Lots o' Cookies! - Lone Ranger Cookies

If you need a lot of cookies, this is the recipe to use - Lone Ranger Cookies. Camille made most of this recipe, and we scooped them out together. I've made these cookies before, and they are really good!

LONE RANGER COOKIES
2 cups shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
Cream together and add 5 eggs one at a time, beating between each. Add 4 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. soda, 4 cups oats, 1 large pkg. chocolate chips, 1 cup nuts, 1 box coconut, 2 tsp. vanilla. Drop on cookie sheet. Bake 12 min. at 350°F. Good for freezing.

My Little Helper - Mrs. Fields' Cookies

Nathan loves to help make cookies, and that makes it lots more fun for me! We made Mrs. Fields' Cookies, which is one of the many take-offs on thse famous cookies. The dough was really dry and crumbly, but I didn't add anything to it. Although, I did add Heath Toffee bits because I didn't have anything but chocolate chips on hand. They made the cookies wonderful! I also think that white chocolate or butterscotch chips would have been good too.

MRS. FIELDS' COOKIES
1 yellow cake mix
3 boxes butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
1¼ cup mayonnaise
Use tablespoon to measure cookies and drop on cookie sheet. Bake 16 minutes at 350°F.

Family Dinners - Italian Spaghetti / Orange Salad (2) / Half Time Spoon Rolls / Danish Pie

We're going to have a lot of these this week. I'm so excited - Camille & Family are due here momentarily and Coray & Family are coming to dinner, too. We're having our annual family get-together for the 4th of July. It's a big deal in our family because that was the day that my parents met at a dance in Moroni. My dad said to his parents, "That's my blonde"; and the rest is history.
For dinner today, I made "Italian Spaghetti." The note on this recipe was, "Daddy brought from back east." My dad worked in Philadelphia for several months because he couldn't find work close to home. He was an electrician. I remember him being gone, but I was very small at the time - probably 4 or 5 years old. I imagine that true Italian spaghetti was unusual here in sheltered Utah and might have been quite a unique thing, for him to bring the recipe home to Mother. I can imagine him having dinner with a family there, and asking for the recipe.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI
4 cloves garlic
1 big onion
Salt & pepper
1 can tomato paste
3 cans tomato sauce (small)
1 can tomatoes (big)
1½ lbs. hamburger
1 can mushrooms
1st brown garlic then brown onions. Put in hamburger with cooking oil. Cook until meat turns dark brown (in frying pan - mix up other stuff in separate pan - heat it up and add the meat (all except mushrooms). Cook 1½ to 2 hours or until meat settles to the bottom (stir every few minutes). Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes longer. Cook spaghetti about 5 minutes longer than it says on package.

With so many coming to dinner, I decided to take advantage of people to eat a large jello recipe. This one was actually attributed to me, but I'm sorry to say that I don't know where I got it. I do remember making it, though, and I have it in my little book of favorite recipes, too. I actually used two cups of marshmallows - can never have too many, in my opinion. And I used two cans of oranges because I wanted to be sure to have enough.

ORANGE SALAD (2)
Partially set the following:
2 pkg. orange jello
2½ cups water (boiling)
1 cup orange juice
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Fold into semi-set jello:
1/2 cup maraschino cherries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 or 2 cans mandarin oranges
1 cup whipping cream whipped

Can't have a nice dinner without hot rolls. I've made many of the recipes in the collection, but here's one I've been wanting to try. Wow, were they easy, and quick. Notice the muffin tin - it was Mother's.

HALF TIME SPOON ROLLS
Dissolve 1 yeast cake [2½ tsp. dry yeast] in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup scalded milk
Cool to lukewarm by adding 1/2 cup cold water.
Blend in 1 egg or 2 egg whites and the dissolved yeast. Add 3½ cups sifted flour. Mix until well blended. Cover. Let rise in warm place until double in bulk 45-60 min. Stir down dough, spoon into well greased muffin tins 1/2 full. Let rise about 45-60 min. Bake at 400°F 15-20 min.

For dessert I made (yesterday) at strawberry pie with a cream cheese layer between the crust and the pie filling. The filling was made with Danish Dessert - which is not all that easy to find in the grocery stores. It's near the Jello, but all stores don't carry it. This was a really good pie, and got thumbs up from the men - the true test of a good pie.

DANISH PIE
2 cups cold water
2 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 pkg. Junket Danish Dessert
3 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sliced sweetened strawberries, well drained
Add Danish Dessert to water. Boil just 1 minute. Then cool at room temperature until lukewarm. Meanwhile, cream the cheese with a wooden spoon; add sugar, salt, vanilla & mix well. Fold whipped cream into cheese mixture and spread on bottom and sides of a cooled baked pie shell. Reserve about 1/4 of mixture for garnish. Fold strawberries into cooled Danish Dessert and spoon into cheese lined pie shell. Chill 3 or 4 hours. Garnish with a border of cheese mixture.

Missionary Farewells - Dream Bars

Another great place to take food to willing eaters. The missionary is Canon Jackson, Mother's great-grandson, my great-nephew. And he is - pretty great, that is. Cheri, his mom, hosted of very big lunch and open house after church, so I volunteered to take cookies. I made Dream Bars - a recipe I remember well that Mother made for special occasions. My goodness, it was so good. I did have to taste one last night, and another at lunch today. Cheri said that she remembered the cookies too - I'm sure her mom, Geralee, made them as well.

DREAM BARS
Part I
1 cup butter or 1 square butter and 1 square margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
Mix together to crumb mass then pack into pan 22 in. by 12 in. (a cookie sheet is good). Bake in oven 375°F for 12 min. Remove from oven and cool.
Part II
5 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups coconut
2 cups walnuts chopped
Beat eggs light. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix flour, salt, baking powder together. Sift over nuts and coconut. Then add to egg mixture. Pour over baked crust evenly. Return to oven 375°F and bake 20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Funeral Dinners - Carrot Cake / Blueberry Salad

It's not a happy occasion, but it's a wonderful place to donate food! I signed up to make a cake, and then begged to also make a jello salad even though they didn't really need it. The cake I decided to make was Carrot Cake - another one that Doug doesn't like, mostly because he thinks that the frosting will be made with cream cheese. It usually is better that way. I mean, why bother with the cake if you can't have the cream cheese frosting? True confession - I actually bought the frosting. This recipe was attributed to "Phyllis." Phyllis DeLong was a wonderful friend of Mother's. She was the secretary at Lincoln Junior High where Mother worked as the registrar for many years. I have to admit that I REALLY wanted to eat a piece of this cake, but I took it to the funeral dinner whole.

CARROT CAKE
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots
1½ cups oil
1 cup crushed pineapple
3 eggs beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1½ cup nuts
1/2 cup flaked coconut
2 tbsp. grated orange rind
Sift dry ingredients. Add oil, eggs, carrots, pineapple, vanilla. Blend well. Add coconut, nuts & orange rind. Bake 1 hour at 350°F.

I baked this cake for about 1 hour 10 minutes because I just didn't seem done after an hour. It also fell a little in the middle, but I filled it with frosting!

The jello salad I made was attributed to both Kathi and Barbara (cousins of mine, nieces to Mother). The recipe was so similar that I deleted one of them and gave them both credit. I REALLY wanted to taste this too, so I licked the spoon. It was yummy! And it has cream cheese.

BLUEBERRY SALAD

2 pkg. raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese
Dissolve jello in water & add cream cheese. Beating until smooth.
Add 1 #211 can crushed pineapple & juice and 1 #3 can blueberries & juice. When mixture is COOL add 1 cup whipped cream. Whip together.

Father's Day Dessert - Apricot Cake

Cooking on vacation can be challenging, but with a little planning it's a great way to save. I bought some steaks and broccoli (Doug likes it!) and brought potatoes to bake. Add a nice dessert and you have a great dinner. I decided to make the Apricot Cake because I could easily bring the ingredients to make from the condo kitchen. I remember Mother making this cake, and it was a yummy favorite. I bought one regular size can of apricots and it was just the right amount for the cake and topping. Loved it!

APRICOT CAKE
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup apricots (drained & chopped)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Bake 25 min. 350°F. Take out of oven & cool.
Melt 2 tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, & 1/2 cup apricots drained & chopped, 1/2 cup coconut. Mix & spread on warm cake. Put under broiler 3 min.

Trip Treats - Chocolate Brownies / Ice Box Cookies

Can't go on a trip without treats, right? Doug & I decided to go to Park City for our 42nd anniversary. Since Coray's family was coming up to celebrate Father's Day I knew I had some willing cookie eaters. So, I decided to make one of the many brownie recipes and a batch of cookies. The brownies were especially good - very cake-like. I would have loved to add the walnuts, but I left them out for Coray :). I cut the Icebox Cookies recipe to 1/3 and glad I did. It still made 20 large cookies - what would I have done with 60! Suggestion on the cookies though - don't use that much soda. I can taste it a little in the cookies, but they're still good.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES



1 square butter
1 square chocolate
Melt slow & cool. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.
Beat two eggs real light & fluffy & add 1 cup sugar slowly. Add chocolate mix to egg mixture. Add 3/4 cup flour & blend in. Bake in 8" x 8" pan 350°F for 30 min. (nuts too)







ICEBOX COOKIES
1½ cups butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
4 cups flour
1 tbsp. soda
1 cup walnuts
1 cup coconut

Salt omitted if butter is used. Bake 325°F for 15 min.

Plan B - Blueberry Desserts

I decided to make a dessert tonight because I have some unsuspecting guests coming. We are going out to dinner with Doug's siblings, and they will be coming over for dessert. Of course, they don't know that yet, but it won't be optional. Actually, it's kind of nice to have a place to come where we can visit because most restaurants are pretty noisy. I had all the makings for Blueberry Dessert. So I started bright and early so it could chill long enough. I'll put the recipe here and continue to explain Plan B:

1 lb. pkg. vanilla cream cookies
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 can blueberry pie filling
2 eggs
1 square margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
Roll cookies into crumbs. Whip cream, adding sugar and vanilla to taste. Cream powdered sugar and margarine. Add eggs and nuts. Make a layer of one half of the crumbs in a 9x12 inch pan. Next spread on the creamed mixture, blueberry pie filling, whipped cream and last half of cookie crumbs on top. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

So, I got my cookies crushed and put in the pan. I gasped when I read the cube of margarine part, but decided not to tell anyone. Anyway, then I added the eggs (also decided not to tell anyone about the raw eggs - nobody worried about that kind of thing in those days). I kept beating and beating and the mixture just got thinner - it was obviously not going to set up. Well, there was no way I could serve this to company. I'm sure it never would have set up, and I didn't want to waste a can of pie filling, a cup of nuts, and whipping cream just to have it flop. Not to mention my embarrassment. Here's where Plan B comes in - there was another Blueberry Dessert! So I combined the best of both recipes. I used the cookie crumbs instead of graham crackers because I already had them ready. Then I included the nuts from Recipe No. 1 because I already had them chopped. The outcome was great. I'll include both recipes here, but basically, ignore No. 1, and make No. 2 with the cookie crumbs and add a cup of nuts. Easy and delicious.

Blueberry Dessert (2)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. butter
2 cups cream, whipped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 can blueberry pie filling
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Line a 9x13 inch pan with 2/3 of the crumb mixture. Mix one-half of the whipped cream with the miniature marshmallows. Spread on crumb-lined pan. Carefully top with blueberry pie filling. Spread remaining whipped cream on top of the filling and sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares to serve.

Thanks for Dinner! - Fruit Salad (2)

Now whenever we're invited somewhere for dinner, I beg for a food assignment. Every excuse to prepare something to share is welcomed. If anyone out there would like to invite us to dinner, I'll be happy to share a salad or dessert - even a casserole! This yummy looking fruit salad was just that - yummy. When the host takes seconds, that's a good sign. We had a delicious dinner with Ann & Larry while plannng the upcoming family summer party. And they graciously allowed me to bring the salad. I think the recipe intended for the pecans and cherries to be folded in, but I added my own decorative touch, which is a rare moment for me. I also used Cool Whip instead of whipping cream, mostly for the convenience; but I'm glad I did because I think that much cream would have been too much. I also used just a can of mandarin oranges, which is probably less than a cup. In some of Mom's recipes I wondered if, when she wrote 1 c., she actually meant one can. This is an easy salad to increase or decrease by just using more or less fruit and cream. So here it is . . .

FRUIT SALAD (2)
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup salad marshmallows
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups sweet grapes
Whole pecans
Maraschino cherries
Drain fruit well before adding marshmallows & coconut, then add 1 cup whipped cream and add to fruit.

Multi-tasking Can Be Dangerous - Graham Cracker Date Pie

Confession - I was playing Words with Friends (with 2 friends at once) while making this pie. I was also making tha e casserole for dinner. So, the top of this pie burned a little. I took a picture of the not-burned side. I was just standing there by the stove and smelled something a little off - burning meringue. Oh well. This is a very rich pie. Not sure I loved it. And the custard didn't quite set up. I just kept stirring and stirring, and it still didn't thicken. So I added two more teaspoons of cornstarch which helped a little. But even after chilling the pie for a few hours, the custard didn't set up. I love the dates though. I might just end up scraping the dates and nuts off and eat that. Or not.
This recipe was also found in the back of the Household Searchlight Cookbook.

GRAHAM CRACKER DATE PIE
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
Vanilla
Make custard in double boiler, saving egg white. Line a pie plate with crust made of crushed crackers 10-12 & 1/4 cup melted butter. Pour custard in this. On to spread dates cut fine & 1/2 cup nuts. Cover with egg white & a few crumbs on top of whites & brown slowly. May be served with or without whipped cream - good either way.

Aunt Ruth's Jello Recipe - Apricot Jello Salad

APRICOT JELLO SALAD
1 pkg. apricot jello
1 can small pineapple chunks in natural juice
1 small can mandarin oranges
Make in usual way.

The "usual way" for me included using the pineapple juice for part of the cold liquid. It was really a good salad - you kind of expect it to be orange jello, so the apricot jello was fun surprise.

On the Half Shell - Shrimp & Shellroni Casserole

I remember Mother making this recipe for club - but she must have tested it out on me. She had some individual shell dishes that she baked it in - real shells I'm sure, not ceramic. Wonder who got those??? Really like this recipe. You should know that in my house growing up, there was a difference between mayonnaise and salad dressing. I used Miracle Whip in this recipe. It was yummy - just like I remembered it, except for the shell!

SHRIMP & SHELLRONI CASSEROLE
Combine 1/3 cup chopped green pepper, 1/4 cup onion & 1 cup chopped celery.
1 6-½ oz. can crab
1 can shrimp
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 cups cooked shellroni
2 cups white sauce
1 egg slightly beaten
1/2 cup salad dressing
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Combine and put in individual shell dishes & top with buttered crumbs. Bake 30 min. 350°F.

Modify or Modernize? - Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

5 chicken breasts
2 cans cream mushroom soup
2 pkg. frozen broccoli
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
Boil breasts with salt & butter (about 2 tbsp. butter).
Remove bones & skin while warm.
Mix soup, lemon juice & mayonnaise together.
Lay chicken & broccoli spears in baking dish.
Pour soup mixture over & cover tightly in foil (cover with buttered crumbs is good).
Bake 350°F for 1 hour.

Well, I think it's OK to modify these recipes. After all, most of them were written in the 1950s or 1960s. They didn't even have microwaves then! My first modification in the recipe was to cut it in half - I was fixing it for Doug & me and I knew we'd never get through the entire recipe. It was easy to half because I could just use one can of soup instead of two, and a half cup of mayonnaise is always better than a full cup! I used frozen chicken tenders. Who wants to boil chicken and remove bones and skin???? MY girls don't, that's for sure. The frozen broccoli I used was flowerets and not spears - I couldn't find spears. I'm pretty sure they don't make them. Come to think of it, now as I'm reading the recipe, I didn't cover it with foil when I baked it. The bread crumbs wouldn't have browned as nicely if I had covered it. The mixture of the mayonnaise, soup and lemon juice made it taste a little bit like sour cream - but don't tell Doug!

Just Desserts - Angel Food Delight / Deliciious Orange Mold

Since I bought the angel food cake on Saturday, I needed to use it before it expired! Which also prompted two other trips to the store for whipping cream - my own fault for not planning better. I need a cow.

So the two desserts for today were Angel Food Delight (not very good) and Delicious Orange Mold. I made them both at once so they will get simultaneous treatment here. Actually, the Angel Food Delight is probably very good, but it didn't get the notation on Mother's version of it. And since I made Angel Food Delight - Very Good on Saturday, this has to be today's distinction. Anyway - it was a lot of work. The custard never quite got thick so I added some cornstarch (a litte hot liquid into a rounded teaspoon of cornstarch, stir till smooth before putting into the hot mixture). That made it better. Then, I couldn't find any orange-pineapple jello, but they do make Island Pineapple, so that's what I used.

ANGEL FOOD DELIGHT
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Beat yolks, add sugar and milk & cook to soft custard. Cool. Dissolve 1 pkg. pineapple-orange jello in 1¼ cup hot water. Chill. When partly set add 1 can drained, crushed pineapple. Break large angel food cake in large baking dish. Mix jello and custard together. Fold in beaten egg whites and 1 cup whipping cream, whipped. Pour over cake chunks. Sprinkle with nuts & cool & chill from 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

DELICIOUS ORANGE MOLD

1 14-oz. Angel Food cake
1 envelope gelatin
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 6-oz. can frozen orange juice
1 pint whipping cream
1/4 lb. seedless grapes
1 cup mandarin oranges
Red & yellow food coloring
Dissolve gelatin in 1/2 cup water. Place over heat & dissolve - add sugar & salt. Remove & stir in orange juice. Refrigerate until thickened slightly. Whip cream and fold in orange mixture. Tint to a delicate orange. Oil a 2½ quart mixing bowl. Spoon orange in bottom - put in 1/3 of cake. Spread more orange - more cake. Repeat & end with orange on top. Refrigerate. Garnish with grapes & oranges & whip cream.

Tonight's Dinner - Chicken Supreme with Rice / Pineapple & Cottage Cheese Salad

Decided to split dinner tonight with Marian & Nolan. I made Chicken Supreme with Rice and put it in two pans. High fat alert. But it was tastey.

CHICKEN SUPREME WITH RICE
3 cups cooked rice
2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
5 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Layer the above in order twice in a casserole dish.
Sauce:
1/4 tsp. curry powder
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can milk
1 cup mayonnaise
Mix sauce and pour over casserole. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Garnish with half can of onion rings (optional) and bake another 10 minutes.

I also made Pineapple & Cottage Cheese Salad for them because it had cottage cheese. There is a logic to that if you think it through.

PINEAPPLE & COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
1 pkg. lime Jello dissolved in 1 cup hot pineapple juice - cool.
1 pkg. cottage cheese
1 cup pineapple
1 cup whipping cream - whipped
Mix in Jello mixture after it starts to set. Can add maraschino cherries & nuts. Very good.

Banana Nut Cake

Confession: I ran out of nuts yesterday with the nut bread, so this banana nut cake was just banana cake. However, since some people don't like nuts anyway, I figure at least half of the people who ate this cake appreciated the fact that I ran out of nuts. I frosted it with my favorite - browned butter frosting. Yum! Well, it looked yum. I didn't taste it.

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. soda
4 tbsp. sour milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas
1 cup nuts
Cream shortening and sugar. Add unbeaten eggs & beat well. Add mashed bananas. Add soda to milk & add to mixture. Add flour & nuts. Bake in a moderate oven 25 min.

Nut Bread - the Orange Variety

I loved this recipe! It was so easy. You make it with Bisquick. It was a newspaper clipping with a basic recipe for a nut bread, with three different variations. I chose to make the orange nut bread. You use orange juice and rind instead of milk, and a little more sugar. Also, a point which I didn't notice till it was too late, you're only supposed to use half the amount of nuts. I added the full amount, but hey, you can never have too many nuts if you ask me! It's a really moist bread and yummy.

NUT BREAD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1¼ cups milk
1½ cups chopped nuts
3 cups biscuit mix
Mix sugar, egg, milk and nuts together and stir in the biscuit mix. Beat hard for 30 seconds. Pour into a well greased loaf pan 9½x5¼x2¾ inches. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in moderate oven (350 degrees) until wooden pick thrust into center comes out clean.

FRUIT NUT BREAD: Follow directions for nut bread above except - use 3/4 cup chopped nuts and add 1 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit. Bake 55 to 60 minutes.

BANANA NUT BREAD: Follow directions for Nut Bread above except use 3/4 cup sugar and only ½ cup milk. Use only 3/4 cup chopped nuts and add 1 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3 bananas).

ORANGE NUT BREAD: Follow directions for Nut bread above except - use 3/4 cup sugar and instead of milk use orange juice plus 1 tablespoon grated orange rind. Use only 3/4 cup chopped nuts. Bake 50 to 55 minutes.

Lime DeLight

I have to give away recipes with cheese of any kind, so I made this salad with the cottage cheese to take to the Food and Care Coalition today. Hope they like it - at least if they don't, I'll never know it.

LIME DeLIGHT
2 pkg. lime jello
Set until slightly thick.
Mix together:
2 cans crushed pineapple
1/2 carton creamed small curd cottage cheese
1 large heaping tbsp. Miracle Whip
Miniature marshmallows
Chopped nuts
2 large bananas
Mix with jello mixture.

Roz's Chocolate Cookies

Sunday was Roz Capell's birthday and some of her friends were going over to the nursing home on Monday to have a little party. I volunteered to take some cookies. The "Chocolate Cookie" recipe in Mom's collection had my name as the contributor, but it was actually a recipe that I got from my friend Roz. Roz also taught school at Lincoln Junior High when Mom was a secretary there, so they actually knew each other before I moved across the street from Roz. Anyway, I thought it was only appropriate that I should take Roz's recipe of cookies to Roz's little party. She liked them.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
Mix in order given. Chill 2 hours. Make into balls & roll in powdered sugar. Bake 375°F. Do not overbake. Makes 45 large cookies.

A Double Boiler?

There are several recipes that call for a double boiler. Bet my kids don't even know what that is. I haven't used mine (yes, I did have one years ago) in years. So I used my Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon on Saturday and bought one! Look how shiney!

Sunday Dinner - Jell-O Fruit Salad / Angel Food Delight

Mindy was kind enough to invite us to Sunday dinner today. I accepted, on the condition that I could bring the salad and dessert. Ulterior motives on my part to be sure. Check off two more recipes. I chose two recipes with Mother's addition of "Very Good" to the title. I think everyone liked them, and agreed that they were accurately labeled. Well, perhaps not everyone - I don't think Will liked the dessert. I should have picked something with chocolate chips in it. Next time, Will!

JELL-O FRUIT SALAD - VERY GOOD
2 packages lemon jello
1 No. 2 can crushed pineapple
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 pint whipping cream
4 bananas
Set jello with well drained pineapple (save juice), marshmallows. Add to juice enough water to make two cups. Heat, then mix 3 tbsp. cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar and 2beaten eggs. Add some of hot juice to cornstarch and egg mixture and make a smooth paste, add a pinch of salt and add to juice. Stir until clear and thick. Cool. Whip cream and add to cooled sauce. Now slice bananas on top of set jello, then spread sauce over jello and bananas. Sprinkle nuts over top if desired and allow to set for a few hours for best flavor and setting up. Should be covered.
Lots of good stuff in this salad - but a little time consuming.

ANGEL FOOD DELIGHT - VERY GOOD
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups milk
1 pkg. lemon jello
1/4 cup hot water
2 egg whites, beaten
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup chopped nuts
1 small jar maraschino cherries, chopped
1 angel food cake (large)
Combine sugar, yolks & milk. Cook in double boiler until creamy. Stir in jello that was dissolved in hot water. Cool. Add beaten whites. When it begins to set, fold in whipped cream, pineapple, nuts & cherries. Break angel cake in small pieces (in 9 x 13 pan). Add layer of cake then layer of filling alternately. Set. Serve with whipped cream.

Special Chicken Salad

I guess it was - special that is. It tasted good, and I think I would make it again. I used one large can of chicken breast and Minute Rice. Instead of the Good Seasons dressing, I used a Creamy French dressing. I hesitated to use a full teaspoon of salt, and when I tasted the dressing (of course after adding the salt and mixing it in) I was sure that I shouldn't have used that much. However, when we ate the salad, it tasted just fine - not too much salt at all. I'm glad that Doug likes a light salad supper in the summer - there will be more to come. I recommend this salad - it would make a great bridal shower lunch.
1/3 cup prepared Good Seasons Old Fashioned French Dressing
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1½ cups diced cooked chicken
1 can mandarin oranges
1½ cups cold fluffy rice
Combine dressing, mayonnaise, salt & pepper. Mix well. Combine chicken, celery, oranges & nuts in a bowl. Stir in mayonnaise mixture. Then add rice & mix lightly with a fork. Chill 1 hour. Serve on lettuce. 4-6 servings.

Shepherd's Pie

So today was the day for pie - even though this one didn't have a crust. I made this recipe a hundred years ago, but somehow it seemed to taste better today. Doug liked it - we both had seconds. So much for leftovers. Confession - I used potato flakes. It was good anyway. Oh, and I didn't use very much of the juice from the beans.

Cook hamburger & onion (1 lb.). Add 1 can tomato soup, 1 can green beans and juice. Put in ovenware and over with mashed potatoes. Cover with grated cheese.

Butterscotch Peach Pie

Pastry for 2-crust pie
3½ cups home-canned peaches, drained, or 1 1-lb, 13-oz. can peaches, drained
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup syrup from canned peaches
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. granulated sugar
Place peaches in pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Combine sugar, flour, salt and peach syrup; add butter. Cook until thick, stirring. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and almond extract. Pour over peaches. Adjust top crust; flute edges and cut vents. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 425°F for 35 minutes. Cool and serve.

I used three small cans of peaches. Even though I drained them well, the pie turned out quite runny. Maybe I should have cooked the syrup longer, but I was afraid of ending up with caramel candy. And maybe I was just too anxious to try it and cut it before it was completely cool. Tastes great, though!

Pie Crust Cookies

You know, the only reason I make pie is for the crust. And who can make pie crust without the cookies? This recipe was different from any that I had used before, with a different method. I have to say, I think it was probably the flakiest crust I've ever made. It rolled out easily and didn't fall apart in the transfer. I definitely recommend this recipe.


2 cups flour
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
Take 1/3 cup flour out & add the 1/4 cup water and make a thickening out of it. Then take rest of flour, shortening and salt & mix as pastry and add the thickening. Mix & roll.

Carrot and Shrimp Salad

2 cups grated carrots
1 tbsp. grated onion
1 can shrimp, drained
2 chopped hard boiled eggs
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise & 2 tbsp. lemon juice
Place lettuce leaf on plate. Place sliced tomatoes & then place shrimp mixture on top.

Second trip to the store today - didn't have any tomatoes. But this salad was delicious and would have been fine without tomatoes. It does make a nice picture though.

Bean Salad the First

There are three bean salad recipes in the collection. I chose this recipe to give away because I don't like green olives. I'm sure someone at the FACC will like them, or they'll pick them out like I would have done. Nothing else remarkable about this salad, but I think it looks pretty.

1 can green beans
1 can wax beans
1 can kidney beans, drained & washed
1 whole onion cut in rings
1 can pimento
1 can green olives
Dressing:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. vinegar
Salt
Marinate beans for hours.

Pineapple Fluff Salad

PINEAPPLE FLUFF SALAD
Cook for 3 minutes: 2 cans crushed pineapple & 1 cup sugar. Cool.
Add: 2 pkgs. cream cheese (small)
Dissolve: 2 boxes lemon jello in 1 pint water, cool.
Mix: the two and add 1/2 pint whipped cream gradually.
Top with red cherry.

In the middle of making this salad, I realized I had only one box of Lemon Jello. First trip to the store for the day. So the pineapple mixture might have cooled too long. At any rate, when I added the cream cheese, it was quite lumpy - big lumps. So, I used my hand mixer and whipped it in a bit to break up the big lumps. Then, the recipe didn't call for it, but I should have thought it through a little better - the lemon jello should have cooled till partially set before adding the whipped cream. The cream didn't fold in well - more big lumps. So I used my mixer again to blend it better. That defeated the purpose of whipping it in the first place. I was a little worried about the outcome of this salad, but it set up just fine. I'm hope the FACC appreciated it.

Banana Apple Cake

So I'm grating the apples for this cake today, fully thinking I'm using the right apples. Then I thought to myself, wait! Banana apples? These are Golden Delicious apples. Is there such a thing as Banana apples? YES! I remember banana apples. I think we used to have a tree in our orchard. They are a round, yellow apple. The silly thing is, though, that I bought these Golden Delicious apples with this recipe in mind! I guess I shouldn't admit my brain lapse. Anyway, I think the cake was good. I gave it away but stole a little sliver first.

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1½ cups flour
2 cups grated banana apples
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
Cream sugar, shortening, egg & salt. Add flour, soda & apples. Grease baking dish 7½x12. Top with the following: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 350°F for 50 min. (Serve with warm whipped cream.)

A note about this recipe: I didn't have a give-away 7x12 pan so I used a 9x13. It came out a little thin, so I only baked it 40 minutes, which was about right.

Out of Cookies? - Frozen Cookies

Well, not quite. But I had to make something today. Cookies are always an easy choice. I made "Frozen Cookies." No, they weren't frozen at any step of the making, so I have no idea how they got the name. They were easy to make and quite tasty - a little hint of cinnamon & cloves provides the unexpected in a rather plain looking cookie. I cut the recipe in half and got about 20 cookies.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs beaten
1½ cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat well. Mix and sift remaining dry ingredients. Add to first mixture, mixing well. Add enough more sifted flour so that you can work dough into long, round roll or press it into freezing tray of refrigerator. Let chill thoroughly in refrigerator for about 3 hours. Slice thin & bake on cookie sheets. Pre heated oven temperature 400°F. Time: 7 minutes or until done. Makes 4 dozen.

By Popular Demand

Well, sort of. At least two people have said it would be nice to have the recipes included here. I agree. What good is a cooking blog if it doesn't include recipes? So, quite proud of myself, I figured out how to do it. Hint: It's not so simple as a copy/paste. So, henceforth, and below, there will be recipes.