CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES (Makes 8 dozen)

3 cups sifted flour
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
2 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 cups light brown sugar (firmly packed)
4 large eggs
2 t vanilla
6 cups dry quick cooking oats
2 cups raisins
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips (or 2-6 oz. pkgs.)

Preheat oven to 375.

sift flour, soda & salt together and set aside.  In mixer cream both sugars and shortening with eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add the flour mixture and blend well.  (Transfer to extra large bowl at this point.)  Add oats, raisins and chocolate chips and stir with wooden spoon until evenly distributed.  Lightly grease cookie sheets.  Roll in 2" balls or use small ice cream scoop and place 2" apart.  Bake about 12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove after 2 minutes cooling time.  Cool on wire racks.

I made half a recipe and it made plenty, enough to fill a cookie jar.  12 minutes baking time is perfect because one more minute and they would've been too dark.  They're nice and chewy, kinda like an oatmeal cookie with the added bonus of chocolate chips!

TOASTED PUMPIN SEEDS

In 250 oven melt 2 T margarine on foiled cookie sheet.  Sprinkle washed pumpkin seeds over foil and bake.  As they begin to brown, sprinkle with seasoned salt.  Stir every 10 minutes.k  Taste after 1 hour and every ten minutes thereafter until they are crisp and crunchy.  Add more margarine and/or seasoned salt as needed throughout baking process.  Takes about 1 hour and 30-45 minutes.

My mom made this economical snack all through my childhood using the seeds we scooped out from carving our pumpkin!  Hers always came out perfect...my effort was pretty close

EXTRA LARGE SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter or mrgarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t lemon extract
1/2 t vanilla
2-1/4 cup sifted flour

Mix, then chill dough.  Roll or scoop into balls.  Roll in granulated sugar or dry jello.  Flatten with glass dipped in sugar.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Makes 3 to 5 dozen depending on size.

Note:  Use large scoop and scrape even with edges.  Roll rounded side in colored sugars.  Bake 350 for 10 minutes on foil covered and Pam sprayed cookie sheet.  Place 2" apart.

These are easy and good.  I didn't try the second option of scooping them and rolling in colored sugar, but that might be fun.

DUTCH BEET CAKE

2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1-1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
3 whole eggs
1/2 t vanilla
9 oz. strained beets
1 cup cooking oil

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.  Bake in lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish at 350 for 35 minutes.

Frosting:
Combine 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar with 1/4 cup milk and 1 cube butter or margarine.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Beat until thick and creamy and spread on cake.

This is all right.  The beets surprisingly taste fine in this cake, but I wouldn't want to make it again.

CARAMEL CANDY

3 cups sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
3 cups canned milk
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 t. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
baking chocolate if desired (1 square)

In good sized kettle mix together and stir sugar, cream of tartar, calt and 1 cup of the canned milk.  Cook over medium heat stirring often until 238.  Do not scrape sides of pan hard.

Slowly add second cup of cream as mixture continues to boi.  Cook to 238 again.

Slowly add karo syrup and bring to 238 again.

Slowly add third cup of cream and chocolate if desired and cook to 248.

Stir in vanilla and nuts.  Pour in buttered 9 X 13 pan and let cool.  Do not scrape pan.  Put scrapings on a separate buttered plate.  Do not let it get too hard.  Turn out on lightly powdered sugared board.  Cut in squares and wrap in wax paper.

When you're working over a hot stove and stirring you can only hope it will be worth it.  I used the chocolate option, and it tastes great.  It has a firm caramelly texture.  The only problem is that once it cooled off I got too hard to chew.  Great to suck on, but it lost its chewiness.  Flavor is really good.  Just have to savor that first sample when it's chewy.

GLORIFIED RICE PUDDING

1 cup raw rice
2 cups water
3/4 t salt

Bring to boiling.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

1 cup pineapple (crushed or tidbits including juice)
24 marshmallows (or 2 cups miniature)
1 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup sugar
shake or two of cinnamon

Add to rice and stir well.

1 cup whipping cream whipped or 1 envelope of dreme whip made up.  Fold in.  Serves 8 to 10.

I thought this was pretty good.  I really like dates and pineapple, so I was looking forward to trying this.  I still like the traditional rice pudding better however