Our family traditions continue.

RED VELVET CAKE preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 1/2 cup cane sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, on at a time. In a separate small glass bowl, stir together 2 TB cocoa, 1/4 cup red food coloring, and 1 ts vanilla, to form a paste. Beat it into the batter. Stir 1 ts salt into 1 cup of buttermilk. Add, in 3 parts, alternating with 2 1/4 cups flour. In small cup, held over the batter,stir 1 ts baking soda into 1 ts applecider vinegar...QUICKLY...and add it to the batter. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9" round cake pans. Bake until cake tests done-about 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. When cool, cut layers in half to form 4 layers. Frost. Now for the FROSTING Slowly whisk 3 TB flour into 1 cup of milk, in a saucepan till smooth. Cook over med heat until thick...about 5 minutes. Let cool. Beat 1 cup softened, unsalted butter, and 1 cup of cane sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in 1 ts vanilla. Slowly beat in the cooled milk mixture. Continue beating until totally mixed. Spread the icing over the tops of three layers, then place one on top of the other, and frost the rest of the cake. LEMON MERINGUE PIE Start by pre-baking a pie shell. Combine 3 egg yolks, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and 1/3 cup corn starch in top of a double boiler; mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until MIXTURE thickens and boils. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 TB butter, 2 ts white vinegar and 1 1/2 ts lemon extract. Pour immediately into baked pie shell. Spread with meringue and seal the edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 5-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool before serving. Meringue Beat 4, room temperature egg whites, and 1/2 ts cream of tartar, on high speed with an electric mixer, for 1 minute. Gradually add 3/8 cup of sugar, 1 TB at a time. Beat until sugar disolves(2-4 minutes) Beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread over hot filling, sealing to the edge. Bake until golden. I was given this recipe by a 92 yr old woman in the heart of downtown Kansas City. It was 1978. She was a black lady who had more knowledge of EVERYTHING than anyone I'd ever met. I would go and sit on the window seat in her second floor apartment of an old brownstone type building and just listen to her talk. One day I asked her if she knew how to make Lemon Meringue Pie as it was my new husband's favorite. She said "oh child, I can make anything." And she spent the next hour and a half showing me how . . . it's still the best I ever had. This is the recipe she gave me. OLD FASHIONED LEMON CHESS PIE 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp corn meal or flour juice of two large lemons or three small lemons 4 eggs 2 tbsp. butter, melted Mix flour and sugar, then add lemon juice and melted butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Pour into a pie crust and bake at 300 degrees for about one hour, or until the mixture begins to set and turns golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. SHORTBREAD CRUST Yields: one 9-inch crust 3/4 C. all-purpose flour 1/3 C. cornstarch 1/3 C. confectioners' sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 C. cold butter (1 stick), cut up (no substitutions) 1 tsp. vanilla extract Preheat oven to 325ºF. In medium bowl, with fork, stir flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors-fashion, cut in butter and vanilla extract until fine crumbs form and mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Pat dough into 9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. For ease of handling, place sheet of plastic wrap over dough and smooth dough over bottom and up side of pan. Remove and discard plastic wrap. With fork, prick dough at 1-inch intervals to prevent puffing and shrinking during baking. Place tart shell in freezer 10 minutes or refrigerator 30 minutes to firm crust. Bake tart shell 28 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool crust completely in pan on wire rack. I fill this with anything that needs to be done in a grahm cracker crust, like no bake cheesecake, or chocolate pie filling. Best Carrot Sheet Cake INGREDIENTS: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots) 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 (3 1/2-ounce) can sweetened flaked coconut 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Buttermilk Glaze, Cream Cheese Frosting (recipes to follow) INSTRUCTIONS: Stir together first 4 ingredients. Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrots and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; cover pan loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 13 more minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over cake; cool completely in pan. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over cake. YIELD: Makes 10 to 12 servings PREPARATION TIME: 25 min. COOKING TIME: Bake: 43 min. Buttermilk Glaze INGREDIENTS: 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract INSTRUCTIONS: Bring sugar, baking soda, butter, buttermilk, and corn syrup to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes or until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract. Note: You can serve this recipe with Best Carrot Sheet Cake. YIELD: Makes 1 1/2 cups PREPARATION TIME: 5 min. COOKING TIME: 10 min. Cream Cheese Frosting INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract INSTRUCTIONS: Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat at high speed 10 seconds or until smooth. Note: serve this recipe with Best Carrot Sheet Cake. YIELD: Makes 4 cups PREPARATION TIME: 5 min. Caramel-Glazed Pear Cake Very ripe pears make this cake ultramoist. INGREDIENTS 4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and diced (about 3 cups) 1 tablespoon sugar 3 large eggs 2 cups sugar 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Caramel Glaze INSTRUCTIONS Toss together pears and 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand 5 minutes. Beat eggs, 2 cups sugar, and oil at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to egg mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in pears, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and drizzle Caramel Glaze over warm cake. Caramel Glaze INGREDIENTS 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup evaporated milk INSTRUCTIONS Stir together brown sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Chunky Apple Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Cream Cheese Frosting (use above recipe) Chopped walnuts, toasted (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in apple slices and 1 cup walnuts. Spread into a greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. YIELD: 12 to 15 servings PREPARATION TIME: 25 min. COOKING TIME: 45 min. Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake A large heavy-duty mixer is the secret to this one-step mixing method. INGREDIENTS 3 cups sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup butter, softened 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 6 large eggs 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Lemon Glaze INSTRUCTIONS Place first 9 ingredients in a 4-quart mixing bowl (in that order). Beat at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on wire rack. Drizzle evenly with Lemon Glaze. Note: I used a KitchenAid mixer. YIELD: 1 (10-inch) cake. PREPARATION TIME:10 min. COOKING TIME: Bake: 1 hr., 30 min.