A collection of family recipes, transcribed to be shared and preserved.
No. 1
Peanut Blossoms
yield — approx. 3½ dozen
Sift Together
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Cream Together
½ cup butter
½ cup peanut butter
Gradually Add
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
Add
1 unbeaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla — beat well
Instructions
Sift flour, soda, and salt together; set aside.
Cream butter and peanut butter together until smooth.
Gradually beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Add egg and vanilla; beat well.
Blend in the dry ingredients gradually; mix thoroughly.
Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoon for each. Roll balls in sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss candy into the top of each cookie, pressing until it cracks slightly around the edge.
Return cookies to the oven for 2–3 minutes to allow the candy to soften.
Transcribed from a handwritten recipe card across two photographs; some words were difficult to read due to wear and creasing, so a few phrasings are best-effort interpretations.
No. 2
Russian Tea Cookies
oven — 350°F | bake — 20 min
Ingredients
¾ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups walnuts
Instructions
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix in flour, salt, and walnuts until combined.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Roll twice in confectioners' sugar.
Card is marked "double" in purple ink beside the bake time — likely a note to double the batch. Transcribed from a handwritten recipe card; a few words were difficult to read due to wear and creasing.
No. 3
Date Pinwheels
from Mom · 11/26/1978 | oven — 350°F | bake — 10–20 min
Dough
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
Date-Nut Filling
1 package dates, cut up
½ cup nuts
½ cup white sugar
½ cup water
Instructions
Cream butter and brown sugar together.
Add egg and vanilla.
Mix in baking soda, salt, and flour.
Chill the dough, then divide into two parts.
For the filling, cook the dates, nuts, sugar, and water together on the stove until blended.
On a sheet of wax paper topped with another piece of wax paper, roll out the dough.
Spread with the date filling.
Roll up (using the wax paper to help), and freeze.
Cut into slices about ⅓ inch thick.
Bake at 350°F for 10–20 minutes. Watch carefully — don't let them get too brown.
Transcribed from the handwritten card with the recipe's owner dictating corrections aloud for accuracy.
No. 4
BeMa's Brownies
oven — 350°F | bake — 30 min | grease sheets
Batter
2½ cups flour
6 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
3 teaspoons vanilla
1½ teaspoons salt (marked with a "?" on the card)
1½ cups butter
1½ cups chopped nuts
Instructions
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add cocoa, flour, and remaining ingredients.
Then add nuts.
Bake in greased sheet pans at 350°F for 30 minutes.
1st Frosting
½ cup soft butter
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Frost and refrigerate overnight.
2nd Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup cocoa
⅓ cup milk
3½ cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla
Two-layer frosting recipe — the 1st frosting is applied and chilled overnight, the 2nd (chocolate) frosting continues on page 2 of the original recipe binder, both included in the appendix.
No. 5
Judy's White Cake
a poke cake — coconut & cool whip topped
Instructions
Bake a white cake (not pudding-style mix) in a 9"×13" pan.
While warm, punch holes every 2 inches with a wooden spoon handle. Pour over 1 can sweetened condensed milk plus 1 (8½ oz) can cream of coconut.
Spread with 1 (12 oz) tub Cool Whip.
Sprinkle with coconut.
Transcribed from a shared recipe card with two recipes on one page.
No. 6
Susie's "Gooey" Cake
oven — 350°F | bake — 35 min | watch for golden crust
Instructions
Start with one yellow cake mix.
Melt 1 stick oleo (margarine) and beat in 1 egg.
Dump into a 9"×13" pan and mix/press to form a crust.
Beat 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, 1 box powdered sugar, and 3 eggs together with a mixer; pour over the crust.
Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes — watch closely for a golden crust.
Card title is unclear — written as "Susie's 'Jus Cake," but the recipe (cake-mix crust, cream cheese/powdered sugar/egg topping) matches a classic gooey butter cake, so the word may actually be "Gooey." Flagged for confirmation.
No. 7
Joy's Cheese Cake
oven — 350°F for ½ hr, then 325°F (second time unclear on card)
Cream
2 large cream cheese (room temp)
1 cup sugar
Add
4 egg yolks (room temp)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat & Fold In
4 egg whites, beaten stiff
Crust
1 package cinnamon honey graham crackers
⅓ cup melted butter
Instructions
Cream the cream cheese and sugar together.
Add egg yolks, flour, milk, and vanilla; mix well.
Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cream cheese mixture.
Combine crushed graham crackers and melted butter; press into a springform or 8"/9" pan to form the crust.
Pour filling into the crust.
Bake at 350°F for ½ hour, then reduce to 325°F to finish baking.
The second bake time (at 325°F) is smudged on the card and couldn't be read with confidence — worth confirming.
No. 8
No Bakes
stovetop — no oven needed
Combine & Boil
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
½ cup milk
¼ cup cocoa
dash of salt
Then Add
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats
Instructions
Combine sugar, butter, milk, cocoa, and salt. Heat to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Add vanilla, peanut butter, and quick oats.
Mix well. Drop onto waxed paper.
Add raisins (the card trails off here — reads as an optional add-in).
The last line ("add raisins") is cut off at the bottom of the card — likely an optional mix-in note.
No. 9
Pat Walsh's Apple Cake
makes a 9-inch cake | oven — 350°F | bake — 1½ hours
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2½ cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 unbeaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
6 to 8 apples, peeled and sliced, mixed with ¼ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ to ¾ cup brown sugar, for topping
Instructions
Put all ingredients, except the apple mixture and brown sugar, in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.
In a greased and floured 9-inch tube pan, alternate layers of batter and layers of apples, about 3 layers of each, starting with batter and ending with apples.
Sprinkle the top layer of apples with brown sugar.
Bake at 350°F for 1½ hours.
Clipped from a newspaper or newsletter column — the original included a short story about the recipe's origin, preserved in the scan below.
No. 10
Pumpkin Cake / Roll
oven — 350°F | bake — 15 min
Cake
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
Filling
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (3 oz) cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Gradually stir in sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice.
Stir in flour, along with the baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Fold into the pumpkin mixture. Spread onto a greased and floured jelly roll pan. Sprinkle nuts on top.
Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll up in a towel and let cool.
Unroll, fill with the cream cheese filling, re-roll, and chill.
The spice measurements (baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt) are bracketed together on the card, suggesting they're combined with the flour as dry ingredients before folding in.
No. 11
Pineapple Cake
oven — 350°F | bake — 45 min
Cake
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
½ cup nuts
1 (#2 can) crushed pineapple
Icing
8 oz cream cheese
½ cup oleo (margarine)
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup nuts
Instructions
Combine eggs, flour, baking soda, sugar, nuts, and crushed pineapple.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Beat together the cream cheese, oleo, powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts for the icing.
Ice as soon as the cake comes from the oven.
Card came as two separate photos with matching batter/icing sections — mixing method (order of combining) wasn't spelled out in detail on the card.
No. 12
Shortbread
oven — 325°F | bake — 30 min
Ingredients
¼ lb sweet butter
¼ cup confectioners sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 cups flour
Instructions
Cream butter and sugar.
Add flour by hand. Mix just until smooth.
Pat into a pie pan.
Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
A typewritten card — the clearest and most legible of the collection so far.
No. 13
Fantasy Fudge
no oven — stovetop, then cool at room temperature
Ingredients
3 cups sugar
¾ cup PARKAY margarine
⅔ cup (5⅓ fl oz can) evaporated milk
1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 (7 oz) jar KRAFT Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Combine sugar, margarine, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Continue boiling 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate pieces until melted.
Add marshmallow creme, nuts, and vanilla; beat until well blended.
Pour into a greased 13"×9" pan.
Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.
Recognized as the well-known Kraft "Fantasy Fudge" box/label recipe. A few words were cropped off at the photo's edge; those were filled in from the standard published version of this recipe rather than guessed.
No. 14
Walnut Carrot and Raisin Loaf
oven — 350°F | bake — about 1 hour | makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1⅓ cups finely grated carrot
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup Diamond Walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons of the flour mixture, set aside
⅔ cup Sun-Maid Raisins
⅔ cup oil
Instructions
Resift flour with baking powder and salt. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs together well. Stir in carrot and lemon peel, then the flour mixture.
Set aside 2 tablespoons walnuts and raisins.
Stir remaining walnuts and raisins into the batter until moistened. Turn into a greased loaf pan, 9"×5"×2¾".
Sprinkle reserved walnuts and raisins on top of the loaf.
Bake below the center of the oven at 350°F for about 1 hour, until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let stand in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
From a Diamond Walnuts / Sun-Maid Raisins package insert.
No. 15
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
by Lauren Weisenthal, via Serious Eats | oven — 300°F | yield: 12 | active: 30 min | total: 2 hr 30 min
Ingredients
3 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
7 ounces high-quality dark chocolate (61–70%), finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Begin whipping the egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on low speed. As the whites start to look wet and frothy, after about 45 seconds, add cream of tartar and salt and allow it to dissolve with the mixer still on low speed, about 10 seconds.
While the whites are still frothy, slowly begin to add the sugar in a steady stream with the mixer on low. Once you've added about ¼ cup of the sugar, increase the speed to medium and continue to gradually add the sugar as the mixer runs.
Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and whisk until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds firm peaks when you lift the whisk out of it, about 4 minutes. If it's not there yet, continue to whip the meringue on high speed at 30 second intervals and test again.
Once the meringue is at firm peak stage, spoon a tiny dot of it onto each of the four corners of a baking sheet and press the parchment paper liner down over it. This will anchor the parchment paper.
Carefully fold the chocolate into the meringue with a rubber spatula, taking care not to deflate it.
Spoon 1½ inch to 2 inch dollops of the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, spaced one inch apart. Try to shape the meringues with a spoon so they have crags and ridges all over.
Bake until the meringues harden on the outside, develop cracks, and are only slightly moist on the inside, about 2 hours (this can vary widely depending on your oven). To test for doneness, remove one meringue, allow to cool at room temperature for 5 minutes, then break open to check texture. The center should only be slightly moist at this point.
Allow the meringues to cool on a wire rack. Allow them to cool for at least 1 hour in a dry place before storing them in a container with the lid left only partially on. Moisture and humidity will cause them to melt, so try to use them soon after baking.
A gluten-free recipe. For best results, serve 20 minutes after removing from the oven while the chocolate is still slightly warm. Recipe by Lauren Weisenthal, printed from Serious Eats.
No. 16
Peanut Butter Balls
no-bake, chocolate-dipped | refrigerate — ½ hr
Filling
2 sticks margarine, melted
1 lb powdered sugar
1 (16 oz) crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 packages graham cracker crumbs
Coating
12 oz chocolate chips
½ stick paraffin wax
Instructions
Combine melted margarine, powdered sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and graham cracker crumbs.
Roll into balls. Refrigerate ½ hour.
Melt chocolate chips with paraffin wax (or use sweet chocolate as an alternative).
Dip the chilled balls into the melted chocolate coating.
The card notes "use su[gar?]... or sweet[ened] choc[olate]" as an alternative to chocolate chips and paraffin — likely offering a coating option without paraffin wax.
No. 17
Mamma Mistele's Cheese Cake
oven — 350°F for 30 min, then 325°F for 30 min
Crust
⅓ cup melted butter
1 package crushed graham crackers
Filling
2 large packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
Instructions
Mix melted butter into crushed graham crackers. Press firmly into an 8" or 9" springform pan, a few inches up the side depending on pan size.
Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
Add egg yolks, flour, milk, and vanilla. Mix until blended.
Whip egg whites until stiff (stand up to spoon test) but not dry.
Blend the egg whites gently into the cream cheese mixture until dissolved.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then reduce to 325°F and bake for 30 more minutes. Test center for doneness.
Cool completely. Top with fresh fruit or canned pie filling of choice.
The original note ends with: "Call if you need any guidance. ENJOY!!! *Refrigerate any left overs. My favorite!" — preserved here as a nice personal touch.
In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar (mixture will be stiff).
Shape into balls and place on a pan covered with wax paper. Refrigerate.
In a double boiler, melt chocolate and shortening. Pour into a bowl and dip balls with chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate is firm.
Printed from Allrecipes.com, December 2020. A close cousin to the Peanut Butter Balls recipe (No. 16) — same idea, simpler ingredient list.
No. 19
Ladyfinger Cookies (revised)
from Mom, originally 11/26/1978 | oven — 425°F for 5 min, then 375°F for 10 min
Dough
4½ cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ lb oleo (margarine)
3 egg yolks
1¾ cups water
5 drops yellow food color
Filling
¾ cup flour
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups Crisco
2 boxes powdered sugar
1 large package Cool Whip
Instructions
Mix flour, sugar, and 1½ sticks oleo like pie dough. Mix egg yolks, water, and food color; add to the flour mixture (add more flour if too sticky). Cover and chill one hour.
Roll to 18"×18" or larger. Spread 1½ sticks softened oleo over the dough.
Fold top down ⅓, bottom up ⅓, then fold sides over. Chill at least 1 hour. Repeat this folding and chilling process until the oleo is gone. Chill overnight.
Cut into 8 pieces, working with only one piece at a time (keep the rest refrigerated). Roll and press each piece until 6"×18".
Cut into strips and wrap securely around foil-wrapped clothespins.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then at 375°F for 10 minutes.
For the filling: cook together the flour and milk, then cool. Add vanilla, Crisco, and powdered sugar; beat until creamy, about 7 minutes. Fold in the Cool Whip.
Fill the cooled ladyfinger shells. Can be frozen.
The original handwritten version of this recipe (on the same "My Favorite Recipe" card series as the Date Pinwheels recipe, No. 3, also dated 11/26/1978) is preserved in the appendix alongside this later typed "revised" version.
No. 20
Sesame Noodles with Chicken
a savory dish — the first non-dessert recipe in the collection
Ingredients
2½ cups chicken broth
4 chicken breasts, with ribs
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sesame oil
9 scallions, minced
9 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons ginger root
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3½ tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
1 lb linguine
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
Instructions
Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 7–8 minutes. Let stand and shred when cool.
Measure 1½ cups stock. Toast sesame seeds.
In a skillet, heat oil and add scallion whites, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Sauté 2–3 minutes.
Add the measured stock, sugar, vinegar, soy, and tahini. Bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, stirring.
Cook pasta and pour the sauce over it. Add chicken and sesame seeds on top.
Sprinkle with scallion greens. Arrange cucumber slices around the edge.
Instructions and ingredient list came from two separate notes; the finishing touch of "~1 tsp sesame oil at end" from the ingredient note isn't explicitly placed in these steps but likely goes in with the sauce or as a final drizzle.
No. 21
Champagne Chicken
bake — 25 min | oven temp not clearly noted on card
Ingredients
Boneless chicken, cut into quarters (exact weight unclear on the card)
Flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons butter
Oil (more oil than butter)
1 to 1½ lb mushrooms, sliced
½ cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cut chicken into quarters. Dredge in flour; sauté in butter and oil (more oil than butter), browning a little.
Put chicken in a baking dish.
Slice mushrooms, then sauté (adding a little more butter).
Add white wine.
Add the heavy whipping cream.
Bake 25 minutes.
Despite the name, the card calls for white wine rather than champagne specifically — likely used interchangeably, or champagne was the wine on hand when this was written. Chicken quantity and oven temperature are unclear/cut off on the original card.
No. 22
Sally's Salmon
oven — 400°F | bake — about 20 min
Bread Crumb Mix (mix in Cuisinart or blender)
¼ cup parsley
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup toasted bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons thyme
Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise (Best Foods preferred)
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove finely chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
Cover salmon filet with the bread crumb mix.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 400°F.
Serve with the sauce.
A clean, clearly written card with checkmarks next to several ingredients, likely marking what was on hand when last made.
No. 23
Calachi (Barb's)
oven — 350°F | bake — 20–30 min | a family favorite, made across generations
Dough
3 packages dry yeast, dissolved with ½ cup warm water (112°F) for 20 minutes
2 cups milk, scalded
2 cups sugar
½ lb butter
7 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons salt
10 cups flour (may need more)
Filling
2½–3 lbs walnuts, ground fine
20 egg whites
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Cream milk, sugar, and butter together. Add egg yolks, vanilla, and salt.
Stir in the yeast mixture.
Beat in the flour and salt (using the dough hook) until the dough is shiny but not wet — more flour makes more balls.
Let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.
Form into 7 balls (thicker dough keeps them from cracking). Roll out and fill with the nut filling.
Let rise 1 hour.
Mix egg yolks and milk to brush on top of the loaves.
Bake two to a cookie tray at 350°F for 20–30 minutes.
Notes Across the Years
If you add more than 10 cups flour, grind ½ lb more nuts per cup of flour.
Remember: hot water kills yeast. Cold does nothing.
2010: Used 3 lbs walnuts and more egg whites — still not quite enough nuts. Used a food mixer with the regular attachment, then beat by hand at the end. That year needed more flour. About 3 cups nuts per circle. More milk than egg for the egg wash.
2012: Make 7 rolls — thicker dough keeps them from cracking.
2023: "Proof" twice — made the loaves larger. 2.5 lbs nuts is plenty.
One of the family's famous desserts. This card carries handwritten notes added across multiple years (2010, 2012, 2023) as the recipe was refined — preserved here alongside the base recipe.
No. 24
Mamaliga — Traditional Method
a classic Romanian dish, cook time — about 3 hours
Ingredients
2 quarts salted water
Yellow corn meal, enough to form a pyramid shape when poured in
Instructions
Put a deep, heavy soup pot with 2 quarts of salted water on the fire.
When boiling fast, pour in enough yellow corn meal at once to form the shape of a pyramid.
After the corn meal has been boiling about 30 to 40 minutes, make a hole from the top through the center with a wooden mash stick (called a facalet in Romania — a sort of thin rolling pin, traditionally hand-carved by the menfolk).
While the mamaliga boils, prepare the cheese, stew (tocana), or other side dish. Keep enough water in the pot throughout.
After cooking 3 hours, pour out one large or two small cups of the liquid. Wrap the pot in plenty of towels, hold it between your knees, and begin stirring slowly with the facalet. Continue until the mush is thick and smooth — the longer you stir, the smoother it becomes. Slowly return the liquid you set aside as you stir.
If using the mamaliga as bread: stir until very thick, cover, return to the fire, and heat 5–6 minutes. Remove from the fire and let stand 10 minutes.
Turn out onto a board — leave in the shape of the pot, or form into any desired shape. To ease turning it out, loosen the sides of the pot with a large flat knife dipped in cold water.
Family note, from Joy: "I found this in an old cook book from Romania. I have the copper pot but not the 'facalet,' but I do remember my dad making it just this way." Her grandparents credited this cheap, staple dish with helping them survive.
No. 25
Apple-Almond Galette
makes 8 servings | oven — 375°F | work: 55 min | total: 2 hrs 15 min
Ingredients
1 tube (7 oz) almond paste
2 large eggs (1 egg separated)
2 tablespoons flour, plus more for the work surface
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ to 1½ lbs baking apples (4–5 apples), peeled and cored
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the top
¾ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ recipe Perfect Pie Crust (premade Pillsbury crust works too, per handwritten note)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
In a mixer bowl, beat together almond paste, 1 egg, 1 egg white, the flour, and salt on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute; set aside.
Cut apples into ⅜-inch-thick slices and in a large bowl toss with lemon juice, sugar, ginger, and nutmeg.
Heat oven to 375°F and place rack in the lower third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out pie crust dough into a 14-inch oval. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spread almond paste mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Arrange apple slices over the almond paste. Fold over the border, pleating the dough and covering the outer edges of the apples. Freeze 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush over the crust. Generously sprinkle crust and apples with sugar. Top with almonds.
Bake until the filling is just golden and apples are tender, about 1 hour. If crust browns too quickly, cover only the crust with foil. Broil until apples are slightly browned, about 1 minute. Slide galette on parchment onto a wire rack. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Per serving: 375 calories, 20.5g total fat, 8.5g sat fat, 241mg sodium, 43g carbs, 65mg calcium, 83mg cholesterol, 7g protein, 4g fiber. A magazine clipping with handwritten shortcuts noted: 4–5 apples, and premade Pillsbury crust in place of homemade.
No. 26
Sweet Potato Crunch
makes approx. 9"×9" pan | oven — 350°F | bake — 30–35 min | a Thanksgiving staple
Base
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 small can evaporated milk
Topping
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter (not melted)
⅓ cup self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Mix all base ingredients together and spread in a 9"×9" pan.
Mix the topping ingredients by hand and sprinkle on top. It will be in chunks, but that's okay.
Bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes.
Two versions of this card exist in the collection — a handwritten recipe-book entry and this typed version with fuller instructions. A handwritten note on this copy reads "3x (1½ when doubled)," a scaling reminder for large-batch Thanksgiving cooking.
No. 27
Broccoli Casserole
from V.M. (Velvida) | oven — 350°F | bake — 25–30 min
Ingredients
2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 stick butter, melted
32 Ritz crackers, crushed
Instructions
Cook broccoli and drain. Put in a buttered casserole dish.
Arrange cubed Velveeta cheese on top of the broccoli.
Mix the melted butter with the crushed Ritz crackers.
Spread the cracker mixture on top of the cheese and broccoli.
Bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes.
Corrected via dictation from the recipe's owner after the handwriting proved too faded to read confidently on first pass.
Appendix
Original Recipe Cards
Source photographs of the handwritten card, kept alongside the transcription for reference.