If you’re on a diet, or just tryin to eat more health wise, forget about hangin out, although I do tell Deb these cakes do have SOME fine, healthy ingredients. You just have to look, and use your own definition to the term…healthy.

If you look though, you can read into it what ya want. Let’s see now, hmmm, I see right off the bat…oranges. Those are good for ya, right? Then I see cloves. There’s two right off the bat, huh?

Shoot, I’m lookin now at an ingredient that just has to be beneficial to us all…coconut! Okay Deb, I’m three for three! Last but not least I spy something that “back in the day,” I dearly loved. Loved it so much I’d only buy it by the gallon.

BOURBON…yes sir, good for pretty much whatever ails ya! Medicinal purposes were my main use. My head hurt…I’d take a shot. Sometimes several. Stress, shoot, there ain’t nothing no better. Cough or sore throat, you betcha!

On top of all that, it’s supposed to be very, very good for…snakebite! So good in fact , that me and several of my good, doctorin buddies just like myself, would always tote small snakes in our pockets.

So as you can see, the recipes we’re sharin with you guys today, all CAN be described as healthy! It’s just like anything else in life. You get out of it, only how you read it!

These recipes come from one of my Mom’s cookbooks. It is a church cookbook we’ve shared from before, and was put out by the Presbyterian Church in Apopka, back in 1990.

Mom and Dad don’t attend this particular church, but many of their friends do. The title is, “Treasures and Pleasures.”

Why don’t we fire off the dern cook stove and get started. Miz Judi TOLD me a while back, “Why don’t you do a whole lot less talkin, and a whole lot more cookin?” I asked her if she was telling me this, but she said she was…only suggesting. Yeah, right! LOL!

She tried to explain it to me as simply as she could. Less communicatin works out to be more, “profit makin!”

Simply put, these days you better be into much, much, more “profit makin,” cause our current administration condones getting your wealth… “through takin!”

Let’s git started!

Clove Cake

• 1 cup butter (or Crisco)
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon soda

Beat eggs and add to creamed butter and sugar. Sift flour and spices. Add alternately with buttermilk mixed with soda, ending with flour. Bake on 350 for 45 to 55 minutes in a 10 inch tube pan. Check center for doneness.

Mary Green

Four Day Four Layer Coconut Cake

Day 1

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 16 oz. frozen coconut, thawed

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Day 2

• 1 box yellow cake mix

Mix up a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix. Substitute milk instead of water. Mix and bake according to box. Use 2 round cake pans. Let cake cool. Cut rounds in half crosswise, making 4 rounds. Put icing between layers and cover the top with icing too. If icy happens to be too soupy, just add more dried coconut.

Cover in tight cake storage container.

Days 3 and 4…Must remain in refrigerator before eating.

(Note from Dub…Deb would have her hands full tryin to keep me outta that mutha for days 3 and four!!)

Lynn Goodwin

Bourbon Pecan Pound Cake

• 1 cup solid shortening
• 2-1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup bourbon (I usually set out 3-4. Don’t want to be coughin and hackin, while bakin)
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan or Bundt pan.

In large mixer beat shortening and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until very smooth. Meanwhile, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; add to sugar mixture alternating with sour cream and bourbon- beginning and ending with flour. Beat just till well blended; fold in pecans.

Turn into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking center for doneness. Turn out onto wire rack to cool. Pour glaze over cake; decorate with pecan halves if desired.

Bourbon Glaze

Mix 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 1 tablespoon bourbon and enough water, about 2 tablespoons, to make a pourable glaze. Beat until very smooth and pour over cake.

Sis Pitman

Little Orange Chiffon Cake

• 2 egg yolks
• ½ cup egg white (4 whites)
• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup salad oil
• 1-1/2 tablespoons orange rind
• ¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in mix. Add egg yolks, orange rind, juice and oil. At medium speed, mix until smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar to very stiff peaks.

Slowly pour first mixture over whites. Fold in gently until just blended. Pour into a 3-1/2 inch deep tube pan. Bake on 325 for 50 to 55 minutes. Check center for doneness. Cool as you would an angel food cake.

Betty Mountan