Grandma Holmes's Lemon Chess Pie

This recipe is one of the many dessert recipes in Grandma Holmes's recipe collection. Lemon Chess Pie is considered a classic Southern dessert. I suspect that Grandma Holmes encountered this dessert and recipe in one of her many road trips that she took in her van. Grandma Holmes wandered around the country on her own and occasionally met up with other single travelers that she knew through the group Loners on Wheels. Grandma Holmes lived an adventurous life.

When I made this recipe, I substituted a graham cracker crust for a standard pastry pie crust. You could us any type of crust. In fact, I might even try a chocolate cookie crust next time. Instead of fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used store-bought lemon juice. And, because I did not have lemons on hand, I skipped the grated rind, but I am sure the pie would only be improved by the addition of the rind. This pie reminds me of Grandma Holmes's Lemon Squares, which are one of MDS's favorite treats.

Lemon Chess Pie 

• 3 Tbsp. cornmeal
• 2 cups sugar
• juice of 3 lemons (6 Tbsp.)
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 stick butter
• uncooked pie crust

Sift the cornmeal with the sugar. Then mix in the lemon juice and rind, the egg yolks and the butter. Mix for five minutes. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mix. Pour into an unbaked pie crust in a nine-inch pan. Bake at 325 for 45 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Ribbon Brownies

Recently, I was looking for a recipe that used cream cheese. When I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, I knew I had to try it. Cream cheese swirl brownies are quite common, but what exactly are "ribbon" brownies? Reading through the recipe, the chocolate brownie batter is layered above and below a cream cheese batter layer creating a ribbon layer as you can see by this photo. They are as delicious as they look.

Because the recipe is an older recipe, it calls for two three-ounce packages of cream cheese. I don't think I have ever seen a three-ounce package of cream cheese, so I used one eight-ounce package. Perhaps using a little too much cream cheese made my batter a bit thicker than it should have been, as the picture below shows the spreading in process. But these rich brownies seemed to cook up just fine despite the extra thick batter. And I really liked the addition of almond extract to this recipe. You could leave it out, but give it a try because the almond flavor gives these brownies a unique taste.

Ribbon Brownies 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 ounces bakers chocolate
• 8 ounce package cream cheese
• one cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the chocolate over very low heat; cool. In a separate bowl, cream the cheese. Add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and almond extract. Measure out about one half cup of the batter and set aside. Blend the cooled chocolate and vanilla into the batter. Spread about half the chocolate batter into a greased eight-inch square pan. Spoon the measured cheese batter into the pan, spreading carefully to cover the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the cream cheese batter. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool. Enjoy!

Baked Pasta

This recipe for baked pasta is so simple and flexible, and especially good on a cold winter day, that I have to share it here. It is not a family recipe, but rather, something that I have popularized in the family. I have made it for Easter get-togethers hosted at my home and also brought it to family parties. It is so delicious that it always disappears quickly. But I recommend trying to save some for another day because it is even better as a leftover.

The basic ingredients include pasta, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The flexibility comes from all the other ingredients that you could add in, if desired. My favorite version includes Italian sausage, especially because the flavor of the sausage gets soaked up by the pasta. I also like adding a good amount of vegetables, such as spinach, onion, kale, carrots, zucchini or peas. You could also vary the cheese used by including some Parmesan or pecorino. So you can be creative as to what you add into this baked pasta.

Baked Pasta 

• 1 pound rigatoni, or similar pasta
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• seasoning, such as oregano and garlic, to taste
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, crumble and brown the sausage on the stovetop. When the sausage is browned, add in the vegetable and cook until tender. In a 13x9 baking pan, combine the pasta, tomato sauce, seasoning, sausage and vegetables. Stir about half the cheese into the mix. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy!