Chinese Hamburger Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
2 T. vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped (or less)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 ½ c warm water
½ c uncooked rice
¼ c soy sauce
¼ tsp. pepper
1 can chow mein noodles

Brown meat [in oil] until crumbly. Add onion and soups. Rinse out cans and add [water] to mixture. Stir in rice, soy sauce, and pepper. Turn into lightly greased casserole. Cover and bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven. Remove cover and spread noodles on top. Cook 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Notes from DeLynne: No salt is needed. Serve with tossed salad.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

½ pkg. noodles
1 can flaked tuna
1 can canned milk
1 can [cream] soup (mushroom, celery, chicken)
crushed potato chips

Cook noodles as package directs in salted boiling water. Drain. Add tuna, soup, and canned milk; blend well. Pour into greased casserole dish, top with crushed potato chips and heat in oven until hot clear through. Serve with tossed salad.

$250 Cookies

2 c butter
2 c sugar
2 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
5 c. blended oatmeal
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 (8-oz) Hershey bar, grated
3 c chopped nuts

Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes from DeLynne: Makes a large batch. Measure the oatmeal before blending it in the blender. Grandma used to make these but it wasn’t her recipe.

Surprise Cookies

COOKIE DOUGH:

1 c sugar
½ c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c milk
3 ½ c flour
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix well. Roll thin and cut out. Put a tsp. of filling on each cookie and place another cookie on top. Crease around edges. Bake until brown.


FILLING FOR SURPRISE COOKIES:

½ c sugar
1 tsp. flour
½ c water
1 c chopped raisins, dates, figs, nuts, etc.

Cook until thick, stirring constantly as it burns easily.

Notes from DeLynne: Grandpa Woodbury's mother used to put a cotton ball in one or two cookies for April Fool.

Peanut Brittle

In a heavy saucepan, combine:
2 c sugar
1 c white corn syrup
¼ c water

Cook until it forms a thread when spoon is lifted out (hard crack stage). [My mom uses a wooden spoon.]

Then add:
2 c raw Spanish peanuts
2 T. butter or margarine

Stir constantly until it becomes light brown and the nuts smell done.

Remove from heat and add:
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir briskly only until combined. Pour out on buttered cookie sheet (large), being careful not to break bubbles. When cool and hard, crack into small pieces with knife handle.

No Fail Marshmallow Fudge

4 c sugar
1 cube butter or margarine
¼ tsp. salt
l large can [12 oz] evaporated milk

Stir until dissolved, cook 5 minutes. (8 minutes at high altitude.) Add l lb miniature marshmallows and stir well, then add 1 (12-ounce) package of chocolate chips. Stir until dissolved, add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 cup chopped nuts. Pour into buttered dish. [My mom uses a 13”x 9” pan.]

English Toffee

1 lb. butter (don't substitute margarine)
2 c sugar
1/2 c white corn syrup
1/2 c water
1/4-1/3 c slivered almonds

Combine in heavy pan. Boil and cook until almonds turn light brown, the mixture leaves the side of the pan in a ball in the middle, and the pan begins to smoke. Stir constantly. Pour onto well-buttered marble slab or cookie sheet. While hot, break up 1 large Hershey's candy bar and place on top until melted. Spread evenly across the top. Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts. Cool until chocolate is firm. Break into serving size pieces, using the handle of a table knife. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes: chocolate chips can be substituted for the chocolate bar.

Foster's Fudge

4 c sugar
6 rounded T. cocoa [My mom uses less.]
l tsp. salt
l/3 c white corn syrup
l 1/3 c milk

¾ cube butter
l tsp. vanilla
nuts [optional]

Cook together until sample in cold water can be gathered up into a soft wad. Remove from heat and add butter. Allow to cool until hand can be held on the bottom of the pan. Add vanilla and stir until candy loses its gloss and becomes creamy-looking. Add nuts and pour out onto buttered platter before candy becomes too thick.

Notes from DeLynne: I think Mother used to make this but Uncle Foster Harrison created the recipe.

Penuche

AKA Brown sugar fudge

l lb. pkg. brown sugar [two cups]
2 cups white sugar
l½ c half and half (not canned milk)
l tsp. vanilla
l cup nuts [optional, in my opinion]

Mix sugars and cream and stir over heat until dissolved. Put lid on pan and boil one minute. Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring constantly so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Wipe down sides of pan to remove sugar crystals. (I tear a 1-2” strip off a Bounty paper towel, wind it around a fork, and wet it with cold water. Squeeze extra water out.) Cook to soft ball stage; cool until you can put your hand on the bottom of the pan; beat until creamy and thick. Add vanilla and nuts at the end.

Megan's Notes: May be used to make a nut roll; also as centers for chocolates. Canned milk makes it grainy.(I like the brown sugar flavor, but the nuts make it way too bitter for me. I always used to pick out the nuts. I'd love to try it dipped in chocolate without nuts. =) One source I found said the new trend back East with penuche is to use maple flavoring.)

Raisin Icebox Cookies

• 1 ½ cups raisins {or dates}
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup shortening
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 cups flour [whole wheat works well]
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• Chopped nuts, optional

1. Cover raisins/dates with water and bring to boil. {Cut dates with scissors before boiling.} Drain & reserve liquid.
2. Chop raisins/dates.
3. Cream sugars and shortening; add eggs, vinegar, vanilla, and fruit.
4. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. {Add some cooking liquid if too dry.}
5. Knead until smooth.
6. Roll into 2” diameter rolls; wrap in waxed paper and freeze overnight.
7. Slice & bake for 10 minutes at 400*F.

Megan's Notes: These are one of my favorite cookies. Not too sweet; just right among all the other sugary holiday goodies. =)

Caramel Popcorn

This recipe was hand-written by Grandma Woodbury:

1 lb package [2 cups] brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1/2 c water
1 cube [1/2 cup] butter or margarine
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Cook to softball stage. Pour over popped corn and mix well. Enough for 2 lb package of unpopped popcorn.

Megan's Notes: I loved it when Gma would make up a batch of caramel popcorn. Those clumps of caramel at the bottom were the best part! =)

Potato Doughnuts

AKA Spudnuts

• 1/2 c melted shortening [my mom uses butter]
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c milk, scalded
• 1/2 c potato water
• 1/2 c mashed potatoes
• 2 tsp. salt
• l pkg. dry yeast in 1/4 c warm water (or add 1/4 c more water and sprinkle on lukewarm liquid ingred.)
• 2 beaten eggs
• 8 c unbleached flour

Heat milk, potato water, potatoes, butter, sugar and salt until just warm. Add beaten eggs and yeast when lukewarm. Add flour; knead well. Cover and let rise in the fridge in greased bowl overnight. If you don't have time, just let it rise a time or two at room temp. Be sure to cover it with a clean cloth or lid to keep a crust from forming on the top.

Roll out 3/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with doughnut cutter. Cover with cloth and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Fry in deep fat (375 degrees) until brown. Place raised side down first. Turn and brown other side. Drain on paper towels and roll in sugar or glaze with thin powdered sugar and milk frosting.

Makes 3 dozen doughnuts and 3 dozen holes.

Megan's Notes: My mom often used to make these at Halloween. They are delicious; I highly recommend them!

Calumet One Egg Cake

Sift together and set aside:

2 c flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream 4 Tbsp shortening and 1 cup sugar together until well mixed; add one unbeaten egg; beat well.
Add l tsp. vanilla.
Add dry ingredients alternating with 3/4 c. milk.
Mix well and bake in moderate oven (350*) in loaf or layers.


To make a larger cake, use these measurements:

3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c shortening
l l/2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c milk

Follow directions above.

Notes: Spoon over fruit to use as cobbler topping.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

• 2¼ c. flour
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ c. shortening
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 T. cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla or 1 T. orange juice

Sift the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt together.
Cream the shortening and sugar; add eggs, cream, and vanilla.
Gradually add the flour, mixing well.
Chill the dough before baking.
Place on lightly greased pan and sprinkle with sugar before baking at 400° F. for 10-12 minutes.

(Makes 3 dozen crisp cookies)

Megan's Notes: I'm guessing these could either be rolled and cutout or scooped and pressed with a sugared glass.

Divinity

• 3 c sugar
• ¾ c white corn syrup
• ¾ c water
• 3 egg whites, beaten stiffly
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• nuts, optional

Mix sugar, corn syrup, and water in heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved; then cook without stirring to 260 degrees {—a little dropped into cold water forms a hard ball}.

Remove from heat and pour in a fine stream, beating constantly, into the beaten egg whites.

Add vanilla and continue beating until mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull.

Fold in nuts. Drop quickly from tip of buttered spoon onto waxed paper in individual peaks or spread in a buttered pan and cut into 1” squares when firm. Makes 48 pieces.


Megan's Notes: I have not yet tried making this, probably because I've heard all my life how temperamental it is. It needs to be made on a sunny day, and it has to be beaten a long time, which is probably why the pioneers called it Patience. Grandma would start it in her stand mixer but would always finish beating it by hand.

This is probably my all time favorite thing Grandma Woodbury made; I would ask for it for my birthday, and sometimes, if they were traveling our way that time of year, I would be lucky enough to get it. =D I would savor every piece!!

Grandma Woodbury’s Molasses Candy

2 c sugar
2 c cream
4 T. butter
12 oz (1 1/2 c) sorghum or molasses

Cook, stirring constantly, until brittle, then add almonds and 2 rounded tsp. soda. Stir briskly only until the soda is mixed in and pour into buttered pan.

Megan's Notes: This is the candy I remember Grandma almost always had around. Not just at Christmas-time, too. I preferred it to be a little on the softer side -- you might be in danger or removing a filling, otherwise. =)

I have hand-written notes on my recipe card that say 1 cup molasses, cook until brittle or soft, and use 1 rounded tsp of soda. I'm not sure who made the adjustments, but I thought I'd be thorough and offer all options. =)

Uncle Clair says that sorghum makes a better candy. He said the molasses works but makes it more crispy than the sorghum.

Lemon Icebox Pie

AKA Super Lemon Pie

Make a graham cracker crust by mixing 28 crushed crackers with 2 squares melted margarine, and pack 3/4 of it as a lower crust into a 9x13 pan.

Filling:

• 2 or 3 packages [3 oz. each] lemon jello, dissolved in 2 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup sugar (2/3 cup if frozen lemonade is used)
• Juice and rind of 2 lemons -OR- 1 small can [6 oz.] frozen lemonade
• 1 large can [12 oz.] evaporated milk

Add sugar and lemonade to jello mixture and chill to jelly stage. Put evaporated milk into freezing tray and freeze until 1/2 inch thick ice forms around edge. Remove from freezer and whip until really stiff. Add the gelatin mixture and whip until blended. Pour ino the shell and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. Chill until ready to serve.

Megan's Notes: I plan to type in recipes as written and add my own interpretation at the bottom. But sometimes, I'll add information [like package sizes] in brackets in the body of the recipe. My mom only uses 2 packages jello in hers, and it turns out fine. She said 3 pkgs might make it set more firmly.

This pie is also delicious made with strawberry jello!