Cookbook 4/29/24

1st place recipe (carrot was the theme) in the Old Farmers Almanac Garden Guide recipe contest
“Delectable Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies”

(cake)
3/4 c. finely grated carrots
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T. shredded sweetened coconut
2 T. raisins
(filling)
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. (1/2 pkg.) cream cheese, softened
1 to 2 tsp. pineapple juice
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 T. confectioners’ sugar (optional)

(for the cake) Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a whoopie pie pan with nonstick spray. Place grated carrots in a cloth towel and squeeze out liquid. Set aside. Using a stand or hand mixer, combine butter and sugars, beating until fluffy. Add egg and mix for 1 minute. Add vanilla and flour and mix to combine. Add carrots and mix for 1 minute. Add cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in coconut and raisins. Scoop out 12 cakes (about 2 1/2 T. each) onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
(for filling) Using a stand or hand mixer, combine confectioners’ sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add 1 tsp. of pineapple juice and beat until fluffy. Add more juice if mixture is too thick for spreading. To finish, lay six of the cake bottoms side up and cover with filling. Top with another cake. If desired, spoon nuts along edges of each pie. If desired, sprinkle tops with confectioners’ sugar.

winner: Donna-Marie Ryan, Topsfield, Massachusetts

You can compete in the 2025 Old Farmers Almanac recipe contest. The theme is “pear”. Deadline for mailing or emailing a submission is June 30th, 2024

-need a recipe to make mush

“Mush”

4 c. water
1 c. Quaker (or Aunt Jemima) enriched corn (like corn meal)
1 tsp. salt

Bring 3 c. of water to a boil. Combine the remaining 1 c. corn meal and salt. Slowly pour into the boiling water stirring constantly. Cook until thickened stirring frequently. Cover, continue cooking over low heat for 5 minutes and stir. Serve with milk and syrup or margarine, salt and pepper.
(She let’s it cook, place in a loaf pan, place in the frig, next day roll in corn meal and fry it and place syrup on it.)

Kathleen Barnes, Centralia

“Mush”

1 c. corn meal
1 c. cold water
3 c. warm water
1 tsp. salt

In a large saucepan, place 3 c. warm water and salt and bring to a boil. In a smaller bowl, mix the corn meal with the cold water. Gradually stir that mixture into the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Cover it and cook on low for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve. Place in a loaf pan. Place in refrigerator and enjoy it fried.

Nina Maupin, Jackonsville

-help with head cheese, kind of like mush, but has pork meat

“Head Cheese”

Starts off selecting the hogs head. Cooked the hogs head with vinegar and vegetable oil for 4 hours or until meat starts to fall off. A lot more to it…..(ran out of time)
(call 660-295-4583)