FAMILY COOKBOOK

One Christmas, my mother surprised us siblings with a FAMILY COOKBOOK!

This cookbook consists of all my family's favorite dishes that we had enjoyed while growing up. Throughout the cookbook, my mother not only indexed each recipe into categories, but she also gave us a story behind each recipe! For example, the Butterhorn Dinner Rolls, on page 6. This recipe was given to my grandmother years ago by a lady who lived in Moberly, Missouri. The woman was very reluctant to share her recipe as she was afraid she would lose customers. It was a secret recipe that made her a fortune by selling to hundreds of customers.

Some of the other recipes bring up fond memories, such as the Bubble Bread that we had enjoyed every Christmas morning - the gooey cinnamon nut bread that tasted wonderful with hot cocoa!

Or the Peanut Butter Cups that an elderly lady from my church made each year that we looked forward to during the holidays.

Or that unbelievable Wheat Germ Cereal that my mother discovered when we attended a church at the Lake of the Ozarks...

And of course, the Beef Enchilada recipe that my mother took to every potluck dinner our church held! This dish was so popular, that my mother had to gently scold us kids to save some for others! Of course, we never listened to her, and I remember a few times staring down into my plate and realizing I was dishing up all my mom's home cooking! I think our pastor enjoyed the cooking too, for I remember him coming over for dinner frequently, especially when it was HOMEMADE PIZZA night!

Over the years, the cookbook has saved me many a PHONE CALL to ask my mother, yet once again, "WHAT was that recipe again, for such and such....?

Now, all I have to do is leaf through my family cookbook and scour down the index and find that favorite dish that brings back so many memories.

Over the years, my mother has been collecting many new recipes, so she'll probably have to work on a second edition... Including that TO DIE FOR chicken potpie that everyone on the planet seems to be asking her about, or to share another invention of hers.

Here's a recipe I'll share today. This one my mother discovered while attending an Airstream’s rally. This was when my parents used to take their Airstream (RV) and travel around.

Some call it Cracker Candy, but in my mother's cookbook, it's listed as Saltine Cracker Cookies. A very delicious and quick snack to make and FUN for kids to cook!


SALTINE CRACKER COOKIES

Line an 11" x 17" cookie sheet with foil & oil the foil.
Place approximately 45 saltine crackers on foil; fill any spaces with cracker pieces (use saltines, not soda crackers.)
Bring to rolling boil:
1 cup butter (not margarine)
1 cup brown sugar
Boil for 3 minutes then pour onto crackers and bake 350 in oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, crackers will have risen. Press them down then sprinkle over top:
1 12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips, (spread evenly as they melt.)
1 cup of chopped nuts (pecan, or walnuts.)
Cool & break into pieces.
FREEZES WELL

Enjoy!