For nine decades, Our State has made its way into homes across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. To celebrate, every month this year, we’re paying tribute to the readers who inspire us, offering a taste of our earliest recipes, and revisiting old stories with new insights. Follow along to find out how our past has shaped our present.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
October 1, 1972 • In the fall, those who grew sorghum pressed their harvest into gallons of sweet syrup and gathered friends and family to help cook the liquid down into sorghum molasses. Mrs. R.R. Miller, who submitted her mother’s sorghum cake recipe told The State, “If you have never tasted hot biscuits and butter, spread with new warm homemade molasses and [served with] a cup of hot coffee, you have missed one of the better things in life.”
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
½ cup boiling water
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sorghum molasses
1 large egg, beaten
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, pour boiling water over butter and stir. Add sugar and sorghum molasses, and mix on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and continue mixing for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. Gradually add dry ingredients to batter and mix on low speed until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared dish and bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
March 15, 1966 • This recipe came from Florence Phillips, who, along with her husband, Robert, owned Apple Valley Farm, a 45-acre orchard in Mitchell County. Robert was celebrated for his conservation methods, including mulch farming, reforestation, and improving his pasture. The Agricultural Extension office in Mitchell County was quoted in a 1993 issue of The State, crediting Robert with helping “apple growers in the area organize an apple cooperative that packed and sold 50,000 to 100,000 bushels of apples for 20 years to northern and southern markets.”
Yield: 6 servings.
6 large cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Honey Crisp, peeled and cored
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice from 1 lemon + cold water to yield ⅓ cup
1 cup granulated sugar
Sprigs of thyme, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Place apples, cored side up, in prepared dish. Place a tablespoon of butter inside each apple. Drizzle lemon juice and water mixture over apples. Sprinkle tops of apples with sugar.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until apples are cooked through. Turn apples over and baste with juices. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve on a platter and finish with a drizzle of juices from baking dish and sprigs of thyme.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
December 1990 • Making persimmon pulp, the star of this dish, is a labor of love. Those who grew up with persimmons on their plates spend days meticulously pressing the fruits through colanders with a wooden dasher to get the perfect pulp for baking. You can find it at farmers markets and specialty shops in the fall, but only after the persimmons have fallen — try to pick a persimmon from the tree and the fruit bites back, leaving its victim with a dry mouth.
Yield: 12 servings.
For the cake:
1½ cups persimmon pulp
2 cups light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raisins
2 cups self-rising flour, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 (16-ounce) boxes powdered sugar
⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
Using an electric mixer, mix pulp and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on medium speed, add eggs one at a time.
In a separate bowl, toss pecans and raisins with ½ cup flour until coated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1½ cups flour and cinnamon. Add flour and cinnamon to pulp mixture and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Beat milk and melted butter into batter.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cake layers cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place on a cooling rack.
For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Continue to mix until well blended.
Spread frosting over top of first layer of cake, then place second layer on top. Frost sides and top of cake.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
photograph by Matt Hulsman
February 1, 1969 • In 1967, Spruce Pine resident Mrs. Frank Arnold submitted this recipe for “Luscious Corn Meal Bars” to the Corn Meal Bonanza amateur cooking contest. During the event held each year by the NC Corn Millers Association and the Department of Agriculture, home cooks aged 9 and up could submit a savory recipe featuring cornmeal — only recipes using cornmeal processed in North Carolina were accepted — for the chance to win televisions, cameras, or radios.
Yield: 12 bars.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1½ cups yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
½ pound Neese’s sausage, cooked and drained
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter until melted. Add onion and cook over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally until translucent. In a large bowl, add cooked onion, parsley, cooked sausage, salt, baking powder, cornmeal, and flour. Toss ingredients until well combined. Cut in remaining butter and mix until ingredients resemble coarse sand. Make a well in the center. Whisk together egg and milk, and pour into center of mixture. Stir until mixture is just moistened.
Prepare a 9 x 12-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon mixture into prepared dish, spreading evenly and into corners. Top with grated cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cut cornbread into squares. Serve hot.
— Recipe adapted by Lynn Wells
Eleven Our State authors share stories about the role light plays in their holiday celebrations.
For more than 50 years, a dazzling chandelier has hung in the dining room of the Executive Mansion in Raleigh. Only recently has its remarkable backstory been fully illuminated.
At Burge Flower Shop, Randolph County residents find comfort, joy, and inspiration by the bouquet.
A pair of mother-daughter innkeepers inherited a love of hosting from their expansive family. At Christmastime, they welcome guests to their historic lodge in Stanly County.
