Pot-luck favorites

Susan Spicer

When I was a little girl, Memorial Day was a holiday spent, at least part of the day, at a cemetery. My dad was part of a Veteran’s Honor Guard, so there were ceremonies we went to, sometimes at more than one cemetery. I was always very impressed with the uniforms, and guns and flags. These were the only times I ever got to see my dad shoot a gun. The rest of the time that gun, the uniform, all his Army stuff, was in a spare room closet locked in a big cabinet that I was forbidden to go near.
Usually after the ceremony, there would be a big pot-luck picnic, sometimes right there in the cemetery, sometimes back at the Legion hall. There would be tables of food of all kinds, most of it really good as I remember. The women (and some men) who took dishes all tried to out-do each other, especially on the dessert table. For a hungry little girl, it was heaven!
This week’s recipes are from that long-ago time. Bob Bennett’s Cherry Coke Salad is a particular favorite of mine. Bob and his wife Betty lived next door to my grandparents when I was growing up. I would go hang out on their back porch and play with their kittens. Bob is a veteran of World War II like my dad, and he was the one to give me a folded American flag at my dad’s memorial service in 2004. Bob is still very much alive, and is living in a retirement community in Danville, Ill. He will get a kick out of seeing his recipe in the paper.
Tiny’s Calico Beans are great. I have included this recipe in my cookbook. I make it frequently. Tiny Boltenhouse gave me this recipe back in the 60’s. I really liked her; she was one of the “lunch ladies” at my grade school. (I tried to make friends with ALL lunch ladies at every school I ever went to, including college.)
Last but not least is Eva Lambdin’s Carrot Cake. Eva was orphaned in a smallpox epidemic when she was nine years old. She lost her parents and siblings and was “taken in” by an old woman who worked her like a dog until she was 18. At least she didn’t have to go to an orphanage, and she got to go to school. She was really smart, and when she graduated from high school, my grandpa Dr. Dillon helped her go to nursing school. She never married, and worked her whole life as a nurse and teacher. When my grandpa and grandma got really old and weren’t able to take care of themselves, Eva came to live with and take care of them, which she did till they passed away. She was like another Grandma to me, and a great cook. She taught me a lot, including how to make her carrot cake.

Bob Bennett’s Cherry Coke Salad
1 can cherry pie filling
1 c. water
1 can crushed pineapple
2 (3oz)pkgs. cherry gelatin
1 c. Coca Cola

Bring to a boil cherry pie filling and water. Remove from heat; add two pkgs. gelatin; stir well. Add can of pineapple, juice and all. Add Coca Cola and mix well. (Can add nuts.) Pour into 9x13 pan and let set up in refrigerator. Serves 8-10.

Tiny’s Calico Beans
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 lb. bacon, diced small
1 medium onion, diced
1 (16oz) can pork and beans
1 (16oz) can kidney beans
1 (16oz) can lima beans
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. mustard
1 T. vinegar
1 t. salt

Brown ground beef, bacon and onion together till meat is done and onion is tender. Drain if too greasy. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake in greased shallow pan, uncovered, for 1-1 1/2 hours. Serves 8-10.

Eva’s Carrot Cake
2 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 1/2 t. cinnamon
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 3/4 c. grated carrots
1 c. crushed pineapple
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1 c. shredded coconut

Mix together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. In large bowl, mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well. Add carrots, pineapple, pecans and coconut and blend thoroughly. Pour into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or till tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes and then remove. You can use frosting of your choice. My favorite is cream cheese frosting; my second favorite is the coconut-pecan frosting you normally put on German chocolate cake. That’s my friend Ernie Houk’s favorite, and it is delicious.