In The Kitchen Southern Style

Do you know of women who don’t like chocolate? I know a few, but there must be something wrong with them, don’t you think? My mother loved chocolate, and so did my Dad. As promised last week, here’s one of the best recipes for chocolate cake you ever ate. It’s easy, tastes great, and doesn’t stay around my house very long.

Wet Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour 4 TBSP cocoa
2 cups sugar 1/2 cup buttermill
1 stick butter 1 tsp soda
½ cup cooking oil 2 eggs
1 cup water 1 tsp vanilla
Sift flour and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Place butter, oil, water, and cocoa into a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil. When mixture boils, remove from heat and pour over sugar and flour mixture. Mix well with spoon and add buttermilk, soda, eggs and vanilla. Beat lightly and pour into greased and floured 13 X 9 X 1 ½ inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Wet Chocolate Frosting
1 stick butter
4TBSP cocoa
6 TBSP evaporated milk
1 box powdered sugar
Place butter, cocoa, and milk in saucepan. When mixture comes to a boil remove from heat and add 1 box powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour over cake while hot.

It’s kind of interesting to note that as far as regular cooking went, my mother could beat almost any cook I ever saw, but when it came to baking, Daddy beat her hands down. All of the men in his family loved to cook. So does my son.

Did you know that in the South macaroni and cheese is always listed as a vegetable selection at little meat and three places? Here’s my mother’s macaroni and cheese recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese

3 cups macaroni
1 egg
12 ozs. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups milk.
Ritz crackers (optional)

Cook the macaroni until done, about 7 minutes. Don’t overcook it. Drain and place into a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Add the grated cheese and mix. Beat the egg and milk and pour over the noodles and cheddar. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, but don’t skimp on the pepper. If you like, crumble some Ritz crackers on the top. Bake at 350 until golden brown on the top. Don’t overcook it.

My mother always added Ritz crackers, but I don’t. The original recipe also called for some butter, but I’ve left it out because I think it makes the macaroni too greasy.

Does anyone make biscuits from scratch anymore? I don’t, but Mama’s recipe sure makes some tasty biscuits. Here’s the way she did it.

Biscuits

2 cups self rising flour
¾ cup shortening
¾ cup buttermilk.

Chop the shortening into the flour. Add mix and mix. Spread on floured surface, roll out dough. Cut into biscuit shape. Cook at 425 degrees until brown.

This recipe is best with shortening like Mama did it, but butter will work. Regular milk will work too, but buttermilk tastes better. Put a slice of country ham in a hot biscuit, and you’re eating Southern!

Need a punch recipe for a special event? Try my Dad’s favorite.

Daddy’s Punch

7 bananas
squirt of lemon juice
1 ½ cups sugar
2 or 3 cups orange juice
4 cups water
1 can pineapple juice unsweetened
1 bottle ginger ale

Mix and freeze. Before serving add 1 bottle ginger ale and stir it up.

My mother was a great cook, but she didn’t make up recipes from scratch. I wish I could tell you where these came from, but I don’t know, and I can’t ask her because she passed away many years ago.
What about you? What’s your favorite recipe from your mother’s kitchen?