Cook of the Week

Fulton Jackson (Jack) Springer and Martha (Mattie) Elizabeth Springer were my maternal great-grandparents. I was fortunate enough to have known them for 20+ years. Mattie was born December 25, 1887 in Franklin, AR. She was orphaned at a young age and sent to Texas to live with relatives. She married my great-grandfather September 15, 1908. There are many fond memories of these two wonderful people and as with most families, a lot of our shared experiences centered around food. Unfortunately, I wasn't wise enough to have gleened much information from my grandparents before they passed on but because of a newspaper article my great-aunt gave me, I have a couple of my grandmother's recipes. My favorite things she made were in that article...lemon & pecan pie. Here are the recipes exactly as noted from the "Cook of the Week" in the Kress Chronicle, January 15, 1970.

Lemon Pie
1/2 C sugar
1 box lemon pie filling
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 C water

Pour 1/4 C of water with the sugar, lemon filling and egg yolks. Mix well and then add remaining water. Cook until thickened. May add butter if desired. Pour into baked 9" pie shell. Make meringue with the 2 egg whites. Beat well and add 1/4 C sugar. Spread on top of the pie filling and bake in 400 degree oven until golden.

Pecan Pie
1 C dark Karo
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C sugar 2 T oleo, melted
3 T flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 C pecans
1 unbaked 9" pie shell
Mix all ingredients for filling, together. Add pecans last. Pour into pastry shell. Bake in 400 degree oven 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer. Outer edges of filling should be set, center slightly soft.