Do you have Holiday baking traditions? If so, do you follow tried and true recipes or do you seek out new ones? Over these next few days until Christmas, I am hoping to share a few recipes and tips here on my blog page.

Today, as my featured image, I am sharing an antique, embossed, “Merry Christmas” postcard that was made in Austria. This postcard has no writing on the back so I am only showing the front side.

In my growing years, I looked forward each year at Christmas to the goodies that Grammy Alice would make. She made quite a variety but kept to her tried and true recipes. She would give each of us our own little parcel containing the same selection and quantity, tied up nicely with curling ribbon–so no fighting ensued.

My mom made a variety of homemade desserts throughout the year. She had been a member and a leader in the 4-H Club. She was very accurate with her measurements while following recipes. When I was in elementary school, my mom started a weekly tradition of baking lessons or sometimes craft lessons. So, one specific day each week after I came home from school we would make something together.

I am sharing below one of my mom’s handwritten recipes for “Easy Mix Cake”. I seem to remember her making this one quite often.

In case the writing and sheet are a bit difficult to read, I will retype it below:

EASY MIX CAKE, set oven to 350 degrees; grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (or a 13″x15″ pan would work as well).

SIFT into bowl: 2 2/3 Cups of Flour; 2 Cups of Sugar; 3 teaspoons of Baking Powder; 1 teaspoon of Salt. Mix all with fork after sifting.

ADD all at once: 2/3 Cups of Shortening; 2/3 Cup of Pet Milk (evaporated milk); 2/3 Cup of Water; 2 teaspoons of Vanilla.

BEAT hard for two minutes on medium speed.

ADD: 2 Eggs and beat 2 minutes longer.

Pour batter into pans. Bake on center rack of oven for 35 minutes or until done. Remove pans from oven, let stand 5 minutes and turn out of pans (onto a cooling rack).

CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

Heat slowly until butter melts: 7 Tablespoons of Pet Milk (evaporated milk); 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Butter. Remove from heat and stir in about 3 Cups of 10X Powdered Sugar (adding about 1/4 cup at a time); 2/3 Cup Cocoa; dash of Salt; 1 teaspoon of Vanilla. Beat until creamy.

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When I was old enough to be on my own, I discovered I knew much more about baking than I did about cooking regular meals. My mom was also a wonderful cook, in general, but her lessons were focused on all those dessert items rather than cooking regular meals. She did give me a Betty Crocker cookbook which became my cooking “Bible” and as of this day I still refer to it.

Tucked inside the front cover of my Betty Crocker cookbook are a few loose recipes that I have collected along the way. The recipe pictured below for “Christmas Rainbow Poke Cake” is one that I cut out from a magazine and have used many times. I have even used it for other occasions and used different colored Jello. I have a habit of making my cakes in a 13″x15″ pan rather than using two round pans, so that route does work. If using the 13″x15″ pan, it is not necessary to remove the cake from the pan, I just prepare and serve it right from that pan.

Retyping of the Poke Cake recipe–Ingredients: 1 Package Super Moist white (or even yellow) cake mix; 1 Package Jello 3 oz., Raspberry (or any red) and 1 Package of Lime Jello (green) 3 oz; 2 Cups Boiling Water; 1 Cool Whip 8 oz.

Directions: Prepare the cake mix as directed on package and pour into baking pan(s). Bake as directed on the package and cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans, cool completely (remove if using the 9″ pans, if using 13″x15″ cake can be left in the pan). If using 9″ cake pans, place the cooled layers back in the pans with top sides up. Prick cake with utility fork at 1/2 inch intervals. Pour 1 Cup of boiling water over the raspberry gelatin in bowl until dissolved. Spoon raspberry gelatin over 1 cake layer, repeat with the lime gelatin. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. If baked in 9″ pans, dip 1 layer in pan of warm water for 10 seconds and invert on plate, gently shaking to loosen. Remove pan; spread layer with 1 cup of the Cool Whip. Remove remaining layer from pan as above; invert onto first layer. Remove pan; frost with remaining topping. Refrigerate; garnish with flattened gumdrops, cut to resemble holly.

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I have enjoyed many hours of baking over the course of my adult years, but not so much in the most recent years. No good excuse for my not putting in the effort. Some years, I start off with good intentions, buy the supplies, but then don’t put in the time to complete the baking projects. There is only so much time, and energy, to go round this time of year.

Recently, I found my original recipe folder from my 8th grade Homemaking class–from way back in 1970. The following image is a basic “Peanut Butter Cookie” recipe from my folder. I think this sheet is readable enough so I won’t retype it.

The following sheet was also from my Homemaking folder, showing some common Abbreviations.

I will wrap up this blog with an image from one page of what was called “Chocolate Town Bulletin” from the Hershey’s Home Economics Department printed in 1968. This particular page shows some substitutions that can be used for various baking chocolate varieties.

In closing, the focus of this blog is a bit different than my normal content but I have a ton of old recipes and would like to share some of them along the way. My hope is that I can complete another blog or two between now and Christmas. In the meantime, wishing everyone a Peaceful Christmas.