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By Stephanie Williams Dean

Sometimes it’s little things we remember and never forget, like small, unassuming gifts from the hearts of unassuming people. Now don’t get me wrong — over a lifetime, I’ve received many gifts and appreciated them all. But sometimes, there are kind, generous people who come bearing gifts and you never forget them, or the gift.

Such was the case with Imogene. She was my patient, and I met her in 1985 right after moving to Winston-Salem. I had landed a nursing job working for a plastic surgeon, Dr. Julius Howell. In his office, we performed both small and complex plastic surgery procedures.

A prominent surgeon, Dr. Howell’s list of elderly, lady patients read like a “who’s who” of socially elite women in town. And then there was his patient, Imogene. She was in her mid to late 70s when I met her. At her first pre-op visit, I fell in love with her bubbly personality. She always sported a broad smile, was outgoing, gregarious and delightfully unpretentious. And she always had something interesting to talk about.

On a follow-up visit, she came bearing a small gift for me. I was delighted. The token of appreciation was a spiral-bound cookbook entitled, “Favorite Recipes from Our Best Cooks.”

Imogene had been co-chair for the cookbook committee, and all recipes had been compiled by members of the Tar Heel Cutlery Club. Both Imogene and her husband, Clyde, were known for their good cookin’ and Imogene, particularly, for her baking skills.

Ever since 1985 when I received her gift, the cookbook has continued to be a favorite of mine. When I open it, I always picture Imogen’s smile and feel the warmth of her kind heart. Today’s column features some of Imogen’s traditional and Southern, scratch recipes plus a few others — my personal favorites.

Those who are in Christ have been gifted with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to bear fruit. Goodness or generosity, and giving with an open heart is a sign of fruitfulness. God blesses us so that we in turn might bless others. Giving not only positively affects others but our own lives as well.

Imogene has long since passed away. She has no way of knowing the impact of her small gift on me. But I remember her — the way she practiced kindness, understood the importance of being generous, and lived abundantly in terms of good health, happiness, and sense of purpose.

She was full of herself, and full of good fruit.

Imogene’s Tiny Cheese Biscuits

• 1 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 2 cups softened, salted butter

• 4½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

In a mixer bowl, blend cheese and butter with flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Roll out of a floured surface to about 1/3-inch thickness. Cut with small, round cookie cutter. To avoid cutter clinging to dough, frequently dip it in water. Place about 1/8-inch apart on ungreased pan. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes. Do not allow the biscuits to brown; avoid overbaking them. Store in airtight tin, placing waxed paper between layers. Biscuits freeze well; thaw in closed tin. Yield: 125 tiny biscuits.

Nut Stuffed Dates in Pastry

• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 stick softened, salted butter

• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

• 1 box dates

• Pecan halves

In a mixer bowl, combine cheese, flour, butter and pepper until smooth. Stuff each date with a pecan half. Using about 1 tsp. of dough, form a ball around each date. Chill 30 minutes before baking. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes if not frozen. They freeze well but bake 20 minutes if frozen. Do not overbake. These may be rolled in powdered sugar while hot. (Norma Williams)

Imogene’s Prune Cake and Filling

• 1½ cups sugar

• 1 cup softened salted butter

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 cup cooked, chopped, sweet prunes

• 1 tsp. soda

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 cup chopped nuts

• 3 beaten egg whites

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks one at a time and vanilla, mixing well between each addition. In a bowl, add soda to chopped prunes. Add prunes to the egg mixture. Add sifted flour, baking powder, and allspice a little at a time while alternating with buttermilk. Mix well. Fold in nuts. Mix well. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Mix well. Bake in three 9-inch, greased, and floured cake pans in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes or until tests done.

For the filling, In a mixer bowl, combine softened butter, juice, rind, and confectioners sugar. Mix well. Fill and frost cake.

Filling

• ½ cup softened, salted butter

• Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange

• Grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 orange

• 1 box confectioner’s sugar

Imogene’s Coconut-Black Walnut Pound Cake

• 4 beaten eggs

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup Wesson vegetable oil

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. salt

• ½ tsp. soda

• ½ tsp. baking powder

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 tsp. coconut extract

• 1 cup chopped black walnuts

• 1 cup flaked coconut

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs. Beat in sugar and vegetable oil. Add flour, salt, soda and baking powder to egg mixture while alternating with buttermilk and extract, beating well after each addition. Fold in nuts and coconut. Mix well. Bake in a well-greased and floured 10-inch tube cake pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until cake tests done. Pour hot coconut syrup over hot cake. Allow cake to remain in pan 4 hours to absorb syrup. Wrap well. Cake will be very moist.

Coconut Syrup

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup water

• 2 tbsp. salted butter

• 1 tsp. coconut extract

For the syrup, in a saucepan, combine sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in extract.

Dr. Jess Meredith’s Chocolate Bourbon Pie

• ¼ cup softened, salted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 eggs

• ¾ cup light corn syrup

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 Tbsp. bourbon

• ¼ tsp. salt

• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• ½ cup chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly beating after each one. Add corn syrup, vanilla, bourbon and salt. Mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans. Mix well. Bake in an unbaked pie shell in a 375-degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until tests done. Reheat to serve with whipped or ice cream.

Imogene’s Prize-Winning Pound Cake

• 1 stick softened, salted butter

• 1 cup Crisco shortening

• 3 cups white sugar

• 6 eggs

• 3 cups cake flour (before sifting)

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• Dash of salt

• 1 cup whole milk

• 3 Tbsp. lemon extract

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and Crisco shortening. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add flour, baking powder, and salt while alternating with milk and lemon extract. Mix well. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 ½ hour. Do not open oven. Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting.

Double Crusted Apple Pie

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

• 1 cup Crisco shortening

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1 tsp. vinegar

• ½ cup ice water

• 8 peeled, cored, sliced, medium baking apples

• 1 cup sugar

• Stick of softened, salted butter

• Additional softened butter

Make a pastry out of flour, shortening, salt, sugar, and vinegar, adding ice water to give it a pastry consistency. Divide in half. Roll out to make two crusts for a double-crust pie. Line a pan with pastry. Add one layer of peeled, cored, and sliced apples. Add a layer of sugar and dot with butter. Repeat layer of sliced apples, sugar, and butter. Top with pastry — make 4 slits in the top for air to escape. Crimp edges. Rub top pastry with soft butter. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 8 minutes or until pastry is golden. Reduce temperature to 350-degrees and continue cooking until done.

Imogene’s Hummingbird Cake with Frosting

• 3 beaten eggs

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 cup Wesson vegetable oil

• 2 cups chopped bananas

• 8 oz. undrained, crushed pineapple

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese

• ½ cup softened, salted butter

• 16 oz. sifted confectioners sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• ½ cup chopped pecans

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Sift flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Add flour mixture a little at a time to egg mixture while alternating with vegetable oil, mixing well in between each addition. Mix well but don’t beat. Fold in bananas, pineapple, pecans one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Bake in 3 9-inch round greased and floured cake pans in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until tests done. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and completely cool.

For the frosting, in a mixer bowl, combine cream cheese and butter and beat until smooth. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Frost between cake layers, sides, and on top of cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Lemon Meringue Pie

• ½ cup sifted, measured cornstarch

• ½  cup water

• ½ cup lemon juice (3 lemons)

• ½ cup water

• 1½ cups sugar

• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind

• 3 egg yolks (1/4 cup)

• ½ stick melted, salted butter (1/4 cup)

• 3 egg whites at room temp

• ¼ tsp. cream of tartar

• 1 9-inch baked/cooled pie shell

In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in ½ cup of water. Set aside. In a non-aluminum, 1½ quart heavy saucepan, bring remaining ½ cup water and lemon juice to a boil. To the juice mixture, add the 1½ cups sugar, the dissolved cornstarch, lemon rind, eggs, and melted butter. Lower the heat and cook while constantly stirring until mixture is very thick, shiny, transparent, and the whisk marks keep their shape. (180-degrees). The filling should now be as thick as you want it to be; it will not get much thicker as it bakes. Be especially careful as the mixture starts to thicken as it can burn. In a mixer bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Pour pie filling into a pre-baked and cooled pie pastry. Top the pie with meringue. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until meringue is toasted brown.

Imogene’s Chocolate Syrup Fudge Cake

• 1 stick softened, salted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• Pinch of salt

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 pound can chocolate syrup

• 1 tsp. vanilla

Icing

• 1 stick salted butter

• 4 Tbsp. cocoa

• 6 Tbsp. carnation evaporated milk

• 1 box confectioner’s sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 cup chopped nuts

• 1 cup coconut

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder and add while alternating with syrup and vanilla. Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan in a 325-degree oven. Imogene bakes hers for 30 minutes but recipe calls for 45 minutes. Bake until tests done. For the icing, in a saucepan, combine butter, cocoa, and milk. Bring to a boil while constantly stirring. Remove from heat and stir in additional ingredients. Pour over cake.

Dr. Frank Forsyth’s German Chocolate Cake

• 4 oz. Bakers German sweet chocolate

• ½ cup boiling water

• 1 cup salted butter

• 2 cups sugar

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 ½ cups Swans Down cake flour

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. soda

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 4 beaten egg whites

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

• 3 beaten egg yolks

• 1 cup evaporated milk

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 stick salted butter

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut

• 1 cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, melt chocolate in boiling water. Completely cool. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla extract. Sift together salt, soda and flour. Add flour mixture a little at a time while alternating with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Beat until batter is smooth. In another mixer bowl, beat egg whites until very stiff peaks form Fold into the cake batter. Mix well. Bake in 3 greased and floured, or lined on bottom with paper, 8 or 9-inch cake layer pans in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until tests done. Cool completely and frost tops of layers with coconut pecan frosting.

For the frosting, in a saucepan, beat egg yolks. Add milk and sugar and blend well. Add butter. Cook while constantly stirring for 12 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Fold in coconut and pecans. Beat until mixture is thick enough to spread. Makes about 2 2/3 cups or enough frosting to cover the tops of 3 cake layers. You don’t frost the sides.

Imogene’s Lime Pie

• 2 beaten eggs

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 small box lime Jello

• 1 ½ cup pineapple juice

• 1 sm. can cold evaporated milk

• 1 pre-baked pie shell

In a saucepan, beat eggs. Add sugar, Jello, and pineapple juice. Mix well. Cook on top of stove for 3 minutes. Set aside to completely cool. In a mixer bowl, whip chilled evaporated milk. Add the Jello mixture to evaporated milk. Whip until mixed. Pour into a baked pie crust. Refrigerate for several hours to set.

Imogene’s Texas Tornado Cake

• 2 beaten eggs

• 1 ½ cups sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. soda

• 2 cups fruit cocktail including juice

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 cup chopped nuts

Icing

• 1 stick salted butter

• ¾ cup sugar

• ½ cup evaporated milk

• 1 cup coconut

In a mixer bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar. Mix well. Add flour and soda, while alternating with fruit cocktail and juice. Mix well. Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 baking pan. Combine brown sugar and nuts together and sprinkle evenly over top. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 40 minutes or until tests done. When cake is still hot, spoon icing over. For the icing, in a saucepan, add butter, sugar, and milk. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Stir in coconut. Spoon mixture over hot cake immediately after removing from oven. Cool and cut into squares.

Clyde’s Brandied Fruits

• 2/3 cup diced maraschino cherries

• 2/3 cup diced canned pineapple

• 2/3 cup diced canned peaches

• 3 cups sugar

• 1 pkg. yeast

• Additional fruits and/or sugar

In a jar that will hold at least 4 cups, place cherries, pineapple, peaches, sugar and yeast. Stir at least once a day for a week. At the end of two weeks, add 1 additional cup of one of the listed fruits and 1 additional cup of sugar. Rotate type of fruit added every two weeks, and stir until sugar is dissolved. The mixture can be split anytime after there are 4 cups. Keep in a warm place and don’t cover tightly.

Fruit Cream Cooked Dressing

• 2 beaten eggs

• 2 Tbsp. sugar

• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

• 2 Tbsp. reserved pineapple syrup

• 1 Tbsp. butter

• Dash of salt

• ¼ cup heavy whipped cream

In a saucepan, beat eggs. Add sugar, lemon juice, pineapple syrup, butter and salt. Heat to boiling while constantly stirring. Remove from heat and cool completely. Fold in heavy whipped cream. Dollop on fruits, pies, pastries or baked goods.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

• 2 boxes cherry Jello

• 3 cups boiling water

• 2 whole oranges

• 3 peeled, cored, diced apples

• 2 cups raw cranberries

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup chopped pecans

In a bowl, pour hot water over Jello and stir until dissolved.  Allow to stand until cool. In a food processor, grind oranges, apples and cranberries. In a bowl, add ground fruit and sugar. Allow standing for 30 minutes. Combine fruit with sugar, Jello and water and pecans. Mix well. Refrigerate.