Family cookbook yields delicious recipes

Do you have a favorite cookbook? Does looking through it bring back many memories of meals you’ve had or recipes mom used to cook?

On a recent trip to Washington to help my mom after a medical procedure, I was gifted “the book.” My mom came up to me as I arrived and told me that she was letting me have "the book."  I stood there in disbelief. I had given up asking for it. I have asked repeatedly for this book, I call each holiday season for recipes found within. My sisters and brothers have asked for the book. Mom went on to explain that since I have made my career in food I deserve “the book." Joy truly filled my heart as I went searching for the book to put in my luggage so it would not be forgotten.

After returning to Yuma I started pouring through this wonderful cookbook looking at treasured recipes, and so many wonderful memories came flooding back. I would like to share with you not only recipes from my most cherished cookbook but also how our family came to own and treasure this prize-winning cookbook.  

My father was the fair manager of the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jump in Angels Camp from 1959 to 1969. It was a wonderful job for a Dad to have. Four days of fun, food, rides and total freedom for us five kids.

 One of my father’s duties was to visit other state fairs throughout California, and sometimes we would have the privilege of traveling with Dad. (I was on the trips with him when Richard Nixon, Ronald Regan, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball jumped frogs as publicity for the fair). Dad would always bring home some little goodie for us to enjoy. Some items I clearly remember were chocolate-covered grasshoppers, seaweed candy and a little frog with a Phyllis Diller wig on it that she presented to him.

On one of those trips Dad brought home the most precious of all items, a State Fair Cookbook filled with all the blue ribbon winning recipes from different fairs nation-wide.  

I became a cook early in life because I grew up in a time and place where there was no fast food restaurants or Circle K’s. My family raised our own meat and my mother would milk a cow each morning. We had chickens and all the eggs we could use. If we wanted sweets to eat we had to learn how to make them ourselves. Cooking is a skill I learned out of necessity but it has brought me many rewards. I love to see people eat and enjoy what I have made.

Returning to Yuma, I sat down with this well-used book and my next article came to mind.  Is there “a book” from your childhood? Do you have “a book” that you are sharing with you children? Do you open to a stained page and it brings back memories, not only of the food you created and ate, but of you or your mom maybe grandmother or an aunt sharing their precious time with you creating something wonderful - a memory? If you don’t have this most treasured item, may I suggest you get one and start creating foodie memories. They are some that will be with you and the love ones you share with forever.

The book, its bright-blue cover long gone, opened itself to a well-used page, “Brownies," which was my sister Karlicia’s specialty.  I had to laugh out loud as I looked at the cocoa covered page. Karlicia is still the messiest cook I know. The brownies page is truly the most love stained in the book. I searched and soon found my Angel Food cake recipe and I am guilty too. The page is stiff with the cake batter.  

For Christmas this year my siblings will be receiving a cookbook made by me with all our most beloved recipes, they are easy to find, as I just have to look for the most well worn and stained pages.   

Karlicia’s Brownies
Recipe submitted by Mrs. A.C. Robertson, Augusta KY. Germantown Fair
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup butter
7 tablespoons cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt shortening, butter and cocoa in bowl over simmering hot water (do not let water touch bottom of bowl as this will cook the cocoa) once melted stir together and let cool. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Beat eggs until light, add sugar, then chocolate mixture. Blend well then add flour, vanilla and if you want a cup of chopped nuts. Mix well. Pour batter into 8 inch square wax paper lined pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 30-35 minutes. Cool, cut into squares.  Yield: 16 squares.

The next recipe was my sister Tami’s favorite. We’ve had this with dried apples, raisins, dates, whatever was available at the time.

Tami’s Apricot Bars
Recipe submitted by Mrs. Terry Komar, Oceanside, CA. Del Mar Fair
2/3 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup soft butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar packed
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups nuts

Rinse apricots, cover with water and boil 10 minutes, drain, cool and chop. Grease 8x8x2 inch pan. Mix until crumbly, butter, white sugar and 1 cup flour, pack into pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until light brown. Sift together remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually beat brown sugar into eggs, add flour mixture. Mix well; add vanilla, nuts and apricots. Spread over baked layer, Bake 30 minutes or until done, cool in pan. Cut into bars, roll in confectioners’ sugar.  

And now my favorite, Angel Food Cake. Once you’ve tasted a homemade one you’ll never want boxed or store bought again.  Also remember when preparing an angel food cake, utensils must be clean of grease and only use a glass or metal bowl. I have also added some berries to the slice of cake.  

Angel Food Cake
Recipe submitted by
Mrs. Lola Young, Almena, Kan.  Rooks Co. Fair
1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup egg whites (room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375.  Measure sifted flour, add 1/2 cup sugar. Sift together four times to completely incorporate flour and sugar. Combine egg whites, salt and cream of tarter in large bowl. Beat with sturdy beater until moist peaks form. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar in four additions. (I use a stand mixer now and add sugar slowly, a tablespoon at a time) beating until well blended, add vanilla and almond extract. Fold in flour mixture in four additions using large spoon. Pour into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Run spoon around edge of pan two times to get rid of bubbles. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake upside down in pan resting on cake rack. Yield 16 servings.

Correction for pie recipe

Incorrect instructions were given for a buttermilk pie recipe printed in last Tuesday's Yuma Foodie column. The oven should be pre-heated to 375 degrees, then the pie cooked for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Karla Billdt, a personal chef, owns Karla's Kreations in Yuma.