Welcome to Tonya’s Kitchen Corner
From Our Family Kitchen to Yours
A little food, a little fun, and a lot of real life.
Every good conversation seems to end up in the kitchen eventually.
Tonya’s Kitchen Corner is a small, personal space where she shares a few favorite recipes she makes at home. Recipes shared here are submitted directly by Tonya and often include favorites passed down through her family, including those from her great-grandmother and grandmother, who once ran a bakery together in the 1960s.
Tonya’s Recipes
Grandma Craven’s Divinity
Ingredients 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup white syrup (corn syrup) Dash of salt 2 egg whites, beaten Instructions Combine sugar, water, syrup, and salt in a saucepan. Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage. Stir in about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites....
Aunt Wilma Wilson’s Popcorn Balls
Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup syrup or molasses 1/4 cup oleo (butter or margarine) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (added to syrup) 5 quarts popped popcorn Instructions In a saucepan, mix sugar, syrup (or molasses), water, oleo, salt, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil,...
Grandma Craven’s Reeces Candy
Ingredients 1 cup peanut butter 1 pound powdered sugar 2 sticks oleo (softened) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 small package chocolate chips Instructions Grease a 9 × 9 pan. Blend and thoroughly cream together by hand (use a fork or hands): peanut...
Grandma Jeane’s 7 Layered Lettuce Salad
Ingredients (Amounts are flexible based on dish size) Lettuce (enough to fill about 2/3 of the dish) Onion, diced Frozen peas Cauliflower, sliced Mayonnaise (1-2 cups, depending on the dish size) Sugar (1 tablespoon per cup of mayonnaise) Shredded cheese Bacon bits...
Grandma Jeane’s Cream Cheese Mints
Ingredients 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon orange flavoring 1/2 teaspoon pineapple flavoring 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring 2 pounds powdered sugar Granulated sugar (for rolling) Instructions Cream...
Grandma Jeane’s Creamy Icing
Ingredients 2/3 cup White Crisco 2 pounds powdered sugar 1 tablespoon clear vanilla 9 tablespoons cold water Instructions Combine Crisco, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cold water. Beat with a mixer until creamy. Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered. Note: Some...
Grandma Jeane’s Layered Lettuce Salad
Ingredients 1 head of lettuce (or amount desired) 1 cup chopped onion Optional additions: celery, radishes, carrots (as desired) 1 layer of frozen peas 1 layer of cauliflower, sliced Topping: 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (may need more) 1 tablespoon of sugar Garnish:...
Grandma Jeane’s Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or vanilla wafer crumbs) 1 cup of peanut butter 1/2 cup powdered milk 1/2 cup sugar Instructions Crush graham crackers (or vanilla wafers) to make 1 cup of crumbs and set aside. In a bowl, mix together: peanut butter powdered...
Grandma Jeane’s Rice Krispie Buckeyes
Ingredients 1 stick oleo (margarine) 1 box of powdered sugar 2 cups of peanut butter (chunky or smooth) 3 cups Rice Krispies Chocolate coating: 12 oz chocolate chips 1/2 bar paraffin Instructions Melt 1 stick of oleo. Add powdered sugar and mix. Stir in peanut butter....