journey of life

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Ice cream, if desired

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan.
Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except ice cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
Confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Combine flour, sugar and butter; pat into a greased baking pan. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and lemon juice until frothy; pour over the hot crust. Bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Coll on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into squares.

1 (16-ounce) package Oreo cookies
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1 (12-ounce) tub of Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)
1/3 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) jar of hot fudge topping

Crush cookies, reserving approximately five tablespoons to the side for the topping. Melt butter and add to cookies. Place in bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. On top of cookies layer in softened ice cream, hot fudge topping and Cool Whip. Sprinkle reserved cookies on top. Freeze overnight. Let thaw slightly before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Chuck.

Beat three eggs on high speed for five minutes. Gradually beat in one cup of granulated sugar. Stir in 2/3 cup of pumpkin, a teaspoon of lemon juice and stir together.

¾ cup of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
½ teaspoon of salt

Use 15 x 10 x 1 greased and floured pan. Pour above in pan. Bake at 375° F for fifteen minutes. Turn out on towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll towel and cake together. Cool, then fill with

2 cups of powdered sugar
6 oz. of cream cheese
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Spread on cake. Roll and chill. Can be frozen. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.

2 cups of sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
3 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil sugar, cocoa, butter and milk for 2 minutes. Take off burner and add oats, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Work fast. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.

Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.

1 quart ziploc bags
1 gallon ziploc bags
8 ounces of heavy cream
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspooon of vanilla extract
1 - 1 pound bag of ice
1 - 1 pound bag of rock salt
newspaper
freezer tape

Pour milk, cream, vanilla and sugar into 1 quart ziplock bag and double bag. Place bag in 1 gallon ziplock bag and double bag. Surround quart bag with ice and rock salt. Seal. Wrap bags with newspaper (pillow shape) and tape tightly. Play catch for 15 - 20 minutes. Open and enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Sift together:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Add, mixing in mixer in order given:
1 1/2 cup Wesson or canola oil
4 eggs (beating after each is added)
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (I often leave these out)

Bake in two 9″ layers for 35 minutes at 350° F. (Grease pans.) Or bake in
9X2X13 pan for 50-60 minutes or tube pan for 45-60 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake
6 ounces softened cream cheese
1 stick soft oleo (or butter)
3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (or one - 1 pound box)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients with electric mixer until very creamy and smooth.

Store cake wrapped up in refrigerator. Can be frozen.

Recipe courtesy of Matt’s mother, Margie, who received the recipe from Matt’s paternal grandmother.

Notes: I’ve made cupcakes from this recipe, cutting the recipe in half. Makes approximately 18 cupcakes. Bake at 350° F for 20 - 30 minutes. If baking in batches (as I was cooking in a toaster oven!), refrigerate cake batter in refrigerator in between. Do not refrigerate cake batter for an extended period of time. The leavening agents will be ineffective.

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
2 sticks of margarine
1 cup of water
2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa

Sift flour and sugar together in large mixing bowl. Mix cocoa and margarine with water and bring to a rapid boil. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Add:

2 eggs
½ cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Bake in 375° F oven in (15 ½ x 10) (12 x 14) large pan for twenty minutes. Smaller pan thirty minutes.

Frosting:

1 stick of butter
5 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of cocoa
bring to a boil. Add 1 box of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Optional: ½ cup of nuts or 3 oz. of cream cheese.

Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.

¾ cup of butter, softened
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 ½ cups of crushed pretzels
1 (6 oz.) package of strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups of boiling water
3 cups of strawberries, chilled
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1 cup of white sugar
1 (8 oz.) container of frozen whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cream butter or margarine with the brown sugar. Mix in the pretzels and pat mixture into the bottom of one 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake for ten to twelve minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and stir in the strawberries. Chill until partially thickened.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and white sugar together until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread mixture over the top of the cooled crust, making sure to seal the edges. Chill, then pour the gelatin mixture over the cream cheese layer. Chill until firm.

Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.

1 stick of butter
½ cup of Crisco
2 cups of sugar
5 egg yolks
2 cups of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of coconut
1 cup of chopped pecans
5 beaten egg whites

In electric mixer beat butter and Crisco. Add sugar and beat 8 to 10 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add alternating with milk Add vanilla coconut and pecans. Beat egg whites and fold in by hand. Pour into 3 8 or 9 inch cake pans and bake at 300° F for 30 minutes.

Frosting:
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
½ stick of butter
1 box of confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter together. Add sugar and vanilla. Frost cake and sprinkle with nuts. Cake and icing freeze well. Freeze one hour before wrapping so icing doesn’t stick.

Recipe courtesy of Laura’s maternal grandmother, Nana.