Grandma Thiessen's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

I've been going through some of my vintage recipe cards. Today I found this  cake recipe that  my mother in law used to make. We think my wife wrote this recipe card when she was in High School.
Our daughter just asked if we still have the recipe. She remembered her Grandmother making it every time she visited her. The tradition continues.
It's another vintage family recipe that are some of my favorites. It's easy and delicious.
When it says to grease the pan, they used to grease it with Crisco. Today we use a Vegetable Cooking Spray. I use my Pan Release Mix ( equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil, Flour). I start with 1 C of each and keep it refrigerated . I always have it available for all of my baking needs.

Here's what you'll need:
1 - 9" X 13" , greased baking pan

Mayonnaise Cake:

Combine 1 C Sugar, 2 C Flour, 1/4 C Cocoa and 2 tsp Baking Soda.
Mix 1 C Mayonnaise and 1 C warm Water and 1 tsp Vanilla.
Add Dry Ingredients
Bake in Greased Pan at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

This is so easy!

A Waffle Iron
Bread
Butter
Cheese

That's it....... you can figure out the rest.
What a brilliant idea to make for kids that love grilled cheese ...... adults that love grilled cheese...... ok, everyone that loves grilled cheese.
Make them plain or make them fancy, you all know what you would add to a grilled cheese sandwich made in a waffle iron. I know I have a few ideas!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Fried Pickles

I have to admit, I love Fried Pickles. There are so many recipes for them. There are so many different ways that they're made and served in restaurants. There are restaurants that serve fried pickles that I love and some that I don't.
Here's my favorite recipe for Fried Pickles.

First of all...... they have to be Dill Pickles, no other's will do.
I grew up eating Vlasic Dill Pickles. The factory was in the town where my grandparent lived. My sister and I toured the factory many times as kids. When we left, we got the biggest dill pickle that we had ever seen. Of course we were little, so they all looked like the biggest pickles we had ever seen!
I still eat Vlasic pickles today and my favorites for this recipe are Vlasic Sea Salt Kosher Dills.

Buy a jar of whole pickles and slice them however thick or thin you want them. I don't like mine really thin but not too thick either. You'll figure that out as you begin making them.


Here's the batter:

1 C Buttermilk
1 Egg
4 -6 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1 C Flour
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Cooking Oil, you're choice.

You'll need a large heavy  pot. I use a large Cast Iron Chicken Fryer. If you have an 8 qt. Enamel Cast Iron soup pot that would be great.
Heat at least 2" of oil to about 350 degrees.
I just guess by dropping a bit of batter into the hot oil. You'll know.
This recipe is not exacting.
The more you make them, the better you'll get!

In a large mixing bowl:
Buttermilk
Egg
Tabasco
Whisk well.

Add a bunch of sliced pickles to the bowl and stir.

In another bowl:
Flour
PaprikaGarlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Whisk well.

Add a bunch of the marinated pickles to the flour bowl.
Stir them around with your hands.
Shake off some of the excess flour.
Carefully drop  about 8 of them into the hot oil. Fry them in batches of 8. This will help maintain the temperature of the oil.

Fry them for about 5 minutes. They should be golden brown.
Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined cooling rack over a sheet pan.

Now, you can dip them in your favorite sauce.
I like to dip them in "Fry Sauce" and here's the recipe:

1/2 C Ketchup
1/2 C Mayonnaise
Hot Sauce for spice ( in Texas  Tabasco is mandatory) Add as much or as little as you like.
Mix well in a serving bowl.

This sauce is also great for French Fries.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tex - Mex Cocoa Krispie Squares

We all grew up with Rice Krispie Treats in America. In Texas, we love to turn recipes into a Texas recipe by adding the title, Tex - Mex to it. We add a few other ingredients too, that allow the recipe to have that title. I admit I have a lot of  Tex - Mex recipes. This is my original version of Rice Krispie Treats made the Tex - Mex way.

Here's what you'll need:

1 - 9" X 13" baking pan sprayed with a vegetable cooking spray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1 1/2 sticks (12 TBS) Butter, room temperature

1 1/2 C granulated Sugar

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 1/3 C Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Chile Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

3 TBS Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 C chopped Pecans
4 C Miniature Marshmallows

Icing:

1 1/2 C  Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips
3 TBS Butter, cubed
1 C Creamy Peanut Butter
2 C Kellog's Cocoa Krispies
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Vanilla
1 C Confectioner's Sugar (Powdered Sugar)

In a Stand Mixer with a paddle attachment:
Butter
Granulated Sugar
Beat until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time beating just until incorporated after each addition.
Add Vanilla.

In small bowl:
Flour
Baking Powder
Cinnamon
Chile Powder
Salt
Cocoa Powder
Whisk well.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and continue beating until combined.
Add Pecans and beat just until combined.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 15 - 18 minutes.
Without removing the pan from the oven, distribute the Marshmallows evenly over the entire surface.
Bake an additional 2 - 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and use an offset spatula dipped in warm water to evenly  spread the melted Marshmallow.

Cool completely on a cooling rack.
Prepare the Icing.

Icing:
In a medium saucepan over low heat:
Chocolate Chips
Butter
Peanut Butter
Cook, stirring constantly until melted and creamy smooth.
Remove from heat.
Fold in Cocoa Krispies by hand.
Spread this mixture evenly over the cooled Marshmallow layer.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cinnamon / Raisin Breakfast Biscuits

Another one of Aunt Faye's recipes from her collection.

2 C Flour
3/4 C Granulated Sugar, divide into 1/2 C and 1/4 C.
1 TBS Baking Powder
3 TBS Butter, cold and cubed
2 Large Eggs
1/2 C Half and Half
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 C Raisins
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Here's what you'll need:

1 - sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl:
Flour
1/2 C Sugar
Baking Powder
Whisk well.
Cut in the Butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl:
Eggs
Half and Half
Vanilla
Whisk well.
Stir into the dry ingredients just until the mixture is wet. Do not over mix.
Fold in Raisins by hand.

Roughly drop the dough 2" apart,  by the Tablespoonful onto the sheet pan.

In a small bowl:
Whisk together the 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and remaining 1/4 C of sugar.
Sprinkle it over the biscuits.
Bake for 20 minutes. They should be golden brown.

Serve warm with Butter.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Chile Relleno Squares

I love the traditional Chile Relleno recipe from Mexico. I've also publish a very similar recipe for  Lazy Chile Rellenos from Ree Drummond.
This is just another version.

Easy Chile Relleno Squares:

3 C (12 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 C shredded Queso Quesadillo Cheese
2 - (4 oz.) cans of Chopped Green Chiles, well drained
2 large Eggs
2 TBS Whole Milk
1 TBS Flour

Here's what you'll need:
1 - 8" X 8" baking pan sprayed with a vegetable cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Evenly distribute half of each of the cheese in the pan.
Evenly distribute the diced green chiles over the cheese.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

In a small bowl:
Whisk the Eggs
Add:
Milk
Flour
Whisk well.
Pour over the casserole.

Bake for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly.
Serve warm.
Cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cranberry Cream Freeze , Cherry Cream Freeze from my childhood and my contemporary version of it in a pie

Cranberry Cream Freeze:

This was my Aunt's favorite version of a Fruit Freeze Dessert.

The second recipe was the one my mother always made during the holidays and it was my favorite childhood dessert.

The third recipe is my contemporary version of my mother's, made into a pie.

I hope you like all three of them.

This is from Aunt Faye's collection of recipes.

The photograph is from the original magazine recipe.

1 - can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 C lemon juice

2 C miniature marshmallows

1- can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1- can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained

1/2 C chopped pecans

3 drops of red food coloring

1 - (8oz.) container of Cool Whip, thawed

In a large mixing bowl:

Milk

Lemon Juice

Whisk well.

Add:

Marshmallows

Cranberry Sauce

Pineapple

Pecans

food coloring

Stir to mix well.

Fold in Cool Whip until completely combined and the color changes to solid pink!

Pour into a 9" X 13" baking dish.

Freeze overnight.

Cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

My mother always made this for Thanksgiving and Christmas beginning in the 50's.
It was my favorite dessert as a child.

My mother made it in aluminum ice cube trays without the dividers.
I have a source for them, I will order some for this recipe.

Here's my mother's recipe.
Cherry Cream Freeze:

1 1/3 C (15oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C lemon juice
1- 12 oz. package of frozen sweet dark cherries.
3/4 C ( 1 9 oz. can) well drained crushed pineapple.
1/4 tsp almond extract.
2 C heavy cream, stiffly whipped.

In a large mixing bowl, combine:
milk
lemon juice
cherries
pineapple
almond extract
Mix well.

Gently fold in whipped cream.

Place mixture into a 9" x 5"x 3"  Loaf Pan.
Cover tightly with Foil
Freeze for 24 hours.
Dip pan half way in a pan of warm water to release.
Un mold onto a serving platter.
Slice to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the kitchen!



Cherry Cream Freeze Pie

When I was a child, my mother made a Cherry Cream Freeze Dessert. It was my favorite dessert. She made it for me every Christmas. The recipe is on the blog.
Here's my contemporary version made into a pie!

1 - box of Pillsbury Pie Crust
Prepare according to package directions for 1 single baked 9" pie shell.
Bake in a 9" glass pie plate.
Bake according to package directions.

1 C sweetened flaked coconut
1 can (15.25oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 C maraschino cherries, drained, chopped. Reserve 1 TBS
4 oz. (1C) slivered almonds
1 1/3 C  (15oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
5 TBS fresh lime juice
Reserved cherry juice
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 C frozen  whipped topping, thawed

In a large bowl:
Combine the first 8 ingredients

Fold in Whipped Topping
Pour into crust
Refrigerate overnight

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!