GMA by girljohnny

Gran’ma Ittel’s

Cookbook A collection of recipes passed down with love

Christmas 2021

Contents

Contents 00

Introduction

Soup’s On!

Letter from Grandma

Shredded Beef BBQ Mother’s Hungarian Goulash Grandma’s Favorite Wartime Meat Dish Dried Beef Casserole

Grandpa’s Berry Patch Blackberry Cobbler Blackberry Jelly Black Raspberry Jelly

Get-Togethers & Wing-Dings Punch Regina’s Vegetable Dip Favorite Cheese Ball Barbeque Sauce for Roast Carcass Pig Spaghetti Sauce for “80” Dumpcake

Breakfast

Holz Mous Breakfast Casserole Hungarian Coffee Cake

Cookies Aunt Sadie’s Sugar Cookies No Bake Cookies Mom’s Outstanding Oatmeal Cookies Aunt Edie’s Delicious Date Bars

Deserts t o Share... or Not Rice Pudding Shandon Strawberry Social Icecream Joyce’s Homemade Ice Cream Custard Pie and Bread Pudding Oatmal Cake Frozen Cranberry Dessert

This cookbook is lovingly dedicated to my phenomenal “CHILDREN, the GRANDS and the GREATS.” Cooking requires time and energy, but we all like to eat, so we cook. Sharing a meal with another or many others is special-beyond measure. It says, “I love you. I care about you. I value our time together. A meal doesn’t have to be grandiose to be of value. A lesson I learned from the “Greats” is that water and pretzel sticks work just fine. However, there are times in life when more than water and pretzels are needed, and there are many different life situations that require giving of ourselves. In Shel Silverstein’s book, “The Giving Tree,” the tree seemingly has given all it can give, at least to the reader’s eye, and yet, in the end, it continues to give by providing a place where ‘the boy’ can sit and rest, and the tree invites ‘the boy’ to do just that. Most likely there have been times, or perhaps there will be times in each of your lives, when you think you have given all you can give and there is nothing more that you can give. You have no time and certainly no more energy. Maybe you are down to your last dollar. If you would ever find yourself in this situation, allow me to say that there is still, always, something you can give, because, I believe that in God’s eye, every loving, caring gesture counts. A smile. A pat on the back or a word of encouragement. Encouragements like ‘Good Job’ or ‘I’m really proud of you.’ You might even provide a listening ear and a place to sit and ‘rest for a spell.’ Perhaps you could even share one of Mom’s Outstanding Oatmeal Cookies. Who knows? In so doing you might entertain an “Angel Unawares.” I love each and everyone of you. I am proud of each of you and your accomplishments. I am so thankful that you are my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am blessed. Mom, G’ma or G’ma Great (Take your pick.)

Grandpa’s Blackberry Patch “...and Baby Bear cried and cried as he sat in his little broken chair. ‘They picked all of my blackberries,’ he wailed” -short story by Grandma Ittel Blackberry Cobbler Blackberry Jelly Black Raspberry Jelly

Berry Juice for Jelly Add a little water to the bottom of a sauce pan Simmer 1 gallon of frozen berries until soft Mash with a potato masher to release all the juice Simmer an additional 5-10 minutes Strain through cheese cloth or juice strainer Allow berries to drain until dripping stops You can gently squeeze additional juice through the cheese cloth My grandma used to let the berries drip overnight to collect all the juice

Black Raspberry Jelly 4 1/2 cups juice 1 box SURE-JELL 1/2 teaspoon butter 6 1/2 cups sugar Makes 8 half pints or 4 pints Add butter and SURE-JELL to ice and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in sugar. Bring to boil, and boil 1 min. (spoon off foam) Butter helps to cut down the foaming, but it woun’t eliminate foaming

Blackberry Jelly 3 3/4 cups juice 1 box SURE-JELL

1/2 teaspoon butter 1/2 teaspoon butter

Boysenberries or dewberries can be substituted for the blackberries Follow the directions for Black Raspberry Jelly This recipe comes from SURE-JELL

Get-Togethers and Wing-Dings Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. -Psalm 81:10 “The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller Punch Regina’s Vegetable Dip Favorite Cheese Ball Barbeque Sauce for Roast Carcass Pig Spaghetti Sauce for “80” Dumpcake

Grandpa and Grandma at their senior prom

Punch 2 packages Kool-Aid 2 cups Sugar 2 quarts Water

1 - 46 oz. can Pineapple Juice 1 quart Ginger Ale Pineapple Sherbet

Serves 50 (small punch cups) Batches served about 70 people with refills. We made this for the Missionary Tea on December 3, 1978

Regina’s Vegetable Dip Very Good

1 cup Sour Cream ½ cup Mayonnaise 1 tbsp. Parsley (chopped) 1 tbsp. Grated Onion 1 tbsp. Dill Weed 1 Tbsp Beau Monde

Favorite Cheese Ball My favorite memory of making the cheese ball is when Jordan and Joseph ate an entire cheese ball, and they were so proud of themselves!

3 (8 oz.) packages Cream Cheese 5 - 6 packages Dried Beef (about 12oz.) 2 tbsp. Onion 2 tbsp. Worcestershire 2 tsp. Accent Several drops of Tabasco Makes 1 large or 2 medium cheeseballs.

This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoyce and be glad in it. Psalm 118 : 24

Barbeque Sauce for Roast Carcass Pig Just in case you need to roast a pig. 1 lb. Margarine 3 Lemons or concentrated juice 1 pt. Vinegar 6 tbsp. Salt 1½ tsp. Black Pepper 1 tsp. Red pepper - if desired 1 Onion - finely chopped 3 tbsp. Sugar A little ketchup to taste If too strong, add a little water. Mix all together. Simmer for about one hour. We used this when we roasted a pig for Jerry and Sherre’s rehearsal dinner here at the farm.

Spaghetti Sauce for “80” For those times when 80 people show up. 10 - 15 lbs. Ground beef - (brown in large skillet) 6 (3 oz.) packages Italian Sauce mix 6 - 7 Large Onions 9 (16 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce 9 (12 oz.) cans Tomato Paste 2½ tsp. Red Pepper 16 Bay Leaves 9 tsp. Celery Seed 4½ tsp. Minced Garlic 4½ tsp. Black Pepper 3 tsp. Thyme 18 tsp. Oregano 6 tsp. Chili Powder 10 Beef Cubes 1 cup Sugar Salt to taste Add the same amount of water as the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Use a turkey roaster to combine all ingredients and to heat. I made this one time when we were members at what was then Beech and Collins Church of Christ - now Victory Christian Church.

Dump Cake Preheat oven to 350 F Ingredients: 1 pkg yellow cake mix 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple with juice 1 can (20 oz) cherry pie filling 1 cup chopped picans 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter (in patties) Greased 13x9” pan Layer (do not stir) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1. undrained pineapple 2. Pie filling 3. Cake mix (spread this evenly) 4. Pecans 5. Butter patties Bake at 350 for 50 Minutes

Breakfast “Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain Holz Mous Breakfast Casserole Hungarian Coffee Cake

This is an old German recipe. My grandmother, Sophia Delker Walther, prepared it often for my breakfast. My kids and grandkids refer to it as “The Secret Family Recipe.” - Grandpa

Holz Mous The secret family recipe

1½ to 2 cups Flour ½ tsp. Salt 1 Egg Milk - enough to make the mixture thicker than pancake batter. Add shortening or oil to the skillet and heat until hot. Pour the entire batter into a heated skillet and fry like one large pancake. Brown both sides until cooked through. Lower heat and cut into small bite sized pieces. Serve with soft cooked eggs mixed together with the pieces or with jelly.

Sophia Delker Walther, Grandpa Ittel’s grandma

Hungarian Coffee Cake My mom made this coffee cake for years, and we have passed the recipe around to anybody and everybody. I put this recipe in the YWwives cookbook when Grandpa and I were living with his dad. A neighbor, I remember well her very high pitched voice, made this coffee cake. Her husband complained that it didn’t have any salt. I can’t believe he would complain about this recipe. This coffee cake is delicious!-Grandma Ittel 2½ cups Flour ½ cup butter 1 tsp. Cinnamon 1 ½ c. light brown sugar Mix together like pie crust. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture for the topping. 1 cup Sour Milk 1 tsp. Soda, dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water Add liquids to dry ingredients and blend. Pour into a well greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Soup’s On Through my years of growing up we all sat down together for our evening meal. Before eating we would pray, and each of us kids would have our turn to ask the blessing. When we were younger this is the prayer we would pray. “God is great. God is good, and we thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.” Shredded Beef Barbeque Mother’s Hungarian Goulash Dried Beef Casserole Grandma’s Favorite Wartime Meat Dish Spaghetti Sauce for “80” Dumpcake

Grandma Ittel’s parents, Joseph, Valera “Melita” Skjoldager Frank, and Carl Frank

Shredded Beef Bar-B-Que Mother’s recipe Cook beef until tender, then shred (2-3 lbs of beef) Add: Onions - chopped fine Catsup - half bottle 4 T. Worshestershire sauce 2. t. cinnamon Salt + Pepper (to taste) Simmer all together for an hour

Dried Beef Casserole But I use ham 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 cup Milk 1 cup (¼ lb.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1 cup uncooked Macaroni 1 tbsp. Dried Onion Flakes ¼ lb. Dried Beef or 1 cup Ham Blend soup and milk; add remaining ingredients and pour into buttered 1.5 qt. Casserole. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. 350’ for one hour. Serves 4 - 6. I cut this recipe from the newspaper -- I don’t remember how long ago -- many years -- and have just now copied it to a recipe card. I’ve made the casserole many times. It’s quick, easy, and tasty. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” - Maya Angelou

Grandma Ittel’s grandma, Mildred Permilia Farquer Skjoldager

Cookies “Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.” Will Rogers Aunt Sadie’s Sugar Cookies No Bake Cookies Mom’s Outstanding Oatmeal Cookies Aunt Edie’s Delicious Date Bites

My grandma’s sister, Aunt Sadie (Sadie Florilla Farquar Biddinger) and Uncle Albert

Uncle Frank and grandma, Grandma Ittel’s great-great uncle, the original owner of the”Big Blue Vase”

Aunt Heather made this Christmas tree and gifts in art class to give to Grandma for Christmas. It is one of Grandma’s most treasured Christmas trees.

No Bake Cookies

Top: Jeff’s second grade recipe and school picture. The students made these cookies in class and brought samples home to share. Right: Madison decorated Grandpa & Grandma’s sidewalk one afternoon

One day when the boys and I were out helping Grandpa bale straw, Brenda made this recipe. She came out to the field while the cookies were in the freezer and realized that she forgot to add the oatmeal!

Mom’s Outstanding Oatmeal Cookies 1 1/2 cup flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup shortening 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 2 eggs, well beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Cream shortening; add sugars gradually. Beat until light; add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and creamed mixture; blend thoroughly. Add oats. Divide mixture in half. Shape into 2 long bars. Wrap in waxed paper and place in freezer for at least 1 hour. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, slice, and place on uncreased baking sheet. Bake in 350 F oven about 10 minutes. Yield: 6 dozen.

Aunt Edie’s Delicious Date Bars

Aunt Joyce tells about how the cookie jar was always filled with these cookies. 1 cup Shortening 1 cup Sugar 2 Eggs 1 tsp. Vanilla ½ c. Sour Milk ¼ tsp. Baking Soda

Spread with the following date filling: 2 cups Chopped Dates ½ cup Sugar ½ cup Water 1 cup nuts Add sugar and water to chopped dates. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool and add chopped nuts. Roll out remaining dough and place on top of the date mixture.Grandma says it is aggravating to get the top layer of cookie picked up and put on top of the other one, so be careful! Cut in strips to make small bars. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Cookies will be light in color. Allow cookies to thoroughly cool, then roll in powdered sugar.

Desserts to Share...or Not Rice Pudding Shandon Social Strawberry Icecream Joyce’s Homemade Icecream Custard Pie and Bread Pudding Oatmeal Cake Frozen Cranberry Dessert

“He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you’re always young in His presence.” Psalm 103:5 The Message

Rice Pudding ½ c. Rice 1½ c, Water ½ tsp. Salt 1 qt. Milk 1½ c. Sugar 2 Eggs - well beaten 2 tsp. Cornstarch 2 tsp. Vanilla

In a deep saucepan, add rice to boiling, salted water. Cover. Cook over moderate heat until moisture is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Add milk and sugar and cook for 25 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tbsp. Milk mixture. Add to well beaten eggs -- blend thoroughly. Pour slowly into the milk mixture. Stir constantly until well-blended. Simmer over low heat -- stirring for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool. Add vanilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Made for the first time for Jeff’s 6th grade class at Kramer School. Their Greek unit. I made it again for Heather’s Greek unit at Stewart Junior High. Pudding is very thin, but is very tasty. quick, easy, and tasty.

Christmas 2019

John Evans’ Recipe Strawberry Social - Shandon G’pa used to tell stories about when he and his dad would get ice cream from Middletown for the Strawberry Social. He would also also haul chicken salad for the social on his bike. 2 1/2 qt. half & half 1 (14 oz) can of E.B. Milk- sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup of sugar 2 T. plus 2 t. vanilla Mix all ingredients 4 qt. freezer

Custard Pie and Bread Pudding

450 - 15 min 350 - 15 min 5 eggs 2/3 cups sugar nutmeg (sprinkle on top) 1/2 t. salt 2 1/2 cups milk small amount of vanilla Use this same recipe for bread pudding Add about 4 pieces of bread cut into small pieces

Even when away, in South Padre Island, Texas, Grandpa celebrated his birthday with the grandkids.

Oatmeal Cake

1 1/3 cups boiling water 1 cup quick cooking oats, pour water over aots; let stand 20 min, until cool. Add: 1 C. shortening 1 C. brown sugar 1 C white sugar 2 eggs 1 1/3 cups flour 1/2 t. cinnamon 1. t. salt 1. t soda Bake at 350 for 35-40 min in a 9x12” pan (greased and flowered) Topping for oatmeal cake 6 T. butter 1/2 C. brown sugar 1/4 C. cream or milk 1 t. vanilla 1 C. nuts 1 C. coconut Mix together and spread on top of warm cake. Put underbroiler for a few minutes. Watch carefully - until bubbling.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13

Ultimate success is hearing the words of Jesus at life’s end, “Well done, good and faithful servant...” Matthew 25:23