Betty Metzger

Betty Metzger grew up in a family of eight, and their parents made sure they all knew how to cook. When she and Dennis first married they had a lot of leftovers because she was used to cooking for such a big family. She uses mostly family recipes, a lot of which have been shared at reunions.
Her mother, the late Billie Jean Bramlitt Mann made the “nanner” pudding for all the family reunions until Betty was 12 or so, then passed it on to her. Betty later figured out how to save herself some time and adapted the recipe to use the microwave.

Family members always ask for  “Aunt Bill’s” banana pudding, and Betty continues to make it for the Bramlitt reunion, which is always held the second Sunday in June, and for other family gatherings.
The pasta salad recipe came from a friend and it is one of her son, Brandon’s, favorites. Now he makes it for their reunions, for which they double the recipe. Another reunion favorite is green bean casserole, and Betty simply uses the directions on the can of green beans for making it, but doubles or triples it at reunion time. They also serve it for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, and daughter, Krista, likes to makes that.
A family favorite, with the exception of her husband, Dennis, is what her mother called, “Goose Food.”

Lettuce, mustard greens and chopped green onions are mixed for a salad. Fry bacon, reserving the grease, and boil eggs, then chop. Crumble the bacon and add it and eggs to the salad. Top the salad with the bacon grease, and  “it is so good with hot cornbread!” Betty says she and her sister, Connie Braddock, still make it.
She enjoyed being a part of Pampered Chef for awhile and says she enjoyed cooking for the parties. Taco Ring was one of her favorite Pampered Chef recipes, and she still makes it.

The trifle recipe is her mother-in-law’s and is “so good and light…a good dessert for a hot summer day,” which can also be made low sugar. The KFC green been recipe is what Betty says is as close to what they serve as she can get.
She likes Chinese food and likes to make stir fry rice. She says her meatloaf is different pretty much every time she makes it.

She uses oats or crumbled crackers, ketchup, barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce and onion. She makes individual meatloaves on a cookie sheet for her family. Her family also likes Talerine–a ground beef, egg noodle, corn and tomato casserole.
 Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
(Made in the microwave)
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. vanilla wafers
4-5 bananas
Mix flour and sugar in large microwave bowl. Add milk and eggs and mix well. Microwave on high for four minutes. Stir and continue for two minutes. Repeat stirring and microwaving until pudding coats back of spoon. Add butter and vanilla and microwave two more minutes. In trifle bowl, layer wafers and banana slices and top with pudding to cover bananas. Repeat until pudding is gone. Cover with vanilla wafers.

“KFC” Green Beans
2 cans green beans
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. bacon grease
1/8 (or less) tsp. black pepper
In medium pan add all of the ingredients and cook at a slow simmer for 15 minutes covered.

Pasta Salad
1 head broccoli, cut into bite size florets
1 pkg. vegetable pasta
1 small can sliced olives, drained
1 pkg. chopped ham
1 cucumber peeled, cut lengthwise and sliced
1/4 to 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Chopped tomatoes (I slice a pint of cherry tomatoes)
1-2 bottles Italian dressing
McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning
Shredded cheese
Fix pasta according to package, but before adding pasta to boiling water, put in broccoli and boil just until tender. Remove with strainer and add to bowl of ice water to stop from overcooking. Add pasta to boiling water. When done, strain and rinse with cold water. In large bowl, stir together pasta, broccoli, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, ham, onion and dressing. Add as much cheese as you like and about 2 Tbsp. McCormick’s Salad Supreme seasoning. Let set in fridge several hours so pasta can absorb dressing before serving. Sprinkle generously with McCormick’s seasoning. (Tastes better the next day.)

“Stuff” Trifle
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 tub Cool Whip
1 angel food cake
2 small pkgs. vanilla pudding mix
Milk to make vanilla pudding
2 small pkgs. strawberry Jello
Reserve strawberries for decoration
Make Jello and refrigerate until almost set. Add sliced strawberries to Jello. Prepare pudding according to directions on box. Chill. Separate angel food cake into small pieces and cover bottom of trifle bowl. Add layer of strawberry Jello and layer of vanilla pudding. Repeat until all gone. Cover with Cool Whip. Add strawberries on top.

Pork Chops & Rice
(Richard Mann)
2 cups rice
2 cans beef consomme (can substitute with three cups
hot water and three beef bouillon cubes)
6-8 pork chops
1 onion, chopped
Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
In medium bowl add pork chops one at a time and cover with soy sauce. Let set while you add onion, rice and beef consomme to 9×13 glass pan. Sear pork chops in frying pan over medium-high heat and layer on top of rice. Sprinkle with worcestershire sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Can substitute three cups hot water and three beef bouillon cubes for beef consomme.