Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

The other week we picked our first harvest of rhubarb. So I thought I’d end the month of June with some rhubarb recipes. You either hate or love rhubarb. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. Sadly today’s modern youngsters are not familiar with rhubarb as you seldom see it served. Rhubarb stalks are quite tart to the taste. I’ve known a few who actually like to eat the raw stalks. Personally I like my rhubarb cooked sweetened, and fruit added for color.

Rhubarb dates back to 2700 BC in China where it was cultivated for medicinal purposes. Its appearance in America was between 1790 and the early 1800’s. Rhubarb is actually a vegetable (a member of the buckwheat family with heart-shaped leaves that are poisonous), but was reclassified as a fruit by the US custom officials according to the way it was eaten. Rhubarb is harvested by pulling the stalks away from the base of the crown and snapped off- avoid cutting the stems with a knife as rot can set in. I was amazed at the diversity of recipes for rhubarb from: breads, cakes, cobblers, cookies, drinks, jellies, muffins, pies, puddings, salads, sauces, soups, to wine. Besides being good to eat, rhubarb has also been used in medicines and folk healing for centuries. Still not convinced that rhubarb is useful? Rhubarb can be used to clean pots and pans (rub an application of rhubarb over burnt area to bring back the shine in no time), as a hair color dye (only for persons with blond or light brown hair), as an insecticide (good for killing cabbage caterpillars, aphids, peach & cherry slugs), and in making paper (the fibers are used in handmade papers). I found one Rhubarb Tart Song and several poems lauding rhubarb. A couple of Yale scientists even discovered that the oxalic acid found in rhubarb can be used to help save the ozone layer. Bring on the rhubarb!

At home we used to make an old-fashion rhubarb pie but cutting up four cups of rhubarb, placing them in an unbaked pie shell, and pouring over a mixture of: one-and-one-half cups of sugar, three tablespoons of flour, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and two eggs all beaten together. Top with stiff egg whites and bake for around thirty-five minutes until the rhubarb is soft. After I got married I discovered another way to make rhubarb pie that was more colorful by first baking a crust. Cook the rhubarb separately in water with a pinch of soda until soft, add a package of strawberry jello (sliced strawberries can also be added) and sugar to sweeten, and then pour the rhubarb mixture into the baked pie crust. Chill until thickened and serve with cool whip. For years I’ve made an easy, delicious, rhubarb jam by cooking up four quarts of sliced rhubarb stalks in six cups of water with a pinch of soda until soft, then adding: two (four oz) cans of crushed pineapple, eight cups of sugar, and two large packages of strawberry jello. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, pour into pint jars, and seal- makes around one dozen pints. Even so rhubarb has a way of multiplying. I was excited to discover a recipe for a Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake that is easy to make and colorful. All total the preparation time for the Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake is one-and-one-half hours (baking time included) and serves around twelve.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Mix together and place in the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish:
6 c rhubarb cut up into 1-inch pieces
1 c sugar
2 (3 oz) boxes of strawberry jello
2 c mini marshmallows

Take a white cake mix, prepare according to the directions, and pour over the rhubarb mixture. Bake at 350º for one hour. Chill cake. Serve by flipping the cake over and garnish with a dollop of cool whip!

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.

Fudgy Graham Pudding

Fudgy Graham Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Most people I am acquainted with have a sweet tooth. No matter what is served during the main course all a person needs to do is bring out a dessert and smiles appear on every face. My Fudgy Graham Pudding, also known as Dirt Pudding, Dirt Cake, Dirt Pie, or Oreo Dessert, always lights up my husband and son’s face whenever I serve it. I’ve served this dessert many times throughout the years as my splattered and faded, hand-written recipe testifies. This dessert is well-known and quite popular. I found close to 850 recipes listed.

In the middle of the 19th century modern industrial advances enabled the refinement of cornstarch extraction. By the turn of the 20th century there were recipes for all kinds of cornstarch puddings. The first packaged pudding mix was introduced to the United States in 1918 and required cooking. Jell-O wasn’t the only brand name. Other popular brands were Knox and Royal, and all three published recipe booklets to promote their products. Jell-O first introduced instant chocolate pudding to the American public in 1936 and was an instant hit. In 1966 the Jell-O “No-Bake” dessert line was launched, and in 1971 pre-packaged prepared puddings called Jell-O Pudding Treats were introduced.

Throughout the years I tweaked my original recipe of Dirt Pudding using Oreo cookies to Fudge Graham cookies as the Oreo cookies with icing in the middle made the dessert seem too sickening sweet to me. I first experimented using Chocolate Fudge cookies with chocolate icing, but soon settled on Fudge Graham cookies. The chocolate-covered graham cookies give the perfect taste to compliment the pudding dessert. Fudgy Graham Pudding is a filling dessert that is quick and easy to make and is perfect for large crowds. My Fudgy Graham Pudding recipe takes fifteen to twenty minutes to prepare and serves around sixteen.

Fudgy Graham Pudding

1 pkg fudge graham cookies
1 (8 0z) cream cheese
1 c sugar
2 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
3½ c cold milk
16 oz cool whip

Crush all but about four cookies in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cream together cream cheese, sugar, and ½ c milk until smooth. Add pudding mixes and the rest of milk slowly, beating until thickened. Fold in cool whip with wire Wisk and pour over crushed cookies. Crush and sprinkle the rest of the fudge graham cookies on top. 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.

Poor Man's Steak & Gravy

Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy
Dorcas Annette Walker

In the month of June we honor our fathers. So this month I am giving recipes that are filling and some of my husband’s favorites. Unlike most brides I didn’t get to meet my in-law’s until after our June wedding. A couple of week’s later part of the Walker clan arrived and spent most of the summer with us. Thankfully, although I was only eighteen years old, I had grown up cooking and enjoyed spending time in the kitchen. Even so I wasn’t prepared for the enormous Walker appetites. I’ll never forget the first meal. Wanting to make a good impression I counted all the heads, got out my largest cooking pots, and went to work. I carefully set the table with my best dishes- using up the entire set of eight. With the meal prepared and dessert finished I summoned the Walker clan to the table. My confident smile disappeared when the food barely made it around the table once. Everyone ate with hearty gusto. I felt guilty that I couldn’t offer seconds, but breathed a sigh of relief that I had made a cake for dessert as a backup. To my amazement the entire cake (which in our family lasted for a week) disappeared just as fast. The couple pieces left from the initial round were fought over and eaten. With loud praises for my cooking ringing in my ears, I sat in stunned silence at the deserted table staring at the empty plates. Doubling my recipes was useless against the Walker clan’s huge appetites. I mentally tried to figure whether to triple or quad-triple them. Needless to say I spent my summer days in the kitchen turning out huge amounts of food only relaxing when the meal was over and everyone left the table satisfied. My parents came to the rescue bringing boxes of food to help replenish my pantry.

Years later my mother was the one who first gave me the recipe for Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy. Although she seldom had company she was a wonderful ally in looking out for recipes that I could use in the parsonage. I made Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy for years with great results. The only problem was that sometimes in my tight schedule of traveling with my husband and getting company soon after arriving back home I would plan to make Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy only to forget to prepare it the night before. In the recipe my mother gave me you took one pound of hamburger, mixed it with a cup of smashed crackers, and one-half cup of water chilling the meat overnight and cutting it into squares. One day I was racking my brains for something else to fix as I browsed through my freezer when I spotted a box of frozen hamburgers that I always keep handy. Presto! A light bulb went off in my head. Why couldn’t I use frozen hamburgers instead? To my surprise no one seemed to notice the difference. It was a quick and easy version of the original Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy recipe and became a favorite that I used all the time. I also found out that frozen hamburgers stay together better than the original version when cooked. Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy always brings a smile to my fellow’s faces even though I’ve served it endless times. Preparation time for the Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy takes around an hour and serves four. You can also fix this recipe in a crock pot. Just brown the hamburgers first and pour the liquid ingredients over the meat.

Poor Man’s Steak & Gravy

4 frozen hamburgers
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 can milk

Melt three tablespoons of shortening in a large iron skillet. Roll frozen hamburgers in flour and brown shaking on salt and pepper. Mix together soup, water, and milk. Pour over browned meat and simmer for thirty minutes. This is a filling meal when served with mashed potatoes, stove-top dressing, and a vegetable!

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.

Southern Banana Pudding

Southern Banana Pudding
Dorcas Annette Walker

Summer has arrived with hot humid days. This is the time of year that I start making cool desserts that don’t heat up the kitchen. A favorite of our family is my recipe of Southern Banana Pudding. Originally the only banana pudding I had ever tasted as a girl was the kind that used a cooked pudding with bananas. It wasn’t until I moved south that I encountered the southern style of banana pudding. I instantly fell in love with the light cool texture of this pudding. I began asking around and experimenting until I came up with my favorite version of Southern Banana Pudding. This dessert always catches the eye and I’ve passed my recipe along many times to others. No matter what time of the year I serve my Southern Banana Pudding it always seems to hint of palm trees and ocean breezes.

Banana pudding has a long history dating back to the 1900’s, although there isn’t much information available. Bananas began to be marketed in the United States around the 19th century. Cooks were intrigued by this exotic fruit and began using them in existing recipes of cooked puddings and baked custards topped with meringue. A 1902 cookbook contains recipes for fried bananas, baked bananas, banana pudding, and banana cake in a section called Hawaiian recipes. In 1901 Nabisco began marketing vanilla wafers. No one seems to know which cook was the first to line the pudding dish with vanilla wafers but it caught on quickly, especially after Nabisco began printing the recipe on their vanilla wafer package. Banana pudding is a dessert common in the Southern United States. One interesting thing I found was that a North Carolina band called Southern Culture on Skids (I kid you not) actually performs a song during some of their concerts called Banana Pudding accompanied by throwing banana pudding on their audience. I wonder if they hand out napkins and spoons along with their tickets.

Southern Banana Pudding is a light dessert that fits with any menu and is great for family reunions. It is easy to make – only uses five ingredients- and looks elegant displayed in a glass bowl. My recipe of Southern Banana Pudding has a mild cool taste of bananas, takes about thirty minutes to prepare, and serves around fifteen. You can prepare it a day ahead of time and chill until ready to serve.

Southern Banana Pudding

4-5 ripe bananas
1 box of vanilla wafers
2 boxes of instant vanilla pudding
4 c milk
16 oz container of cool whip

Mix pudding and milk together and set aside. Layer vanilla wafers on bottom of glass serving bowl and then add a layer of pudding. Peel and slice a banana on top. Add a layer of cool whip. Repeat this three more times or until the ingredients are used up finishing with a layer of cool whip. You can garnish the top by sprinkling wafer crumbs as a finishing touch or use sliced bananas, whipped cream, and bits of chocolate for color!

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.