• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup molasses
• 4 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and molasses. Sift together dry ingredients and combine all. Drop and press onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 F for 10 to 12 mins.

Also known as Matrimonial Cake, these date squares were one of Mom’s standby desserts that we all loved.

• 1-3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cups margarine (use 2/3 cups coconut oil instead for an easy vegan version)
• 3/4 lb. chopped dates, pitted
• water
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t vanilla

Mix oats, flour, baking powder, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and salt. Rub in the margarine. Press 2/3 of mix firmly into bottom of greased 8″ pan.

Boil the dates with a little water and 2 T brown sugar until soft. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Spread carefully on top of the oat and flour base in pan. Cover with rest of the oat and flour mix, this time pressing it only very slightly into dates.

Bake at 300 F for about 40 minutes.

• 4 T cornstarch
• 4 T flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 T butter
• few gratings lemon rind
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 9″ baked pie crust
• 4 egg whites
• 8 T sugar
• 1/4 t vanilla
• pinch salt

In double boiler, mix cornstarch, flour, salt and sugar. Add boiling water. Cook and stir over direct heat until mixture boils. Set over hot water, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Add butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, and yolks. Cook and stir until thick. Cool.

Prepare merengue with egg whites beaten stiff with 8 T sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add 2 T of merengue to filling and fill pie shell. Spoon rest of merengue on top of pie.

Bake at 425 F about 5 minutes or until brown.

Arroz con Leche Mexicano

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup raisins

Mix rice in water with cinnamon. Let stand overnight. Cook and cool.

Beat eggs with milk, then add sugar. Add to rice along with the raisins. Simmer until thick (about 10 minutes).

• 10 cobs corn
• 4 oz. butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 beaten egg whites
• 1/2 t salt
• extra milk, sugar and butter

Grate cobs of corn. Place in frying pan with butter. Slowly add 1 cup milk. Cook 30 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat. Add sugar and egg yolks beaten with a little milk and salt.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks and fold into mixture. Place in individual molds, sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter. Brown in hot oven.

A straightforward, standard pumpkin pie recipe with absolutely no frills. Simple goodness and a treat we always looked forward to at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

• 1-1/2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
• 1 unbaked pie crust

Mix together all ingredients.

Pour into pie shell and bake 10 minutes at 450F. Lower heat to 300F and bake for another 45 minutes.

Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Dutch Spice Cookies

These cookies, crisp when they come out of the oven, soften wonderfully into chewy treats when stored for a week or so. The variety that our Dutch friends introduced us to  years ago were baked in the shape of windmills.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t ginger
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 2 cups soft butter
• 3 T sour cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 t unsweetened cocoa
• 1 egg

Put flour, sugar, salt, spices, cocoa, baking powder, and lemon rind in a bowl. Mix in butter with fingers to make crumbs. Add egg and mix again. Add just enough sour cream to hold together and make a stiff but not crumbly dough that rolls easily.

Divide in half and press onto 2 cookie sheets without sides; roll 1/8″ thick. Cut dough in strips 2 x 3″ and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Break one open to see if done. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and loosen with a spatula.

Store airtight. Better if aged for one week.

• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups wholewheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp orange juice or water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix oil, honey and egg. Blend in peanut butter. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into peanut butter mix alternately with orange juice or water and vanilla. Place spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and press down with fork. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until brown.

Our Hungarian relatives made this dessert for me on my twelfth birthday, and I will never forget the layers upon layers of cake interspersed with the creamy chocolate filling.

• 7 or 8 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Cream egg yolks with sugar until fluffy. Add flour gradually with the vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Grease a cookie sheet and lines with greased wax paper. Pour dough on sheet and bake about 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF. When done, turn out onto a towel sprinkled with sugar. Peel paper from the cake. Let cool, then cut into four equal oblong slices, then again to make 8 layers.

For Filling:

• 1 stick butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 pkg. chocolate bits, melted
• 1 whole egg
• Vanilla
• Whipping cream

Cream sugar and butter until smooth. Add chocolate, egg and a few drops of vanilla. While beating, add the whipping cream slowly until the mixture is the right consistency for filling and spreading.

Spread thinly between the layers and on the outside of the torte.

A quick and easy sweet bread with moist dates and crunchy nuts that’s great for breakfast, as a dessert, or as a snack.

Ingredients for Date and Nut Bread

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 egg
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped nuts

Preparing Date and Nut Bread

Mix together the chopped, pitted dates, brown sugar, oil and boiling water. Allow dates to soften and mixture to cool. Stir in the egg, beaten, baking powder, flours, salt and nuts.

Put into a greased loaf pan (9 x 5″). Bake at 350F for approximately 50 minutes.