Potato Chip Cookies

Ever wonder what to do with the end of the bag of potato chip crumbs? Make cookies!
My mom writes in the family cookbook "I remember mom making these cookies--they were so good. Besides, it's a good way to use the end of the potato chips."

1/3 cup finely crushed potato chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup oleo, softened
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar

Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, beat sugar, oleo, egg yolk, vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour to sugar mixture; mix well. Stir in chips and nuts. Roll into 1" balls. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Dip 3" glass in remaining sugar and flatten balls. Bake 12-15 min. or until brown. Cool slightly and remove from pan. Makes 3 dozen.

Shoo-fly muffins and pie

One of my Dad's favorite pie was a wet bottom Shoo-fly pie. Shoo-fly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch molasses pie. They are called wet bottom because the molasses is on the bottom giving the pie a "wet bottom" and a crumb topping. My Mom made them several times a year. My sisters and I remember eating them for breakfast.

Recently, I found a recipe for Shoo-fly muffins or cupcakes. They are not wet bottom because the molasses is incorporated into the muffin. They taste very close to the pie. They are yummy!

Shoo-fly Muffins

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups boiling water
1 cup molasses or 1/2 cup molasses and 1/2 cup Dark Karo syrup

In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Add baking soda to remaining crumb mixture. Stir in water and molasses.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield 2 dozen.

Shoo-fly Pie

Here is my Mom's recipe for a wet bottom Shoo-fly pie.

Part 1:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 teas. salt

Part 2:
1/2 cup Dark Karo syrup
1/2 cup boiling water
3/4 teas. baking soda

Mix ingredients in part 1 by hand, forming the crumb for the top of pie. Mix ingredients in Part 2 and pour into unbaked pie crust. Place crumbs on top of liquid and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Uncle Steve 70th Birthday!

Today is my mom's brother's 70th birthday party. I'm so sorry that she is not here to celebrate with the family. The party is at the Uncle Steve and Aunt Louise's lake house. I made the Ramen Noodle Salad for the party. Happy Birthday Uncle Steve!

Ramen Oriental Salad

Yesterday our neighborhood had an end of the summer gathering. Hot dogs were provided and everyone needed to bring a dish. I made the Ramen Oriental Salad. I had received this recipe from Maureen Gibson years ago. I did not realize my mom had the recipe until I went through her recipe box. This is always a crowd pleaser at a potluck. Make sure you take copies of the recipe with you because someone will ask of it!

Below is the recipe from Carol Ann's recipe box but the card is written by her sister Kathy. The third line should read "1 pkg slivered almonds" instead of onions. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

This is the second Christmas without my Mom. I miss my parents very much. This morning Kevin and I went to Mass as the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. We sang all of my dad's favorite Christmas hymns. It was very hard keeping back the tears.

Kevin and I are going to spend time today with family in Ft. Wayne. My Aunt Kathy is hosting Christmas this year. For the meat, she is serving ham. My mom always made Grandma's Creamed Potatoes with ham. My mom put the recipe in her "Good Stuff, Vol 1" cookbook so I thought it was her's. I did not realize the recipe was Grandma's until I read the recipe card from my mom's recipe box and it was written in Grandma's handwriting. You can tell by the spots on the card that the recipe was made often.

Since we are traveling, I cooked them in the Crock Pot instead of baking them. They look great!

Enjoy them as much as our family has over the many years!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I found over the time I have spent with my Mom's family in Ft. Wayne is Mom developed different food traditions than her mother, brother and sister. She cooked more Pennsylvania Dutch recipes from my Dad's side of the family. My sisters and I did not get up to Ft. Wayne to spend holidays with Grandma very often so our family recipes are different than my cousins.

Today, Kevin and I are going to spend Thanksgiving with family in Ft. Wayne. I wanted to take something that was very unique that my Mom made that her brother and sister would not have had. She always made Pennsylvania Dutch potato stuffing for every holiday. I think I did it some justice. Of course it will not be as good as Mom's, but I tried. I hope everyone likes it as much as my sisters and I do.

Happy Thanksgiving Mom and Dad!

Graham Cracker Cake

While I was down in FL visiting Nancy at the beginning of August, we decided to make the Graham Cracker Cake. The recipe intrigued us. We added our own touch to it by making it into a somore cake. We added chocolate fudge and marshmallow to the top. We did not know the size pan needed. We used a square pan.

Graham Cracker Cake
2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
2 2/3 cup fine graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup shortening (butter0
3/4 cup milk
1 teas. vanilla
2 eggs (unbeaten)
Sift first 4 ingredients and stir in crumbs. Drop shortening and pour in milk and vanilla, with electric
mixer at low speed, beat until dry ingredients are barely dampened. Then at low speed to medium beat
2 mins. Add egg and beat one min. Turn into pan and bake 25 min at 375 or until done.