nutmeg cake
Posted: December 31, 2023 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, butter, buttermilk, coconut, eggs, flour, light cream, nutmeg, salt, sugar Leave a comment
The Spice Of Life
Whether it’s sprinkled on top of your favorite wintertime drink, added to pies or cakes, or found in the form of a fancy sports move, nutmeg makes pretty much any time a special time.
Known for its warm, nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet taste, nutmeg is often found palling around with its familiar besties, cinnamon, clove, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice. Folks often say nutmeg “smells like Christmas,” and it’s not surprising that quite a few of my Mom “Betty’s” recipes call for this ingredient. From fondue to meatballs, quiche, and sweets, you can find nutmeg recipes with the ingredient search area at right (in desktop view).
Foodie Tips
❤ Buttermilk is fermented milk and if you don’t have buttermilk you can substitute it with sour milk. Sour milk? This term always throws me but if you’re in a pinch you can make “soured” milk – this article and video are quite surprising!
❤ No light cream on hand? You can substitute with a mixture of equal parts milk and heavy cream. Other options.
❤ What does nutmeg have to do with sports? My culinary skills outweigh my sports skills and this article helped me connect the two.
i. Time
About an hour
ii. Ingredients
for the cake:
½ cup | butter (my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias brand butter)
1 ⅓ cups | sugar
3 | eggs
2 cups | sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon | baking powder
1 teaspoon | baking soda
2 teaspoons | nutmeg
½ teaspoon | salt
1 cup | buttermilk or sour milk
for the topping:
6 tablespoons | more butter
¼ cup | light cream (Coffee mate “Original” flavor works great)
1 cup | brown sugar
½ cup | flaked coconut
3 Out Of 3 Elves Agree Nutmeg Cake Makes The Holidays Bright
iii. What To Do
1. In a mixing bowl or KitchenAid, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Add this to the creamed mixture with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
4. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 375°F.
5. Turn the batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
6. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until done.
7. Let’s make the topping. In a medium pan combine the 6 tablespoons butter, the light cream and brown sugar. Place over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
8. Pour the mixture over the nutmeg cake. Top with the flaked coconut and return the cake to the oven to bake for 5 minutes.
This is delicious served warm!
Yield: 8-12+ Servings, depending on size of your appetite and your willingness to share
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
An Original Scan Of Mom’s Nutmeg Cake Recipe | Better Homes And Gardens, March 1969
Time Warp: Click on the vintage advertisements below from the 1930s – 1960s… all incorporating nutmeg!
11/30/21Presidente Brandy
manicotti-cheese bake
Posted: June 5, 2023 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals | Tags: black pepper, green pepper, ground beef, italian herb seasoning, manicotti shells, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, sugar, tomato paste, water, white onion Leave a comment
Simply Satisfying
As a self-proclaimed Italian foodie, I was leery about this recipe. It seemed far too basic from the looks of the recipe (below). But my love of pasta and red sauce drew me into the light. #CarolAnne
The end result? A delicious dinner! You can modify this to suit your preference. I read about options including adding chopped parsley, ground meat, or vegetables to the cheese mixture. Drooling!
Manicotti or Cannelloni? Yeah, I wasn’t sure of the difference, either. Manicotti tubes are ridged and typically thicker than their cannelloni friends, which are smooth and slightly thinner. Either way, you win with carbs!
My instinct says this recipe hails from circa 1980 based on the print quality and fonts used in the recipe. I’ll do some digging to see if I’m right and post an update. The original recipe scan is below. Enjoy!
Foodie Tips
❤ For an easy way to get the cheese inside the manicotti shells, pipe it in! Take a plastic sandwich bag and fill it with the cheese mixture. Snip off a corner of the bag with some scissors and you just made yourself a piping bag. After parboiling the pasta, insert the snipped end of the bag into the shell and squeeze/pipe until the shell is filled.
❤ We required more cheese and of course, preferred more sauce. You can double everything below (aside from the shells). For the shells, we made a couple extra just in case there were any unforeseen splits/cracks during parboiling. Any split/cracked shells make for fun snacking!
❤ If you’re in a pinch for time, you can use your own sauce. Dare I say use a jarred sauce! Joe makes a delicious red sauce that we try to keep on hand, but it usually winds up being devoured within a day or two.
i. Time
About an hour (all in)
ii. Ingredients
½ pound | ground beef
½ cup | white onion, minced
¼ cup | green pepper, chopped
⅔ cup | tomato paste
2 cups | water
1 ½ teaspoon | salt
½ teaspoon | fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon | sugar
1 ½ teaspoon | italian seasoning
8-9 | manicotti shells
2 cups (1 pound) | ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) | mozzarella cheese, hand grated
to serve | more cheese and fresh basil on top
iii. What To Do
1. Sauté meat, onion, and green pepper. Drain off the fat.
2. Add the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, sugar, and the Italian seasoning. Simmer 15 minutes.
3. While the sauce is simmering, parboil the manicotti in salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and set the shells aside on a paper towel to rest.
4. Prepare the cheese mixture by combining the ricotta and mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl. Transfer into your piping bag (see recipe tip above).
5. Prepare an 8 inch (or a size appropriate for how much you’re making) baking dish by placing some of the sauce on the bottom. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 350°F.
6. Begin filling one of the parboiled shells with the cheese mixture. Place the filled shell into the baking dish and continue until all shells are ready to go.
7. Cover the shells with the tomato sauce.
8. Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until things are nice and bubbly. Just before serving top with more cheese and some fresh basil.
Servings: 4-6 (maybe more)
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
An original scan of Mom’s recipe:
Who was Carol Anne?
Carol Anne (aka Heather O’ Rourke) was one of the most iconic childhood actors! You may remember her phrase “They’re here!
11/30/21Presidente Brandy
sangria recipe #2
Posted: April 30, 2023 Filed under: beverages | Tags: brandy, club soda, cointreau, ice, lemon, lime, orange, red wine, sugar Leave a comment
An 18th Century Favorite
Growing up in America I was not exposed to libation, like my lucky European friends. But flash forward a few decades and here we are!
This is the second sangria recipe in Mom’s Cookbook (here’s #1). I prefer this one because the addition of Cointreau and brandy makes for a warm and delicious “oomph” for the tastebuds.
We enjoyed this sangria on the last day of Fiesta 2023. You can read more about San Antonio’s colorful Fiesta celebration here plus score a family favorite German potato salad recipe.
The Whimsical Wine Label Of Sí! Vale! Tempranillo Rioja
Foodie Tips
❤ Tasting notes: Presidente Brandy is made using grapes from northwest Mexico’s Hermosillo region. These grapes are aged for at least 24 months in American oak barrels. Presidente has aromas/notes of fruit, oak, caramel, vanilla, and almonds. It’s perfect for this sangria or mixed in with margaritas. I highly recommend and also use this in Mom’s wildly memorable brandied pumpkin flan recipe.
❤ Spanish red wine: You can use your favorite red wine. My go-to favorite is a Tempranillo. I used a bottle of Sí! Vale! Tempranillo Rioja which I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the wine label (shown above). This wine’s tasting notes? “Flavors of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, covered in dark chocolate and stashed in a cigar box for a couple of months!”
❤ You may want to double up on the sugar as I was thirsting for a little more sweet.
❤ My Cousin Alison typically has sangria at her fun gatherings. She includes lemons and limes which I will try next.
❤ I was out of Cointreau so I subbed in Grand Marnier. You could also sub Triple Sec.
❤ I’m not a fan of wimpy ice cubes that melt quickly and water down drinks. I routinely make large 2-inch cubes with my Tovolo King Cube ice cube tray.
i. Time
About 10-15 minutes to prep. The longer you chill, the better the thrill (up to a week in the fridge)!
ii. Ingredients
1 ½ cups | spanish red wine
1-2 tablespoons | sugar
½ | orange, washed and sliced
½ | lemon and lime, sliced (optional, per above)
2 tablespoons | cointreau
2 tablespoons | brandy
6 ounces | club soda, chilled
to serve | ice cubes
iii. What To Do
1. In a pitcher, combine your chosen wine and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the orange slices, Cointreau and brandy.
3. You can chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Overnight will let the flavors mingle.
4. Add the soda to the pitcher (or glass). Add the ice to your serving glass and pour on the sangria. Garnish with more orange slices or fruit, if desired.
Yield: About 2 servings. You can double this if you’re making a pitcher of sangria for more thirsty people.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
An original scan of Mom’s recipe:
11/30/21Presidente Brandy
peanut brittle
Posted: December 7, 2022 Filed under: desserts, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: baking soda, butter, corn syrup, peanuts, salt, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
A Foodie Fail Recovery
After I worked my way into the details of this recipe, the mere fact I needed to have a candy thermometer literally had me shaking in the corner, full-body-wrapped in my burrito blankey. Ever since my prior candy thermometer foodie fails in the form of red candied apples and oh, fudge, I knew a culinary disaster wasn’t just around the corner, it was lurking for me!
Maybe it was the wine or the lack of patience… but I decided to dive 100% into this recipe without a candy thermometer. I threw caution to the wind! And I was surprised this was made entirely in the microwave… and even more surprised it was entirely devoured *and* delicious!
Congrats to the folks at Southern Living Magazine for this recipe (circa 1980), landing this in “The Best Of The Best Recipes” category here at Betty’s Cook Nook!
Foodie Tips
❤ I’m pretty sure with the advancement in microwave wattage since this recipe was originally published that modern microwaves don’t take as much time as they used to. That being said, try the mixture on the lower side of things and add more time if you need to. I cooked mine for 8 minutes and at one point I thought I burned the peanut brittle but it all turned out AOK. Next time I’m going to go for 7.5 minutes. And there will be a next time!
❤ You might be a little intimidated by the sticky, gooey brittle clean-up. This ain’t my first culinary rodeo and I knew my hot tap water would take care of things – and it did! Just let it soak a bit and the sugary brittle concoction will melt all your worries away!
i. Time
About 5 minutes prep and 10 minutes for microwaving and 30 minutes for cooling.
ii. Ingredients
1 cup | sugar
½ cup | light corn syrup
1 ½ cups | raw peanuts, unsalted
¼ teaspoon | salt
1 tablespoon | butter
1 teaspoon | vanilla extract
1 teaspoon | baking soda
iii. What To Do
1. In a 2.5-quart casserole combine sugar, corn syrup, raw peanuts, and salt.
2. Microwave on high for 7-9 minutes until the mixture is light brown. The mixture gets boiling hot so please ensure your casserole dish is microwave friendly and that you use pot holders when handling the hot dish.
3. While the mixture is microwaving, now is a good time to butter your 9″ x 13″ cooking sheet.
4. Remove the sugary mixture from the microwave and add the butter and vanilla, mixing them in well. You’ll want to work quickly so the mixture doesn’t start cooling down.
5. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the mixture reaches hard crack stage (about 300°F). Again, I didn’t use a candy thermometer and the end result was amazing.
6. Remove the molten brittle from the microwave and sprinkle the baking soda on top of the brittle mixture and mix things together.
7. Pour the hot mixture onto a 9″ x 13″ buttered cooking sheet, spreading thinly. I used a wide metal spatula to help press the brittle flat. Don’t worry about irregularly-shaped edges – this is one of the fun characteristics of homemade brittle.
7. Let cool for about 30 minutes or more, then break into pieces.
Santa Agrees: This Peanut Brittle Makes For A Merry Holiday
Yield: About 1 pound.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Recipe Clipping From Southern Living Magazine Circa 1980
11/30/21
apple cream coffee cake
Posted: September 25, 2022 Filed under: breakfast, desserts | Tags: apple, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, eggs, flour, margarine, salt, sour cream, sugar, walnuts Leave a comment
The Taste Of Fall
As we round out the year my senses automatically turn to fall.
There’s no better way to celebrate crisp fall mornings than with a slice of warm, cinnamony coffee cake. Walnuts, sliced apples, and sour cream will make this a memorable way to start the day.
I can see why my Mom, “Betty”, tucked this recipe in her cookbook – it’s definitely a keeper!
Foodie Tips
❤ If you follow this blog you’ll know I have an utter appreciation for butter. My grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias brand butter, which you will see on many of the recipes here at Betty’s Cook Nook. I opted to use margarine for this recipe despite my “bold for butter” instinct. You can read more about some of the differences between margarine and butter in this WebMD article.
❤ You’ll likely want to have some melted butter (or margarine) at the ready. Drizzling some on top of the warm coffee cake just before serving is highly recommended!
i. Time
Prep: About 25 minutes prep and 40 minutes for baking.
ii. Ingredients
½ cup | walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons | cinnamon
1 ½ cups | sugar, reserved into ½ cup and 1 cup
½ cup | margarine, softened
2 | eggs (pasture raised a plus)
2 cups | flour
1 teaspoon | baking powder
½ teaspoon | salt
1 teaspoon | baking soda
1 cup | sour cream
1 large | apple, cored, pared, and thinly sliced (I went with granny smith)
iii. What To Do
1. In bowl #1: In a small/medium bowl mix walnuts, cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar. Set aside.
2. In bowl #2: In a medium/large bowl sift the 2 cups of flour. Next add the baking powder, salt and baking soda. Resift everything together.
3. In bowl #3: In a medium/large bowl or KitchenAid bowl cream together until fluffy the margarine and the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time until everything is well blended.
4. Into bowl #3: In alternating batches beat well after each addition add some of the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed margarine-sugar mixture, then add some of the sour cream. Keep alternating the batches ending with the dry ingredients.
5. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
6. Grease a cake pan and set it aside.
7. Prepare your apple: coring, paring, and thinly slicing it. I realized while I was preparing this blog post I forgot to remove the apple skin and in all honesty, I didn’t mind the peel at all. On my next “go” of this recipe, I’ll try paring as it will likely result in a softer cake.
8. Spread half of the batter from step 4 into the prepared cake pan. Top the batter with the apples and half of the walnut mixture. Add the remaining batter on top and sprinkle with the remaining walnut mixture.
9. Bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes, or until the coffee cake is done. Remove from oven to cool a bit. I enjoy this best warm but I tried leftovers from the fridge, which did not disappoint.
Yield: About 12 servings.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Coffee Cake Recipe
11/30/21
peachy blueberry cobbler
Posted: June 29, 2022 Filed under: desserts, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: baking powder, blueberries, butter, flour, ice cream, milk, peaches, salt, sugar Leave a comment 
A Summertime Flavor Sensation
When I was a kid, if I heard the word “cobbler” I knew there was likely going to be an extra-special treat coming my way!
After a trip to Dime Box, Texas in the 70s, our San Antonio garden was graced with dewberry plants that were given to us by a family member who had them growing on their farm. What’s a dewberry? Dewberries are very similar to blackberries and they are a favorite berry for many Texans. One of my favorite dessert memories of all time was when my Mom, “Betty,” made dewberry cobbler with he fruit coming from our very own garden!
We liked this peachy blueberry cobbler because it wasn’t overly sweet and it sure tastes great for summertime meals. This recipe is super-easy to make and if you have a kid or two handy they could even join-in on the fun. As Joe said, “this is definitely a recipe worth sharing!” So here it is from us to you!
This recipe hails from a July 1980 Southern Living magazine from a special “Summer Glows With Peaches” section devoted to great culinary ways to create with peaches. You can see the original recipe scan below and you’re getting extra peach recipes to boot!
Foodie Tips
❤ You can easily adapt this recipe by using your favorite fruits. Pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. would all make a tasty cobbler.
❤ If peaches and blueberries are in season I suggest using fresh. You can also substitute frozen berries that have been thawed, rinsed, and drained.
i. Time
Prep: About 75 minutes, including 15 minutes for prep and 1 hour for baking.
ii. Ingredients
1 cup | sugar
1 cup | all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons | baking powder
1 teaspoon | salt
1 cup | milk
⅓ cup | butter, melted (my grandmother insisted on falfurrias brand butter)
3 medium | peaches, peeled, sliced and lightly sugared
⅔ cup | fresh or frozen blueberries
to serve | Bluebell vanilla ice cream (optional but recommended!)
iii. What To Do
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare the peaches, sprinkle with sugar and set aside.
3. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking powder and salt) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
4. Combine the milk and melted butter and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix everything until it’s smooth.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 12″ x 8″ x 2″ glass baking dish.
6. Spread the sliced peaches evenly over the top of the batter and then top with the blueberries.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the batter rises through the fruit and the top is golden brown.
8. Serve your Peachy Blueberry Cobbler warm and top with ice cream, if preferred.
Yield: About 8-10 servings.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Peachy Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
11/30/21
pumpkin cheesecake
Posted: October 30, 2021 Filed under: desserts | Tags: butter, cinnamon, cloves, cream cheese, eggs, ginger, graham crackers, pumpkin, sour cream, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
Let’s Break For Cheesecake
With all the pumpkin proliferation that erupts at the tail end of summer this is a recipe that might stand out from the orangey crowd.
I was a little leery about baking a sour cream topping but I was reminded that folks in these parts don’t mess around with sour cream. Go on – feel the force – the sour cream worked and made a nice topping for the cheesecake.
I don’t recall eating cheesecake until the 80s, when I dove fork first into a Sara Lee cheesecake. With origins to the 1940s Sara Lee cheesecake had been my north star for what a cheesecake should be. Nowadays baking a homemade cheesecake is simply worth the extra love.
Foodie Tips
❤ The amount of graham crackers caused some intense discussion in our household. We netted out that “18 double graham crackers” actually meant 18 sheets of 4-up crackers, which is 72 total crackers not 36. I guess in the golden days a single cracker was assumed to be a 2-up cracker whereas today it would likely be considered 2 separate crackers.
❤ Make sure your spring form pan is well seated and sealed. Mine leaked a little bit in the oven which I solved by placing a pan underneath to catch any drips. After a few minutes baking the cake had set and all was good!
❤ You definitely do not want to over bake your cheesecake. Over baking will likely form cracks through and on the top resulting in a dry vs. moist end result. I’m reminded that the creamiest cheesecake I ever had was the one we water bathed in our oven. To do so we just wrapped the bottom of the springform pan with foil and placed it in a small pan of water while it cooked. The extra moisture will treat you to an amazingly moist cheesecake. I’ll try this method on the next go of this recipe!
i. Time
Prep: About 1.5 hours, including 30 minutes for prep and 1 hour for baking. Most people prefer their cheesecake chilled, so cooling it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight is recommended!
ii. Ingredients
18 sheets (72 total) | graham crackers, crushed and divided
1 cup (2 sticks) | butter, melted (my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias)
3 (8 ounce) packages | cream cheese
1 ½ cups | sugar
4 | cage free eggs, separated and beaten
15 ounce can | pumpkin
2 teaspoons | ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon | ground ginger
½ teaspoon | ground cloves
for the topping:
1 pint (16 ounces) | sour cream
4 tablespoons | sugar
1 teaspoon | vanilla
iii. What To Do
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Crush the graham crackers in a bowl by hand or you can place them in a Ziploc bag, seal, and crush with a rolling pin or simply by hand. Mix the butter into the crumbs and press it into the bottom of a spring form pan. Reserve enough of the crumbs to cover the top in step 8 below.
3. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, beaten egg yolks (not the whites yet!), the pumpkin and the 3 spices.
4. Hand fold-in the egg whites.
5. Pour everything into the spring form pan and bake for ~25 minutes at 375°F. I was using my gas oven and needed to add an additional 10-15 minutes for the cake to set.
6. When done remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool a bit. We’re not done with the oven yet – increase the temperature to 475°F.
7. While the cake is cooling lets make our topping by hand-stirring together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour this mixture on top of the cheese cake and return it to the oven to bake for 5 minutes at 475°F.
8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, sprinkle on the remaining (reserved) buttery graham cracker crumbs from above and let it cool. I let my cheesecake rest on the bottom of the springform pan insert and chilled it in the fridge for a few hours until we were ready to cut it into slices and enjoy it!
Yield: About 8-16 slices, depending on how hungry you are.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
11/30/21
peanut butter slice-and-bake cookies
Posted: September 30, 2021 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking soda, corn syrup, flour, milk, peanut butter, salt, shortening, sugar Leave a comment
The Cookies With A Twist
This recipe hails from the August 1982 issue of Southern Living, so it’s been patiently waiting in Mom’s cookbook for almost 40 years. I had seen the recipe many times flipping through my Mom’s cookbook, but “slice and bake” never really motivated me to explore more… until I later had a hankering for peanut butter and then I found myself headed to the store to get some fresh milk.
This recipe was surprising for a couple of reasons: 1) “Slice and bake.” The bake part threw me because you *don’t* bake these in your oven – you nuke them in your microwave! Making cookies in the microwave is a new one for me but not surprising given that the microwave was a rage making its debut in most American kitchens in the late 1970s. 2) The end result tasted like a homemade nutter butter cookie which was one of my favorites growing up in the 70s and 80s. Enjoy some vintage nutter butter memories below!
I was quite leery that these cookies would turn out great, but boy they sure did, and after the final schmear of peanut butter tucked between two homemade cookies I was thinking I had just made a fresh homemade home run nutter butter cookie sandwich!
Foodie Tips
❤ You can reduce the recipe ingredients by half; we were on a diet that week but it didn’t stop me from diving in! We wrapped and stored some of the remaining dough in the fridge for a couple of days and it lasted just fine.
❤ If you’re in a hurry to dive in you can chill the “baked” cookies in your fridge ~10 minutes to reduce the on counter cooling time. I did this and the end result was surprisingly crunchy.
❤ I laughed when I saw instructions to manually turn the cookies. We are lucky to live in a time when the microwave does the turning for us! I was also curious if these might do well in an air fryer and will try that on the next adventure with this recipe.
i. Time
Total prep: About 3.5 hours, including a 2-3 hour chill timeout in the fridge.
ii. Ingredients
1 ¾ cups | all-purpose flour
½ cup | sugar
½ teaspoon | baking soda
¼ teaspoon | salt
½ cup | shortening
¾ cup (or more) | creamy peanut butter, divided
¼ cup | light corn syrup
1 tablespoon | milk
iii. What To Do
1. In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry cutter (or if you don’t have one try a KitchenAid stand mixer) cut in the shortening and ½ cup of the peanut butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the corn syrup and the milk.
2. Shape the dough into a long roll, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the roll in waxed paper and chill it in the fridge 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.
3. Unwrap the roll and cut the dough into ¼ inch slices. Place 6 slices at a time on a wax paper-lined plate, arranging them in a ring.
4. Microwave the slices at medium heat (50% power) for 2 to 4 minutes or until the cookies are dry on the surface. If you don’t have a rotating microwave dish, manually rotate the dish at 1-minute intervals to promote “even baking.”
5. Slide/transfer the wax paper with the cookies from the oven onto your kitchen counter and let them cool for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the wax paper and place them on a wire rack to completely cool. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough.
6. Here’s the magical part: spread half the cookies with a schmear of peanut butter. I was generous with my schmear! Top with a remaining cookie slice on each to form your cookie sandwich.
Yield: About 2 dozen.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Let’s have a peek at some vintage ads:
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Slice And Bake Cookie Recipe Clipping
lemon pie hawaiian
Posted: July 4, 2021 Filed under: desserts | Tags: brown sugar, butter, coconut, egg whites, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon pudding mix, pastry shell, pineapple, sugar, water Leave a comment
The Hawaiian Pie Of My Eye
This pie definitely tastes like it flew straight out of the 1950s or 60s and flashed forward into my mouth. And based on where this recipe was located in my Mom Betty’s cookbook, I’m likely not that far off on its origins. I’ll continue some research to see if I can determine the publication for this recipe because I recognize the size, format and paper.
The original recipe below claims this pie is a cross between lemon chiffon and lemon meringue. I had to Google the difference between both in order to put my stink eye at ease.
I love that this recipe calls for a pre-made pie crust vs. fresh (hey, this era was a time often about making fast meals which were often a combination of part scratch and part ready made). This has a definite sweet-sugary taste which is one of the reasons I recommend unsweetened coconut – you don’t need extra in this.
I’m not sure how Hawaiian this pie actually is but with coconut in it, the taste will likely remind you of soothing tropical sunsets and beautiful beaches. You can read more about my Texas family’s connection to Hawaii through a few more Hawaiian-inspired recipes. Enjoy!
Foodie Tips
❤ What’s a pie shield? It’s typically made of silicon and it can help prevent the top edges of your crust from burning. Here’s ours from Williams-Sonoma which is adjustable and its been a life saver! You can also make your own impromptu version by using foil and shaping it around the crust’s edge.
❤ A word about the filling. We had a lot of filling left over but we didn’t opt to make a second pie as we were on diets (yeah, that’s the ticket)! We poured the extra filling into some custard cups to devour on some weak moments after our initial pie festival.
i. Time
Total prep: Allow 1 hour for Hawaiian pie prep plus 4 hours for chilling.
ii. Ingredients
8 ¼ ounce can | crushed pineapple, drained (I could only find an 8 ounce can of Libby’s)
¼ cup | brown sugar, packed
¼ cup | unsweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons | unsalted butter, softened (my Grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias)
9-inch | pastry shell, unbaked
4-serving size | regular lemon pudding mix
½ cup | granulated sugar
1 ¾ cup | water
2 | cage free egg yolks, slightly beaten (save the whites for below!)
2 tablespoons | fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon | more butter
2 | cage free egg whites
¼ cup | more granulated sugar
to garnish | toasted coconut (optional but highly recommended)
iii. What To Do
0. PREP
Set out your butter to soften to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
1. MAKE THE PIE BASE
Combine the drained pineapple, brown sugar, ¼ cup of the coconut and 2 tablespoons butter. Spread it over the bottom of the pastry shell.
2. BAKE THE PIE’S BOTTOM
Cover the edge of the pastry with foil or a silicon pie shield. Bake in your preheated oven at 425°F for 15 minutes, removing the crust protector after the first 5 minutes of baking. When done, remove the pie from the oven and set it aside to cool.
3. LET’S MAKE CUSTARDY FILLING
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat combine the pudding mix with a ½ cup of the granulated sugar. Stir in the water and egg yolks and cook and stir until things are bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining butter. Cover with clear plastic wrap and let things cool, stirring occasionally.
4. LET’S PREP THE WHITES
In a bowl beat the egg whites on high speed with your mixer until you see soft peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar until everything forms stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the cooled filling. Pile everything on top of the baked pastry shell.
5. PREPARE FOR DISMOUNT
Place the pie in the fridge for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve garnish with some toasted coconut.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
sausage stroganoff finale
Posted: December 29, 2020 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals, meats poultry and fish | Tags: chili powder, egg noodles, green pepper, salt, sausage, sour cream, sugar, tomatoes, water, white onion Leave a comment
Hit Me Baby One More Time
Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts – we’re on for another taste bud adventure compliments of this sausage stroganoff recipe!
This isn’t the first time I’ve waxed on about stroganoff (it’s the fourth time to be precise) but it may be the last. Sadly I think this is the final stroganoff recipe in my Mom’s cookbook. As the last Betty’s Cook Nook meal of the year this dish marked the perfect culinary dismount to a wacky and wild 2020!
So What Makes This Recipe A Classic?
Well, a couple of things. For starters I’m 99% confident this recipe hails from an early 1980s Southern Living magazine clipping; I recognize the recipe’s font (see the original clipping below)!
Secondly I incorporated a hidden weapon ingredient which you can learn more about below: the Wendish noodle is a blast from the past and it has a special connection to this recipe and the people of Texas. Incoming story below!
Tip: If you just prefer the recipe please fast-scroll to the Foodie Tips section below. If you want to enjoy a random family story about early Texas in the 1800s, please grab your favorite beverage and read on!
A Little Bit About Dime Box
It all started harmlessly with a random pic my Cousin Alison texted of a likely relative “Adolph Hannes” who surely lived in the greater Dime Box, Texas area. Dime Box is the birthplace of my Maternal Grandmother “Nanny” who was ironically also one of my bestest of friends when I was a kid. Dime Box isn’t a big city – in fact even today it’s an unincorporated community of about 1,100 residents. But for the European immigrants who claimed it as home, they found Dime Box a small but magnificent place that rests on the eastern Texas prairie offering big sky views and wide open spaces that could cultivate new beginnings.
After a few online queries I learned Adolph’s picture was from a 1961 book “Texas Wends – Their First Half Century,” authored by Lillie Moerbe Caldwell.
Texas Wends tells the magnificent story of how in 1854 the Wendish people of Lusatia (east Germany and southern Poland) fled to Texas in search of religious and political freedom. After 3 months at sea on the Ben Nevis clipper ship they disembarked in the port city of Galveston and ventured by wagon and foot to Serbin, Texas which is just a few minutes drive from Dime Box and 69 miles from where I live today. The story of the Wends is wild and wondrous and sadly 1 in 8 of the 588 crammed ship voyagers lost their lives on their journey to Texas. I had hoped to connect the Wends to my nuclear family (was I Wendish?) but after receiving the book I quickly combed through the Ben Nevis’ ship manifest only to find no surnames that I recognized. Regardless, Adolph’s picture proved my family was friends of the Wends!
There on page 80 of Texas Wends was a picture of Adolph Hannes that became a remarkable key to a chapter in my life that has connected the past with the present! Adolph shared a surname with my grandmother “Nanny’s” husband Harry Hannes and there in the pic Adolph was enjoying a “dram” with his friend Henry Kruemcke. I quickly and luckily discovered a hardbound copy of the book on eBay and it’s now in my library. I did some Ancestry.com research and discovered that Adolph is my Grand Uncle! #MicDrop
Into The Car We Went
Soon after geeking out on our family lineage Cousin Alison and I decided to travel to Dime Box and nearby Serbin to inspect a few things. We visited the Hannes-Old Dime Box cemetery where we saw several headstones bearing our family’s surnames (Hannes and Hejtmancik). It was surreal being in the very origin of our Texas roots! A 20-minute ride from Dime Box landed us just outside Giddings in Serbin. We visited the Texas Wendish Heritage Museum, its next door historic painted St. Paul Church and while taking in the historic sights we learned about black wedding dresses, the art of decorating Wendish Easter Eggs and low and behold we scored the glorious egg noodles that are made on site and that I used in this recipe!
We’ve made two trips back thus far and are planning a third. We’ll return to the Dime Box Heritage Society Museum where we gratefully discovered family photos and artifacts with ease. And of course no trip would be complete without paying our respects at the Heritage Museum where I plan to reunite the Texas Wends book to the Memorial Library of its author, Lillie Moerbe Caldwell.
So there you have it – how a little noodle has great big ties to this recipe and newly-discovered great chapters of my family history! I never underestimate the power of food.
Foodie Tips
❤ The Wendish noodles are about 3 inches in length and have an al dente (“to the tooth”) texture that I love. No soggy noodles here! Don’t live near Serbin, Texas? No worries – you can score your noodles online!
❤ I cooked the Wendish noodles separately according to the package instructions then poured the stroganoff on top to serve. On my next go of this recipe I think I’ll add the uncooked noodles and let them simmer in the stroganoff per the original recipe instructions below – they will likely absorb more of the tasty stroganoff flavor.
❤ Fan of the stroganoff? Luckily there are a few more you can try out here on Betty’s Cook Nook. Click and scroll down!
i. Time
Total prep: About 45-60 minutes.
ii. Ingredients
1 pound | bulk pork sausage
1 cup | white onion, finely chopped
1 cup | green pepper, finely chopped
16 ounce can | diced organic canned tomatoes (Kirkland)
8 ounces | sour cream
1 cup | water
1 tablespoon | sugar
2 teaspoons | kosher salt
2 teaspoons | chili powder
8 ounces | egg noodles (Wendish noodles if you can)
iii. What To Do
1. In a skillet over medium heat combine sausage, onion and green pepper and stir until the sausage is brown and the onion is tender. Drain off the pan drippings.
2. In a separate bowl combine the tomatoes, sour cream, water, sugar and seasonings. Stir this mixture into the sausage mixture.
3. Gently stir in the noodles. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Stir occasionally.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Original Stroganoff Recipe Clipping
One more time: This video may not qualify as an antique or vintage… but it’s certainly retro!
Betty's Cook Nook 