To help welcome in the New Year I thought I’d give a couple of last minute treats that you can make to eat as you wait for the New Year to arrive. I plan to spend New Year’s Eve by my cozy woodstove fireplace curled up nearby in my recliner with a book. I’ll leave the partying to the rest of you as I enjoy a quiet evening relaxing by the fire- my favorite way of welcoming in the New Year. Have a great New Year filled with lots of culinary delights!




I discovered a quick and easy treat that I quickly whipped up for the holidays. These Marbled Chocolate Treats take only ten minutes to prepare and are delicious to nibble on. Marbled Chocolate Treats have a crunchy texture with a rich chocolate topping. My Marbles Chocolate Treat recipe makes eighteen treats.

Marbled Chocolate Treats
1 pkg Honey Graham Crackers
6 squares Baking Chocolate
½ c peanut butter (I used crunchy)
3 squares White Baking Chocolate
Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with tinfoil extending over the sides. Arrange graham crackers on the bottom until completely covering. Microwave the peanut butter and six squares of baking chocolate until melted (about 1-2 minutes). Stir until well blended then pour over the graham crackers spreading with a spatula until completely covered. Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the top of the dark chocolate. Cut through the chocolate mixture with a knife to make a marbled effect. Refrigerate for one hour until firm. Turn over and let the chocolate come to room temperature before cutting along the graham cracker lines. Store the treats in an airtight container!






For the last couple of Christmas holidays my daughter, Dawn, has made adorable snowmen that you can eat. These eye-catching treats are irresistible to kids and adults alike. With a soft marshmallow hat covered in chocolate combined with a chocolate covered mild peanut butter head these Winter Snowmen treats will disappear fast. This recipe of Winter Snowmen takes about a half an hour to prepare and makes twelve snowmen.

Winter Snowmen
Snowmen Hats:
12 large marshmallows
6 squares of Baking Chocolate
Toothpicks
wax paper
candy leaves and berry sprinkles
Insert a toothpick on either side of a large marshmallow, dip into melted chocolate until well covered, and place on wax paper. Slowly swirl the marshmallow on the wax paper until you make a half-inch puddle of chocolate in a circle half an inch larger than the marshmallow. Center the marshmallow and take out the toothpicks. Decorate hat brims with candy leaves and berry sprinkles. Let cool and harden.

Snowmen heads:
1 c peanut butter (creamy)
½ c marshmallow cream
½ c powdered sugar
Mix together thoroughly until the consistency is dry yet clumps together. Add more powdered sugar if the dough is too sticky or more peanut butter if your dough won’t stick. Shape into inch size balls.
Melt in a microwave six squares of white chocolate until melted and dip the heads into the melted chocolate with a spoon until covered. Place on wax paper and let cool until hardened.
Use a small amount of melted chocolate (either flavor) to glue the hats and snowmen heads together. Decorate the snowmen’s faces with chocolate icing or black gel to make eyes, nose, and a smiley mouth. Store snowmen in an airtight container!

Weekly tip: A holiday tip to help speed up your meal serving time: place food into serving bowls and cover with saran wrap with the serving utensil as soon as they are prepared. Cold dishes can be refrigerated until time to sit on the table while hot dishes can be kept warm on the stove or in the microwave. When ready to serve your meal it will take only a couple of seconds to transfer your dishes to the table!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge

Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge
Dorcas Annette Walker

My memories of fudge and candy making are few and far between. I know one reason for this is because the process always entailed what seemed like hours of time hanging over a saucepan faithfully stirring to keep the ingredients at the right temperature and avoiding scorching until arriving at the correct processing time by dribbling a bit of hot liquid into a cup of cold water, which then gave way to intense concentration to see if a soft or hard ball appeared. For some reason the end result was either too runny or hard enough to crack one’s teeth. When it comes to cooking candy or anything mechanical I remain hopelessly jinxed. It’s definitely a faulty gene passed down to me from my mother. All the work involved never seemed worth the pathetic results. You can never accuse me of being a quitter though. Every couple of years as my memory would dim from the last candy making disaster, a mouth watering picture of delectable pieces of candy would catch my attention always accompanied with another easy or no-fail recipe and I’d find myself once again in my kitchen hovering over a boiling pot sure that this time my candy would turn out perfect.

One candy making memory remains permanently etched on my brain cells in neon lights. While still living on the college campus where my husband attended school, I somehow became involved with a staff yearbook committee. On one such occasion I had the brainstorm of making homemade lollypops. The recipe seemed quite simple and I figured that if I could turn out four pies a week making lollypops would be a breeze. I faithfully stirred and cooked and then poured the hot candy into my molds. When it came time for the staff meeting my lollypops were still kinda gooey, but always optimistic I took them along figuring they would make a conservation piece if nothing else. Little did I realize what historic proportions my homemade lollypops would create. Everyone greeted my lollypops with pleasure sticking them into their mouth as they were passed along the table. Once in one’s mouth though it took jaw-breaking work to get your teeth unstuck from the candy. Everybody became occupied trying to un-stick their teeth from the candy to do much business. It was the shortest and quietest staff meeting in the entire history of the school.

My Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge recipe is not only delicious, but also healthful. It is similar in process to the after dinner mints that I make and when I say it is a no-fail recipe you can count on it to turn out beautifully for your holiday festive gatherings. Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge involves only ten minutes of your time and one batch makes twenty-four pieces of good size fudge about an inch thick. My recipe of Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge can make either chocolate or peanut butter fudge.

Ten Minute No-Fail Fudge

Melt in microwave for about four minutes at one minute intervals stirring between times until completely melted:
¼ box of a 2 lb box of Velveta (or store brand) process cheese spread cut into small chunks
1 stick of margarine
If making peanut butter fudge also include: 1 c peanut butter (I used chunky)
When completely melted add:
1 tsp vanilla
Pour mixture into:
2 lbs powdered sugar
If making chocolate fudge add to powdered sugar:
1 c cocoa powder
1 c chopped nuts (your choice)
Stir and then mix together with your hands until completely combined. Place fudge in a waxed 9 x 13 dish. Use a small rolling pin to smooth out the top. When cool cut into inch pieces and serve on a decorative holiday dish!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Peppermint Angel Food Cake

Peppermint Angel Food Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Red and white striped peppermints and candy canes have been a part of our household from the very beginning. I decorate with a country theme for Christmas. Our children grew up stringing popcorn (day old works best) and hanging candy canes on our Christmas tree along with homemade ornaments. The rest of the year I always kept peppermints handy. If a church service was lengthy I’d hand out peppermints to my restless kids. Car sick while traveling? Upset stomach? Sore throat? Peppermints are the perfect cure. My grown daughter hates the sight of peppermints and tells anyone who will listen how I tortured her childhood with my peppermint cure for everything. She refuses to have any in her house. Interesting enough her daughter, my granddaughter, loves grandma’s peppermints so I always give her a handful to take home. While I no longer string popcorn or hang peppermint candy canes on my Christmas tree I always keep some around for the holidays. I leave the new-fangled candy canes available in all sorts of colors and flavors for the younger generation. So it was an instant love affair for me when I first heard the concept of a Peppermint Angel Food Cake.

As early as 1901 the pure King Leo peppermint candy stick was produced and marketed. It is still available today in old-fashioned gift tins by its currant manufacture, Quality Candy Company Inc. The candy cane, a traditional candy for Christmas holidays, was originally a straight, hard, all-white stick that was invented by the French priests in the early 1400’s. The candy cane’s shape is credited to a choirmaster in Germany in 1670 who legend has it bent the sugar sticks into canes to represent a shepherd’s staff. Another theory is that as people decorated their Yule trees with food the bent candy cane was invented as a functional solution. Candy canes with red stripes and peppermint flavoring first appeared in the early 1900’s. In the 1920’s Bob McCormack began making candy canes in Albany, Georgia by hand. In 1950 his brother-in-law, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to produce candy canes. Today many machines are used in the production of making candy canes. Sugar and corn syrup is vacuum cooked in large kettles. When the candy is poured onto a cooling table peppermint and starch are added to hold the flavor and prevents stickiness while a kneader mixes the flavoring into the candy until it turns a golden brown color. Then the candy is placed into a puller that turns the candy white and is made into a log-like shape. The stripes are formed on a heating table after which the candy is formed into a cone shape where sizing wheels reduce it to the diameter of a candy cane and turn it into a rope. Next a twister makes the rope into a barber pole. A cutter then snips the candy into strips. While still warm the candy canes are placed in wrappers where heat will shrink-wrap the candy. A crooker gives the candy cane its hook. Finally the candy canes are inspected and shipped out to sell. National Candy Cane Day is celebrated on December 26th. The world’s largest candy cane was created by Paul Gbinellie measuring 58 feet and 2¼ inches. Each year 1.76 billion candy canes are made.

My Peppermint Angel Food Cake is an elegant holiday dessert that will instantly attract chocolate lovers as well as others. The soft angel food texture interspersed with swirls of peppermint, combined with rich chocolate, and bits of crunchy peppermint will make this a never to be forgotten dessert. Preparation time for the Peppermint Angel Food Cake takes around fifteen minutes and serves sixteen.

Peppermint Angel Food Cake

1 angel food cake mix
¼ tsp peppermint extract
10 peppermints (I used sugar free)
Prepare the angel food cake mix as directed adding the peppermint extract. Pour the batter into a tube pan. Crush the peppermints and gently fold into the batter. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

Icing:
¼ c cocoa
pinch of salt
2 c powdered sugar
¼ c shortening
1 tsp vanilla
¼ c milk
7 peppermints (crushed)
Blend cocoa, salt, and powdered sugar together. Mix in shortening and vanilla. Add milk and beat until smooth. You can add more milk for a thinner frosting. Ice cake with the chocolate frosting until completely covered. Sprinkle crushed peppermints on the top and around the side. May garnish with candy canes!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Chocolate Carmel Party Mix

Chocolate Carmel Party Mix
Dorcas Annette Walker

Being prepared for the unexpected has become an obsession with me; especially when it comes to keeping food handy. Psychologists would probably say that it stems from my childhood. I had the symptoms of a diabetic despite normal blood tests. It wasn’t until I was grown that hypoglycemia became known. By then I had become adept at keeping food handy in case my sugar started dropping. Whenever I went traveling with my husband I always kept a snack bag handy. In true masculine form my husband would periodically protest about the amount luggage that I thought was absolutely necessary for travel. I even took some home remedies along because sure as you’re living if I wasn’t prepared the entire family would be hit with a severe case of the flu out in the middle of nowhere. As my family increased so did the snack bag. I remember one trip in particular where my husband tried to pare everything down to bare bones after several lectures about always having to haul around so much stuff. He stood at the front door as a sentinel inspecting and handling every piece of luggage. So needless to say his eyes bulged out when I handed him two stuffed-to-capacity grocery bags full of snacks to take. I’m generally mild mannered, but one thing my husband has slowly learned over the years that once I take a stand nothing will budge me. There is one rule of thumb for traveling with children that I learned early on. Once a restaurant has been chosen for lunch you can count on the fact that that particular restaurant will not be around for the next couple hundred miles. Also different times throughout our years of travel we stayed in the homes of senior citizens who ate only one meal a day so my snack bags saved our lives more than once. Several minutes later muttering and still protesting loudly my husband reluctantly packed my snack bags. As I knew exactly what would happen and what quickly became a family joke we weren’t on the road for even an hour before my husband asked, “Honey, what did you bring along to eat?”

Holidays at our house are filled with overflowing tables of food at mealtimes. I also like to keep snacks on hand for between meals and in the evenings when traditional family games or puzzles are being done. There is nothing that stimulates the brain more as a few snacks to munch on while pondering the move that will win the game. Chocolate Carmel Party Mix is a combination of different party mixes I have used through the years. The chocolate and Carmel combination and is bound to be a hit at your house during the holiday season. This party mix makes a big batch (ideal for Christmas parties), can be made ahead of time, and stored. Preparation time for the Chocolate Carmel Party Mix takes one hour and a half (baking time included) and this recipe makes close to three gallons of party mix.

Chocolate Carmel Party Mix

You need one box each of:
12.8 oz Rice Chex
14 oz Corn Chex
14 oz Wheat Chex
16 oz jar of peanuts (salted or unsalted)
½ 16 oz bag of Tiny Twist pretzels

Chocolate Mix:
In a large bowl place:
5 c Rice Chex
5 c Corn Chex
Microwave for three minutes until melted:
1 stick of margarine
1 (12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c peanut butter (I used crunchy)
Pour over the Chex cereal, stir until well coated, and chill in the refrigerator.

Carmel Mix:
In a large bowl place:
4 c Wheat Chex
4 c Corn Chex
4 c Rice Chex
16 oz jar of peanuts
4 c Tiny Twist pretzels
Bring to a boil in saucepan:
2 sticks of margarine
2 c brown sugar
8 tb light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
Pour over the Chex cereal and stir until coated. Bake at 350º for forty-five minutes stirring every fifteen minutes. Completely cool then mix together the chocolate and Carmel party mix and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Peanut Butter Jam Jams

Peanut Butter Jam Jams
Dorcas Annette Walker

I came across a recipe the other day that instantly reminded me of my mother. Like I’ve said before my mother didn’t have time to do a lot of cooking due to having to take care of my father, who had severe hemophilia, and working full time as a nurse to keep a roof over our heads. Then just as she was ready for retirement the HIV that she was infected with from my father turned into AIDS and she died. Despite the fact the daily duties of life kept my mother on the edge of physical exhaustion, my mother was quite creative- a gene passed down to both my sister and I. So I can remember quite clearly the day my mother baked a different kind of cookie than ever before. We were quite entranced and eager to help while my practical father sitting in a wheelchair nearby shook his head and snorted about the waste of time and nonsense our mother was engaged in. That day remains a special memory in my mind; an overworked mother baking cookies and letting two giggling little girls’ help- a process that I am sure slowed things down considerably. I forget which one of us had the honor of making a cookie ball, while the other flattened down the middle with a spoon, with our mother finishing up by carefully placing a dab of jam in the middle. We could hardly wait for the first taste and when we had sampled the warm cookies we declared them to be the best ever. The old fashion, yet new to us, cookie was called “Jam Polka Dots”. When I got married it was one recipe that I made sure to copy down. Over the years I slowly forgot about those cookies after making some for my children when they were in school. To my kids store bought cookies and snacks were considered a treat compared to the homemade cookies that were always available. After my daughter was grown I found out she used my homemade cookies for barter at school to kids that only had store bought snacks. They were thrilled to get homemade cookies while she was enthralled over their store bought treats. I had to laugh at the irony as growing up we always had store bought cookies and to us homemade cookies were the ultimate treat. Discovering my mother’s recipe again I pulled it out and put it in a place I wouldn’t forget to make for my grandchildren during the Christmas holidays. Interesting enough I came across a couple of other recipes that were similar yet different, which got my mind to buzzing. So the other day I got out my big mixing bowl and decided to make up a batch of these cookies combining some of the different ingredients together. I came up with what I call Peanut Butter Jam Jams. I was intrigued with the idea of adding peanut butter to the dough, which brought back instant memories of school days when we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Knowing my mother she would be pleased with my creative twist to her cookies.

Peanut Butter Jam Jams are a decorative cookie that despite its small size is quite filling. These eye-catching cookies are perfect for the holidays. Contrary to one’s first opinion, Peanut Butter Jam Jams are not a real sweet cookie making it an ideal snack between meals. The crunchy peanut butter oat cookie contrasts with the smooth jelly filling on top. This recipe of Peanut Butter Jam Jams makes three-and- one-half dozen finished cookies and takes about ten minutes preparation.

Peanut Butter Jam Jams

In a large bowl cream together:
1 c shortening
1 c peanut butter (I used chunky)
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Add:
3 c self-rising flour
1½ c quick-cooking rolled oats
Mix thoroughly. Dough will be of a dry consistency. Form dough into one inch balls and place on well greased cookie sheets. Make a depression in the center by using your thumb or a teaspoon. Fill with ½ tsp of jelly or jam (use different kinds of jelly for variation in colors). Bake at 350º for ten minutes. Let cool and serve on a decorative plate!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread
Dorcas Annette Walker

This year I added a topping of Carmel syrup, cool whip, and chopped pecans on my pumpkin pie and was amazed at the results. I took my pumpkin pie to a church Thanksgiving Sunday dinner. As usual the dessert table was full and so I only took a little sliver of my pie figuring that there would be some left while I sampled several of the other desserts. When I went to pick up my pie it was completely gone! The speed in which my pumpkin pie disappeared, you can be sure that I will be adding this topping to my pumpkin pies from now on. I also took a loaf of my Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread and ended up with barely enough out of two loaves to get a picture. Although Thanksgiving is over this recipe is an ideal gift for the Christmas season. Homemade baked goods are always a hit during gift exchanges. The neat thing about my Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread is the fact that it is so easy to make yet it oozes with the homemade touch.

Nutmeg is a seed from an evergreen tree that grows up to 25 feet producing both nutmeg and mace. The history of nutmeg goes back to the 1st century and was used for headaches, fever, bad breath, boils, broken bones, stomach ailments, and self-abortions. Tucking nutmeg into the left armpit before attending a social event was believed to attract admirers. Nutmeg was also rumored to ward off the plague, danger, or evil so people carried nutmegs everywhere. If you think the spice of nutmeg is expensive today, consider the fact that a few hundred years ago having a small box of nutmeg in your possession would have given you enough money to be financially independent for the rest of your life! During the middle ages the Arabs had the monopoly of the spice trade. In 1951 the Europeans discovered Portugal. Nutmeg trees were native to this area- a virtual goldmine. Portugal contained the growth of nutmeg trees spiking its price. A century later the Dutch gained control and were even more possessive by treating the seeds. Nutmeg trees still spread into other nearby islands due to birds scattering the seeds. The Dutch monopoly ended when the French smuggled nutmeg seeds out of Portugal and started their own nutmeg plantations. Today the state of Connecticut’s nickname is the nutmeg so gotten from legends of some unscrupulous Connecticut traders who would whittle wood to represent nutmeg and sell it as the spice. The term a wooden nutmeg meant fraud. Nutmeg is used in many different desserts such as: pies, puddings, tarts, custards, and cakes. It also enhances the flavor of coffee and is used to flavor dips and cheeses. Soups, curries, eggnog, and spiced wines are not complete without a dash of nutmeg. The oil from nutmeg is used in toothpaste and cough syrups and is known for easing toothache or muscle pain.

My Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread recipe takes only ten minutes to prepare and makes two large loaves. For holiday loafs you can use smaller loaf pans. The Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread has a moist pumpkin texture with a slight nutty flavor and is filled with miniature chocolate pockets throughout the loaf. This dessert is an unforgettable culinary treat.

Pumpkin Chocolate Nut Bread

Beat together in a large bowl:
1 (29 oz) can of pumpkin
3 c sugar
4 eggs
½ c cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
Add:
3 c self-rising flour
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cloves
Mix thoroughly and then fold in:
2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans
Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350º for one hour. Turn loaves out of pans onto wire racks, cover, and let cool. Wrap with plastic wrap to store. You can also freeze the extra loaf for later!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin Spice Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Last week I gave you a more complicated and time-consuming pumpkin dessert than usual. This week’s dessert, a Pumpkin Spice Cake is simplicity in itself that I discovered almost by mistake. I’m always amazed at places where recipes pop up and this one instantly caught my eye. I do follow directions, uh… at least some of the time. This brings to my mind an incident about making a cake when I was a teenager. I can’t remember the incident why a younger girl than the usual friends of my sister and I was at our house. What I do recall was that I was in the kitchen mixing up cake batter and this girl was watching me when she asked, Do you always beat your cakes that long? For an instant I didn’t know what she was talking about as I always beat a cake mix for two to three minutes with our electric mixer. I replied that I beat the batter however long the directions said. To my surprise the girl said that they mixed their cakes up with a spoon before dumping it into a pan. For dessert that evening we had my finished cake. The girl went into raptures over how light and fluffy it was and how high it rose. My sister and I joked later that maybe if her mother beat her cake mixes the required amount of time their cakes would be light and fluffy too.

Allspice is the dried berry of the allspice tree also known as a pimento tree (Spanish for pepper) that is native to the West Indies and Central America. These trees grow to a height of about thirty feet, have aromatic glossy green leaves and white flowers, and are part of the myrtle tree family. The allspice fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and traditionally it is sun dried. The name allspice was coined by the English who thought the flavor combined several aromatic spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Before World War II allspice was more widely used. In the 19th century, Russian soldiers put allspice in their boots to help keep their feet warm. During the war many allspice trees were cut down and production never fully recovered. Today most allspice is produced in Jamaica but other sources include Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Allspice is used in pickling, baking, salads, condiments such as ketchup, commercial sausage preparations, curry powder, barbecue sauces, chewing gum, ice cream, and soft drinks. The fruit and leaf oils are used in men’s toiletries, deodorant, and cosmetics. In Jamaica they use allspice leaves to cook jerked meats and the Mayans use allspice as an embalming agent. The Caribbean Arawak Indians use the allspice wood to cure meat. To substitute allspice, combine equal parts of: ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper.

My Pumpkin Spice Cake is perfect for the holiday rush when you need a dessert fast. I simplified a few steps and presto a nifty cake evolved. The Pumpkin Spice Cake’s moist, mild spice taste and velvet texture make it an instant winner. The finishing touch is the cream cheese icing. This is one recipe I plan to keep handy. Preparation time for the Pumpkin Spice Cake is only ten minutes and this dessert serves eighteen.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 spice cake mix (any brand)
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
1 can prepared cream cheese frosting
Follow spice cake mix directions adding the can of pumpkin. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350º for thirty-five minutes. Cover and cool. Ice with cream cheese frosting and serve. Refrigerate to store. May garnish with chopped pecans!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll
Dorcas Annette Walker

A decorative dessert to set off your Thanksgiving holiday is the Pumpkin Roll. The first time I saw a picture of a Pumpkin Roll I was intrigued yet hesitant to try such a sophisticated dessert. It wasn’t until years later that I took the plunge and made one. My recipe for a Pumpkin Roll sat hidden for years among other recipes until my daughter, Dawn, asked me for it after she was married. Once again I discovered the recipe and tried to remember how I had made it- as I usually end up changing something. Dawn’s Pumpkin Roll turned out great and she began making more for different church functions surprised at how easy a Pumpkin Roll is to make. A Pumpkin Roll is a rarity so you can be sure that any you make will be an instant hit. Not only is a Pumpkin Roll an attractive focal point, but this dessert with a blend of spices is delicious too.

Cloves are native to the Molucaa Islands, which is now part of Indonesia. The native tradition was to plant a clove tree upon the birth of a child. This spice was one of the first to be traded dating as far back as 1721 BC. Not only did the Romans prize this commodity but the Chinese were said to have used cloves as far back as 226 BC. In order to have an audience with the Emperor, one had to chew a few flowerettes to sweeten the breath. Arab traders introduced cloves to Europe in the 4th century. By the 16th century Portugal controlled the trade in cloves and other spices. In the 17th century the Dutch took over and kept the price of cloves high by burning down clove trees causing bloody uprisings with the native islanders. In the 1800’s the British opened the trade in cloves by planting clove trees in Zanzibar, which is now the largest exporter of cloves in the world. The clove tree is an evergreen having large oval leaves and clusters of crimson flowers. These flower clusters are first pale, gradually turn green, and then develop to bright red when they are harvested before the flower buds open and dried. Cloves are used in Eastern cultures for medicinal properties for toothaches, digestive problems, headaches, earaches, cough, and muscle spasms. The oil is used for styes, ulcers, and skin sores. Cloves can be used whole or in a ground form but are extremely strong, pungent, and sweet so are used sparingly. Mexican and Indian cuisine uses cloves. The north Indian cuisine uses cloves in almost every sauce or side dish and it is also a key ingredient in tea. South India uses cloves to flavor rice. Ground cloves add spicy depth to gingerbread, cookies, applesauce, muffins, cakes, and other sweets and are often the secret ingredient in barbecue and cocktail sauces.

This recipe makes one Pumpkin Roll and will serve twelve. Total preparation time is about two-and-one-half-hours from start to finish. Although a Pumpkin Roll takes longer to make the steps are simple and uncomplicated. The Pumpkin Roll is a festive holiday dessert and one that will bring raves with the blend of a thin, mild, pumpkin spice cake exterior wrapped around a creamy cheese filling.

Pumpkin Roll

Beat together until smooth:
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add:
1 c self-rising flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp allspice
Pour onto a greased wax paper covering a 10 x 15 inch baking tray with an edge. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a clean towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Gently peel off the wax paper and then roll up the cake in the towel. Cool for one hour.

Filling:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
½ stick of butter softened
1 tsp vanilla
Beat until smooth. Unroll the pumpkin cake and spread evenly with filling. Roll up again, cover, and refrigerate for one hour before slicing and serving. Garnish with powdered sugar!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Pumpkin Nut Crisp

Pumpkin Nut Crisp
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn has arrived in a blaze of colors here on the mountains of Tennessee. Cooler temperatures and crisp breezes invigorate the atmosphere. Everywhere you go there are creative fall decorations in front of businesses and homes. Invariably among the straw bales of hay and pots of mums in dazzling arrays of fall hues you will see orange pumpkins in all sizes and shapes. We used to grow pumpkins in our garden when our kids were small. On a designated day we’d line up a row of pumpkins and with sharp knives begin carving up our harvest. Dawn and Dwight would always beg to help make faces for the jack-o-lanterns. They considered themselves quite grownup when they finally were allowed to handle a sharp knife while I hovered around them alternately giving advice and warnings. For some reason though once the jack-o-lanterns were carved and set out on our front porch both of my kids always lost interest in the rest of the pumpkins waiting to be peeled and cut into chunks, which were then cooked, pureed, and froze for future pumpkin pies. By the end of the day I was always relieved when the stack of pumpkins were reduced to quart containers sitting on my counter waiting to be stored in my freezer without any loss of fingers. The aroma of cooking pumpkin in my kitchen signaled that fall had arrived. This month I am going to feature recipes that contain pumpkin, which I’ve discovered along the way. Today most cooks buy canned pumpkin from the local grocery store- even my own daughter has been guilty of such time saving tactics. So grab some pumpkin, heat up your oven, and let’s get started on some holiday baking.

Cinnamon is a small evergreen tree native to South India. There is a more common kind that grows wild all over China and other parts of East Asia dating back in Chinese writings to 2800 B.C. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in embalming processes. Medieval physicians used cinnamon in medicines to treat coughing and sore throats. Cinnamon was also valued for its preservatives qualities for meat. In the first century cinnamon was fifteen times the value of sliver per weight and was used as currency. As a sign of remorse, Roman Emperor Nero ordered a year’s supply of cinnamon to be burnt after he murdered his wife. In the 17th century the Dutch seized the island of Ceylon, which was the world’s largest supplier and became a monopoly of the prized spice. By 1833 the downfall of the cinnamon monopoly began when other countries found out that cinnamon could be easily grown in tropical climates. Today cinnamon is one of the most well known and popular spices used in baking.

My Pumpkin Nut Crisp is a quick and easy dessert to start out the holiday season. I’ve combined a couple of recipes with a blend of spices to make this Pumpkin Nut Crisp. So stock up on your pumpkin supply as this dessert will quickly become a favorite to eat and make. My Pumpkin Nut Crisp recipe only takes around ten minutes to prepare and serves sixteen.

Pumpkin Nut Crisp

1 large can of pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp allspice
Mix together thoroughly in a medium bowl and pour into a greased 9 x 12 baking dish.
Sprinkle a dry yellow cake mix on top.
Drizzle one stick of melted butter over cake mix.
Finish by sprinkling one cup of chopped pecans over the top.
Bake at 350º for one hour.
You can serve the Pumpkin Nut Crisp warm or let chill. May garnish with a dollop of cool whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Homemade Apple Pie

Homemade Apple Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

I don’t remember the exact age when I made my first apple pie. I started cooking when I was still small enough that I had to stand on a chair by the stove so I’m sure it wasn’t many years later that I started making pies. I do remember the anxious feeling as my father took his first bite of my apple pie and then the surge of triumph when he nodded and smiled in satisfaction. Maybe if I had known that passing my apple pie test would result in making at least four pies a week from then on I wouldn’t have been quite so thrilled. My father was Pennsylvania Dutch and to him the perfect ending to a meal was a piece of pie. His favorite was Homemade Apple Pie. Frankly I became sick of making two apple pies each week, although it got to the place that I could have made them with my eyes shut. I didn’t try as every baking day my father would wheel himself in his wheelchair over to the table where I rolled out my pie crusts to oversee the baking operations with an eagle eye. My mother, when home from working at the hospital, was quite amazed at the speed in which I could whip up a batch of pies. I’ve teased my husband that he married me for cherry pie. When we started going together Dana managed to show up quite frequently at mealtimes- institutionalized cooking stood no chance compared to a home cooked meal. I soon found out that he loved cherry pie. Getting married to me meant freedom from ever making pies again and I joyfully started baking all kinds of cakes. After a month my bewildered husband asked when I was going to bake some pies. I landed back on the earth with a thud. We laugh about it now as I’ve made zillions of pies (with plenty of cakes in-between) since then. Every autumn the sight and smell of apples brings back memories of my childhood baking days and I find myself making a Homemade Apple Pie. There is nothing so cozy on a bleak fall day as tasting a freshly-baked apple pie hot from the oven.

Shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed used to make baked goods light and flaky. The term “shortening” can be broadly used to apply to any kind of fat used for baking such as: butter, lard, or margarine. Shortening though has a higher smoke tolerance than butter or margarine, needs no refrigeration, and lengthens the shelf life of baked goods. Crisco was first produced in 1911. More recent innovations include: Canola, Corn, and Natural Blend oils along with No-Stick Cooking Sprays. The clear bottles of cooking oil and round cans of shortening are quite a departure from the boxes of lard that I used years ago when making pie crusts.

The aroma of a baking Homemade Apple Pie fills the house with promises of culinary delight. You can also add raisins, chopped nuts, and caramel ice cream topping to the apple pie filling for a different twist. To speed up the process, yet give the flavor of homemade, you can use frozen pie crusts. I also use an apple peeler to peel my apples. Preparation time for my Homemade Apple Pie takes around thirty minutes and one pie serves eight.

Homemade Apple Pie

Crust:
2½ c self-rising flour
1 c shortening
1 egg
½ c cold water
Mix together flour and shortening- cutting the shortening into the flour with two knives until evenly mixed. Add the egg and stir in the cold water until a ball forms. Roll out half of the dough thin on a floured surface and line in a pie dish. Roll out the rest of the dough on a floured surface for the top crust.

Apple Pie Filling:
Peel and slice up six large or eight medium-sized apples of your choice in a large bowl and add:
1 c sugar
¼ c four
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
Mix together thoroughly and pour into pie crust.

Line the top crust over the apple filling and seal. Poke holes in the top crust with a knife. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake the apple pie at 350º for one hour. You can serve the Homemade Apple Pie either hot or cold and you may garnish with a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Autumn Apple Nut Cake

Autumn Apple Nut Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

There are many uses for apples. One is making cider. Nearby the theological college where my husband attended were several apple orchards. Every fall a big tourist attraction in the area was the cider that some of the Mennonites had perfected with their special blending of apples. No cider I’ve tasted since has come close. To Dana and the other out-of-state fellows who lived in the dorm, the taste of homemade cider with its aroma of newly crushed apples was the next thing to heaven. It also was a big money maker for the senior class. Dana and some of his buddies each bought a gallon of cider to drink. What nobody thought to tell these guys was that cider needed to stay refrigerated. After a week of sitting in their warm dorm rooms the sweet cider turned hard. Despite the change in taste- it was beginning to burn as it went down- they began daring each other and bragging about how much they could drink. Dana and his friends ended up getting uproariously happy and had quite a party in the boy’s dorm. Everything was quickly hushed up and the school officials banned all classes from selling cider for any future class fund raisers to avoid any hint of a scandal. For the record, I make sure that any cider entering my house stays refrigerated.

Every autumn I bake up a favorite cake I call, Autumn Apple Nut Cake, which uses fresh apples. My Autumn Apple Nut Cake captures the flavor of the fall season like no other cake I’ve tried. Throughout the years I’ve taken a couple of different apple cake recipes blending and mixing ingredients together until I was satisfied. Not only does the subtle taste of spices bring out the tang of the apples in this cake, but my Autumn Apple Nut Cake has a velvet-like moist texture that is filling. Raisins could be added if one desired. The crowning touch to my Autumn Apple Nut Cake is the rich caramel topping. My Autumn Apple Nut Cake takes about twenty minutes to prepare and serves around sixteen.

Autumn Apple Nut Cake

In large mixing bowl beat together:
1 c vegetable oil
1½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Add:
3 c self-rising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
Mix thoroughly and then fold in:
1 c chopped pecans (or nuts of your choice)
3 apples peeled and diced
Pour into a greased bunt cake pan and bake at 350º for one hour. Cool for five minutes and then turn out the Autumn Apple Nut Cake on a cake dish and cover.

Caramel Frosting:
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c evaporated milk
2 tb margarine
Microwave for a minute or until the margarine is all melted.
Stir in and beat until smooth:
3 c powdered sugar
Pour the caramel frosting over the cake letting it run down the sides. You can serve the Autumn Apple Nut Cake while it is still warm or wait until it is completely cooled. Keep the cake covered when storing to help it stay moist. You may garnish the Autumn Apple Nut Cake with chopped nuts if you desire!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Granny's Fried Apple Pies

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies
Dorcas Annette Walker

I like to start off my column this week by thanking all who have contacted me with many kind words about my cooking column and those of you who faithfully cut out and save my newspaper column each week- bless you. You definitely brighten my day! I’ve found out that sometimes a chef pops up in the most unexpected places. I was startled one night at supper when my son, Dwight, mentioned that Johnnie (the guy who owns a local body shop where Dwight enjoys hanging out at) loved to cook. I have to confess I was shocked when Dwight said that Johnnie even made Fried Apple Pies. To those of you who don’t live in the South you fry these pies in an iron skillet- honest! Mountain-style fried apple pies are similar (but not near as good) as the mini pastry fruit pies you can buy in the store. You know the ones that used to be four for a dollar, but now you are lucky to buy one for less than a dollar. In fact I can remember when you could buy those same pies at a discount bread store ten for a dollar. Making fried pies, mountain-style, is not in the same classification as doing up a batch of cupcakes so I was quite impressed with Johnnie’s expertise. I was still trying to figure out how to make the crust like the mountain folk. I called Granny and began comparing recipes of those who make fried pies up here on the mountain. I was intrigued to discover that the size of the fried pies is made by using the lid of a 42 oz shortening can measuring five and one quarter inches across. Last night I got out my iron skillet and commenced to fry up a batch of Fried Apple Pies letting my fellows be the judge. I felt I had arrived as the fried pies began disappearing, ignoring the fact that I was running late for supper. At one time I even had a saying on my refrigerator, Never serve meals on time; the starving eat anything! Dwight though, who is a picky eater, made my day when he said that he thought my crust was fluffy and light, even better than some of the other fried pies he had tasted.

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies are a mouth-watering, pastry delicacy oozing with apple pie filling that is irresistible to the taste buds from the first bite onward. Up here on the mountain fried pies aren’t glazed- something I added. I used my own homemade canned apple pie filling, but store bought pie filling would work just as well. Also for a different twist I sprinkled chopped pecans and added a teaspoon of Carmel Ice Cream topping in some of my fried pies. You can add raisins or other fruit fillings, mix-matching ingredients to make your own deluxe fried pies. This recipe of Granny’s Fried Apple Pies makes around twenty-one fried pies, will use close to two cans of apple pie filling, and takes about an hour and a half to do up.

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies

In a large bowl add:
3 c plain flour
1 c self-rising flour
½ c shortening
½ c margarine
Cut in the shortening and butter with two knives until crumbly.

Add and mix thoroughly until dough forms:
1½ c milk
1 egg
Roll out dough thin on a floured surface and cut into circles with the lid of a shortening can. Place one heaping tablespoon of apple pie filling on one side of a circle. Fold the circle in half and seal by pressing the end of a fork along the edge.

Heat together until it reaches sizzling temp in iron skillet then lower:
1 c shortening
½ stick of margarine
Place the fried pies in the hot grease and fry on both sides until golden brown. Add shortening and margarine as needed. Drain the fried pies on a platter lined with paper towels.

Glaze:
3 c powdered sugar
5 tb hot water
Mix together until smooth. Coat the top of the fried pies with glaze. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve hot or cold!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Apple Fritters

Apple Fritters
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn is the time when leaves change color as the temperature drops and brisk winds begin to blow. It is also the end of the season for harvesting garden produce and fruits. Maybe I’m part squirrel, but as nature commences to fold up her last days of warm weather in preparation for the winter months my blood begins to stir and I find myself scurrying around to put up last minute produce to fill up my pantry and stuff my freezer. I can remember yearly pilgrimages to my grandmother’s basement where she proudly showed off her display of canned goods. As a child it was the colors of the variegated mason jars sitting in tall stately rows rather than the hours of labor that impressed me. Today I have a room next to my kitchen that is my pantry where I arranged rows of canned bounty each year. I love to contrast different colors rather than keeping vegetables separated from fruits. Quarts of pickled red beats sit underneath white pears topped by jars of green beans; orange sweet potatoes are shelved above my green pickles; and canned white potatoes sit next to shelves of ruby tomatoes. I enjoy showing my full pantry to visitors. This is also the season for harvesting apples that range in many hues, sizes, and choices. So for the month of October I’m going to focus on recipes with apples.

A fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and fried. Fritters can be a dessert, side dish, or a main course. There is some debate on how to classify fritters as some consider them to be doughnuts, while others think they belong to the pastry family. Fritters originated from the Middle East and then were introduced to Europe in the 11th and 13th century. There are potato fritters, pineapple fritters, corn fritters, apple fritters, and pea fritters, while in Malaysia sweet potatoes and bananas are fried and sold as snacks. I remember my mother draining leftover corn and adding it to pancake batter to make corn fritters as a special treat. Some Apple Fritter recipes use sliced apples rings that are dipped in batter and deep fried. Fritters can be eaten plain, with syrup, honey, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, ice cream, or you can mix and match toppings.

My Apple Fritter recipe originally came from an old Mennonite cookbook and is easy to make. These fluffy fried Apple Fritters are filling, oozing with a crunchy apple texture and subtle cinnamon flavor. We eat our Apple Fritters hot with melted butter and drizzling syrup. I used Golden Delicious apples, but any apple may be substituted. My Apple Fritter recipe makes six large fritters and takes around thirty minutes all total.

Apple Fritters

2 c self-rising flour
¼ c sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 c milk
2 c peeled and dices apples
In a medium size bowl put flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add egg, vanilla, and milk. Mix together thoroughly. Batter will be thin. Fold in diced apples. Pour batter onto a hot greased griddle or iron skillet and fry until golden brown on both side. Serve hot or cold!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Fruit Pizza

Fruit Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

There is something about color that fascinates me. In traveling around I was amazed at the dull homes some people live in. I must not be the woodsy type as staying in a place with only brown walls was the quickest way to depress me. I loved coming back home where each colorful room reached out to welcome and embrace me. I must be addicted as I surround myself with color. Just let me get my hands on a paint brush and I go wild. When I first suggested painting my porch floors a deep blue my husband and kids thought I had gone around the bend. I could visualize what a perfect match it would add to our house with soft yellow and white trim. Years later my husband reluctantly admits that it’s not bad. It is the same way with food. Why settle for something plain when a nifty twist of color will jazz up your dish or dessert? Needless to say making a Fruit Pizza satisfies something creative inside. My sister, Lois, who is a talented artist made the first Fruit Pizza I had ever seen. I was instantly hooked. The original recipe has become spotted and marked on throughout the years.

I was intrigued to find out that cream of tartar is obtained from the sediment that crystallizes during fermentation in the process of making wine. In fact a history journal reported that traces of cream of tartar were found in a wine pottery jar from the ruins of a village in northern Iran dating more than 7,000 years ago. Cream of tartar is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking such as: stabilizing and giving more volume to beaten egg whites, produces a creamier texture in candy and frostings, used commercially in some soft drinks, reduces discoloration in boiled vegetables, is a powerful cleaning agent for pots, pans, and stove tops, cleans coins, and even is a folk remedy used mixed with orange juice for stopping smoking. You can substitute white vinegar for cream of tartar when beating egg whites, but is isn’t a good idea to use a substitution of white vinegar when baking as it has been found that cakes end up with a coarser grain and are more prone to shrinking than those made with cream of tartar. When used in baking, cream of tartar produces softer cookies.

My Fruit Pizza is a filling colorful dessert that epitomizes tropical and summer days yet can be made year round. The tangy blend of different fruits on a cream cheese filling rounded out with a sugar cookie crust is truly a culinary delight. You can mix and match different fruits to your hearts delight. Another idea is using the same recipe with a topping of berries: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for a nifty berry topping. Either way this Fruit Pizza recipe serves around sixteen and takes approximately thirty minutes to prepare.

Fruit Pizza

Crust:
½ c margarine or butter
½ c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c self-rising flour
½ tsp cream of tartar
Combine ingredients and roll out on a large greased pizza pan. Bake at 350º for ten minutes and cool.

Cream filling:
1 pkg cream cheese
½ c powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip
Beat until smooth and spread over cooled sugar cookie crust.

Decorate with:
pineapple rings (save juice)
sections of mandarin oranges
sliced kiwi
strawberries
blueberries

Glaze:
1 c pineapple juice
1 c orange juice
4 tb cornstarch
Mix together in small saucepan and bring to a boil until thickened. Spread over top of layered fruit completely covering. If the glaze is too thick you can thin with orange juice. Chill and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

Like his older brother, Eric, Aaron Hines has curly red hair. Now that Aaron has grown as tall as Eric people often get them mixed up. There is one definite factor that sets them apart. No matter how serious or grown up Aaron tries to look he can’t hide his mischievous nature. Aaron believes in playing as hard as he works. So I shouldn’t have been shocked when I was shown a picture of him hanging off the edge of a rock bluff with nothing but thousands of feet of air beneath him- I was assured that it wasn’t as bad as it looked- nor hanging midair from the bottom of the second highest bridge here in Tennessee that our area is noted for. I could only hope that his mother would be sitting down when she saw the pictures. Being an outdoors type of guy, Aaron wasn’t exactly enamored at the thought of cooking. He reluctantly washed his hands and started mixing up the ingredients I put into the large bowl, but brightened up when I handed him an egg to crack. Aaron briskly stirred up the dough despite the few pieces of egg shells that remained. After flattening out the cookie dough on the pizza pan, I showed Aaron how to make a zigzag edge. Intrigued he carefully finished off the edge. He was rather startled when I told him he had to time his pizza so it wouldn’t burn up after sliding the pizza into the oven. The cookie crust was rescued in the nick of time. Since the fellows had plans for the night I told Aaron we’d finish up his pizza the next day. Saturday afternoon after stretching some fence line along the back of our property, before they headed off town, I reminded Aaron that his pizza needed to be finished so we could have it for dessert at supper. As he started spreading layers of cream cheese filling and pudding on the top of the cookie crust, Dwight and Eric started drooling as they saw Aaron build his pizza. As a finishing touch I poured some chocolate chips into his hand to sprinkle on top of the cool whip. Holding a handful of chocolate chips Aaron suddenly remembered- to my horror and the guy’s great amusement- that he hadn’t washed his hands. He tried to assure me that no one would notice any dirt as the chocolate chips were dark anyway. Dwight nearly doubled over shouting with laughter. Thankfully no stomachs had to be pumped after eating Aaron’s masterpiece that evening. To the fellows Aaron’s dirty hands was the highlight of their entire cooking adventure.

Natural brown sugar is a name for raw sugar processed from the first crystallization of cane and is free of dyes and chemicals. Many brown sugar producers today produce brown sugar by combining molasses to white sugar, which gives it the soft texture. The molasses is usually obtained from sugar cane because the flavor is preferred over beet sugar molasses, although the Netherlands use sugar beet molasses. Brown sugar has a slightly lower calorie value than white sugar due to the presence of water, but is higher in mineral content because of the molasses. The lighter the brown sugar the more delicate flavor while the darker had a more intense molasses flavor. Light and dark brown sugar is available year-round sold in plastic bags that are sealed tightly. One cup of packed brown sugar equals one cup of granulated sugar.

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza is a rich and filling dessert. The flavors of chocolate and peanut butter mixed with a cream cheese filling are a luscious combination that guarantees an instant success. Aaron’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza was eaten up the second day. This Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza recipe takes only thirty minutes to prepare and serves sixteen.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza

Crust:
2 c self-rising flour
½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ c peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
½ c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Mix ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl and spread out on a greased pizza pan. Bake at 350º for ten minutes and cool.

Beat together until smooth:
1 pkg cream cheese
½ c powdered sugar
½ of a 16 oz container of cool whip
Layer over the cooled peanut butter cookie crust.

Prepare one box of instant chocolate pudding as directed and spread over cream cheese layer. Then spread the last half of the cool whip over the chocolate pudding. Garnish with chocolate chips or shaved chocolate curls. Chill and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Hash Brown Pizza

Hash Brown Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

Eric Hines, the oldest son of Mark and Cindy Hines, lives on a farm in the Northern part of Indiana. His family farms close to 1,200 acres of flatland each year. From early on, Eric learned the meaning of hard work involved in farming corn, soybeans, and wheat. The success of his family farm, aside from long hours of work, depends mainly on the fickleness of the weather, rising costs, inflation, and finding the right market to sell their crops. Today’s small farmer works hard to keep his farm afloat. Eric is a steady dependable fellow that is the joy of every parent’s heart. His serious demeanor hides a quick sense of humor and brilliant mind that is crammed full of facts. One night Eric was enlightening us on the merits of different combines. I was soon lost in the maze of company names as prices were flashed back and forth only to be informed that the reason one combine was not as efficient in harvest as another was due to the way the corn hit the rotor blades. Not only does Eric help out on the family farm but he also hires out to other farmers in the area as he is competent in handling any farm machinery. So it was quite interesting to observe Eric in the kitchen on a Saturday morning as he fixed a Hash Brown Pizza for brunch. He confessed up front that he didn’t know anything about cooking but was good at following directions. To his surprise browning hamburger in a cast iron skillet is a lot easier than handling a large combine during harvest season and spreading hash browns on a greased tray is a snap compared to planting acres of straight rows with a tractor and corn planter. The best part though, hands down, was eating up the results of one’s cooking.

Our ancestors made soup from various ingredients often having a soup pot sitting on the back of the stove where leftover broths and juices would be added daily until the cook decided it was time for soup. The last harvest of gardens would yield a large canner of vegetable soup that was canned in quart jars and stored in the cellar for winter days. Campbell Soup is credited with creating canned condensed soups that rapidly became a household staple saving hours of time in the kitchen. John Dorrance, who held a chemistry degree and Ph.D from the University of Gottengen in Germany, turned down prestigious positions to work for his Uncle, who was the company president of Campbell. He discovered that by removing water the soup could be condensed, packed into smaller cans, and sold at lower prices than other canned soups thus insuring Campbell’s success. By 1922 Campbell formally accepted Soup into its name. Condensed soups are prepared by adding water or milk and only needs to be heated up to be ready to serve. These soups also became popular as a base for homemade soups and casseroles.

Hash Brown Pizza is a quick, easy-to-make, breakfast recipe. It is ideal for a weekend breakfast or brunch and is filling. Sausage can be substituted for hamburger for a zestier taste. My Hash Brown Pizza takes around forty-five minutes (baking time included) to prepare and this recipe serves twelve. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated in a microwave for another morning.

Hash Brown Pizza

1 pkg (40 oz) frozen hash browns (thawed)
1 can mushroom condensed soup (undiluted)
2 lb browned hamburger
2 cans condensed tomato soup (undiluted)
¼ c chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp garlic salt
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Combine thawed hash browns and can of mushroom soup in a big bowl. Mix well and spread on a large greased cookie tray. Bake for thirty minutes at 350º. Meanwhile brown hamburger in an iron skillet. Add tomato soup, onion, chili powder, and garlic salt and let simmer. Spread over hash brown crust and sprinkle on cheese. Bake for ten more minutes until cheese is melted. Serve hot!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

Labor Day weekend found a couple of Dwight’s friends down from Indiana at our house so I got the brainstorm of having each one do up a pizza that I am going to feature this month. Dwight’s friends were hesitant, but I assured them that my recipes were not difficult and would be easy to make. For some reason my son, Dwight, groaned and shook his head causing flickers of alarm to appear on both of his friend’s faces. I pulled out the big guns after they had stuffed themselves on my homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and Ice Cream Cake asking them how wimpy could they be when all they had to do was make one pizza while I cooked how many meals for them. With that threat hanging over their heads they disappeared from my house the next day to go exploring out in the woods, uh, maybe to bolster up their courage. They were gone all afternoon and it was getting close to suppertime when I called Dwight on his cell phone to remind him that I wanted to have the Taco Pizza for supper. He asked how long it would take, and since he was going to do the honors, he wasn’t too worried and told me that they were heading back. A half an hour later I buzzed Dwight again. They had stopped to check out a cave and found a really neat spider that was huge, but he assured me they were on their way home. My husband had already wandered to the kitchen a couple of times wondering how late supper was going to be and fortifying himself by snacking. Another thirty minutes passed without any signs of my fellows so I called again. Dwight said that they were almost to the main road- they had stopped to get some really neat pictures of his friend’s 4-wheel drive truck going over some rocks. I started browning the hamburger. It was almost 7:30 pm by the time they made it back to the house. In high spirits Eric and Aaron razed Dwight as he put together the Taco Pizza. We made a double batch and sat down to eat our evening meal at eight o’clock. Needless to say the Taco Pizza disappeared like the wind- I managed to get one piece- along with the Dirt Pudding I had made up earlier.

Did you know that lettuce is a member of the sunflower family and is one of the oldest known vegetables believed to be native in the Mediterranean area? The ancient Greeks believed that lettuce induced sleep so they served it at the end of their meals and the Romans continued the custom until their dictator, Emperor Domitian, started serving it at the beginning of his feasts to torture his guests- thinking to force them to stay awake in his presence. Ceasar Augustus even put up a statue praising lettuce because he believed that it cured him from an illness. Lettuce was introduced to the New World as early as 1494. Thomas Jefferson had nineteen varieties of lettuce growing in his garden at Monticello. Our ancestors ate Lamb’s lettuce, also known as field lettuce, that grows wild and I discovered that there is even an Opium lettuce. The USDA found red, yellow, and blue-green varieties of lettuce while accumulating a worldwide gene pool. There are four main types of lettuce: Butterhead, Iceberg, Looseleaf, and Romaine. Iceberg lettuce was called Crisphead until 1920 when it was renamed after California began transporting large quantities of lettuce underneath mounds of ice to keep it cool as lettuce is one vegetable that is immune to any form of preservation. Lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable in the United States. Americans eat thirty pounds of lettuce each year. The darker green leaves are more nutritious than the lighter green ones. Almost all lettuce is packed right in the field- which is why you should wash all lettuce before eating it.

My Taco Pizza takes around thirty-five minutes to prepare and this recipe serves eight. Sometimes I add a layer of refried beans, which makes the Taco Pizza even more filling and healthful. Have fun experimenting with different toppings.

Taco Pizza

Crust:
1½ c self-rising flour
½ c cornmeal
1 pkg yeast
2 tb cooking oil
½ c warm water
Knead together and let rise for ten minutes. Roll out on greased pizza pan and bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown.

Brown 1 lb hamburger.
Add:
1 tsp chili powder
1 c salsa
Simmer together and spread on top of baked crust.

Layer toppings:
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 c bite-size lettuce pieces
1 c chopped tomato
½ c sliced black olives
Serve warm with sour cream or taco sauce!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Veggie Pizza

Veggie Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

Summer vacation is over, kids are back in school once again, and families have to readjust to school schedules. So I thought this month I’d feature different kinds of pizzas that are sure to please even the picky eater in your family. Who doesn’t like pizza? Pizzas are a good way to sneak in some extra vitamins and get your family off to a healthy start for the school year. When you are worn out from the daily activities and don’t know what to make for supper, rally the troops to the kitchen and engage the entire family into helping make a pizza. You might discover a budding chef. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Most important of all you will make memories as you strengthen family bonds.

Pizza, consisting of a shallow bread-like crust covered with seasoned tomato sauce, cheese, and other toppings, has been considered a peasant’s meal in Italy for centuries. It was eaten by the working man and his family because it was thirty and convenient. Pizza was also eaten by many people in the Mediterranean including Greeks and Egyptians. The modern pizza has been attributed to baker Raffele Esposito of Naples where in 1889 he baked a pizza for the visit of Italian King Umberto I and Queen Marghertia. The Neapolitans take their pizzas very seriously. An authentic Neapolitan pizza must be baked in a wood-fired dome at 485C for no more than 60 to 90 seconds. The base must be hand-kneaded and can’t exceed 35 cm in diameter or be more than a one third of a cm in the center. Pizza, known as Tomato Pie, made its first appearance in the United States with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. The first pizzeria was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi in New York City. The first Pizza Hut chain restaurants appeared during the 1930’s. Americans eat approximately 350 slices of pizza per second with pepperoni pizza being the top choice topping. India’s top choice for pizza is pickled ginger, minced mutton, and paneer cheese, Japan uses a combination of mayonnaise, potato and bacon with eel and squid being favorite toppings, Brazilian’s love green peas on their pizzas, while Russians go for red herring pizzas. Whew! I’ll take a good ole American pizza any day.

My Veggie Pizza is easy to make and you can mix and match or increase ingredients to your delight. Depending on how many veggies you want to include it may take up to one hour for the preparation time. My Veggie Pizza recipe is considered mild and makes one pizza that serves sixteen. Veggie Pizzas are ideal for parties and get-to-gethers. I just made a Veggie Pizza for our monthly church birthday celebration Sunday night that disappeared fast.

Veggie Pizza

Take one jumbo (16 oz) can of buttermilk biscuits and spread thin over round greased pizza pan. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Let cool.

Beat together until smooth:
1 (8oz) cream cheese
1 c Ranch Buttermilk bottled dressing
Spread on cooled crust.

Sprinkle on:
1 c chopped tomato
1 c broccoli heads cut small
½ c shredded and chopped carrots
½ c chopped green pepper
½ c chopped mushrooms
¼ c minced onion

Garnish with:
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
½ c bacon bits
1 c sliced black olives
Chill and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Old Fashion Lemon Icebox Cake

Old Fashion Lemon Icebox Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

Right in the middle of a heat wave the other week our refrigerator of over twenty years quit cooling. It had been a faithful standby that we took for granted, as our kids grew from childhood to adult. In fact when remodeling our kitchen years ago we had our kitchen cabinets custom built around our refrigerator. As I worked to keep my food from spoiling in the heat, I had an insight into the life of my ancestors who didn’t have the convenience of an electric refrigerator. As soon as my husband came home from work we raced to town to purchase a replacement. I was quite unprepared for all the new fangled designs and gadgets that accompany modern refrigerators today. As my husband and son excitedly pulled me from one enthralling model to another, citing all the new features available, I felt rather dazed. “All I want”, I tried to tell my fellows, “Is a simple refrigerator that works.”

Families used to settle beside a creek or spring where food was cooled in spring houses. Some dug holes in the ground- cellars- lined with wood or straw and packed with snow or ice for refrigeration. Then came iceboxes made of wood with hollow walls that were lined with tin or zinc and packed with insulating materials such as cork, sawdust, straw, or seaweed. A large block of ice was placed in a compartment near the top of the box so that cold air could circulate down around the lower storage compartments. Some modern models had a spigot for draining water from a catch pan or holding tank. In cheaper models a drip pan was placed underneath the box that had to be emptied daily. A horse-drawn ice wagon made regular door-to-door deliveries with blocks of ice. Some apartment buildings had small doors that opened up to the icebox from the back porch where blocks of ice could be inserted by the ice man. Children would climb up on the ice wagon to get chips of fallen ice. America hit an industrial high in the mid 19th century to the 1930’s when the refrigerator was introduced into the home. Oliver Evans is known for designing the first refrigeration machine in 1805. The first practical refrigerator was built by Jacob Perkins in 1834 using ether in a vapor compression cycle. Today my modern refrigerator is built on wheels and has a fan at the bottom that cools the coils down automatically. I love the storage shelves in the door that holds a gallon of milk and the clear see-through shelves in the main part. I passed up the door feature of ice and cold water on the front- I know I’m hopelessly old fashioned- and I found a model without an automatic ice maker as I prefer to make up my own ice. I’m as thrilled over my new refrigerator as the ladies before me were with their fancy iceboxes.

This Old Fashion Lemon Icebox Cake is a quicker and simpler version of the original recipe, but still has the cool tangy taste of lemon that is refreshing to the taste buds on a hot summer day, like a cold glass of lemonade. Total preparation time is around one hour and fifteen minutes (30 minutes of cooling cake included) and this recipe serves sixteen. The Old Fashion Lemon Icebox Cake is made up the day before and makes a mild refreshing lemon summer dessert.

Old Fashion Lemon Icebox Cake

1 lemon cake mix
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
½ c lemon juice
1 (16 oz) cool whip

Prepare lemon cake mix according to the directions on the box and bake in two layers. Cool for thirty minutes and cut both layers in half.

Beat condensed milk and lemon juice until slightly thickened with mixer. Then fold in cool whip with a Wisk until well blended. Ice between layers and frost entire cake. Chill overnight in refrigerator before serving. May garnish with sliced lemons or lemon curls and mint leaves!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

I remember when I first was married and living on a college campus, which my husband attended, Dana and I saved up and bought an old-fashion crank ice cream freezer. Hot summer evenings would find a bunch of us couples gathered together to make homemade ice cream. We all lived in poverty, barely scraping by, so we’d call each other to come up with enough ingredients. The guys would take turns cranking the freezer out on the porch, as we visited waiting with anticipation for the first taste, until the ice cream was deemed ready. There is nothing as refreshing as homemade ice cream on a hot summer night. You had to pace yourself and eat it slow or you’d get a monster of a headache. Today it is actually cheaper to buy ice cream already made at the store, but no store-bought flavor can beat the taste of homemade ice cream. As for my old ice cream freezer, it now is a plant holder on my back porch; a conservation piece of fondness to those who remember the good ole days and one of sheer unbelief to the younger generation.

By the end of the 19th century ice cream was firmly established in American society. With its popularity came new inventions. There are differing opinions and claims about who actually made the first ice cream sandwich. The earliest recorded was in the Washing Post July 5, 1900 from the New York Tribune, which had an article about an ice cream sandwich man who sold ice cream from a tin mold, between slabs of wafers, for one cent out of a pushcart on the Lower East Side of New York City within the district inhabited by the Russians. George Whitney in 1928 began what is now a San Francisco tradition, ice cream sandwiches where vanilla ice cream is placed between two large oatmeal cookies and then dipped in chocolate. In Australia ice cream sandwiches are given the name of Giant Sandwich wrapped in blue, pink and white. In the Eastern states is it called a Monaco Bar recognized by its gold and black metallic cover. In Ireland ice cream sandwiches are known as sliders and in Singapore not only does the ice cream come in different flavors (some exotic flavors: Red Bean, Yam, Sweet Corn, Durian, and Honeydew), but vendors also sell blocks of ice cream between slices of multicolored bread instead of wafers or a cone. Speaking of different flavors, I found recipes for homemade pumpkin, Ladyfinger, and Shamrock ice cream sandwiches. The most popular homemade ice cream sandwich is by placing vanilla ice cream between two chocolate cookies.

My Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake evolved from a recipe I saw in a magazine that used ice cream sandwiches. My brain cells went crazy at the potential of making a frozen dessert using only a couple of ingredients and so quick to make. When my son began his teen years I started making ice cream birthday cakes that were an instant hit, but they involved a lot of work. I even tried Dairy Queen’s ice cream cakes- and was usually passed on quickly to the manager when I would suggest something different from the two choices offered. How I wish now that I had thought about using ice cream sandwiches. My Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake takes only fifteen minutes to prepare and serves twenty. This ice cream cake, using ice cream sandwiches, is full of endless possibilities when you check out the different flavors of ice cream sandwiches now available. My Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake is a sure winner for both kids and adults with the peanut butter/chocolate mixture.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

1 box of 12 peanut butter ice cream sandwiches
1 large cool whip (16 oz)
1 chocolate candy bar

Lay four ice cream sandwiches in a row on large plate. Spoon cool whip over layer of ice cream sandwiches. Add second layer of four ice cream sandwiches. Cover with cool whip. Finish with third layer of ice cream sandwiches. Completely cover cake with cool whip. Garnish with chocolate curls and freeze overnight. Slice with sharp knife and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Cucumber Fruit Salad

Cucumber Fruit Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

Cucumbers and squash have a way of multiplying in one’s garden. In fact in a good year one begins to feel like they are being overtaken by the vines and the abundance of produce, almost like a Jack in the Beanstalk effect. You pick all the ripen cubes only to find the vines loaded the next day. The solution is either to sell the extra, give away to neighbors and friends, or even resort to begging unless one is fortified with recipes and ideas. A family favorite was my grandmother, Annie Lehman’s, Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad where you peeled and thinly sliced a couple cucumbers, added one cup of water, two tablespoons vinegar, one teaspoon salt, and one tablespoons sugar. I’ve even tried all kinds of pickles- if you ever want to enliven up a guest dinner just bring out a new experiment of pickles- until my pantry shelves were loaded with the lovely cubes. The problem is you can pickle your family to death so I always keep my eyes open to new recipes that involve cumbers. We were out on the road in a revival service up in Indiana, where my husband was preaching, when at the parsonage I tasted a different kind of salad that intrigued me. I couldn’t believe my ears when I found out that the main ingredient was cucumber. I immediately begged for the recipe and have used many times since.

Sour cream has become a staple in most kitchens. It is used to make quick dips, thicken sauces, and as toppings on baked potatoes etc. Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting regular cream, which produces lactic acid souring the cream. Sour cream can be stored in the refrigerator for more than a month after the expiration date, but if any mold forms on the cream’s surface the entire container should be discarded. See my tip for extending the use of sour cream on my blogspot under cooking tips. Sour cream is used primarily in the countries of Europe and North America often as a condiment. In the Ukrainian and Russia sour cream is added to borscht and other soups, in Mexican cuisine it is used to cool hot pepper components, and Hungarians use it as an ingredient in their recipes for ham-filled crepes. Crème fraỉche is a French heavy cream slightly soured that can be mixed with air into whipped cream and cooked without curdling. Smetana is a variety of a much heavier sour cream used in Central and Eastern Europe that is blended in thick soups, served on a plate with boiled dumplings, or mixed in salads.

Cucumber Fruit Salad is a smooth-tasting summery salad that blends cucumbers with fruit. This light, yet filling, cold salad is quick and easy to make ideal for hot summer days. I’ve also served the Cucumber Fruit Salad in the winter to bring back a whiff of summer. The Cucumber Fruit Salad adapts to any type of simple or formal meal. This recipe takes around twenty minutes to prepare and serves ten.

Cucumber Fruit Salad

Peel, slice, and dice up 2 large cucumbers in a medium bowl.
Mix in:
1 diced red apple
2 c red grapes sliced in half
½ c nuts (your choice)

Mix together:
3 tb sugar
1 (16 oz) sour cream

Pour over chopped mixture and blend well. Chill and serve. May garnish with fresh fruit!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.