Geraldine Clark

Geraldine Clark of Bruce cooks every Sunday for “the whole bunch.”
Roast or pork chops in the crock are two of the meats she might serve, along with peas, butterbeans, corn and  potatoes.
“They like vegetables,” she said. “I just want to have enough.”
“They fill on up food, wait about an hour, and then want dessert,” she said.
She usually has a cake and a pie for dessert, and among her choices are Butterfinger cake, sour cream coconut cake and chocolate pie.

Some of her family’s Sunday dinner favorites include:
Grandson Cody Brower, hash brown casserole; grandson Cade Clark and daughter-in-law Jennifer Clark, Butterfinger cake;
Grandson Colton Brower, ham; son-in-law David Brower, chocolate pie;
Granddaughter Summer Williams, potato casserole with sour cream; daughter Sherry Brower, slaw; granddaughter Leah Clark, turnip greens;
Grandson Chase Clark, potato casserole, his fiancee Lizzie Whitten broccoli or grape salad;
And son Chad Clark likes it all.

Geraldine is a recipe collector and most new things she tries are desserts.
“I cook simple. I don’t cook anything I can’t pronounce,” she said.
The iced coffee punch “is so good” and her husband Billy Van even liked the brown sugar cake.
To her Sunday roast she adds golden mushroom soup, onion soup mix and brown gravy mix. She later puts in Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Geraldine was a Bratton and “the Brattons are noted for cooking,” she said.
“My sister, Helen Anderson, was a fantastic cook.”

They learned from their mother, Corrine, when they were young, to make cornbread and cook vegetables.
“As a kid I hated that garden,” but she has always had one, still does, and she loves it.
“Back then if you didn’t cook it, you didn’t eat. We didn’t have quick stops.”
The Clarks will have a Thanksgiving meal of turkey and dressing, “when they get through deer hunting” and will meet at their family cabin for a traditional Christmas meal.

Gram’s Best Brown Sugar Cake
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat first six ingredients with mixer until blended. Add brown sugar and nuts. Mix well. Pour into 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10” tube pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake one hour or until center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan. Invert onto wire rack. Remove pan. Cool cake completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Iced Coffee Punch
4 cups cold coffee
1 can Pet milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 gallon softened vanilla ice cream
When coffee is hot, dissolve sugar. Add milk. Let cool and add ice cream.

Peach Picnic
1-28 oz. can sliced peaches with juice
1 box butter flavor cake mix
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2 sticks butter, melted
Place peaches, with juice, in bottom of 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix over peaches. Sprinkle coconut and pecans on top of cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes until brown. Great served with vanilla ice cream.

Taco Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
6 (8”) flour tortillas
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend
In large skillet, cook beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Add water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for two minutes. Stir in black beans and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Place two tortillas in greased 13×9 baking dish. Spread with half of refried beans and beef mixture. Sprinkle with one cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Strawberry & Pretzel Salad
3 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1-8 oz. container frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
2-10 oz. pkgs frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
2 (3 oz.) pkgs. strawberry flavor gelatin
2 cups boiling water
For crust, in medium bowl combine crushed pretzels and the 1/2 cup sugar. Add melted butter. Stir well to combine. Press pretzel mixture into ungreased 3 qt. baking dish. Bake 10 minutes. Cool in baking dish on wire rack. In large bowl combine cream cheese and the one cup of sugar. Beat with electric mixer on medium until well mixed. Slowly beat in dessert topping. Spread over cooled crust. In another large bowl, combine strawberries and gelatin. Stir in boiling water. Stir about 2 minutes or until gelatin dissolves. Carefully pour gelatin mixture over cream cheese layer. Cover and chill 4-24 hours or until set.