AUNT SASSY’S LEMON NUT COOKIES:

~“These be my special lemon nut cookies you so fond of, Miz Laura.”  Aunt Sassy’s voice came smiling and prideful.~

1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons milk

1 and ½ teaspoon baking powder

2 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Pecan halves

Fine sugar to sprinkle on top of cookies

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter until light.  Add sugar gradually, creaming well.  Beat eggs lightly, and add to butter mixture.  Add lemon extract, lemon zest, milk and mix well.  Gradually blend in baking powder and flour to form dough.

Roll dough to ¼ inch on lightly floured surface.  Using cookie cutter or glass dipped in flour, cut 2 ½ inch  rounds and place on parchment paper or buttered cookie sheet.  Sprinkle tops of cookies with fine sugar and add a pecan half to center.  Bake 13-14 minutes.  Remove cookies and cool on wire racks.

Makes approx. 3 ½ dozen cookies.

AUNT SASSY’S LEMONADE:

~“William Henry!  Run get me a cup of cider vinegar from the cellar, and bring out that pitcher of lemonade.  Go on now!”  She swatted after him, then hurried me toward the front porch, knotting her pocket handkerchief tight around my thumb. . . . The lemonade cleared a path down my throat, and I was grateful for the vinegar.~

2 cups sugar

6 cups water

The juice of 10 freshly squeezed lemons

Thin lemon slices

Combine sugar and 1cup water in a saucepan.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool.

In a large pitcher combine and stir syrup, lemon juice, and 5 cups of water.  Add lemon slices to pitcher or one slice to each glass before serving over ice.

**A special touch:  Rub rims of tumblers with lemon and dip rims in sugar.  Fill tumblers with ice and lemonade, then garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

AUNT SASSY’S MOLASSES COOKIES:

~I filled my shirt with fresh molasses cookies and slipped out, thinking myself clever and lucky until I bumped into Joseph carrying a flour sack up the back porch steps.~

(This was adapted from my Grandaunt Angie’s recipe.)

1 cup sugar (white or raw)

3/4 cup molasses

1 cup shortening

4 cups flour (to start)

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

¾ cup warm water

1 cup raisins (optional, but tasty)

Heat sugar and molasses together over medium low heat.  When sugar is dissolved, add shortening and stir until melted.  Remove from heat.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon together.

Beat egg into water.  Add dry ingredients and raisins alternately with egg and water.

Stir until soft, smooth dough is formed, adding more flour as needed.

Chill dough for 2 or more hours, until easy to handle.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut with a glass or large, round cookie cutter.  Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet or parchment paper.  Press a few additional raisins into tops of cookies (optional).  Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on racks.

CAROLINE’S BREAKFAST EGGS (Sometimes known as “Toad in the Hole” or “Eggs in the Basket”):

~There was no cast-iron stove in the cabin kitchen, and I wondered how Ma would manage with just the fireplace and pots, but she did.  Even so, she made us eat in the dining room.  We’d just finished our eggs when Nanny Sara pushed open the door, surprised that ma had cooked our breakfast.~

2 slices wheat or white bread

2 eggs

butter or margarine

salt & pepper

Butter each bread slice on both sides. Using a glass or cookie cutter cut a center round from the middle of each bread slice. 

Place bread slices and rounds in a skillet over medium heat. When bread is toasted on one side, turn over and immediately break an egg into the hole of each slice.  Salt and pepper egg to taste.  Continue cooking until egg is almost set and bread is toasted.  If you prefer your eggs cooked on both sides, flip once to continue cooking.  Serve hot.

WILLIAM HENRY AND ROBERT’S GOLDEN FRIED CATFISH:

~I could picture William Henry and me filling a bucket, and Aunt Sassy rolling freshly cleaned catfish in cornmeal, frying it crisp and golden brown.~

Dip cleaned fish into an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water.  Coat fish in cornmeal or in a mixture of flour and cornmeal mixed with salt and black pepper.  Fry in hot fat or oil in a heavy skillet, turning only once, until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside flakes easily.  Serve hot.

**For added flavor that William Henry and Robert may not have known, sprinkle cleaned catfish with Old Bay Seasoning before dipping in egg.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice over cooked catfish.

ASHLAND’S CHRISTMAS PLUM CAKE:

~Both houses were full of Christmas smells—pine and cedar garlands, plum cakes and gingerbread and sugar cookies in all shapes.  Ma and Rebecca paraded the hallways, new clothes, gifts, and ribbons in tow.~

(This was my Great-Grandmother Dubock’s recipe, adapted by my Grandma, Olive Dubock Lounsbury, for modern use.)

3 lbs. pitted plums or 3 lbs. raisins

2 and ½  lbs. currants (or substitute 2 and ½ lbs. golden white raisins)

½ lb. mixed peel

1 lb. bread crumbs (may be from bread dried at home or bread crumbs bought with no seasonings)

6 cups flour (sifted)

¾ teaspoons cinnamon

½ oz. mixed spice or substitute 1 teaspoon allspice, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ lb. sugar

1 lb. beef kidney suet

½ pint milk

5 or 6 eggs

Grind cold suet through a (cold blade) food chopper or processor and reserve in separate bowl.

Sift flour and spices, then combine with fruit.  Add bread crumbs and sugar, mixing thoroughly.  Add suet and mix again.  Mix milk and eggs separately, then add to mixture.  Stir quite a while—using hands to mix well.

Pack pudding in greased (with shortening) coffee cans.  Pack snugly, leaving no air holes, but leaving about 1 inch space at the top of each can for pudding/cake to expand.  Cover cans with aluminum foil and tie with string.  Pierce top with ice pick or tooth pick to allow steam to escape.  Set cans on rack in open canner or turkey roaster.  (Make sure water in canner or roaster does not cover cans or leak into tops.)  Cook (boil gently) about 3 hours, then cool on racks.  May be stored for several weeks.  Flavors improve with this bit of aging. 

When ready to use reheat thoroughly in the same “hot bath” manner  (about 45 minutes to reheat).  Serve warm with sauce:

SAUCE FOR PLUM PUDDING/CAKE:

1 quart milk

3 rounded tablespoons cornstarch

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cornstarch with a little water.  Add to scalded milk, then add sugar.  Cook over medium heat until it thickens, boiling gently about 5 minutes—stir constantly.  Add vanilla.  For thinner sauce add more milk.  For thicker sauce add more cornstarch.

Serve hot over Plum Pudding/Cake.

NANNY SARA’S HOECAKE SLATHERED IN BUTTER AND MOLASSES:

~Nanny Sara didn’t look up from her work but cut me a slab of warm hoecake, slathered it with butter and molasses, and pushed it across the table toward me.

I tasted it and relished the warm sweetness.  It was the first thing that had tasted good to me in a long while.~

2 cups cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

Heat one tablespoon of bacon drippings in a cast iron skillet. 

In a bowl mix salt into cornmeal.  Stir in water, then remaining bacon drippings.

Form a round cornmeal dough cake (1-2 inches thick) and place in hot skillet.

Cook slowly over medium low heat until brown on one side.  Turn cake over to brown other side.

Serve warm slathered with soft butter and molasses.

MRS. O’LEARY’S SAVORY LAMB STEW AND SODA BREAD:

~Alone at last, Jeremiah and I tore into the lamb stew and soda bread, not speaking to each other until the last bit had been licked from our fingers.~

8 slices bacon

3 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder trimmed of fat and cut into large bite size

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or finely chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped

¼ cup water

2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into large, bite size pieces or use 2and ½ cups baby carrots

1 large onion, cut into bite size pieces

5 potatoes, peeled, and cut in eighths

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

½  cup white wine

Saute bacon in a large frying pan.  Reserve fat, but drain bacon on racks or paper towels and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Set aside.

Combine salt, pepper, and flour in mixing bowl.  Add pieces of lamb:  toss and coat evenly. 

Reheat some of the bacon fat and brown lamb, adding oil as needed.

Place browned meat in large dutch oven and set aside.

Saute garlic and onion in remaining bacon fat, being careful not to burn.  De-glaze the frying pan with ¼ cup water.  Add water, garlic, and onion, as well as bacon pieces, beef broth, sugar and bay leaf to dutch oven.  Cover and simmer until tender (approx. 1 and ½ hours).

Add carrots, onion, thyme, and white wine to dutch oven and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.  Add potatoes, salt and pepper (as needed) and cook, covered 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.

Makes 6 servings

**Stew flavors tend to improve with time, making this a good dish to prepare one day and reheat to serve the next. 

IRISH SODA BREAD

1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup raisins (dark, or light and dark)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon melted butter

½ tablespoon raw or granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix well first six dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse meal.  Add raisins and stir.  Make a center well and pour in buttermilk.  Stir with wooden spoon, creating a soft dough. 

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth—a few minutes.  Shape into a ball and place in a greased 8 inch round cake tin (or on a greased cookie).

Using a sharp knife, slash a cross on top of dough.  Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Allow dough to rest 10 minutes.  Bake in center of oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and cake tester comes out clean. 

Cool on rack.

EFFIE BURTON’S CHICKEN SOUP:

~She was back within minutes bearing hefty bowls of chicken soup, steaming and swimming with carrots and turnips.

“This be the best soup I ever eat!”  Jeremiah nearly cried as he tasted it.

The woman smiled and brushed Jeremiah’s hair back.  “I expect it is, young man.  I hope it is the beginning of many good things for you.”~

Rinse and pat dry a chicken.  Fill the cavity with thick slices of sweet onion and coarsely chopped pieces of celery.  Rub chicken lightly in olive oil and season with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, black pepper.  Roast in a moderate oven.  Enjoy this meal “with all the trimmings” saving 2 cups of chicken, cubed or torn, for soup recipe. 

Remove most of meat from the bones.

Cover the carcass in water and boil with seasonings and onion for at least one hour, or until the meat leaves/pulls easily from the bones:

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

1 large mild or sweet onion, chopped (not too fine)

Discard bones, and continue with recipe below:

Add to the chicken broth and boil for 12 minutes:

1 small bag carrots, cut in 1 inch pieces

3 stalks celery, cut in ½ inch pieces

1 turnip, peeled and cubed

Add whatever raw or frozen vegetables you have on hand or substitute 2 bags of frozen Hanover’s Vegetables for Soup. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook until vegetables are slightly tender.

Add 2 cups cubed potatoes.

Add 2 cups cubed or torn chicken.  Cook until potatoes are done.

**To make this recipe more easily substitute cooked chicken breast and 2 large cans seasoned chicken broth, such as College Inn Chicken Broth.  Even so, add the above seasonings to soup.

***To give this soup more body add a can of Cream of Chicken Soup to broth and stir well.