Grandma's Apple Cake

Before starting, get your baby distracted playing with a wooden chicken leg.

Preheat oven to 350F
Then mix these dry ingredients in a bowl.
1 3/4 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Allspice

Have your other child help with the mixing.

Then, in another bowl, cream together:
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
blend until fluffy.

Add:
 2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 cups Apples OR 1 cup Applesauce
Then ADD dry ingredients.
Mix well.

Bake for 45 min.

Grandma's Rhubarb Muffins

I found this in Grandma's recipe box. Easy to make and very tasty.

Batter:
mix together
1 1/2 cups Brown sugar
2/3 cups vegetable oil (I used apple sauce)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

Then add
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
2 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda

mix together
then add
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb

Put into muffin tins.
Top with Struessel

1 tsp butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup nut meats (I used rolled oats instead)

Bake at 350F until toothpick comes out clean. ~30 minutes.
Makes ~16 muffins

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Mix together:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Add:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup nut meats
1 cup raisins

Drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.

Cheese Soufflé

My Grandma really liked making this. And she would talk about it a lot. For some reason i thought it would be really difficult to make. And it's not at all. It's super easy.

Cheese Soufflé

1 cup rolled crackers
3/4 cup grated cheese
2 eggs well beaten
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk

Crush crackers and place in casserole dish. Add milk, cheese and butter. Stir. Beat eggs, then add to mixture and mix well.

Bake ~50 minutes until centre is set at 350F.

Banana Cake

My Grandma was known for her pies, and her cakes. Delicious.

I was looking for a healthier option for my son's first birthday cake this year. Instead of a cake mix, and frosting with shortening and food colouring, I thought I would try cream cheese frosting (although also unhealthy, much easier for baby to digest). And use fondant to decorate, but that can just be taken off and the adults can eat it.

So I went through Grandma's recipe box and found this recipe for Banana Cake.

Grandma would usually make this in a 9" square pan, so I double the recipe for my 2 8" round pans.

Banana Cake
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 banana's
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp sour milk *
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
With my two cakes today, it took 45 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure.
* For sour milk, I used 2 Tbsp milk with a squirt of lemon juice. The More with Less cookbook says to use 1 1/2Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar for one cup of milk. I didn't need a whole cup worth, so I improvised.

Grandma's Butter Tarts

Whenever we would go to Grandma's house, we would sit down to visit. And it wouldn't be long before she would say "There are butter tarts in the freezer". My sister couldn't remember eating a butter tart that wasn't frozen. And boy were they good. She would always put nuts in them though, and I never liked nuts.
A few years ago my husband and I were visiting, and she gave me her recipe. And so now I make my own without nuts. And I LOVE them. My sister and I were pregnant at the same time, and we both went through nesting stages. We both made a bunch of butter tarts, so that when people came over to see the baby we could say "There are butter tarts in the freezer."

I will type out the single recipe, but I made a double batch in the pictures, that's why it looks like much more than what the recipe calls for. Also I haven't mastered the art of making my own pastry yet, so these are in store bought tart shells.

Butter Tarts

1 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
2 T butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt your butter in a bowl

Add brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix well.

Now here is the important part. Your mixture to this point is ok, but a little thick.
So POUR HOT WATER over the raisins.

Then add your raisins to the mixture, and mix well.

Put into tart shells.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Carrot Cake Demise

This is one of my Grandma's recipe's. I did alter it just a bit to make it a little more healthy.

2 cups white sugar
1 1/3 cup corn oil (I used 1 cup apple sauce and 1/3 cup olive oil)
4 eggs
3 cups flour (I used 1 whole wheat, and 2 white)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 cups grated raw carrot
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, and so I didn't use them)

In a bowl mix sugar, oil and eggs.

Mix next 5 ingredients together and add to mixture.

Add carrots, raisins and nuts.


Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. I only had to bake mine 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Frosting
6oz cream cheese (that's about 3/4 of a cup)
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cheese and sugar together, add vanilla and mix well.

Frost cake when still warm.

Pumpkin Muffins

This is one of my Grandma's recipes.

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil (I used applesauce)
3 cups flour (next time I will probably do 1/2 whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup raisins

I also added
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves



Mix together and bake at 375F for 20 minutes.



Makes 3 dozen

Pork Chops with Spanish Rice

I started this blog as a place to post about my Grandma's recipe's. And I haven't made one yet. So when planning supper last night I went through her recipe box.
Now let me tell you something about my Grandma. She was well known for her baking. So while looking for supper recipes, there wasn't a whole lot to choose from. And mostly Grandma would make things like roast with mashed potatoes etc. And she has no recipes for those things. A lot of her recipes are things her daughters or daughters in law made that she wrote down. Almost every single one of her recipe cards has the name of who she got the recipe from.
Today's recipe was from Doris G. According to the card this recipe was in a cooking contest, and my Grandma wanted it.

Pork Chops with Spanish Rice
Brown Pork chops but do not cook, put them aside.

In a large fry pan (the same one you browned the pork chops in) place:
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used 1 cup, and then added 1/2 cup water since I had added extra rice)
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
Cook to a golden brown but do not burn

Add 20 oz canned or fresh tomatoes
Add a green pepper if you wish
Season with salt and pepper
1/4 tsp Savory

Lay Pork Chops on top with lid on.

Simmer 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot on platter.

It was good, but next time I think i will play around with the spices some. Made add some more Spanish flavour to it.