Grandpa's Pickles

This is the recipe as I remember it. I found many pickle recipes in grandmas recipe box. Strangely, not a single one was the famous recipe of Grandpa Hughes' Dill Pickles. It has been many years since I last made a batch of pickles, and even longer since I stood at grandma's kitchen sink, stuffing pickle jars full of cukes, helping grandpa to prepare the ingredients and then finally, watching him measure precisely the amount of pickling salt onto each jar for sealing. Whether or not the pickles really need to be shaken for forty days and forty nights needs to be seen, but I will keep on the tradition by putting it in the instructions, just like grandpa taught me.

Wash and cut stems off medium and small sized pickling cukes.
In washed 1 qt jars place a layer of the cukes so they fill 1/2 of the jar.
Into the jar place: 2 clove pieces of garlic
1 dried red pepper corn (2 for hot)
1 head of dill*

Fill up the rest of the jar with pickles. Pour 1 and 1/2 tbsp pickling salt in each jar. Fill up jar with cold water for pickles are covered. Seal jar.

Shake the jars twice a day for forty days and forty nights.

*I often put in more dill than 1 head. I would often go behind grandpa and slip in another before he sealed the jars.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Note on cards says "Ellens"

• 6 qts cukes, sliced
• 2 green peppers
• 2 red peppers
• 12 medium onions sliced
• salt.
  

Brine 3 hours and drain

Mix together:

• 1/4 cup mustard seed
• 2 tsp celery seed
• 3 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 qts vinegar
  

Add above ingredients together, bring to a boil. Cook slowly for 10 minutes. Seal.

Puffs Yellow Pickles

• Yellow cucumbers cut 1/2 wide
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp mixed pickling spice

Boil three minutes to each pint add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 sliced onion.

Ice Box Cookies

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups shortening - use 1/2 butter if desired
  
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 cups sifted flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together. Chill.

Never Fail Meringe

Combine:

• 2 tbsps sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

Cook until clear and thick. Set aside to cool.

Beat 2 egg whites with:

• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

until soft mounds form. Add 6 tbsps sugar, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add cornstarch mixture and continue heating til meringue stands in stiff peaks and stays separated when spatula is drawn between. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Plum Pudding

This recipe card had the notation "from the kitchen of great grandmother Harrison, this recipe came from England with her."

• 1 lb ground potatoes
• 1 lb ground carrots
• 1 lb ground raisins
• 1 lb plain raisins or currants
• 1 lb sugar
• 1 lb flour
• pinch of salt

Mix well and seal. Pressure cook 60 minutes at 10 or 15 lbs pressure.

Crazy Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 tbs cocoa
• 2 tsp soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix together then add:

• 10 tbs Wesson oil
• 2 tbs vinegar
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 2 cups warm water

Mix in pan and bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Butterless, Eggless, Milkless Cake

• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup lard
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 sifted flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Boil sugar, water, lard, raisins about 3 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Cool and add dry mixture and vanilla. Bake in medium oven 40 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Sift together in a large bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 tsps double action baking powder (3 tsps single action)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar

Then add:

• 1/2 cup Snowdrift (aka shortening)
  
• 1/2 cup milk

Mix enough to dampen flour. Beat for two minutes with electric mixer at "low speed".

Add:

• 2 eggs, unbeaten
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated baking unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts