Tag: Recipe

Cemetery Recipes: Scotcharoo Bars

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After taking a break from gravestone recipes over the summer, I’m excited to dive back in with a sweet treat that has a story. Kari Jo Lozenski’s Scotcharoo Bars seemed like the perfect place to start.

Kari was known for her energy, kindness, and the way she brought people together. She managed the AmericInn Hotel in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where she was named National General Manager of the Year in 2015.1 She was also a devoted mom and an active part of her community.

Baking was one of her favourite things to do, and she earned the nickname “Betty Crocker” from friends and family, who loved her treats.1 Kari passed away from breast cancer in 2020, leaving behind memories of good food, laughter, and a whole lot of love.1

  • Gravestone of Kari Jo Lozenski.
    Gravestone of Kari Jo Lozenski. Photo by Tasha Tietz, Graveyard Girl. Used with permission.

According to her gravestone, which can be found in Riverside Cemetery in Aberdeen, this recipe was one of her favourites:

Scotcharoo Bars

  • 6 Cups crushed Rice Crispies
  • 1 1/4 Cup Corn Syrup
  • 1/4 Cup Honey
  • 1 Cup Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Bag Butterscotch Chips
  • 1/2 Bag Chocolate Chips

| Crush the Rice Crispies in a big bowl and then measure them out. In a Pan | Add Sugar, CS, PB & Honey. | Heat that until the sugar is dissolved. Do not bring to a boil. Put in pan and melt chips over top and that’s it!!

  • Gravestone of Kari Jo Lozenski
    Gravestone recipe found on the gravestone of Kari Jo Lozenski. Photo by Tasha Tietz, Graveyard Girl. Used with permission.

In The Kitchen

I went into this recipe thinking it would be quick and simple, but the more I studied the recipe, the more tiny question marks popped up. A quick online search cleared some things up, so I gathered my ingredients and cookware and got started.

  • Ingredients to make Scotcharoo Bars

When I reached out to Tasha Tietz, also known as Graveyard Girl, to ask for permission to use her photos for this post, I also asked if she had any advice for making these bars. Her biggest tip was to use the largest bowl I owned because the crushed Rice Crispies will get everywhere. I usually try to follow gravestone recipes as closely as possible, but I decided I wouldn’t be crushing mine up. I did take her bowl advice, though.

From there, it all came together pretty quickly. I measured out the sugar, corn syrup, honey and peanut butter, then warmed everything on the stove. I kept a close eye on the mixture to make sure it didn’t boil and waited until the sugar was dissolved completely. Once it looked smooth, I poured it over the Rice Crispies and gently folded everything together with a spatula. Then I pressed the mixture into a 9×13 pan, having forgotten to butter it, of course.

The topping was supposed to be a mix of butterscotch and chocolate chips, but my butterscotch had definitely seen better days. I stuck with straight melted milk chocolate chips, which gave the bars a thinner top layer, but honestly, considering the sugar load in this recipe, it didn’t feel like a loss.

That unbuttered pan did come back to haunt me when I tried to cut the bars after they had cooled. Thankfully, a few minutes in the oven at 350°F loosened everything enough for me to pry them out. Crisis averted!

  • Scotcharoo Bars

The final result was sweet and chewy, and perfect with a cold glass of milk. Although I didn’t make them exactly according to Kari’s recipe, I did have a lot of fun trying, and they still tasted delicious in the end. I hope I did her memory justice by bringing her recipe to life in my own kitchen.

Recreating Kari’s Scotcharoo Bars was a great way to ease back into gravestone recipes. This recipe is simple, sweet, and exactly the kind of treat that disappears fast. A nice way to spend an afternoon experimenting in the kitchen, remembering Kari and sharing food.

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Kari Jo (Ulmer) Lozenski (Obituary) | Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary & Crematory

Cemetery Recipes: Memaw’s No Bake Cookies

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Cemeteries have a way of surprising me.

I expect to find history, love stories, and sometimes even a bit of mystery—so it’s always surprising to me to find a recipe carved in stone before its creator has even passed.

This isn’t the first gravestone recipe I have tried where the person is still alive, and that fact has made it a bit tricky to find more information about who the gravestone belongs to.

I stumbled upon this gravestone recipe while browsing Reddit. It caught my attention right away—not just because it featured a full recipe, but because the person behind it, Memaw, is still alive. I’ve learned that this gravestone is located in Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama, but I still have so many questions!

Who is Memaw? Why, did she decide to engrave her cookie recipe before she passed? I have no idea, but you know I had to try out the cookie recipe for myself.

  • Memaw's No Bake Cookie recipe on a gravestone.
    Memaw’s No Bake Cookie Recipe on a gravestone. Photo by Reddit user HighImpedence-AirGap.

Here is the recipe, as inscribed on the gravestone:

Memaw’s No Bake Cookies

  • 2 C. Sugar
  • ¼ C. Cocoa
  • ½ C. Milk
  • 8 T. Butter
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ½ C. Peanut Butter
  • 2-3 C. Oats

Mix sugar & cocoa in a saucepan. Add butter and milk. Bring to a boil for 1 ½ minutes. Add remaining ingredients & mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper.

Peepa Approved.

In the Kitchen

This isn’t my first time trying out a no-bake cookie recipe from a gravestone. Last time, I tested a recipe for Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, which turned out to be an easy and delicious treat. (You can read all about that kitchen adventure here.) Since I had a great experience with those, I was excited to see how Memaw’s cookies would compare.

Since I already had experience making no-bake cookies, I knew what to expect, but I still followed Memaw’s instructions exactly. The recipe is very straightforward, using just a few ingredients I already had on hand, so the mixture came together quickly. Within minutes I had a batch of rich, chocolaty cookies setting on my counter.

Making Memaw's No Bake Cookies

They are so tasty, and the peanut butter adds just the right amount of creaminess.

I haven’t been able to track down any information about Memaw or Peepa, but I can only imagine the stories behind this sweet little tribute. Maybe Memaw is a master cookie-maker in her family. Maybe she wanted to leave something fun behind for future generations. Either way, I love the idea that her recipe will live on—literally carved in stone.

If you’ve never made no-bake cookies, Memaw’s recipe is a perfect place to start. They’re quick, delicious, and don’t require an oven—what’s not to love? This recipe is also proof that food, family, and tradition can be just as lasting a legacy, as a date and name.

With graving season now in full swing, I’ll be taking a little break from cemetery recipes for the summer. Between road trips, photography, and tracking down stories in person, I just won’t have time to be in the kitchen as much—but don’t worry, I’ve got a bunch of great cemetery adventures to share with you along the way.

Until then, happy graving—and don’t forget to pack snacks!

Thanks for reading!

Cemetery Recipes: Texas Sheet Cake

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With my birthday coming up at the end of the month, I thought it would be fun to try out a cake recipe for this month’s gravestone recipe. I found the perfect fit with this Texas Sheet Cake.

This recipe can be found on the gravestone of Helen Rose (Keathley) Sweers, who is laid to rest in Blain Cemetery in Cutlerville, Michigan.

  • Gravestone of Helen Sweers. Photo by Find a Grave contributor, Photograver Lori.

Sweers passed away on December 30, 2017, at the age of 77. Her brief obituary describes her as a wife, mother, and grandmother, who deeply loved God, her family, and everyone in her life.1

While her obituary doesn’t mention a passion for baking, the recipe engraved on the back of her gravestone tells a different story.

“Made with Love by Helen Sweers”

  • Texas sheet cake recipe on gravestone of Helen Sweers
    Texas Sheet Cake Recipe. Photo by Find a Grave contributor, G.

Texas Sheet Cake

(As inscribed on the gravestone of Helen Sweers)

Made with Love by Helen Sweers

  • 2 Sticks Butter
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 3 Tbs Cocoa
  • 2 Cups Flour, Sifted
  • 2 Cups White Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Milk
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder

Bring butter, water, cocoa to a boil. In a bowl mix flour, sugar, eggs, sour milk, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Add boiled mixture to flour mixture. Pour on a greased jelly roll pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Frosting

1 stick butter – melted
Then add:
⦁ 1/3 cup milk
⦁ 1 Tbs cocoa
⦁ 1 Tsp vanilla

Cook on stove top. When mixed add one box powdered sugar or about 4 cups. Pour onto hot cake. Spread. Top with walnuts.

In the Kitchen

I had never heard of Texas Sheet Cake before, so I did learn something new with this recipe. A Texas Sheet Cake is a chocolate cake, baked in a jelly roll pan (which is a pan similar to a cookie sheet, but deeper). This gives the cake its signature large, thin shape.

I ended up purchasing a jelly roll pan specifically to make this recipe. It could double as a cookie sheet if needed, but I think I’ll use it again for future baking, so I will get some use out of it either way.

The ingredients for this recipe are mostly staples, so I didn’t need to make an extra grocery trip. However, I did have questions about the sour milk.

Sour milk has a tart taste, either because it’s just starting to spoil or because it was soured on purpose.2 This made me think that this might be a Depression-era recipe, as many recipes of that time were designed to avoid food waste and used sour milk.2 Buttermilk could be a good substitute for sour milk, but I opted to make my own. I found sour milk recipes online that called for 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, for 1 cup of milk. This recipe only calls for a 1/2 cup of sour milk, so I used a 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar.

I let the sour milk sit for a few minutes to curdle while I gathered the rest of my ingredients and preheated the oven.

The recipe instructions are clear so I didn’t have any trouble mixing everything together. I was a bit concerned when it came time to pour the batter into the jelly roll pan. I voiced those concerns to Helen, while I poured in the batter. Talking to the person whose recipe I’m following makes me feel like they’re with me in the kitchen. It can sometimes be a comforting reminder to trust the process.

The pan was quite full, but I had faith that it would work out. And it did—well, sort of. I put the pan in the oven and let it bake for the full 15 minutes. I used the classic toothpick test to see if it was ready, but ended up needing to bake it for 5 more minutes, and then another 5 minutes after that. The center was quite thick and needed a bit more time to bake all the way through.

While the cake baked, I worked on the frosting. Since I had to bake the cake a little longer, I kept the frosting on low heat so it would be ready when the cake was done.

The recipe says to pour the frosting onto the hot cake. The cake didn’t rise, but it didn’t have a lot of room for icing either and I was afraid it would spill over the sides and make a big mess. To avoid that, I used a spatula to carefully spread small amounts at a time. In the end, I was able to cover the whole cake without any issues. I then topped it with a handful of walnuts.

After it cooled, the frosting firmed up a bit, creating a nice crackle when you sliced through the cake.

Texas Sheet Cake, recipe from the gravestone of Helen Sweers.

I love the way this Texas Sheet Cake turned out!

It’s chocolatey and moist, but the real highlight is the frosting. It adds just the right sweetness, although I’ll warn you—it’s really sweet, so a little slice goes a long way.

This cake is big, making it perfect for sharing at a family gathering or other special occasion. I made it to celebrate my birthday, and it was perfect for sharing with loved ones.

Recreating these gravestone recipes has become a meaningful way for me to connect with those whose stories live on in such a personal way. It’s a comforting reminder that food has a power that can bring us together, even across time. I always say that recreating these gravestone recipes really is the sweetest way to remember someone.

Will you be giving this recipe a try? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and experiences in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Helen Sweers Obituary | Grand Rapids Press
  2. What Is Sour Milk — And Is It Safe To Use? | All Recipes

Cemetery Recipes: Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Cookie Book

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Over the summer I took a little break from making gravestone recipes, but I think it’s time to try another one. Fall is coming, so what better time to make chocolate chip cookies? They are always the best when they are still warm from the oven.

I came across this gravestone on reddit, posted by user ubercrabby. So, today on the blog, I want to try making Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Cookie Book gravestone of Jennifer P. Ferrante.

  • Cookie Book gravestone of Jenny P. Ferrante. Photo by Reddit user ubercrabby.

Ferrante’s red granite gravestone, found in a cemetery in upstate New York, is shaped like a book, with “Cookie Book” inscribed on the side. The recipe can be found on the back side of the stone.

Jennifer Peggy Allan Ferrante was only 54 when she passed away suddenly in August of 2019. According to her obituary, she was a consulting engineer for many years, traveled extensively, and loved spending time with her family and pets.1 She was also an avid baker and was known for her chocolate chip cookies, which she often shared with her loved ones.1

It seems fitting that they would honor her by inscribing her famous recipe on her gravestone for others to make and share.

  • Chocolate chip cookie recipe on the gravestone of Jenny P. Ferrante. Photo by Reddit user ubercrabby.

Here is the recipe as inscribed on the gravestone:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

9 to 11 min 375’F

1) 2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2) 1 cup Crisco
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar

2) 1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine dry
Combine wet then add dry

Making the Recipe

Although this recipe is similar to the famous Nestlay Toulouse recipe, also known as Nestle Toll House, there are some small differences—most notably the substitution of Crisco for butter, and the omission of nuts.

It also looks like there might be a typo on the stone, as it has two step 2’s, BUT it might not be a mistake. Both step 2’s contain wet ingredients. Is it possible that it is direction on how to mix the ingredients?

That is the way I read the recipe when I tried it. I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, and then in a second bowl, I mixed the ingredients from step 2. Then in the same bowl from step 2, I mixed the vanilla, eggs, and chocolate chips. I was a bit worried about the amount of chocolate chips, it seemed like a lot! When that was mixed well, I then combined the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, forming a nice cookie dough.

The ingredients consist of pantry staples so it was nice not having to make a special grocery trip to make this recipe. I was curious about the use of Crisco instead of butter. Crisco or shortening, is made from 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil and contains no water.2 It has a higher melting point than butter, so it tends to produce more lift and holds its shape better.2

I try my best to stick to the recipes as written on the gravestone and only make substitutions when necessary—like when ingredients are not available. That being said, shortening has no flavor, so baked goods made with it do miss that buttery taste that only butter can produce. If I made this recipe again, I would make the switch and use butter.

Otherwise, following this recipe was incredibly easy and was a quick one to make. The trickiest part for me was spooning the cookie dough from the bowls to the parchment-lined cookie sheets. I had a bit of a hard time getting uniformed portions so after the first cookie sheet was full, I put a little oil on my hands, to prevent the dough from sticking, and rolled the rest of the dough into balls for the second cookie sheet.

In the end, both cookie sheets came out the same, with the cookies spreading out into each other. I should have given them more space and used one more cookie sheet.

My worries about the amount of chocolate chips were also unwarranted as they didn’t come out a melty chocolate mess. These cookies are incredibly decadent, and delicious!

This is a tasty cookie recipe and easy to make. I can see how this would quickly become a favorite. It’s also a simple recipe with room for modifications if desired. I would make this one again the next time I am craving a nice chocolate chip cookie.

Have you tried this recipe? Or do you have another gravestone recipe suggestion I should try? I would love to read about it, in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Jennifer Peggy Allan Ferrante | Find a Grave
  2. Butter vs. Shortening in Baking | Land O’Lakes

Cemetery Recipes: Annabell’s Snickerdoodles

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Today’s gravestone recipe is another one I have seen floating around on the internet pretty frequently. Since the success of last month’s cookie recipe, I thought it might be time to try another one, this time with some baking involved. 

I am pretty sure I have had a snickerdoodle before, but I don’t recall when. I asked my mother if she had ever made them before, and she said yes, quite often actually. So for today’s gravestone recipe, I try my hand at making Annabell’s Snickerdoodles.

This tombstone treat comes from the gravestone of Annabell R. Gunderson of Willits, California. Found in Willits Cemetery, this gravestone recipe takes up the entire backside of Gunderson’s grey granite gravestone.

Annabell Gunderson passed away at the age of 87, in 2007 after a battle against an unidentified illness.1 In life Gunderson was very active in her community, volunteering her time to multiple organizations. In particular with the St. Anthony’s Ladies Guild.1 Gunderson was known to especially love helping with the yearly enchilada feed—a fundraiser where trays upon trays of enchiladas are made and sold.1 

She is lovingly remembered as a great cook and for her hugely popular snickerdoodles. A recipe that now lives on, etched in stone.

  • Annabell’s Snickerdoodles recipe on the back of Annabell Gunderson’s gravestone. Photo by Find a Grave contributor JDFH. Photo used with permission.

Here is the recipe as engraved on the tombstone:

Annabell’s Snickerdoodles

Mix thoroughly:

  • 1 c shortening
  • 1 c margarine
  • 3 c sugar
  • 4 eggs

Sift together and stir in:

  • 5 1/2 c flour
  • 4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 2 tsp soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Roll (softly) into balls the size of small walnuts.

Roll in mixture of 6T sugar and 6 tsp cinnamon.

Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. or 400° for 6-8 min. until lightly brown, but still soft.

Secret is: Keep dough fluffy!

Making the Recipe

I spoke to my mom about making this recipe, and right away she was surprised at how much this recipe makes. She suggested I cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch. Normally I do try to make the recipe as it is written, but I thought making half of this recipe would be more manageable for me in my small kitchen. After learning about Gunderson’s love of community and cooking, I think I understand why this recipe makes such a big batch. 

So after getting out my ingredients and figuring out the new measurements on my kitchen blackboard, I got started on mixing up a batch of Annabell’s Snickerdoodles.

The recipe is very easy to follow, and is very well written. I did have to soften my margarine and shortening in the microwave a bit so it would combine nicely with the sugar and then the eggs. I made sure not to heat them too much though, as I didn’t want to cook the egg at all. 

After that, I sifted in the dry ingredients till the mixture was well combined. I tried my best to not overwork the dough, keeping Annabell’s secret in mind.

Making Annabell’s Snickerdoodle gravestone recipe.

Now came the fun part! 

I made sure to mix the sugar and cinnamon very well and put the mixture into a dinner plate so I had lots of surface to roll the dough around. To form the cookies, I pinched off small parts of dough, rolling them between my hands into a ball and then rolled them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then I shaped them a little more with my hands before placing them on the ungreased cookie sheet.

Making Annabell’s Snickerdoodle gravestone recipe.

I did flour my hands now and then while rolling the dough to try and stop it from sticking to my hands. I tried my best to space the cookies out evenly between two cookie sheets. I didn’t realize that the cookies would spread, so if I made them again, I would space them out a little more between multiple cookie sheets instead of only using two sheets.

I then placed both cookie sheets in the oven to bake at 375° for 10 minutes. I did a bit of washing up while I waited for them to turn a golden brown. 

Even though they did spread out a bit on the cookie sheet, it wasn’t terrible. After cooling on top of the stove for 10 minutes I was easily able to break them apart without ruining their shape too much. 

  • Annabell’s Snickerdoodles, fresh out of the oven.

These cookies turned out amazing! I was a little bit daunted by the amount of work that had to go into these. But, it turned out to be not as intimidating as I thought, and the result are some of the best cookies I’ve ever tried—especially right out of the oven.

They are soft and buttery, sweet with a hint of cinnamon. I don’t think they will last too long in my house, as I couldn’t eat just one. I love how they turned out and will definitely be making these again!

  • Annabell’s Snickerdoodles

This recipe would be great for someone looking for the perfect cookie for a bake sale or cookie exchange. They would also be a fun cookie to make in the kitchen with kids, as I am sure they would love rolling the dough around into the sugar and cinnamon. 

Have you tried this recipe before? Do you have a favorite snickerdoodle recipe? I would love to read about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Annabell Gunderson obituary | The Ukiah Daily Journal

Cemetery Recipes: Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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I have been craving something sweet and chocolatey for the last two weeks, so when I came across a gravestone recipe for chocolate oatmeal cookies, I knew I had to try them. The bonus is that it’s a no-bake recipe! 

This recipe is found on the gravestone of Bonnie June Rainey Johnson, who is laid to rest in Nome City Cemetery in Nome, Alaska. Johnson, also known as the “driver’s license lady”, worked for the Division of Motor Vehicles in Nome until she retired in 2000, after 30 years of service.1 She was also known for the sweetness of her no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.2 In interviews, Johnsons’ daughter Julie, has said that even the person who cleared the snow from their front yard made sure to do a good job because they would get payment in a batch of these cookies.2 Johnson loved spending time in the kitchen, cooking dishes that brought her family and friends together.1 

Bonnie Johnson was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004 and moved to Anchorage to be with her daughter in her final days. She passed away peacefully on May 8, 2007, surrounded by family.1 She was 71. Her famous oatmeal cookie recipe was inscribed on her gravestone in 2007, along with an image of a Cool Whip container—She was known to collect dozens of them!2

  • Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie recipe on the gravestone of Bonnie Johnson. Photo by Find a Grave contributor, Janelle Otton. Photo used with permission.

Here is the recipe, as written on the black granite obelisk:

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (No Bake)

Everyone’s favorite

  • 2 Cups of Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup of Milk
  • 1/4 Cup of Cocoa (Swiss Miss)
  • 1/4 Cup of Margarine (1 Stick)

Bring to a full boil in a saucepan

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes

Then add

  • 3 Cups of Quick Oats
  • 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
  • 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Drop on Wax Paper and Let Set Until Firm

Making the Recipe

This recipe is high on my list for being so easy to make. I had all the ingredients on hand, which was nice as I didn’t have to make an extra grocery trip. I did make one substitution though, as I didn’t have any Swiss Miss cocoa, only a generic store-brand version. 

The recipe is very straightforward to follow. There are also not many steps so it was a quick recipe to make. I added the ingredients in the order they were listed, making sure the margarine was melted and everything was well incorporated. I brought it all to a boil, making sure to watch it so it didn’t burn. I then removed it from the heat and let it sit for five minutes. 

During this time, I prepared two baking sheets with wax paper. I was not sure how big of a batch this recipe would make, but I thought two cookie sheets would be a good start.

After the five minutes, the chocolate mixture had a bit of a film on it. I didn’t stir it, but instead just added in the next ingredients. At this point I did change the order of things, adding the vanilla and peanut butter first. My thought was to melt the peanut butter to better incorporate it into the mixture. Then I added the quick oats, doing so a little at a time and mixing it well. 

All that was left to do was to drop the mixture onto the waxed paper and let them set. Using two spoons, I made my cookies a little too big on the first sheet. I only fit six cookies on a sheet. I spread them fairly thin but they were large. On the second cookie sheet, I tried to pull it back a bit and make smaller dollops, which I flattened out a little after all the remaining mixture had been spooned onto the sheet. The second cookie sheet had about 12 cookies on it.

  • Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. Recipe from the gravestone of Bonnie Johnson.

Because I made one sheet of larger cookies, I opted to put that one in the freezer to set. The second cookie sheet I put in the fridge to set. After a couple of hours, I pulled out the tray in the fridge to give them a try.

They turned out so good! I was a little nervous, considering my problems with the last gravestone recipe I tried. But I think there was no way to mess this one up. I was afraid they were going to be too sweet, but the oatmeal helps cut some of the sweetness, I think. 

  • Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. Recipe from the gravestone of Bonnie Johnson.

This is a great recipe, and I think will be my go-to the next time I need to whip something up fast the night before a family gathering, to share.

Have you tried this recipe? Do you have a favorite recipe that you would put on your gravestone? I would love to read about it in the comments. 

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Bonnie Johnson Obituary | Anchorage Daily News
  2. Tombstones with family recipes, from Alaska to Israel | The Observatorial

Cemetery Recipes: Kim’s Carrot Cake

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I don’t know why, but Spring often makes me think of carrot cake. So when I was trying to decide which recipe I should make this month, the answer was pretty obvious. Maybe it’s because Easter often falls in April, or because Easter reminds me of picking fresh carrots from the garden when I was a kid. Either way, it’s always a good time to bake a cake. 

So for this month’s gravestone recipe, I wanted to try my hand at making Kim’s carrot cake. This recipe comes from the gravestone of Kimette Lee DeCota, from Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Kim passed away in August of 2014 at the age of 57.

Reading her obituary on Find A Grave, you will see many references to food and cooking. It describes a passionate woman who loved her family and community. Kim was very active in the church, cooking meals as well as helping her parents in the kitchen among other things. 

I would love to know more about the recipe inscribed on her gravestone. Was this her go-to recipe? Maybe her signature dessert? I may never find out, but it warms my heart to know that someone so passionate about cooking can continue to share their passion from beyond the grave.

  • Gravestone of Kimette Lee DeCota, Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery, Cape Girardeau MO. Photo by Find a Grave member Brenda Johnson. Photo used with permission.

Here is the recipe, as written on the gravestone:

Kim’s Carrot Cake

  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-1/2 cups corn oil
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut
  • 1-1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
  • 1-1/3 cups puréed cooked carrots
  • 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch springform pans.
  2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs, vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, pineapple.
  3. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes.
  4. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill and frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Doubling the frosting recipe is highly recommended.

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
  1. Cream the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
  2. Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until ingredients are fully incorporated. The mixture should be free of lumps.
  3. Stir in the vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.

Serve with love.

  • Cemetery Recipes: Kim's Carrot Cake

This recipe is very easy to follow and has very detailed instructions. I found it interesting that the recipe takes up almost all of the room on the gravestone. On the left hand of the stone is an ingredient list and directions to make the cake, while the right-hand side has the ingredient list and instructions to make the frosting. I love that the first note is to double the frosting recipe. I like the way Kim thinks! 

I made this recipe in two parts, first baking the cake and then frosting the next day. For some reason, I only have one spring-form pan so I had to bake the layers one at a time. I really need to rectify that. After the first cake layer was done baking, I took it out of the pan and sat it on a wire rack to cool. I wiped down and reassembled the spring-form pan and poured in the last of the batter. I then put that in the oven to bake.

The recipe calls for the cake to be cooled for three hours. After I took the second layer out of the oven it was fairly late in the evening, so I placed both layers in the fridge to cool overnight.

After work the next day, I set to work making the frosting. I took the cake out of the fridge and placed it on the table to warm up a bit while I mixed the frosting. I know the recipe recommends doubling the frosting, but I found that one batch made more than enough frosting for me. 

Although the instructions were incredibly easy to follow, I do think I messed up a little bit. I baked each cake layer in the oven for the instructed 50 minutes, but didn’t check on them at all. 50 minutes turned out to be too long for my oven; I think I over-baked the cake. It wasn’t burned or anything like that, but the edges became very hard and crisp. So hard that I had trouble cutting the cake when it came time to try a piece. If I were to make this recipe again, I would start checking on the cake at about the 30-minute mark and doing a toothpick test to see if it’s cooked through. 

I also think I didn’t frost the cake properly. I think I might be a bit rusty at making cakes! I was afraid to use up too much frosting in between the cake layers so I frosted that section sparingly. I shouldn’t have been worried though, as I had way too much frosting left over. 

I hoped that the frosting would help moisten and soften the cake a bit, but it’s still a bit hard to cut. Other than the human error on my part, this recipe turned out great. This delicious cake is sweet, and the shredded coconut adds a nice flavor to the mix. I would definitely make this one again! 

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear how yours turned out, and if you have any baking tips for me. 

Thanks for reading!

Cemetery Recipes: Peanut Butter Cookies

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I have been craving peanut butter lately so I thought it would be a perfect time to try another gravestone recipe. This recipe went viral in June of 2023 after Twitter (now X) user SoloFlow786 replied to a Stephen King tweet with a photo of a peanut butter cookie gravestone recipe. The photo quickly went viral, amassing 500k views and over 5,000 likes.1 

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to learn much about this recipe, or whose gravestone it is written on. According to Rosie Grant, of Ghostly Archive it might be inscribed on a gravestone somewhere in Raymond, Maine. I did find that after this tweet went viral, many folks tried their hand at making this recipe, with great success. 

Interestingly, some users on Reddit think this recipe is a variation of an old Betty Crocker recipe from the 1950s. From what I could find, the recipes are a bit similar. The gravestone version does omit a few things and has the added touch of the chocolate kiss.

  • Gravestone engraved with peanut butter cookie recipe. Photo credit: Twitter/X user @SoloFlow786

Here is the recipe, as written on the gravestone:

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1/2 C Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 C White Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1/2 C Crunchy Peanut Butter
  • 1/4 C Butter Shortening
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 C Flour
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda

Mix in order given. Roll into balls, then roll in sugar. Cross mash with fork. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Place chocolate kiss on top of cookie while still warm.

This is a pretty straightforward recipe with few ingredients. So it didn’t take long to whip up a batch. The longest part of the process I found, was rolling the cookie dough into even-sized balls. 

The extra tsp of sugar that the recipe calls for, is for rolling the cookie dough into. For my batch, since it was St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, I decided I would try adding a touch of green to be festive. I managed to find some green sanding sugar, but unfortunately, it was more of a pastel green. More for Easter than St. Paddy’s, so after baking the green colour had pretty much disappeared.

I spaced the cookies out evenly on two baking sheets. My batch made 19 cookies. I found my dough was a bit crumbly, so after mashing it with a fork, they didn’t keep a round shape and some crumbled a little bit. They didn’t spread out too much and kept their crumbly shape. They still taste delicious though. 

I found making this recipe was a little different for me. I often find myself talking aloud to the person whose gravestone the recipe comes from, but this time I don’t know who this recipe belongs to. I find talking out loud while I bake or cook helps me connect to the person. I hope one day I can find out where this gravestone recipe comes from. It would be lovely to be able to put a name to the gravestone.

Until then, I will highly recommend this delicious peanut butter recipe to anyone craving a sweet peanut butter treat.

Have you tried this recipe? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

References: 

  1. This Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Is Too Bizarre To Digest | Zee News

Cemetery Recipes: Chicken Soup

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We recently had our first big winter snowfall, after enjoying a pretty mild start to the season. The snow and cold weather have me craving warm and cozy comfort food, so I thought this might be a good time to try out another gravestone recipe—Chicken Soup!

This gravestone recipe comes from the tombstone of Valerie C. Volpe, of West Seneca, New York. I’m not sure exactly where Volpe is laid to rest, but her pink granite gravestone topped with an open book design features her chicken soup recipe in her own handwriting. I thought that was a beautiful touch. 

The recipe, inscribed on the open book is laid out like a recipe card and even has her signature. In life, Volpe was co-owner of Valerie’s Family Restaurant where she not only fed her family but her community as well.1

  • Gravestone of Valerie C. Volpe, with Chicken Soup recipe. Photographer unknown. If this is your photo or you know who the photographer is, please contact me for proper photo credit. 

The epitaph reads: “Beloved Daughter, Mother / Wife, Grandmother, / Sister, Aunt & Friend / Valerie C. Volpe / She was a lady raised by a lady / Apr. 18, 1947 / Sep. 10, 2016”

Unfortunately, the only photo I could find of the gravestone is not the highest resolution, so the handwriting is a bit hard to make out. I did my best to transcribe the recipe, as inscribed on the gravestone. Here is the recipe:

Recipe for Chicken Soup

From the kitchen of Mommy

  • 1 Perdue oven stuffer
  • Cut in 10 pieces
  • 1 small Parsnip
  • 1 small Turnip
  • 2 stalks Celery
  • 4 Carrots
  • Parsley —
  • Dill —

This makes 1 large pot or 2 — pots / Clean chicken. Cover with / cold water — / Celery, Carrots, parsnip – turnip / Bring to a boil — / — / — / — / Cook about 2 1/2 hours.  / Valeria C. Volpe

Since I had such a hard time reading the recipe from the photo, I went by this recipe description from Billion Graves:

“Cut an “oven stuffer” into 10 pieces. Place in a pot. Rinse and cover with cold water. Add salt. Cut up 1 small parsnip, 4 carrots, 1 turnip, and 2 stalks of celery. Add to the pot and bring to a boil. Sprinkle with dill. Cook for 2 1/2 hours and then remove the bones. Top with chopped parsley when ready to serve.”

This is one of the more detailed recipes I have made so far, so once I had the above instructions I didn’t have too much to decipher to make it. The recipe does call for a Perdue oven stuffer, which I did have to look up. A Perdue “oven stuffer” is an American brand, of fresh whole chicken. These chickens, also called roasters, are older chickens and usually weigh between 5 and 7 pounds. I made a shopping trip specifically for the ingredients of this recipe and although we don’t have Perdue brand in Canada, I was able to find a fresh chicken that would work for my needs. 

I have trimmed a roasted chicken before, but trimming a fresh chicken was new for me. I didn’t end up using 10 pieces of the chicken, as the thighs, wings, drumsticks, and chicken breasts were more than enough. I was also worried about smaller bones being lost in the soup and causing a choking hazard, so I was happy to have just some larger bones in the pot. 

I should note that this was my first time making soup from scratch! Aside from getting the chicken ready, this soup is pretty simple with hearty ingredients. 

Once the soup was at a boil I lowered the heat to medium and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours, checking on it now and then to stir. I will admit I did need to add water periodically as it boiled off leaving more of a stew at times. I made sure to re-season the pot every time I added fresh water, but in the end, I still needed to season it when it was ready to serve. I’m not sure if that was supposed to happen, or if I didn’t really need to let the pot simmer for that long, but in the end, the soup still turned out. I was of course mindful of making sure the chicken was cooked through.

Since it took so long to prepare, I didn’t have soup for supper that night, but I did make sure to do a taste test after removing the bones. It wasn’t as seasoned as I would have liked, but the cozy warm chicken soup taste is unmistakeable. I ended up enjoying a bowl for lunch the next day.

This one was a little tricky for me, and I would tweak the cooking time if I were to make it again. This recipe took me out of my cooking comfort zone. I think I would prefer to stick to sweet gravestone treats, but at least I tried.

Have you made this recipe before? Do you make soup from scratch often? I would appreciate any tips in the comments! 

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Gravestone recipes so good they are set in stone | Billion Graves

Cemetery Recipes: Dr. Death’s Ranch

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I am still on the hunt for Canadian gravestone recipes. The majority of the ones I have learned about are in the United States. Hopefully one day, I will have a Canadian recipe to share with you. Until then I will keep trying out the gravestone recipes I learn about online. 

For this month’s gravestone recipe, I wanted to try out Dr. Death’s Ranch!

  • Cemetery Recipes: Dr. Death's Ranch

This is the first savory gravestone recipe I have tried, and it looks like it will be an easy one to make. I first learned about this recipe through Rosie Grant, who you may know as Ghostly Archive on TikTok. This gravestone belongs to Marty Lee Woolf, who passed away suddenly on August 21, 2022.1 

According to Woolfs’ obituary, he was a hard-working family man with a good sense of humor. He leaves behind a wife and three children.2 I would like to think this recipe was one of his favourites. So much so, that his family chose to inscribe it on his gravestone for others to remember him by. I wasn’t able to find much information about this ranch dressing recipe, so I am very curious; who is Dr. Death? Was this Woolf’s signature dip recipe? Was this his go-to recipe for family gatherings or get-togethers? 

What I could find about this stone, is that this gravestone was most likely made in Washington state. The only photo I have been able to find of this gravestone looks to have been taken before the stone was installed at the cemetery, possibly after it had been engraved.

I have recently been able to confirm that Woolf is laid to rest in Saltese Cemetery, in Greenacres Washington. Thank you to a fellow taphophile and reader for sending me a note about this graves location!

Woolf’s Find A Grave memorial also lists a photo of the front of his gravestone. His epitaph reads “The Legend. The Laugh.”

  • Backside of the gravestone of Marty Lee Woolf. Photo by Rosie Grant (Ghostly Archive on TikTok)

Here is the recipe, as written on the gravestone:

Dr. Death’s Ranch

  • 1 C. Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 C. Buttermilk
  • 1 Tbsp. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
  • 1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper
  • 1/8 Tsp. Paprika
  • 1/8 Tsp. Garlic Powder

This has to be the easiest gravestone recipe I have made so far. There are only 6 ingredients and there is no baking or cooking involved. My kind of recipe! The hardest part for me was gathering the ingredients. Being in Canada, we sometimes don’t have the same name brands of foodstuffs. I wasn’t able to find any Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix, so I substituted in some Club House Ranch Style Dressing and Dip Mix. I tried to compare the mix ingredients to see if the mix I had found was close, but I wasn’t able to tell since both mixes don’t go into detail on what spices are actually in them. Hopefully, the flavors aren’t too off! 

After easily mixing everything by hand with a whisk, until smooth, I let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few minutes to let the flavors combine. While the dressing was resting, I sliced up some cucumbers and red bell pepper to make a little veggie platter. I also threw some cherry tomatoes and baby carrots on there for some variety.

When the veggie platter was ready, it was time to try Dr. Death’s Ranch.

This is a super tasty recipe! I wasn’t sure about the buttermilk as I don’t think I have ever had it before like that, but the bright flavor combination is a winner. I also love how quick & easy it is. I was surprised at the amount of dip this recipe makes too. The addition of the buttermilk helps smooth out the texture and thins it out a little, making it a decent-sized batch.

This would be the perfect thing to bring to a Summer get-together with friends and family, or maybe to some game day festivities. The next time I go to a potluck, I know I will be reaching for this recipe again for super easy veggies and dip platter.

Have you heard about this gravestone recipe before? Are you going to give it a try? Tell me about it in the comments! 

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. ‘I’ve made 23 recipes I found engraved on gravestones – they’re to die for’ | Mirror
  2. Marty WOOLF Obituary | Legacy.com