Month: January 2026

Cooking Without Photos – Banana Cake

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Cooking Without Photos – Banana Cake

This week we arrive right back home to Arkansas. When I found, “The Best Of Times Ouachita Council: 70 Years of Girl Scouting 1927-1997 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”, I knew it was going to be great! I wasn’t wrong.

In the first few pages, it covers the history of the Ouachita Council which began in 1927 with two troops in the Little Rock area. In 1936, the first Girl Scout Cookie sale occurred. The cookies were made by the Little Rock Bakery and sold for .20 cents a box.

In 1937, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Hot Springs and attended the dedication of Perry County’s very own, Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp. The camp was built by the CCC while the WPA worked tirelessly to create Lake Sylvia Recreation Area.

1937 was also the very first year that Camp Ouachita opened. It ran for 5 weeks that year and served 100 girls from 16 towns. Over the years, it has changed hands a few times and was almost lost all together from disrepair and neglect.

Luckily, in the 1990’s, efforts began to save Camp Ouachita. Today, guests can stay in the renovated cabins and attend events at Ogden Hall. There is still a lot of work to be done at the camp to preserve it for future use, but with care and keeping, Camp Ouachita will be around many more generations, as it remains the only standing Girl Scout camp build by the CCC that is still in use today.

Onto the recipe! There are tons of great recipes in this cookbook! It was hard picking one, but I knew I had some bananas that needed to be used to I chose Banana Cake.

Couple of things:

  1. It took longer in my oven to cook the cakes. May just keep a watch on them. Everybody’s oven is different.
  2. For the frosting it says to melt the butter. That went against all things I’ve ever learned about frosting. I didn’t do that.
  3. This brings me to my next point. Maybe it was because I didn’t melt the butter, but this was a little too thick. When I make it again, I’ll either melt the butter, like it says, or use less powdered sugar.

Great flavor! It was a win at my house!

Cooking Without Photos – Pinto Bean Fudge

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This week’s recipe comes all the way from Phoenix, Arizona.

Phoenix was first inhabited by the Hohokam people. They lived in and around the area for about 2000 years. They created over 130 miles of irrigation canals. In doing this, it made the desert land arable and they had less problems growing crops. The Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal and the Hayden- Rhodes Aqueduct all used the path of these canals when building their own projects.

It is believed that drought and severe flooding made the Hohokam people abandon the area. Several tribe settlements and the Mexican American War later, the Phoenix area was settled by a prospector named Jack Swilling.

In 1867, Mr. Swilling was riding thru the area and decided it had great potential for farmland. Swilling noticed the previous canal system that had been left behind by indigenous peoples, dug a new canal that brought in water from the Salt River, and created the Swilling Irrigation and Canal Company.

Other settlers soon arrived and it was suggested by one of them that the city be named Phoenix. This suggestion was made because the city was rising out of the ruins of a former civilization.

The railroad arrived in the 1880’s and with it Phoenix became a hub of activity and trading. The territorial capital moved to Phoenix in 1889 and Arizona received their statehood in 1912.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Onto the recipe!

The MINUTE I saw Pinto Bean Fudge, I knew I had to try it. Have you ever had a Pinto Bean Pie? I have and it tasted just like Pecan Pie. No lie!

Anyway, I didn’t get far into Arizona Cookbook before I saw the recipe for Pinto Bean Fudge.

From what I could gather, folks started using beans in sweet treats around the time of the Great Depression. Times were hard and this is an excellent way to stretch ingredients.

This recipe is super easy! Let’s get into it!

Couple of things:

  1. I couldn’t find “Rose” brand beans. I know of Rosarita beans. I googled “Rose” beans and it said that it refers to another brand of beans. I figured a bean was a bean, so I used Walmart brand. I also rinsed them. It just made sense.
  2. It doesn’t tell you to mash up your beans. I did because I thought it needed to be done that way.
  3. “Canned” milk = evaporated milk.
  4. You don’t have to cut up marshmallows if you use mini marshmallows.
  5. Double this recipe unless you have something else to use the 1/2 can of milk and 1/2 can of beans for later in the week.
  6. No mention of what size pan to put the mixture in, so I used an 8×8. Worked fine.

Take this to a family gathering! Everyone will love it and no one will ever know it has beans in it!

Cooking Without Photos – Spritz Cookies

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Burrrrr! This week we are traveling to Petersburg, Alaska aka Little Norway. It’s always amazing to me when I find community cookbooks in Arkansas that are from other states. I just stare at them and ask, “Well, how did you get here? I bet you have an awesome story to tell.”

I digress…Alaska. Located just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, Petersburg, Alaska was first home to the Tlingit indigenous peoples for over 2000 years. A Norwegian pioneer named Peter Buschmann arrived in 1897. He immediately recognized the potential in fishing opportunities and worked right along side the Tlingit peoples to cultivate a lasting relationship even felt today.

Utilizing natural refrigeration with the LeConte Glacier, fishing boats could stay out longer and it was quickly decided that a cannery was needed. A sawmill and a dock soon followed and the birth of a thriving fishing community was born.

Around 1911 it was decided that lodge for Sons Of Norway needed to be built. Using volunteer labor, one of the largest structures in Petersburg was built and still stands today.

The Sons Of Norway hall was the social center for years. Along with lodge meetings, there were dances, conventions, card parties, and basketball games. In the spring, a farewell party was held for the fisherman before the start of fishing season.

Today, the Lodge stands as a monument to those immigrants who settled in Petersburg and began a new life.

This week’s recipe comes from the cookbook “Sons Of Norway Fedrelandet Lodge 23 Petersburg, Alaska”. Written in 1985, it celebrates the 75th anniversary of the lodge.

When I started deciding on a recipe, I found out quickly that I need to expand my pantry and add some cardamom. Lots of recipes in this book call for cardamom. I don’t believe I’ve ever had that before.

I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a sweet treat. I stopped at spritz cookies. I saw that it called for a “cooky” press. I had one of those! Have you ever gotten mad at cookie dough? Today was that day for me.

Couple of things:

  1. Cooky presses are the devil. There was probably a reason I never saw my mom use one. I love all things kitchen, but I may start drawing the line at cooky press.
  2. Maybe I need to try a different recipe for the cooky press.
  3. Maybe I need to try an up to date version of a cooky press.
  4. Anyway!
  5. Not a hard recipe to put together. My cookies just would not press. I got so sick of it, I rolled the last of the dough into balls and said that’s ENOUGH!
  6. I didn’t sift my flour. If you sift your flour, they are supposed to be smoother.
  7. Will I make them again, probably not. Am I getting rid of my cooky press…also probably not😆

I hope you like them. They have great flavor and could hold up to use for a dip. Pour a glass of milk, have a snack and try not to think about throwing your cooky press in the trash.

Cooking Without Photos – Peanut Butter Bread

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Wahoo! It’s a new year and I’ve got goals!

After a break from sharing recipes, I’m back with my regularly scheduled program. I’ve been collecting community cookbooks from all over the place with one goal in mind. This year, I’ll be sharing recipes from all 50 states!

I’ll be starting off at the top of the list with Alabama! Alabama is one of our very fave places to visit❤️

When I found this first cookbook, “Trinity’s Potpourri 1979”, I knew I had to have it for a couple of reasons.

1. It already had my name on it.

2. It was written in the best year ever!

3. “Potpourri” will for sure describe this year’s recipe sharing. A little bit of everything from coast to coast.

So let’s begin again!

The cookbook I chose this time is from the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 1811, Huntsville became the first incorporated town in Alabama. When Alabama became a state in 1819, Huntsville was the capital for one year until it was decided that the capital needed to be in a more centralized location.

In the beginning, cotton was very successful and was traded locally and internationally. In 1855 the railroad was established. The railroad helped keep the cotton industry growing. During the 1930s, the cotton industry started failing and focus was switched to growing watercress.

In 1940, the Army selected 35,000 acres and began building the Huntsville Arsenal. With the building of the Arsenal, Huntsville’s population began to rise and contractors could not keep up with the housing demand.

From the 1960’s up until today, NASA plays a huge roll in keeping the city populated. I’m fact, Huntsville is the most populated city in Alabama.

On to the recipe!

While flipping through “Trinity’s Potpourri”, I came across a recipe for Peanut Butter Bread. I’ve actually made this before (not this recipe) and knew I had to do it again.

Couple things:

1. This recipe said it made a regular pan and a small pan. It still took forever for the bigger one to cook. When I make this again, I’ll make two mini pans and the larger pan. I think that would be perfect!

2. It doesn’t say how long to cook the smaller pan. I’d check it at 35 minutes.

3. It also didn’t say anything about greasing the pan. I did.

Very tasty! Grab yourself a glass of milk and have a treat!