Natchez Trace, TN, AL, and MS

Days 147 and 148, December 26and 27, 2010
Jeff Busby Campground on the Natchez Trace, free

Christmas night was spectacular. When I joined Jake outside by the campfire it was snowing steadily and Jake had the fire roaring. He was not able to get the generator to work (we have figured out that it is an outside temperature-related issue) so he focused on the fire and staying warm. I am so glad he did. It was magical to stand in the falling snow, turning from back to front by the fire to keep both sides warm. It was a wonderful Christmas.

The next day was less perfect. The roads were icy and treacherous and our top speed was 25 miles an hour most of the drive down the Trace. We had anticipated driving out of the snow as we continued south but instead encountered heavier snows and almost a whiteout as we crossed through Alabama and into Mississippi. It was way too cold to get out and hike any of the trails or read the placards and we didn’t really want to try to stop the truck on the icy roads anyway. It was so slippery!

We decided to call it a day early in the afternoon and stayed at Tishomingo State Park for the cost of $18. It was a relief to get off the road and Jake could finally stretch his fingers. When we got out of the truck to pay for the camping spot, we discovered that a thick coating of ice had built up on various parts of the truck, proof that it was pretty darn cold! We were the only ones in the campground…go figure. We camped near the bathroom and hooked up to the electric and were delighted to find out that we got TV reception. We kept the curtains open and switched from watching it snow to watching 80’s movies, Steel Magnolias and The Big Chill, while munching on taco salads. It is so delightful to have nowhere to go and all day to get there especially when the weather is dicey.

Today dawned clear and a little bit warmer. After long, hot showers we packed up and headed down the Natchez Trace once again. Our first stop was in Tupelo so that we could gas up and get propane. We had totally forgotten that Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis so of course we had to go see his house as it was right on the way to U-Haul. (We have learned to buy propane at U-Haul because they charge by the gallon. Other places have a flat fee that is too expensive for us since we have only a 4-gallon tank). After filling up, Jake and I talked about getting a bite to eat and that was when we saw a little drive-in named Johnnies that was pretty much across the street from the U-Haul.

Johnnies was a treat. The drive-in celebrated its 65th anniversary this year and is known for its down home BBQ menu and the fact that Elvis used to eat there; he would order the dough-burger. A dough burger is simply a hamburger to which flour has been added to the meat to make it go farther. (When I was growing up, my mom would add oatmeal to hamburger so I was familiar with the idea.) Jake and I both ordered hamburgers and then were entertained by the owner who had learned that we were from Seattle so needed to be told the history of Johnnies. He also told us that we could have ordered the fried banana and peanut butter sandwich that was one of Elvis’s favorite sandwiches. We passed. The burgers were awesome in a gut bomb sort of way and the kitch in the drive-in made it feel like a mini-museum.

Back on the Trace we stopped at a few of the pullouts that documented some of the history of the Chickasaw (they and the Choctaw were the original Tribes that used the Trace before the French, traders, and soldiers). We saw a couple flocks of turkeys, a few deer, and lots of birds, some that seem to have a death wish when our Tundra barrels down on them. The Trace is a beautiful drive but Jake and I couldn’t help but feel some disappointment in some of the pullouts as there is nothing to see but trees and fields. I guess we’re just more visual and would like to see displays, even if they are just replicas of the former building, to help us imagine what it was like.


Scrabble that night...no "s" in sight!

 We are camping tonight in another free campground with plenty of collectable firewood and no need to cook dinner, thanks to Johnnies. We drove out of the snow right around Tupelo and the weather is warmer but by no means warm. It is good to have a nice fire going and it draws the neighbors over as they walk the loop. We also got to meet a deaf bull terrier named Mortimer who doesn’t really know what a bark is supposed to sound like. We are back to camping with other travellers and it is nice to connect with other people on adventures. We are the youngest people in the campground, by the way.

Christmas in Tennessee

Days 143-146, December 21-25, 2010
Meriwether Lewis Campground, Natchez Trace, TN--free
Gas $2.99/gallon
64 miles today

Merry Christmas! As I sit here mid-afternoon on Christmas Day, I can look out the camper window and see little flakes of snow flitting through the air. We are having a white Christmas here in Tennessee but not enough to scare us into going farther south quite yet. I am toasty in the camper but poor Jake is outside fighting with the generator that runs for a while and then dies. It’s done this at least 20 times so far and Jake’s patience is nearing the end, but it’s a project for him to work on. If he can figure out how to keep the generator running we will have TV and watch Christmas specials tonight. If not we will read.


Mom's cat Butchie and a curious Belle!


 Leaving Marietta was both a sad and happy time. It is always sad to say goodbye to family but we also wanted to get back into our adventures. We were spoiled at my sister’s house with showers and laundry any time we needed it and I enjoyed cooking in a “real” kitchen again, but it was time to get back into the swing of things and remember how to take care of ourselves on the road. We decided that we wanted to go back north and take the rest of the Natchez Trace south from Nashville down to were we left it outside of the town of Natchez.

We headed north up Georgia Interstate 75 to a little side road that took us past idyllic country scenes until we connected onto scenic Hwy 76 that would take us up to the Blue Ridge Mountains. A ways up the road we stopped in the town of Blue Ridge and got the lie of the land from the locals. They directed us to FR 64 saying that there was lots of camping up in the mountains. We did find a little campground by Dyer Gap, but before we got there were sidetracked by a little cemetery along side the road. It was a bit spooky. The cemetery is rustic and small with a little chapel area filled with scarred pews and a rough looking pulpit. There were cement tables off to the side of the cemetery that we hope are used to hold food for when the local mountain people hold services there.

At the campground we watched the temperature steadily drop while standing around the fire (we have a little temperature gauge with us) and finally the cold scared me into the camper. Jake joined me shortly and we dined by candlelight on soup and crackers for dinner. Yes, you can be romantic even when camping.

The next morning we headed out of the mountains on roads covered with ice crystals and flanked by trees that were laden with ice. The road was not slippery, though, so we able to enjoy the quiet beauty of being in the mountains. Jake and I thought back to the last time we were on back roads and figured that it was about mid-November when we just started exploring Arkansas. It was about time we got back to nature! Once we got back to civilization, we decided to head toward a campground in northwest Georgia called the James “Sloppy” Floyd State Park. Along the way we stopped for a bite to eat in Chatsworth at The Village Cafeteria, a restaurant that the propane guy said we should go to for good southern cooking at a fair price. Jake had hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, I had creamed chicken over stuffing with mashed potatoes and green beans; the grand total for the meal was $13.

Well, we got to Sloppy’s and were appalled that the price was $27. It was still early so we decided to head on to Alabama and check out DeSoto State Park. When we got there we were even more appalled that the price to camp was $32! So on we went to Fort Payne to stay in the Wal-mart campground (parking lot). It was a no-go. For the first time on the trip there was a “No overnight parking” sign in the Wal-mart parking lot. Strike 3. Thankfully it was still early enough for us to suck it up and head up the road to Scottsboro where we were able to stay at the Wal-mart. It was a super busy Wal-mart, what with it being the eve of Christmas Eve, but we fired up the generator and watched some bad movies and went to bed.

Yesterday we continued our trek north out of Huntsville to the beginning of the Natchez Trace, stopping to get an oil change along the way. It is not an easy thing to get the oil changed in our Tundra as the satellite dome makes us almost 12’ tall so there is no way that the truck can go on a lift. Luckily we were able to find a place that could take us but only with about 2” to spare. We backed out of the bay since we knew that the rig fit that way but were dubious about pulling straight through!

Since it was Christmas Eve, Jake and I decided to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel. For my birthday this year a bunch of my co-workers had given me a gift card to a Marriott so we figured that Christmas Eve was the perfect time to use such a generous gift. Tom, the concierge, was kind enough to take the price from $129 to $99 and even “hooked us up” with a room with a king-sized bed on the top floor “with a view of the ocean”. Thank you, Tom!

We showered and headed to the bar to keep the bartender company…there was absolutely no one else in the place, not even in the restaurant. Drinks were not cheap but the conversation was fun and the mood merry. Jake even got to enjoy some high-end sipping Jack Daniels since after 4 beers they didn’t have any more cold Budweiser. Eventually some other folks showed up so we had a little Christmas Eve party with new friends at the Marriott. Jake and I had intended to have dinner in the hotel’s restaurant but we found the prices too steep and the menu very limited, so we left the min-party and ordered Domino’s pizza to eat in bed.

Today we awoke to a white Christmas and just lazed around in bed watching Horton Hears a Who and relishing the feather bed, down comforter, and numerous fluffy pillows. Our bed in the camper is comfortable, but it doesn’t come close to the decadence of a Marriott king-size bed. We finally roused ourselves and headed toward the Trace, stopping at a Shonney’s Restaurant for a quick bite to eat. We didn’t know it until we got there that the restaurant was doing a holiday buffet all day, so instead of eggs and bacon we had a complete turkey dinner with all the fixin’s and a salad bar for our Christmas breakfast. It was perfect!

The Natchez Trace has been occupying us the rest of today. It has been a beautiful drive through the countryside, with numerous stops to observe historical sites. We have seen waterfalls, a tobacco barn, hiked on the Old Trace, drove on the Old Trace, and now are at the site of Merriwether Lewis’s death and grave. As the story goes, he had a nervous breakdown because of his job as governor of the upper Louisiana Territory shortly before arriving at the Trace. On the Trace, he stopped at a cabin owned by Mrs. Robert Grinder and sustained 2 gunshot wounds while there. There is speculation that he may have committed suicide, but there are equal thoughts that he may have been robbed and murdered. The truth lies buried with him.

Surprisingly the campground tonight is free and the bathrooms warm and clean. Even though the generator is cantankerous and doesn’t want to run in the cold weather, we are happy that we are staying here as the area is so beautiful in the snow and it is so peaceful. Time to go join Jake by the fire and enjoy the snow. I am happy that I have a hand-knit scarf, thanks to Jamie in Chattanooga; I am getting full use out of it today! Tomorrow, southward to warmer weather.

Jakeism: MERRY CHRISTMAS, To you my faithful followers. I would be remiss if I didn’t let you both know that I would rate this as one of the top 3 Christmases I have ever had. I couldn’t help but think about Meriwether Lewis whose grave is only about 200 yards away while I was standing out by the fire. He accomplished such great things in his life yet had know idea that when he stopped for the night at a rest house that he would never see the light of day again. What must have it been like for him and the others like him on this road. I looked out across the landscape and wondered.

"Bird's Nest" Egg Cups

“Bird's Nest” Egg Cups (from Alise’s wedding brunch)

1 pkg of turkey bacon
2 pint sized cartons of egg substitute (or may substitute regular eggs, of course!)
Salt/pepper
Shredded Mexican cheese or shredded cheddar cheese

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Place bacon on cookie sheet and place in 350 degree oven until about half cooked (not crisp). Line muffin tins with one strip bacon each. Pour egg substitute to about half full in each tin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1 heaping tablespoon of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and allow to “set up” for about 5 minutes. Serve warm. Pretty presentation!

Baked French Toast Casserole

Paula Deen’s Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread
8 eggs
2 c. ½ & ½
2 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/4/t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg
dash salt

Slice bread into 20 slices (1” in width). Arrange slices in generously greased 9x13 pan in two rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and mix until blended but not too bubbly. Pour over the bread slices, covering evenly. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Spread with praline topping and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Topping:

2 sticks of butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
2 T. light corn syrup
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg

Serve with warm maple syrup.

Cream Cheese Mints

Cream Cheese Mints

8 oz. cream cheese
6 to 6 ½ c. powder sugar
½ t. mint extract
Color to your choice

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature. Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese and mix until blended. Add flavoring and food coloring and mix again. Chill. “Sugar” a mint mold and pack with mixture. Put sugar on the back of the mint and then pop it out of the mold onto waxed paper. Let harden.

The wedding of the century in Georgia

Days 133-142, Marietta, GA
Lisa and Jim’s house (my sister and brother-in-law)

It has been a long time since we have written because we have been immersed in the preparation and celebration of our niece Alise marrying her sweetie Stephen. The wedding was two days ago on Sunday but Jake and I still needed to nap until noon this morning and are having a low “e” day the rest of the day. After so many days of being alone on this trip or having only short visits with people, we find ourselves somewhat overwhelmed by the whirlwind of socializing that we have been caught up in for the past week.

We got to Lisa and Jim’s house sooner than planned because the cold and snow drove us out of Alabama; you cannot camp in a camper for any length of time when temperatures are below freezing. The night we spent in Huntsville after leaving Chattanooga was spent in a motel. We tried to tough it out in the Wal-Mart parking lot but the generator would not work (to run the TV) because of the cold and the plastic steps blew away. Jake finally said, “This is ridiculous!” and we got a cheap motel room.

The whole day had been a bust, really. We had gone to the US Space and Rocket Center earlier in the day…it was touted as Alabama’s Number One Tourist Destination for subsequent years on a row…and we spent $40 to see what sort of felt like a science fair. Yes, it was cool to see artifacts from actual moon missions and we left with a better understanding of the chronology of man going to the moon, but I’m not sure the tour warranted the price of admission. And forget about going outside to tour the Rocket Park…it was just too darn cold.

So a week ago Monday we pointed the truck in an easterly direction and headed to Atlanta. It crossed my mind briefly that we may be imposing by arriving so early since my sister was in the midst of getting ready for the wedding of the century, but in actuality it was a great decision. There was so much controlled chaos in the house that I quickly found my place in the kitchen and tried to keep that under control during the cupcake frosting, cake baking, flower arranging, laundry washing, mint making, telephone ringing, friends visiting, and emotions flowing. Mom and Charles arrived the day after we did and were also a great help with all of the last minute wedding details that needed attention. I’m sure that Lisa would have gotten everything done in time without our helping hands, but I hope that we relieved a little stress and helped her enjoy the process of marrying off her little girl. I have suggested that she have the other two girls elope when their time comes.

The wedding was more beautiful than the pictures show and it went off without a hitch. Alise and Stephen kissed for the first time in front of a congregation of about 250 people. It was obvious that they took to kissing quite easily and it seemed that they were happy to show off their newfound talents throughout the reception. It’s a wonderful thing to see best friends get married.

The house is finally somewhat quiet (there are still kids here, remember) and the phone has stopped ringing off the hook. Mom and Charles took off this morning for snowy South Dakota and Jake and I will head out tomorrow; Lisa and Jim will have their house back to themselves and will be able to pull it all back together just in time for Christmas. As for us, we don’t know where we will be for the holiday, but that’s okay. The road is calling us and we are happy to respond.

Fancy Egg Scramble

Fancy Egg Scramble—Suzann F., KY

Cheese sauce: Melt 2 T. butter and blend in 2 T flour, salt, and pepper. Add 2 c milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Stir in 1 c. diced American cheese until cheese is melted.

Cook in 3 T margarine: 2 c. diced Canadian bacon, and ¼ c. chopped onion

Cook until onion is tender, not browned. Add 12 beaten eggs and scramble just until set. Remove from heat and fold egg mixture and 1 can drained mushrooms (or fresh ones) into the already prepared cheese sauce. Pour whole thing into a 12x7 baking dish. Crumble 3 slices breadcrumbs (slow dried in the oven) into 4 t. melted butter. Add ¼ t. paprika and sprinkle over egg mixture. Cover and chill for 12 hours. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

Visiting friends and relatives, TN and KY

Days 129-132, Harrison, TN (NE of Chattanooga
Gary and Jamie’s house

Ah, so nice to know people along the way on this adventure. We have had a wealth of good visits recently…Gaye and Bill, Suzann and Dan, and now Gary, Jamie, and their daughter Molly. Jake and Gary used to work together for Timberwolf Log Homes back in Washington. We called him out of the blue and now we are here baking a ham, doing laundry, and catching up. It’s good to not be in a campground right now as the south is going through one heck of a cold spell.

After Nashville we took the scenic back roads that wind their way up to Wilmore, KY just southwest of Lexington. The roads led us through historic Harrodsburg, by white-fenced pastures, and even past a castle for sale by Sothebys. It was a serious drive day…we did about 240 miles and didn’t arrive at my cousin Suzann and Dan’s until 5:30, partially because we had not taken the time change into consideration. We found The Red Bud B&B, the business and home of my cousin and her husband, with no problem and were immediately whisked into the house and out of the cold. As we drove north from Tennessee into Kentucky, we had watched the ice getting thicker and the snow getting deeper all the way and we knew that the visit would need to be short and then we needed to head south immediately.

The Red Bud is a beautifully restored 1898 house that Suzann and Dan converted into a B&B just this year. Suzann took us on a tour of the building and Jake and I were duly impressed by the beauty and history that the house exuded. It has been lovingly restored and the house is lucky to have gotten such dutiful owners…everything was just beautiful and spotless. I am guessing that they won’t have any trouble keeping the rooms full most of the time!

We settled in to a cozy evening of meeting Suzann and Dan’s family, including grandkids, and dining on lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. I had felt just a little trepidation getting together with this cousin of mine that I hadn’t seen in decades (and even when we were kids I was always the younger cousin who played with her little sisters and “bugged” her!), but I should have known that family is always family for which time has little meaning. We all got to know each other, shared many laughs, caught up on some family gossip, and even learned some family history as the night went on. I get warm-fuzzies when I think of that evening around the kitchen table, which is better than remembering that it got down to 15 degrees that night.

The next morning we were treated to Suzann’s fabulous Fancy Egg Scramble, crepes with home-picked blue berries, and crispy bacon…the meal seriously put my camper “scrambles” to shame. I felt only a twinge of guilt that Suzann did the fancy cooking for us since we were not paying guests (!) but I hope that we will be able to return the favor sometime when they come visit us in Washington.

Back on the road we pointed the nose of the truck south and drove out of Kentucky and back into Tennessee. We watched the reverse of the previous day and were happy to see it…less and less snow and fewer icicles. After another long day of driving, we were happy to land in our campground home: Old Stone Fort State Archeological Park. And it was downright balmy!

Yesterday we took a quick morning hike around the park and learned a bit about the Native Americans who built the original walls and the more recent walls of the paper processing mill that was built there later. It was good to get out and stretch our legs after 2 days of mostly driving. But then it was back in the truck and onward on Hwy 55 to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniel’s distillery.

I had been to the distillery a couple of time back in the days when I lived up in Indiana but it was all new to Jake. Jake is a beer guy but on occasion he likes a good Jack and Coke, so I figured it’d be a fun tour for him to experience and hey, it was free. Lynchburg is a dry town but the aromas in the different buildings were enough to make you dizzy even without buying any booze. The tour guide was friendly and informative and the whole tour was like a really impressive ad for Jack Daniels. It sure made us thirsty.

We lunched at a little diner in Lynchburg: Jake had a Lynch Burger (a hamburger with bacon, pepperoni, and blue cheese dressing) and I had a Thunder Burger (a normal burger but slathered with pimento cheese). Hwy 50 took us out of town, toward Interstate 24 and into Chattanooga. We once again had forgotten about the time change so arrived at Gary and Jamie’s an hour late but it didn’t seem to matter. Jake and Gary settled in to the normal bantering and abuse of their work relationship and I was hosted by Molly, the precocious 5-year old woman of the house. Eventually Jamie got home from work and we ended up trading stories until 3 am.

Today we breakfasted on biscuits and gravy and then hit the grocery store to re-supply our camper and to get the ingredients to a ham dinner tonight. Jamie just pulled a loaf of homemade bread out of the oven for us to take with us and the aroma is just about killing us all….we want to eat it now! But we will practice restraint and wait for dinner. Time to go join the rest of the gang in front of the TV and fireplace.

Jakeism: So the Jack Daniels place was pretty cool. It was interesting to me to think that every drop of Jack I have ever had, came through that spigot. The first Friday of every month each one of the over 400 employees gets a bottle. They call it “Good Friday” and apparently no one calls in sick that day. You always hear people saying that “We are all just one big family” but the people that work there really feel that way about each other and it shows. Our tour guide has worked there for over fourteen years and she is one of the new guys. Few people know that Jack Daniels died from a gang green infection he got from kicking the safe one morning at the office. Cheers and thank you Mr. Daniels.

Pineapple-Marshmallow Salad

Pineapple-Marshmallow Salad—Gaye (TN)

1 T. flour
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
6 egg yolks
6 T. vinegar
1 T butter
3 c. milk
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Add yolks, vinegar, butter and milk. Cook slowly, stirring constantly until thick. Let cool. Add:

2 lrg. cans crushed pineapple (drained)
1 lb. miniature marshmallows
½ lb pecans, broken
1 pint heavy cream, whipped

Leave salad in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

Chocoalate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake—Gaye (TN)


2 sticks butter (real)
½ c. shortening
5 eggs
3 c. sugar
3 c. flour
½ c. cocoa
½ t. baking powder
1 ¼ c. milk
1 ½ t. vanilla

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar at high speed. Add eggs one at a time, beat after each addition at medium speed. Sift and measure flour and sift twice more with the cocoa and baking powder. At low speed, add to egg mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla and pour in an un-greased tube pan. Bake 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees. Let cool before removing from the pan. Frost with French Silk Frosting.

French Silk Frosting:

In a mixing bowl beat 4 c. sifter confectioner’s sugar, 1 c. soft butter, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 3 sq. unsweetened chocolate(melted and cooled), and 1 t. vanilla until smooth and fluffy.

Mammy's Chocolate Cake

Mammy’s Chocolate Cake—(TN)

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter and lard
2 eggs
1 ½ t. cinnamon
½ t. cloves
2 oz. Baker’s sweet chocolate (2 squares)
½ c. boiling water
1 t. soda
1 c. buttermilk
3 c. flour

Cream butter and sugar well. Dissolve chocolate in boiling water. Let cool. Sift flour, cinnamon and cloves 3 times. Add eggs to the butter and sugar, then add chocolate. Add the soda to buttermilk and beat until it foams. Combine the flour with the buttermilk and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees.

Mammy’s Chocolate Icing

1 c. sugar
½ c. butter or oleo
½ c. sweet milk
Cocoa to flavor and to make brown

Cook all ingredients until thick and spread on cake.

Cheese Pim

Cheese Pim—Nanny, Gaye’s mom (TN)

8 oz. cheese cream
1 lb. box Velveeta cheese
1 lrg. can crushed pineapple—drained
1 lrg. jar of pim
3 T sweet relish
3 T flour
8 oz. ground pecans
1 c. sugar
3 T margarine

Mix all ingredients together and serve with crackers.

(“Pim”= pimento)

(I am guessing that you need to cook all of these ingredients together but have not had a chance to make the recipe yet so I’ll  update this post once I give it a go.  The recipe I copied was not specific which is the joy of these family hand-me-downs.)

Coca-Cola Cake

Coca-Cola Cake—Gaye (TN)

2 c. un-sifted flour
2 c. sugar
2 sticks oleo
3 T. cocoa
1 c. coca-cola
½ c. buttermilk
1 t. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 T. vanilla
1 ½ c miniature marshmallows

Sift flour and sugar in a bowl. Heat oleo, cocoa and coke to the boiling point. Pour over flour mixture. Add buttermilk, soda, eggs, vanilla, and marshmallows. Batter will be thin and marshmallows will float to the top. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Ice cake while hot.

Icing for coca-cola cake:

½ c butter
2 T. cocoa
6 T coca-cola
1 box confectioners sugar
1 c. chopped nuts

Combine first 3 ingredients and heat to boiling. Pour over sugar and beat well. Add remaining ingredients. Pour over cake.

This cake is moist and good for days.

Dried Apple Fruit Cake

Dried Apple Fruit Cake—Nanny, Gaye’s mom (TN)


2 ½ c. dried apples after cooked
1 c. lard, added to apples while hot
4 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 box seedless raisins
1 c. nuts
4 t. baking powder
1 t. of all kinds of spices
1 pint watermelon preserves

Sift powders and spices together 3 times. Take out some of the flour mixture and rub raisins, nuts, and preserves that have been cut. Add sugar to apples and lard, then the flour mixture. Add nuts, raisins, and preserves. This will be a thick batter. Cook in a slow oven

Sea Foam Icing:

3 c. brown sugar
18 t. hot water
1 t. corn syrup

Boil until it spins a thread. Add over 3 well-beaten egg whites. Add 1 t. salt, 3 t. vanilla, and chopped nuts.

Pan Chocolate Cake

Pan Chocolate Cake--Gaye

Mix and set aside:

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour

Bring to a boil in a saucepan:

1 stick oleo
½ c. shortening
1 c. water
4 T. cocoa

Pour liquid mixture over the flour and sugar and mix well. Add:

2 beaten eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1 t. baking soda

Pour batter into a greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees. When the cake is baked, cool slightly and then cover with miniature marshmallows.

Icing:

1 stick oleo
4 T. cocoa
6 T. milk
salt
1 T vanilla
Powdered sugar—enough to make a thin icing

Add all ingredients together and pour over the marshmallows on the cake.

Country Ham

Country Ham!!—Tammy O. via Gaye T

Get a 5 gal lard stand at Ace Hardware. Rinse it out and put country ham down in it and fill with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove stand from stove and put the top on stand and set it down on a pillow. Wrap with quilts or comforters to keep heat in about 3” thick on sides. Put a trash bag down over the quilts to help keep heat in and leave for about 12 hours. Unwrap and remove ham. You’re ready to eat.

Beverly's Baked Pineapple

Beverly’s Baked Pineapple—from a friend of Gaye’s sister, via Gaye T

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
½ c sugar
3 T flour
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
½ c. butter, melted
½ c. crushed Ritz crackers

Drain pineapple, reserving 3 T. pineapple juice. Mix together pineapple juice, sugar and flour. Add pineapple and cheese, place in a 1 qt. Greased casserole dish. Mix together melted butter and crackers. Spoon on top of pineapple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Cream Taco

Cream Taco—Gaye T.

1 ld. lean ground beef
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 cans hot chili beans
1 lb. brick chili (Google it if you aren't familiar)
1 small carton whipping cream

Brown the ground beef and drain. Cut the cheese into small pieces and add. Add the tomatoes, beans, and brick chili. Stir until the cheese has melted. Cook until hot through. Then add the whipping cream last. Serve over Frito chips.