Author: hollyasbury

Blueberry Crunch

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Loretta’s friend, Connie, gave me this recipe.

1 can crushed Pineapple & juice
3 cups Blueberries
3/4 cup cup sugar
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 11 x 13 pan.
Pour pineapple, juice and all into pan.
Spread blueberries on top of pineapple.
Sprinkle Cake mix over the top.
Drizzle butter on top of cake mix.
Cover with pecans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

After the first 25 minutes, Take a spoon and cut all down into the cake to release the juices, then, continue to bake.

Pumpkin Bars

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This recipe came from the back of a can of pumpkin decades ago. I have made it decreasing the oil to 3/4 cup and it still turns out moist. This is a very easy snack cake to prepare. I used to make it often for my kids when they were school age, because they loved to eat it after school.

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. each of baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 c. vegetable oil
1 – 16 oz. can of pumpkin (2 cups)
4 eggs
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 c. raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 X 10 pan or a 13 X 9 pan (I just spray it with Pam). Combine all ingredients, except nuts and raisins.
Beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in nuts and raisins. Pour into greased pan. Bake 25-30 minutes.
(may take up to 45-50 minutes depending on your oven). Check with toothpick.

Frost cooled bars with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup margarine (softened)
1 – 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all ingredients until smooth

* Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting must be stored in the refrigerator.

Molasses Cake

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This recipe was in my Mom’s recipe collection and it states it came from her cousin, Orphelia.

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Cream together shortening and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs and molasses. Dissolve baking soda in lukewarm water, add to mixing bowl. Add flour and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 13 x 9 pan. In a small bowl mix brown sugar and flour to make crumb topping. Sprinkle crumb topping on top of cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Remove from oven and cool.

A note at the bottom of the recipe states that Orphelia used 3/4 cup molasses and 1/4 King’s Table Syrup (link here to show what it is)

Cucumber Salad

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This is another PA Dutch traditional salad with the sweet and sour mixture.

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2-3 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 to 2/3 of a 16 oz container of sour cream
2-3 tsps apple cider vinegar
1 T sugar
salt
pepper

Thinly slice cucumbers and place in a colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt all over the cucumbers and allow to sit 5-10 minutes to wilt the cucumbers. Rinse and drain the cumbers thoroughly and press out as much water as you can (it’s okay to squeeze the water out with your hands). In a small bowl mix the sour cream, vinegar, sugar and a few dashes of pepper. Stir and taste. Adjust sweet/sour ratio to your taste. Add sliced onions and cucumber to a medium-sized glass bowl and pour dressing over the top. Mix well and refrigerate at least an hour for the seasonings to blend.

Sauerkraut Salad

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My best friend from high school, Linda, sent me this recipe a few years ago and it’s an old-fashioned PA Dutch recipe. Many PA Dutch recipes have a sweet and sour combination.

1quart sauerkraut
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 small jar pimento, drained and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 vegetable oil
1 cup sugar

Drain sauerkraut and rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl and add celery, green pepper, onions and pimentos. Mix vinegar, oil and sugar together in a small bowl. Pour over sauerkraut and toss well.

Cajun Sausage

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My sister, Marilyn, made up this recipe and my kids loved this when they were young. It’s got just enough zip to it, without being too spicy.

2 green bell peppers,, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 large can (28 oz.) tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
1 small can water (use the empty tomato paste can)
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 lbs fresh pork sausage links or kielbasa or Polish sausage

Cook and brown sausage in large skillet. Remove from pan and drain off grease. Saute bell peppers and onions a few minutes in skillet. Add sausage and vegetables to a large dutch oven (large cook pot) and then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir frequently and simmer over medium to low heat (if the sauce splashes too much, lower the heat a little) for 1-2 hours. Serve in large hoagie rolls. I like to put some of the sauce on cooked rice and eat it with my sausage sandwich.

Iris’ Flan

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3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
1 cup sugar

Mix first four ingredients in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup. Set aside. Add sugar and a tiny bit of water in a saucepan Simmer,stirring constantly until sugar caramelizes and turns a nice golden brown. Add caramelized sugar to the first four ingredients. Pour into a glass baking dish (use the smallest size that all the mixture will fit into), then place this dish inside a larger baking dish or baking pan and fill the larger sized pan with water to come up at least halfway up your dish with the flan in it. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until the flan is set and the top is a golden brown color. Test with a clean sharp knife – stick it in the center and when it comes out clean the flan is set. Cool and unmold.

Funny Cake

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Funny cake is one of those uniquely PA Dutch desserts, it’s a cake baked in a pie shell, with a gooey chocolate layer between the cake and pie shell.  PA Dutch doesn’t necessarily mean Amish or Mennonite, it’s all those little nooks and crannies in PA with people of German ancestry, who were the original settlers in PA.   My ancestors arrived in the late 1700s and even my father grew up speaking both PA Dutch and English. The food is hearty, country fare and the PA Dutch people like their cakes and pies. The ones I grew up around (my large extended family) like to eat cake and pie with breakfast or often for breakfast.

2 – 9″ unbaked pie shells (if in a hurry use 2 deep dish frozen pie crusts)

Cake Batter

2 1/4 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Beat all ingredients together, then add

1/2 cup milk
3 unbeaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly into the unbaked pie shells. It’s helpful to set the unbaked pie shells on a parchment paper lined large cookie sheet. Pull out your oven rack and place the cookie sheet on the oven rack, then carefully pour the funny cake liquid on the cake batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Test cake with a toothpick. The chocolate layer produces a marbled effect through the cake and a gooey chocolate layer settles in the bottom.

Funny Cake Liquid

1/2 cup Hershey’s baking cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a large measuring cup or a medium size mixing bowl. Do not cool. Pour hot liquid over the cake batter in the pie shells.

PA Dutch Pickled Eggs

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Pickled eggs are an acquired taste and due to my PA Dutch heritage, I acquired the taste early on. I used to keep a jar of pickled eggs going almost year-round, but haven’t made any in a few years. Recipes vary on the ratio of sugar to vinegar, so it’s best to taste your beet liquid and adjust it until you find the right taste for you. The pickling spices is something I started adding and I’ve never seen it in another pickled egg recipe – I like it, because it gives the eggs a bit of a spicy flavor.

2 cans sliced red beets or 2 jars of pickled red beets (15-16 oz size cans and jars – size has gotten smaller over the years)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2T pickling spice tied in cheesecloth or just loose, optional (I do it both ways – doesn’t matter. except in cheesecloth there’s no loose spices on the eggs to pick off)
1-2 bay leaves
1 large onion, sliced
18 hard-boiled eggs (peeled)

1 large gallon jar (wash in lots of hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly)

Mix all ingredients, except eggs in a small saucepan. Heat until boiling and stir until sugar is dissolved. Do a quick taste test to see if you like the sweet/sour ratio. Adjust by adding more sugar or vinegar. Remove from stove and let cool. Place the hard-boiled eggs in the gallon jar and carefully pour the beet mixture over the eggs. Stir and then screw on lid tightly. Place in the refrigerator. Eggs will be ready to eat the next day, but last for weeks and the longer they “pickle”, the better they get. Stir daily

Foolproof Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge

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My sister, Marilyn, is a gourmet-type cook and she possesses a vast recipe and cookbook collection. She emailed this recipe for my youngest daughter to make on her own. It really is foolproof.

1/2 pound margarine, melted
3/4 cup peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
3 large rounded tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, beating by hand until smooth. Lightly butter a
9-inch square pan and line with waxed paper. Smooth fudge in pan.
Refrigerate till set (about 1/2 hour). Remove from pan and cut into 1-inch
pieces.

* If you refrigerate longer, let it sit out for a while before you cut it or
it will crumble when cutting.

Make 81 pieces