Gramma Jolly in her old neighborhood - 91st Street

Honey Cheese Cake

Preheat oven to 300º

2 large cream cheese packages
3/4 C honey
3 eggs
Juice from 1 lemon

Topping:
1 pint sour cream
1/4 C honey
1 t vanilla

Pour into a prepared graham cracker crust and make for 40 minutes. Cool and then cover with the topping

Mev Loomer's Rum Cake

1 C margarine
2 C sugar
4 eggs
3 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t soda
1.2 t baking powder
1 C buttermilk (or add 2 t vinegar to regular milk)
1/2 bottle rum extract

Cream shortening and sugar til light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add milk alternately with dry mixture. Stir in flavoring. Pour into floured/greased tube pan.

Bake at 325º for 1 hour or until done (test with a toothpick)

Rum Cake Icing
2 C water
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 bottle rum flavoring

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from stove; cool slightly. Add rum flavoring.

Remove cake from the tube pan carefully so as not to remove the light brown crust. Spoon all of the liquid icing over the cake and let it soak in.

Remove cake

Apricot Bread (from Gramma Julia)

Makes 4 medium loaves

1 1/2 C dried apricots
Juice of 3 oranges (ground peel of 1 orange)
Water boiling enough to make 2 C liquid
1 1/2 C raisins
2 C sugar
5 1/2 T melted shortening
1 T vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
6 C flour
1 t salt
1 T soda
2 T baking powder
1 1/2 C chopped nuts

Soak apricots 1/2 hour. Squeeze the juice of the oranges and add boiling water to make 2 C. Grind rind of 1 orange and raisins. Add to the juice. Stir in sugar and beaten eggs. Add vanilla. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients.

Pour into greased/floured pans. Bake at 350º for 50 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 425º

2 C sifted flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t soda
1 t salt
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t caraway seed
3 T shortening
1 C buttermilk
2/3 C chopped raisins

Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt and sugar into a bowl and add caraway seed. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles meal. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in buttermilk. Add raisins and mix lightly. Turn onto a floured board and knead gently. Shape into a ball and fit it into a greased 9" round cake pan. Cut loaf cross-wise into quarters.

Bake until golden, 35-40 minutes. (If the top gets too dark while baking, form a foil tent over it.)

Clay Dough (for ornaments, etc.)

4 C flour
1 C salt
1 1/2 C water
bobby pins

Knead until smooth. Keep in a plastic bag.

Preheat oven to 350º Bake for 1 hour.

(Use "old fashioned" bobby pins as hooks...be sure to insert them into your dough creations BEFORE you bake them!)

Papa David & Gramma Jolly on their 65th wedding anniversary!