grandchildren declare them "deeelicious!"

Grandma Gailey's Peanut Butter Cookies

Made by Granddaughter Angie Pruett

A peanut butter cookie is one of the simple pleasures that all of us have enjoyed, either as a child or an adult. Whether Grandma used to make them for you or you discovered the sheer joy of making them yourself after you starting baking, they are addictive and super easy.

I remember my Grandma Gailey used to bake dozens of them for me and my siblings and cousins to take to school functions. She did this for many years. They were always a hit!

Here is her version.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring


Mix together with hands. (She said this was very important! However, I use a dough hook on my KitchenAid counter-top mixer.) Pinch off small amount; roll it into a ball and then flatten it.

Place on pan and make crisscross designs on top with fork. Bake in slow oven.

NOTE:
I think you should probably use an ungreased cookie sheet and place cookies 2-3 inches apart. Moisten fork with water each time you press tines into cookie dough. Cook at 325 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes or until done.

Making Dill Pickles at Possum Kingdom

Bob and I went to the lake for a few days to visit Linda Kay and Skip last week. Linda Kay called before we left and said, "Let's make some dill pickles!" So, as we were leaving the metroplex, Bob and I stopped at the Farmer's Market in Haltom City located at 5507 E. Belknap Street.





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They have wonderful fruits and vegetables, honey, jams and jellies, potted plants, and all sorts of goodies that I always enjoy looking at when I visit their family-owned and operated business located between my home and Fort Worth. But I'm getting off-track. I stopped by to purchase some cucumbers, dill, and garlic. They had just what I needed. Shubert ran in before I got off the cell-phone and I knew if I didn't follow him quickly I'd end up with regular size cucumbers instead of the pickling size.

I found him bagging up the wrong ones just in time! We bought about 10 pounds of cucumbers, a sleeve of 5 heads of garlic (it was a better buy but we only used one) and a handful of fresh dill. We stopped by a local Kroger grocery store and bought a gallon of apple cider vinegar. Luckily, I had 13 or 14 pint jars left from last October's pear preserves. I also had a brand new box of Mason lids and rings which we could use. We were all set.

Linda Kay and I didn't get started on our pickles until later in the day on Friday. After all, we had to watch Young and the Restless first!

We had a great time. We made 2 recipes and used all of the cucumbers and all of the jars I had taken to the lake. We put black peppercorns in the pickle strips to see if we liked the taste. I brought half of the pickles home with me and she kept half. Of course, we have to wait at least 7 days to let the flavors meld before trying our pickles! We used Mildred's Quick Dill Pickle recipe which I have posted here. Hope you will try them and let me know what you think.




Photographs by Judith Richards Shubert, July 2009 (c)

Mildred's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Our mother's delicious cookie starts with the following recipe. Several of the younger generation likes to make these into large chocolatey sweet and gooey treats they can share with their friends. A cousin, Brooke, has even entered cookies made from this recipe in the 4-H Club competition in her hometown.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Texas pecan pieces

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine Crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer til creamy. Beat egg into mixture. Combine flour, salt and baking soda and mix into creamed mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate pieces and pecans. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Remove to foil on counter top. Place next batch on cold cookie sheet. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Try your hand at this great cookie that will be the favorite of all the kids in the neighborhood!

Mildred Smith Hicks holding oldest son, Don Earl Hicks in circa 1943 photo found in scrapbook belonging to Sue Hicks Breakall

Maedelle's Chocolate Cake

Some of you have read my posts on my genealogy blogs about my mother and her twin sister. They had the most fun when they were girls, confusing boyfriends, teachers, and even their parents. They often told of the time my mother turned the water hose on their daddy and he told her to stop. She wouldn't and so he gave chase. When they ran around the house, the poor innocent twin was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. She got the discipline ~ not my mother!

Maedelle cooked more often than mother and I'm sure she had a lot of recipes in her head. She didn't have many written down on paper. But I'm sure her son will attest to the fact that she could cook. When our family prepared the family cookbook, "One Slice at a Time," she gave us several recipes to include. I want to share this one that is so easy and so good ~ the ingredients will fool you!


Chocolate Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs

Mix above ingredients well and pour into two round 9-inch greased and floured cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until done.

NOTE:
If you are using cake mix without pudding, reduce the mayonnaise to 1/2 cup and increase water to 1 1/2 cups. Use your favorite frosting.

Enjoy and think of those twins when you make this delicious cake.

Irene's Funeral Cake

I'm sure most of you have a favorite pound cake. My dear, sweet uncle Raymond loved everything his wife cooked, but this cake was one of his favorites. He liked to call it "Irene's Funeral Cake" because she always baked it when there was a death in the church family.

They both said that the moist center you get when the cake is baked is an indication of a perfectly baked pound cake.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
1 cup Crisco shortening
3 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring
1/2 teaspoon orange flavoring

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, and soda and set aside. Cream sugar and Crisco shortening together; add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each. While continuing to mix, start adding flour mixture, then milk - a little of each at a time - ending with the flour mixture. Add lemon and orange flavoring. Batter will be thicker than a regular cake batter. Pour into a greased and floured tube or bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Three Great Holiday Drinks

Mulled Punch

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cans cranberry sauce, jellied
4 cups pineapple juice, unsweetened
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3 cups water, additional

Combine brown sugar, 1 cup water, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Beat in cranberry sauce, pineapple juice, and additional 3 cups of water.

Simmer until heated through and all ingredients are well blended. Serve punch hot, in mugs, with a cinnamon stick and a smidge of butter. You can add red wine or bourbon if you wish.

Wassail

1 large jar apple cider
2 cups orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 large can pineapple juice, unsweetened
1/4 cup honey

In large saucepan, combine ingredients and heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Ready to serve with a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon.

Wonderful for Christmas parties!

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 25-ounce box instant milk
1 6-ounce jar powdered dairy creamer
1 box powdered sugar
1 16-ounce can instant chocolate drink mix (such as Quik)

Mix all ingredients in a Very Large container. Makes about 17 cups of drink mix - about 90 servings of hot chocolate. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of mix to 1 cup of hot water. Stir to dissolve. Add marshmallows, if you like. This is great!

The Stockings are
Hung from the chimney with care!
Have you prepared the Holiday Drinks?

Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies

A peanut butter cookie is one of the simple pleasures that all of us have enjoyed, either as a child or an adult. Whether Grandma used to make them for you or you discovered the sheer joy of making them yourself after you starting baking, they are addictive and super easy.

I remember my Grandma Gailey used to bake dozens of them for me and my siblings and cousins to take to school functions. She did this for many years. They were always a hit!

Here is her version.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring


Mix together with hands. (She said this was very important! However, I use a dough hook on my KitchenAid counter-top mixer.) Pinch off small amount; roll it into a ball and then flatten it.

Place on pan and make crisscross designs on top with fork. Bake in slow oven.

NOTE:
I think you should probably use an ungreased cookie sheet and place cookies 2-3 inches apart. Moisten fork with water each time you press tines into cookie dough. Cook at 325 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes or until done.