I was cooking family meals by the time I was eight. They
weren't very good but two were family favorites. Corn fritters and lemon feather cake. They were cooked on a
kerosene range, (with no supervision because my mother was
always outside milking cows).

Later, when I married at eighteen and needed recipes, I went
to my former landlady who was a fantastic cook. She gave me
a formula for all cream pies and puddings and a bread recipe
that I still use.

Ashley wants to learn to cook and I am going to start her
on caramel pudding. This is the formula:
l cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons of flour.
3 egg yolks beaten
2 cups milk.
You then add chocolate...4 Tablespoons of cocoa, coconut,or
whatever it takes to make the kind of pie you want. If making
lemon you use water instead of milk and if you are making
pineapple you add it to the cooked pudding.

We will use the formula and before starting it will melt
5 tablespoons of sugar in an iron skillet until it is dark
brown and not burned. Then we will immediately add l cup
of the milk and let it all melt together and cool down.

In a bowl we will combine the other ingredients stirring the
flour and sugar together, adding the beaten eggs to the milk
and blending well. Add the cooled caramel mixture and pop
in the microwave for l0 minutes or so, stirring about three
times during the ten minutes cooking time, whisking each time. Mrs Martin had me stirring it over the stove but when
I discovered the microwave method, it was much easier. We
will add vanilla and 2 tablespoons of butter to the cooked
filling, chill it and top with whipped cream. The cooking
time depends on your microwave but as you check it the pudding and whisk it you can figure out when it has cooked
long enough.

I usually make pudding and pie filling this way while I
am working in the kitchen anyway.

The bread recipe which is never fail is called egg bread
and it goes like this.

2 pkgs of dryyeast
2 cups warm water
One half cup of sugar
1 beaten egg
4 cups flour
Beat thoroughly together
Then add 6 tablespoons oil
3 more cups of flour
stir in and knead until smooth and elastic. It may be
sticky, don't worry about it. Let rise in a warm place
until double, punch down and let rise again. At this
point you can shape it let it rise and bake it. I put half in the fridge, covered with a damp cloth and use it the
next day after shaping and letting it rise.

If you have a dough hook and a mixer use it for kneading.
You can get this recipe off of food network and you might
want to look at it. I use very little salt in this recipe
and sometimes none at all. I am sure food network has better directions.

I have worn out one Kitchen Aide mixer and am using one I
got at an estate sale now. In my opinion, they are a cook's
best friend with a good iron skillet not far behind.