Pecan Pie – Grandma Bennie

Pecan Pie – Grandma Bennie

3 eggs, beaten lightly with a whisk

¾ cup dark karo syrup

¾ cup sugar

2 ½ tea. vanilla

3 Tlb butter, melted

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup shortening or margarine

Dash of salt

1 Tlb sugar

1 Tlb vinegar

1 Tlb water

Combine eggs and syrup and mix well. Add sugar and mix, stir in vanilla and let stand 5 minutes. Spread pecan halves evenly on pie crust. Add ½ cup chopped pecans to egg mixture and pour into pie crust. Bake at 375˚ for 40 -45 minutes. Reduce heat to 300˚ after 25 minutes. 

Chocolate Sheet Cake – Bennie Baird

Chocolate Sheet Cake – Bennie Baird

Place in a bowl:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

Heat and boil:

1 cube margarine

½ cup shortening

4 Tlb cocoa

1 cup cold water

Add:

½ cup buttermilk

1 tea vanilla

1 tea. soda

2 eggs

Mix well and place in un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400˚ for 20 minutes

Frosting: 

Heat until melted and smooth:

1 cube margarine

4 Tlb cocoa

5 Tlb milk

Remove from heat and add 3 cups powdered sugar. Mix well and frost while the cake is warm. Top with walnuts if desired. 

Spanish Rice – Grandma Bennie

Spanish Rice – Grandma Bennie

2 cups long grain rice

1 small can tomato sauce

1 Tlb. Chopped onion

2 cloves garlic or ½ tea. powder

Pinch of salt

½ tea. salt 

Pepper to taste

3 sprigs cilantro

1 can chicken broth

Brown rice in oil (very little stirring on medium heat). Drain excess oil, if any. Add onion and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and tomato sauce and spices. Add hot water to cover rice and bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and cilantro, simmer until done. Add hot water as needed (little stirring). 

Enchiladas – Bennie Baird

Enchiladas – Bennie Baird

Sauce:

½ cup lard or bacon drippings

1 cup flour

chili powder – California

chili powder – New Mexico (you may adjust to taste)

Garlic clove, minced or salt to taste

Salt to taste 

¼ cup sugar

½ tea. cumin

1 ½ to 2 quarts water

Filling:

Corn tortillas

Grated cheese
Chopped green onions or dry

Meat if desired (beef, chicken or pork)

Melt lard, add flour and stir until mixed well. Add chili powder, garlic salt, salt, sugar, and cumin. Cook until well mixed. Add water a little at a time to form paste. Keep stirring and adding water to prevent lumping. Simmer about ½ hour. Heat lard for tortillas in skillet (1/2 cup or so) – at medium heat. Dip one tortilla at a time, transfer to sauce for a few minutes. Put on plate, sprinkle with filling. You can stack or roll them. Garnish with lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

Banana Bread – Bennie Baird

Banana Bread – Bennie Baird

1 ½ cup shortening or margarine

6 eggs

3 tea vanilla

3 cups sugar

6 ripe, mashed bananas

3 teas. soda

¾ tea. salt

9 teas. buttermilk

6 cups of sifted flour

Cream together eggs, shortening, vanilla, and sugar. Add bananas. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix well. Grease loaf pans and bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300˚ for last 30 minutes.  

Grandma Bennie’s Pinto Beans

2 cups Pinto beans 

Soak in warm water for an hour or overnight. Drain water off, rinse well.

Cover with cold water and bring to a boil, cook for l hour on medium-low heat.

Add:

2 Tlbs. lard (it tastes better than Crisco)

Cook until beans are cooked to a soft mush. 

Add salt and garlic salt to taste. 

If you are making refried beans, heat 1 Tlb cooking oil. Add drained beans a little at a time. Mash to desired consistency. Add water to keep them moist.

Grandma said that her mom made these beans everyday; they were a staple in the home and filled an empty spot in the stomach. 

Waldorf Salad – Bennie Baird

2 ½ cup chopped apples

1 ½ cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped walnuts

4 Tlbs. miracle whip(or to taste)

tea. sugar

Add all ingredients in a bowl. Toss and serve

Frozen Fruit Salad – Bennie Baird

1 20oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

½ to 1 cup seedless grapes

1 can 11 oz mandarin oranges, drained

¼ - ½ cup pistachio nuts, chopped

2 bananas, sliced

¼ cup cold water

1 envelope or 1 Tlb unflavored gelatin

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup dairy sour cream

¼ cup sugar

3 Tlb lemon juice

1 ½ cups heavy cream, whipped

1 avocado, diced

lemon juice

½ cup maraschino cherries, drained

In a large bowl, combine crushed pineapple, grapes, mandarin oranges, pistachio nuts, and bananas. Pour ¼ cup cold water into a custard dish or measuring cup. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin on cold water. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Dissolve the gelatin completely by placing cup over hot water or put in microwave 1 minute on high. Measure into a large bowl, mayonnaise and sour cream, when gelatin is dissolved, stir and blend into mayonnaise mixture. When gelatin is dissolved, stir and blend into mayonnaise mixture. Add sugar, 3 Tlb lemon juice. Chill until mixture begins to gel. Blend in fruit and nut mixture. Turn into large freezer tray. Freeze at least 6 hours. To serve, dice avocado into lemon juice. Make kabobs with avocado and cherries. Cut salad into squares top with kabobs. 

Grandma Bennie’s Honey Mustard (Netty's Recipe)

1 cup mayonnaise (best foods)

Honey to taste

Mustard sweet and tart

Blend all ingredients together. If you want more spice, add a few drops of horseradish. 

Skyline Salad Dressing – Bennie Baird

1 cup ketchup

1 cup salad oil

8 Tlbs vinegar

5 Tlbs sugar

2 Tlbs prepared mustard

1 tea Tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic - minced

1 tea salt

Mix and chill

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce – Bennie Baird

1 quart tomato juice 

½ bottle catsup 1 medium green pepper ground fine

2 sticks of celery, ground fine

1 clove garlic 9don’t grind) 

Worcestershire sauce 

Salt if needed

Shrimp – whichever kind you desire. Small, deveined are good.

Make at least 2 days before needed - it tastes better. Serve shrimp in cocktail glasses on a bed of shredded lettuce. Top with cocktail sauce. 

Salsa (Hot Sauce) – Bennie Baird

2 Jalapeno peppers – canned

1 fresh tomato, cut up or 1 cup of canned

1 small onion, cut up

Garlic powder or clove (left whole)

Salt to taste – dash of sugar

Put all ingredients into blender, chop till fine

*If you want hotter sauce, add more pepper

Grandma Bennie’s Salsa – Bennie Baird (Netty's Recipe)

1 jalapeno pepper - seeded 

½ bell pepper – chopped

1 small onion chopped – about 1 cup

3 garlic buds

Chop fine or course to your taste. Grandma would use the food processor. 

1 can tomatoes w/chilies or plain 

Dash of oregano

Pinch cumin

Chopped cilantro leaves

Pinch thyme

Juice of one lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Add a little sugar if needed. You can cook it to warm, if you prefer – Grandma Preffered it cold. 

Grandpa Marv liked it really hot, so grandma would add more jalapenos. When Grandpa started to sweat, she knew it was hot enough.

This is the salsa recipe Grandma used at Netty’s.