Grandma Bonnie's Chocolate Sheet Cake

In memory of my sweet Grandma...

Chocolate Sheet Cake 

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 stick butter/margerine
1 c. water
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda


*Mix flour and sugar in a bowl.
*Bring oil, butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Add it to flour mix.
*Add in eggs, vanilla and milk.
*Mix well and pour into jelly roll pan.
*Bake @ 375* for 20 minutes or more until toothpick comes out clean


Icing:


1 stick butter
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk
1 box powder sugar (4 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. nuts - chopped *optional*


*Bring butter, cocoa and milk to boil.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts.
*Pour over cake while cake is still warm.  (This was always the tricky part to getting the icing to come out smooth and pretty.  Inevitably it's the part that I have failed at on more than one occasion.)


*Meghan

Sentimental Recipes - Great-Grandma's Banana Bread

What does a snowy day mean to you?  Cozied up by a fire?  Wrestling a house full of stir-crazy kids?  Maybe you get more house-cleaning done because you are cooped up.  Or perhaps you are in-tune with your surroundings and give in to the urge to get out a make some snow balls.  Well, for me I love to sit and watch the snow fall from inside a warm house.  And then I want to bake.  

And today is one of those snowed-in (not really, but I'll keep telling myself that) days.  If the snow is coming down, I must turn on the oven and get baking.  It is inevitable that these winter months will bring on the pounds with it.  But I just can't help myself.

So, what I thought I'd share with you are some family recipes.  It's kind of funny as I was thinking about what recipes I wanted to share I wondered if there was any reason I should just keep them "in the family" and could not think of one reason that I should not share these with you.  So here goes.  Enjoy!

My Great-Grandmother's Banana Bread

(Her name was Grandma Baker - growing up I thought that was just what people called her because she liked to bake! Hehe!)

Yields: 1 loaf

1/2 c. margerine/butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 c. mashed bananas

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. milk

Mix butter, sugar and egg in large bowl until fluffy - on high speed.  In a separate small bowl mix bananas and milk.

Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Stir into sugar mixture alternately with banana/milk mixture.

Turn into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan.  Bake in moderate oven (I love the language used here! ~ means 350*) 1 hour or until center springs back.

Cool in pan 5 minutes; then remove to cool completely. 

A Time for Everything

You may have noticed that posts have been few and far between this past month.  And there is an explanation.  After struggling through chemotherapy for lung cancer for the past 8 months my grandmother was hospitalized with pneumonia about a month ago and after almost two full weeks in the hospital, God called her home... her eternal home.  

After a recent conversation with a friend, I realized I had defaulted to my "old ways" of dealing with hard situations.  I was bottling it up.  I couldn't cry.  I couldn't feel the emotions I wanted to.  It has been hard.  I watched this most beloved woman I am graced to call Grandma suffer, for months, and still keep a God-ward focus.  It was brutal.  Then, as much as time away from our children allowed, I was with her in the hospital as much as I could be.  I was there during the last 3 days when you could tell death was close.  She had not been awake for those three days.  It was hard.  Even that doesn't describe what we walked through as a family.  And sitting by her bed, holding her hand, peppering her with kisses, I wouldn't allow myself to get emotional.  I had an eternal hope I was resting in for her life.  That was God's grace for those moments.  And still is.

But I continue to grieve the loss of her life, her presence in our family.  She meant more to me than my frail words will ever be able to convey.  I loved her so.  If ever there was a connection between a grandmother and granddaughter I would wish they could share what we did.  She was my best childhood friend.

Perhaps in coming days I will be able to share about her life with you.  God is working on healing my heart.  And I will rest in Him.  After all, He does understand suffering and mourns with me.  He does not turn a blind eye to us in it.  John 11:35 says, "Jesus wept."  Shortest verse in the Bible, and yet we see Jesus' compassion and humanness as he cried over the death of a beloved man.  His heart of love broke right along with this family and does with ours as well.  


So, now you are up to speed where I am and can pray for me and our family... especially my grandfather, who lost his bride... pray that we will continue to rest in God's grace for these moments.


*Meghan