Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Daddy taught Mommy and Mommy modified it slightly

Steak
Cubed steak
milk
salt
pepper
flour
grease

Pound cube steak thinner if desired.  Soak cube steak in a baking dish with milk.  Soak meat while getting the rest of the meal ready to cook.

Heat grease (palm shorting, lard, Crisco, etc.) in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Place a big pile of flour on some wax paper on the counter.  Place one piece of meat in the pile.  Salt and pepper the meat.  Push the flour into the meat, flipping the meat over to coat both sides.  Carefully lay meat in the hot oil.  Cook in oil until meat is cooked through and both sides are browned.  Try to avoid turning the meat too often as it will loosen the coating.  Place cooked meat on a platter in a warmed over until all the meat is cooked.

Gravy
grease from cooked meat
flour
milk
salt
pepper

Scrap the bottom of the skillet to loosen browned on coating.  Add flour, stirring well until a thick paste forms.  Add a bowl full of milk (app. 4-5 C or so).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir over medium heat until gravy thickens.

Fried Potatoes
Potatoes
grease

Peel and slice the potatoes.  Fry them in the Fry Daddy until cooked.

The first time Daddy made this meal for Mommy I almost fell over!  Not growing up in the south, I have never seen so much grease in one place at one time!  But, it was one of the most amazing meals I had ever had.  It quickly became apparent that my life with Daddy would require complete mastery of this recipe.  :) I know the directions are a bit vague, but you will quickly get the hang of it as you make it with me.  This is one of Daddy's all time favorite meals ever!  Daddy tears up bread and pours gravy over the meat and bread.  This is a very messy meal to make but if you clean as you go it isn't too bad and it makes Daddy so happy!  I want you children to master this recipe as well.  It's a Southerland tradition!  :)
Love Always,
Mommy

Aunt Kimby's Roast

Aunt Kimby Johnson

1 roast
1/2 C flour
1/2 C butter
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Fry butter and flour in a small frying pan until mixture is a light coffee color.  Place roast in the crock pot and add cooked flour and soup mix.  DO NOT ADD WATER.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

We love it when Aunt Kimby makes this!  She is the queen of the yummy roasts!  Aunt Kimby frequently makes this at Christmas time along with Uncle David's smoked beef.  Wow!  That is some good eating!

Love Always,
Mommy

Yummy Cheesy Noodles

Hannah Original

2 C broken spaghetti noodles
2 TB butter
2 C water
A whole heap of love
1 handful mozzarella cheese
2 handfuls cheddar cheese

Brown the spaghetti in a frying pan with the butter.  Add water.  Boil uncovered for 7-8 minutes.  Drain.  Add love.  Sprinkle on cheese.  Serve.

Boo Boo, this is a recipe you created.  I have copied it exactly as you have it on your recipe card.  I think you invented this last year when you were about 11 years old.  You and the boys LOVE to have this for lunch and Mommy has to admit; it's very tasty!  It must be all the love you put in it!  Gran Gran was right!

I like this recipe so much more than the Carrot Top Soup you created for Daddy & Mommy when you were about 6 years old.  Remember that one?  It was... interesting.  ;)  After tasting it I think you said, "That didn't exactly turn out like I wanted it too."  :)  I can't remember the ingredients except for the carrot top greens from the carrots in our garden and maybe some chopped carrots and water?  I think your Yummy Cheesy Noodles are much better.  

You are going to be such a blessing to your husband and family- just like you are now.  I love you very much Sweetie!

Love Always,
Mommy

Other Mama's Cherry Pie

Daisy Nitcholas

Family lineage for this recipe:
Daisy Nitcholas (Other Mama)
Wanda Southerland (Gran Gran)
Michael Southerland (Grandpaw)
Jason Southerland (Daddy)
you children

2 cans cherries, packed in water
1/2 C water, reserved from the cherries
2 pinches backing soda
3 C sugar, divided
1/2 C flour
sliced buter
2 refrigerated pie crusts
sprinkle of milk
sprinkle of sugar

Drain the cherries; reserving the juice.  Combine the cherries, baking soda, 2 C sugar, and cherry water in a pan and bring to a boil.  Combine 1 C sugar and the flour and stir into the boiling mixture.  Cook down until mixture is thick.  Pour mixture into a pie shell.

Places slices of butter on top of filling.  Place top crust on pie and cut slits to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle to top crust with milk and sugar.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Cover the edges of the crust with foil or pie shields and bake another 15-30 minutes or until crust is browned.

Daddy grew up on this pie.  Grandpaw (Michael Southerland) really likes this too!  This is the sweetest pie Mommy has ever tasted.  :)  Mommy has several memories of Aunt Kimby making this during Christmas for family get togethers.  
Love Always,
Mommy

Chocolate Drop Quickies

Caroline Sheldon (Grandma Sheldon)

Family lineage for this recipe:
Caroline Sheldon
Perry Sheldon (Grandpa Sheldon)
Brenda Durst (Nama)
RaShell Southerland (Mommy)
you children  :)

2 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. baking cocoa
1/2 C. milk
3 C. quick oats
1/2 C. nuts (optional)
1 TB vanilla

Mix sugar, butter, baking cocoa, and milk in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil quickly.  Reduce heat to medium and boil 3-4 minutes or until a little drop in cold water forms a soft ball (234 degrees).  Remove from heat and stir in oats, nuts, and vanilla.  Drop by teaspoons on wax paper.  Let stand until hardened.  Store in the refrigerator if desired.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

These are really yummy.  Mommy remembers making and eating these as a child.  Auntie Shea lived on these when she was pregnant with one of your cousins.  I can't remember which one!  I feel like going into the kitchen and making some of these right now!  :)
Love Always,
Mommy

Gran Gran's Sugar Cookies

Gran Gran (aka Wanda Pearl Southerland)

Family lineage for this recipe:
Wanda Southerland- Gran Gran
Michael A Southerland- Grandpaw
Jason Southerland- Daddy
you children  :)

3/4 C butter
1 C Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or 12 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and extract.  Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll dough to 1/8" thick on a lightly floured surface.  Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

Sprinkle generously with sugar.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly brown.

Daddy and Aunt Kimby have both talked about making these with Gran Gran when they were little.  Aunt Kimby told me once that when she was a little girl that she and Gran Gran would roll the dough into little 1" balls and squish them lightly with a fork.


These are really yummy cookies and I am so glad that we have a recipe that holds such dear memories with Daddy!


Love Always,
Mommy

Chocolate Cake with White Icing

Chocolate Cake
This recipe is from Mother Smith who was Paw Paw’s mother. Paw Paw was GrandMommie’s (Diane Southerland) Daddy. So this cake recipe is from Daddy’s great grandmother!

2 C of sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 C of flour
2 (heaping) TB cocoa
½ C of butter milk (or reg. milk & 1 tsp vinegar)
2 eggs, beat thoroughly
½ C butter, softened
1 C water, boiling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour 2 round pans. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients in bowl- set aside. Mix wet ingredients (except for boiling water) in bowl. Combine the two bowls together and blend. Add 1 cup of boiling water. Pour into pans. Bake around 30-40 min. or when you stick a toothpick in it and it comes out clean. Let cool and top with Snow Peak Icing.

Snow Peak Icing
This is Grandmommie’s (Diane Southerland) recipe. Daddy’s mommy!

1 ¼ C corn syrup
2 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form when beater is raised. While eggs are beating, in a small saucepan, heat corn syrup over medium high heat until boiling. Add salt to egg whites. Slowly pour in syrup, continuing to beat until frosting is fluffy. Fold in vanilla. Frost cooled chocolate cake!

This is a Southerland Family favorite!  Daddy often requests this cake for his birthday and I know that Uncle Michael's family has this for birthdays frequently as well.  I just made this for Daddy's birthday and it looks and smells yummy!!!  GrandMommy used to make this for the children's birthdays.  Anytime it snowed in Texas Daddy used to say, "It looks like chocolate cake with white icing!"  (Only Texas snow looks like that!  Real snow is all white!  Not white with dirt showing through!)  :)
 
Love Always,
Mommy

P.S.  Daddy and Ezra shared this for their birthdays and Ezra LOVED it!  He was a big gooy mess and oh so cute!!!

Stuffed Eggs

Not sure where this recipe came from.

4 hard boiled eggs
4 tsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp prepared mustard
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp pickle juice
dash of salt
paprika, as garnish

Boil and peel eggs.  Cut eggs in half lengthwise.  Place the yokes in a ziplock bag and smash them up.  Add the remaining ingredients except paprika.  Combine the ingredients by smooshing them all together in the sealed ziplock bag.  Cut one corner of the ziplock bag and pip the egg yoke mixture into the egg whites.  Sprinkle with paprika and chill.

PePaw loved these eggs and I made them too many times to count.  We didn't have our chickens at the time and we bought dozens and dozens of eggs- I loved seeing him eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I think he lived on them for awhile!  :)

One day one of PePaw's caregivers decided to warm some of these up in the microwave.  She put them in for way too long and exploded them everywhere!  It was a HUGE mess!  There was yellow creamy stuff and white egg chunks all over the inside of the microwave.  What an egg disaster!

Love Always,
Mommy