This One Is for You Anita, RIP My Friend!!

Back in the 70s and 80s my friend Anita and I were new mothers doing what mothers did best, raising our families. We did manage, even though we were very busy, to get together now and then. Of course, our conversations bordered on lots of "mother things" we used to say, one of them being the latest recipe we had made. In those days, we all had little cute recipe cards we swapped recipes on, those days before the internet when life was so much simpler. Luckily for me I still have a few from Anita that captured my attention and became favorites. Through the years I did change them up as the times changed and so many ingredients from those days became taboo in large amounts. Sadly, Anita passed away recently and so I got out my saved cards and decided to make something in her memory. I am sad for the young people of today or the not so young who now mostly depend on the internet for their recipes. I have had so many people say to me in recent years, 'that's Ok I'll just get the recipe off the internet." Some day when that friend or relative is gone, they might just wish they had received that handwritten recipe card after all.

The recipe I have chosen today is Anita's Apple Cake Bars, I am writing it in the original way and then my tweaks in parentheses. I am also including the rest of the recipe that is on the back but not in my photo!!

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan (I use spray in a nonstick dark pan)

Cut up 1/2-2/3 cups nuts (I use cinnamon chips family member can't have nuts)

Mix dry ingredients

2 cups flour (I use 1 cup white, 1 cup white whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon, set aside

Mix well by hand

3 beaten eggs

1 cup white sugar (I use a scant 3/4 cup, sometimes even less)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (I use a scant 1/2 cup, sometimes even less)

1 tsp vanilla