Cowboy Cookies

I loved when my mom made my favorite cookies. I have no idea why she called them cowboy cookies, but they were delicious! Still today when I think of them I smell that delicious waft in the air. In fact, I think I might whip up a batch right now just for the smell alone.

Theresa's Cowboy Cookies

2 c. flour

1 t. soda

½ t. salt

½ t. baking powder

1 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 c. oats

1 t. vanilla.

Sift together and set aside the flour, soda,  salt, and baking powder. Blend together the shortening, sugar, and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour a cup at a time and mix well. Add the rolled oats and vanilla. Drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

*Note: If you are like me and don't want to run to the store to find the shortening, you can substitute 1 cup shortening for 1 cup + 2 T. of butter. It works and the cookies are still yummy, but not perfectly Theresa.

I love this picture of Theresa and her best friend Grace showing a little leg in the 1930's. Pretty racy mom!

Vanilla Ice Cream

Summertime just wasn't complete without some delicious homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. It was so much fun to gather in the evening and take our turn at the crank. We would play games like Annie Eye Over as we called it, play a little tether ball, or laugh hysterically as we played The Bishop's Cat. It was great time spent together with my mom and siblings. My dad would appear from the milk barn just as the delicious treat was ready.

Theresa's Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ Quart

1 Quart Half and Half Milk (of course living on a farm we just skimmed cream from the milk tank)
1 T. Vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
½ t. salt

Mix ingredients together and fill can 2/3 full. Put center cap on can rest. Pack ice and salt around the inner can. Pour 1 cup cold water on the ice and salt. Add more as it settles to completely cover.

Crank the ice cream maker for about 30 minutes to 1 hour,  checking consistency. Or, you might want to get this new fangled ice cream maker from amazon then everyone can play the games while you let the motor do the cranking!

Theresa and Ed on one of their many Saturday rides.

Mama's Sweet Bean Chili

My mom made the most delicious chili (probably because of the brown sugar)! I loved those cold winter evenings when its delicious smell filled the room. My stomach is growling right now thinking about it!

Of course, when served, the chili was presented with homemade rolls, muffins or corn bread; and ice-cold raw milk, right from the milk barn.

I have talked before about my mom's thriftiness. I am sure it found its roots deep in her childhood. My mom was the youngest of 12 children. The picture below shows my grandma in the center surrounded by her 4 sisters. Their names: Faye, Delia (Mary Effie their mother), Mary, and Beulah. In the front center is my mom Theresa (pronounced Thres-sa). To this day I follow her meal-saving "thrifty" rule. The first day with the hamburger is for tacos, but fry enough to have leftovers to make the next day's chili or spaghetti.

I hope you enjoy one of my favorite Mama Recipes: 

Sweet Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 large (or 2 small) can pork and beans

1 small can lima beans

1 small can kidney beans

1 large onion

1/2 green pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar (or molasses)

1/lb. ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

1 T. dry mustard

Dash of chili powder

Directions:

Cook the ground beef, onions and green pepper. Add all of the ingredients in a large bowl (drain all beans). Place in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

*This is a recipe that I love to adapt! I have added salsa, barbecue sauce, chili sauce, green chilies, can of stewed tomatoes, I just add “there-abouts” just like my mama taughted me. I have tried numerous types of beans. I especially love to garish with chopped green onions, sour cream and grated cheese. 

It is an easy meal to make early in the morning, throw in the crockpot, and cook all day! 

Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster

Because I have been sick for a week now, and very sick of being sick, it has made me think about my mom's home remedies. For example when I had a stomach ache, my mom would put a brown paper bag on my stomach. When I had lung congestion, like I do now, she would treat me with a mustard plaster. And, yes! I am making one for me to use right now. I am hoping that it works as good as when my mom made it.

Mustard Plaster

1 T.  dry mustard
Scant 3/4 cups flour
Warm water.

Mix the dry mustard with the flour. Add warm water a little at a time until the mixture looks like pancake batter.

Spread the mixture on a thin cotton towel (my mom used flour sacks). Lay the towel on your chest for about 20 minutes or so.

So here goes. In honor of my mom's home remedies and always making me feel better, here goes the mustard plaster. Set the timer for 20 minutes and go!

Theresa's Famous Fudge

Every Sunday night our family made together some sort of treat be it divinity, honey taffy, cookies, or fudge. I loved when I heard the pots and pans began to bang around because I knew there would be delicious smells filling the air. I always went as quick as I could to help my mom make her taste of the day.

Fudge is still my weakness today, I simply can't leave it alone. Consequently I have to be careful not to make it too often; but I think I will need to whip up a batch soon.

Here is Theresa's famous fudge!

Uncle Neal or Myles, My mom and her niece Barbara

Combine in a saucepan 2 cups white sugar, ½ cup old fashioned powdered cocoa (unsweetened), and 1 cup milk. Stir all ingredients together on medium heat. Continue stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer the mixture. DO NOT STIR AGAIN!

Cook until the candy reaches 238 degrees if you have a candy thermometer. But if not, do it Theresa's way and spoon out a small portion of the mixture and drop it into a cup of cold water. If the mixture forms a soft ball, dump the water from the cup and feel the ball with your fingers. It should stay formed and flatten if you press it, rather than fall apart.

When done, remove the mixture from heat and add 4 T. butter and 1 t. vanilla. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer, mix the fudge until it looses it's sheen. Dump from bowl and knead the candy by hand. Shape the candy into a long snake. Cut the fudge into desired pieces and ENJOY!

Homemade Soda Crackers

Crunchy homemade soda crackers

It was always fun when we had homemade soda crackers dripping with my Grandpa's, and later on, my Uncle Ken's "Hansen's Honey" right from the hive. In this picture, Theresa is dressed and ready to work in the family honey business. Because she was allergic to bees, Theresa worked in the cannery (the back porch of the family home) with her mother. This was a hard and dangerous job. Her mother Effie once received serious burns from a honey can exploding on the stove. This accident had Effie bedridden for a period of time. I am sure this canning job of Theresa's youth was the foundation of her tireless, hard-working lifestyle that would follow her through her life.

When I think about the food of my childhood I think about all the preservatives my mom kept me from eating. In these days of a gluten-free rage, I can't help but think, is it the gluten or the mass quantities of preservatives we put in our bodies? Thanks mom for making everything home-cooked right down to the crackers and hamburger buns!

Homemade Soda Crackers

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 t. yeast

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. cream of tartar

2/3 cup hot water

1 t. sugar

2 T. shortening

2 T. butter

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the hot water and yeast. Stir well and sit for a minute or two. Mix in the sugar, shortening and butter. Sit for another minute until cooled to room temperature.

Mix in the baking soda and cream of tarter and 1 cup of the flour. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.. Then add the remaining flour to make a workable dough. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Punch the dough down and then roll the dough into a large rectangle as think as you can get it without tearing the dough. Rest the dough as you roll occasionally and it becomes easier to roll. (Make sure your counter is well floured so the dough will not stick.

Prick the dough all over with a fork and then cut into squares. Transfer each square to a baking sheet leaving space between each.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for about 12 minutes (watch closely because time really depends on the thickness of your dough). When crackers are lightly browned, remove from oven. Brush the crackers with melted butter and then sprinkle lightly with salt. Cool!

When completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Theresa's Meatloaf

Theresa and Ed in their early days on the farm.

Living on a farm, one simply had to be thrifty. My mom knew how to stretch a pound of meat while making the most delicious dishes. 

I know one of the families favorite of those meat stretching meals was meat loaf. Here is my mom's version of meatloaf. (Note. Theresa also used this exact recipe to make hamburgers, simply make into patty's grill or fry). Enjoy!

Theresa's Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (small bits)

1/4 finely chopped onions

2 tsp. mustard

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup tomato juice

salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and thoroughly but gently mix all ingredients.

Grease a baking dish (My mom preferred a flat pan rather than a loaf pan). Press the beef mixture tightly in the pan.

Cover with special topping: Mix together 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup mustard 3 Tbs. brown sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes until done.