Cookbook Countdown

This evening I made a recipe from "Southern Plate" ..... Mama's Taco Casserole.



It calls for instant Potato Flakes, so I bought some.

When the Handyman got home from work, he grabbed them and said 'THIS IS WHAT MY MOM FIXED....This is what we had when I was a kid." And then he opened the box and shook some out into his hand and stuffed them into his mouth. Again he said, "this is what we used to do when I was a kid."


Of course he said this muffled as the potato buds began to expand inside his mouth. Then he muffled, "or you can put some in a coffee cup with hot water from the sink, we used to have them as after school snacks."


Who knew that one little box of Potato Buds could excite him like that? Ahhhh.....memories.


**this casserole was met by approval from the whole family!


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COOKBOOK COUNTDOWN
The Wishram Washington Community Cookbook, 1993

This recipe comes to me via cookbook in an interesting way.
It's mine.   I have made it for years and have been happy to share it. My mother-in-law liked it so much she put it in a hometown cookbook, in her hometown.

We just called it "Skinny Cake", but my mother in law put it in the cookbook as "Skinny Chocolate Cake", whatever you want to call it, it's a really great sheet cake . (It just doesn't take a good picture)

SKINNY CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cubes butter
4 T. Cocoa
1 cup water
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla


Mix together the flour, sugar and salt, set aside. Melt together the butter, cocoa and water. Boil for 1 minute. Pour into flour mixture and stir to combine. Add eggs, soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well. Grease and flour a jelly roll pan (you can use a cookie sheet with sides 17 x 11 x 1 inches) Pour batter into it and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


1 cube butter
6 Tbsp milk
4 Tbsp cocoa
simmer together until butter is melted. Add 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) and pour over hot cake.


This is a good cake for a pot luck or picnic when you have a crowd. We took it with us on our picnic to the desert on Sunday.