Peppernuts (a story)

Found in Dorothea's files:

Peppernuts were a must at Christmas time. Dad found a recipe in the magazine Successful Farming that he made one year and we used it ever after. It was a large recipe -- 11 coups of flour and Dad liked a liberal amount of Anise Oil.

The old farmhouse that we lived in until I was about 13 years old had a nice, big, back porch where the milking equipment was kept before the milk house was built. The kitchen had a wood burning cook stove that really heated up the kitchen when a lot of baking was done.

One year stands out in my memory. I sliced the rolls of peppernut dough and filled the pans on the back porch where the cool temperature kept the dough from getting sticky. Someone else did the baking in the kitchen.

Peppernuts did not crumble, so as went out to chore, we grabbed a handful or two and put them into our pocket to munch on as we worked.

Not a pear recipe

Note found in Dorothea's files:

I attended a one room country grades school, district 37 in Marion County. Besides the school building there was an open shed for horses and two outhouses.

We were taught to eat everything in our lunch pail, whether we liked it or not, or give an accounting when we got home.

I did not like fresh pears. They were plentiful in the fall.  One day I decided to dispose of the pear where no one would know that I had not eaten it.

That evening at home big sister Darlene said she had looked into the toilet hole and saw a perfectly good pear. Folks only had to look at my face to know who didn't eat their pear for lunch.

Coconut cookies (Lucille)

1 1/2 c buttermilk Bisquick
1 1/4 c instant potatoe flakes
1 stick Oleo
1 c sugar
1 t coconut flavoring
1 egg

mix and chill 1 hr

shape into balls and place on greased cookie sheet
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees

Sunshine cake

6 egg whites beaten stiff
1 cup sugar and well beaten egg yolks
fold in 3/4 cup of flour to which has been added 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tart.  Flavoring.

Spice cake (large recipe)

2 c. syrup
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. lard
2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk (sour milk)
2 t. allspice
2 t. soda
5 c. flour