Linda Gale Thompson White’s Victorian Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This recipe is similar to the Fannie Irene Bruner Campbell’s skillet cake, with a Sarah Bishop twist for flavor.

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the base syrup for the cake: 1/3 cup brown sugar (I used light brown), 1/2 cup butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat (recipe specifies cast iron).

Prepare the Pineapple

Peel and slice up a whole pineapple and remove the center. Line the slices along the bottom and sides of a pan (size not specified, I used a 13x9x1 inch pan).

Prepare the Dry Ingredients

Sift cake flour (3 cups), 1.5-2 cups granulated sugar, 1.5 tsp salt and 4 tsp baking powder into a bowl.

Cream 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in a stand mixer at medium speed. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and continue mixing.

Add 2/3 cups simple syrup (I used light Karo syrup) to the ingredients.

Add 2/3 cups milk, 2 tsp grated lemon zest and 1.5-2 tsp vanilla extract.

The recipe directs to mix ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fold in 2 eggs, then mix for 2 more minutes (on medium speed).

The recipe doesn’t specify when to pour the melted brown sugar over the cake, however online recipes call for moistening the base pineapple with the brown sugar. Melted brown sugar is poured over the pineapples, followed by the cake batter.

Cake is baked for 50 minutes, then allowed to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, to allow to cool.

Once cool, the cake is turned over onto a plate, exhibiting the syrup and pineapple outside the cake.

I love the cake’s sweetness, juxtaposed with the tart pineapple. The syrup does a splendid job of moistening the cake.

Linda Gale Thompson White’s Quail With Gravy

Savory and succulent quail cooked in creamy mushroom and white wine sauce.

Sautee 6 tbsp. cubed butter with 1 chopped medium onion and 8 oz sliced mushrooms

I feel the most challenge for this dish is its consumption. Quail have tiny bones and while I loved the flavors, most of my dining experience was spent removing the bones! If you have the patience for quail, I highly recommend these birds. The cook may substitute the game bird with chicken.

Rita Crocker Clements’ Mansion’s Apple Cake or Governor Clements’s Favorite Apple Cake

On behalf of all the cooking oil to be used in this cake, let’s talk about Governor Clements’ post-WWII career: oil!

1947 Governor Clements and his colleagues founded SEDCO, Southeastern Drilling Company. The business expanded to 20 countries. Towards the end of Governor Clements’ first term, in 1984, the company was valued at $1 billion.

Preheat oven 350F.

Mix 1 cup cooking oil (I used Canola) and 2 cups (granulated) sugar.

Add one egg to the oil, mix, then add a second egg and beat again.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Fold 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Peel, core and chop 4 cups Granny Smith apples. Chop 1 cup pecans. Fold apples, pecans and 1 tsp vanilla into the batter.

Pour batter into greased 8x 11 inch cake pan and bake at 350F for 60 minutes, until a centrally placed toothpick comes out clean.

Ooooh apples! This cake is sweet, cinnamon-filled and applicious! The texture is softly satiable, like a warm apple infusion.

Rita Crocker Clements’ More

Melted sharp cheddar atop macaroni, ground beef, mixed vegetables. This is the perfect dish to relieve the fridge of leftovers at the end of the week.

Heat the vegetables in a skillet with Salad oil (grapeseed oil), quantity not specified.

Vegetables to be diced and browned in the skillet: 2 onions, 1 green pepper, 1 large jar of diced mushrooms.

Add 1.5 lbs ground beef and seasonings. Seasonings: 2 small minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp. chili powder, salt and pepper.

The aroma from the chili and garlic make my mouth water! Within 10 minutes the meat has browned and blended with the vegetables. Additions to the meat and cooked vegetables: 1 can tomatoes (15 oz) and 1 can tomato sauce. The meat has not completely cooked through in this pic.

After the addition of tomato sauce and tomatoes, frozen English peas and 1 can whole kernel corn are added to the skillet. 4 oz macaroni is stirred into the meat and vegetables, then all ingredients are poured into a pan to be baked.

More casserole before entering the oven to bake and melt the cheese for 30 minutes

I simply love the taste of melted cheddar over ground beef and macaroni. The tomato paste and tomatoes create a wonderful after taste.

Rita Crocker Clements’ Baked Cheese Grits

48 governors have served the State of Texas to date. Only 6 governors were members of the Republican party. Governor Clements’ term began in 1979, ending a 106 year gap between Republican governors. The last Republican Texas governor was Edmund Davis, in 1873.

3 cups water and 1 tsp salt are boiled on the stove top. Once boiling, 1 cup grits are added and heated for around five minutes.

1/2 cup whole milk, 2 eggs and 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese are stirred into the pot of grits. Ingredients are transferred to a greased casserole dish.

Grits are baked at 325F for 1 hour 10 minutes. This breakfast is so hearty and delicious! The cheese has migrated to the top of the casserole, so pretty and inviting! I love the tang of seasoned egg, blended with the sharp cheddar! This dish tastes similar to matzo brie. I do wonder if mixing the eggs and milk ahead would change the texture of the dish.

Rita Crocker Clements’ Enchiladas

Sarah Bishop started her tenure at the Mansion during the Clements administration. Chef Bishop is nothing short of a spice genius, and these enchiladas lead credence to her wizardry.

Prepare 3 large chicken breasts, baking at 450F for 1 hour. Once baked, remove skin and bones, then chop into 12 strips.

Prepare the Vegetables

Brown 1 cup chopped onion and 1 minced clove garlic in a buttered (2 tbsp. margarine) saucepan over medium heat.

Add 1/4 cup chopped green chilies (from a can) — Chop 8oz canned tomatoes and 1/4 cup canned green chilies.

Prepare the Sauce

Add sauce ingredients to the skillet.

Combine 1 cup canned tomato sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed dried oregano and 1/2 tsp crushed dried basil (the latter two ingredients create wonderful flavors for the sauce).

Boil the sauce over high heat, then simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring. Remove skillet from heat.

Dip each of the 12 corn tortillas in the sauce, then lay flat on a baking sheet to fill.

Place 1 chicken slice and 2 tbsp. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese in each shell, then rollup and place in a baking pan, seam side down.

Stir 3/4 cups sour cream and the prepared sauce together, then pour over the tortilla shells. Sprinkle remnants of the 2.5 cups shredded cheese atop the shells.

Cover dish and bake at 350F until “heated thoroughly,” about 25 minutes for me.

The sauce is divine, I love the savory taste of basil and oregano. I love the creamy texture of the sour cream based sauce.

Rita Crocker Clements’ Bailey Square Chocolate Cake

Bailey Square Chocolate Cake, iced with Chocolate Pecan Icing

The following recipe will make two pans of 9×13 inch cake or one large 2.5x 10.5 x 16 inch cake.

Pour chocolate batter in 2 well greased baking pans. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. The author advises a shorter baking time for the two smaller pans, yet I found that 45 minutes was sufficient for the bottom rack pan, 50 minutes for the top rack pan.

The cake tastes like a very rich chocolate fudge. Coat the cake with Chocolate Pecan Frosting and garnish with toasted pecans. The chocolate pecan frosting is sweet and crunchy with its toasted pecans!

I feel this is the hardest chocolate cake I’ve ever baked, yet was terribly rewarding, as it was well received at work. The office ate one whole pan in 6 hours!

Rita Crocker Clements’ Chocolate Pecan Frosting

I simply love the frosting’s mirror-like glaze

January 3, 1979, Representative Mickey Leland of Houston, Texas started his term for Congressional House District 18. Mr. Leland’s predecessor was Barbara Jordan, who vacated the seat due to her declining health, as she battled multiple sclerosis. Representative Leland received his pharmacy degree from Texas Southern University. He assisted the opening of a free clinic in Houston’s fifth ward, the Jensen Medical Referral Service. Representative Leland served District 88 for three terms in the Texas House of Representatives where advocated for affordable healthcare. Representative Leland continued his crusade for affordable drugs, while serving six consecutive terms in Congress, up until his death on August 7, 1987. He is succeeded by Craig Washington.

The pecan frosting will coat Rita Crocker Clements’ Bailey Square Chocolate Cake.

Heat the following ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat: 1/2 pound butter is mixed with 1/2 pound baking chocolate, 2 pounds sifted confections sugar and 11 tbsp. cream or milk (I used a combination of 4 oz heavy cream and 7 oz whole milk). My quart sized saucepan required the gradual incorporation of ingredients, lest the sugar overflow onto the burner. Initially, the butter and chocolate squares are broken into pieces and stirred over medium heat until well melted. Gradually the sugar and milk/cream are added and incorporated with the rest of the ingredients. Once the saucepan is removed from the heat, 2 tsp vanilla extract is stirred into the frosting. The recipe calls for adding the vanilla over heat, I deviated because I worried the extract will taste like alcohol, not vanilla, if its incorporated over heat.

2 cups (1 pound) toasted pecans are spread on a baking sheet and baked at 300F for 15 minutes, until toasted.

The recipe implies the pecans are to be mixed with the frosting. I chose to garnish the cake with the toasted pecans.

Confectioners sugar, baking chocolate, cream, milk (not pictured) and vanilla crate a rich sweet frosting. Baking soda will be used in the cake, not the frosting.

Rita Crocker Clements’ Pecan Tassies

Governor Clements is the first Texas governor to exclusivley serve four year terms. Similar to how this recipes calls for the layering of two separate ingredients, Governor Clements’ two terms are sandwiched between Governor Mark White’s term (1983-1987).

Tarts

Combine 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter with 6 oz cram cheese and whip until light and fluffy.

Combine 1/2 cup flour into the wet ingredients and mix well. Combine another 1/2 cup flour, stir well, then repeat with an additional 1/2 cup flour, until 1.5 cups flour total is added.

Form dough into 36 equally sized balls, about 1 inch wide. Press balls into well greased mini muffin tins, allowing the dough to cover both the bottom and sides. I used a regularly sized muffin tin, so my tassies were thrice the intended size.

Pecan Filling

Lightly beat 2 eggs. Stir in 1.5 cups brown sugar (I used light brown sugar), 1/2 stick (4tbsp) melted butter, dash of salt and 2 tsp vanilla. Chop 1.5 cups pecans. I accidentally added the pecans to the mixture. The recipe calls for sandwiching the pecans between the filling.

Divide the chopped pecans in half. Place a layer of pecan pieces at the base of each tart. Pour filling atop the pecans in the tarts. Place second layer of chopped pecans atop the filling.

Tarts are ready for baking!

Bake the tarts at 325F for 15 minutes. Cool the tarts before removing from the muffin tins.

Anita Thigpen Perry’s Chicken Salad Supreme

Heat 3 bone in/skin-on chicken breasts in a pot with 1 sliced onion, 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced celery and 2 garlic cloves. Season the pot with a bay leaf and dash of thyme, celery seed, whole black peppercorns and fresh parsley. McQueary warns to not let the water boil, simply simmer. Allow the pot to simmer for 30 minutes. Slight, tiny bubbles in the hot water indicates the water is simmering. Turn heat down to medium to allow the water to remain at the simmering temperature.

Toast 1/2 cup sliced almonds on a baking sheet at 300F for 10 minutes.

Dressing

Combine: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 tbsp. minced parsley, 1 cup sliced white grapes and 1/2 cup toasted shredded almonds.

Mix chicken and dressing, then serve with an ice cream scoop to create the signature chicken salad balls.

I left the almonds out of the dressing to use as a topping. The juxtaposition of dry, hard toasted almonds and sweet, hydrated salad is amazing.