Chocolate Cake

Oh YUM! 

Chocolate Cake!

Who can resist?

This recipe looks well used - I will have to try it soon!

It was in Wilma June Faires Parker Vissotzky's recipe box.

The mystery lies in where the recipe originated...

perhaps Bernice, her mother

Another relative?

A church frined?

A fellow school teacher?

The possibilities are endless and will remain a mystery!

Please go through some of your recipes this weekend

and write down where you got it or had it first! 

Someone down the line may thank you for it! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chocolate cake, anyone?

Family Recipe Friday - Polish Cold Beet Soup Borscht

Summer is HERE, and with a vengeance! 

Down here in the South, we are being treated to weather that feels like August already.

Hot and humid, with temperatures in the 90's

and the A/C cranked up high!

What on earth did our ancestors do?

The Poles and East Europeans made Borscht,

a beet soup. 

Beets are Sooooo good for you! 

And this recipe doesn't require cooking, unless you want

to count the hard-boiled eggs!

This recipe is from "ma"-

Hank's mother, Anastazia (Nancy) Kocinski Vissotzky. 

I think I'll plan on Cold Beet soup for dinner tomorrow,

with a big chunk of artisan bread,

and enjoy a  mint julep on the porch. 

It IS summer down here in the South, ya'll!!!!
(Haha - I just realized I posted this for Geneablogger's Family Recipe Friday..
trouble with that is, today is THURSDAY!
It is Friday somewhere on this Earth already!!! 
Did you ever have "one of THOSE weeks"?)

Deep Dish Dewberry Pie

Tell me true, tell me, dew! 

Sorry - couldn't resist! 

A dewberry resembles a blackberry...or a black raspberry...

only instead of having an upright growing habit,

sends out runners across the ground.  

Now it makes me wonder if all the bushes I walk

past are dewberries and not blackberries as I always though?

Either way, this pie sounds great. 

You could always substitute blackberries or raspberries for dewberries.

I assume this pie has a lattice crust...that's the way I'll make it anyway! 

Tell me, dew, how YOU make it!   :)

Mustang (Muscadine)Wild Grapes Wine

Hank Vissotzky wrote this down  on a memo pad from work at Tarleton State Univesrity.

Kind of puts a new spin on on "sour grapes" doesn't it? 

If you aren't lucky enough to have wild grapes in the area,

I guess you could always just buy some grapes at the store. 

They don't taste the same, but would work in a pinch.

Now to go out and find some wild grape vines and keep an eye on them until July.....

Way Out West Wild Mustang Grape Juice - Family Recipe Fridays

Summer's coming! 

With summer, comes berries, wild berries!

And grapes!  Wild grapes!

Sorry to not have posted anything for sometime, but life kidnapped me.

We took a trip to Texas, where we were met by my favorite college freshman (son!)!

We stayed on a family ranch, where I took a gazillion pictures.

All sorts of wildflowers provided a feast for our eyes!

Staying on the place brought back memories

of driving on country roads in the summer time,

searching for sand plums so Mom could make plum jelly.

YUM!

By the time there are sand plums, the grapes are usually in season too.

or close anyway!

I found this recipe that Henry Vissotzky had written on some memo paper

from his desk at Tarleton State University.

Maybe this will be the summer for me to try to make

Wild Mustang Grape Juice!

Mrs. Richard (Betty) Berry Boiled Peanut Butter Cookies Bluefield College Virginia

Bluefield College is a small Christian Liberal Arts School in Virginia - it's on the border of West VA and VA.

  I figure this boiled cookies recipe is either June's or Bernice's recipe.  It may be June's, becuase she was a teacher, and intereacted with a lot of other teachers from all over...Or more probably it may have been Bernice's because she was a pastor's wife, and knew many other people from Christian backgrounds.  I tried to google Mrs. Betty Berry.  There seem to be several other Berrys still attending Bluefield College....but I still need to do an ancestry search on Mrs. Berry.  I am curious!  It makes me think I need to go back through all my recipes and put notes about how and where and when I got MY recipes from friends.  That way my descendants will know a little bit more about me and not have to wonder......

Family Recipe Friday: Chocolate or Vanilla Spritzkuchen Cookies with Fluffo!

June was very good friends with a couple of Mary's,

so I am not going to guess which Mary this recipe is from. 

All I know if that they sound like good cookies to make for Easter. 

Or anytime!

And here is another recipe for FLUFFO!  

Maybe I should have just designated this as

FLUFFO week!

It just cracks me up.

(You can use Crisco instead of Fluffo.)

Sounds like a dog's name!

Or instead of "Here kitty, kitty."...

"Here, Fluffo!"

Thinking of Easter...

Fluffo would be a fantastic name for any Easter chicks or bunnies.

If you get live ones that is. 

Someday, I will have to get a good laying hen

and name her Fluffo! 

Have a good weekend everyone! 

Fluffo Jam Sandwich Cookie Bars

Word of the day:

FLUFFO!

This was a new one to me.

Maybe I'm just dating myself,

How many of you have ever used FLUFFO?

How many of your grandmothers have ever used FLUFFO?

You should ask them!

These jam sandwich cookies sound like a precursor to

a power breakfast bar. 

Not anything you really worried about

back in the days of

FLUFFO!

While you're at it though...

don't forget to take off the paper before you bake the cookies!

ANd for more tidbits on FLUFFO, do a search on youtube....

Nowadays you can probably use Crisco shortening instead. 

Hot Fudge Sauce for Ice Cream Sundaes

Umm  Yummm!  I think I could make this and eat the whole pot! 

My dear hubby (aka resident tomato hater)  made stir fry for me tonight. 

It was delicious, but has left me hankering for something sweet. 

I wonder if he'd notice if I made this and ate the whole potful? 

I am sure June Parker Vissotzky would approve! 

Although the more I think of it the less appealing the "whole pot" idea is sounding. 

Plus I have no ice cream in the house. 

Soooooooooo

just strike the whole pot idea. 

 Hot fudge sauce will have to wait for another day.

Sometimes it is a good thing I talk myself out of things.

Sometimes.... 

Kraft Gaucho Dinner a la June

You know, this sounds pretty good.  And easy. 

And I am a sucker for anything that sounds
like even a resemblance to Mexican or Tex-Mex food!

I don buy or make processed foods much. 
Not because it seems to be a trend. 
I'm just that way.

But I looked up Kraft Mexican dinner on their website,
and I am not sure they make it anymore!

So when I make this I will probably just buy a box of good ole
Kraft Macaroni and cheese

and then make it as posted here. 

Yum!

Oh - and the 20 gold stars for Gebhardts Tamales?

What can I say - it was in June's recipe box! 

And I like the art.

And Gebhardts!

Let me know if ya'll stumble upon any Kraft mexican dinners!

Pretty Please!

Spring into Easter with Cheese Bunnies

Cheese Bunnies.   Easter falls on a late date this year. 

If your kids or grandkids are driving you hopping crazy (sorry...couldn't resist!) 

settle them down with cheese bunnies! 

But for the life of me, I can't figure out why they are called bunnies -

unless it because they are round (the bun) with a little white tail (the egg). 

But I can't keep myself from wondering - where are the bunny's ears? 

Or his head for that matter! 

The more I thnk about the more it worries me. 

All different scenarios flash before my eyes...

and as I hum in my head
"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin down the bunny trail..."

it quickly becomes

"little rabbit FuFu, I don't wanna see you,
scoopin up the field mice and boppin them on the head!" 

Oh my.

SO - in order to save questions from inquiring 4 year olds,

and so that I can sleep at night without worrying about the bunny...

Here is an addendum to the Cheese Bunnie Recipe:

After cooking the recipe as per the instructions above,
serve the bunnie onto the plate,

take the part of the bun that you cut out with the cookie cutter,
(you may want to toast that part as well)

and place it above the bigger bun with the egg.

Voila!

The bunny now has a head!

Just remember you are looking at the backside of Mr. Bunny.

"But what about the ears?" says your inner 4-year old voice.

You have options here.

Either cut off a piece of bread in ear shapes from the bunny head,

(Oh no - I am hearing little rabbit FuFu again!)

and place above the head for ears, or slice a piece of fruit -
 banana, apple, or what have you,

and place above the head.

Just make sure you give it a nice bunny ear shape.

You want your bunny to have ears he'd be proud of, don't you?

Okay.

I am back to humming "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin down the bunny trail,

hippity hoppity, Easter's on it's way....!"

I can picture June Vissotzky making this for her 2 children when they were little, can't you?

English Muffins

Oh do you know the muffin man,

the muffin man, the muffin man?

Who didn't sing this nursery song while growing up? 

I'm not sure who Mary H. was - one of June Parker Vissotzky's

many good friends. I have an idea who it was...but

can't ever know for sure since all that was written

was Mary H's cookbook.

I made English Muffins once. 

once being the keyword.

They made great dog frisbee treats, and flung really well off the deck!.

Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

My Dad always enjoyed a good English Muffin.

They were a real treat for breakfast on the weekends.

He also really enjoyed breakfast. 

I would have liked to make English Muffins for him.

Good English Muffins. 

Not the dog frisbee kind.

Maybe I should try again

using June's recipe from Mary H's cookbook!

I hear the muffin man calling me.....

Family Recipe Friday: Easy Cheesy Pizza Sandwiches

AT LAST!!!  It's Friday!!!

AND April Fool's Day!

And I can't think of one thing to do for a prank.

It has just been one of THOSE kind of weeks! 

So instead of a prank - here's an easy cheesy dinner that everyone should like! 

When I make this, I usually use colby jack cheese

instead of processed cheese...

nothing personal, I just don't usually buy that stuff.

Probably because of the word "processed" in front of it.

I have been known to devour it when served as a hot dip with chips however.

I do break my standards every once in a while. :)

So here you go. 

Processed cheese or otherwise...

Pizza sandwiches can fit the bill for an easy cheesy lunch or dinner!

And I bet that is why it was in June's recipe box!!! 

She liked to fix fancy sandwiches for her folks!

Happy Friday and April Fool's Day everyone! 

Peach Cobbler from Laura McLeod

Maybe because it is the end of March and feels like the end of January here in the South....

and I am hankering for a little bit warmer weather right now.

Or maybe because we enjoyed cobbler earlier this month

at the Booth Western Art Museum's Dutch Oven Cookoff...

I had to post this recipe for Peach Cobbler!

Or maybe it's just because I love Peach cobbler!

It brings to mind big drippy fresh peaches from Charlie, Texas, 

Don't blink as you go through Charlie.

You may miss both the town and the peaches. 

They are the best peaches I have ever had. 

And I live in the Peach State! 

That should tell you how good Charlie Texas peaches are!

All us kids would pile into the car and Mom would drive us to go pick peaches.

We'd come home full of peaches.

Both our stomachs as well as the paper bags in the back of the station wagon were full!

Mom would make peach preserves...

if the fresh peaches weren't devoured first!

I think I'll make some peach cobbler this weekend !

Good Barbeque BBQ Sauce

I think when this was copied from a friend of June Vissotzky's

that she meant to cook

the venison, ribs, etc in the good BBQ sauce

for 2 hrs slowly...not to cook the BBQ sauce itself for 2 hours.

You'd be left with no sauce to cook with!

And then it couldn't be called Good BBQ Sauce. 

We'd have to call it Burned BBQ Sauce.

And no one would read my blog,

much less want to eat anything with the sauce!

And then everyone would be hungry.

And cranky...

which is NEVER a good thing! 

Best to stick with Good BBQ Sauce and make everybody happy!

Speaking of making everybody happy...

this would be a Good BBQ Sauce to make a batch of, put in a Mason jar

tie a bow on it, stick a wooden spoon on the side of the bow, and give for a gift!

School will be ending soon,

and I bet most teachers would be happy to have

Good BBQ Sauce for an end-of-year appreciation gift!

June Parker Vissotzky and her fellow teachers

at Stephenville High School would have been more than pleased!

McCall's How to make basic crepes perfectly

June Parker Vissotzky was a recipe collector extraordinaire!

After she passed away, we found recipes EVERYWHERE!

In books.

In pockets.

In envelopes.

In drawers.

In her car.

In purses.

In her bathroom drawers.

In her closet.

And of course, in her kitchen!

It was really overwhelming!

She loved to make things for her family and friends.

I think she would have liked this blog.

Now go forth and make some perfect crepes! 

Hello Dolly! Chocolate Chip Seven Layer Kitchen Sink Bar Cookies

Well, HELLO DOLLY! 

After yesterday's dump cake kind of a day,

I thought these decadent bars would be appropriate. 

Today is another day!

Plus they are SO easy!

Sweeten the rest of your week with these babies!

 Your family, friends, and co-workers will love you for it.

I think this is one of June's recipes. 

She had beautiful hand-writiing!

I would say it is because she was an artist...

but I have an art degree and MY handwriting is

nothing to write home about, especially as I get older :D

June liked to make dessert part of every evening meal.

I imagine this was one that was easy to make in a hurry,

either for dinner or to take to school or church.

We should all take a little more time to sweeten our days!

Dump Cake for a manic Monday

Dump Cake.

That just about says it all. 

Posted on a Monday after a full moon. 

Not just ANY full moon. 

The Perigree Moon!

The brightest and fullest full moon since 1993.

THAT just about says it all right there in a nutshell.

It has been one of THOSE Mondays.  One big humungous dump cake!

I think I could eat an entire dump cake myself! 

Except for one thing...

2 cubes of oleo.

2 CUBES?

OLEO?

(oops, that is TWO things! Told you it has been one of those days!)

I am assuming June Vissotzky meant 2 TB of margarine -

although I prefer to use butter.

It's more natural!

(or maybe I have just listened to my mother and Mrs. Deen too much!)

Regardless what kind of Monday YOU have had,

this makes an EXCELLENT and EASY cake -

Just whatever you do DON'T STIR IT TOGETHER!

I am not speaking from experience or anything... lol!

I wonder if June ever felt like her day was one big dump cake?

She was an art teacher in Stephenville, TX and

well-loved for her infectious laugh and sense of humor.

May YOUR day end as sweetly as this dump cake!

Sentimental Sundays - Orange Mint Drink Wedding Punch

I have no idea how old this recipe is. 

At least as old as Canada Dry Ginger Ale, which according to Wikipedia was created in 1904.

I DO know that this is the same punch recipe that

Bernice Faires Parker used at her daughter's wedding.

(Wilma June Parker to Henry Vissotzky). 

It was also used at her granddaughters weddings.

It may have even been used at Bernice's wedding to

Harvey Kenneth Parker in the 1920s...

which would mean that this recipe really is from Bernice's Mom,

 Birdie Belle Neighbors. 

Although that is somewhat presumptious,

because it could just as well have come from Harvey's mom,

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Andress, for their wedding.

I used it at my son's Boy Scout Eagle Award ceremony. 

Whenever he gets married, it will most likely be HIS wedding punch.

Bernice used to always make it for us when we would go visit her in Texas.

Let me tell you, there is nothing like it on a hot Texas day!

Not even sweet tea.

It's all about tradition!

Dream Whip Icing

Because it's my resident-tomato-hater-hubby's birthday tomorrow,

I thought Dream Whip Icing

would be an appropriate recipe card to pull from the box and post today.

I don't know if this is the same icing that was made green every year for his cake.

But it sounds deliciously light.

And totally dreamy!

Sorry.

Really I am.

It has been a long Monday!