Cousin Camp - Cooking School Recipes

When deciding on our activities for Cousin Camp it was a no brainer to include a Cooking Class everyday. Food has always been a part of our family heritage. I also wanted to pass down some of those recipes that I remember making as a kid. And because I have nothing else to do (cue sarcasm) I decided to make some cute little recipe card holders along with cute little recipe cards to send home with all of our cute recipes. Cute, right?
Make Mine Lemonade

My mom wrote a poem about making lemonade for an therapeutic art session a couple of years ago. I made a little book to go in the recipe holders.

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of lemon juice
3-4 cups of cold water

Directions:
1. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Juice 4-6 lemons enough for a cup of juice.
3. Add juice and sugar to water in pitcher. Add 3-4 cups of cold water. Refrigerate 30-40 minutes. Serves 6
 
Mom's Biscuits

This is actually my mom's Grandma Thelma's recipe. But they have always been called "Mom's Biscuits."

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 cup of shortening (or cooking oil)
1 cup of milk

Directions:
Sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening and cut into flour mixture with a pastry knife or fork. Add milk.
Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut out biscuits. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until brown (about 8 minutes).

You can see the Cousin Camp crew making Lemonade and Biscuits here.

No Bake Cookies

Everybody should have a No Bake Cookie recipe in their arsenal. You never know when you might need a batch of cookies to tote somewhere...or when the chocolate cookie Monster might strike and force you to make them. Hey. It's happened to me.

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1.In a saucepan bring sugar, cocoa, margarine, milk, and salt to a rapid boil for 1 minute. (be sure to start timing your minute when  your mixture comes to the rapid boil)
2.Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well.
3.Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.Coconut Cream Pie

You can read about our Cousin Camp No Bake Cookie action here.

Christmas Fudge

Several years ago, I compiled a family recipes together and my Mom illustrated a beautiful little cookbook. I clumsily handbound it and we gave them away as gifts and even sold a few. I still have my copy. One of these days I'll take pictures of her beautiful illustrations and post them. This recipe (I believe) actually comes from Betty Crocker (more on her later).

This was my favorite cooking day. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I sat back and let Mom do the instructing. Or the fact that I could eat this by the bucketfulls. It's probably good I don't have the "fudge making touch."

After this was made, Josiah was always on the hunt for the Fudge. My Baby knows good stuff when he tastes it.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of milk
3-4 Tablespoons of baking cocoa
2 cups of sugar
dash of salt
1 teaspoon of corn syrup

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and cook gently until it forms into a oft ball when dropped into a cup of cold water. Remove from heat; add 2 Tablespoons of butter and cool without stirring until lukewarm. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat until no longer glossy and it begins to hold its shape. Pour into a buttered pan. Cut into squares.

Join in the Cousin Camp Fudge Adventure here.

Coconut Cream Pie

This is my Dad's favorite pie...and apparently my Aunt Susie and Uncle David's as well. The particular recipe we used is from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook.

The cookbook pictured here is a just slightly newer version of the one I have. This was a staple of my Mom's kitchen when I was a child.



It is very well loved. 

When you are making a cream pie it is important that you have plenty of eggs. My parents do. They have chickens. It is also important you invite me to your house to help you eat it. I like Cream Pies better than cake. Better than candy. Better than cookies.

  Ingredients:

2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 Tablespoon of cornstarch
1 Tablespoon of flour
3 cups of milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 baked pie shell
Directions:

Mix sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour in saucepan. Stir milk in gradually. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.. Slowly stir half the mixture into the egg yolks. Then blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Blend in butter and vanilla.

Pour into baked pie shell. Chill thoroughly. Topped with whipped cream, a meringue or toasted coconut..

Pie for everybody here!



Apple Butter

One recipe that was made that I have no pictures of is All Day Apple Butter. I probably have no pictures of it because it sat in a crockpot all day. Can't get real excited about that. But it is a pretty delicious way to use those Fall Apples. We happened to have those Fall Apples still in the freezer.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.
Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.