Grandma's Carrot Cake

When I was in fourth grade, Mom's parents moved in with us. Grandma and Grandpa had their own "in-law" apartment in our house, but we still spent a lot of time with them, especially hanging out on the front porch. I feel lucky to have grown up and spent so much time with Grandma and Grandpa. Today, July 31, would have been Grandma's 94th birthday. In her memory, here is a terrific cake straight from Grandma's recipe box. This blog will still focus on Mom's recipes, but there are a number of other family recipes that deserve to be here. I know that you will enjoy this one.

Grandma had a serious sweet tooth, which I definitely inherited from her. She made this cake often and so did Mom. The recipe is quite simple. For this post, I used grated carrots, but pumpkin could just as easily be used. Now, when I gave Mom a piece of this cake, she was disappointed that there were no nuts in the cake. Grandma regularly used nuts in the cake. While I like nuts, I usually do not like nuts in cake. And, as you can see from Grandma's own handwritten recipe, you can add nuts if you want. Grandma's recipes were typically direct and without full explanation of the steps. But, also, there is no need to follow a strict recipe; the cake will come out just fine no matter the method used to mix the ingredients together. Use a bundt pan, or as Grandma noted, a tube pan. Also, the recipe for the frosting is not written on the recipe here, but Grandma used the cream cheese frosting recipe noted below for this cake (whether carrot or pumpkin).

Carrot or Pumpkin Cake 

• 3 cups flour 
• 2 tsp. baking soda 
• 5 tsp. baking powder 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 ½ cup oil 
• 4 eggs 
• 2 cups pumpkin or grated carrot 
• Add nuts if you want

Mix together all the ingredients. Bake in 350 over 25 to 30 minutes in a bundt pan.

 Cream cheese frosting 

• Cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• milk to thicken 

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Frost cake after it has fully cooled. Enjoy!

Patti's Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu

For over a year now, I have been regularly preparing, taste-testing, and posting about Mom's classic recipes. And, while I will continue to post Mom's recipes, I will also now expand to post other family favorites. Feel free to send me ideas.

This first expansion recipe is a Smith family classic. Since the age of eight, MDS has had this chicken dish for his birthday dinner. In honor of his birthday today, I now present to you Patti's Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu, a tasty recipe from my mother-in-law. This recipe will feed a crowd, or better yet, make for terrific leftovers.

The recipe is quite simple, but I do have a few tips that may be helpful. The recipe calls for dried beef. I find it difficult to locate dried beef, so I often use Carl Buddig beef lunch meat. I use an entire one-pound package of bacon. Also, I use a pint of sour cream, so that there is extra sauce for extra rice.

This recipe has it all--chicken, bacon and beef. But the chicken is the star and always comes out very tender. I think it is the combination of being cooked in bacon and sauce. I typically use six large chicken breast which seem to just barely fit in the pan. But some of the chicken breasts are so large, that they could easily feed two people or one very hungry birthday boy.

Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 12 slices of bacon
• 1 jar dried beef (2.4 - 4 oz.)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• cooked rice (about 4 cups)

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Chop the beef into small pieces and scatter the pieces into the bottom of the pan. Wrap each piece of chicken in bacon and place the chicken in s single layer in the pan. In a bowl, mix the soup and sour cream together. Then, spread on top of the meat to completely cover the meat. Bake, uncovered, for 3 hours at 275 or for 2 hours at 350. Then remove the chicken to a platter, but leave the sauce in the pan. Stir in the rice into sauce and add black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Hot Dogs

If you need to feed a crowd, consider these slow cooker hot dogs--they could not be easier. Simply line up a whole bunch of hot dogs along the wall of your slow cooker. The key is that each dog has contact with the wall or bottom of the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to high and let the hot dogs sit for several hours. You may want to occasionally turn the hot dogs so that they darken on all sides. No need to add anything else.

On the Fourth of July, the family got together at Mom's, and she made these tasty hot dogs. She cooked these for about 2 hours. Cooking them longer will get the outside even crispier, which Megan and I particularly enjoy. The taste of these slow cooker hot dogs is unique--crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. When I was a kid, I always put ketchup on my hot dog. Some say that mustard reigns supreme and that ketchup has no business being on a hot dog. But you can put whatever you want on your hot dog and I won't argue with you.

Slow Cooker Hot Dogs 

• Hot dogs (enough to line your slow cooker)
• Buns
• Your favorite hot dog toppings

Line the hot dogs up along the wall and bottom of the slow cooker. Set on high and let the slow cooker so the work. Rotate the the dogs to evenly brown all sides. Cook the dogs for several hours. Enjoy with your favorite toppings.