I wanted new cookie sheets. But what a delightful surprise when I found this set of cookie sheets, at Bed Bath and Beyond store, made like the $20 cake pan in my story THE BEST $20 I EVER SPENT, two layers with air between the layers. The price for package of three cookie sheets $19.95. That is what I call a bargain!

And now notice the bumps in the bottom

You purchase Nestlies chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and it takes one half pound of butter per recipe.

The recipe is on the upper left corner on the back of the package

Ready for the oven

As soon as they have cooled to room temperature I pack them in vinyl containers and place them in the freezer.

Whoever wants a cookie, goes to the fridge, opens the freezer door, removes that container of chocolate chip cookies and helps themselves to a treat.

YUM! YUM! They are soooooooooooooo mouth watering delicious!

NO ONE COUNTS CALORIES !!!!!!!!!!!

FRF ❤️

I have to hand it to Salem Ohio hospital for their SPECIAL NURSING for getting their patients ready to take care of themselves while living alone when returning to their homes.

After about ten days in the hospital we are taken to the SPECIAL NURSING section where the they have an exercise room and full kitchen combined. We patients    were taken there each morning.

Besides the nurses putting us through many different exercises, while there we also did some food preparations. I found it interesting watching this one elderly male patients peel potatoes. Another patient preparing other food.

I felt very fortunate that my job was to make cupcakes according to a recipe by the cooking nurse.

First as per her instructions I used a yellow cake mix to make cupcakes. As soon as they cooled to room temperature I punched tiny holes in each of the cupcakes and filled them with cherry jello using a teaspoon to drizzle the liquid jello over the cakes.  Then into the fridge to cool. And I should tell you….the hospital furnished all the food supplies.

So………when they were chilled the kitchen nurse got a tube of whip cream brought in from the hospital main kitchen and I topped these cupcakes with whip cream.

And here is my finished prize……….

And …….others there along with me enjoyed these delicious fruits of my labor. This was over a year ago.

But you know what????? Finally……I am going to purchase a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, a box of cherry jello and a can of whip cream.

And……….I am going to make A BATCH OF THOSE DELICIOUS CUPCAKES!!!!!!!!!!

YUM!!!!!  YUM!!!!!!!

FRF❤️

Start with a Duncan Hines spice cake mix. In large bowl place three eggs, one third cup oil, one fourth cup water and mix.

Add two cups home made applesauce left a little chunky.

Add the spice cake mix, one half cup brown sugar, one fourth teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon cinnamon, one half teaspoon nutmeg and one fourth teaspoon cloves.

If cake batter is too thick add 2 or 3 tablespoons water or enough to give it a good consistency. Place in 9 x 13 greased baking pan. Bake at 3:50 until just barely done. Over baking takes away flavor.

When cake has cooled make the icing.

In small sauce pan melt I stick of butter and add one cup brown sugar.

Boil 2 minutes on low heat stirring constantly with wood spoon that has a flat end.

Remove from burner, add one fourth cup milk and bring to a full rolling boil.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to 120 degrees.

Add vanilla and stir in 2 cups confectioners sugar. Beat by hand until ready to spread on cake right in the pan you baked it in.

Now enjoy the fruits of you labor with a hot cup of fresh made Starbucks coffee (find it on your grocers shelf!) YUM!!!! YUM!!!!!

FRF❤️

My mother-in-law Dale Shoup made the best sugar cookies I have ever tasted by far. So……I decided to use that cookie recipe for raisin filled cookies.

This is her recipe handed down through her family.

I add a tablespoon of butter to make the cup of crisco shortening. I add a tablespoon of vinegar then finish filling the cup with regular milk as a substitute for sour milk.

Beat sugar and shortening until creamy add egg and beat again. Mix all dry ingredients together and add alternately with milk starting and ending with flour.

Place bowl of dough covered in fridge for 2 hours to chill. Makes it easier to handle when rolling out.

I make the raisin filling and allow to cool.

Roll out the dough, use round cookie cutter and with a spatula place cookie on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Spoon raisin filling in the center of each cookie then top with another cookie pressing down around the edges. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. I make my own sugar with cinnamon mix and keep it in a large shaker.

I make the filling by first boiling two cups raisins with one cup water until tender, to make a white sauce mix together one half cup sugar, one
tablespoon cornstarch,a little cinnamon then add one half cup cold water plus one tablespoon lemon juice, add this mixture to the raisins and boil until it thickens. I don’t put it in my fridge but allow it to cool on my counter. It may still be warm when you add it to the center of the cookie.

These cookies are delicious eaten while still warm. I like to give them to neighbors very soon after baking them.

My children have good memories of eating my baked cookies, cupcakes and pies etc  while still warm from the oven.

Much thanks to my mother-in-law Dale  Shoup for her family sugar cookie recipe. I never learned how many generations that recipe came down through, it would be interesting to know.

Share with family and neighbors. They also freeze quite well.

FRF❤️

Do you have a Betty Crocker cook book? Mine was a wedding present so is very old and shows much wear and tear from so much use while on my dairy farm and these many years since. The outside is broken off as are many of my favorite pages.

HOW-SOME-EVER…..I still often refer to recipes from that raggedy old book. That is where I get the recipe for my cream filling for banana pie and coconut cream pie. And as per-usual, I revise that recipe!

Things you need to purchase at you favorite market:

Package of Pet-Ritz deep-dish pie shells (comes two in a pkg)
Package of coconut (I buy the 5 cup package).
Package of Dream Whip
Two percent milk ( that is what I use.)
Eggs

I’m assuming you have sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla
This is my revised recipe for the cream filling.

3/4 cup sugar
3 & 2/3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 tablespoons white imitation vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded coconut

In advance, take a pie shell from the freezer to thaw and after it is thawed punch holes in bottom and sides to let our air pressure while baking and keep it from raising up in bubbles.

In medium size bowl mix sugar, cornstarch and salt, add small amount of milk from one cup just enough to make a paste, add egg yolks and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons vanilla to mixture. Add approximately 1/4 cup more milk to this mixture and put the remainder of that cup of milk plus three more cups in a microwave bowl and heat in the microwave for four and 1/2 minutes. Add butter to hot milk.

Place thawed pie shell in 385 degree oven to bake while you finish mixing the hot milk slowly at first into the mixture of sugar, eggs etc, place in a medium size pan on burner stirring constantly with flat end wood spoon. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes. Turn burner low for boiling so it doesn’t bubble up and burn your hand. That has happened to me more than once and take it from me that hurts.

Remove from burner and add 3/4 cup coconut to pudding, place back on burner and bring to a boil and remove. Never stir the pudding once you have removed it from the burner. That will cause it to go runny like soup. You probably already knew that.

Your pie shell should be baked to a light golden about the same time you pudding filling is done so remove from oven and pore hot pudding into the hot pie shell. That is how you keep the crust from soaking with them each being hot. I leave the pie on the counter to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to cool further before adding the dream whip topping.

I top with Dream Whip using one package dream whip with one half cup plus two tablespoons two percent milk and when beaten up sweeten with a rounded teaspoons confectioners sugar and add a few drops of vanilla. If I don’t have the white vanilla I use the regular dark vanilla. After pie has cooled in fridge add dream whip to top of pie, sprinkle with fresh moist coconut and place your completed beautiful pie back in the fridge until ready to serve.

I baked this pie often for Barbara and Bernie Collins who were my helpful neighbor’s in Highland Creek in Salem Ohio. When I ask him what kind of pie he wanted it was always COCONUT CREAM!!!!!!!!!!

When I moved to Florida, Bernie said I could mail him a coconut cream pie.

Sure Bernie!!  Keep watch for that Florida bird that will swoop down out of that Salem Ohio sky and deliver a COCONUT CREAM PIE AT YOUR FRONT DOOR!!!!

FRF ❤️