Real Crazy Cake - Guest Featured Recipe

I'm super excited to share my first guest recipe! This recipe comes from my friend Kristy's (yes we have the same name and spelled the same!) Grandma, Barbara. I love recipe cards like this one. First, because it's handwritten and second, because you can tell it's been made quite a few times. She sent me a few recipes, so I'll be making them in the future.

The first thing I noticed about this recipe was that it doesn't call for any eggs. The fact that there also isn't any milk or butter didn't dawn on me until later. The word before cocoa stumped us all. It obviously looks like "bft" but I couldn't find anything under bft cocoa. So if you know what it could be, please let me know!! This was a simple cake, made in one bowl. While my kids thought it needed some icing on top, I thought it was good without it. Not too sweet and would probably go really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

My interpretation of the recipe:

Real Crazy Cake

From the Kitchen of Barbara

My Friend Kristy's Grandma

1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons (bft) cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 Tablespoons salad oil

1 cup water

Combine well all ingredients .

Bake in 8" square greased pan

350° - 35 minutes

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

Another Try

Wow, it's been 3 years since my last post. It doesn't seem that long, yet it does. I didn't realize how big of an impact my Grandma had when it came to wanting her opinion on things. I know she loved tasting things I would make. Even if something was terrible she'd say it was "good" while adding some hot sauce to it. Or that she wasn't real hungry after a taste and say she'd eat it later. Of course, I'd find it still in her refrigerator a week later, or even stashed in the freezer because she just so much food and didn't want it to go to waste. Silly Grandma! Next week will be 4 years since she went back Home to dance with my Grandpa. I still miss her like crazy. The memories I have of spending time with her mean more than anything physical. Of course I treasure the few things I do have of hers, but I miss sitting around the kitchen table working on jigsaw puzzles and making fun of the female host of a Spanish talk show she used to watch. I always teased that she was either one ugly lady or used to be a man. I know I drove her crazy but she secretly loved it. That's what I'm going with anyway :) 

So, over the years Anthony still finds handwritten recipes at estate sales. I have a pretty big collection that has just been sitting around. I really do think I'm ready to try again. I know my Grandma isn't here to give her opinion, but I have a bunch of friends and family who will happily take free food. Plus, I've since had Anthony Jr. and he has pointed off to places and said "LaLa" which I like to think is his way of saying "Wela". What Anissa used to call my Grandma. So, I know she's here and watching over my crazy and beautiful family.

I love and miss you Grandma! Now, back to my kitchen :)

I'm Back

Hi Friends!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything new in a few months. The passing of my Grandma really did put me in a little funk. I no longer get to take her samples of the things I make. I won't ever get her input. I'll never be able to go to her house a few days later and see if what I took her to try was in the freezer (which usually meant she didn't care for it) or shoved in the back of the refrigerator (again, it probably meant she didn't like it) or gone if she did like it. I still miss her like crazy, but life goes on.

Another reason for my lack of posts is that finding hand-written recipes at Estate Sales has been pretty non-existent. Up until now (knock on wood!). I've recently come across 3 boxes with some jewels in them. Yay! I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and give some recipes a Second Chance :)

~Kristy

Pecan Pie

This is a picture of Anthony's Grandmother. Alejandra Revis Cisneros.

Her handwritten recipe.

The finished product.

Yum!

As a secret wedding shower present, my sister sent letters asking family and friends of Anthony and I to send her some recipes that they might like to share with us. Of course, along with pictures if they wanted. Let me tell you, my sister did a wonderful job of scrapbooking an entire large binder full of different kinds of recipes! Thank you so much Leticia!!

Out of the blue, Anthony asked if I would make his Grandma's Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving this year. Naturally, I said yes and went straight to my big binder. I took one look at the recipe and had doubts about how this pie was going to turn out. 

As you can tell by the picture, there are no instructions or anything. So, I made the decision to use a refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust and to just mix all the ingredients up in a bowl and pour it into the crust. I did actually mix the sugar and flour together and the pinch of salt was really, a pinch of salt :) I also used light syrup and may or may not have added about an extra ¼ cup of pecans. It IS a pecan pie after all!

All in all, I was worried about how this would come out since there were no instructions. I took it over to my moms and told everyone that although it looked good, I wasn't promising that it tasted good. My mom, of course, made her pecan pie (which I love) and so we at least had a back-up if mine didn't turn out good. Let's just say, it turned out fine. It was a little more custard like maybe? Or jelled differently? Not really sure how to explain it, but it was good! I guess maybe it was the flour that made the difference. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be making this one again. I never got to meet Anthony's Grandma, but I thank her for her recipe :)

Here's my interpretation of the recipe:

Pecan Pie

From: Anthony's Grandma

Alejandra Revis Cisneros

3 eggs

Mix ⅔ cup sugar + 2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup syrup

¼ cup oleo melted

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes, then lower to 350° and bake 30-35 minutes.

* I mixed the (white) sugar and (all purpose) flour together.

* I used light corn syrup.

* I added about an extra ¼ cup of pecans.

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

Grandma's Tortillas

Grandma performing some serious rolling action!

Look at that perfectly rolled tortilla waiting to be cooked. 

We always knew there were fresh tortillas when the orange container was sitting on top of the toaster :)

This is the part where my rolled tortillas don't end up round anymore.

When the bubbles pop up, it's time to flip.

Now that's a pretty tortilla!

I always loved walking into the house and finding the orange container sitting out on top of the toaster. It either meant there were freshly made tortillas or scones inside. When I lived with her, my room was just on the other side of the kitchen. I will never forget waking up to the sound of her rolling tortillas. The distinct "clop clop" of the rolling pin as she rolled up, then down and took just a long enough pause as she rotated the tortilla. Then "clop clop" again with another pause to rotate...

Although I've tried making tortillas before, I cheated and used tortilla flour. Something my grandma did sometimes when she didn't have enough regular flour. Sorry Grandma for telling your secret!!!! Well, I tried making some using her recipe. This recipe called for kneading the dough for 15 minutes and then letting it rest for a bit. I don't remember my Grandma kneading anything for 15 minutes! This dough was so wet and soft. I had to use so much flour just to roll them out. It was bad. After I managed to get them all cooked, I called my mom to tell her how much of an epic fail the tortillas were. Somewhere in her laughter she managed to tell me that that must not have been the right recipe. We compared notes and I thought I'd give them another shot at a later time.

I have to say that with the few adjustments that were made, the next batch of tortillas were MUCH better! With the exception of the look of them, they tasted like my Grandma's tortillas. It took a few to figure out how long to let them cook and how hot the griddle needed to be. I remember my Grandma telling me that the griddle had to be hot enough but not too hot, and that each tortilla has a top and a bottom. Although I can't remember which side is which. Anyway, here's how my latest batch turned out:

My "round" tortilla waiting to be cooked. My Grandpa made my rolling pin out of a broom stick, I think. One side has a "K" the other side has "84", the year it was made :)

There's the bubbles. Time to flip!

A different tortilla, after the flip.

The finished product. I had to make a little one just for Anissa. She loved it! 

So, I'd have to say that with some more practice, I might be able to make tortillas that are round instead of square, in the shape of Texas or that look like the little ghosts from Pac-Man! Practice makes perfect, but they'll never be as good as Grandma's :)

Here's the recipe I used:

Flour Tortillas

From: My Grandma, Mary Vasquez

4 cups all purpose flour

5 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

¼ cup + a little canola oil

1½ - 1¾ cup hot water

I used just a tad over ¼ cup of oil and just over 1½ cups of water. 

Knead with fingers until all mixed together. Do Not Press! I had to add about 3 Tbs. of flour to get the dough not so sticky. I made my dough balls about the size of an egg and they turned out a pretty good size once rolled out. Make sure you flour your surface and flour your rolling pin. Once rolled out, put on the griddle. I had mine set to just under medium heat. Once the bubbles start to pop up, flip it. After a minute or two, the other side should be cooked. Kind of like cooking a pancake. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Sorry if you didn't want your recipe shared Grandma! Yo te quiero mucho! :)

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

I Love You Grandma!

I apologize for not posting any new recipes lately. My amazing, sweet and beautiful Grandma passed away recently. Although I miss her so much, I'm happy that we have such a wonderful angel watching over us!

It's only fitting that I post a recipe from my Grandma. There's only one problem. She never wrote anything down! If we wanted to know how she made something, we had to write it down while she made it. Trust me, my Grandma was an awesome cook! Tortillas, mole, cornbread dressing, scones, beans, rice, hot sauce. You name it, she made it...and it was good!! I have no idea what to make of hers. I've tried to make her rice many times and still haven't been able to get it right. Even with her standing next to me, I managed to mess it up. The tortillas didn't taste bad but they looked like anything BUT a tortilla! Back in April, I tried to make her dressing. I made the mistake of using sweet cornbread. Oops! The one time I tried making her mole (years ago), the bottom of the blender came off and most of it ended up on the kitchen floor. The little bit that made it into the pot wasn't bad though. What to make? What to make?

I'm sure I'll think of something of hers to make and share on here. Hopefully she'll be watching over me and guiding me so I don't screw it up. Either that or she'll be laughing her head off watching me try to recreate something that came so easy to her.

Whatever I decide to make, no matter how good it might turn out, it won't have that special "Grandma's touch" to it. Anthony says I make a pretty good pot of pinto beans and can re-fry them pretty well, but they're just "not Grandma's" beans.

What can I say? All I can do is try :)

Yo te quiero mucho Grandma! You behave up there in Heaven! :)