Grandma Sally's Mississippi Mud Cake

Grandma Sally's Mississippi Mud Cake

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs, beaten

pinch of salt

* Stir butter and cocoa over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix beaten eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Once, chocolate mixture is melted, let cool slightly and then add it to the sugar and egg mixture. In a separate bowl, mix salt and flour and add to the wet ingredients. Stir together. Pour into greased and floured cake pan (13x9). Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. While cake is still warm, add the frosting!

For Frosting- 

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, soft

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

*To make the frosting, cream the butter and cocoa with mixer. Slowly add milk sugar and vanilla. Mix until blended. (This will be thinner than most frostings)

Recipe shared by Mandy Davies.

Veggie Pasta

Veggie Pasta

1 medium butternut squash, in chunks

4 roma tomatoes, halved

1 yellow onion, in chunks

1 whole bulb of garlic

1 red pepper, in chunks

Organic Veggie Stock… about ½ -1 cup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pepper

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, optional

1 palmful of Fresh chopped basil

·         Scatter all the veggies onto a large baking sheet or 2 medium baking sheets (as long as they are in a single layer)

·         Drizzle a bit of Olive oil over them, sprinkle pepper and whatever other seasonings you like (garlic powder, onion powder…)

·         Toss them around until they are coated

·         Roast in the oven on 400 degrees for about 20-30 min or until they start to get browned and tender

·         Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb, and put into a food processor with the rest of the veggies and your fresh basil

·         Side note: I have been known to add extra veggies at this point…. A handful of fresh spinach or kale makes it even healthier

·         Pulse the processor until it is smooth… this is when I add my veggie stock, so add it until it is the consistency of a spaghetti sauce… you can also add the parm cheese if you are adding it

·         Add the sauce to whatever pasta you can have… whole wheat, glutten-free, or my kids like the veggie infused pasta that you can find now!

·         You can eat it like this or you can put the pasta in a baking dish and top with a sprinkle of cheese and bake it until it is bubbly

Recipe shared by Mandy Davies.

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Kale, torn and washed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lemon

Grated Parm cheese

Toasted Slivered Almonds

Thinly sliced Red Onion

Massage kale with a drizzle of olive oil.  Add lemon zest and juice of half the lemon. Toss with cheese, almonds, and onions.

Recipe shared by Mandy Davies.

Canned Pie Filling

My daughter, Alison McMurry, makes this every year. Just like her Mother and her Grandmother and her Great-Grandmother before her. Makes great apple pie later in the winter or next summer!

Apple Pie Filling

 Fill 7 quart jars with sliced apples

Sauce:

4 ½ cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

2 tsp. cinnamon

10 cups cold water

½ tsp. salt

3 Tbls. lemon juice

Blend together dry ingredients.  Add water.  Cook and stir until thick, clear and bubbly. Add lemon juice. Pour over apples in jar. Seal jars. Process in water bath for 20 minutes.

Makes 7 quarts.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Crockpot Apple Butter

It's apple time! Time to make Apple Butter! Yum!

Crockpot Apple Butter

12 cups chopped, unpeeled apples

¾ cup apple cider

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves

Combine apples and cider in 3 qt. crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, until apples are soft. Puree apples and return to pot. Add sugar and spices. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours. To thicken, uncover and cook on high to desired thickness. Pour into jars. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Fresh apple butter will  keep several weeks in the refrigerator or it may be frozen. 

Recipe shared by Robin.

Applesauce

This is a recipe that I used to make when my children were young and still at home.

Applesauce

20 large apples

4 cups water

2 ½ cups sugar

Wash apples, core and quarter them. Place in a large pot. Add water and sugar. Cook on medium until soft. Pack while hot into jars. Process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Canned Apples

This is an old family recipe. It seems like something that would be made by Grandma.

Canned Apples

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced

½ cup sugar

Mix together in a shallow pan. Let sit overnight. Put in quart jars. Process in a cold water bath for 5 minutes. Leave in canner to cool. Use in cobblers, crisps, etc.

Recipe shared by Robin.