Recipe for Rachel's Hurry-Up Cake
(which is included in 'Back to School')

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour (do not substitute)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix the cake flour with baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and softened butter. Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately to the egg and butter mixture. Add vanilla and beat hard for 3 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans and bake for 5 minutes. Raise oven heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Cool, remove from pans, then frost with strawberry icing.

Strawberry Icing:
4 tablespoons (or more) mashed strawberries
2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/3 cup softened butter

Blend butter and powered sugar together in a bowl. Stir in the mashed strawberries, adding enough milk to make a creamy frosting that is easy to spread but not too runny. Spread on cooled cake.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons root beer extract
Warm water

In 1-gallon jar, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Add sugar and root beer extract with enough warm water to dissolve thoroughly. Stir until dissolved. Fill jar with water and let set in the sun or a warm place for several hours or until strong enough. Cool.

Note: Root beer can be made in the morning and will be ready to drink by noon.

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine molasses, water, and baking soda. Divide mixture equally into unbaked pie shells.

CRUMB MIXTURE:
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons lard or shortening
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients in a separate bowl until mixture forms crumbs. Divide crumbs and sprinkle evenly on top of filling in pie shells; let stand for 10 minutes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until done.