Pecan Drops

This recipe is in Grandma's handwriting, but I do not know where it came from originally. These types of cookies are sometimes called pecan sandies, and there are plenty of recipes available. The cookies are a shortbread-style cookie that is not overly sweet but has a melt-in-your mouth quality. These cookies are easy to make and delicious to eat.

Grandma's recipe uses both butter and margarine, but I used just butter. Also, the recipe did not list any sugar, so I added in one-half cup sugar. I used regular granulated sugar, but brown sugar would add a nice flavor and powdered sugar would make the cookies even lighter.

Pecan Drops 

• 10 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all the ingredients together. Drop by tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie pan. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Beef Pie

This recipe is for one of the many casserole-style meals Mom often made. It has everything needed for a hearty meal in one pan. This beef pie can be assembled in advance, if needed, then just heated up for serving. Recently, I made this recipe for a family get together at Mom's for Mother's Day.

When I made this recipe, I used Jiffy biscuit mix. But, if you do not have biscuit baking mix on hand, a homemade substitute can be assembled using flour, baking soda, salt, and butter. Because I like the flavor that the Worcestershire sauce adds to this recipe, I used more than what the recipe calls for to give the pie a stronger flavor. I used about two pounds of raw ground beef for this recipe, which worked out to be about three cups; but the amount of ground beef could be changed to make the pie meatier or less so.

Beef Pie 

• 2 cups biscuit mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cups cooked ground beef
• 10 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups shredded cheddar

Combine biscuit mix and milk to form into a ball. Roll out and fit into a greased 13x9x2 inch pan. Brown the beef in a pan. Add onion to beef and saute until the onion is cooked. Add the vegetables, catsup, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Spoon over dough. Combine sour cream, egg, and salt and pepper. Spread over pie. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Sugar Crusted Rum Cake

This recipe makes a delicious cake, but when I made it, the cake fell apart as I attempted to remove it from the pan, so it was a mess of a cake. The recipe says to allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan before inverting the pan to remove the cake, but the cake needs to cool for more time, possibly at least twenty minutes or more. But however this cake looks, it is tasty.

Mom has a number of rum cake recipes in her recipe box. This recipe looked interesting because of the use of syrup poured over the cake when the cake comes out of the oven. The sugar cools and creates a crunchy and sugary crust. When you make this cake, you can use rum or rum flavoring. And, if you do not have a package of cake mix on hand, you can use basic pantry ingredients to replicate the package mix.

Sugar Coated Rum Cake 

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 Tbsp. rum flavoring
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. rum flavoring

Prepare cake as directed on the package, add one tablespoon rum flavoring to the batter. Bake in a greased and lightly floured bundt pan at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes or until cake is done. 

When the cake is almost done, prepare syrup by combining brown sugar, sugar, and 6 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one minute or until sugar dissolves. Add rum flavoring. Pour the hot syrup over the cake immediately after removing the cake from the oven. Let the cake stand for at least 20 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm. Enjoy!