Food for College Life

My grandmother attended Western Kentucky University's teacher program in the 1940's. This was during the war, and there was a storage of teachers. She studied and received a certificate to teach school. She taught at one room schools for about 5 years.

She said that while attending college her favorite thing was to go to down town Bowling Green. She would get a grilled cheesed sandwich, topped with bread and butter pickles. Then she would return to her dorm, where she would down a sleeve of Ritz Crackers. She loved eating these items even when she was older. I especially remember her eating bread and butter pickles with nearly everything, including cakes. I also remember her first trip to Mariahs, a famous restaurant in Bowling Green, she ordered a grill cheese sandwich. She was just as happy with the grill cheese as the most expensive entree.

Pinto Bean Cake

My grandmother ate pinto beans nearly every single day of her life. When I found this recipe, it reminded me of her. Of course she always ate her pinto beans with some sort of sweet relish, be it pickle, carrot or squash. So I guess this recipe makes since to take the taste of beans and mix it with something sweet.

It's also a perfect way to get your children to eat their beans. Trick them with this pinto bean cake recipe.

Pinto Bean Cake:

1 stick of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of pinto beans, unseasoned, drained and mashed -save the juice for later use
1 egg
1 cup of self rising flour
2 cups of apples, sliced thin
1 cup of nuts
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Pour the cake batter into a cake pan and bake for about an hour at 325 degrees. Prepare frosting.

1 box of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of the juice from the beans
1/2 cup of butter
1 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of vanilla

Cream and spread on cooled cake. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

My grandmother, Juanita always loved eating sweet potatoes. She usually would just cook them in season by baking them, or boiling them. When at work she would even cook them in the microwave with some butter and sugar. However, on special occasions my mother or aunt would make her a sweet potato casserole aka sweet potato souffle. She absolutely adored it.

Sweet Potato Casserole/Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe

• 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all of the ingredients and place into a buttered casserole dish.
3. Prepare the topping.

• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of self rising flour
• 1 cup of pecans or nuts of choice (optional)
• 1/3 cup of butter, softened

Combine the ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato casserole. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Try to avoid over baking. It will make the top too crunch and it will have a charred flavor.

Tang Pie

My son loves this pie. My grandmother found the recipe for this one in a cook book she bought for a charity event. It's so quick and easy to make. I really like cream pies that require no cooking.

Tang Pie Recipe:

• 1/3 cup of orange Tang drink mix
• 8 ounces of sour cream
• 8 ounces of whipped topping, divided
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 graham cracker crust

Mix the Tang, sour cream, 1/2 of the whipped topping and condensed milk together. Spread it into the pie crust. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Old Fashion Raisin Pie

My grandmother loved raisin pie. I am not a big fan of raisins myself, however she absolutely was. This is a very old fashion recipe. Not a lot of spices but you know, back in the day spices where hard to come by and expensive.


Old Fashion Raisin Pie:

• 1 1/2 cups of seedless raisins
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 cup of chopped nuts
• Grind rind of lemon
• 2 -Unbaked pie shells (not frozen)

1. Wash the raisins and cook them in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Boil until the raisins become tender.
2. Combine the flour and sugar, then slowly add to the raisins. Stirring until it thickens.
3. Add in the lemon juice, rind and nuts.
4. Pour the filling into the pie shell.
5. Top with the other pie shell and make vents so steam escapes in the oven.
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then reduce the heat to 325 and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

New England Squash Pie

This taste just as good as pumpkin or sweet potato pie. I know during the summer months with the garden, we always had a time using up all that yellow squash. This recipe took care of that. It's very yummy!

New England Squash Pie Recipe:

• 1 3/4 cups of squash, cooked and mashed
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger (I have substituted the spices with pumpkin pie spice before)
• 1 tablespoon of butter, melted

1. Mix all of the ingredients with a mixer. I use the rotary tool on my Kitchen Aid mixer for this filling.
2. Put the filling into an unbaked pie shell.
3. Bake at 425 degrees F until done. Should be about 45 to 55 minutes. A knife will come out clean on the side when the pie is done. The center might look a bit soft still.

Broccoli Grape Salad

This salad is very unusual and extraordinary. I had never heard of it until a lady at church brought it. It defiantly raises some eyebrows. People seem to be scared to try it until one brave individual does and goes on about it being good. Then the line develops.


Broccoli Grape Salad:

2 bunches of fresh broccoli flowerets - about 6 cups
8 ounces of grades cut in half
2 ounces of sliced almonds
1/2 lb of cooked and crumbled bacon (real bacon is best that you cook yourself, but you can use bacon bits if in a hurry)

Mix all of those ingredients in a bowl.

Prepare the dressing:
1 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of white vinegar

Mix and pour over the salad. Chill overnight before serving.

Bratwurst Authentic Potato Salad

Just in time for Oktoberfest! This is something very different to liven up a party. Great for those who love meat and potatoes!

Bratwurst Authentic Potato Salad Recipe:

• 1lb of bratwurst
• 1 1/4 cup of water, divided
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 4 to 6 potatoes boiled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons of pimentos
• salt, pepper or other spices to taste

1. Put the bratwurst and 1/4 of cup of the water into a covered skillet. Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. While the bratwurst simmer, remove the lid to release steam and turn the sausages occasionally. Each side should simmer about the same amount of time.
2. Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Saute the onion in the same skillet with the bacon grease.
3. Stir the flour, sugar, vinegar and 1 cup of water. Add the salt and pepper or any other spices you desire. Place this mixture into the skillet with the onions. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly to make a sauce. It should be smooth.
4. Add in the potatoes, bacon, pimentos and bratwurst. Simmer to get all of the ingredients warm/hot. Serve.

Earthquake Cake

This cake is super gooey! German chocolate cake with cream cheese filling throughout and a coconut, pecan bottom. What could be better!


Earthquake Cake Recipe using a German chocolate cake mix:

• 1 cup of chopped pecans
• 1 cup of flaked coconut
• 1 box of German chocolate cake mix (prepared batter)
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1 stick of butter
• 1lb of powdered sugar

1. Mix the pecans and coconut together, then spread it into the bottom of a 9X13" cake pan.
2. Prepare the cake mix to make the batter as indicated on the box.
3. Carefully pour it over the nuts and coconut.
4. On low heat, melt the cream cheese and butter together.
5. Add in the sugar and mix well.
6. Spoon this mixture over the cake batter, but avoid spreading it. Just drop it on.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 45 minutes.

Transparent Pie

This pie screams southern tradition. Very famous throughout Kentucky as a rich sweet, transparent pie is very simple to make. Some people put meringue on it, but I am not a fan of meringue on anything. So that bit is optional. Give these pie a try, it's like pecan pie, but without the pecans.

Transparent Pie Recipe:

3 egg yolks, beaten
5 tablespoons of cream
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Allow the butter to reach room temperature before beginning the pie. Then work the butter into the sugar. Add the egg yolks, cream and vanilla. Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Use the egg whites to make a meringue if desires, but it isn't necessary.

How to make a Chestnut Hill Cake

This cake was a feature at the Chestnut Hill Restaurant that was located a few miles out of Caneyville, Kentucky. It was very popular amount the customers. Perfect blend of spice with pineapple and walnuts... topped with a cream cheese frosting!

Chestnut Hill Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of self rising flour
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 3 whole, large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 18 ounces of crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 large bananas, chopped
• 1 cup of English walnut pieces

Directions:
Blend all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour cake batter into a regular sized cake pan or glass baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 F. A toothpick will come out of the center clean when the cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool and prepare a cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 8 ounces of powered sugar

Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the powered sugar a little at a time until the right texture is formed. Spread it onto a cooled cake and sprinkle English walnuts on to, or use whole pieces.

Enjoy! This is a great cake for fall and holiday baking. The aroma of the cinnamon baking gives a warm feeling of home.

Dump Cake

Dump cake made from a box cake mix is so simple and easy to make, and it taste great. More like a crunch complex cobbler. However, isn't complex to make.

Dump Cake Recipe:

1 cup of chunk pineapple
1 cup of cherry pie filling
1 box of yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of pecans
brown sugar

Pour the chunk pineapple into a 9X13" cake pan. Add in the cherry pie filling. Evenly sprinkle the yellow cake mix on the top followed by the brown sugar. Cut the butter into several pieces and distribute among the cake. If the cake doesn't seem moist enough, add some more cherry and pineapple. Bake the cake at 350 degrees F until done.

Classic Pecan Pie

Pecan pie always reminds me of the time my grandmother made two pecan pies for a bake sale. Later at church the lady who bought my grandmother pies told her... "you know, those pies was very delicious but you didn't bake them done. I just slipped them into the oven for a bit longer". My grandmother had a big laugh out of it.

Classic Pecan Pie Recipe:
*Makes two pies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of dark corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
1 cup of pecans
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 pie shells, not deep dish

Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes fluffy. Add in the syrup and salt, beating well. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beat the filling well after each egg is added. Stir in the vanilla and fold in the pecans. Divide among the pie shells and back for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees F.