Some of the best recipes in Grandma's box



     

      I was sitting here thinking about what would make as good a story as the last one.  Chocolate is a hard subject to follow up.  In Mom comes with one of her recipe books.  She knows I enjoy reading in them, but this time she wanted me to share it with you.  The recipes I have been sharing are hers, because she is responsible for teaching me to cook.  Long before Hamburger Helper came along, there was Chuck-a-roni.  A little dish I invented when I was 12.  I grilled hamburger, onions, and green peppers, then I added Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Just think of all the royalties I have lost out on.  I hope by sharing these recipes, and stories on this blog, that people enjoy cooking them and share the stories with their friends, and familey's.  

     

Now the best recipes of any recipe book

GOD SOUFFLE 

1 cup Loyalty

1 1/2 cup Friendship

2 cups Prayers

10 cups Love

     Stir ingredients until smooth.  Add hope and respect.  Sprinkle with joy.  Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees or until overflowing.  Servings:

Unlimited, enough for everyone

by Linda Walters

BIBLE CAKE

2 cups Judges 5:25

3 1/2 cups Exodus 29:2

3 cups Jeremiah 6:20

2 cups 1 Samuel 30:12

2 cup Nahum 3:12

1/2 cup Judges 4:19

1 cup Genesis 43:11

6 cups Isaiah 10:14

2 tsp. 1 Corinthians 5:6

1 Tbsp. 1 Samuel 14:25

season to taste with 1 Kings 10:10

and Leviticus 2:13

      Follow Solomon's advice for making good boys and you will have a good cake.  Look up the ingredients in the Bible.

by Hester Donald, Seneca Florence Childress

HOW TO PRESERVE A HUSBAND

      Be careful in your selection.  Don't choose too young and take only such as have been reared in good moral atmosphere.  Make your selections carefully and let it be final.  Do not go to market for him, as the best are always brought to your door.

      When once decided upon, give your entire thought to preparation for domestic use.  Like wine, they improve with age.

      Do not pickle or put in hot water, as this makes them sour or bitter.  Do not freeze, as this hardens them.  They are also unsuited to roasting or putting in a stew.

      Prepare as follows: Garnish with patience.  Sweeten generously with smiles.  Flavor with kisses and spice with laughter.  Wrap carefully in charity and keep warm over a good fire of steady devotion.  Serve with peaches and cream.  Thus prepared, even the poorest varieties may become prize specimens and will keep well for years.

written by Jean Beacham, and Mary Coward as well as the next 2

HAPPINESS CAKE

1 cup good thoughts

1 cup kind deeds

1 cup consideration for others

2 cups sacrifice

2 cups well beaten faults

3 cups forgiveness

      Mix thoroughly.  Add tears of joy, sorrow and sympathy.  Flavor with love and kindness.  Fold in 4 cups of prayer and faith.  Blend well.  Fold into daily life.  Bake well with the warmth of human kindness and service with a smile anytime.  It will satisfy the hunger of starved souls.

RECIPE FOR MAKING A GOOD HOME

      Take 1 cup of friendship, add 1 cup of thoughtfulness.  Mix well with a pinch of powdered tenderness, lightly beaten into a bowl of loyality to which has been added 1 cup of faith, 1 cup of hope and 1 cup of charity.  Be sure to add a teaspoon of gaiety  that sings and the ability to laugh at little things.  Moisten with sudden tears and heartfelt sympathy.  Bake in a good-natured pan.

   Pat Daugherty leaves us with a wonderful recipe for Christmas, and as Christmas gifts.

CHRISTMAS AROMA

3 (4inch) cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup whole cloves

3 bay leaves

1 or 2 lemmons cut in 1/2

     Combine in a saucepan, bring to boil in a quart of water.  Creates a nice fragrant atmosphere.

     There are many suprizes in a recipe box.  Some times, just the right ingredents to make a house, a home.  How about a new word, like dredge,  means to flour meat, like chicken for frying.  

     As always; thank-you for reading Charles Kenneth's Corner, and share with your friends.  I hope you enjoyed it. 

   







The Ultimate Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies



     This morning with sleep still in my eyes, getting a cup of coffee, I see this.  Two bowls sitting on the stove, one with 2 sticks of butter.  My only question was are we making a cake?  The reply was no, Cookies.  As I took my coffee back to my room, the song "O Happy Day" came to mind.  I'm a 54 year old kid, when it comes to cookies.  We have started to realize that home made is cheaper to make, and you know what you are putting in it.  If you have been following my blogs then you have read "The Box".  I assure you, this recipe is going into "The Box".  Now all the recipes in my Mother's box have been added not just from her mother.  Some from the Campbell's soup can, and others like this one, from the butter.

  

     On the back of this box top is chocolate gold.  And I'm going to share it with you.  I am not a paid spokes person, nor have they paid for my blog.  Some of the plug's I have put in my blog, are just because I use their products.  With that said, here are some other things you will need for these cookies.

 

     After all this produce placement lets get down to making cookies.  As you saw from when I got coffee 2 sticks of butter.  If you set it out for awhile it gets softer, and is easier you work with. 

 

     In this bowl we have 2-1/4 cups flour,1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp. baking soda.  Set this to one side.  With the bowl with the butter in it, we are going to use the mixer.  When the butter is mixed smooth, add 1 tsp. vanilla extract , 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 large egg.  OK, slowly pour in our flour and cocoa powder, mixing it well.  By pouring slowly you prevent clumps.

 

      Great we need to chop up our walnuts.  For this part we are going to use a wooden spoon to mix, 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips, 6 oz. white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and nuts into or flour mixture.  The recipe calls for pecans, but once again I'm using walnuts.  I love pecans, but once again I don't have any. 

     That was not that bad, was it.  Now for the second best part of this.  Smelling up the house.  The recipe calls for you not to grease a cookie sheet, but we are going to spray ours with vegetable oil.  Cookies always stick, so it will not hurt, and only help.  Also the recipe called for dropping 1/4 cup size balls, 3 inches apart.  We are using a tablespoon, they made 18 cookies, we made 4 dozen. 

      Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

     Baking time is 11 min.s or until edges just begin to set.  Do not over bake, cookies will firm as they cool.  Cool for 2 min.s on a wire rack,  then remove from cookie sheet and let cool completely. 

     Approach with caution, these cookies are very addictive.  Before making this recipe, be sure to have plenty of milk.  Well now that I am every ones best friend for sharing the Ultimate Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe.  I have some request;  (1.) Read my other blogs  (2.) Pass my blogs to your friends  (3.)  Start a "The Box"  for yourself.

      Once again my blog has made me hungry, and I bought a full gallon of milk today. 

 

  

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie



Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

     Tired of hamburger helper.  Here is a simple recipe for young adults stretching a dollar, or kids.  Not knowing what to fix today, and making jokes about it.  Out comes the book of ideas.  Now what makes this pie impossible I have no idea.  I'm sure just like the recipes found on the cans of Campbell's soups, or the back of a Bisquick box.  They end up in the local Church Ladies Cookbook.  I don't know how many cook books you may have, but I love reading them.  Now having said that, my aunt is always credited for the green bean casserole at Christmas.  Every time since then it is always Aunt Susan's recipe, even though we know it came from the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup can. 

     I always refer to myself as the Kitchen Cabinet Cook, because I put every thing in the cabinet, into what  I'm cooking.  As you can tell from some of my blogs, I like hot peppers, garlic, and onions, I love onions.  I must say I change, or doctor up every recipe I cook.  Once you start cooking regular, you have to put your touch to it.  To me a recipe is nothing more than an idea to get me started. 

 

      This is very simple recipe.  Myself, I could eat this whole pie, so you might double every thing when you make it.  I only had a pound of hamburger, 2/3 a cup of Bisquick left in the box.  The recipe only called for a 1/2 a cup, but what are you going to do.  It all went into a bowl with a cup of milk, and 2 eggs.  Just set that to the side it goes in last of all.  Get out a frying pan.  I first sprinkle salt around the pan before putting in the hamburger.  To me it bring the fat out of the hamburger for cooking with no oil.  Recipe calls for a cup of onion, I just chop up a whole large onion.  I prefer to add the onion after the hamburger is about 1/2 cooked, because we will put this in the oven.  With a strainer, drain off the oil from the hamburger, and onions.  Take out a 9" pie pan and grease, before spreading the hamburger, and onions evenly around the bottom.

  

     We are using a casserole dish, just don't use the top on it when you cook.  Here we are adding the cheese, and go to the cabinet to see what we want to add to that.  

 

     These are just some of the additives for cooking.  The basic spices to get you started.  Then as you go along, you can add to it.  The one called lemon pepper is a great way to fix chicken or fish.  Be careful, because to much can really kill a dish.  For instance Sage, or Curry are the ones people use to much of.  To me, just a little is all you need of those .  With this dish just a little fresh garlic, might be added, it is a Cheeseburger flavored dish. 

     Now, add the Bisquick mixture we made earlier, and pop it into the oven for 20 to 25 min.s at 400 degrees.  

     And, this is what it looks like when it comes out.  You will wish you had learned how make this before now.  I am also sure this will not be the last time you make it.  It is a kid friendly dish, that moms will not mind making. 

Chow-Chow is a condiment



     This is how I make Chow-Chow.  Chow-Chow is a condiment, used with collard greens, spinach, or beans.  Some people like me even put it on a Ritz.  Which reminds me Hot Pepper Jelly, on a cracker is good too, but that is another story.  In the South, we love our greens.  We don't just have Turnips, we eat the leaves.  There is also Poke-Salad which is a weed that grow along side the road.  Now that green dish will make you sick if you don't make it right.  Today people call it Soul Food.  I remember when we got ham bones for almost nothing.  Fat back, was some thing my Grandmother fried strips of and put in green beans.  I would get a piece and chew on it.  Lard sat in the refrigerator, beside butter that had a design pressed into it.  Eggs had dirt on them, brown colored, and even spots.  I really thought it was cool when an egg had two yokes.  There was all kinds of milk.  Goats milk, cows milk, store bought milk, and butter milk.  We ate vegetables, a lot of the time, chicken was on Sunday.  There was a basket on the stove, biscuits wrapped in a dish towel.  Well, a lot of that has changed.  For one thing, high-blood pressure changed the way we eat.  Lard is what made fried chicken so good.  It, is out of the kitchen, along with that cake of real butter.  No 2% here, but even the butter milk is store bought now.  

       

     I still like to have a garden, and it not only helps with the budget, but it is better food.  Today, these greens are not only cooked, but make great salads.  We are not in the reconstruction South, nor are we in the aftermath of the great depression.  We eat these, because they are good food.  They are good for us.  Collards for instance have a hardy meaty taste.  The Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, India, and Spinach, can all be cooked together for a wonderful flavor.  Just like putting mustard on french-fries, we have ways of eating greens.  

      One of my all time, must have, is sweet Videllia Onion.  This onion is grown in Videllia Georgia, and you can eat it like an apple.  I prefer it chopped in chunks and sprinkled thickly over beans or greens.  I have never met an onion that I didn't like.  Ever since I was old enough, I have been cutting up onions for Mom.  The big purple ones, or the big yellow onions will put a tear even in my eye.  Did you know if you keep a tooth-pick in you mouth, you won't cry.  Spring onions, you chop the green stems up they are the chives.  It's all good.  

     Fat back; that is a good thing to go with your greens, or beans.  Cut it into strips.  It adds a real good pork flavor.  What we do most of the time, is cut about an inch off the bacon.  The package of bacon, or we call it a slab of bacon.  Doesn't come in a slab any more, but we still call it that.  Another way is buying family packs of pork chops and use the extra in your greens.

     Some where down the line, some one figured out to put cayenne peppers in apple cider vinegar.  I am so glad they did because I love them.  Then we started putting Tabasco peppers, Jalapeno peppers, garlic, even boiled eggs in the vinegar.

    

     These are just like ketchup on a hot dog, or peanuts in a coke.  Condiments for Southern Cooking

Chow-Chow is the best of these. 

     You take these peppers, all of these peppers, and cut up.  Removing the seeds, before chopping in a food processor, or small chopper like mine.  We added some colored bell peppers, but if cost is a factor green bell peppers are fine.  We did cut a side off each bell pepper to put aside to make potato salad with later. 

     As we chop the peppers up, put them in a large pot for cooking.  At this point we have chopped up 5 med garlics, 3 large colored bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange.  I used about 20 or more large cayenne peppers, 15 med. to large jalapeno peppers, 3 large banana peppers, and about 20 Tabasco peppers.  Scrapping the veins and seeds out.  I had about 1/4 a head of cauliflower, and a few carrots from the garden for added color.

     Now the main ingredient is the cabbage.  We cut the whole cabbage up and grind it in with the rest.  Once the cabbage is added, put 1 cup of sugar, and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar.  Cook on top of the stove stirring often.

 

     After cooking until thicken, put jars and lids in another pot for heating.  This is my way of making Chow-Chow.  I'm sure there are many other ways to make chow-chow.  I am sure of one thing, you do not want to rub your eyes with your hands for several days.  Soap and water will not get rid of the fire.  If you have arthritis, mix crushed up peppers especially the Tabasco peppers, and cayenne, with olive oil.  This home made remedy works, just be careful around private areas when going to bathroom. 

    

The Secret of the South

This must be the secret of the South

           I told a friend I needed to put my recipe for Pimento Cheese on my Blog. 
She asked; "What is to it?  Just mayonnaise and cheese? 
I said; Not just mayo, but Duke's Mayonnaise. 
She asked if she could get it in Texas?
That is when I told her about living in California when I was young, we had to have it and corn meal mailed to us.  

         So today I looked for Duke's on the "Net".  If you have been following my Blogs then you have read some good recipes.  Also "The Box" blog about mom's recipe box.  Now, you know a good recipe when they put their name to it.  Or some fancy name like, "Ronda Rich and Aunt Ozelle's Glorious Macaroni and Cheese".  Well I'm glad to tell you that Duke's Mayo has expanded its delivery area.
 
         Yes, Dukes is now in Texas, and can be bought on the inter-net.  How the world has changed in 50 years.  Now there no excuse for bad potato-salad.  You will be putting your name to dishes like:
"the Amazing Glaze Grilled Salmon Salad" or "Gran ma Sugar pie's Salad Dressing".
          If you don't have a "The Box".  Now is a good time to start one, because here are some good ideas to put in it.  Pimento Cheese is not just cheese and mayo.  Try "the Glass Onion Restaurant's Pimento Cheese", or "Boathouse Pimento Cheese", or even "Sarah O'Kelley's", and "Tricia's".  I haven't even mentioned mine.  I guess after reading today's blog, yall a be say-in mader, on-yon, grips, and pass the taters.  But one thing is for sure, you will never have the bowl at Thanksgiving dinner no-one liked.
   
         I hope they don't get mad that I stole their picture, but I am bragging on them.  Now to get recipes for;
 "Not Yo Mama's Deviled Eggs"
"Cheddar Garlic Drop Biscuits"
"Brenda's Tomato Pie"
"Baked Vidalia Onion Chicken"
"Shrimp Burgers with Spicy Mayonnaise"
"Duke's Hot Jalapeno Bacon-Spinach Dip"
or
"Secret Ingredient Cinnamon Sugar Cookies"

          I guess you are just going to have to go the their web site too.  You will start putting your name on your dishes too.  Now tell all your friends about Charles Kenneth's Corner, and the web site for Duke's is up to you.
http://dukesmayo.com/stories.asp
 

"The Plague Doctor" the birth of a painting



          Sometimes art has a mind of it's own.  This painting has come to life with a history, and a lesson in history.  To start with, something I read long time ago comes to mind.  It was something like, when the "hand" tries to carry out the imaginations attempt at brush stroke, and the results are not what was wanted.  It is because all "matter" resist the human will.  Understanding also that your mind is in a constant battle.  This may even be news to you, but the right and left hemispheres of your brain do not work well together.  When the left side of your brain reads a book, the right side day dreams interfering with the understanding the left is trying to achieve.  This battle takes place in everything you do, all day, every day.  Now, with the left side of you hardened, straight forward, and unfanciful.  The right is colorful, imaginative, and full of flare.

          With that said here is the story of "The Plague Doctor".  In my mind I had an image of the theater mask with the long pointed nose.  The masks seen at the Mardi-Gras, with beads came to mind.  How do I get this image out.  I drew it on paper, but was never satisfied with the results.  I asked the little one here, to do paper-mache.  She is 9 years old and knows every thing.  She has taught me that the older I get the less I know.  Even when she is doing something new, her teacher at school has told her all about it.  Patients is not her best trait.  I stopped by the Dollar Store on the way home, and bought balloons.  Little girls, or a least this little girl loves balloons.  Flour, water, and bowl, we started covering our balloons.  I cut strips of news paper 1" to 1 1/2" wide for us to use.  A "maraca" was the plan for her and making a "mask' was mine.  Neither of which have been realized.  Hers still sits in my brothers room.  He is her grandfather.  Mine, as I mentioned, did not conform to my mental eye.  I deflated the balloon and cut out shapes, but no mask formed.

 

           After glue in the paper with a glue-gun, and studying it, thinking of what to do.  Having a blank canvas I decided to tape it to it.  With the rest of the paper-mache from the balloon.  I formed the shape of the crown of a skull.  With them taped together on the canvas I now just studied it.  Looks like a chicken, or a rooster.  Thought about getting feathers and making the top like a Africans head dress.  A far cry from the mask of the theater.  I let this hang on my wall, while I thought about it.

 

          This stayed on my wall quite awhile, changing very little as I thought on it.  Instead of getting the bowl of flour and water, to do paper-mache again I just stuck some strips of material into some paint, and put it on.  As accidents go this mask is taking the shape of a painting.  Unlike the sculptured canvas paintings where I pushed the limits of plaster, and canvas.  This is a failed attempt at paper-mache, and still don't know what it is.

          Putting some black paint in the place the eyes would go,  I looked up "Bird Mask" on the inter-net.  Not finding Mardi-Gras, or such, I found "The Plague Doctor".  The picture was of a man in a trench coat, a hat, and a whip.

           This picture is the only one I found at first, with no true under-standing.  The only thing I knew of the plague, was that people died by the thousands from rat do do.  I knew Nostradamus lived  during this time and did his prophesies, but didn't know about this.

 

          Now, I took a piece of cardboard, cut out a hat shape, and covered it in an old t-shirt.  Painting it brown, it made the perfect hat and became an interesting subject to research.  Upon researching the plague I found it to have been not just a one time event, but many events.  The "Black Death" as it has been called, took place repeatedly over 400 years.  Their are even cases of  bubonic plague today.  This is how art ends up teaching me some thing.  Google the plague and you get a lot more images that the one I got.  

 

          Before long my friend here, was starting to come to life.  I found out that there was a purpose to this strange outfit.  "Doc", as I like to call him, was waring a "HAS MAT" suit.  They understood that the Plague was contagious.  It was a "Hazardous Material" which required a suit for protection.  In that moment it all made sense.  The red lenses in the glasses were thought to keep out evil.  Inside the cone of the wooden nose was incense, herbs, and flowers.  To block the stench, of the corpses.  The long cain stick to turn the bodies over.  Doctors, were covered from head to foot.  Scarfs tightly tied, collars turned up, and long leather gloves.

   

           As the Doc. moves threw the night you feel a sense of how things might have been for him, now that you better understand him.  Cutting out the bottom of a soda can, wrapping the edges with leather, and a small piece of wood to join them.  I made the red glasses.  With heavily paint cotton material, made the scarf and shirt.  While brown leather, makes the vest with soiled dirty spots on it.  Doc. moves threw the dimly lit street. 

 

          Yes.  This is how the things in the world working against me, and my idea of a mask.  My "Right and Left" brain fighting.  Having to learn about a subject, I didn't even plan to paint.  Turns out with a personality of it own.  All of these pictures have been of just one painting, though it takes on many characters.  I am once again in awe, of one of my own paintings.  This is not the first time a painting surprises me in the way it came to be.

 

          This Painting along with the odd pieces of wood, or rocks I've painted, stand tall.  Yes, I have many paintings of people, barns, houses.  I have bird houses, wood carvings, spoons.  Each new painting  just seems to happen, and when it does.  They are one of a kind.  Just like the walking sticks, they just seem to happen.