A little baking goin' on

I had the bakin' bug yesterday. I found my Mom's recipe for Poor Boy Cookies. My house smelled like Mom was visiting. I kept thinking the batter didn't look right, but then realized I was using the golden raisins I had on hand and not regular raisins. The recipe, of course, didn't have exact measurements for the powdered sugar icing. I could hardly wait for the icing to thicken to cut them.
They turned out pretty good, if I say so myself. Each bite brought back so many memories of her late-night-forgot-I-needed-something-sweet-for-tomorrow-baking. Does anyone know why, they're "cookies" when they are actually bars. I even made Banana Bread. I got to share some cookies with a neighbor. I know Mom was smiling. She loved feeding other people. Joe is hoping that I'll find my way to the kitchen more often. We'll see... maybe the new year will bring a joy of cooking.

Poor Boy Cookies
Oven: 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Boil together for 20 minutes:
1 cup raisins
1 ½ cup water
½ cup shortening (I used Crisco’s Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Sticks)

Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup nuts

Combine dry ingredients. Add in the “boiling” mixture. Pour on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Apply icing while it is still hot.
Icing:
Powdered sugar and milk


Banana Bread
Oven: 350 degrees for 50 minutes

1 cup sugar
1 cup banana (thinly sliced)
½ shortening (I used Crisco’s Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Sticks)
2 eggs
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ nuts.

Blend the first four ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a prepared loaf pan.