The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

? teaspoon baking soda

1? cups chopped pecans

TOPPING:

3 tablespoons sugar

? teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream; mix well. Stir flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into shortening mixture to make a stiff dough. Add chopped pecans. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. For the topping, mix sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Lightly grease the bottom of a small drinking glass. Dip it into topping mixture and gently press cookies to flatten balls of dough slightly. Bake at 350° for 10–15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

Sally-Lou’s Pecan-and-Sour-Cream Coffee Cake This recipe uses pecans, a favorite that is readily available everywhere in the South, and sour cream. Soured top milk or even buttermilk could also be used. This cake, baked in a tube pan, was often served for breakfast or as a teatime treat.

TO DUST THE TUBE PAN:

? cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

TO MAKE THE CAKE:

? cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

? teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:

? cup light brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour ? teaspoon cinnamon

? teaspoon nutmeg

? teaspoon cloves

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces ? cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, mix ? cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. To prepare tube pan, butter it well and coat it liberally with sugar-cinnamon mixture.

To make the cake: Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs and mix until light and fluffy. Blend sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream. Mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan.

To make the topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cut in butter. With your fingers, rub ingredients into a sandy, crumbly mixture. Add pecans and mix. Sprinkle mixture over cake batter.

Bake until risen and browned, about 35–40 minutes. Let cool in pan then turn out. You may need to run a thin knife around tube to free up cake. Serve topping-side up, in slices.

Twyla Sue’s Moonshine Mustard

In a time and place where moonshine was locally produced, many cooks made use of it in everyday cooking. Twyla Sue’s mustard is a good example. Moonshine was also used to flavor cakes (especially holiday fruitcakes), cookies, pies, and meat dishes.

? cup yellow mustard seeds ? cup black mustard seeds

4 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons flour

?–1 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne (optional) ? cup cider vinegar

? cup whiskey

? cup honey

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon salt

Grind mustard seeds to a powder, using a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle. In a nonreactive bowl, mix mustard powder with water and leave for half an hour. Add flour with cayenne or chili powder (choose how much heat you want) and mix well. Add vinegar, whiskey, honey, nutmeg, and salt and mix until well blended. Cover and let stand overnight. The next day, check for consistency: if dry, add more honey, if thin, add a teaspoon of flour. The mustard will continue to thicken. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Put in a cool, dark place to mature for 2–3 weeks. Refrigerate after opening.

Raylene’s Sautéed Liver, with Apples and Onions Many Southerners like their liver breaded and fried, Louisiana style, or boiled and made into “liver mush” (a liver paté made with cornmeal), which is sliced and fried for breakfast. Raylene prefers to sauté her liver and serve it with apples and caramelized onions. This recipe will serve two.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced