Recipes and Remembrances - Seeley Family Cookbook

Recipes

and Remembrances

SEELEY FAMILY COOKBOOK

Dedicated to our three sons who have eaten every single recipe in this cookbook many times! And to our seven grandchildren who have made many of these recipes themselves.

- Grandma Prissy and Papa Fred - Christmas 2013

Scott

Mark

Paul

Front - Cameron, Jacob Back - Ryan , Ashlyn, Carson, Megan, Michael

Priscilla and Fred Seeley

From Papa Fred...

Papa Fred’s Pancakes Tips for a Perfect Turkey

Entrees

Chicken and Dumplings Chicken Enchiladas Chicken Soup Chicken Spaghetti Hungarian Goulash Muton’s Chili Pesto Pasta Chicken and Dressing Saucy Franks

Sides

Alma’s Green Salad Strawberry Preztel Salad Biscuits Gravy Brocolli Casserole Fruit Salad Dressing Cornbread Dressing Macaroni Salad Cornbread Potato Salad Bo’s Sweet Tea Sweet Potato Bread

8 9

11 13 15 17 19 21 22 23 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 33 35 37 38 39 41

Desserts Black Bottom Cupcakes No Bake Cookies Bo Bo’s Peach Cobbler Cut Out Sugar Cookies Pecan Clusters M & M Cookies Oatmeal Cake No Bake Pies Pappy’s Chocolate Pie Pie Shell Texas Sheet Cake

42 43 44 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59

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hen I was a little girl, my family ate every meal together every day. It might be just a bowl of oatmeal, but we sat at the table together at meal time. There was no grabbing food on the go or eating standing up in the kitchen. Breakfast was a special time to talk over the day’s plans, and during supper we shared the day’s happenings with one another.

Table manners were an important part of every meal and we learned the usual ones from a very early age:

Sit up straight Chew with your mouth closed Elbows off the table and one hand in your lap But Mother had additional points of etiquette. We were to wash our face and hands and comb our hair before coming to the table, and that included breakfast. We were to wait for Daddy before taking the first bite. As the head of our home, he took the first bite and then everyone else could eat. When we were finished, we asked to be excused from the table before we left. And finally, the most important one of all: thank the person who prepared the meal.

In the Seeley household, we tried to teach these same manners.

One evening, Paul was anxious to go outside and play with some of the “Mt. Gap Boys” who were waiting for him in our front yard. He asked to be excused, and when Fred replied he could go, Paul leapt up and ran out the door. It was only a few minutes before he raced back

dinner table Meal time at the Bynum

Mimi, Daddy, Pris

to the table, and threw his arms around my neck saying, “Thank you for the most wonderful spaghetti in the world!”

Fred happened to have the camera sitting on the table, and he snapped this photo of Paul and me. It was probably Spaghetti-O’s from a can, but he had learned his table manners well.

Whether it was Easter dinner, Saturday morning pancakes, or sandwiches on the back porch, cooking and eating together has bonded our family together with strong ties and pleasant memories.

It’s not what you are eating,but who you are eating with, that makes a meal special.

Paul says “Thank You” to the cook

W

hen our grandchildren spent the night with us, there was no question what we would have for breakfast.

They wanted Papa Fred’s “Golden Beauties.” His pancakes were the best. He shared his secrets for light and fluffy, golden brown pancakes with all his grandchildren, and some of them in turn, became quite well known for their pancakes. These are his secrets:

Papa Fred’s Pancakes

Ryan and Ashlyn eating some of Papa Fred’s “Golden Beauties”

2 cups Bisquick mix (This makes about 14 small pancakes) 1 cup milk 2 eggs In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs until they turn a lemony color. Gradually stir in Bisquick until blended.

“Start out with Bisquick mix, but use a little more milk than the recipe calls for. You want the mixture to be about the consistency of the syrup you’ll put on later. It should be thin, but not runny. Don’t over beat the Bisquick, a couple of lumps are OK. Use medium heat. If the griddle is too hot, the pancakes will cook on the outside too fast; then the outside will be brown and the inside will be raw. If that happens, give it to the dog. In fact, the first couple of pancakes won’t be as good as the last ones.

Spread a little Crisco on the griddle using a paper towel so the pancakes won’t stick.

You’ll know the griddle is ready by sprinkling a couple of drops of water on it. If the water bubbles up and sizzles, then the heat is just right.

Use slightly less than 1/4 cup measure to ladle the mixture onto the griddle. Smaller pancakes are easier for a little one to cut. Watch the pancakes carefully. When you see a couple of bubbles appear around the edges of a pancake, it ‘s ready to flip over. When you’re fixing pancakes, keep your eyes on ‘em. Don’t be looking out the window! That second side will cook in about one minute... Use a spatula to peek under them carefully to see when they’re ready for the plate.

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Tips for a Perfect Turkey 1. Purchase the frozen turkey 4-5 days ahead of the holiday.

2. Thaw out 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Never thaw it outside the refrig!!

3. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature one hour before you begin roasting.

4. Pat it dry with paper towels, and using olive oil spray, coat the skin completely.

5. Roast 20 minutes per pound in a 375 degree oven.Temperature on a meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Insert thermometer 2 inches into the turkey between the thigh and the breast for an accurate reading.

6. Make a tent with foil to cover the bird and let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes before slicing to allow for “after-cooking� and to give the juices time to redistribute within the meat.

Fred Thanksgiving 2013

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Harriet & Bud Seeley, 1959

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his is a rare photo of my mother and father: Harriet and Burton (Bud) Seeley. The photo was taken in 1959 when Pris and I drove to Hammond, Indiana, for our first visit as a married couple. My mother and father had separated in 1950 when I was a sophomore in high school. They could not be together very long without bickering. This was a special occasion for us to all be together. My dad was 61 and my mother was 42 when this photo was taken.

“Dad”, or Bud as everyone called him, always ate out for his afternoon meal. Usually it was some version of a hot-turkey sandwich: real comfort food with a slice or two of white meat on soft bread.

Creamy gravy smothered the turkey and the mashed potatoes that were always on the plate along with peas or beans. Whenever I need some comfort food and memories, we fix Bud’s favorite meal: hot turkey with gravy.

My mother disliked eating at restaurants, but I don’t really remember what her personal favorite foods were to cook at home. I have vivid memories of meals she fixed because she thought they were healthy and good for us.

Fried liver was one such meal and she made that as a weekly “treat.” Chicken was never fried and only roasted on Christmas or Thanksgiving. Chickens were used only for making soups and stew.

My favorite meal was her Chicken and Dumplings. She cooked the dumplings by dropping the dough into the boiling broth and the dumplings became became soft and spherical.

Chicken & Dumplings 1 2-3 lb. stewing chicken 1 large onion, chopped in large pieces 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 8 cups of water

2 cups Bisquick 2/3 cup milk

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, combine the chicken, vegetables, salt and 8 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until tender.

Remove the chicken from the broth and cool. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat from the broth. Bone the chicken, chop and reserve the meat. Return just the broth to a full boil.

Combine the Bisquick (original, not the fat-free kind) and milk in a large bowl. Stir until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto boiling chicken broth. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Then cover and simmer 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken pieces.. and season with salt and pepper .

Note: If you need a little more liquid, add 1/2 cup boiling water before you drop in the dumplings.

1959 ley with their parents Fred, Dan and Sharon See

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very Saturday morning, each boy did his chores, and then we handed out their allowances: 25 cents each. Then, every Saturday afternoon, the family piled in the station wagon and headed for the 5 and 10 cent store on Whitesburg Drive where things were really 5 and 10 cents!

They could choose whatever they wanted. in 1970, Paul was six years old, and like every Saturday, he headed straight to the aisle where he could find a sheriff ’s badge (for 5 cents) caps for his pistol (10 cents) and any kind of disguise that would make him look like a tough hombre.

Our family’s New Year’s Eve tradition was to celebrate at home with a Mexican dinner, toasting in the new year about 7:00 p.m. In 1970 we raised our glasses (which were filled with sparkling apple cider) and toasted each other, wishing all a Happy New Year.

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Chicken Enchiladas 1 dozen corn tortillas 1 can mild enchilada sauce (Old El Paso) 8 oz sour cream 3 cups shredded chicken 1 lb. mild cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 cup vegetable oil In a large skillet, heat oil. Dip each tortilla in the oil, one at a time until they are soft, about 10 seconds. Remove to a plate and blot with a paper towel to get as much of the oil off as you can. Repeat with all the tortillas.

In a medium saucepan, combine the enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Heat using low temperature just until warm. (do not boil!)

Place some shredded chicken in the center of Paul Seeley, 1970 a tortilla. Spoon some enchilada sauce mixture over the chicken and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Roll the tortilla up and place it in a 9x13 inch greased baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas until all are in the baking dish. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and cover with any remaining cheese.

Heat in the oven, uncovered,using a low temperature, 275 degrees to blend the flavors for about 15-20 minutes or until the enchiladas are bubbly.

If you are serving adults, you may want to saute 1 medium onion along with one clove of garlic until just soft and add add these to the chicken mixture.

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M

y father’s parents, Jesse and Amelia Bynum, were called Mom and Pop by their eleven grandchildren. Perhaps the determination and stubborn persistence we see in our grandchildren came in part, from Mom and Pop. They married in dusty, arid Jacksboro, Texas, at the turn of the century, and by weeding and chopping and picking cotton on their 10 acre farm, the two of them brought in the first bale of cotton grown in the county.

In his spare time, Pop broke horses for his neighbors, and played the “fiddle” for dances. Mom raised seven children.

With nine people to feed, times were hard, and they moved back to Jacksboro and opened a bakery. The oil pipe line was being built through the county. Mom and Pop and their children were soon baking 1,000 loaves of bread a day plus cakes, cookies and sweet rolls.

The three sons were responsible for cutting and hauling wood for the ovens, while the four girls helped their mother with the baking.

Later they moved to Lubbock, Texas so their children could go to Texas Tech, and Pop worked at Baldridge Bakery there. Mom always had a pot of soup on the back burner of her stove in their house at 1905 Dixie Drive. No matter how many people showed up in her kitchen at supper time, she could add a little something to the pot and there would be food for all. And the next day, she would have another pot of soup simmering on the stove.

Pop taught himself to play the violin, and played at his first dance when he was 14

Pop and Mom Bynum, 1963

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Chicken Soup For the Broth You’ll need 8 cups of chicken broth, and you can get this one of several ways: After you’ve finished a baked, roasted or even a rotisserre chicken, keep the carcass. The broth can be frozen for later use.

In a soup pot, place the chicken carcass, a chopped onion and 2 ribs of celery. Pour in enough water to cover the carcass and bring it to just bubbling, then a slow simmer for several hours. Cool, and remove the bones, celery and onion with a slotted spoon. Discard these and add enough canned chicken broth to your stock to make 8 cups Or You can buy a chicken and boil it for the broth using the same technique as above.

This will give you lots of chicken meat to put in your soup.

Or You can buy canned chicken broth to give you eight cups of broth

For the Soup 2 cups each: celery, carrots, onions, chopped 2 quarts chicken broth (8 cups) 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 2 minced garlic buds (or you can use 1 tsp minced garlic in a jar ) 1 teaspoon Tony Cachere’s seasoning 8 oz. noodles or other pasta 2 lemons (juice only) Using a large Dutch Oven or soup pot, saute the chopped vegetables in vegetable oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. (No longer or the garlic will taste burned) Add in the Tony Cachere’s seasoning, the 8 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil. Then lower the temperature and simmer for 40 minutes.

Add noodles or other pasta and cook until tender Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into the soup just before serving.

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red and I were married on July 9, 1958, in El Paso, Texas.

The wedding rehearsal dinner was held in our backyard at 8327 Sageland Drive. Daddy had borrowed numerous picnic tables from neighbors and friends, and strung lights in the trees. Mother and her friends had decorated the tables with red and white checkered cloths and hurricane lamps. Our backyard looked lovely. Aunt Genie and her two children had arrived, and Daddy’s brother, Pete, had driven Mom and Pop from Lubbock. Fred’s dad flew down from Chicago. This rehearsal dinner was going to be quite a party.

The main course was to be Chicken Spaghetti. Selected for two reasons: first, it was one of my favorites, and more importantly, Mother’s recipe fed a lot of people! The afternoon of the dinner, Mother had put the chicken on to cook, and removed it to cool on the kitchen counter, when suddenly, our dashund , Sassy leapt up, grabbed the chicken and dashed away with it. Fifty-five years have passed, and still, whenever I fix Chicken Spaghetti I remember that eventful afternoon, and how delicious that spaghetti turned out to be.

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Chicken Spaghetti

Serves 35 ... really.

1 large hen, cooked and diced 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 cup chopped celery 1 green pepper, chopped 1 can Golden Mushroom soup 1 small bottle catsup 2 large cans of tomatoes 2 tsp Tabasco 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Small box of Velvetta cheese, diced Salt and pepper to taste 2-3 pkgs. spaghetti Use a large Dutch oven or roasting pan. Cover hen with water and boil, covered, until tender (about 1 1/2 hours).

Remove chicken to a platter and let cool. (Save the broth.

You’ll use it to cook the spaghetti in.) When the chicken is cool enough, remove the meat from the bone, and cut in small pieces.

Keeping the broth in the same large pan, bring to a boil and add the packages of spaghetti.

While the spaghetti is cooking, saute the onion, garlic, celery and green pepper in a little bit of oil about 5 minutes or until tender.

Macon Bynum - 19 58

When the spaghetti is tender, add the sauteed vegetables, the chicken, and all remaining ingredients.

Simmer over low heat until the cheese is melted.

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M

y sister Amelia Alice Bynum, was two years younger than me and she was named after each grandmother: Amelia Oetting Bynum and Alice Noble Skinner. But Amelia was quite a difficult word for my two year old tongue to pronounce.When she arrived I called her “Mimi” - she has remained Mimi to us all ever since.

By the time she had finished third grade, Mimi had read all of Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series, and any other book about horses she could find. She was, in a word, “horse crazy.”

Mimi on Tootsie, 1952

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One afternoon as we were playing in the front yard at 116 Pasodale in El Paso, we looked up the road and saw a man riding toward us on a lovely little quarter horse. The man was our Daddy, and the horse supposedly was for all three of us girls, but everyone knew that Tootsie belonged completely to Mimi.

She would let us ride him occasionally , but Tootsie was all hers, and Mimi’s heart belonged to that horse. The day Toosie came into our lives, Mother had fixed Hungarian Goulash for supper, one of Mimi’s favorites.

But there was no coaxing Mimi into the house that night. She was brushing and currying, and then brushing and currying some more until she fell asleep on the fragrant hay.

Hungarian Goulash 1 cup celery, chopped 2 yellow onions, chopped 1 lb. ground beef 1 large can of tomatoes 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 pkg. macaroni ( depends on how many people you’re feeding that night, 8 oz or 16 oz.) cooked and well drained.You can also use large noodles 8 oz. Velveeta Cheese, diced In a large skillet, brown celery and onions in a little bit of bacon grease or vegetable oil. Cook for about 15 minutes or until onions are very soft and browned. Add the ground beef and cook until there is no pinkness, and the meat has started to brown. Add the can of tomatoes and simmer for 1 hour on a low temperature. Add chili powder and salt and pepper to Amelia taste. Cook the macaroni as Alice Bynum directed on the package, and drain well. Add the cooked macaroni and the Velveeta cheese to the meat mixture..

Slowly simmer on low heat until the cheese has melted.

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M

y dad, Muton Otto Bynum, was born in Jacksboro, Texas, Jan. 2, 1908. His family owned the bakery in town, and he and his two brothers, Pete and Mike, worked there every day, chopping and hauling the wood needed for the ovens.

In high school he excelled in sports; he ran track and was the high school’s quarterback. On the weekends he worked as a soda jerk at the drugstore, and later became the short order cook.

His parents wanted him to be able to go to college, so after his graduation they sold the bakery and moved to Lubbock, Texas. His plan was to attend Texas A & M, and he enrolled at John Tarlington, a military prep school for A & M. It was 1928.

A year later, the Great Depression hit Texas hard, and he returned to Lubbock to look for work. There were six younger brothers and sisters at home, and when he was unable to find any kind of job, he, like thousands of other young men across the country, left home so there would be one less mouth to feed. He became a hobo, hitching rides on trains across the Southwest, hopping off at every town to look for work. Eventually, he returned to Lubbock and took a job as a paperboy, and enrolled at Texas Tech. His best friend, George Skinner, lived across the street and had a sister named Macon.

Muton and Macon, 1958 20

He and Macon eloped on Dec. 2, 1935.

His preference in food was very simple.

As a teen ager, I remember one night when his supper was a handful of crackers smushed up in a glass of buttermilk. When I made a disgusting face, he told me, “Girl, there were times when this would have been a feast.”

Hard times during the Depression of the 1930’s made folks tough.

Muton Bynum, 1930

Muton’s Chili 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 lb. ground beef 1 15 oz. can kidney beans, undrained 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 or 2 teaspoons chili powder In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil and add the ground beef. Sir until the beef loses its red color. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour off the excess fat.

Add onion, green pepper, and the beans with their liquid . Stir in tomato sauce, salt and chili powder. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until chili is the desired thickness, about 45 minutes.

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ome of our family recipes have been handed down for several generations; others have come into our family recently when grandchildren have shared new dishes with us!

Ryan was a pretty fair cook in 2012 when he left to go to the University of Alabama. During his Ryan sophomore year he lived in 2011 an apartment with several friends, and he did most of the cooking. That was the year he made several discoveries.

The first was the herb, basil. He bought a plant, set it in a sunny spot near their back door, and the basil thrived. His second discovery was a small food processor, called a Ninja.

Ryan turned into a gourmet cook using that Ninja.

Before he left for his junior year at Alabama, Ryan came over to our house and taught us how to use the Ninja to make this pasta dish.

Pesto Pasta 1/2 cup baby spinach, torn into pieces 3/4 cup basil, chopped 1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated 2 cloves, garlic 3/ teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 cup olive oil (divided) Rigatoni pasta (cooked and drained) 1 Tablespoon butter Cook and drain the pasta according to the directions on the package. Toss with butter. and set aside in a large bowl.

Ryan’s Ice Cream Truck

Place the first seven ingredients in the Ninja bowl, except the olive oil. Do not dump the olive oil in all at once. Drizzle it in slowly, as you process the spinach, basil, etc. Process in bursts of 5-10 seconds. Do not over beat. When all the ingredients are blended together... stop. This will only take 15 seconds or so. You don’t want liquid mush!

Pour the pesto mixture over the hot pasta and serve with a tossed salad.

Chicken & Dressing

W

hen Cameron was 3 she went to a play school each morning. The school asked students to bring in a recipe, and they put out a cookbook. This recipe came from Cameron, and it’s one I’ve made many times. It’s really fast and easy when you use a rotisserie chicken instead of 4 chicken breasts. This is my favorite recipe to take to a pot luck or to a friend who is recuperating from an illness.

4 chicken breasts or meat from a rotisserie chicken (4 cups) 4 slices of American or Swiss cheese 1 can cream of chicken soup 1/4 cup white wine (or water) 1/2 stick butter, melted 1 cup Stove Top Stuffing, chicken or original flavor Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish with one piece of cheese on top of each breast. Mix soup with wine and pour evenly over chicken.

Top with uncooked Stove Top Stuffing. Pour melted butter over stuffing and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cameron at three

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hen we married in 1958, I did not know how to cook... at all. The first week back from our honeymoon, Fred was horrified to see me try to boil some eggs. I filled the pan with water, and began to drop the eggs in. “No, No,” he yelled. “You put the eggs in first, then cover them with water.”

I had a lot to learn about cooking, and he ate some pretty awful meals.

I was determined that our sons would at least know the basics of feeding themselves, so when they were about 7, 9 and 11 years old, our family developed a Friday night “Supper Plan.” On a rotating schedule, each boy would cook supper for the family. The other two boys would be in charge of kitchen clean up .

We ate a lot of spaghetti (using a jar of sauce), macaroni and cheese (A Kraft box mix) and cheese pizza (thanks, Chef Boyardee).

One of their favorite dishes to make for Friday night became “Saucy Franks”.

It’s true that these meals were not especially high on the nutrition or taste scale, but all three men learned their way around a kitchen and have become good cooks.

Paul on KP duty - 1975

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Saucy Franks 16 oz. egg noodles, cooked and drained.

8 hot dogs 1 can tomato soup 1 can tomato sauce In a large soup pot, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions.

Drain and set aside. Using a cutting board, slice each hot dog lengthwise into 4 long strips. In a large saucepan, stir the tomato soup and tomato sauce together until well blended. Place over medium heat , and slowly add in the split hot dog slices, heating until the hot dogs curl up and the tomato soup is nice and warm.

Serve over the egg noodles.

One washed, one dried, one emptied the trash and swept the floor

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Alma’s Green Salad

n 1977, Daddy married Alma Whitsett, from Jacksboro, Texas. She became a much loved part of our family. Alma was a great cook and welcomed us all into her home with wonderful meals. This salad has been a part of all our holiday gatherings ever since.

1 lb. bacon, browned and crumbled 6 eggs, boiled 1 box frozen peas (Pour boiling water over the peas and let them stand for a few minutes, drain and spread to dry while preparing the rest of the ingredients.)

1 bunch of green onions, chopped (tops and all) 1 head iceberg lettuce 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (dry) 1 8 oz. carton sour cream 1 cup mayonaisse In a 9x12 pan, tear the lettuce into bite size pieces. Layer the next ingredients in this order.

Sprinkle the chopped green onions over the lettuce, then sprinkle on the peas. Dice the boiled eggs and add them. On the top, add the crumbled bacon.

In a medium bowl, stir the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix into the sour cream, and add the mayonaisse. Mix well, and “frost” the salad with this topping. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate..

Alma Whistett Bynum Christmas dinner with Muton and Alma - 1977

Some of our family’s favorite recipes are quite recent additions, like this Strawberry Pretzel Salad which Ashlyn usually makes . We wouldn’t think of having a holiday family dinner without this salad, which is so good that some folks have it for dessert!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad Turn oven on to 400 degrees 2 cups pretzels, crushed 3 Tablespoons brown sugar 3/4 cup butter, melted (1 and 1/2 sticks) 8 oz. cream cheese (softened) 1 Cup sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip 6 oz pkg. strawberry jello 1 and 1/2 cups water 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed pretzels with brown sugar and melted butter. Press this mixture into a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

Mark, Ashlyn and Ryan - Easter 2009

Using a mixer, blend the softened cream cheese, sugar and Cool Whip together.

Spread this mixture over the cooled pretzel crust and refrigerate.

Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of boiling water into a medium sized bowl and add the pkg of Strawberry Jello. Stir well until jello is completely dissolved. Refrigerate until it just barely begins to look firm, then stir in the frozen strawberries.

Pour the strawberry mixture over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate. When ready to serve, cut into squares. Serves 10-12.

Seeley grand daughters began helping in the kitchen when they were so small they needed stools pulled up to the counters. Two year old Ashlyn helped make a birthday cake for her mother.

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B

eginning in the late 1940’s, every summer the Bynum family spent two weeks in Lake City, Colorado. Daddy loved fly fishing, and we had rainbow trout every night. Those first ten years, the cabins were quite rustic with outside toilets, a cast iron stove that had to be started each morning with wood we three girls brought in …and no running water. Even so, Mother managed to have hot biscuits and gravy on the table every morning for breakfast. (In this photo from the 1950’s Rusty is a teenager, and the cabins now had running water.)

Biscuits 2 Cups all purpose flour 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 1 tsp. Salt 1/2 cup shortening ( Cricso) 3/4 cup milk Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Then, with two table knives, cut the shortening into the flour until it’s all blended and like a bunch of pea-sized crumbs.

Make a big hole in the flour and pour in all the milk at once, stirring until everything is blended real good. Then dump the mixture onto a floured cloth and knead it for a little while, but not too long. Roll it out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thick, and cut with a jelly glass. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

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m & Muton Bynu Rusty, Macon

Gravy Bacon grease 3-4 Tablespoons flour 1 cup milk Leave enough grease in the skillet after frying the bacon to have about 2-3 tablespoons.

Add 3-4 heaping tablespoons of flour to the grease and turn the stove on mediumhigh heat. Stir constantly with a fork until the flour turns a dark golden brown.

Then add the milk and cook until it just will run out of a spoon. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

n and Rusty, Mimi, Maco City Priscilla in Lake

Cabins in Lake City, Colorado

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R

usty Bynum and her children, Holly, Royce and Amy, moved from Longmont, Colorado, to Huntsville in 1980.

For the next thirty years our family holidays were spent together, either at her home on Mt. Sano or at the Seeley’s. Rusty was a great cook, specializing in Tex-Mex dishes from the Southwest, but when a holiday meal was planned we all looked forward to her Broccoli Casserole.

Rusty and Larry Bingham married in 1988, and no family get together was complete without Larry’s wonderful homemade bread.

Broccoli Casserole 2 eggs, well beaten 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 cup Mayonaisse 2 teaspoons minced instant onion 2 packages frozen chopped broccoli 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese Ritz crackers Cook broccoli according to package directions for only 5 minutes and drain well.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, soup and mayonaisse together until well blended.

Stir in onion, broccoli, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and top with crushed Ritz Crackers.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook in a 400 degrees oven for 20 minutes.

Uncover, and cook 5 minutes longer.

Rusty and Larry Bingham 1987

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Fruit Salad Dressing 1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened 1 6 oz. can orange juice (undiluted) 2 Tablespoons milk 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans Beat cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients.

Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Remove from frig one hour before serving to soften.

Toss with assorted fruits.

Pris and Rusty Easter dinner, 1981

Pris, Macon, Muto n and Rusty

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S

ince both Mother and Daddy came from Southern families, I’m not sure where this dressing recipe came from. But I do know that Cornbread Dressing was served at every holiday.

In the photo of the 1958 Christmas dinner, only one batch would have been made, as it serves 8-10 people.

By the time of the Seeley Thanksgiving’s on Railway Ave., with 1820 people at the table, we had to double the recipe. In fact, we usually made four recipes of biscuits so that the cooks would have hot biscuits to nibble on while we cooked.

Papa Fred was always helping in the kitchen and he loved those biscuits right out of the oven, known to Seeley cooks as “hot ‘uns.”

This dressing is great as a leftover and can quickly be warmed in the microwave the next day. Or, it can be frozen and used later on.

s dinner, 1958 El Paso Christma ll a, Ru st y, Pr is ci Th om ps on , n to Mi mi , Cl in co n By nu m Mu to n an d Ma

Megan learned to make dressing at an early age. Note the size of the pan she is using

Cornbread Dressing 1 recipe of cornbread 2 recipes of biscuits (Bisquick biscuits work just fine or 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits) Bake and cool the cornbread and the biscuits.Then crumble together in a large pan.

(This can be done the night before. Place the crumbled up cornbread and biscuits in a large freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.)

Use the biggest pan or bowl you have, and place the crumbled cornbread and biscuits in it.

Add to the cornbread mixture: 3 cans of Chicken Broth 2 medium onions, chopped very fine and 3 eggs well beaten.

Stir well until the mixture is totally moistened.

Add salt and pepper and 3 teaspoons ground sage.

Now comes the delicate part. Get a couple of small spoons and begin tasting.

Is there enough salt? Do you need to add any more sage? You want just the slightest taste of sage , but if you can’t taste any sage, add a bit more.

Is the cornbread mixture moist enough? It should look like thick cake batter, but not watery. If you need to add additional chicken broth, do it very slowly and stir well before adding any more.

Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

Do not put the dressing inside the turkey because it may not cook to a high enough temperature and your guests could end up in the hospital with food poisoning.

Seeley granddaughters help with Thanksgiving preparations.

Carson, Papa Fred, Ashlyn and Megan

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Inside the Layton trailer, 1968

S

hortly after we moved to Huntsville, we bought our first travel trailer, a Layton. I was attending graduate school, and it was a wonderful break to head out each weekend with the boys and explore the state parks in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. Coming from the desert Southwest, all the green trees and the sparkling lakes seemed like a new world to us.

It was a challenge to keep our three boys fed. These were the days when our family went through two loaves of bread and a half gallon of milk every day.

This Macaroni Salad can be tossed together in about 10 minutes and was taken on many of our camping trips. When we began taking our grandchildren on picnics and camping trips, they too got Macaroni Salad!

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Macaroni Salad 2 boxes Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinner 1 cup chopped celery 1 green pepper, chopped 1 2 oz. jar diced pimentos. drained 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

Mt. Sano State Park with Ashlyn, 1995

Cook macaroni according to the directions on the box.

Drain well and add the cheese packet.

Stir until blended.

Add the celery, green pepper, and pimentos.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and vinegar. Stir well and add to the macaroni. Refrigerate. (Keep this salad in a cooler until ready to serve, ‘cause it has mayonnaise) With Michael and Megan, 1991, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge

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E

milie (Amelia) Oetting Bynum was my German grandmother. Both her parents had been born in Germany and as young newly weds, Amelia Bittner and William Charles Oetting immigrated to America. William had been a baker, and when they settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, he worked in a bakery there.

Hoping to have his own business, they loaded up a wagon and in 1880 moved to Midland, Texas.

My grandmother was born there on June 12, 1886. The family moved on to Jacksboro, Texas and William Oetting’s bakery thrived.

With help from his wife and daughters, they baked over 1,000 loaves of bread a day, in addition to cookies and cakes. This meant not only baking, but also carrying wood to keep the Amelia Oetting By ovens burning. num Mu ton’s mother, “M One of the Oetting om” daughters was “Mom”, a fiery redhead with hair that hung below her hips. She was only 4’9” tall, and each time I saw her, I would stand back to back with her to see who was the tallest.

Her hair enthralled me. I loved spending the night with Mom and Pop, because in the morning, I could watch her brush her thick red hair that was so long she could sit on it. Then she would braid it and twist it in circles around her head.

She was a no-nonsense kind of grandmother, and there was always work to be done, but she treated me with respect and let me help with the chores . She sewed beautifully, and made all the clothes for herself and her seven children. She thought women should know how to sew, and she helped me make my first garment, ... a skirt for myself, using her treadle sewing machine.

When I was nine, she let me make a pan of cornbread, all my myself! It was the first thing I ever cooked, and I always think of her when I make this recipe.

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Cornbread Heat oven to 425 degrees Use a cast iron skillet if possible, if not, an 8” square baking dish will do.

Put 1/4 cup Crisco in the skillet and melt it on the stove. Watch it carefully!

After it melts, swirl it around in the skillet to grease the sides.

In a large bowl, sift together: 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 1 egg I cup milk

Carson is a cornbread expert

In a separate small bowl, beat 1 egg well (until it’s a lemony color) and add 1 cup of milk (buttermilk is best) Pour the egg and milk into the flour mixture. Stir in the melted Crisco. Stir only until it’s all blended, about 1 minute or less. Do NOT overbeat. It may have a few lumps and that’s OK. Pour batter into skillet and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

“Mom’s” family - The Bynum family in 1939 Back row: Pete, Mike, Muton Second row: Pop, Mom, Barbara, Louise Front row: Babe, Tincy

I

n 1956 Mimi and I were Ysleta High School cheerleaders together. That summer cheering camp was held at our high school, and Mimi and I were put in charge of a picnic for the 50 cheerleaders from the city who would be on our campus.

We volunteered to bring potato salad, assuming that Mother would make it. However she pointed out to us that she would be working at her school that day and we would have to make it ourselves. She did offer to bring us some large pots and pans from her school’s cafeteria.

For an entire day Mimi and I were quite literally on our hands and knees on the kitchen floor, and up to our elbows tossing 25 lbs. of potato salad.

Potato Salad (Serves 8-10) 5 lbs. Idaho Potatoes 1 large onion, diced 1 1/2 cup celery, diced 6 eggs, hard boiled

Dressing: 2 cups mayonaisse 1 T. mustard 2 T. vinegar 2 T. sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed salt and pepper to taste

Ysleta HS Cheering Squad

Rinse potatoes and place in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, but do not cover the pot with a lid. While potaoes are boiling, get everything else ready. Chop the onion and celery and boil the eggs. Mix the dressing in a small bowl.

Boil the potatoes about 20 minutes or until a fork inserted comes out easily. (Don’t let them cook until they become mushy!)

Pour off the water, and set the potatoes on paper towels to cool. As soon as you can handle them, peel and chop them coarsely into a very large mixing bowl. The hotter they are when you add the dressing, the better it will be… so you’ll kinda burn your fingers peeling the potatoes.

Pour the dressing over the potatoes and mix well. If it looks too dry, mix up another 1/2 batch of dressing. Be sure to taste to see how much salt and pepper to add.

Refrigerate until serving time. (If you are taking this on a picnic, place the container in a cooler. It should sit out no longer than one hour)

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Bo’s Sweet Tea

(Serves 8, so you might want to double it!)

1 1/2 cups water 5 regular-size tea bags, orange pekoe and black pekoe tea 1 1/3 cups sugar

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Add the tea bags and allow them to boil for one minute. No longer!!

While the tea is boiling, measure the sugar into a 2 quart pitcher.

Take the tea bags and water off the stove. With a slotted spoon, remove the tea bags. Add a second cup of water to cool it down a little. Then pour the tea water into the pitcher and stir it well to dissolve the sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar is all dissolved . Then add cold water to fill up the pitcher

M

y mother’s parents lived at 1305 Ave. R in Lubbock Texas. The family home, built in 1935, was designed by my grandmother, Bo, and it had a large screened in back porch that ran all across the rear of the house. The porch was certainly not a fancy place for entertaining.

At the far end of the room there was a cast iron double bed, perfect for grandchildren’s afternoon naps during the hot Texas summers. Several rocking chairs gave one a perfect view of the back yard with Bo’s bird feeders and her large circular rose bed.

There were two rickety old kitchen tables out on the porch as well.

It was at one of these tables that I learned to snap green beans, and at the other table, Bo taught me to play Canasta.

Almost every Sunday, Bo and Pappy Skinner, 1961 Bo had all the family come to her home for Sunday dinner, and because there was no air conditioning in those days, that meant eating on the back porch.

The men would carry in long tables from the garage, and miracuously, there would be enough room for 12-15 of us.

Sweet Tea was always served with those Sunday dinners.

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Fred on the bike trail to Young’s Dairy in Yellow Spings, Ohio

F

red retired from the Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal in 1988, and for the next 15 years, taught physics at the Univ of Alabama in Huntsville. In 2001 he retired... again. We bought a new Sunnybrook travel trailer and a GMC pickup as a tow vehicle.

Why this configuration? So we could carry our bicycles in the bed of the pickup! We began traveling all across the USA and Canada. We averaged 600-900 miles a year on our bicycles enjoying the Rails to Trails in Ohio in the spring and summer, and bike trails in Florida during the winter months.

One of our favorite bike rides was the 20 miles from Waynesboro, Ohio, up through Xenia and on to Yellow Springs, Ohio. At the end of that ride there was a wonderful restaurant: “The Golden Jersey” at Young’s Dairy.

Sweet Potato Bread was served with every meal. At the end of our trips to Ohio, we would load our freezer full of Sweet Potato Bread and hurry home to our family. Michael in particular liked this bread, and we’d always get an extra loaf just for him.

It can be made in two loaf pans, or in mini-muffin pans. It freezes very well and is a good gift for neighbors at Christmas time.

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Sweet Potato Bread 3/4 cup butter, softened ( 1 1/2 sticks) 2 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 medium -large sweet potatoes 2 eggs, well beaten in a small bowl (til they are a lemony color) 2 1/2 cups flour 3/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 dashes ground cloves 1/2 cup water Scrub 2 medium-large sweet potatoes. Cut them into 2 inch long pieces, place in a small saucepan, and cover with water. Cook them about 25 minutes, then puree in a food processor (or Chopper) Michael Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease and flour the loaf pans, or line with muffin papers if using muffin tins.

2005

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; stir in the sweet potato puree and eggs.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.

Stir half of the dry ingredients into creamed mixture, and blend well.

Stir in the 1/2 cup water, then add the remaining dry ingredients.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Bread will take about 35 minutes, depending on the loaf pan size.

Muffins take about 15 minutes to bake.

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O

ur family albums are full of “First Day of School” photos. Before leaving home on that momentous first day of school each year , we cajoled, begged and herded all three out to the front yard for a picture. There they stand, in their brand new jeans, new shirts tucked in and new school shoes.

Later on in the year, they’ll wear faded jeans and football jerseys and tennis shoes. But on that first day, ah, don’t they look spiffy!

In the 1970 photo, Scott was going in the third grade, Mark , into first, and Paul, into pre-school.

Black Bottom Cupcakes were one of their favorites and these were in their lunch boxes that first week of school. Later on, cookies that were much quicker to make were put in their lunches.

Black Bottom Cupcakes 2 eggs well beaten 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 2 8oz. packages, cream cheese, softened 12 oz. package chocolate chips Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until they are a lemony-color. Add the sugar, salt and 2 packages of cream cheese that have been softened. Beat on high speed.

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together: 3 cups flour 2 Cups sugar 1/2 cup cocoa 2 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine: 2 cups water 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 Tablespoons vinegar ( apple cider vinegar works well) 1 Tablespoon vanilla Slowly add the above liquid ingredients to the flour mixture.

Fill paper muffin cups 1/3 full of the chocolate batter.

Drop 1 large Tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each cupcake and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

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No Bake Cookies 1/3 cup cocoa 2 Cups sugar 1 stick margarine 1/2 cup milk

Combine the above ingredients and bring to a full boil. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add: 1/2 cup peanut butter 3 Cups Uncooked Old Fashioned Oats 2 teaspoons vanilla Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper and let sit until firm. These freeze well.

School, 1970 First Day of

The youngest child always gets away with ignoring the rules, and true to form, the following year, Paul is wearing his holster and carrying a cap gun. (I hope we took the caps out of his pocket before he got to school)

First day of school, 1971 Paul still toting his pistol

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BoBo’s Peach Cobbler 1 and 1/3 cups sugar (divided) 10 medium peaches, peeled & sliced 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 1 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt 3/4 cup milk 1 stick butter, cut into pieces Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot over medium heat, stir together 3/4 cup of the sugar, 3/4 cup of water and the cornstarch. Bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture is clear, about 2 minutes. Add the peaches and bring the mixture back to a boil. Then immediately pour it into a 9x12 inch greased baking dish.

Alice Noble Skinner

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Add the milk and stir until it’s fairly smooth. (This mixture is like pancake batter… it’s better to leave a few small lumps than to overmix it.) Drizzle the batter evenly over the peaches. Place butter pieces over the batter. Bake until the topping is crisp and golden-brown, about 1 hour. Let it cool in the pan before serving. (It’s even better served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream !)

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On July 30, 2013, Cameron made this peach cobbler for her parent’s 25th wedding anniversary. The recipe was one that was served often on Bobo’s back porch.

Alice Noble Skinner (Bobo) was Cameron’s great- great grandmother.

W

e especially enjoyed the Christmas holidays when the grandchildren would come over and bake. Jacob decorated his cookies with care and precision using the same cookie cutters that our 3 boys used in 1968.

While the baking was going on in the kitchen, Papa Fred would put the train set under the Christmas tree.

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. Baking powder 1 tsp. Baking soda 1/8 tsp. Salt 2 sticks butter or margarine (softened) 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla 1/2 tsp. Lemon extract In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well, Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the sticks of margarine or butter until mixture is crumbley.

Jacob decorating Christmas cookies in 2000

In a small bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract, beating until light and fluffy. Slowly add this to the flour mixture in the large bowl. Stir by hand until dough forms (if necessary, knead dough with hands to mix in the dry ingredients.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated)

Scott, Paul & Mark decorating cookies with Pris, 1968

Cut with floured cookie cutters.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 6-11 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets, and cool 15 minutes on a wire rack. Decorate when cool.

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T

he year a grandchild turned ten, we would take them out for a special dinner, and then go shopping for a Santa. The selection of a Santa was a decision for them to make completely independently. This Santa would be theirs, but we would keep it for them until they had a home of their own.

At the end of Thanksgiving dinner everyone would take their Santa out of the closet and place it on the mantle at 3717 Railway.

Through the years , the collection of Santas grew in number ; and then slowly, one by one, the Santas were taken as the grandchildren began to establish homes of their own.

Pecan Clusters was a candy that we especially enjoyed during the holidays. It could be made early in December, and kept in the freezer. it was best to hide it under packages of calf liver!

Each grandchild shopped and picked out their own Santa

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Pecan Clusters Clear out space in the freezer before starting, because the candy will need to be kept in the freezer on cookie sheets for at least 24 hours.

1/2 lb. caramels ( 28 pieces) unwrapped, of course 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1/2 stick butter 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted 2 cups pecan pieces Wax paper In the top of a double-boiler, combine the caramels and evaporated milk.

Heat until the caramels are melted.

Remove from heat and add the butter, powdered sugar and pecan pieces.

Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Place in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

The following day, or whenever you get ready to finish the candy..

6 oz. of chocolate chips 1/4 bar of parafin wax (Gulf is one brand of wax for candy) In the top of a double-boiler, melt the chocolate chips and the parafin wax.

Remove the caramels from the freezer, and drop each one separately into the chocolate mixture to coat. Remove with a toothpick, and place on waxed paper. Return the clusters to the freezer for another 24 hours.

When completely frozen you can pull them off the waxed paper and put them in a freezer bag. Hide them well until ready to use.

Jacob found the perfect Santa - but it had broken atlers so he and Papa Fred crafted a new set of atlers

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ee 140, 1968 Fred Seeley, Piper Cherok

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Heading to Michig an, 1970

M and M Cookies 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup Crisco 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs, well beaten 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups plain M and M’s Preheat oven to 375 degrees With an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar, Crisco, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla together. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together.

Stir the flour mixture slowly, on low speed, into the creamed ingredients.

Add the M and M’s by hand.

Bake for 10-12 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet.

I

n the fall of 1967 Fred began taking flying lessons, earning first, his private pilot’s license, then his instrument rating and finally his commercial license. Our family took many memorable trips in Cessna 150’s and 182’s. We flew to El Paso to see my family often, and to Florida to visit Jalma Baker and Carl. We flew to Cincinnati to visit the Driesbachs, and to Kentucky where Fred’s sister, Sharon and her family lived.

One Fourth of July we flew to Lansing , Michigan, to see Mimi, and on the way home, looked down to see cars on the Interstate backed up for miles and miles. Fred flew to Orange County, California, for a business trip and to Fort Quachuca.

On lovely fall days we spent many wonderful hours just punching holes in the sky practicing touch and go’s at the Huntsville airport.

One afternoon we flew to Memphis for a late lunch and then landed after dark for some night time flying practice.

The three boys were included in all of of these jaunts, and they each got some time in the right hand seat, flying the plane themselves.

Trips out west could take 6-8 hours, and cramming three little boys on a narrow bench seat in the rear of a Cessna 172... well, it was close quarters, and if the wriggling and shoving got too much, the ride could get a bit bumpy. I discovered it was best to take some bribery food, and these M and M Cookies worked very well.

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I

n 1967 we moved from Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Fred was working at White Sands Missile Range, to Huntsville, Al. Very soon we bought our first camper, a Layton trailer which we towed with a Chevy station wagon. We spent the decade of the 70’s camping almost every weekend.

State parks like Davy Crockett, Wheeler, Falls Creek Falls, and Cheaha were near by. The Columbia KOA outside of Nashville was one of our favorite places to spend a weekend. We spent one Fourth of July camping at Monte Sano State Park before they even had a campground, pulling our trailer alongside the old lodge.

As soon as school was out, we headed west and usually met up with my parents, Macon and Muton Bynum, who also had a trailer.

While living in New Mexico, I was given a recipe that was perfect for our camping trips: an Oatmeal Cake that could be made anytime during the week since it freezes well, and travels even better. We had this often on our many camping trips.

Enjoying breakfas t in Daddy’s trai ler

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Oatmeal Cake with Broiler Frosting Set oven temperature to 350 degrees .

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan 1 1/4 cups boiling water 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal 1/2 cup Crisco 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 Tablespoons water

Colorado camping, 1973

Boil water, stir in oatmeal and set aside for 20 minutes.

Combine all the remaining ingredients with the cooled oatmeal mixture in a large mixer bowl and beat at medium speed for three minutes or until well blended.

Pour batter into the greased and floured pan, smoothing it out to the corners of the pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the broiler frosting: 6 Tablespoons butter ( softened) 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 cup flaked coconut 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup evaporated milk Cream the butter and brown sugar in mixer on high speed until well blended.

Add the rest of the ingredients and thoroughly mix. Spread on the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Then place under the broiler until frosting is bubbly.

(Watch carefully. Just a couple of minutes is all it takes.)

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T

he summer before our oldest grandchild, Michael, left for Northwestern University, Papa Fred decided to show him how to make a couple of pies that could be made in his dorm room. Imagine our delight when we learned that Michael did indeed make a pie for his roommates his freshman year in college.

Using an electric mixer makes these pies a little easier to make, but Michael proved that it can be done using a strong arm and beating a lot!

Michael on campus in 2007

Many grandchilden learned to make Papa Fred’s pies before they left for college

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Peanut Butter Cream Pie 1 graham cracker crust (buy this already made) 3/4 cup brown sugar 4 oz. cream cheese, softened ( 1/2 block of 8 oz pkg.)

1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Beat the above ingredients together. Gently stir in : 8 oz. Cool Whip and blend well.

Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving

Key Lime Pie

1 graham cracker crust ( buy this already made) 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated!!)

8 oz. cream cheese (softened) 1/2 cup Key Lime juice (must be Key lime, not just lime juice) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Blend the cream cheese, condensed milk and Key lime juice together til smooth.

Add vanilla Mix well. Pour into pie crust. Chill in refrig 3-4 hours.

You can spread Cool Whip on the top if it’s a special occasion!

Butterfinger Pie

1 graham cracker crust ( buy this ready made) 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 8 oz Cool Whip 5 little packets of artificial sweetener 6 butterfinger candy bars that you’ve frozen for about 1 hour

Take something heavy, like a 5 lb. weight, or a can of green beans and whop those candy bars, in their wrappers, til they are smushed.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, Cool Whip and sweetener packets together. Beat til smooth and well blended. Add 4 of the smashed up Butterfinger candy bars to the cream cheese mixture. Pour this into the graham cracker crust.

Sprinkle the remaining 2 smashed up candy bars on the top to make it look fancy.

Chill for 2-3 hours in refrig.

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F

rank Skinner, Sr. was a colorful grandfather of whom I was more than a little afraid. I never heard him say a complete sentence without using at least three curse words. He was born on his mother’s 45th birthday, Nov. 8, 1887 in Hamilton, Texas. When he was 13, he ran away from home, and joined a traveling vandeville troup that was passing through town.

They taught him to tap dance, and he became a part of the show as it travelled throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Upon arriving in a new town, the troup members were “put up” by local towns people, and Pappy says he learned to cook by watching many ladies cook in the small towns of the Texas Panhandle like Rising Star, Paducah, Crosbyton, and Ralls.

While in Jayton, Texas, he met 16 year old Alice Arrington, whose mother had died 3 years before. Her father, Walter Arrington was a county judge, who beat both Alice and her sister, Laura.

My grandmother, Alice was desperate to escape her home and Frank needed a cook for his telephone crews. They eloped and hit the road!

Frank began working for independent telephone companies who were stringing lines from town to town. But he never forgot some of the recipes he had learned when he was “moving as fast as a cockroach” across Texas.

He told me that one had to tap dance while making this chocolate pie or it wouldn’t set up right.

Once Carson & I forgot the vanilla, and boy, did that pie ever taste horrible.

Don’t forget the vanilla!

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Pappy’s Chocolate Pie 1 pie shell, browned and cooled 1/2 stick butter or margarine Pinch of salt 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup all purpose flour 3 Tablespoons cocoa 3 eggs, separated (separate the yolks from the whites) Place yolks in a small bowl and beat well.

Save the whites in a separate larger bowl for meringue.

1 teaspoon vanilla In a small sauce pan, heat 1 and 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 stick of butter until the butter melts. Add pinch of salt.

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and cocoa . Add 1/2 cup of water to form a paste. Beat in the eggs yolks slowly. Add the boiling water/butter mixture to the paste. Mix well and cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Let cool for 15-20 minutes, then pour into prepared pie shell.

Top with meringue by placing mounds of meringue around the edge of the pie filling first ; spread meringue so it touches the inner edge of crust all around. Heap the rest of the meringue in center, and push out to meet meringue border. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pie should cool at least two hours before it is cut.

Meringue: 3 egg whites, 6 TBSP sugar Have eggs at room temperature.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place egg whites in a medium bowl. Add a pinch of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until the eggs are frothy. Slowly add sugar, a tiny bit at a time, beating well after each addition.

This takes a while ... about 15 minutes Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed when you dip a spoon into the meringue. To test, pinch a tiny bit of meringue between your fingers and swirl it around.

There should be no feel of sugar granules between your fingers. If you feel sugar, keep beating at high speed. It’s not ready until the feel of sugar is gone. Patience is required!

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W

hen I was ten years old, my Aunt Genie had just had her first child, and that summer I was so proud to be considered old enough to often spend the night with her and her husband (also named Gene) and help babysit their new daughter, Blandell Ann. What I remember most about that time was not the babysitting, but Aunt Genie’s pies.

Papa Gene had served in WWII in the Pacific, and he vowed if he made it home after Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, he would have pie every day. And he did. Each morning after breakfast, Genie and I would wash the breakfast dishes. Then she would get out the flour and Crisco and her rolling pin, and within 15-20 minutes a pie would be finished and in the oven for lunch.

Apple, peach, coconut… every day, she made a different pie for Papa Gene’s lunch. The leftovers would be eaten with supper, and the next day, she would make another pie. She could whip out a pie shell faster than anyone I’ve ever known.

y Gene Skinner Perr

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Pie Shell (for a double crust pie) 2 Cups flour 1/2 TBS sugar 3/4 tsp. Salt 3/4 cup Cricso 1 small egg, beaten 1/2 TBS vinegar 1/4 cup water In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and salt. With two knives, cut in lard until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, beat egg, then add vinegar and water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until dough is moist enough to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half into a 12 inch circle. Lay dough into pie plate and crimp to form a decorative border. Place in freezer while preparing the pie filling.The more you handle the dough, the tougher it will be. Roll out quickly with a light touch.

Megan is carrying on the family’s tradition for baking delicious pies.

To bake, use a temperature of 400 degrees. Cover the edge of crust with strips of foil after 15-20 minutes to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Always bake on a preheated cookie sheet.

Cool dessert pies at least 2 hours on a wire rack before cutting.

For a 1 crust pie, pre bake the crust for 3-5 minutes before adding the filling.

Store fruit pies at room temp 24-48 hrs.

Pies with eggs or dairy products must be refrigerated.

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O

ur neighborhood at 401 Mt. Gap Road in Huntsville was full of boys: Mike Dreisbach lived right next door, and Mike and Kenny Ladner lived next to door to them. With other school friends living nearby as well, it wasn’t unusual to see 8 or 9 boys in our back yard.

Birthday parties became extensions of the “Mt. Gap Boys” and a large cake was needed . This Texas Sheet Cake was made for many birthday parties.

hday his 10th birt ys celebrate Bo p Ga .

Mt e Mark and Th

Paul and Mark were always ready to help “lick the pan”

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Texas Sheet Cake 2 cups sugar 2 cups sifted flour 1 stick margarine 1/2 cup Crisco 4 Tablespoons cocoa 1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift sugar and flour into a large bowl. In a saucepan, bring the margarine, Crisco, cocoa and water to a rapid boil. Stir into the sugar and flour.

Add the other ingredients. Pour into a greased 11 x 16 inch pan.

Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Five minutes before the cake is done, begin to make the icing.

Icing 1 stick margarine 4 Tablespoons cocoa 6 Tablespoons milk

1 box powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Bring margarine, cocoa and milk to a boil. Remove from heat.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Add pecans and pour the icing on the cake while still in the pan, immediately when it comes out of the oven.

Paul takes a big breath for his 7th birthday

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Notes

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