Heritage Recipes: Velma Tyler Glenn (1906-1996)

This is another post in my project to preserve favorite recipes that have been passed down in my family. Here are some recipes that have been passed down from Velma Tyler Glenn.

Fredericksburg Graham Bread

2 T. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 T. shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. salt
1/3 cup molasses
2 cups cooled, scalded milk
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg, well beaten
3 to 3 1/2 cups white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. In bowl combine shortening, brown sugar, salt, molasses, scalded milk, whole wheat flour, dough enhancer, and gluten. Mix well. Stir in egg and yeast. Mix for 5 minutes.

Add white flour to make a stiff dough. Knead 5-7 minutes. Place in greased bowl. Let rise for one and a half hours. Make into loaves and place in greased pans. Let rise for about 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Makes three pans that are 7.5" x 3.5".

My Aunt Cherise (daughter of Velma's son Derald) said: 

"I also add:

1 1/2 T. dough enhancer
2 T. gluten

"The dough enhancer and gluten are not necessary, but I find that they improve the texture of the bread. I have found them at Macey's grocery store.

"This recipe can also be used for white bread. Use white sugar instead of brown. Use light Karo syrup in place of molasses. Use all white flour."

My mom (married to Derald's son Kevin) got this recipe from the Glenns after she married my dad and she always made it when I was growing up. She used 2/3 cup powdered milk and 2 cups of water instead of the 2 cups scalded milk.


Applesauce Stack Cake

1 C butter
2 C sugar
4 eggs
2 T milk or cream
4 or 5 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add flour, baking powder and vanilla.  Mix all together.

Make into 8 balls--same size.  Bake in round cake pans.  Put a ball of dough in pan and use hand to press the ball out to fit the pan.  Cook about 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from pans and cool. Spread applesauce between layers.  Make cake four layers high.  The applesauce should be thick.

Note from Marcelaine: One of my most vivid memories of Grandma Velma is a time when we visited her at her house and she had made this Applesauce Cake. I don't know how tall the cake actually was, but at the time it seemed like it was about a foot tall. The cake gets better if you freeze it and let it age in the freezer so that the flavors blend.

Heritage Recipes: Jenna V Jensen Warthen (1926-2003)

As I read these histories of my ancestors, one of the things that I often think is, "Okay, that's interesting that she liked to make that, but where's the recipe she used?" Then today I remembered that I have a few inherited recipes and I have decided to share them here on this blog alongside other resources about these people. Please feel free to share any recipes you have inherited from any of the people I have talked about on this blog. I think you can learn a lot about a person from the recipes that he/she loved to make and eat.

So here are some recipes that have been passed down from my grandmother, Jenna V Jensen Warthen.

Grammy Jenna's Cheese Ball

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
2 Tbsp. pimiento cheese spread
1 Tbsp. Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp. Accent
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
2 Tbsp. finely diced green onion

Blend thoroughly. Form into a ball. To do this, line a small bowl with plastic wrap and put the spread in the bowl. Pull up the plastic wrap to form a ball. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Take it out of the plastic and roll in sliced almonds or chopped pecans.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 1/2 oz.  can well-drained crushed pineapple

2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper

1 tsp Accent

Chopped pecans

Blend together and roll in pecans.  Refrigerate.

Use cheese balls as a dip for crackers. We always had them with Christmas Eve dinner.

Some notes from Marcelaine about the ingredients:  

• Pimiento cheese spread can be hard to find in the store. I have never put it in the cheese ball and it turns out just fine. Grammy used to buy those cheese spreads for special occasions and we would put them on celery, so that's a special memory. She saved the jars to use as small glasses. They looked pretty!
• Accent is by the spices. Full disclosure: it is MSG. I do think it enhances the flavor, but if you object to that then you can try substituting some salt or just going without.
• The nuts are the best part! Usually I just put the cheese ball in a bowl instead of shaping it and I sprinkle nuts on top whenever they've been scooped away.