Aunt Cathy's Pie Crust

Today I wanted to do pie crust.  I am not a pie eater BUT every time my mom makes a pie I always want the extra pie crust.  I love it!  Pie crust is a little finicy.  The more you make it the better it will be because then you can judge by texture.  I never make a pie crust with all butter (forgive me Paula Deen)  because then you have to work with it longer and it becomes tough.  I do add a little for flavor.

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup shortening

2 tbs. butter

Mix flourand salt.  Add 1/2 of the shortening and butter.

Blend until it has the texture of corn meal.  Add the second

half and mix until it looks like small peas.  Add ice water 4 - 6 tbs.

or until it just sticks together.

Texas Baked Apple's

I absolutely LOVE baked apples.  They are the best thing in the fall.  We like to go to pick our own apples!  Pick your favorite tart apple.  I don't like mine too tart but they need it.  This is a family recipe that I got from my family in Texas.  This recipe is for only one but multiples very easily.  It is very simple and delicious!

1.  Clean large apple

2.  Slice off the top of the apple

3.  Core apple without  cutting through the bottom

4.  Mix: 1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs raisins

1/8 tsp cinnamon

5.  Fill center of apple with mix

6.Put a small slice of butter on top of mix

and place the top of the apple back on

7.  Place in pan with 3/4 cup boiling water

and 2 tbs of sugar

8.  Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees or until tender

Aunt Chellie's Salmon Cheese Ball

Today we are doing a classic in my family.  My aunt lives in Alaska so she will boss you around about any salmon matter.  You're doing it wrong if you get farmed salmon!!!  So whenever there is a Thanksgiving or Christmas or any family get together she breaks out two huge salmon balls.  They don't usually last very long.

1 (1 lb.) can salmon

1 (8 oz.) package softened cream cheese

1 tbs lemon juice

2 tsp prepared horseradish

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Drain and flake the salmon, removing the skin and

bones.  Combine salmon completely with the rest of the 

ingredients (except for the nuts) a potato masher works 

very well.  Mix throughly.  Shape into a ball and roll in nuts.

Garnish with parsley and chill until time to serve (at 

least 2 hours).  Serve with crackers, my favorite is just plain

Ritz crackers!

Great Gramma Mable's Vinegar Cake

This cake may sound weird but if you try it you will never make another chocolate cake.  My gramma would make this recipe during the depression.  It contains no butter or milk or even eggs.  The baking soda and vinegar really aid in the cake rising.  My family wants vinegar cake every time there is a birthday or holiday.  I also am putting in our mocha frosting that works really nicely.  This can be baked in a 9 x 12 pan or a cup cake pan.  Even rounds if you want!

Sift together:

3 cups flour

6 tbs. cocoa

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. soda

2 cups sugar

Mix together in a bowl:

3/4 cup oil

2 cups water

2 tbs. vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix with fork into dry ingrediants until all flour

mixture is moist.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Mocha Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

4 tbs cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbs instant coffee, dissolved 

in a splash of coffee

In a mixer, beat the softened butter with the powdered

sugar until it is creamy.  Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla

extract, and coffee.  Beat with the mixture until it's nice and 

fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Remember to taste!

Mom's Lemon Garlic Shrimp Skewers

When my mom would cook it was always a gamble.  It would either be the best meal you ever had or the best meal you ever had burnt!  That is why grilling is so great for my mom, because if it had some char on it the you know it was grilled.  (Love you mom!)  This is one of my favorite recipes of my mother.  The brine on this recipe is great for flavor and you can't skip that step unless you like bland shrimp.

2 tbs. salt

2 tbs. sugar

2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp, 

rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup parsley

1 tbs. lemon zest

3 cloves garlic, peeled 

and minced

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

lemon wedges

In a bowl, mix salt and sugar.  Add shrimp and stir

gently to coat.  Cover and chill 45 minutes.  Rinse 

shrimp well and drain.

Put shrimp in a bowl (cleaned from the previous step

if prefered).  Add olive oil, parsley, lemon zest, garlic,

anp pepper.  Mix to coat.  Soak wood skewers in water

or use metal.  Skewer the shrimp.  To insure the shrimp stay

on the skewer create a c with the shrimp.

Lay shrimp skewers on your preheated  grill on high.  Only 

turn your shrimp once.  It will only cook for about 3 minutes each

side.  Serve with the lemon wedges and try one before they are all gone!

Gramma Cissy's Crispy Oat Cookies

My Gramma Cissy was an amazing cook and baker.  We make a entire cookie basket every Christmas and this recipe is one people always ask for.

 1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup vegetable oil

In mixer, cream butter and both sugars until

light and fluffy.  Add egg. Mix well. Blend in oil

and vanilla.

In a large bowl, mix:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Add flour mixture by thirds to cookie dough in mixer

blend well.

Stir in:

1 cup oats

1 cup crushed Post Toasties

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup pecans

Form into walnut-sized balls and place on ungreased

cookie sheets.  Flatten with a fork that has been dipped

in water. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown in a

350 degree oven.  Cool slightly in pans. Place cookies

on a rack to cool.  Store in an air-tight container.

(Makes 6 dozen)

Great Gramma Mable's Chuck Wagon Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my Great Gramma Mable's cookies.  Whenever we make these cookies we would double the recipe because everyone would want to take the dough home with them.  I remember looking in my gramma's fridge and seeing 6 logs!  I love to eat these cookies piping hot but if you can wait for them to cool they are incredible on ice cream!  To make nice round consistent cookies I recommend you make 3 "logs" of dough that will be about 1 1/2 inches.  Refrigerate the dough until it is firm and then cut the cookies.  After you lay them out on a cookie sheet use a fork to make the cross hatching.  For the peanut butter I prefer to use chunky peanut butter.  If you use an organic peanut butter the cookies don't turn out right.  If you are gonna eat cookies do it right!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together:

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

Blend together with:

1 cup shortening

1 cup peanut butter

Blend in:

1/2 cup light corn syrup

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes