1 medium butternut squash
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or store bought
1 large onion, diced
4 Tablespoons butter, no substitutes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper, or to taste
dash of nutmeg, optional
12-oz. can evaporated milk, such as Pet or Carnation

Prepare the squash by quartering, then cut off the ends and scrape out the seeds. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Be very careful! The squash rind is tough and awkward to work with.

Cut the peeled squash into 2-inch chunks. Place into a large sauce pan or Dutch oven and add the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and boil until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

While squash is cooking, in a large skillet, place the diced onion, butter, brown sugar and salt. Saute onion over medium high heat until golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir into the cooked squash.

In a blender container, blend squash, onions and liquid in 2 or 3 batches on liquefy until smooth. Be very careful when blending the hot mixture! Only fill the blender container about half full, and watch out for hot liquid "burping" around the lid. Voice of experience speaking here.

Pour mixture into a large saucepan or Dutch oven as you blend each batch. When all is blended, add the evaporated milk, black pepper and nutmeg if using. Taste and add salt if needed. Heat on low, stirring often, until heated through.

This soup is hearty, rich, velvety and smooth. Serve as an entree with hot garlic bread. Yum!

4 or 5 firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup cornmeal or cornmeal mix
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
black pepper as desired
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
oil for frying

Thoroughly wash green tomatoes. Slice off core end of tomatoes, then slice tomatoes 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with a little salt if desired.

These tomatoes tend to need a lot of salt for me, but leave it out altogether or salt sparingly if you know you don't need or like a lot of salt.

Stir together dry ingredients. Toss sliced tomatoes in flour mixture a few at a time and place in a single layer on a platter or cookie sheet.

Mix egg and milk together in a small bowl.

In a large skillet, heat about an inch of oil over medium high heat.

Dip floured tomatoes, a few at a time, into the milk/egg mixture, then back into the flour mixture. Place breaded tomatoes into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning several times during cooking so as to cook evenly. Adjust heat accordingly if they're frying too fast or too slow.

Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with more salt if desired. Serve immediately.

Some people like to dip their fried green tomatoes in ranch dressing, but I'm a purist and like mine plain.

Also, you may leave out the cornmeal and use 2 1/2 cups of flour for the dredging mixture.

1 pkg. (¼-oz.) yeast
¼ cup warm water (110*-115*)
1 cup warm milk (110*-115*)
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
½ t. salt
1 egg
3-3¾ cup all purpose flour
Oil for deep fat frying

GLAZE:
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. water
½ t. vanilla
Dash of salt


In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, butter, sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.

Do no knead. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12’x8’ rectangle. Cut into 3’x1’ rectangles. Place on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

In an electric skillet or deep fat fryer, heat oil to 400*. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Combine glaze ingredients and dip tops in glaze while warm. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. Or you may prepare and use a glaze of your choice. Chocolate glaze is a traditional topping in Northeast Arkansas where I live.

1 pound fresh okra
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetable oil

Wash and slice okra; pat dry with paper towels.
Combine eggs and buttermilk; add okra, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper.
Drain okra, small portions at a time, using a slotted spoon.
Dredge okra, small portions at a time, in flour mixture.
Pour oil to depth of 2 to 3-inches in a Dutch oven of deep-fat fryer and heat to 375*F.
Fry okra until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 T. water or milk
2 t. onion powder
2 t. ground cumin
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
5 cups diced cooked chicken
20 (6-inch) flour tortillas, room temperature
2 cans (10-¾ ounces each) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup milk
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese


In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the chicken.

Place ¼ cup of the mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in 2 greased 13x9 baking dishes. In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk and chilies; pour over the enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with shredded cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Garnish as desired.

Yields 10 servings, 2 enchiladas per serving.

½ lb. smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. oil
1½ cups cooked cubed chicken
1½ cups cooked cubed ham
½ lb. shelled and deveined raw shrimp
1 can (28-oz.) diced tomatoes, untrained
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
3 T. minced fresh parsley, or 1 T. dried
1 t. salt
½ t. ground black pepper
½-¾ t. dried thyme
Cayenne pepper to taste


In a heavy skillet, sauté the sausage, onion, bell pepper and garlic in the oil until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken and ham and shrimp; cook for five minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish, cover and bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

2 large packages black cherry Jello
2 cans fruit cocktail, drained well
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup miniature marshmallows, optional

Prepare Jello as directed up until chilling. Add fruit cocktail, coconut, pecans and marshmallows if used to Jello and mix well. Pour into serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill thoroughly until set. Serve and enjoy.

I don't know where Mama got the original recipe or if she invented this one herself, but it was always a part of our family holiday dinners, especially Thanksgiving and more often, Christmas. Just the thought of this Jello salad brings back lots of happy memories of Cook family Christmases.

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup good shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. good vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add buttermilk and mix well; add vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; add coconut and pecans and toss together well, then stir into wet ingredients. Mix well by hand. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into cake batter, then divide batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans. Bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until lightly browned and cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted near the center. Cool thoroughly on wire racks in pans.

While layers are cooling, prepare frosting:

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. good vanilla
chopped pecans for garnish

Cream butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl; add vanilla, and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.

Carefully remove cakes from pans and brush off crumbs. Place bottom layer on serving plate, top with frosting. Place second layer over first, top with frosting then last layer. Frost cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans as desired. You can cheat and make this with a white cake mix, but it's just not the same. Keep cake refrigerated.

2 sticks margarine or butter, softened
1 jar blackberry jam, about 1 pint, 16 oz.
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. baking soda mixed into 1 cup buttermilk



Combine in a medium size bowl and set aside:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut
¼ cup self-rising flour (do not omit the flour)
1 cup raisins


Cream the margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add the jam and mix well. Add the flour and milk a little at time until all is used. Mix well; fold in the nut mixture and mix well. Pour into 3 greased and floured round cake pans and bake at 325° to 350° until cake springs back in the center and pulls away from the sides of the pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. (I sometimes bake this in 2 9-inch round pans and use the rest of the batter for cupcakes or a small loaf.)


Glaze for the Jam Cake:

1 cup sugar
1 cup canned milk
½ cup light syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil for 5-10 minutes until as thick as you like, stirring to keep from scorching. Cool, then pour over each layer. Decorate the top with nut halves as desired.

For the Cook family, this is a family tradition. I can’t remember a Christmas that Mom didn’t make at least 1 jam cake, and usually several, for family and to give away to friends. I always got to help pick out nuts, and I usually got to mix the nuts, raisins and coconut with the flour. This is better if made several days ahead and tightly wrapped in foil. I like a lot of glaze on it, too, so it will soak in and help keep it moist.

There are a lot of childhood memories baked in each of these cakes. I know Ducky, Sue, Cecil and our other sister, Zztop, will agree with me.

4 cups fresh cooked corn, or cooked frozen, or canned corn
1/2 cup minced regular or green onion
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 Tbsp. good mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar (optional)
dash of salt
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a tight fitting lid. Mix well, cover and chill until time to serve. Keeps up to a week in the fridge. Enjoy!

I almost never measure any of these ingredients. I just eyeball everything and throw it together. This is a yummy and refreshing salad and goes well with almost anything, even on its own as a snack! And it's quick and simple to prepare, using some of that surplus Summer produce in season, and the ingredients are still easy to find during the Winter. It's just as good with canned corn as with fresh.

2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. good vanilla
1/2 cup oil
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together with mixer the eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar and buttermilk. Add the mashed bananas and blend well. Sift together all dry ingredients except nuts. Stir dry ingredients by hand into creamed mixture until blended, then stir in nuts. Pour into 2 or 3 greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. Serve or wrap well for later.

This is the best banana bread I have ever had, bar none. This freezes beautifully if well-wrapped.

1 large bunch of broccoli
1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, any color, halved
1/2 cup diced red onion, or slice any size you like
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 lb. smoky bacon
1/4 cup sugar, or more to your taste
dash of salt
2 cups good mayonnaise, more or less to your taste

Wash, trim and cut broccoli florets into bite sized pieces. Dry well.

In the meantime, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and cool. Break into bite sized pieces.

Place all ingredients in a LARGE bowl and toss to combine. Cover with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to let the flavors blend and for the salad to chill.

Serve as a side dish or as a light entree.

To fancy it up a bit, serve on red or green lettuce leaves.

Red or purple seedless grapes are especially pretty in this dish.

This is best for the first couple of days, but will keep for at least a week in the fridge. I wouldn't push it much longer than that because of the mayo. It can be a bit persnickety as we all know.

Now this may sound like garbage to you, and it did to me at first. My friend had to talk me into trying this because it just didn't sound like it would be good at all, but I'm telling you, this combination of ingredients just WORKS, folks!

Enjoy!

1/2 gallon sherbet, any flavor, softened
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle ginger ale

In a punchbowl or large bowl, mix all ingredients. Serve with some clumps of sherbet still frozen.

For orange punch, you may use:

3-4 cups orange juice, chilled
1/2 gallon orange sherbet, softened
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle ginger ale

For pineapple punch:

3-4 cups pineapple juice, chilled
1/2 gallon pineapple sherbet, softened
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda
1/2 of a 2-liter bottle ginger ale

This can be increased, but make sure your container will hold it all. Delicious!

By choosing flavors of sherbet and juice you can coordinate with the wedding/shower colors.

This is the punch that we serve at most of the showers and parties and fellowships at our church that everyone loves so much. The juices can be omitted and it is still good with just the sherbet and sodas. We like it best when some of the sherbet is still frozen and floating in globs.

1 egg, well beaten
¾ cup sugar
dash of salt
2 teaspoons of good vanilla
12-ounce can of evaporated milk, such as Pet or Carnation

Combine in a large bowl and whisk well until the sugar is dissolved, then start adding clean, fresh snow. Mix as you add the snow, until it's the consistency you like.

This will serve 2 or 3 generously, or more if you're not pigs like us.