Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb. butter
1 can sliced pineapple
3 eggs, seperated
1 cup white sugar
8 Tbsp. pineapple juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/8 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Melt brown sugar and butter in iron skillet. Stir often to prevent burning. When melted, add slices of pineapple. Beat yolks of eggs, add sugar, pineapple juice, vanilla, flour, and baking powder. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour over mixture in skillet and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Turn upside down while hot on large plate. Serve with whipping cream.

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 - #2 can fruit cocktail, drained
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, drained
12 marshmallows, quartered
1 cup of moist coconut

Mix all of these ingredients. Then, in seperate bowl beat 1 cup heavy cream, add 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Pour over fruit, mix carefully. Put in double ice cube tray and turn dial to medium. Let stand at least 4 hours. Serves 8.

Holiday Fruit Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup citrus fruits
1 Tbsp. whiskey
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup dates

Soak citrus fruits in whiskey. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg and sour cream. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda then add to mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Molasses Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups molasses
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
6 cups flour
4 tsp. baking soda


As with many good cooks and bakers, all they need is a list of ingredients and they know what to do from there. For the rest of us:

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add remaining ingredients to the mixture. Chill thoroughly, roll out, and cut with cookie cutters. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes.

Potato Spice Cake

Cream together 1 and 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup cold mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup oleo, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Add 3 eggs and beat well. Mix 1 tsp. soda with 1 cup buttermilk and add alternately with 2 cups flour. Fold in 1/2 cup raisins and 1/4 cup nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let stand in pan on rack until cold, then frost.

For Frosting:
Melt 1/4 cup oleo in saucepan. Stir in 3/4 cup packed granulated sugar and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Slowly add 3 Tbsp. milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups 4x sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Instant mashed potatoes can be used in this recipe, just omit salt.

Crispy-Coat Baked Eggs

3 cups whole wheat flakes
2 Tbsp. oleo
4 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Line baking dish with flakes. Dot with oleo. Break eggs - sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Fruit-Glazed Corned Beef

Place a 5 to 6 pound corned beef in a shallow roasting pan. Score fat and stud with cloves. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. grated orange peel, 1 tsp. grated lemon peel and 1/2 tsp. dry mustard and spread on meat. Combine 1/2 cup apple juice or cider, 1/3 cup orange juice, and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and pour over meat. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, basting occasionally.

Drop Dumplings

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Add onl sufficient milk to make a soft dough and mix lightly. Drop by spoon on hot stew. Cover tightly and cook 12 minutes. Makes 6 dumplings.

Candied Squash Rings

2 medium acorn squash
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. oleo or butter melted
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. allspice

Wash squash, cut cross-wise into 1/2 inch rings, scoop out and discard seeds. Place rings in single layer in a large shallow baking pan - combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over squash rings. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender. Turn once during baking. Place on hot platter and spoon sauce over top and serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Nut Bread "My Mothers"

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup sweet milk

Stir this - then add 2 well beaten eggs, nuts, and raisins.

Unfortunately, a number of the recipes are along this line. Cooking and baking with older recipes, it was generally assumed that you would know at what temperature to bake things. The reason I added this recipe is that my grandmother had labelled the top of this recipe as "My Mothers," making this recipe my great-grandmothers. And well worth preserving. Another recipe for nut bread in the recipe box calls for a cup of nut meats and to bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.

Molasses Popcorn Balls

3 qts. popped corn
2/3 cup Molasses
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup water
1/3 tsp. vinegar
1/3 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter

Pick over popped corn, discarding all hard kernels. Boil molasses, sugar, water, vinegar, and salt, without stirring, to 270 degrees or until it becomes brittle when tried in cold water. Remove from fire and add butter and vanilla. Have corn in a large pan, pour the syrup over it gradually, using a spoon to mix well. Form into balls and wrap in waxed paper. Makes 36 small balls.

Easy Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour
1 (12 oz.) can beer (flat or fresh)
1/3 cup sugar

Mix above ingredients by hand - dough will be stiff and lumpy. Spoon into all greased loaf pan - spread out to cover bottom of pan. Bake 55 minutes at 350 degrees. Brush top with butter when loaf is removed from pan.

This is a heavy, chewy version and especially good with stew or soup.

Bean Salad Bowl

1 can cut green beans
1 can waxed beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 cup lima beans
1 pkg. Good Season's Italian Dressing

Drain all, being sure that the kidney beans have the juice washed off.
Chop one red sweet onion.

Make a marinade of:
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup salad oil

Marinate the above for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

She added to the bottom of this recipe card:
Saw recipe that said add 1 to 2 cups diced cooked ham, 1 or 2 diced fresh tomatoes, and 1/2 cup leftover cooked sliced carrots.

Grandma Gert's Recipes

Grandma loved to cook and bake. She collected recipes all her life and loved to try new ones, making notes as to what she liked or would change. Unfortunately, much of her collection was lost in the flood of 1972, when her basement area flooded. Her most prized recipes were upstairs though and that collection in itself constitutes several boxes worth! When grandma died this year of Alzheimer's, I inherited her wonderful recipes. Some of them are cryptic, although I'm sure she would say it's as clear as a bell what's meant. Many are on bits and scraps of paper. The major part of the collection, though, she copied onto recipe cards and filed neatly in her huge recipe box. So there are literally thousands of recipes and I thought the best way to honor the memory of my grandmother would be to post the recipes here for all to share.

I hope you enjoy as much as I will enjoy the trip down memory lane every day.