Charles' Corn Bread-From recipe collection of Annelle Hendley

I hope everyone has enjoyed reading Barbara Ledbetter's recipes the past two weeks. My recipe today was named for Barbara's husband, Charles Ledbetter, I think. He must have had this cornbread at my Mom's house when he and Barbara visited in Albany, Georgia. She named it that. He either commented that he really liked it, or it very well could have been his personal recipe that he shared with her. Does anyone in the family know?

I- cup yellow corn meal

1/2 cup cooking oil or baking drippings(Healthiest choice - Canola Oil)

3- tsp. baking powder

2-eggs (Cage Free w/Omega 3)

1&1/2 tsp. salt

1-cup cream style corn

1-cup sour cream (Light Sour Cream)

*Mix above ingredients and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Hamburger Noodle Bake

Barbara Ledbetter's twist on this one is a bit tasty and feeds a large group.

2- pounds ground beef ( lower fat choice of ground beef is much healthier)

1&1/2 cups chopped onion

8 oz. medium noodles cooked and drained (Try Whole Wheat Noodles, such as Penne-better health choice)

8 oz. sharp cheese (shredded yields 2 cups)

2- 10&3/4 oz. cans condensed tomato soup( Low sodium)

1- cup water

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chili sauce( In ketchup section of store; purchase one with lower sodium and sugar)

2- Tbsp. chopped pimento

3/4 tsp. salt

Dash black pepper

1&1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

3 Tbsp. butter melted (Try Smart Balance butter blend with extra virgin olive oil) See image with previous Speedy Chicken Pie post.

***Cook beef and onion until beef is lightly browned and onion is tender. Drain fat, combine meat with drained noodles, cheese, soup, water, green peppers, chili sauce, pimento, salt, and a dash of pepper. Turn into a 13"x9"x 2" baking dish. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until hot. Trim with green pepper rings if desired. Serves 12.

Barbara's Dump Congealed Salad

This salad would be great for a spring Sunday Lunch. How about Mother's Day? A great way to remember Barbara Ledbetter. By the way, Mark Ledbetter, Barbara's son, said this salad was renamed Mandarin Delight over the years that she served or prepared this dish for special occasions. Good to know!

Small can of mandarin oranges (In Light syrup)

Small carton sour cream (Light sour cream)

Small container cottage cheese ( Low Fat)

Small container cool whip (Light cool whip)

3 oz. pkg. orange jello (Use sugar free if available)

Mix above ingredients well and chill in refrigerator.

(Please note my suggestions using the lighter versions. If you start doing this in all of your recipes, it will save sugar and fat and may even ward off future health problems.)

Speedy Chicken Pie (Try Smart Balance w/Olive Oil)

Aunt Rubye was the pro at baking Chicken Pies for Family Reunions at Grandma Swearingen's home in Vienna, but Barbara Ledbetter's recipe takes less time.

Start with 2 cups of cut up chicken

3 hard boiled eggs( Cage Free- much healthier)

1 cup self rising flour

3/4 stick butter(Try the Smart Balance butter blend made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1&1/2 cups frozen peas(small english peas work best)

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup milk ( Skim milk to save fat and sugar content)

2 cups broth(Low sodium Chicken broth)

1 T minced onion

**** Melt butter in 2 quart casserole dish. Combine flour and milk and pour over melted butter. Mix chicken, eggs, minced onion, pepper, broth and peas. Pour over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Batter will rise to top to make the pie crust.

Rose Petal Rolls

Barbara Ledbetter had a winner with these. They are so delicious!

1-pkg. yeast

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup oil

1 egg

2 cups warm water

4 cups self rising flour

**Mix yeast with 2 Tbsp. warm water-Add remaining water, oil and egg. Stir in flour-Store in covered bowl in refrigerator until ready to bake.

Preheat oven @400 degrees. Meanwhile spoon batter into muffin tins half full. Bake for 10 minutes. I remember my mom keeping any remaining batter in a covered bowl, as you may only want to bake 6 at a time. She usually got two or three meals using this batter. I can taste them as I write this. They are so good, especially hot, right out of the oven.

Barbara Ledbetter's Copper Pennies

These are nice to have as cold hors d'oeuvres or as a hot vegetable.

2-1 lb. bags carrots, sliced into rounds- boiled in salted water, drained and cooled.

Add sauce:

3/4 cup vinegar

1- can tomato soup( I recommend low sodium tomato soup)

1/2 cup wesson oil (I recommend canola oil)

1- tsp. mustard

1- green pepper chopped

1- onion chopped

1- cup sugar

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Pour sauce over carrots and marinate overnight.

ENJOY!

In Memory of Barbara Bowden Ledbetter

I have run across several recipes of my cousin, Barbara. I will post each of them this month in her memory. She was always so jolly as I remember, so I will post her Hummingbird Cake recipe first. This cake is delicious and a great cake for this time of year.

3 Layer Cake

3-cups all purpose flour

2-cups sugar

1-tsp. baking soda

1-tsp. salt

1-tsp. ground cinnamon

3-eggs beaten

1-cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans ( Reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top of frosted cake)

2-cups chopped bananas

Cream Cheese Frosting

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened

1/2 cup oleo softened

1-16. oz. pkg.4 x powdered sugar sifted

1-tsp. vanilla extract

_______________________________________________________________ Combine first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened (DO NOT BEAT). Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans and bananas. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. While layers are cooling, combine frosting ingredients. Beat cream cheese and oleo until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. This will yield a 3 layer cake.

Lucy, I'm Home!

Hello Family and Friends,

Sorry for my absence, but I have been on a new adventure trying to sell my home in Marietta, Georgia. Yes, in this economy.... Please don't laugh! My husband's family beach home is in need of complete renovation and my husband, Jeff, and I have made the decision to retire there, right in the middle of the "redneck riviera", Panama City Beach, Florida. Sure beats the heck out of the monsoon traffic in Atlanta, Georgia.

I do have lots of recipes to share and they will be coming soon. Some are healthier recipes, to whittle our waists. How about substitute ingredients for battling diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer etc? I don't know about you, but with the recent health care bill, we may need to help each other out while waiting to see a doctor. We can beat this situation by facing it and dealing with it. Thinking positively will get us through, and as my mom, Annelle Swearingen Hendley, would say, "We must keep the faith."

I hope to have Hanks Belly updated with recipes by April 15. Feel free to comment.  E-mails are welcome too. Will try to be more attentive as I am back in the swing.

Debbie