Category: Ima Mae Smith Smith

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Date Pudding

Chopped dates, pecans and peanuts baked atop caramel and vanilla pudding

December 12, 1972 was the final lunar landing for NASA. Traveling aboard Apollo 17, astronaut Eugene Cernon performed his third lunar walk over a 73 hour span. Cernon’s career space walk hours: 566. Apollo 17 logged the longest lunar mission, over 300 hours, including 22 hours of lunar extravehicular activity. Standing on the moon, Cernon noted “America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And as we leave the moon, and Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and G-d willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind,” (Texas History Online).

Anyone with a palate for peanut butter and jelly will love this pudding!

Prepare the Topping

8 oz chopped dates, 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans and peanuts) are blended together.

1 cup sweet milk and 1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla are combined in a bowl.

2 cups water and 1.5 cups brown sugar simmered over low heat
1.5 cups brown sugar

Dates and nuts are added, completing the filling.

Filling is poured over the caramel, not stirred, to allow the brown sugar filling to rise and thicken as it bakes.

Per McQueary’s instructions, pudding is baked at 20 minutes at 450F. I fond the sauce to be thickened after 30 minutes.

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Chicken Waldorf Salad

The Waldorf salad was first served in 1896 at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The recipe was created by chef Oscar Tschirky.

1.5 cups chicken are cooked (pan fried for this recipe) and diced.

2/3 cups grapes
2/3 cups chopped celery

2/3 cup whole green grapes, 2/r cup chopped celery and 1/2 cup chopped pecans are combined in a bowl.

1/2 tsp salt and 2/3 cup mayonnaise are stirred in with the rest of the produce, creating a creamy, yet sweet light lunch dish.

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Pecan Pie

Prepare Pie Crust

I prepared Joy of Cooking 75th Edition’s Basic Pie Crust (p. 665).

  • 1 cup pecans placed in the base of a 9 inch pie crust
  • 1 cup light corn syrup. I chose a low sugar corn syrup.
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten with a fork
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp salt
  • Corn syrup will hold the ingredients together
  • Pour filling over the pecans and bake at 350F for 40 minutes, per McQueary (p. 216)

McQueary instructs the reader to bake for 40 minutes. I felt this pie needed extra time in the oven: it was ready in 1 hour .

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Texas Hash

  • Pasta, onions, celery, tomatoes and ground beef steaks

Prepare the Vegetables

Dice 2 medium onions and chop 1 cup celery. Sautee vegetables in 3 tbsp cooking oil (olive oil) until they turn yellow (not translucent, they need to cook more with the meat).

Diced celery and onions sautéed in olive oil
3 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare the Pasta

Cook 16 oz elbow noodles (which I substituted with ziti).

Add 1 pound ground steak and cook until brown. I am not sure if the steaks were to be further chopped, as the recipe doesn’t specify. Steaks were ready within 10 minutes with the sautéed vegetables.

Add 2 cups diced tomatoes (6 roma tomatoes, preparation not specified), ziti and seasonings.

1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper

Seasonings: 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. These are similar seasonings to Blanch Fay Stevenson Spanish Macaroni recipe.

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Cucumber Salad

  • 1 cup
    boiling water stirred into 1 package lemon Jello poured
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1tbsp vinegar are blended with the Jello
  • Chill Jello and mayonnaise until firm
  • Grate and drain 1 cucumber
  • Grate and drain one onion, then mix with grated cucumber
  • Mix 1 cup small curd cottage cheese with the vegetables.
  • Combine partially set Jello with cheese and vegetables
  • Pour mixture into mold.
  • Spread 4oz crushed salted nuts (I used pecans) atop the mold. Chill until set.

Ima Mae Smith graduated from Texas Tech in Lubbock. TX. One class had assigned seating and it was in that lecture hall where she met her future husband, a fellow Smith.

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Baked Trout

This fish recipe allows for one to choose between trout, red snapper and sea bass. I chose trout because they are sold fresh in the winter.
  • Prepare seasonings: salt, pepper and garlic salt
  • I substituted garlic salt for 2 cloves fresh minced garlic. Garlic cooked in wine really brings out its flavor.
  • I halved the recipe by cooking a 7 inch long steelhead trout
  • Trout is placed in an aluminum foil pouch, atop one chopped onion and 1tbsp butter
  • Fish is surrounded by 2 onions’ slices and 1 “pat” (tbsp)of butter. 1 oz red wine and Fish is lemon’s juice are poured atop the fish
  • Lemon wedges are left in the pouch. The baked lemon rind enhances the lemon flavor.
  • Fish, onions and lemon wedges are wrapped tightly in foil. The pouch is baked at 450F for 20 minutes .
  • Fish is flipped in the pouch after 20 minutes, then baked an extra 15 minutes.

Governor Preston Smith was born in Williamson County, Texas, just north of Travis County. Governor Smith earned his BA in Business from Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX. Smith served as the 41st governor of Texas and the first governor from West Texas.

Ima Mae Smith Smith’s Chess Pie

Prepare the Crust (Joy of Cooking 75th Ed, p. 665)

Crumble 3 tbsp butter, 3/4 cup shortening and 2 1/2 cups flour. 6 tbsp cold water is gradually added to the dough. One 9 inch pie tin is floured, greased and lined with wax paper. Prior to adding the crust dough, wax paper is floured and greased. Once dough is lined along the tin, the edges are crimped with fork tines.

Prepare the Filling

Add 1.5 cups sugar to 4 beaten eggs
Add 1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs are lightly beaten, then 1.5 cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla are stirred together and poured into the crust.

McQueary instructs the reader to bake the pie for 45 minutes at 375F. After 45 minutes I found the filling hadn’t set. 1 hour 5 minutes was adequate baking time for this chess pie.

I simply love the rich, sweet, buttermilk taste of this pie. The crust is thick and crumbly, a perfect juxtaposition to the pie’s creaminess!