My Mother-Lovie Westfall Pumpkin Pie 1 can (16 oz.) Pumpkin 2 eggs lightly beaten ¾ cup of sugar ½ teaspoon of salt ¼ teaspoon of cloves or allspice 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1½ cups of milk Combine ingredients in order given-eggs first. Pour into 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes-then bake at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes or until knife inserted in middle of pie comes out clean. Rhubarb Pie Cut in small pieces 2 heaping cups of rhubarb Add 1 cup of sugar 2 tablespoons of flour 1 tablespoon of butter 2 egg yolks Mix and let stand for one half hour. Line pie pan with crust. Put in filling and bake until rhubarb is tender. Beat egg whites and add 2 tablesoons of sugar. Spread on pie and set in oven and brown. Custard Pie 2 egg yolks 3 eggs ½ cup of sugar ¼ teaspoon of salt 3 cups of very hot milk 1½ teaspoons of vanilla Nutmeg Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a one quart baking dish. Beat the yolks and eggs together just enough to blend. Stir in the sugar and salt, and slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla. Pour into baking dish, and sprinkle with some nutmeg. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. The custard is set when a knife in the center comes out clean. Blackberry Pie Pastry dough for 9 inch 2 crust pie 4 cups of blackberries 3 tablespoons of flour 1 cup of sugar ¼ teaspoon of salt 1 tablespoon of butter Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line the pie pan with half the pastry dough. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the blackberries and toss well. Pile the mixture into the lined pie pan and dot with butter. Roll over the top crust and drape it over the pie. Crimp the edges and cut several slits in the top. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, and then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 or 40 minutes, or until the top crust is browned. Making Pie Crusts 2 cups of flour 1 teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of baking powder one third cup of lard or shortening one third cup of cold water one third cup of butter Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Work in the lard or shortening, sprinkle on the cold water a drop at a time, stirring lightly with a fork and using only enough water to keep the dough together. Form a ball with the dough, and with the rolling pin roll out the dough on the dough board. Dot with the butter and continue to roll the dough until it is ¼ inch thick. Makes 2 nine inch pie crusts. Gooseberry Pie Dough for 2 nine inch pie crusts 4 cups of gooseberries 1 cup of sugar 1½ teaspoons of flour ¼ teaspoon of salt Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a pie pan with half the pie crust dough. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add the washed and stemmed gooseberries to the bowl and mix until well coated. Then pile into the lined pie pan. Put the top pie crust on and crimp the edges, and make slits in the top of the crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown.

My Mom was a wonderful cook. She would come in from working hard outside on the farm, and fix a great meal for my father and I, and often company who would come to visit. Everybody who visited complimented my mother on her cooking, and often marveled at how quickly she could put a big meal together. My mother passed away in 1995. These are some of my mom's favorite recipes. Pancakes For a bowl full of pancake batter mix Mix 2 cups of flour 1 egg (optional) 2 teaspoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of baking soda ½ teaspoon of salt Then pour in milk or water and mix until smooth. Corn Bread 1 cup of flour ½ teaspoon of salt 3½ teaspoons of baking powder 2 tablespoons of sugar 1 cup of corn meal 1 egg 1 cup of milk One-third cup of cooking oil Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together. Then mix it with corn meal. Then add the egg, milk, and shortening. Stir until moistened. Pour into 9 inch pan, Bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minute. You can use less flour and more corn meal if you want-1½ cups of corn meal to ½ cup of flour. White Gravy 2 tablespoons of butter 2 tablespoons of flour ½ teaspoon of salt 1 cup of milk Heat butter until melted. Blend butter, flour, and salt into a paste. Heat milk until it boils, then beat in butter-flour paste. Heat and stir mixture for about 2 minutes. Oatmeal Meat Loaf 2 lbs. of ground beef 1 cup of oatmeal 2 eggs ½ cup of catsup 1 small onion chopped up 1 teaspoon of pepper 1 teaspoon of salt ¼ cup of catsup Mix all ingredients except the last ¼ cup of catsup in a large bowl. Press into a pan and shape into a loaf. Then spread the last cup of catsup on top of the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Oatmeal Cookies 1 cup of shortening 1 cup of sugar 1 cup of brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1½ cups of flour 1 teaspon of salt 1 teaspoon of baking soda 3 cups of oatmeal 1 cup of raisins Cream shortening and sugars, and mix in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda. Fold into creamed mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Roll into small balls and place on the cookie sheet flattening with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 or 12 minutes or until golden brown. Chicken and Dumplings 4-5 pound chicken, in 8 pieces 1 large onion, chopped 2 teaspoons of salt ½ teaspoon of pepper Dumplings 1 cup of flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon of salt 1 egg, well beaten 2 tablespoons of butter, melted ¼ cup of finely chopped onion ½ cup of milk ¼ teaspoon of pepper Rinse the chicken pieces and put them in a large pot with a cover, and cover with water. Add the chopped onion, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Combine the flour, bakiing powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir to mix. In another bowl lighly beat the egg, melted butter, chopped onion and milk together. Stir into the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter. Stir in the salt and pepper. When the chicken has simmered for 20 minutes, drop spoonfuls of dough on top of the bubbling broth. Cover and steam for 20 more minutes without lifting the cover.