Pam Ward

Pam Brown Ward is working on a cookbook of recipes belonging to her mother-in-law, Ruby Ward, Ruby’s sister-in-law, Mable Ward, Pam’s mother, Wilma Brown, and her grandmother, Margaret Mills.
“Aunt Mable kept a lot of recipes, and she and Mrs. Ward had tin boxes and books full of recipes.
The chocolate gravy was a recipe of Pam’s grandmother Mills, and it was “to die for.” The recipe originally came from her great-grandmother Tempie Mills, who was famous for her teacakes.
“Mrs. (Ruby) Ward always fixed boiled cookies when the kids and grandkids were coming, and chocolate cobbler,” she said.

Pam learned to cook when she was 12 years old from her mother.
“It was my job when I got home from school to start supper, and in the summer I did all the cooking.”
“We were raised on the garden,” she said, so peas and cornbread were among the first things she learned to cook.

“The boys (sons, Colton and Corey) were raised on vegetables, and chocolate and biscuits were a favorite, for breakfast” she said.
She learned to can vegetables “mainly when she got in the Ward family, along with quilting, and working in the garden.”
Vegetable soup is a favorite of hers, especially when things are fresh out of the garden and “I make a lot of it,” she said. She also likes Chicken Rotel Spaghetti, the Apricot Nectar Cake, corn salad and her mother’s butter roll.

A Christmas tradition at her parents’ home includes chicken and dumplings, dressing, butter roll, and “Daddy (Homer) makes the ham,” she said.
For the Ward Thanksgiving gathering Pam makes the dressing from Mrs. Ward’s recipe, along with all kinds of vegetable side dishes, usually sweet potato, chocolate and pecans pies, and the Apricot Nectar Cake.

Apricot Nectar Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (don’t use directions on box) instead add the following ingredients:
1 box lemon Jello (dry)
3/4 cup apricot nectar juice
3/4 cup Wesson oil
6 eggs
Mix well together and pour into bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Glaze: Mix well, 2 cups powdered sugar and one cup orange juice in bowl. Poke holes in cake and pour glaze over while cake is hot. Let set and cool, then serve. The longer it sets, the more juicy it is.

Broccoli Cornbread
10 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium onion, chopped
Press broccoli between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Combine cornbread mix and next six ingredients. Stir well. Stir in broccoli. Batter will be thick. Pour mixture into greased 8×8 pan. Bake at 375° preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and cut into squares.

Bacon & Tomato Cups
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 medium tomato, chopped fine
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 oz. grated Swiss cheese
1/2 tsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. basil
10 oz. can Hungry Jack biscuits (10), tear apart each layer
Preheat oven to 375°. Finely chop bacon, onion and tomato. Mix all ingredients except biscuits. Spray muffins pans with Pam. Peel off layers of biscuits, three layers in each biscuit. Line one biscuit flake per muffin. Cup and press into pan with fingers. Put spoonful of mixture into each layer. Bake 15 minutes or until brown enough for you. Makes 30 biscuit cups.

Boiled Cookies
Step 1:
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup sweet milk
1 stick oleo, melted
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Pinch of salt
Let all of this boil one minute then remove from heat.
Step 2:
2 cups one-minute oatmeal
1/2 cup pecans, optional
1/2 cup peanut butter
Add oatmeal, peanut butter and pecans. Stir really well and drop onto sheets of wax paper. Let cool and serve.

Chocolate Cobbler
1/2 stick margarine
1 cup flour
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. cocoa, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 cup hot water
Melt margarine in 8×8 pan. Mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. cocoa, vanilla and milk in bowl. Pour over butter in pan. Mix one cup sugar and two Tsbp. cocoa and sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour hot water over dry cocoa mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Butter Roll
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
Butter
Sugar
Heat glaze in saucepan:
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Cut shortening into flour. Add milk until it mixes into clumps. Add enough milk to form like biscuit dough. Roll out 1/4” thick. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar, then roll like jelly roll. Cut into 1/2” slices. Place in 9×13” baking dish. In saucepan, mix 3 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 Tbsp. vanilla, and heat over stove. Pour over roll and bake for 25-30 minutes.