Zucchini Sweet Pickles

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Zucchini Sweet Pickles

Day One:

1 heaping gallon of zucchini, peeled and seeded and cut into bite sized pieces 4 qts. heaping. 

1 gallon cold water

1 Tbl. calcium hydroxide (get at drug store) or slaked lime.

Mix all together.  Soak 24 hours in lime solution, stirring occasionally, to firm up squash.  Must use lime or it will be mushy. 

Day Two:

Drain, rinse, and let soak in plain ice water for 3 hours.  Drain and make syrup:

6 cups vinegar    

12 cups sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp mixed pickled spices               

Pour over zucchini and let set for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Day Three:

Bring everything to a boil in open kettle.  Boil until clear- from 45 minutes to an hour.  Seal in hot jars.  I put into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to help seal.

Grandma Pack's Four Bean Salad

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Four Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 can cut green beans
• 1 can yellow string beans
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 red onion, sliced thin or in rings
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup salad oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper together.  
2. Pour over all the beans and let marinate over night.  Stir occasionally.

Great-Grandma Jevons Escalloped Squash

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Escalloped Squash

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. squash
• 1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 cube butter
• salt

Directions:

1. Cook squash until tender, mash and add cracker crumbs, grated cheese, butter, salt and well beaten eggs.  (Save enough butter, crumbs, and cheese for top.)  
2. Put in buttered casserole dish and put on topping.  
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until firm.

Grandma's Rhubarb Cobbler Crisp

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

This recipe was recommended by both of my grandma's!

Rhubarb Cobbler Crisp

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¾ cup oatmeal
• 1 cube melted butter
• 5 cups rhubarb
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbl cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal and butter to make a crumb mixture.  
2. Put 2/3 of mix in 9 inch baking dish, well greased.  
3. Layer on top with rhubarb and strawberries.  
4. In a pan, cook white sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla until thick.  
5. Pour over rhubarb mixture.  
6. Top with remaining crumb mix and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Grandma Pack's Favorite Pie Crust

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

My Favorite Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbl. shortening                                  
• 2 ¼ cups flour                                                          
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup ice cold water

Directions:

1. Cut shortening into flour with pastry cutter or fork [large tine] until consistency of peas. 
2. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until you can pat the dough into a ball. Work quickly & handle dough as little as possible to keep it flakey. 
3. Roll out onto floured board or pastry cloth. Roll with quick light strokes & as few as possible to desired thickness, 1/8 in. [evenly]. 
4. Fold over & place carefully into pie pan.

Grandma Pack's Apple Crunch

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Apple Crunch

Ingredients:

• 6 large apples, sliced thin
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon peel
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Sprinkle sliced apples with sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel and cinnamon.  Place in a casserole dish.  
2. Mix sugar and flour and cut in butter to form coarse meal.  Spread over apples and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour in 350 degree oven.

Grandma Pack's Chicken Curry Casserole

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Chicken Curry Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 4 or 5 split chicken breasts
• Salt
• Water
• 2 pkg. frozen broccoli (10 oz.)
• 1 or 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayo
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
• grated cheese
• crushed potato chips or bread crumbs 

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in salt water, cool, and bone and skin chicken.  
2. Cook and drain broccoli.  Place in bottom of casserole dish.  
3. Place boned chicken on top of broccoli.  
4. For sauce, mix cream of chicken soup, mayo, curry powder, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over chicken.  
5. Drain and slice water chestnuts and pour over chicken.  
6. Top with grated cheese and crushed potato chips or bread crumbs.  
7. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  (You can also add sliced mushrooms.)

Grandpa Pack's Oatmeal Pie

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar 
• 4 eggs 
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups Karo syrup
• 1 ½ cups oatmeal (leftover hot cereal)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt 

Directions:

1. Mix all together and pour into two pie shells.  
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Marsha's Notes:

The story goes that my Grandpa Pack was a truck driver and he had this one restaurant that he liked to stop at that served oatmeal pie. Every time Grandpa would go in, he would ask if he could have the recipe. They always told him no. Then finally, after probably years of doing this, a lady at the restaurant said, "I don't suppose you are going anywhere or are going to open up your own restaurant, so you can have it." And thus, we have this recipe to share with you today.

Death By Chocolate Cake

My son needed to do a project for school, and he wants to be a chef when he grows up (at least that's what he wants to do right now) and so he decided to do his project on cooking and baking. The recipe he picked for his project is my grandmother's Death by Chocolate Cake. I seem to remember that she got this recipe from a friend when I was in high school or college, but it's been a favorite ever since. I honestly can't believe I haven't posted it on here sooner!!! It's moist, it's chocolate-y, it is ah-mazing!

Death by Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup Crisco oil
• 1 pkg. chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
• 1 small box of instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• Powdered sugar to top, or frosting

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Beat sour cream, eggs, water and oil together.  Mix well.  
3. Add cake mix and pudding mix.  
4. Stir in chocolate chips.  
5. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.  
6. Bake 45-55 minutes or until done.  
7. Invert on serving platter and can frost when cool or sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost.

Marsha's Notes:

For the cake in the picture, we took a can of chocolate frosting from the store, microwaved it for just a little bit until it was warm and slightly runny, then I poured it over the cooled cake. (So, first, I put the cake on a cooling rack and then slipped a large plate under the cooling rack to catch all the frosting drippings... but... I digress.) Then, I sprinkled on some chocolate sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. It... is... so... good!!!!!!!!!!!!