Your neighbor's recipe: Holiday treats

CROTHERSVILLE - Living at home with only her cat doesn't allow Linda Seals many opportunities to cook for other people.

But with Easter this past weekend, she was able to cook and bake several items for dinner with her family. Besides baking a ham, Seals made banana nut bread using a recipe from a "Better Homes and Garden" cookbook.

"I used to make stuff like this when my kids were small," Seals said of the bread. "It's rare to make anything from scratch anymore," referring to all the premixed and pre-made foods available.

With the growth of her family, Seals recruits each of her three kids to help provide food for the Easter dinner. She said she makes a menu and calls each of her children to have them bring side dishes. Seals has seven grandkids, three great-grandsons and another great-grandchild on the way.

Seals didn't learn how to cook until after she was married.

"I didn't cook when I was a teenager; we did the dishes," Seals said.

One of the first meals she remembers making was wilted lettuce. She said she put the lettuce in the bacon grease and "I cooked it." She and her husband didn't think it tasted right, "but he ate it anyways."

Seals' cooking has changed over the years.

"Back then, we fried everything," Seals said. "Now, I don't eat red meat (with a few exceptions)."

Italian is one of the types of food she likes to cook for herself.

"I make spaghetti and meat sauce with fresh herbs," Seals said. "Plus I like to try new recipes."

Over the years, Seals has kept a collection of recipes in her kitchen.

"I have a recipe my mother-in-law gave me for stack cake," Seals said. "That was something she always made."

When making the cake her mother-in-law, Tennie Seals, would measure the flour and sugar in her palm and add eggs as she thought they were needed.

"I found it years later in a newspaper and started making it," Seals said of a recipe similar to her mother-in-law's.

Seals leads a busy life working part time at the town hall, being treasurer for her church and working as a treasurer for the sesquicentennial committee for Crothersville.

"This year is our 150th year," Seals said of the town's existence. "We are working toward and trying to raise money to have events for then."

The sesquicentennial will be celebrated Sept. 11-14. The committee is hoping to have a parade, horseshoes, water bottle contest and is trying to do "a lot of old-time things from years ago."

Events will be planned for children, too. They are also hoping to have a re-enactment.

Organizers have had fundraisers to raise money for the event, including a St. Patrick's Day dinner on March 15. They plan to have more fundraisers, including bake sales, and soon there with be a souvenir plate available for sale. Seals said she hopes that will be ready by the Red, White and Blue Festival in June.

"We need helpers. More people to help do things," Seals said.

To volunteer, you can contact Seals. You can also attend the meetings every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Crothersville Library. Meetings are open to anyone.

Banana Nut Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (5 medium)

1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9 x 5 x 3 inch or two 7 1/2 x 3 1/ 2 x 2 inch pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy) Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s).

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes for the 9 x 5 x 3 inch pan, or 40 to 45 minutes for 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent over browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Old Fashioned Stack Cake

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp soda

2 eggs, well-beaten

1 cup butter or shortening

1 cup molasses or brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

applesauce, apples, or apple butter

Sift the flour and add the eggs, baking powder, salt, soda, ginger, sugar, molasses, shortening and milk. Make a stiff dough. Extra flour will have to be used as the dough is handled because it is very sticky. Do not roll the dough, just pat in pans to bake and make layers. Use 9 inch layer pans and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or less. Makes seven layers. It is best to bake only two layers at a time and add fruit, then bake 2 more, etc, while they are still pliable. Spread between each layer with apple butter, applesauce, or sweetened cooked apples.

 Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar  

1/2 cup cocoa (Hershey's)

1 cup boiling water

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup mayo

1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together, and then mix in the remaining items. Mix well and bake at 350 degrees until done. This makes one layer. I usually put it in a square pan to bake. Add any icing you like, I usually use powered sugar icing on mine.