Mississippi Mud Cake: My Daddy's Birthday Request

Because life is insane at this time of the year, I’m just getting to posting this edition of the our Mother and Daughter Cooking Adventure. We have been on hiatus a bit with some sickness this Winter/Spring, so thanks for sticking with us! I hope we are back in the groove!

Recipe-Card

Last Wednesday, in honor of the birthdays of two of my favorite guys, my brother and my dad that share a birthday this weekend- we decided to honor my dad’s request for a Mississippi Mud Cake. Not pie people, cake- much richer and sweeter because come on- CAKE!  If you have never had this cake or even a pie like it, you are missing a chance to get diabetes for sure- but totally worth it. It has all the sweet things- sugar, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and let’s not forget about the marshmallows! We used a recipe from my grandmother’s good friend Jean Williams- typed with care on a note card on surprise – a typewriter!

Mom and Me

Yummy-goodness...

I had to taste it the batter.

 If you glance at the ingredients, you’ll notice a few things that some things that are often left off of our recipes today and might cause some to shudder at Crisco AND Oleo. 



For real though, what good is a recipe without a blob of Crisco and a stick or two of Oleo??  Oleo is- well it’s what we call margarine- it has more oil in it than butter. Whenever I hear those two words together- it immediately makes me think of my grandmother- the lady I was named after. Her kitchen was made with love in all the things she baked with Crisco and Oleo. I remember the way she said it in her sophisticated Alabama Southern Voice and the way the kitchen smelled when they were being baked. Life is a little better with a bit of Oleo in it, I’m sure. Today, she’s surely smiling although we put the butter in the cake instead of her staple Oleo. It even starts to have effect on my mom when she started calling me –Julia- ann…;)

Then make the icing.

Added the marshmallows

We also didn’t have enough sugar so we added a little bit of brown sugar- we used butter though instead of the oleo. I was a bit disappointed that we had to wait to eat it, but it was well worth the wait! A Sunday evening cook-out to celebrate two of my favorite guys. And how else do you top off a good birthday or birthdays, but with a good game of hide and seek??!  

Finished Product, but we have to wait!

I think he liked it!

A huge shout out to our resident birthday boy and photographer (who suprisingly didn't take a picture of himself), who turned the big 3-0 on Saturday!! 

The one with all the feels and all the memories

This blog post wrote itself before I even sat down to share it with you. We had cooking with mom on location at my sister's house. In celebration of one of favorite people on earth, my younger sister, Lizzy, Elizabeth, or whom I affectionately call Sister Two, we made an old family favorite. This particularly family favorite we couldn't find the recipe card for (but my mom made one for with a card that looks like it's old ;))  but it's one we know by heart and happens to be one of her favorites: Slum Gullion (I'm not even sure I spell it right??!!) When I smell this concoction- it literally takes me to a specific time and place, a particular person or persons, although the name of it might turn some off - it's simply amazing and has all the goodness of a family favorite.

My sister!

The re-written recipe

The rest of it...

My grandmother's sister, Aunt Mary, used to live next door with her husband, Uncle Bill. The lived in this little house most of their life and raised my cousin Bill there (who's just a few years younger than my mom). When I was really little, I might have been a little frightened of him because he was always a quiet man who sat in his chair in the corner- he didn't always say much. The older I got, I used to relish getting to head over to Uncle Bill's and Aunt Mary's to share in his wisdom, but not only that his cooking too.

I remember the little kitchen near the back of the house that had the fifties theme- small, green, and linoleum, but full of so much warmth, especially when cooking was happening! 

Sautee Onions

My sister works the back half of the week at Amazon, which means long hours. That usually works out favorably for everyone because that means my mama takes the reigns on the cooking.

Ground meat

She began sautee'ing up those onions and browning that ground chuck to start. The aroma of those two things began to fill the house with that same old warmth.

Spaghetti-os, Ketchup

Then, she added in the brown sugar, Worcestershire (you know how she feels about that stuff), ketchup, and then all the yummy goodness of spaghetti-os. Once these all get combined - my sister and I starting asking about when it was going to be ready- all the memories flood back. 

From Uncle Bill's and Aunt Mary's to our kitchen growing up. My niece didn't love it, but it is a meal you grow to love. We talked to her daddy and brother on FaceTime and he was completely jealous- he didn't like it a first but he loves it now. She'll love it someday soon, she has to- it's required eating in this family. Huge shout out to my cousin Bill who's daddy shared this recipe with our family and created memories that have lasted a lifetime. It's also creating a new generation of memories to come.

My niece setting the table (my mini-me)

Talking to Daddy

Final Product

Burgers, yeah...

Y'all after a really long day- I almost cancelled, but I am so glad I didn't. If you've met my mama, you know that she's a talker.  She will talk to you about just about anything. If you don't like to talk at all, just don't even come near her! To be honest, it used to bug me a bit, but now I absolutely treasure it. She is going through some things and handling them like a champ, much better than I have ever handled my own business- but I digress- Burgers, yeah...

Tonight's recipe was a Mama original right down to the "catsup" on the card: Pineapple Burgers.

My mama knows I have a thing about raw meat- I am super paranoid about salmonella and the like, so my hands are always washed about a million and one times every time I work with raw meat of any kind. I preface with that saying that tonight was no exception as i divided up the ground beef (lean of course) into patties- mind you because of my paranoia there is no pictures of that part- phone, raw meat, ick. My mama is a fan of Worcestershire to help mold the patties, so Worcestershire it is. When I asked her why, she just said she just likes it- so there you have it.

There's pineapple inside the patties- the meat formed around it-- although that didn't turn out so good later. My contribution to this recipe was some grilled pineapple (see to the right...:)) These bad boys go into the oven on broil for five minutes on each side. 

Mama was in charge the sauce and the conversation. As she filled me in on the latest in her world, we put together the sauce- 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup "catsup" and 2 Tbsp of mustard in a pan- to cook for 2-3 minutes.

I mean, ya'll come on- isn't she the cutest!?

We need a side- so in walks a classic Terrell side dish- asparagus- olive oil, salt, pepper--- oven. Yum. I could literally eat this whole pan by myself.

So it turns out I am not so the pro at forming my meat around the asparagus- maybe next time a little more meat per patty, even if it means sacrificing a patty.

Ya'll though the final product, was to die for sweet mixed with the mustard and ketchup reminded me of another family favorite called Slum Gullion- which sounds yuck- but it is my little sister's favorite. Perhaps, an upcoming post with her as a special guest???

Simple, easy, and so much fun. Absolutely every time, I pull up a chair at my family table it ends up in greatness. Laughing,sharing, and just being at the table with my dad and my mom- well, it's all the things and so much more. Until next time...

A Simple Classic Breakfast for Dinner- Just the way we like it!

Did you miss us?! Mom and I have been on crazy opposite schedules but we are finally back, with one of our favorite food testers to share with you a frequent family classic. Breakfast for Dinner was one the we always were on board for and that we haven't had in a while. Tonight's menu was the Supper Pancake, which is a pancake with some casserole tendencies... what can we say, the Terrells love a good casserole. Also, did I say there was some bacon???

Recipe Card Love...

There were no adaptations here tonight- just the star of the show- the Supper Pancake. They were what we had when we didn't have anything else planned and they were always good. I actually think I forgot how good! Next time we make it, it'll be doubled. We're a little bigger and eat a bit more  (well my brother does anyway). ;)

We fell into our roles, me with the prep and the precise following of directions and my mom with her wonderful quirky sou-chef-iness.  Tonight though, Mom backed off a bit and let me take the reigns.

We obviously used it a lot- lots of stains here. Mom says that she probably got the recipe from Southern Living- that was another common item in our house. Every Southern Lady had a subscription and if you didn't well...

If you can't read the card- here's the run down:

2 T. butter or Margarine
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped (frozen/thawed) broccoli

Melt the butter in a 9" pie plate.
Combine eggs, milk, flour, and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in cheese, ham, and broccoli. Pour mixture into pie plate. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes- serve immediately. Six Servings.

Prepping and Combining

Pre-bake

Prep was minimal, bake was short. Simple dinner at it's finest.

Serving it up

There it is yummy goodness in a pan. We served it up and ate it up as fast as it came out of the oven!  


My mama's mantra is always the less ingredients the better. It's easy to make and you get to spend more quality time with your favorite people- your family and after all isn't that what this blog is all about- Cooking with my favorite lady?? I couldn't ask for a better gift. So, what are you waiting on- don't you have some quality time to get to!??

Bringin' Casseroles Back

Who decided that casseroles were out of style? My childhood was filled with the wonderful goodness of dumping multiple ingredients into a pan and popping it in the oven. Then walah (sp?)... yumminess!! Tonight my mom and I did a throwback to a simpler time when hair was big and shirts were hyper-color- the Chicken Broccoli Casserole. All your food groups in one pan- who could ask for a more perfectly balanced meal??!! Foodies out there turn your eyes and taste buds away... I'm fairly sure you wouldn't like it but to me it tastes like the joy and wonder of being a kid at your mama's table. Pull up a chair and have a taste...

Mama and Me- Getting Ready to Cook!

You should know that before we start that my mama narrated the whole event. Let's just say- eat your heart out Julia Child! So imagine this whole thing in her accent- so much richer!:)

So tonight we went to the recipe box- that wooden beautiful box and pulled out a classic. My mama told me about the origin of the box and so I think it only fair that we go there first so here's my mom's account.

"Juliann and I had fun working together. We talked about the recipe box and its origin. The box itself contains over 40 plus years of recipes. In the seventies, when people married, friends would give a bride a recipe shower. The box in my case was a gift from one of my mom's friends and the recipies in it are some of their favorites. They are handwritten, typed, stained, ripped and tattered, but all full of love."

The recipe we used tonight was from one of my grandmother's friends named Jane. They played bridge and went to church together- she was the mother of three sons, so I'm sure she knew how to feed a crowd of hungry men. 

There it is, so simple. We did adapt the rice to whole grain and not instant, then we sauteed the onion instead of grated it.  We actually started to do the rice another way, then we realized we didn't need to cook it first! 

"As Juliann and I prepared dinner, we talked about the recipe and the last time that we made it and how good it was then. The stains on the recipes were an indication of the many times they had been used. We had fun remembering the recipe and the hands that had prepared it."

Mom de-boned the chicken because I hate it!

Blending the Cream of Mushroom Soup with some milk.

Combining ingredients (rice, cream of mushroom, milk)

Chopping Broccoli

Adding Broccoli to the mixture.

Chopping Onion

Sautee-ing (sp?) the onions.

Our resident photographer took a selfie....

 Putting it in the pan...

Quality time with my favorite lady- adding the last ingredient- Cheese!

So, that's it. Broccoli Chicken Casserole and it must have been good...

Who else is in for bringing casserole's back?! 

An Idea and a Plan for Cooking with Mom

The older we become the more we realize that your roots are an integral part of making you who you are. I have always have had this deep desire to know my heritage and the people who paved a way for me. Also, I believe that as we age it becomes more important and critical to connect ourselves to who we are and who made us that way.

My mama. If you are fortunate enough know her, you love her. She is kind. She is quirky. She loves her family and her friends with abandon- seriously, only God loves you more than my mother! She is intentional and always hopeful. She believes the best in people, in their inherent goodness  - something I believe she passed on to me and I treasure.  Everyday, every moment we spend together - I am happy to say I see something more of her in me. And that is my absolute treasure and a legacy that is unbelievable. She doesn't always believe me when I say these kind of things to her, but mom, believe them.

Part of the reason I wanted to embark on this journey with her is because I wanted to know her more. I want to understand her quirks and learn the things that make her tick. You might think that after nearly thirty seven years as her daughter, I would know these things, but I think I am just beginning to know them. 

So you're like, so what are we doing here- what is this journey? 

There's this brown wooden box. It has been in every kitchen we've ever lived in and it's full of my history. Wonderful rich recipes written in the beautiful unmistakable handwriting of my grandmother. There are ones of my grandmother's friends, other relatives, and of course my mother. I even found a special note my dad had written to mom as a young bride on the back of one. Some of these recipes made up the dinner table of my childhood and others I've never had before.  So I thought why not make some of them- my mom and I (and my sister when she can join us). Old Memories creating new memories. It's perhaps one of the most lovely things there is. I get to combine two things I love- my mama and writing.  A perfect gift.

So, throughout the year- Mom and I will be cooking, laughing, sharing, and growing together over a taste of the past and a glimpse of the future. Then we will be writing about it - sharing how we made the old - new. I can't wait for you to join us along the way.