Happy Thanksgiving

7-Up Pound Cake

10 oz. 7-Up soda

2 sticks margarine

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp lemon)

Cream sugar, margarine, shortening together. Add eggs one at a time. Beat. Then add flour, vanilla (lemon). Add 7-Up soda. Beat. Pour in greased and lightly floured cake pan. Round cake pan or Bundt pan works best. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Turn out of pan immediately, cool and enjoy.

It just wouldn't be right if I didn't tell you my story behind this wonderful cake. I developed the joy of cooking when I was very young. My father James Henry Phillips gave me this sacred recipe when I was maybe 16 years old. I charished it for a very long time. Its famous and a favorite amoung my family. Well, my father died in 1985 and a few years later I lost the recipe. I had no idea where it dissappeared to. So, I started calling Phillips family members, only to be told that no one had the recipe. I searched from the oldest of members to the youngest. I was heart broken to find out my father had never shared this recipe with anyone except me and now it was lost. For ten years we didn't have this cake. I was heartbroken and then one night at work as my coworkers and I were sitting around the nurse's station we were talking about the holidays and cooking and cakes and I told them this same story, the story of the lost cake recipe. One of the nurses said the cake sounded like a cake her grandmother in West Virginia baked sometimes. She called her grandmother the next day and low and behold it was the same cake. She sent me the recipe and I've held it close to my heart every day. However, one thing I'm doing differently than what my father did, I'm not keeping it a secret. I want the whole world to know what a wonderfully delicious pound cake this makes. Enjoy!!!