Pistachio Cake

Here it is Sunday morning and I have designated Sunday blogs to In the Kitchen. 

Earlier in the week, my youngest daughter had come over to visit. She and my grandson visit quite a bit. During her visit, she asked me if I had any recipes of my mom’s. I replied, 'yes I do - I inherited her cookbooks and I even have recipes from your Great Granny, my mom's mother". As I was busy in the kitchen, I stopped to see her reaction when I told her I had the cookbooks. She was smiling. I asked her why she asked, and all I got was "I was just wondering". She went on to ask, 'did you have anything special or what was your favorite thing Gammy (as my kids called my mom) cooked? 

I had to ponder that question for a little bit as there were several things mom cooked that I enjoyed eating and that I miss today. There is nothing like mom's homecooked meals...

As I continued washing the dishes or whatever it was I was doing, I answered my daughter's question with mom's Sunday roasts or her fried chicken cooked in the cast iron skillet or better yet, the electric skillet. My daughter said, 'yes - I miss Gammy's roast too, but you make a delicious roast, too mom! 

This morning as I sat down to write this post, I pulled out mom's brittle Betty Crocker Cookbook. Both the front and back covers are off, and the pages are falling out of the book. Several years ago, I planned on making a Junk Journal out of it to preserve the memories. So far, that has not happened and all the pages, recipes, and notes from mom and granny are tucked away safely in an envelope on my shelf. 

Here is a photo of a few things’ mom had tucked away inside...

Mom enjoyed cooking when she could. Later in life, her health was such that it hurt her to stand for long periods in the kitchen. 

I have many fond memories of mom and dad making Christmas candy during the holidays. They would make all sorts of Fudge, Martha Washington's, Peanut Brittle, Divinity, a variety of cookies, and Haystacks. The Haystacks were my favorite candy with Divinity coming in as a close second. I cannot eat either one much these days as sweets and I do not see eye to eye very much. I am glad I did not take up baking as a hobby. That was never my forte' at all...

My daughter loves to bake. A few years ago, we bought her a KitchenAid Mixer with all the different attachments. I am sure one day in the future, she will inherit the Betty Crocker Cookbook as well as all the other ones I have too. I personally do not own a newer version of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have wanted to buy one, just never have gotten around to doing so. Maybe I will add one to my Christmas Wish List...

A memory I have of mom anytime she was in the kitchen cooking or baking; the telephone was tied to her ear (figure of speech) and a toothpick was in her mouth. The toothpick has been a long-standing funny within the family from my kids as they too, remember their gammy swishing the toothpick back and forth on multiple occasions. 

This photo is a great example of mom, the phone, and the toothpick! If you look closely, you can see the Betty Crocker Cookbook sitting up on the ledge between the kitchen and the living room. This was my childhood home in Amarillo, Texas out in Pleasant Valley. The electric skillet I mentioned is also sitting on the cabinet. Laughing out loud...

The recipe I would like to share with you today is one my mom made many times. Although I do not remember eating any of it, she made it regularly when there was a church function happening. Maybe you have baked this cake or even eaten a slice of one. What are your thoughts?  Do you like Pistachios? They are my son in law's favorite nut. Maybe I need to bake him one over the holidays. 

PISTACHIO CAKE

Cake Ingredients: 

White Cake Mix

3/4 c. oil

1 box of Pistachio Pudding mix (small)

1 c. 7-Up

1/2 c. chopped nuts (Pecans and/or Pistachios)

3 eggs

1/2 c. coconut

Mix all the ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. 

Icing:

2 envelopes of Dream Whip (do they even make that anymore?)

1 box Pistachio Pudding (small box)

1 1/2 c. milk

After the cake has come out of the oven, mix, and spread the icing on the cake. 

Sprinkle the top with 1/2 c. chopped pecans and 1/2 c. coconut

Now that I have typed this recipe up, it sounds delicious. I think I am going to add this to one of our holiday meals. Move over Pumpkin Pie, there is a new cake in town...

Slice yourself up a piece and enjoy it!

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