This page is also created so that we can post changes/additions to the recipes in our "Cooking with the Village People" cookbook. These changes/additions are added at the end of this page and includes the one shown on our Bulletin Board page. A notice about the availability of tamale papers is also added.

When you send your recipes, please tell us something about the recipe, something about you, and email them to us at risondallas@bellsouth.net.

You may think that since we've created this page, Volume II of our cookbook won't be published. Well, that's not necessarily so because one day another energetic group of us may decide to create Volume II. If so, most likely that group would include the recipes on this page into that volume.

After Volume I of the cookbook was published, some of the comments heard were, "I didn't know that you were writing a cookbook;" "I thought that you'd only want one or two recipes - if I had known I would've submitted more;" and "I'm already selecting recipes for Volume II."

So now is your chance to submit the recipes that you didn't submit; your chance to help us preserve just a few more of the recipes used back in the "good old days," or those recipes you've created or enjoyed.

The recipes below were received after our cookbook was printed; we anticipate that other recipes will follow:

1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks
5 egg whites, beaten stiff
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped hickory nuts or pecans
Additional chopped nuts for top and sides of cake


Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour three 9" cake pans.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add egg yolks.
Mix baking soda and buttermilk, and add to egg mixture alternately with flour.
Add vanilla, coconut, and nuts, mix well.
Fold in egg whites and divide equally among the three pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10-15 minutes before removing from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost with a seven-minute icing and sprinkle nuts on top and sides.

Editor's note: Although it has not been confirmed, it is believed that Theresa, who has contributed other articles to the Old Huntsville Magazine, might have been the daughter of Rison's beloved teacher, Velma Hanvey.

1 qt. milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat sugar into eggs and add to milk in top of double boiler; cook until mixture coats a spoon. Add vanilla and cool. The recipe is still one of my favorites. Sometimes grandmother would freeze it in ice cube trays and we would eat it like ice cream. She had the old metal trays and would remove the insert for cubes and use only the trays.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put iron skillet in oven to heat.

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 T. oil
Mix liquid ingredients in bowl.

Then add to liquids:
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
¼ cup self-rising flour

If mixture is too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, add a little cornmeal.

Beat well. Take iron skillet out of oven and add 2 tablespoons oil. Pour cornbread mixture into skillet. Put skillet in oven and cook for about 20 or 25 minutes or until top of bread is desired doneness.
This recipe makes a small skillet of cornbread.

My 8 year old granddaughter, Anna, likes to help in the kitchen and has learned to make this cornbread all by herself. I want to teach my 10 and 11 year old granddaughters to make a dish that they can prepare for our Christmas Eve dinner at our house. I want their recipes to be from Volume I of the Rison-Dallas Association Cookbook.

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (divided uses)
2 T plus 1/4 tsp. almond extract (divided uses)
1/2 pint whipping cream
4 T sugar (divided uses)
1 angel food cake, torn into bite-size pieces
2 quarts fresh strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and thinly sliced

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of the almond extract. Set aside.

In a small, deep bowl, whip the whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Fold in cake pieces and set aside.

Combine strawberries, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons almond extract.

In a large glass serving bowl, layer ingredients in this order: one-third of the strawberries, one-half of the cake mixture, another third of the berries, remaining cake mixture, remaining strawberries. Cover and chill well before serving.

Serves 12 - 15.
This is wonderful!

4 cups plain flour
2 eggs
2 tsp. yeast, dry
¼ cup shortening, Crisco
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
1¾ cups water (105-110 degrees)
3 sticks melted butter; use for rolling out dough only

Dissolve the yeast in water.
Combine sifted flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Add eggs and mix well. Add part of water and yeast. Mix thoroughly. Add remainder of water and yeast. Mix thoroughly. Can mix by hand or use an electric mixer. Cover dough for 1½ to 2 hours until dough is double in size from beginning.

Divide the dough and put on floured board. Kneed until can roll out to about ¾" thick. Cut out with a biscuit cutter. Dip in melted butter and fold in half moon in pan (do all the dough this way).

Let rise to double in size - approximately 2 hours or longer. Cook in 400 degree preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes. Brush rolls with melted butter when taken out of oven.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Whoever submitted this recipe said the following: "This recipe is very old and was given to me and I repeated same words as in the original recipe."

Changes/additions to recipes in our "Cooking with the Village People" cookbook:

Page Number	Recipe Title	Change
167	Chocolate Pie	Add: 3 T cocoa
187	Cornbread Salad	Add 8 oz. mayonnaise

INFORMATION ABOUT TWO RECIPES IN THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: On pages 144 and 157 of this cookbook are two recipes for hot tamales, each of which refers the reader to Halsey Grocery as a source from which to purchase tamale papers. We have learned that Halsey's is no longer able to obtain these papers and that a recommended substitute is parchment paper. The contributor of one of the recipes, Betty Frasier, experimented with the parchment paper and found it to be acceptable. The paper comes in several sizes; Betty ordered 1,000 sheets in the 10x14 inch size so that she can cut in them in half thereby giving her 2,000 sheets. She ordered these from the Louisiana Fountain Supply Company by calling 1-800-434-9578.