Cousins Recipes: Happy Feasting!

Here are some ideas for the upcoming holidays, or whenever. We have talented relatives in this family, and here are but a few of their ideas for eats!

Aunt Lil’s Lemon Sponge Custard:
Joyce Henderson writes: I have not made this recipe in probably thirty years. I would say it takes 30-45 minutes to bake. Use toothpick—cake top should come out clean, but bottom is pudding.

3T. melted butter
1 lemon—juice and rind
1 C. sugar
2 eggs—separated
½ tsp. salt
½ C. flour
2 C. milk
Mix butter, lemon juice, rind, sugar, egg yolks and salt. Add milk—gradually stir in flour until smooth.Fold in beaten egg whites. Put in casserole dish (Set in pan of hot water) and Bake at 350 degrees. Makes a cake-like top and pudding in the bottom.

On same sheet of hand written recipes is—
Aunt Lil’s Grape Juice Pudding:

1 C. grape juice
1 C. water
½ C. sugar
few grains salt
3 T. corn starch
Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt. Heat grape juice. Add dry ingredients to Hot juice. Stir until smooth and thick.
Cook in double boiler 5 minutes. Put in mold. Serve with cream or whipped cream.

Aunt CB sends along Ethel B. Taylor’s Date Pudding:

1 C. dates—cut up
1 tsp. soda
Add 1 C. boiling water and
½ C. shortening (it will melt)
Let sit 15 minutes.

1 C. sugar
1 2/3 C. flour
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
Grease 6 ½ inch by 10 inch or 8 inch by 8 inch pan—40 minutes at 350 degrees

Sauce:
1 T. flour or cornstarch
1 T. butter
½ C. sugar
1 C. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Boil to thicken


From Doris Hawkes:
Blender Custard Pie

4 eggs
2 C. milk
1 C. sugar
½ C. flour
1 stick oleo (cut up)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. coconut
pinch salt—nutmeg
Blend all ingredients except coconut for 1 minute in blender. Mixture will look curdled. After blending, stir in coconut. Pour into greased, floured 9 inch pie plate. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. It will separate and make its own crust.


From Ann Taylor Catherman,
Cranberry Fruit Jello:

1Can (20OZ) Crushed Pineapple, in juice
2Pkg. (3OZ) Raspberry Flavored Gelatin
1Can (16OZ) Whole berry Cranberry Sauce
2/3 C. Chopped Walnut pieces (I use whatever nuts I have at home)
1 Apple, chopped

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to juice to measure 2 ½ Cups.
Pour into saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour over Gelatin mixes in large bowl.
Stir two minutes until completely dissolved.
Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce, walnuts and apple.
Pour into bowl—chill for 2 and ½ hours
Or, spoon into 24 paper lined muffin cups. Refrigerate them until firm. Then, before serving, remove liners.
Ann writes: “HOPE YOU WILL TRY THIS AND ENJOY!!!!!!!!”

From Julie Lochner Riber:

Mom’s Baked Beans:
Everyone should remember Mom's baked beans. They were always the best of the best at picnics...at least I thought so.

2 C. Navy pea beans
1 t. baking soda
1 T. ham base
1 med onion
½ # bacon
¼ c. molasses
½ - 2/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. seasonall
½ t. garlic powder

Put dry beans in pot with enough water to cover and soak overnight. Drain, rinse and return beans to pot with baking powder, ham base and enough water to cover. Cook at a boil for 2 hours till almost-mushy stage. Drain and reserve the bean juice. Place half the beans in casserole dish. Layer with half the onions and bacon cut into small pieces. Layer with remainder of beans, the rest of the onion and top with 2” pieces of bacon. Measure 2 c. of reserved bean juice into saucepan. Add molasses, brown sugar, seasonall and garlic powder. Heat through. Pour over beans. Add more juice if needed to cover beans. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Gulliver’s Corn:
a recipe a girlfriend passed on to me, and it's been a favorite ever since
2 Pkg. (20 oz. total) corn 4-5 T. sugar
½ pt.whipping cream pinch white or cayenne pepper
1 c. milk 2 T. melted butter
1 t. salt 2 T. flour
Combine all but butter and flour. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Blend butter & flour. Stir into corn mixture. Boil till thickened. Remove from heat.

Key Lime Cheesecake:
The Key Lime Cheesecake was one I made up while visiting my friend Judi in Santa Monica for Christmas one year. She has a lime tree in her backyard, and it was a bumper crop that year. As is "Taylor" typical, I couldn't stand to see all those limes go to waste. So I made a plain cheesecake, then filling for a key lime pie which I poured all over the top. Yum!

1 ½ C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
¼ C. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together. Press into bottom and partially up the sides of a ten inch spring form pan. Bake five minutes and cool.

4 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
2 eggs and 4 whites (the other 4 yolks go into the lime topping)
¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla. Spray the sides of cooled springform pan with cooking spray. Pour mixture into pan. Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes till it’s firm and starts to crack on top. Cool.

4 egg yolks (saved from cheesecake)
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 lime rind, grated
juice of 4 limes
Blend egg yolks & milk. Slowly add lime juice to taste, then rind. Beat till it thickens. Pour over cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

Enjoy!

From Marylou Taylor Spear:

For over 40 years I have been on many occasions a cook. My employers on occasion have give me a title of Chef. I have also been a vegetarian for most of those many years sooo, I am going to send you my favorite recipes for a soup of protein and vegetables, bread and cookies.

In this picture of Marylou, who works at Strawberry Creek Country Club, she had just made 30 gallons of strawberry jam. She writes: “It was 100 degrees in the kitchen--ha, ha all for the love of food.”

Minestrone Soup:

Ingredients:
1 onion diced
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 potatoes diced
1 cup green beans
1 can white beans
1 can red beans
1 8oz can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 8oz can V-8 juice
1 can vegetable broth
1 Tblsp mixed dried herbs(basil, oregano,thyme)
1 cup small pasta
In a large pot with 2tblsps of olive oil cook, onion,celery,potato,and herbs for 6 min.Add all liquids and bring to boil.Add green beans, white beans,red beans and pasta. Cook for an addition 20 min. Serves 6 ( double if you have a family like mine.)

Squaw Bread:

Prepare dough using 2 cups flour(white,wheat or combination),1/2 tsp baking powder,1 tsp. salt, and 2Tbsp milk.Knead until dough comes together.Divide dough into 6 parts, shape into a round tortilla about the size of a small iron skillet about 1/8 inch thick . Fry the bread in about 1/4 inch of hot oil. Turn and fry both side about 2 min. Serve warm with honey and butter.

Sugar Cookies:
This recipe for sugar cookies has been around since my sister Ann received the recipe in an Easter card when she was six. I of course latched on to it and have used it ever since.

1 half pound butter(2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract( or lemon)
2 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs one at a time beat well. Add vanilla. In separate bowl mix flour,salt and baking powder.
Gradually add flour to wet ingredients and stir well. Chill dough 1 hour. These can be rolled to 1/4 inch and cut with cookie cutters or shaped into balls and flattened with sugar coated glass. I usually use this recipe at Christmas and make tons of cut outs with frosting and embellishments.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

THANK YOU to all who sent recipes-- We appreciate it!