Cooking Connection is a Journal-World feature that prints favorite reader recipes. This week’s featured cook is Thelma Holloway, of Lawrence, with her recipe for poppy seed cake.

Why it’s special: “This was my mother-in-law’s recipe, and she raised her own poppy seeds every year. We had this usually for Thanksgiving or at Christmas or, if she had enough poppy seed, we had it for both holidays.”

1/3 cup poppy seed

2 7/8 cups sifted cake flour

1 7/8 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup soft shortening

1 1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 egg whites

Soak poppy seed in 1/4 cup of milk for 2 hours. Sift flour with sugar. Add shortening and 1 cup of milk, and beat 2 minutes. Add poppy seed and rest of milk, vanilla and unbeaten egg whites. Beat 2 minutes longer.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool and frost with icing or buttercream frosting.

– Do you have a recipe you’re known for, or one that means something special to you? Send it to Terry Rombeck at trombeck@ljworld.com or 645 N.H., Lawrence, 66044.